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The Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (CPKC) Holiday Train is scheduled to make its return to the Lansing and New Albin areas again this year as part of its 2023 trek to help raise money, food and awareness for local food banks in communities along the CPKC network. The festive railway celebration is scheduled to make its way through northeast Iowa this Friday, December 8 with local stops in Marquette (from 1:45-2:30 p.m.), Lansing (from 3:50-4:30 p.m.) and New Albin (from 5:15-6 p.m.). The two Allamakee County visits in Lansing and New Albin will find the Holiday Train coming to a stop near the ballfield in Lansing along South Front Street between North 2nd and Dodge Streets. The New Albin stop will take place near the parking lot adjacent to the railroad tracks on Railroad Avenue between Ross Avenue and Oak Street. Those attending the event are asked to bring a cash or non-perishable food donation if they are able.

The largest remaining structure at the decommissioned Alliant Energy generating station at Lansing was brought to the ground by a final implosion process that took place just before 8 a.m. Friday, December 1, as depicted in the photo at left. Additional photos and information regarding the implosion event can be found in the Wednesday, December 6, 2023 edition of The Standard.

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“Look closely at nature. Every species is a masterpiece, exquisitely adapted to the particular environment in which it has survived.”

- Edward O. Wilson,
biologist and multiple
Pulitzer Prize winner

by Julie Berg-Raymond

The next few years are going to see a lot of activity on the Mississippi River at Lansing - while, in a state-of-the-art, multi-agency project involving some of the top specialists in several fields, a new bridge is built across the river there for the first time in almost 100 years.

The past few months have already seen some activity near the shore at Lansing. From August 15 until November 18, teams of scientific divers and aquatic biologists worked on both the Wisconsin and Iowa sides of the river to collect, identify and relocate approximately 29,500 mussels - nearly 400 of which were the endangered Higgins Eye Pearly Mussel (Lampsilis higginsii).

The Waukon High School Choir, under the direction of Sarah Bieber, will be sharing its music with the area church community during its 28th Annual Christmas Church Tour this Sunday morning, December 3, according to the following schedule:

St. John's Lutheran 8:30-8:45 a.m.
Old West Paint Creek Lutheran 9:00-9:15 a.m.
Zion United Church of Christ 9:30-9:45 a.m.
First Presbyterian 10:00-10:15 a.m.
First Baptist 10:30-10:45 a.m.
St. Patrick Catholic 11:00-11:15 a.m.
St. Paul’s United Methodist 11:30-11:45 a.m.

The choir sings at seven churches each year. Those churches are selected based on a number of factors, including church proximity to the high school, accessibility for school buses, the physical size of the church, the membership size of the congregation, and whether the worship service is broadcast.

The Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (CPKC) Holiday Train is scheduled to make its return to the Lansing and New Albin areas again this year as part of its 2023 trek to help raise money, food and awareness for local food banks in communities along the CPKC network. The festive railway celebration is scheduled to make its way through northeast Iowa Friday, December 8 with stops in Ossian, Marquette, Lansing and New Albin before a final stop that day in La Crescent, MN.

Absentee voting underway; County Courthouse will be lone polling site

Vote totals from the Tuesday, November 7 City/School Election have resulted in a run-off election being required to determine a winner of the At-Large seat on the Waukon City Council listed on this year’s ballot. With Waukon City Code requiring that the winning candidate in such an election receive at least a 50%-plus one vote majority, the three candidates vying for that single At-Large seat each received in the neighborhood of just one-third of the vote total cast in the November 7 balloting for that race.

Incumbent candidate Andrew Sires received 225 votes (33.73%). Challenger Nicholas Engrav garnered 245 votes (36.73%), and challenger Jean Brink collected 196 votes (29.39%).

The Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (CPKC) Holiday Train is scheduled to make its way to the Lansing and New Albin areas again this year as part of its 2023 trek to help raise money, food and awareness for local food banks in communities along the CPKC network. The festive railway celebration is scheduled to make its way through northeast Iowa Friday, December 8 with stops in Ossian, Marquette, Lansing and New Albin before a final stop that day in La Crescent, MN.

Highlighting the return of the Holiday Train will be a pair of concert performers, Tenille Townes and BRELAND, who will present about a half-hour show at each location. Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician Tenille Townes hails from Grande Prairie, Alberta in Canada. Her acclaimed debut album was named Country Album of the Year at the 50th JUNO Awards and Album of the Year at the 2021 Canadian Country Music Awards. Townes also earned her third consecutive Female Vocalist of the Year trophy.

by Brianne Grimstad

The Harpers Ferry Area Heritage Society (HFAHS) celebrated its 10th anniversary Saturday, November 4 with an event held at the Ethel Robinson Meehan Community Center in Harpers Ferry. Guests at the celebration heard from two speakers, Effigy Mounds National Monument Superintendent Susan Snow and Maiden Voyage Tours, LLC Captain and Harpers Ferry resident Robert Vavra.

“Preserving this history is preserving my history,” Vavra noted. His riverboat tours cover many topics and he is well-versed in Mississippi River history, as he has relied on the river to make a living, including spending time as a clammer and a diver for mussels to be used in the cultured pearl industry.

Live music was performed at the November 4 celebration by John Stravers following the presentations. A sample of some of the donated artifacts with ties to the Harpers Ferry area were also on display.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

A lot of people have been talking - and wondering - about the new bridge being built across the Mississippi River at Lansing.

Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library and Executive Director Derva Burke, along with Clayton Burke (no relation), project manager with the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) and the overseeing engineer on the new bridge project, are presenting an opportunity for everyone to have their questions answered. “Let’s Talk Bridges!” - a monthly series focused on learning about and celebrating the new bridge project at Lansing - was held for the first time Thursday, November 9, from 5 to 6 p.m., at Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library.

Waukon City Council At-Large race requires run-off election

Voters throughout Allamakee County were making decisions on a combination of nearly two dozen ballot items when they went to the polls Tuesday, November 7 for the biennial City/School Election. Within that list of ballot items between all Allamakee County communities, there were eight contested races for either city government or local school board positions, and half those races saw an incumbent candidate denied re-election to his or her seat - at least for the time-being, in one case.