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SOLON– Michael Lipcamon remembers strolling the rows of his grandparents’ garden at a young age. He’d pull peas from the vine, chew on rhubarb stalks and stain his hands with mulberries fresh off the tree.
“I spent a lot of time out here as a child,” he recounted. “I have a lot of baby pictures out in the garden with my grandma. She was a great cook.”

SOLON– Construction is set to begin on a roundabout at the intersection of Highway 382 and Ely Road, west of Solon.
According to Assistant Johnson County Engineer Ed Bartels, Peterson Contractors Inc. (PCI) will begin work on the project Monday, Aug. 7, with completion in mid-November. PCI’s winning bid of $982,202.55 was approved by the Johnson County Board of Supervisors at a July 13 meeting.
Regular users of Highway 382 can expect several months of construction traffic and a detour of Ely Road.

OXFORD– Bird nerds– they’re everywhere.
According to a 2011 survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, over 46 million Americans enjoy bird watching. Twenty-two percent of Iowans over the age of 16 are birders. And Johnson County is host to a thriving intergenerational and growing birding community.
Sophia Davis, who recently finished eighth grade at Northwest Junior High, was a member of the Iowa City Bird Club for four years.

You could hear Makayla Keller of Solon screaming a block away from the Rock Star ride at Solon Beef Days Saturday, July 22. Keller was among the throng of people who took to carnival rides, participated in contests like the bean bag tournament and the hay bale toss, or took in the free entertainment at the 2017 edition of Solon’s annual summer event. Look for parade photos and more in next week’s edition. (photo by Doug Lindner)

IOWA CITY– Izaya Ono-Fullard punched the ball over the fence, and in so doing, punched Iowa City West High’s ticket to the 2017 Class 4A State Baseball Tournament in Des Moines.
Fullard, a senior, drilled a grand slam in the bottom of the fifth inning Wednesday, July 19, at home, in the substate final against the Davenport West Falcons. The four-run homer gave the Trojans an 11-1 lead, ending the game under the mercy rule.
The Falcons threatened, in the top of the second inning, with two men on and one out, but a pair of strikeouts from Braden Houston stopped the threat.