River Valley

by Alexis Johnson

The Lansing City Council met in special session Wednesday, March 4. The meeting discussion centered around a Main Street Matters update and reports from the Parks Board and City Clerk.

Main Street Matters is working on updating the Lansing website, which should be completed soon. The hope is to provide more information about Lansing and what is happening in the community.

Angel Walleser was appointed to the Parks Board. That board is still in need of one more person to be completely filled. It was also reported that the local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops will continue operating the concession stands during the summer youth recreation season and Lansing Fish Days. A motion was made and seconded to approve the Parks Board report.

The 12th Annual Bald Eagle Watching Day is scheduled to be held Saturday, March 7 in Ferryville, WI at the Village Community Center located on State Highway 35 “The Great River Road”.  This program is sponsored by the Ferryville Tourism Council, co-sponsored by Friends of Pool 9, and is free to the public to attend.

Event activities are scheduled to take place from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m., with doors opening at 9 a.m. Returning to the program is the Decorah Raptor Resource Project/Decorah Eagle Cam organization presenting at 12:30 p.m. on “Rehabbing the 2019 Eagles”.  John Howe and Amy Reis of the Raptor Resource Project and their team tell about these frisky eaglets and how they recovered from injury to fly the Mississippi River Valley once again.

Waukon native and Ulysses S. Grant portrayer Pete Grady (pictured here) will present a show entitled “Unconditional Surrender: A visit with Ulysses S. Grant” Saturday, March 14 at 11 a.m. at the New Albin Community Center. The presentation will feature Grant’s childhood in Ohio on through to the final years of his life, when he struggled to complete his autobiography while dying of throat cancer. The event is free and everyone is welcome to attend. Submitted photo.
 

Local business can win $2,000 prize in Open 4 Business contest

The Main Street Lansing Annual Meeting and Dinner is set for Saturday, March 21 at TJ Hunter’s Banquet Hall on Main Street in Lansing. New this year is a contest that will award $2,000 to a local business in an Open 4 Business: Fish Tank Edition contest.

Open 4 Business is a statewide contest sponsored by Main Street Iowa, with potential winnings of $28,000 in grant funds. Any business located within a designated Main Street District and in operation for at least one year is eligible. Funds can be used for things like inventory, equipment, marketing, computers and software.

The Kee High School Speech Program will be hosting its annual Dinner Theatre Saturday, March 7 at TJ Banquet Hall in Lansing. Tickets are being sold this week only and only until this Friday, February 28, and they can be purchased from any speech student or at the high school office, 563-538-4201. No tickets will be sold at the door; seating is limited to the space allowed. The meal will include a full buffet of beef brisket, barbeque chicken, party potatoes, baked beans and Oreo fluff, along with a dessert bar.

The 12th Annual Bald Eagle Watching Day is scheduled to be held Saturday, March 7 in Ferryville, WI at the Village Community Center located on State Highway 35 “The Great River Road”.  This program is sponsored by the Ferryville Tourism Council, co-sponsored by Friends of Pool 9, and is free to the public to attend.

Event activities are scheduled to take place from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m., with doors opening at 9 a.m. Returning to the program is the Decorah Raptor Resource Project/Decorah Eagle Cam organization presenting at 12:30 p.m. on “Rehabbing the 2019 Eagles”.  John Howe and Amy Reis of the Raptor Resource Project and their team tell about these frisky eaglets and how they recovered from injury to fly the Mississippi River Valley once again.

Monday, March 16 at 5:30 p.m., Main Street Lansing, in partnership with Main Street Iowa, will be offering a Marketing for Small Business class at the Kerndt Brothers Community Center on Main Street in Lansing. This class is free to the public and will be taught by Robin Bostrom, Business Specialist with Main Street Iowa.

Everything done as a small business owner helps build a unique brand and markets that business to the public. Attend this class to learn about all the ways a small business can market itself without spending a great deal of money. Attendees will hear about the current trends affecting small business and be exposed to a considerable number of examples on what they can do to better market their business in 2020.

Contact Main Street Lansing Executive Director Andy Kelleher for more information at 563-538-9229 or director@lansingmatters.com.
 

Waukon native and Ulysses S. Grant portrayer Pete Grady will present a show entitled “Unconditional Surrender: A visit with Ulysses S. Grant” Saturday, March 14 at 11 a.m. at the New Albin Community Center. The presentation will feature Grant’s childhood in Ohio on through to the final years of his life, when he struggled to complete his autobiography while dying of throat cancer. The event is free and everyone is welcome to attend. Submitted photo.
 

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is accepting comments on proposed waterfowl and coot hunting seasons and bag limits, which includes 2021-2022 season dates, and the proposed restructuring of the hunting zones and seasons for 2021-2025.

A copy of the proposal is available online at https://www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting/Migratory-Game-Birds by clicking on the Chapter 91, Waterfowl and Coot Hunting Seasons link.

The Kee High School Post Prom Committee will host Bingo Sunday, March 15 in the Kee High School cafeteria in Lansing. Games will start at 4 p.m., with doors opening at 3:30 p.m.

Participants can bring a food or household item and play an extra Bingo card free.  All donations will be given to LIFT (Lansing Iowa Food Trust). Every player will be eligible for a door prize drawing at intermission. Proceeds will be used to fund 2020 Post Prom prizes and entertainment.