Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care/Allamakee County Public Health continues to offer all doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, plus the additional booster dose, at their weekly immunization clinics each Wednesday throughout the month of July. These vaccinations are by appointment only and are held each Wednesday afternoon, with extended hours available the first and third Wednesdays of each month.
These vaccinations are available at the main entrance of the hospital in the Meditation Healing Center. To make an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccination, in July and beyond, call Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care at 563-568-5660.
by Sheryl Darling Mooney, RN, Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care
It’s great to get out and enjoy the outdoors here in Allamakee and Clayton Counties, but remember to be vigilant about checking yourself and others with you for ticks. Examine your skin as best you can and use a hand-held mirror if available. Fine-toothed combs can also be used in helping to check your scalp. “I’d Like to Check You for Ticks”, isn’t just the catchy title to a country song, but a good idea to have someone else check the areas you can’t easily see. There are ways to help decrease the likelihood of a tick bite or attachment:
- Treat dogs and cats for ticks
- Wear insect repellent containing the ingredient DEET (not recommended for children under two months of age)
- Wear permethrin-treated clothing
- Check yourself for ticks after being outdoors, especially after being out in the woods
- Shower soon after coming indoors
Veterans Memorial Hospital will hold a Prepared Childbirth Education class (formerly called Lamaze) Saturday, July 9, from 8 a.m. to Noon in the Large Conference Room.
The Prepared Childbirth Education classes at Veterans Memorial Hospital are offered in one half-day session. Tours of the Obstetrics (OB) Department are available with these sessions as well. These Prepared Childbirth Education classes are available for a small fee per session and are offered every three months at Veterans Memorial Hospital.
Preregistration is necessary, as seats are limited. To register for the class, email childbirth@vmhospital.com or contact Jayne McCormick, RN, Nursing and OB Manager at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
For anyone who feels like their balance is not as good as it used to be, or who may be concerned about falling, one way to help prevent falls is to keep moving. A Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention class offers a gentle exercise option that can help reduce the risk of falling by improving strength, balance, coordination and flexibility.
Tai Chi focuses on the mental and spiritual aspects of Chinese martial arts integrated into movement. This low-impact, relaxing form of exercise is ideal for older individuals.
Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging (NEI3A) is offering Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention classes in Waukon July 11 through September 1. Classes will be held at the Waukon Wellness Center, which is located at 1220 3rd Avenue NW in Waukon, each Monday and Thursday during that timeframe from 11-11:45 a.m.
Ron and Linda Dahlstrom of Waukon are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. The couple exchanged vows July 8, 1972. The public is welcome to attend a celebration Saturday, July 9 from 5-8 p.m. at the Sweeney Pavilion in the Waukon City Park.
In honor of the occasion, cards and well wishes may be sent to 402 West Main Street, Waukon, IA 52172.
The 63rd annual reunion of the Bulman, Hartley and Beardmore families is scheduled for Sunday, July 17 at the Community Center in Eitzen, MN. A potluck meal will be served at 12:30 p.m. with a meeting and social time to follow.
The five Bulman ancestors who came to America from Little Thetford, England in the 1850s were Thomas, George, William, John and their sister, Mary Bulman Sadler. All descendants of these early settlers are cordially invited to attend this reunion meal. Beverages will be provided. Those planning to attend are asked to bring food to share, their own table service, family pictures and stories. This year a scanner will be available for copying photos, negatives and slides. We will also have room behind the center to show off collector vehicles and there will be door prizes.
This year’s feature display is about the three Bulman brothers who served in World War II. The story takes them from Postville to Alaska to Africa and a German stalag.
Star City Film Festival 2022... Submitted graphic.
Katie O’Regan ... Submitted photo.
The Standard talks with festival founder, Waukon’s Katie O’Regan, about the festival and her film premiere
by Julie Berg-Raymond
Sacred Noise Society, Inc. announces the Star City Film Festival, scheduled for July 15-17 at the historic Town Theater on Main Street in downtown Waukon. This is a coming-home for both the film festival and its founder, Katie O’Regan, of Waukon - a long-time actress, producer, director, and founder of Sacred Noise Society, Inc.
O’Regan initiated what was then called the Spring Grove International Film Festival in Spring Grove, MN in 2020. The festival featured an independent film called “Senior Entourage,” directed by L.A.-based artist Brian Connors. One of the stars of that film was multiple award-winning actor, the late Ed Asner - who came to Spring Grove as the inaugural film festival’s guest of honor.
Moved to music ... Musician Brandon Propes of Webster City says Yellow River State Forest in Allamakee County felt familiar from the first time he visited, bringing back happy memories of trout fishing with his dad. The State Forest has inspired some of the music that he writes and performs. Submitted photo.
View inspires musician to want to give back ... Brandon Propes, a musician from Webster City, found inspiration this foggy summer morning at the Paint Creek Overlook at Yellow River State Forest in Allamakee County. He ended up composing and recording an original song, “Lookout Point: Early Morning,” reflecting how that experience made him feel and has declared he will donate, to the Friends of Yellow River State Forest, revenue generated from people listening to the song through online streaming services. Submitted photo.
Brandon Propes of Webster City is a musician who plays guitar, bass, piano and drums. He records his own original instrumental songs, and he recently found inspiration at the Yellow River State Forest in rural Allamakee County.
“For inspiration through the pandemic, I turned to hiking and writing a composition to audibly describe how I felt in that moment,” Propes said. “I have grown proud of these songs. One song in particular was inspired by the Scenic Overlook of Big Paint Campground. I put the album cover for that single as the picture I took that morning. I have the songs under my old band’s name, The Coming Tides, and they are available on all platforms.”
Propes was born in northwest Indiana. His parents split up when he was young, and he ended up moving to Iowa.
“One of my fondest memories as a kid was fishing for trout in Indiana. We lost my dad too young, he was just 48,” Propes explained.
The Allamakee County Auditor’s office would like to clarify an issue that impacted some local voters when importing vote credit for those who voted in the June 7 Primary Election.
Voters in Precinct 2 (French Creek, Jefferson, Ludlow, Makee and Union Prairie Townships) who voted at the Waukon Banquet Center in that June 7 Primary Election have since received two new Voter Registration cards addressed from the Allamakee County Auditor’s Office following the election. The first card was issued due to a clerical error - the wrong box was inadvertently checked in the State of Iowa voter registration system during the auditor’s import process to give voters credit for voting in the Primary.
A couple of recent developments regarding the February 13 fire that destroyed two buildings on Allamakee Street in Waukon and damaged several adjacent structures have prompted some clarification by the State of Iowa Fire Marshal’s office. An initial mid-June report by the KWWL television news station regarding the focus of the fire investigation being on arson was corrected a couple days later by the station, with that clarification of “not being investigated as an arson at this time” not being entirely correct, either, as were neither the date nor the address of the fire mentioned in the initial KWWL report. Special Agent in Charge Ron Humphrey with the State of Iowa Fire Marshal’s Office offered that the “lines of communication must have gotten crossed somewhere” with what the television station reported.
