After a long and seemingly endless winter, spring is really going to happen. Honest. It’s around the corner. There’s just no telling how far away that corner is. To be ready for the spring fashion trends, local boutique owners share what they have to offer in their shops to beat back winter and welcome spring...

DYERSVILLE, Iowa — Last spring, Jennifer Recker took the leap and opened a boutique in downtown Dyersville. J & R Fashions — named after Jennifer and her daughter, Rayne Hollenback — opened in May at 248 First Ave. E. The 1,400-square-foot retail space represented a new challenge for Recker, who previously sold items online and...

For parents of campers heading to sleepaway camp, spring can mean a whole lot of shopping, finding duffel bags, labeling clothes, packing… And then they’re off! And THEN it’s time to think about popping a little something in the mail so your camper can have the thrill of receiving a care package. But what to...

Kids spend hours having fun at day camp, their summer schedules brimming with swimming, boating and aiming for that bull’s-eye. Through all the laughs and memory-making, though, they’re also getting something else: a boost to their social development. “Because there is so much social interaction, you see an acceleration of kids’ friendship skills, conflict resolution...

Inclusion is a core value shared by many summer camps, and in recent years there’s been a lot of discussion in the camp community about how to help transgender and gender-nonconforming youth succeed. Tom Rosenberg, president and chief executive officer of the American Camp Association, says the group is doing more every year to support...