River Valley

There are still openings for kids to have a day of adventure and learning from professionals at the Mississippi River Adventure Day (MRAD) sponsored by Friends of Pool 9. The  event is planned for July 14 and all costs for the day are paid by Friends of Pool 9.
Kids (ages 5-13) and parents will meet at the Lansing baseball diamond at 8 a.m. for check-in and instructions. They will then board the Mississippi Explorer boat or the USFWS boat and be transported to the beach area north of Lansing.
Planned activities (based on age level) include a birding boat ride, pollywogging for clams, seining for fish, getting close to river fur bearers, free swim time, canoeing, and a GPS search for buried treasures (these last two are planned for the 9-13 age group only).

by B.J. Tomlinson

Main Street Iowa hosted its annual awards celebration Friday, May 1 at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center (Iowa Events Center) in downtown Des Moines. The event to recognize local Main Street projects, activities and volunteers was attended by approximately 500 individuals representing communities across the state. Competitive nominations were submitted for 107 projects and activities within the five categories of design, economic restructuring, organization, promotion and overall program. Twenty-one projects received winner awards recognition and nine received honorable mention.

The second birding hike of this season to be co-sponsored by the Ferryville Tourism Council and the Mississippi Valley Conservancy (MVC) will be held Saturday, May 30.  This is another in the MVC’s “Linked to the Land” series and is sponsored by the Mayo Health System-Franciscan Healthcare of La Crosse, WI.
The meeting place will be the Ferryville Village Hall at the south end of town  along Hwy. 35 at 7:30 a.m. for sign-in, directions, handouts and treats. Hikers will carpool to the trailhead in De Soto, WI for a hike at the newly named Cardinal Bluff Area. Expert guides will help identify birds that are both native to the area as well as some that are summer visitors.  

Friends of Pool 9 will be offering another kids’ day on the beach this summer.  This will be the eighth year of the group’s Mississippi River Adventure Day.  The date selected for this year is Tuesday, July 14. The event is open to all children 5-13 years of age. All expenses for the day are paid by Friends of Pool 9. A parent or other adult is required for each child, however where a parent is bringing two or more children, Friends of Pool 9 will assign an adult to each additional child.
Registration must be completed online at friendsofpool9.org by July 1. Spaces are limited to the first 120 children and parents. While keeping proven activities of past years for younger groups (seining for fish, pollywogging for clams, touching the skin of a flathead catfish, dip-netting insects, free swim time, and visiting an eagle nest) a new format will be presented to the older children ages nine through 13 years.

New Albin Improvement League (NAIL) hosted its Spring Neighbors Day Saturday, May 2, with approximately 15 volunteers from New Albin making the day a huge success, according to event organizers. NAIL volunteers worked on several different jobs submitted to the committee and also some spring cleaning needed on City of New Albin property.
During this event, the committee was also utilizing new yard tools purchased through a grant from Keep Iowa Beautiful and Yeoman & Company (Yo-Ho Tools) out of Monticello. NAIL was able to purchase the tools from Sweeney’s Village Farm & Home in Waukon, fulfilling one of NAIL’s goals to purchase as many supplies as possible from local communities.

by B.J. Tomlinson

by B.J. Tomlinson

Alyvia Jones, a junior at Waukon High School, has been selected to attend the American Legion Auxiliary’s Iowa Girls State scheduled to be held on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames June 14-19. She is the daughter of Laurie and Herman Jones of Harpers Ferry.
Jones was selected for participation based on criteria through Auxiliary Unit 722 of Harpers Ferry and her teachers at Waukon High School.  Representing her state as a legislator, Jones will study local, county and state government processes in this non-partisan political learning experience.
Every summer, the American Legion Auxiliary Girls State Program provides approximately 25,000 young women with a hands-on educational opportunity designed to instruct tomorrow’s leaders in the privileges and duties of responsible citizenship.

Spring has arrived and so have the summer feathered visitors -  our spring migratory birds. The  Ferryville Tourism Council and the Mississippi Valley Conservancy are co-sponsoring the second annual Spring Migration Day Hike at Sugar Creek Bluff in Ferryville Saturday, May 9. Mayo Health Systems is the corporate sponsor of this “Linked to the Land” hike. Expert guides will be leading the groups and listening for the cheerful birdsong in the woods. This is a fairly level walk and is family friendly.
Hikers should plan to meet at the Ferryville Village Hall (south end of town along Hwy. 35) at 7:30 a.m. for handouts, treats, coffee and water. The group will then carpool to the trailhead on Big Buck Creek Road for the 8-10 a.m. hike.