COUNTY -- With the month of June now gone, planting for farmers has also come to an end.

 COUNTY -- Fair season is finally here and with it comes a number of participants and visitors from around the county to experience the 150th annual Shelby County Fair.    Two of these participants are Kyle and Justin Hansen from the Elk Horn Explorers 4-H Club, who will be showing their projects to judges and livestock animals during the fair. 

    AVOCA -- Avoca celebrated its sesquicentennial last week with activities throughout the July 4 holiday week and weekend. There was food, tractor displays, a history tour, beard competition and lots of art.

    ADAIR -- Dave and Anna Schwarte of Irwin announce the engagement of their daughter, Bree of Defiance to Josh Steenhusen of Harlan. Josh is the son of Paul and Patty Steenhusen of Harlan.    The couple will exchange marriage vows on July 20 at the Schafer Barn on the Hill near Adair.

    WESTPHALIA -- Terry and LaVonne Schulte of Westphalia will celebarate their 50th wedding anniversary on Sunday, July 28 beginning with an 11 a.m. Mass in their honor at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Westphalia. A reception and luncheon will follow at the parish center. Friends and relatives are invited to attend.

 RED OAK (June 27) -- Riley Kohles pitched four innings of shutout ball in game one and Derec Weyer hit his first varsity home run with six RBI in the night cap Thursday as Harlan Community swept Red Oak 14-3 and 17-9 in a Hawkeye Ten baseball doubleheader. The first game lasted just five innings as the Cyclones put together a five-run third and a six-run fifth to take a 14-0 lead.

 SIOUX CITY (June 26) -- It wasn’t the best outing of his career, but Brett Sears will take the ‘W.’ Sears labored through four innings to tie the school record for pitching wins last Wednesday night as the Harlan Community baseball team rallied for a 10-7 victory at Sioux City West. HCHS erased an early 5-0 deficit with six runs in the top of the second inning and broke a 6-6 tie with three runs in the fourth, hitting six doubles among 14 tot

 COUNCIL BLUFFS (June 29) -- Just two years removed from a 12-22 season, the Harlan Community softball team clinched a Hawkeye Ten Conference championship on Saturday morning with a 14-0, four-inning win at St. Albert. HCHS blew the game open with seven runs in the third and five more in the fourth, improving to 24-6 overall and 17-1 in the Hawkeye Ten with two league games to go (July 8 at Denison).

 RED OAK (June 27) -- The Harlan Community softball team swept a doubleheader at Red Oak Thursday night by scores of 8-0 and 8-4. Morgan Schaben belted a pair of home runs in game one and also pitched a four-hit shutout with one walk and 13 strikeouts, improving her record to 18-6. Tianna Kasperbauer (5-0) pitched game two, allowing eight hits and three earned runs with seven strikeouts and one walk.HCHS 8, Red Oak 0 Aurora Miller, Schaben, Ka