The Gazette from Cedar Rapids, Iowa • 1

4 Farmers market checks coming for seniors, 3D Headlines in history, 3D Your guide to area events, Bulletin Board, 4D COMMUNITY Scene Heard See whos making the rounds in Eastern Iowas social circles; 3D The Gazette Saturday June 11, 2005 www.gazetteonlme.com LOCAL" REGIONAL COMMUNITY SERVICE BRIEFLY CEDAR RAPIDS Brass band festival conies to Ushers Ferry The 11th annual Grand Celebration of Brass Bands will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 18, at Ushers Ferry Historic Village, 5925 Seminole Valley Tr. NE. The event will feature the host band, the Eastern Iowa Brass Band, along with the Illinois Brass Band from the Chicago area and the Madison Brass Band from Madison, Wis.

Hourlong performances begin at 11 a.m. with the Eastern Iowa Brass Band. That concert will be broadcast on KMRY 1450 AM. At 6 p.m., all the participating bands will come together for a mass concert, featuring more than 100 musicians. In addition, the Jim Busta Polka Band will perform at 2 p.m.

Schedule is as follows: Eastern Iowa Brass Band, 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.; Madison Brass Band, noon and 3 p.m.; Illinois Brass Band, 1 and 5 p.m.; Mass Band, 6 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for children ages 5 to 14. Food will be sold on the grounds. For information, call (319) 286-5763 or go to www.cedar-rapids.org ushers Pucker up today to blow big bubbles The sixth annual National Bubble Blowing Contest will be held from 11 a.m.

to 4 p.m. today at all local Wal-Mart stores. Sponsored by Dubble Bubble, the contest invites participants 12 years and younger to compete. All bubbles will be measured using an official Dubble Bubble Bubble Meter. Five national contest finalists will then compete in a blow off to be held in late July or August.

The national grand prize winner will receive a $10,000 U.S. Savings Bond and the opportunity to present a $1,000 donation made in hisher honor to the hometown Childrens Miracle Network hospital National runners-up will receive a $5,000 U.S. Savings Bond and a $1,000 donation for their local childrens hospital. Relay for Life overnight event planned in C.R. CEDAR RAPIDS Walkers will stay on their feet around the clock in their battle against cancer during the upcoming American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Linn County, now in its 16th year.

Teams of area residents will gather at Coe College at 7 p.m. Friday for an overnight relay against cancer. Relay For Life is a family-oriented team event where participants can walk or run relay-style around the track and take part in fun activities off the track. Teams include co-workers, club members, church and neighborhood groups, school teams, family and friends who have gathered donations before the event. Relay For Life brings the progress against cancer to the forefront, said event cochairwoman Sue Rowbotham.

Many participants are our family, friends and neighbors who have dealt with cancer themselves. Their involvement is proof of the progress that has been made not only in reducing death rates, but also in the quality of life following cancer treatment. Relay For Life of Linn County will be held at Clark Field on the Coe campus at Avenue and 14th Street NE. Childrens activities will be offered from 5.30 to 8 p.m. Friday and 8 to 10 a m.

Saturday, June 18. The opening ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. Friday. Entertainment, food and activities are available to participants and spectators throughout the event, which continues until 10 a m. Saturday, June 18, culminating with the Survivors Lap and awards ceremony.

The Survivors Lap honors those who are battling or have defeated cancer. Survivors anyone who has ever been diagnosed with cancer are invited to a free breakfast at 8 a.m. and will receive a T-shirt and gift before completing the relays final lap. Registration for survivors is on-site beginning at 7 a.m. The public also is invited to attend the Luminaria Ceremony, which will take place after sundown Friday.

To honor the communitys cancer survivors and to remember those lost to the disease, Cedar Rapids firefighters will assist in the lighting of hundreds of luminarias circling the track. Luminarias, each of which carries the name of a person who has experienced cancer, can be purchased for a free-will RELAY, PAGE 2D These 2005 Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival Heroes will be honored at a tribute luncheon June 23 at the Crowne Plaza Five Seasons Hotel Ballroom in downtown Cedar Rapids. They are (front row, from left) Lileah Harris and Julie Beckett and (back row) Percy Harris, Bart Woods, George Hamman and John Canady. All are from Cedar Rapids, except Canady, from Iowa City. The sponsor of the luncheon is Cedar Memorial, where the group gathered for this photograph in May.

Freedom Fest honors local heroes 0 are a lot of people who should be heroes out there. Beckett, 55, continues working on behalf of children with special healthcare needs. She is co-founder of Family Voices, a grassroots organization of families nationwide working toward family-centered care. The group has grown to 50,000 strong, Beckett said, primarily by word of mouth. Beckett, with the help of co-workers, worked behind the scenes to organize health-care financing for Daniel Canfield.

The 8-year-old boy was diagnosed in December with adrenoleuko-dystrophy, a rare genetic disorder. Canfield received a successful bone-marrow transplant Jan. 14. Every time there is a child in need, she finds out and she goes, said Sylvia Berg, who nominated Beckett. HEROES, PAGE 3D By J.K.

Perry The Gazette CEDAR RAPIDS Extraordinary service, courage, compassion and perseverance. These are some of the words and ways in which a hero can define herself or himself, according to the Freedom Festival Tribute to Heroes nomination form. And six area residents who exemplify those words have been named this years Freedom Festival heroes. The recipients will be honored during the Tribute to Heroes luncheon June 23 at the Crowne Plaza Five Seasons Hotel Ballroom. Here is a glimpse of this years heroes: Julie Beckett In the early 1980s, Julie Beckett of Cedar Rapids helped turn Medicaid financed in-home and community-based health care into national policy.

The process i it Reagan called up the Medicaid administrator and told her to fix the problem and make it available to others in need, Beckett said. Katie Beckett, now 27, lives on her own in Cedar Rapids. You dont think of yourself as a hero, Julie Beckett said about the recognition. You do what has to be done. If that qualifies you to be a hero, then I think there CLOSE-UP C.R.

man doesnt want to abandon citys government Tribute to Heroes Luncheon When: 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m, June 23 Where: Crowne Plaza Five Seasons Hotel Ballroom, 350 First Ave. NE Tickets: $30; for reservations call (319) 365-8313 or e-mail janetwfreedomfestival.com began in 1978 when her daughter, Katie, was diagnosed with viral encephalitis as an infant and hospitalized for more than three years. Doctors determined she would do better at home, using a ventilator, but Medicaid coverage for in-home care was denied. Former U.S.

Rep. Tom Tauke brought Becketts case to then-Vice President George H.W. Bush, who passed it along to President Reagan. Profile Name: Steve Oberbroeckling Address: 3822 Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids Age: 27 OccupatlonActlvltles: Order administrator at Rockwell Collins, served on Home Rule Charter Commission, member of Keep the Commission.

Hometown: Dubuque Education: Bachelors degree in political science from the University of Iowa. Family: Wife, Tera, 27; sons Sam, 3, and Trevor, 1 month. Even with a political science background, I learned a lot from this about politics. Least: I was a little surprised to find how even at this level (of politics), some people are willing to make some rash statements. It can get sort of dirty.

What do you worry about most? The Cubs making the playoffs. Whats the gutsiest thing MARION Community bands to perform Tuesday The Marion Community Bands will perform on the Marion Square at 7 p.m. Tuesday. This concert, including the community concert band and jazz band, will mark the 24th season of performances by these groups. Both are under the direction of David Law and are supported by the Marion Parks Department and the Marion Community School District.

The jazz band will start the concert with a collection of Big Band standards. The concert band will perform favorites including America the Beautiful and Stars and Stripes Forever. Also performing will be the St. Joseph School Summer Band under the direction of Benjamin' Work. This is the third year the band has played as part of the first Marion Community Band concert.

Nearly 40 of the 95 students in the St. Joseph School band program have signed up for this volunteer performing group. The band will perform several pieces including Choral Prelude: For the Beauty of the Earth and Highlights from the 1812 Overture. The concert is free and open to the public. rugby.

If you score, if its your first time, you have to streak the field, or pitch, as its called. What did you want to be when you were in high school? I really wanted to be a Reconnaissance Marine or a veterinarian. I ended up joining the Marines, and I was a Reconnaissance Marine. Where would you like to travel and why? Id like to spend some time relaxing in Kona, Hawaii. Its Hawaii, a good atmosphere, and they have good coffee.

What CD is in your CD player right now? The Bay City Rollers. What TV or movie character is most like you? Jack Black. I dont think that we really share a lot of physical characteristics, I mean we both have black hair, but I think he can carry a pretty decent note, and he can make people laugh. By Nicole Riehl Contact the writer: (319) or mcole nehlgazettecommunlcations com Why do you support your citys current form of government? Whats important is at the end of the day the citizens of Cedar Rapids are represented well with a form of government that suits this community. The majority of people that Ive spoken with feel that thats found in the commission form, myself included.

In Cedar Rapids, for close to 100 years, weve been pretty successful with the commission form of government. At times in history, there have been individuals that werent popular, and theyve been voted out of office. I think thats the way to handle this situation. If maybe (people) are not satisfied with current individuals or current commissioners, cast that vote in November, and dont necessarily abandon something thats served Cedar Rapids for so long. What do you like most and least about being involved with this issue? Most: The opportunity to be involved in the process and to represent the community.

Steve Oberbroeckling, 27, of Cedar Rapids, is a member of the Keep the Commission group that supports the current form of city government. The issue of keeping or changing the way Cedar Rapids is governed goes before the voters Tuesday. find catfish and catch them with their hands. It was in the Mississippi, on the other side of Dubuque, OLearys area. I didnt like the idea of actually having to catch one.

What was your most embarrassing moment? I had to do a zulu run in youve ever done? I went bare-handed catfishing, where you just go underwater and have gloves on. I didnt catch anything, but other people were catching things. They just go in the water, reach around underneath logs and in the mud..