Guthrie County Times Vedette

TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2025

'Let's Go To The Races'

With the Kentucky Derby just behind us, some people still have horse racing on their mind. And some people are still grumbling over their lost wagers, too. Have you ever bet on horse racing? Are you a regular at the track? Or do terms like “win,” “place,” “show,” “across the board” and “exacta” leave you clueless?

I am in the latter. I am not opposed to horse racing; I just haven’t had a burning desire to get involved. Although I have not been to a racetrack or bet online, I did participate in something some of you may remember from the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Hy-Vee food stores was part of a televised series at the time called “Let’s Go To The Races.” These horse races were shown each week on local TV stations as part of a 13-week series. Participants could pick up race cards at any of the 114 Hy-Vee food stores in the Midwest at the time and then view the five races that were in the 30-minute programs. Mom shopped at each of the three grocery stores in my hometown, depending on where the best deals were for the week. I doubt that this promotion made her shop more at Hy-Vee, but this kid was happy when she did.

The game was simple. If your horse won, you won. I knew nothing of “win,” “place” or “show,” but I could follow my horse and eagerly see if I could collect anywhere from $2 to $500.

Horse racing probably wasn’t something a young boy should have been watching, but it seemed harmless. Based on the disappearance of these types of programs, others must not have thought so. Hy-Vee wasn’t the only grocery store chain that took part in these horse-racing programs, as they were popular across the country with a variety of versions. The one I recall seeing was produced by Telecom Productions, Inc. of Des Plaines, Illinois. Check out a sample here from 1981.

As a young boy, I would sit in front of the TV with the game cards that Mom gave me from her grocery shopping to see if I would win. The program claimed 180,985 winning cards were “available” each week with a total of $1,066,000 in cash prizes. From week to week, about $82,000 in prizes were offered. How much was actually claimed is clearly another question.

The shows were pre-recorded, so the odds of winning were pre-determined — and the risks were minimal. It was kind of like the carnival game at the county fairs where you pick a duck out of the circling water to see which prize you win. Of the 100 ducks, the grand prize was on one of them, the medium prize on four, and the small prize on the remaining 95. I know this because my buddy Dave and I once befriended a carnival worker and pulled each duck to count.

I am guessing Telecom Productions wasn’t as eager to share their odds with “Let’s Go To The Races.” Regardless, I was ecstatic to win a $2 prize from time to time on these pre-recorded horse races. I still don’t know what terms like “win,” “place,” “show,” “across the board” and “exacta” mean, but, for me, that’s probably a good thing.

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital newsletter
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

Guthrie County Supervisors to send letter of support for low-income programs

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

The Guthrie County Board of Supervisors met May 6 in regular session. As part of the consent agenda, the supervisors approved payroll status changes for Jerri Christman and Alexi Steiner. Both have been part-time employees in Public Health and are moving to fulltime status.

As he had the prior week, County Engineer Josh Sebern addressed the supervisors regarding the Five-Year Construction Plan.

“We talked about three of them last week; this is the fourth, for the active projects that will be going on,” Sebern said.

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Get ready for a great take off... at the return of the Audubon County Flight Breakfast

Special to the Times Vedette

Audubon County Tourism is reviving the June Flight Breakfast event from five years ago complete with ham and cheese omelets and pancakes on Sunday, June 8 at the Audubon County Airport on the south edge of Audubon. The breakfast will be served 6:30-10:30 a.m. with tickets available at the door. Automobile parking will again be available at the Audubon Community High School with a shuttle bus proving the trip to the airport. No vehicle parking will be available at the airport.

Proceeds will support the new trailhead signage on the T-Bone Trail. If you would like to volunteer to help at this event, contact Sara or Laurie at Audubon County Tourism, 712-563-2742. Mark your calendars for a great breakfast and watch the planes and helicopters fly in and out.

	Flower pot painting class

	Special to the Times Vedette Art on State held a free flower pot painting class for all ages on May 3 from 10 a.m. to noon. Twelve artists participated. Art on State is an art gallery created by the Guthrie County Arts Council as an opportunity to bring together the artists of the county, encouraging them in their talents by providing means to display and sell their work and to bring awareness of artistic endeavors to the community at large by presenting performing and visual arts programs. Art on State is located at 320 State St. in Guthrie Center. Learn more at www.guthriecountyartscouncil.org or call 641-332-2267.

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Guthrie County students recognized by Gov. Reynolds for academic excellence

Special to the Times Vedette

Kelsey Laabs (Panorama), Malia Fuller (West Central Valley) and Emmarae Ellis (ACGC) were recognized by Gov. Kim Reynolds and Lt. Governor Chris Cournoyer for outstanding academic achievement at the 23rd Annual Governor’s Scholar Recognition Ceremony on April 27 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines.

The statewide program, sponsored by the Iowa Governor’s Office, Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) and its title sponsor the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF), honored 424 high school seniors from across Iowa.

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Herring receives $1,000 Aureon scholarship

Special to the Times Vedette

Aureon, a technology solution provider of connectivity, managed IT, staffing consulting and contact center services, announced the recipients of its 2025 Scholarship Programs. Ten Iowa high school students have been awarded a total of $13,000 in scholarships in recognition of their academic achievements, leadership and community involvement.

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Cribbage results from May 2 and May 5

Special to the Times Vedette

A total of nine players participated on May 2. Lela Schwartz got a 20, and Chet Vaughan had a 16 and a 21.

A total of 15 players participated on May 5. Dan Webb, Chet Vaughan and Joanne Zieser each got a 16, Sandy Rumelhart and Wayne Nickel got a 20, and Bill Sheeder got a 23.

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	Kenneth B. ‘Ken’ Crouse

	1944-2025 Kenneth B. “Ken” Crouse, age 80, of Panora, and formerly of Carroll, passed away on Sunday, May 4, 2025, at Thomas Rest Haven in Coon Rapids. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, May 9, 2025, at the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Carroll with Rev. Jeremy Poland officiating. Casket bearers will be Todd Crouse, Jeff Pruitt, Joe Suefurt, Steve Gawley, Bret Richards and Pat Holloway. [...]

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	Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report

	From the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship provides a weather summary each week during this time. “Farmers in some parts of the state have been dealing with wet field conditions after a rainy end to April. The first few days of May have been more favorable for farmers to get back into the fields,” Secretary Naig said. “With the next week or two looking generally warmer and drier, conditions should allow for farmers to make significant planting progress.” [...]

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More than 90 calls this week including Panora Police, and Guthrie County Sheriff and Deputies responding to a report of an altercation in Panora; Stuart Police responding to a report of a vehicle stranded on the railroad tracks; and Guthrie County Deputy responding to a report of a suspicious person in Menlo

4-28-25

2:12 a.m. Guthrie County Deputy did a security check in rural Casey
6:27 a.m. Guthrie County Deputy responded to a traffic complaint in Panora
9:07 a.m. Panora Ambulance and Guthrie County Deputy responded to a medical call in Guthrie Center
9:12 a.m. Panora Ambulance Unit 2 and Panora Police responded to a medical call in Panora
10:11 a.m. Guthrie County Sheriff followed up on an accident investigation

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