Simon and Hans Peterson of Belle Plaine Township rode together on the
35-mile leg of the Jordan Valley Bike Tour, sponsored by the Jordan
Area Chamber of Commerce.

They stopped at Cedar Summit Dairy in Helena
Township, had their photo taken by reporter Patrick Fischer, and were
pictured on the front page of the June 26 issue of the New Prague Times.

Seventy years ago, the Spring Lake Pavilion hosted the hottest Bohemian and German dance orchestra in the Northwest. 

For more information, read the Looking Back column in the July 10 issue of the Jordan Independent. Read it online in the Print Edition section, or subscribe by going to www.jordannews.com/subscribe.

Here's what's been going on in and around Belle Plaine lately, according to the Belle Plaine Herald:

- Belle Plaine issued four permits for new home during the first six months of the year. Ten years ago, the city saw the number more than double, increasing from 19 in 1997 to 46 in 1998.

- The Belle Plaine school board will dip into its budget reserves, despite receiving a surprise one-time increase in funding from the state.

- Three seats for the Belle Plaine City Council are open. Former Councilmember Cary Coop was the first to file.

Did you know the Scott County Fair started in the city of Jordan in 1915?

Originally, the county fair was at a park owned by the Jordan brewery. You might know the area as the Mini-Met. The fair later moved to its current location along 190th Street in St. Lawrence Township, near the intersection of highways 282 and 169 in Jordan. 

For more information, go to www.scottcountyfair.com/fairhistory.php.   

Mathias Baden reports:

“A ways out there, but an appealing combination of pastoral and urban.”

Sound familiar, like someone is mentioning a little town you might have in mind?

In the July edition of Mpls St Paul magazine, Brian Lambert, Shawn Gilliam, and Sarah Howard combined to write an article about the best places to live in the Twin Cities, and Jordan made the list of 20 “great neighborhoods.”

The writers took into account crime statistics, school quality ratings, subjective insights of real estate industry professionals, and historical home sales.

Ten years ago, a 6-inch downpour chased the usual Concert in the Park indoors, creating a "Concert in the Gym." Still, 250 people attended and enjoyed the music, according to the newspaper account of the event.

For more information, read the Looking Back column in the July 3 issue of the Jordan Independent. Read it online in the Print Edition section, or subscribe by going to www.jordannews.com/subscribe.

Here's what's been going on in and around Belle Plaine lately, according to the Belle Plaine Herald:

- A "fried squirrel" made the front page of the June 18 issue of the Herald. The animal "made a fatal mistake," the article said, when it touched electrical switches at a substation and shorted out power for more than 1,000 Xcel Energy customers.

- The Belle Plaine City Council hired a firm to design a proposed building for the city's public works department.

Those who work at the Scott County Fair Office in St. Lawrence Township, near Jordan, took the Jordan Independent staff on a tour of the grounds and told about their favorite things at the fair. This year's county fair runs July 23-27. Check out these videos:

Rhonda Zweber of Spring Lake Township survived breast cancer while keeping a positive attitude. She's even gotten back her golf swing.

For the full story, see page 1 of the July 3 print edition of the Jordan Independent.

Read her blog at www.caringbridge.org/cb/viewHome.do.