Jeff Alber, owner of Brick City Bar and Grill in Clermont, recently purchased 5 acres of land and the Echo Valley Banquet and Reception Center building and parking lot in West Union from Mark Nelson. Nelson had originally purchased the entire 27 acres of land in late 2016 from Lee Hansmeier of Waukon. Alber is changing the name to the West Union Events Center and will be honoring all previous bookings. Chris DeBack photo

New life for WU Events Center

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

When Mark Nelson purchased the 27 acres of land that Echo Valley Banquet and Reception Center sits on, the future of the large West Union banquet hall was in doubt.

The questions were answered Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 3, when Jeffrey Alber, owner of Brick City Bar and Grill in Clermont, purchased the building and 5.5 acres of land around it. His goal is to keep the large facility open to rent for wedding receptions, reunions and other big parties. While the transaction may have only taken 14 days, something Alber said he has never seen before, it's a natural progression for his bar and grill.  

Chamber to honor WU residents who 'Shine Bright Like a Diamond'

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

Every year, the West Union Chamber — A Main Street Community honors people in the West Union community who ”Shine Bright Like a Diamond” at its annual Community Awards Banquet.

This year’s award recipients include the following: Community Service — Marian Harford; Health — Jessica Wegner; Education — Ken Balk; Religion — Marlys Anderson; Historic Preservation — Donald and Linda Bright; Youth — Katelyn and Madelyn Tyler; Iowa Main Street Volunteer of the Year for West Union — Jane Blumhagen; and Business of the Year — Barrel Drive In.

The Fayette County Union will also be honoring the West Union Citizen of the Year, which will be announced in next week’s paper.

The event will start with a social hour at 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, at the West Union Events Center (formerly Echo Valley Banquet and Reception Center) on Hwy. 18 East just outside West Union. Dinner and the awards ceremony will follow at 7 and 8 p.m., respectively. Tickets are $22 before Jan. 22, and $25 after. There will be no tickets available at the door.