Main Street Lansing and KNEI Radio will be sponsoring the Allamakee County Chili Cook-Off in conjunction with Lansing’s WinterFest again this year. The Chili Cook-Off is scheduled to take place from 4-6 p.m. Saturday, February 18 at T.J. Hunters Banquet Hall in Lansing as the final event of the day-long WinterFest celebration.
Competition will be held in two divisions: Individual and Business. Prizes in the Individual division include $100, $50 and $25 in cash, with the Business division winner being awarded a traveling trophy. The general public in attendance will be tasting and voting for their favorite chili to determine the winners.
Those wishing to participate need to register by February 13. Registration forms are available at the Main Street Lansing office and Red Geranium Floral and Gifts in Lansing, as well as online at www.mainstreetlansing.com.
Message from Iowa native and current International Space Station astronaut Peggy Whitson part of February 7 event
Area residents and coin enthusiasts will get their first in-person look at the new quarter honoring Effigy Mounds National Monument and the state of Iowa - and many will get to take at least one of those quarters home with them at a special event Tuesday, February 7. At a launch ceremony open to the public and scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday at Waukon High School, the United States Mint is releasing the Effigy Mounds quarter into circulation as the first quarter released in 2017 under the U.S. Mint’s America the Beautiful Quarters® Program.
The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution at its January 9 regular meeting in support of suspending the issuance of Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) construction permits. This measure is, in essence, a non-binding stance to open up discussion and a review, on a statewide level, of the Master Matrix, a scoring system used in the siting of CAFOs by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
The sale of Camp Tahigwa to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) should maintain the integrity of the Girl Scout camp property for years to come.
That is the message from the Board of Directors of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois (GSEIWI) and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF), who are working together on the recently-announced transaction. The GSEIWI Board recently voted to sell the camp property located near Dorchester to the DNR, with the stipulation that the land be permanently maintained as a natural space for public use.
The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, January 30 to address various topics. Among the items discussed were a funding request from the Mississippi River Parkway Commission, the appointment of an alternate voter on behalf of the Supervisors for the Northeast Iowa Response Group, Plat Approvals and Manure Management Plan updates.
Cutler and Dylan Lemke, young sons of Torrey and Hope Lemke of rural Lansing, stand proudly with the snow sculpture they made with their father following the more than eight inches of snow that fell in the Allamakee County area Tuesday night into Wednesday, January 24-25. Torrey Lemke said his sons wanted to make a snowman when they saw the new fallen snow, but he suggested making something else. The boys then drew on their experiences with their rural living area and came up with the idea of making a snow deer. "We see a lot of deer at our house, and the boys were excited about making something like that," said Torrey, who is an avid hunter. He also said the wet, heavy snow was "perfect" for sculpting the creation. The crew used spray paint to add the real life color to their sculpture and topped off the masterpiece with a set of antlers from one of Torrey's own deer hunts several years ago, creating the eight-point snow buck in a matter of about 45 minutes. Submitted photo.
The Shopko Foundation recently made a donation to the Driftless Area Visitor and Education Center under construction just south of Lansing. Pictured above, left to right, at the donation presentation are Shopko team members April, Lorna and Laurie, Allamakee County Conservation Director Jim Janett, Waukon Shopko manager Valerie Reinke and Shopko team member Mary. Janett says the donated funds will be put toward the interpretive displays that will be housed within the Center. Standard photo by Sara Aleckson-Melcher.
The Midwest Veterans of America, an organization newly created and recently registered with the office of the Iowa Secretary of State to assist local military veterans, hosted the third annual Northeast Iowa Pie Championships Sunday, January 29 at the Farmers & Merchants Savings Bank Community Room in Waukon, with a “celebrity” pie-eating contest (pictured below) being a featured highlight of that event. In the photo at left, this year’s pie-eating contest winner, Patrick Monroe, is pictured with his championship plaque. Monroe finished eating his vanilla cream pie in a reported time of 35 seconds, defeating last year’s champion, KNEI radio personality Erik Kelly, and the inaugural event champion, Sandy Halverson of the S&D Cafe, to claim this year’s crown. Halverson reportedly finished second for the second consecutive year.
The 2017 Northeast Iowa Pie Championships, held January 29 to raise funds for the Midwest Veterans of America, has released its list of top placewinners in the Pie Judging Contest held as part of the event. A total of 41 pies were entered into the Pie Judging Contest. This year's top-three placewinners each received a ribbon and are listed below:
Rick Larson of Waukon was recently honored for his 25 years of service to the Waukon Fire Department. Pictured left to right, Waukon Fire Chief Dave Martin presents Larson with a watch in recognition of his service milestone anniversary. Submitted photo.
