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Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today welcomed Iowans and interested organizations to nominate qualified individuals to serve on the Local Food and Farm Program Advisory Council. The Council exists to support and advise statewide efforts to increase the availability of locally grown, raised, and produced foods.

“One of my top priorities as Secretary of Agriculture is expanding markets for Iowa farmers internationally, domestically, and locally. We have an opportunity here in Iowa to help shorten supply chains by increasing the availability of locally grown, raised, and produced meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables, and other foods,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “The Local Food and Farm Advisory Council helps guide the strategy and efforts to increase the availability local foods across the state and we are looking for passionate individuals who care about local foods to serve on the Council.”

Waukon High School seniors Maggie Criswell (left) and Noah Hatlan (right) were crowned Waukon High School's 2022 Homecoming Queen and King at the "Burning of the W" pep rally held Thursday, September 22 at Waukon High School. Additional photos of Waukon High School's Homecoming events are featured on Page 2 in the Wednesday, September 28, 2022 issue of the Standard, as well as coverage of the Waukon football team's Homecoming victory over Oelwein featured on Page 20. Even more photos from this year’s Homecoming festivities can also be found at the Photo Galleries link on The Standard’s website.

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Members of the Kee High School Homecoming Court for this week’s 2022 celebration of the event include the King and Queen candidates from the Senior class pictured at above right, as well as the underclassman attendants pictured below. Pictured at right in top photo are, left to right: Front row - Senior Class Homecoming Queen candidates Jaylyn Walleser, Alaina Bakewell, Neva Peterson and Alison Wagner; Back row - Senior Class Homecoming King candidates Owen Schobert, Tom Troendle, Jacob Rolfs and Carter Goetzinger. Pictured at right in bottom photo, front to back and left to right, are: Freshman Attendants Lilly Kolsrud and Justin Wagner, Sophomore Attendants Violet Nehman and Kevin Ashbacher, and Junior Attendants Ava Mahr and Jackson Schulte. Details of this week’s Homecoming events at Kee High School, along with celebratory pages, can be found on Pages 18 and 19 inside the Wednesday, September 28, 2022 edition of the Standard.

All are invited to join area youth on athletic fields across the nation Wednesday, October 5 in sharing their Christian faith with fellow students and the general public for this year’s Fields of Faith event. The local event will start at 6:30 p.m. at the Waukon High School football field. Attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on.

Featured speaker for this year’s Fields of Faith event in Waukon will be Danielle Freitag, who is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC) from Minnesota who has overcome severe addiction and is a survivor of the commercial sex industry. Freitag is the co-founding executive director of Action169, an organization built on a foundation of prayer and committed to addressing commercial sexual exploitation and problematic substance use through Christ-centered prevention, intervention and holistic restoration care.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

In late March of this year, Des Moines Register award-winning Iowa columnist Courtney Crowder announced to readers that the Register was seeking stories “from riders who have overcome, grown or smashed a personal goal because of RAGBRAI.”

RAGBRAI is, of course, an acronym for the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa - the oldest, largest and longest recreational bicycle touring event in the world. Next year will mark the ride’s 50th anniversary.

“In our newsroom, that is an achievement well worth celebrating,” says Crowder.

Part of the Register’s evolving plans to honor RAGBRAI in its 50th year is a documentary project that was filmed this summer. Incorporating stories from riders who answered Crowder’s request for what she calls “RAGBRAI moments,” the film will also focus on at least one community’s planners - in order, Crowder says, “to show the impact that RAGBRAI can, and does, have on rural Iowa.”

The Allamakee County Fair Board has announced the dates for the 2023 Allamakee County Fair. Those dates have been set for Wednesday through Sunday, July 19-23. Further event details will be published when available.
 

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, September 26 to address a full agenda of items including an appointment to the Civil Service Commission, discussion of the countywide building facade grant program and the consideration of hiring for the Victim/Witness Coordinator position in the County Attorney’s office.

During Public Comment, Lansing area resident Doug Mullen discussed that the Lansing Power Plant will be completely cleared from its site by the end of next year, which he indicated will have a negative financial impact upon the school district and county. Mullen next questioned the Supervisors about the proposed city-to-county conversion of Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH). Mullen noted that VMH is proposing to become a county-owned hospital to allow for bonding and then questioned whether an appropriation from the County would be part of this conversion.

by Abigail Waters

A new face can be seen around the Waukon Park and Recreation realm, as Carter Duerkop was hired by the City of Waukon as its new Park and Recreation Director at the July 18 regular meeting of the Waukon City Council. Duerkop began his tenure at his new position August 22, replacing former director Kim Kraus, who left the position for a new employment opportunity in the Allamakee Community School District.

Duerkop says he was exposed to Park and Recreation activities at a young age as his father also works in the field. In fact, his father, Chad Duerkop, served as Waukon’s Park and Recreation Director for a two-year stint just over 20 years ago and is currently Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Black River Falls, WI.

The Waukon Park & Recreation Department is conducting a survey to help determine what kinds of new recreation programs could be offered within the Waukon community. The public is encouraged to fill out the survey to provide input that will be used in determining future recreation programming within the community. The survey can be found online by typing in the following Uniform Resource Locator (URL) in any web browser: https://forms.gle/AhovhAiYSvkyaK5aA.

The survey does have questions regarding certain suggested programs, such as pickleball or fishing. There are also some demographic questions, as well as a section for leaving suggestions or comments regarding Park & Recreation programming.

St. Patrick School in Waukon has partnered with Iowa Food Hub this year. Iowa Food Hub is a nonprofit organization that connects farmers, families and schools to food grown close to home. So far this year, St. Patrick students have had the opportunity to taste two fun new fruits: canary melon from Harmony Valley Farm of Viroqua, WI and kiwi berries from Deb’s Berry Farm of Newhall. The students have been loving the opportunity to try new foods, and cannot wait to try more throughout the year. The kiwi berries pictured at right are the same green color and have the same taste as a regular kiwi, but come in a berry size and don’t have any of the fuzzy exterior a regular kiwi does. Submitted photo.