Hello Granger | A New Fall Festival, New Friends + Things to Do

September is here, but apparently the weather didn’t get the memo — it’s still hot and miserable outside! ☀️

While we wait for fall to actually feel like fall, there’s plenty happening around Granger. This week, we’ve got a first look at a brand-new fall festival, a local program helping families with young kids connect, and plenty of ways to get involved around town. Here’s what you need to know. 👇

Friday, Sept. 4
KCCI Friday Night Hype at WG Home Opener
Hawk Stadium | 7 p.m.
KCCI is headed to Woodward Friday after fans voted Greene County at Woodward-Granger this week’s Wild Card game. A KCCI crew will be at the game, with highlights featured on Friday Night Hype at 10 p.m.

Madrid Labor Day Celebration — Sept. 4–7
Downtown Madrid, Edgewood Park and more |
Madrid’s annual Labor Day Celebration brings live music, kids’ activities, vendors, a car show, Civil War reenactments, fireworks and more throughout town. The weekend wraps up Monday with the annual Labor Day Parade at 10 a.m.

Saturday, Sept. 5
Ledges State Park Reopening Event
1515 P Ave., Madrid | 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Celebrate the park’s reopening after being closed for about a month for road improvements. The day includes a nature program at 11 a.m., a ribbon cutting at noon and a sandcastle-building contest at the creek from 1–2 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 6
New Climbing at Jester Park
Outdoor Recreation & Wellness Center at Jester Park | Open: Sat. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Sun. 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.
The bouldering wall has new routes thanks to Climb Iowa! Stop by to climb and grab Picket Fence Creamery ice cream for $3 or canned soda or water for $1.

Monday, Sept. 7
Labor Day 🇺🇸 Enjoy the long weekend!

Labor Day Lunch Fundraiser
Woodward United Methodist Church | 11:30 a.m.
Enjoy pulled pork, sides and dessert at Woodward Methodist Church, with a free-will donation benefiting the Woodward Library Foundation.

Labor Day Dance at Lake Robbins Ballroom
26726 150th St., Woodward | 4-8 p.m.
Dance to traditional country and western music from the Kenastons, a longtime Nebraska family band, from 4–8 p.m. Admission is $11.

Tuesday, Sept. 8
Adult Yoga
Granger Community Center | 10-11 a.m. |
Yoga for adults with beginner to intermediate experience.

Wednesday, Sept. 9
Library Story Time
Granger Public Library | 11:15-11:45 a.m. | Ages 0-5 |
Little ones can enjoy stories, songs, snacks and crafts at this weekly library get-together. No registration needed.

Knee-High Naturalists: Insects
Jester Park Nature Center | 10-11 a.m. | 3-6 years old | Free, Register by Sept. 8
Get outside and explore with a story followed by hands-on outdoor fun! Kids will hike, investigate and explore while learning all about insects. Come dressed for the outdoors. Registration required.

Thursday, Sept. 10
Senior Social Time
Granger Community Center | 1-3 p.m. |
A chance for older adults to get out of the house and connect with cards, games, movies, conversation and occasional ice cream socials: hosted by Granger Parks and Rec.

Pony Tales
Jester Park Equestrian Center, Granger | 11:30 a.m. | Free, click here to register
Enjoy a pony-themed story followed by a meet-and-greet with horses.

For parents of young kids, making new friends isn’t always easy — especially when the kids aren’t old enough for school or organized activities yet. That’s the gap A Little Social is hoping to fill in Granger.

The program started when Hannah Hill, a local stay-at-home mom, was looking for a way for her kids — and herself — to get out of the house and meet people.

“After asking around a bit, I realized many parents of young kids were looking for similar opportunities,” she said.

Hannah contacted Granger Parks and Rec. Director Alishia VanDrimmelen about using the Community Center for playdates, and Alishia offered to make A Little Social an official program. 

Geared toward kids ages 0–5 and their caregivers, the gatherings are intentionally simple. Families meet at Centennial Park when the weather cooperates or at the Community Center, where Parks & Rec provides things like tumbling mats, basketballs and monster trucks. There’s no schedule and no pressure to participate in anything specific.

“We don’t have structured activities, we just let the kids play!”

More than anything, Hill hopes families leave A Little Social with “new friends that are in the same season of life as them!”

The community has welcomed the program, with local businesses donating snacks, supplies and services. Looking ahead, she hopes A Little Social continues to be a place where Granger families with young kids can find each other and feel a little more connected to the community they call home.

📅 A Little Social is held three Fridays each month, at Centennial Park or the Granger Community Center if weather doesn’t cooperate.

👉 Click here to register and find the “Clinics” tab for the next A Little Social on Sept. 11. Cost is $7.

📱 For the latest program news, follow A Little Social on Facebook.

• Granger’s First-Ever Fall Festival 🎃
Granger may be growing quickly, but it’s still a small town — something that can be easy to forget amid all the new construction and development. Cue the first-ever Granger Fall Festival, an idea from Mayor Clint Davis aimed at bringing neighbors together and recapturing a little of that small-town feeling

With pumpkins, games, food and family fun, organizers hope the festival will help build connections from one generation to the next and strengthen hometown traditions.

Adding to the fall fun, a kids’ fishing tournament will also be part of the festival, with all of the day’s events happening around Windcrest Pond, right next to Woodward-Granger Elementary.

And because we all know how busy fall can get, the festival is open-house style — stop by when you can, stay as long as you’d like and enjoy the fun without having to give up half your day.

👉 This is one to put on the calendar now for October 17. And keep tabs on more details to come on the event’s Facebook page.

📣 Want to be part of the festival? If your child’s sports team, club, group or church would like to host an activity or get involved in another way, email [email protected]. This is a community event built by the community, and organizers would love to have you join in!

• Join Granger’s Daring Dreamers 4-H Club 🍀
Registration is open for 4-H! Granger’s Daring Dreamers 4-H Club meets at the Granger Community Center and welcomes kids in grades K–12, with Clover Kids for younger members and 4-H for older kids. Members can explore everything from agriculture and STEM to arts, healthy living, leadership and community involvement while learning new skills and making friends.

📝 Click here to enroll in 4-H.
💬 Questions? Contact Jessica Hebert at [email protected].

📌 Community Board

👕 Let’s Help Everyone Get WG Gear!
Woodward United Methodist Church is collecting new and gently used WG spiritwear to help get Hawks gear into the hands of local kids and families who can use it. If you have WG gear to pass along, contact Brenda Talbert at [email protected].

🍅 Help Keep the Woodward Farmers Market Going!
The current farmers market planner is ready to hand things over to someone new. If you enjoy bringing people together, supporting local vendors and want to help keep the market going, contact Theresa Seeman Hotchkiss on Facebook.

🏠 Give your Driveway a WG Upgrade!
WG students and parents are painting school-spirit decals, with four designs/logos to choose from: WG, WG Hawk, Iowa State or Iowa Hawkeyes. One design is $30, or save when you choose multiple. Proceeds help the WG Class of 2028 host Prom 2027.
Pick your design and paint date → click here

🍗 If you're able, consider picking up an extra source of protein—dairy, meat, etc.—during your next grocery trip and drop it by the community refrigerator at the Granger Public Library. Or, if you’re in Woodward, drop your items off at the Woodward Public Library for the community refrigerator there.

🚘 Volunteer Drivers Needed
Volunteer Community Services of Woodward & Granger (VCSWG) is looking for volunteer drivers to help local residents get to appointments, pick up groceries, and run errands—helping neighbors stay independent. Students, this is also a great opportunity to earn Silver Cord hours.For more information, call 515-978-8114 or visit vcswg.org.

❓Do you have a volunteer opportunity, job posting or another local announcement you’d like included here? Reply to this email and let me know.