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Friday, August 3 was a busy day at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds in Waukon, as both the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus and the annual Waukon Corn Days celebration took place that evening. Two shows of the circus performance sponsored by the Waukon Park, Recreation and Wellness Department to benefit its youth program offerings both experienced full crowds, as depicted by the long line emerging from the circus tent pictured above. A steadily sizable crowd also graced the food stand areas of the fairgrounds (pictured below) for the sweet corn meal, with an abundance of other activities available for all ages to help celebrate the annual Corn Days event. Addison Lickiss (pictured below), eight-year-old daughter of Les and Becky Lickiss of Waukon, was crowned this year’s Little Miss Corn Days. Additional photos from Corn Days and the circus appear on Page 2A inside this week’s print edition and e-edition of The Standard. Standard photos by Joe Moses.

Volunteers invited to sign up to read during four-day event

February 14 of this year, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed the 99 County Bible Reading Marathon Proclamation encouraging all Iowans to participate in the occasion again this year. Allamakee County will be taking part in that annual event from August 9 at 8 a.m. through August 12 at 6 p.m., around the clock, 24 hours a day, until the entire Bible is read. This year’s local event will take place on the lawn of the Allamakee County Courthouse in Waukon.

The Allamakee County Bible Reading Marathon is seeking community volunteers to help read the Bible at the Allamakee County Courthouse over the course of these four days in August. Time slots of 15 minutes each are available, however, volunteers are more than welcome to sign up for multiple slots if they wish to read for a longer period of time or would like to read on multiple days or at different times throughout the day.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, August 6 to address a full agenda of items, including the consideration of signing a Site Lease Agreement and Tower Lease Agreement with Interstate Power and Light Company, the Second Reading of Amendment 3 to Zoning Ordinance L pertaining to exceptions to towers located in the Bluffland Protection District setback area, and discussion of the Continuation of Operation Plan (COOP) relating to disaster planning and County offices.

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst’s office will hold traveling office hours in August in all 99 counties in Iowa. Regional directors will be available to assist Iowans with problems or questions about eligibility involving issues like social security, veterans’ benefits, military affairs, passports, immigration issues and other federal programs. Senator Ernst will not be at the traveling office hours locations.

One of those regional directors will be in Allamakee County Wednesday, August 15 from 12-1 p.m. in the Large Study Room of Robey Memorial Library in Waukon, located at 401 First Avenue NW. Anyone who is unable to attend the traveling office hours and is seeking assistance with federal agencies is asked to visit Ernst.Senate.Gov to contact one of the offices listed on the site or submit a casework request.
 

The Bob and Irene Stock family of Waukon was awarded the Bernie Heffern Memorial 4-H Family Award before the 4-H/FFA Livestock Auction at the 2018 Allamakee County Fair Sunday, July 22 by the Bob and Bernie Heffern family. The award was created by the Heffern family in memory of Bernie Heffern, who passed away in 2008 and was very passionate about all areas of 4-H and its importance in the lives of youth and their families. She and her husband, Bob, were inducted into the Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame in 2007 for their lifelong dedication to 4-H. Each year during fair week, the Allamakee County Fair Board observes families and selects a family who emulates the Heffern family attitude of helping others, working well with each other, and going above and beyond for the fair. The Hefferns hope that creating this award and honoring a family each year will help to develop the kind of passion and dedication Bernie Heffern showed for the 4-H program.

Circus and Corn Days both at Fairgrounds

Under the sponsorship of the City of Waukon Park, Recreation and Wellness Department, the Culpepper & Merriweather (C&M) Circus is coming to Waukon this Friday, August 3 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds located at 705 Allamakee Street in Waukon. Now in its 33rd edition, C&M Circus has become internationally known with its one-ring, big top circus format.

All proceeds from the circus will benefit the Waukon Park, Recreation and Wellness Department. Those funding proceeds will help support youth activities run through the Park and Recreation program.

In addition to the circus taking place this Friday, the annual Waukon Corn Days celebration will also be hosting several events around the same time and at the same Allamakee County Fairgrounds location. For a complete list of Waukon Corn Days events and more specific details, see Pages 6A-11A in this week’s issue of The Standard.

Twelve young women involved with the Iowa dairy community will compete to win the title of 65th Iowa State Dairy Princess Wednesday, August 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Multi-Media Center of the Cattle Barn at the State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. The princess and her alternate are charged with helping consumers learn more about dairy products and the farm families who tend the farms and cows that provide them.

Among those 12 competitors will be two Waukon young ladies, Grace Howe and Cayla Nolting, both of whom will be seniors at Waukon High School this fall. Howe, 17-year-old daughter of Shelly and the late Matt Howe of Waukon, will be representing the Iowa Jersey Cattle Club and had also been selected as the 2018 Allamakee County Dairy Princess. Howe’s mother, the former Shelly Fossum, had been selected as Iowa’s Alternate Dairy Princess in 1989.

Volunteers invited to sign up to read during four-day event

February 14 of this year, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed the 99 County Bible Reading Marathon Proclamation encouraging all Iowans to participate in the occasion again this year. Allamakee County will be taking part in that annual event from August 9 at 8 a.m. through August 12 at 6 p.m., around the clock, 24 hours a day, until the entire Bible is read. This year’s local event will take place on the lawn of the Allamakee County Courthouse in Waukon.

The Allamakee County Bible Reading Marathon is seeking community volunteers to help read the Bible at the Allamakee County Courthouse over the course of these four days in August. Time slots of 15 minutes each are available, however, volunteers are more than welcome to sign up for multiple slots if they wish to read for a longer period of time or would like to read on multiple days or at different times throughout the day.

by Lissa Blake

Effigy Mounds National Monument is one of only two National Parks in Iowa, which makes it an asset worth preserving.

Val Reinke, executive director of Allamakee County Economic Development and Tourism, recently had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. to let legislators know why it is so important to take care of the nation’s national parks.

“We have two National Park assets in Iowa: Effigy Mounds and the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum,” said Reinke. “There are 417 national parks, which have $11.6 billion in deferred maintenance.”

GETTING INVITED
Reinke said she had about two weeks notice that the National Trust for Historic Preservation was funding trips to Washington, D.C. to help state teams connect with their legislators.

The annual Allamakee County Fair Queen Pageant was held Tuesday, July 17 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon, kicking off the 165th Allamakee County Fair. The four area young ladies pictured in the photo above were all vying for this year’s Fair Queen crown, which was bestowed upon Madalyn Ellingson (far left), daughter of John and Bethany Ellingson of Waukon. Faith Palmer (far right), daughter of John and Meghan Palmer of Waukon, was named the Allamakee County Fair Princess. All four young ladies served as the Allamakee County Fair Royalty Team throughout this year’s fair. Pictured, left to right, are Madalyn Ellingson, Katelyn Leiran, Makayla Manning and Faith Palmer. Ellingson will now advance on to represent Allamakee County in the 2018 Iowa State Fair Queen competition, with coronation being held August 11 in Des Moines. Photo courtesy of ISU Extension and Outreach.