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The investor – owned motel, the Marcus Hometown Guesthouse, opened it doors July 28, 2008. This endeavor cost an estimated $880,000 and boasts 16 theme-inspired, friendly rooms. “There was a need and a desire to do jus this. The town of Marcus has had extremely good luck of late with investors,” said Mayor Darrell Downs.

Governor Chet Culver recently announced 21 new awards approved by the state’s Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Board totaling $777,600 to assist Iowa retailers to install pumps for E-85 ethanol and biodiesel fuel, terminals installing biodiesel blending equipment, and tank wagons with dedicated compartments for E-85 and biodiesel for farm delivery.

Senators Chuck Grassley and Tom Harkin recently announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, office of rural development has awarded a grant of $50,000 to Rock Rapids through the Rural Business Enterprise Grant Program.

The people who built Iowa’s first destination resort want to recreate their success in Lyon County. Kehl Management, owners of Riverside Casino & Golf Resort in Washington County near Iowa City, have expressed an interest in building a $90 million facility as close to the Iowa-South Dakota-Minnesota border as possible. As a result of a change in Iowa law, a casino can be built within 1,000 feet of a 100-year river floodplain site, which is where Riverside Casino is situated.

Kehl Management would like to bring a similar destination resort to Lyon County, but on a smaller scale. The Lyon County Board of Supervisors has learned the details, timeline and benefits of such a project.

Sheldon, Iowa is getting a new dental office.

Dentist Chad Brown took possession of the former Radio & TV Center on December 17, 2007, and work to remodel the downtown building started that day. He purchased the building from retiring owners Henry and Lila Ann Kiers of Sheldon. The electronics portion of that retail business now is being operated out of a section of the basement of Downtown Hardware by their grandson, Cody Kiers of Hull, IA.

“Families come first in Sheldon.”

It’s not a slogan – although it could be used as one for certain purposes.

It’s much more than that. It’s Sheldon’s brand essence. In other words, it’s what Sheldon is saying it’s all about as a community.

“The key there is that’s a lot deeper than a tag line that you’re going to hear a swing choir sing on a classic commercial on the radio,” said Heidi Nissen, chairwoman of the Sheldon Marketing Committee. “What we’re saying is this is our promise. This is the way we make decisions. This is the way we live here.”

Sheldon now has signs welcoming people off the Highway 60 expressway bypass.

The two signs are located in advance of the first exits into the community going in either direction on the new four-lane thoroughfare. For travelers coming from the south, one sign is located south of town in advance of the south Exit 31 at McKinley Avenue. From the north, the second sign is located in advance of the east Exit 34 at Highway 18.

Sheldon Marketing Committee chairwoman Heidi Nissen said the project might have been the biggest accomplishment of the marketing group during 2007.

The new Holiday Inn Express will prove to not only be a stopping point for the traveling public along the Highway 60 expressway, but it also will prove to be a destination for Sheldon residents themselves.

The 71-unit hotel will include an expanded indoor pool facility with a separate entrance to serve the local residents in addition to the hotel patrons.

A McDonald’s Restaurant has opened in Sheldon, IA. McNugget orders totaled 1,458 on the first day of business. The popular fast-food restaurant also filled orders for 250 Big Macs and 680 medium fries that day. In total, McDonald’s served 1,030 customer orders on the opening day – not too bad for what company officials were calling a “soft opening” as the restaurant unlocked the doors at 5 a.m. without special advance advertising or marketing fanfare.