Community News

Wed
07
Aug

New city manager signs contract, updates heard by Waukon City Council on variety of other matters

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, August 5 to address a full agenda of items including discussion of downtown trash cans, a potential police department building remodel and the city manager position. During Public Comment, Director Ardie Kuhse of Waukon Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) thanked City Manager Dean Hilgerson for his work for the City and assistance with WEDC and invited those in attendance to stay after adjournment for cookies and punch in honor of Hilgerson’s upcoming retirement.

John Kerndt with Trees Forever discussed that efforts should be made to save the trees that will be removed for the sidewalk project along the industrial park area and suggested transplanting them elsewhere within Waukon. Council member John Ellingson discussed the use of a tree spade as a possibility in transplanting trees if utilities are not an issue.

Wed
07
Aug

Hartig Drug hosts open house for transitioning corporate leadership ...

The Hartig Drug Waukon location hosted an open house event Thursday morning, August 1 that allowed members of the local community to meet three members of the Hartig family - Dick and his sons, Charlie and Wes - involved in the business and in a current transition within the company’s corporate leadership. Pictured in the photo above during the open house, left to right, are: Front row - Waukon Hartig Drug Pharmacists Samantha Collins and Erin Iverson; Back row: Waukon Hartig Drug Store Manager Casey Larson, newly appointed Hartig Drug Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Charlie Hartig, Hartig Drug Chairman Dick Hartig, and Wes Hartig, CEO of MedOne, a pharmacy benefit administration business founded by Dick Hartig.

Wed
31
Jul

Judges’ Choice Award winners from Open Class exhibits at 2019 Allamakee County Fair ...

Judges’ Choice Award winners from Open Class exhibits at 2019 Allamakee County Fair ...  Pictured in the photos at right are the Judges’ Choice Award purple ribbon winners from the Open Class exhibits at the 2019 Allamakee County Fair. Pictured in the photo above is Kristi Kuzma, who won the Judges’ Choice in Flowers - Blooms. Pictured at left and listed with their classes of competition are: Left to right - Front row: Marlin Hager, Age 5-10 Arts & Crafts; Charlotte Christianson, Antiques & Collectibles and Flowers - Plant or Arrangement; Dallas Tilleraas, Age 5-10 Garden & Baked Goods; Amy Henry, Adults Arts & Crafts. Back row: Judy Egeland, Agricultural Products; Lisa Berger, Textiles & Fabrics (tie); Regan Lubahn, Age 11-18 Garden & Baked Goods; Diana Davison, Age 11-18 Arts & Crafts; Bev Bakkum, Textiles & Fabrics (tie). Submitted photos.

Wed
31
Jul

Waukon City Council approves offering city manager position, discusses retirement of Police Chief Phil Young in special session

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in special session Thursday morning, July 25 to address a short agenda of items including the hiring of a city manager and a police department personnel matter. Mayor Pat Stone called the meeting to order with a change in the agenda being approved allowing the police department personnel item to be addressed first.

Wed
31
Jul

Corn Days 2019 meal and activities taking place August 16-18; No parade this year

This year’s Waukon Corn Days meal date and location have been set for Friday, August 16 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds in Waukon. The Waukon Chamber of Commerce will be serving a meal of sweet corn and pork loin sandwiches from 4-8 p.m. that evening near the 4-H building at the Fairgrounds. A variety of other activities will also be taking place that same Friday evening at the Fairgrounds location, including face painting, glitter tattoos and Inflatibles kids toys to play on.

The crowning of the Corn Days Royalty will also take place, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Friday. Additional community events will also be happening throughout Waukon both Saturday and Sunday, August 17 and 18, including the annual VMH Cardiac Classic Run/Walk and WW Homestead Dairy Car Show Saturday, and the Knights of Columbus Fly-In Breakfast Sunday morning at the Waukon Airport.

Wed
24
Jul

Waukon City Council holds pair of special sessions, the first involving discussion and resolution approval in regard to hospital loan renewal and the second involving the hiring of a new police officer and other personnel items

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in special session Monday, July 22 to address several matters including the hiring of a police officer and a revised Anticipatory Warrant relating to Veterans Memorial Hospital’s General Fund.

Mayor Pat Stone called the meeting to order. The council approved the meeting agenda and moved into discussion of the Resolution issuing a revised Fiscal-Year 2019-2020 Anticipatory Warrant relating to the Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) General Fund. This matter relates to the approved renewal of the $750,000 loan for the hospital with a one-year extension that took place at the July 1 council meeting following a presentation from VMH CEO Mike Myers. At that meeting, Myers provided an overview of steps being taken to improve VMH’s profitability, including the hiring of a CFO with experience in making a distressed critical access hospital profitable again.

Wed
24
Jul

K9 Story Time at Robey Memorial Library taking place through August 15

Children of all ages are invited to read to Sunny, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever owned by PJ Mullen, at K9 Story Time at Robey Memorial Library in Waukon. Sunny received her therapy training through the Love on a Leash Organization.

K9 Story Time will be held Thursdays through August 15, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Each reading session will be 10 minutes long allowing space for four different readers. Registration is required and can be made by contacting the library at 563-568-4424 or www.waukon.lib.ia.us.
 

Wed
24
Jul

Abby Finkenauer to be featured speaker at Allamakee County Democrats’ Fundraising Dinner

Abby Finkenauer ...
Abby Finkenauer ...

Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer will give the keynote address at the Allamakee Democratic Party’s  Fundraising Dinner Sunday, August 4 at the Old Rossville Store in Rossville. Finkenauer represents the people of  Iowa’s First Congressional District in the United States Congress in Washington, D.C.

Congresswoman Finkenauer was raised in Sherrill, a small town in rural Dubuque County, in a family who taught her the importance of hard work, caring for others, and the value of public service. After graduating from Drake University in Des Moines, she was elected to the Iowa State House of Representatives at the age of 25. Throughout her two terms in the State House, Finkenauer made improving the lives of Iowa’s working families her top priority. She ran for the U.S. Congress in 2018 to continue to focus on building a stronger economy and middle class.

Wed
17
Jul

Allamakee County 4-H Expressions Day participants headed to State Fair ...


Pictured above are 4-H youth who will be representing Allamakee County at the Iowa State Fair. Left to right - Front row: Katherine Hagen, Hannah Hagen, Mia Kurth; Back row: Annelise Ellingson, Breelyn Dahlstrom, Diana Davison, Gabriel Mattson, Natalie Byrnes, Paisley Vine. Submitted photo.

Pictured above are all participants in the 2019 Allamakee County 4-H Expressions Day Program and Style Show. Left to right - Front row: Hannah Hagen, Katherine Hagen, Brinnly Rea, Ali Melcher, Hailey Stein, Tegan Dahlstrom, Trevor Block, Mia Kurth; Back row: Willa Troendle, Annelise Ellingson, Breelyn Dahlstrom, Diana Davison, Gabriel Mattson, Natalie Byrnes, Paisley Vine, Ashlin O’Neill, Kylie Troendle, Lydia Corwin. Submitted photo.

A total of 18 Allamakee County 4-H youth recently showcased their talents by competing in various communications and clothing events during the 2019 Allamakee County 4-H Expressions Day Program and Style Show held at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon Sunday, June 23. Several received top awards and will have the opportunity to represent Allamakee County at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, August 8-18.

4-H’ers winning top honors in Educational Presentations and who will be representing Allamakee County at the Iowa State Fair include Breelyn Dahlstrom, Diana Davison, Hannah Hagen and Gabriel Mattson. 4-H’ers performing Educational Presentations are judged on stage presence, vocal projection, organization, visual aids, educational value of topic, and how well they kept their audience interested as they present their information.

Wed
17
Jul

Lifeguarding at the Waukon Family Aquatic Center means more than just a summer job


Waukon Family Aquatic Center management and lifeguard staff ... Waukon Family Aquatic Center Manager CC Althoff (left in front row) and Assistant Manager Cassandra Berger (right in front row) are pictured above with the aquatic center’s lifeguard staff. Left to right - Second row: Brennan Bednarski, Joe Schwartz, Sean Liddiard, Andrew Mellick, Brooke Leiran, Amber Hickman; Third row: Alexis Hogan, Ella Hermeier, Hailey Regan, Mia Strub, Allie Hagensick, Lauren Griffith; Back row: Kiara Ahlstrom, Regan Griffith, Bailey Shafer, Abigail Shelton, Ryan Lubahn, Braxton Stewart, Jaelehn Smith. Not pictured: Lifeguards Alexz Grampovnik, Hailey Bresnahan, Grace Blocker, Laurel Keenan, Mary VanderVelden and Logan Van Ruler, and Waukon Family Aquatic Center Assistant Manager Stacey Schellhammer. Submitted photo.

More than two dozen local young men and women of high school to college age have been serving local residents and visitors to the Waukon Family Aquatic Center again this summer in a capacity they never hope to use, but one in which they are more than prepared to do so, if necessary.

The role of swimming pool lifeguard has often been stereotyped as the ideal summer job of being able to “hang out” at the pool, catching a tan, and twirling a whistle around one’s finger. Although there are a great degree of enjoyable moments, Waukon Family Aquatic Center Manager CC Althoff and Assistant Manager Cassandra Berger say there is so much more to being a lifeguard than just a summer job.

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