About Riceville

Riceville is located in the northeast corner of Iowa. We are a small, rural community whose residents take a great deal of pride in the services and facilities we have to offer.

First, and most importantly, is the Riceville Community School District. The health of the school district represents the pulse of the community. We are extremely fortunate to have a modern school facility that houses grades K-12. Students have the opportunity to participate in everything from sports to music to speech/drama and quiz bowl. The non-profit Riceville Community Pre-school has arrangements to utilize the school building. In addition, another school building is leased by the NICA HeadStart program. A bequest in the will of a Riceville man, Henry Buresh, has recently provided our high school graduates with a scholarship fund of over two million dollars. This program will be overseen by the existing Riceville Dollars for Scholars organization and a trustee for the Buresh estate.

Other areas and services of which we can boast in our community include:

Riceville Community Rest Home and Senior Living Complex - a modern 50-bed facility that consistently earns high marks from the State Department of Health for it's operation.

One of the Brown Opera Curtains on Display in the Library Multi-Purpose Room

Riceville Public Library - a beautiful library, housing a collection of over 15,000 items for circulation, including regular and large-print books, books on tape, and videos. Also maintained are PC's with internet hook-up for patrons to utilize and subscriptions to over 40 magazines and newspapers. A pre-school story hour and summer reading program are popular with the youngsters of the area. The library also has an attached multi-purpose room that houses the historic Brown Opera Curtains. These curtains (one of which is shown above) were originally used in the Rainbow Theater over what is now the True Value Hardware Store. They were given to the city of Riceville by the Lenth Family and have been restored with a grant from the Iowa Historic Preservation Association.

Riceville Community Center - a favorite location for wedding and graduation receptions, family and class reunions, and other community events. This was a vacant building on Riceville's main street that was remodeled and transformed into a community center through extensive fund-raising efforts and volunteer labor of area residents.

Lake Hendricks - a popular recreation area offering a 20+ acre lake for fishing, swimming and boating, as well as over 200 camping sites. Also located at Lake Hendricks is the Arlin Schreiber Memorial Softball field, the site of many evening and weekend slow-pitch games over the course of the summer. It is maintained by the Howard County Conservation Board.

Wapsi-Great Western Recreation Trail - a limestone surfaced hiking/biking trail that follows the former Chicago Great Western Railroad line corridor north from Riceville. This trail was built with funding from federal and state highway program grants and contributions of money, labor, and materials from many individuals and businesses. It is maintained by members of the Wapsi-Great Western Line Committee, many other area volunteers, and the Mitchell County Conservation Department. Features of this trail include Memory Lane, the Butterfly Garden (overlooking Lake Hendricks and shown above), and several historic bridges that have been relocated to sites along the trail. In the spring of 2002, the former Riceville Baptist Church building was moved to the trailhead. The church serves as a Welcome Center for the Trail. This project has been in the works for several years so it is nice to finally have the move completed. Again, volunteers have provided much assistance with various aspects of the job.

Riceville Country Club - A favorite of many area golf enthusiasts, this nine-hole course is open to the public, complete with clubhouse and cart storage sheds.

Volunteer Ambulance Service - organized in 1982 and currently staffed by dedicated EMTs, First Responders and drivers. The ambulance is housed next to the Riceville Community Rest Home and the Riceville Medical Clinic on the south side of town. The service responds to an average of 100 calls per year and transports to all surrounding hospitals. Anyone interested in taking the EMT-B course to join the service should contact Joe Keeling for additional information. The service is always in need of more volunteers.

Riceville Volunteer Fire Department - currently has twenty members operating a full fleet of fire equipment. The vehicle shed is on the west side of City Hall on Hwy. 9. Anyone interested in becoming a member of the Fire Department should contact Harry Jensen for additional information. Volunteers are always needed for this vital service.

Active civic groups include: WaTanYe, Kiwanis, Dollars for Scholars, American Legion & American Legion Auxiliary, Flowerette Club, Mens' Slow-pitch Softball League, RCS Music Parents, RCS Athletic Booster Club, Parent/Teacher Organization, Riceville Community Club, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H, and the Post-Prom Committee.

Active churches located in the City of Riceville include: Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, St. Peter's Lutheran Church, United Methodist Church, First Congregational Church, and the Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church.

The Riceville Food Pantry is an outreach of the Riceville Ministerial Association and member congregations. It is open one day a week and staffed by volunteers from the area.