Community News

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, January 20 to address a full agenda of items.

During Public Comment, Kim Sylvester discussed concerns related to snow removal in downtown Waukon with snow being pushed next to the curb causing a safety issue for business customers walking from parked vehicles. Sylvester indicated that is a safety concern affecting the elderly especially but said there has been improvement with snow removal during the last two snowfalls.

The Waukon Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations from community residents for awards to be distributed at the Chamber's annual meeting scheduled for Saturday, March 7. Those awards include Business of the Year and Person of the Year honors within the Waukon community. The Chamber will bestow those honors upon the best nominated candidate fitting the following award criteria:

Business of the Year
The Business of the Year Award, presented by the Waukon Chamber of Commerce, is given each year to a business that offers high-quality products or services, demonstrates strong ethical standards, exhibits leadership with its employees and clients and within its industry, and is active in the community. The award winner must be in business for at least five years, locally owned or a locally-owned franchise, and an active member of the community.

Waukon Middle School and High School sixth through 12th grade art students under the direction of Mrs. Carlyn Lechtenberg participated in an all-inclusive group project throughout the first semester of this current school year. The Global Traveling Mural Project is in its second year, and the Waukon students were part of a collection of nearly 400 classrooms/schools to be involved in this year’s project.

After signing up to participate in the project and being assigned to a 10-classroom/school grouping, students created their own 10-foot long mural of anything they wish to convey (the mural created by the Waukon students is pictured below). That completed student-designed mural was then cut into 10 different sections and a piece was sent to each of the nine other participating schools in the Waukon students’ group from across the globe. Pieces of the Waukon mural were sent to Connecticut, Wisconsin, Washington, Mexico, Missouri and New Hampshire.

In 1962, Ray and Monica Sweeney started the Village Farm & Home in Waukon along with their 11 children. Throughout the years, some of the children started their own stores or took other career paths.

Sons Jan (Lorraine), Joe (Judy), Jerry and Jake (Beth) became partners with Ray at the store. When Ray passed away in September of 1994, those four sons became sole owners of the Waukon store.

As of January 1, 2020, a third generation will now be carrying on the family business, as Joe’s two sons, Matt and Steven, bought the partnership interests of their three uncles to join their father in the ownership of the business. Both Matt and Steven have been involved with the store since they were old enough to be helpful. Both live north of Waukon, Matt with his girlfriend, Jess, and their four dogs, and Steven with his wife, Jessie, and their three sons, Raymond (10), Elliott (8) and Emmett (5).

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, January 6 to address a full agenda of items including mayor and council appointments, setting the time and date for future council meetings and designating the official depositories for City funds.

There was no Public Comment and the council moved into Departmental Reports with Police Chief Paul Wagner providing an update. Wagner indicated that Officer Fallon Cassidy is attending the academy and that he will be contacting the STEP Program relating to the purchase of preliminary breath testing (PBE) equipment. Wagner provided an update on work being done relating to the background check policy and recommended discussing recruitment methods used to assist in filling vacancies in the department.

4‑H youth programs are grounded in the belief that kids learn best by doing. Hands-on projects include science, health, agriculture and civic engagement. The 4-H program is all about project-based learning; from beef to photography, 4-H offers project learning, no matter where a person may be located. Seven Allamakee County 4-H’ers participated in Officer Training, Food & Nutrition and Photography Workshops Monday, December 30, as depicted in the surrounding photos. The youth spent the day learning about goal setting, leadership styles, club officer roles, food safety, recipe building, quesadilla making, and basics of taking photos that included how to hold a camera, shutter speed, aperture, ISO and how to take a quality photo. For more information on Allamakee County 4-H programs, contact the Allamakee County Extension Office at 563-568-6345 or at www.extension.iastate.edu/. Submitted photos.
 

Robey Memorial Library in Waukon is hosting a Matinee Movie series the second Saturday of both January and February, both beginning at 1:30 p.m. Viewers are invited to bring their own movie snacks.

Saturday, January 11 at 1:30 p.m. the library will show “They Shall Not Grow Old.” On the centenary of the end of the First World War, Academy Award® winner Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) presents new work showing the Great War as never seen. Using state of the art technology to restore original archival footage that’s more than 100 years old, Jackson brings to life the people who can best tell this story: the men who were there. (Rated R)

Have trees curbside by 7 a.m. Saturday, January 11

Boy Scout Troop 64 of Waukon will be conducting their annual city-wide Christmas tree pick-up this Saturday, January 11 as a service project. Trees picked up will be used to provide shelter for animal habitat in rural Waukon.

Residents are requested to place their “live” trees curbside before 7 a.m. the day of the pick-up. All ornaments and garland will need to be removed. Wreaths, artificial trees and other decorations will not be accepted. For more information, contact Sarah Oakland at 563-568-7326.
 

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met Thursday, January 2 to address a variety of organizational matters for the 2020 calendar year. County Auditor Denise Beyer called the meeting to order with the Supervisors approving Larry Schellhammer as Chairperson and Dennis Koenig as Chairperson Pro-Tem.

During Public Comment, Executive Director Val Reinke with Allamakee County Economic Development (ACED) provided an overview of several recent and upcoming events within the county. Reinke discussed Allamakee County locations that have been mentioned by travel blogger Jay the Iowa Gallivant.

The Supervisors moved into setting Board Days, Start Time and Public Comment Time, opting to continue with Monday meetings, a 9:30 a.m. start time with ten minutes allotted for public comment.

Kick off the New Year by joining park rangers for a Winter Wonderland program at Effigy Mounds National Monument. Rangers will lead a guided two-mile hike around the Fire Point Loop, which will last approximately two hours. The program will meet at the Effigy Mounds Visitor Center Saturday, January 4 at 1 p.m.

This program is weather dependent. In the event of snow, there will be a guided snowshoeing program in lieu of a guided hike. The program will be canceled in the event of a severe winter storm. Call the park Visitor Center at 563-873-3491 for the most recent updates. Reservations are not required and park entrance and programs are free to the public.

Visitors must bring sturdy hiking or snow boots, as well as traction devices or snowshoes if appropriate. Additionally, participants are encouraged to wear appropriate winter clothing, including hats, gloves and warm coats, and to bring water and snacks.