Honored and escorted to his final resting place ... The funeral procession for fallen Iowa State Trooper Ted Benda traveled beneath a large ceremonial flag, called a garrison flag, on the way to Trooper Benda’s final resting place at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Waukon Wednesday, October 27. Approximately 250 vehicles from law enforcement agencies from across Iowa and the nation took part in the procession, passing under the garrison flag flown courtesy of a Decorah Fire Department aerial truck.
In honor of a former student and fallen Trooper ... The playground fence at St. Patrick School located directly across from the entrance to St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon was adorned by school staff and students Tuesday, October 26 in honor and memory of Iowa State Patrol Trooper Ted Benda, who passed away as the result of injuries suffered in an October 14 single-vehicle accident responding to a call while on duty. As a youth, Trooper Benda was an elementary student at St. Patrick School and his visitation was held at St. Patrick Church that same October 26 afternoon. The memorial included balloons, black and blue ribbons tied to the fence by students, heart flags colored by students and stuck into the ground, signs created locally in honor of Trooper Benda, and a large “313” sign (313 was Trooper Benda’s badge number) made of handprints (visible in inset photo above) from students, with all St. Patrick School grade levels involved in creating the memorial in honor of their former fellow student.
Honoring a fallen colleague ... Approximately 250 vehicles from law enforcement agencies from across Iowa and the nation participated in the funeral procession that traveled through downtown Waukon and was lined with those honoring fallen Iowa State Patrol Trooper Ted Benda. Trooper Benda was laid to rest at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Waukon Wednesday, October 27. Standard photo by Joe Moses.
Family, friends and hundreds of colleagues in law enforcement from near and far descended upon Waukon Tuesday and Wednesday, October 26 and 27 to pay their final respects to Iowa State Trooper and Waukon native Ted Benda. The 37-year-old husband and father of four young daughters suffered fatal injuries in an October 14 single-vehicle crash north of Postville while on duty and responding to a late evening call for assistance, ultimately succumbing to those injuries Wednesday, October 20 at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, WI.
Visitation for Trooper Benda was held Tuesday evening, October 26 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon, and his funeral service was held the following day in the gymnasium of the Waukon High School, where he graduated from in 2002. That gymnasium was filled to capacity in both its bleacher and floor seating by family, friends and colleagues, with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and Lt. Governor Adam Gregg among those in attendance.
Allamakee County Economic Development & Tourism (ACED) has announced Veterans Memorial Hospital & Clinic in Waukon as the 2021 Cloy Kuhse Positive Impact Award winner. The announcement was made at the ACED Annual Meeting held at Turner Hall in Postville Thursday, October 14. ACED board members Larry Schellhammer and Sammi Scholtes shared the nomination information with the attendees, which included the following excerpt: “Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) is a staple in our community - providing quality, accessible healthcare for Allamakee County. VMH has navigated the challenges and changes that have come with COVID-19, making sure the people of Allamakee County are taken care of. In the midst of one of the most turbulent times in healthcare, VMH added a clinic which has provided a critically needed service in northeast Iowa. We are lucky to have such a great healthcare facility available to us, and what a positive impact they have made in Allamakee County.”
The Allamakee County Veterans Museum will celebrate Veterans Day by offering three programs to the public in the Program Room (pictured at left) of its new museum in the former Vet’s Club building on Allamakee Street in Waukon.
Thursday, November 11 at 6:30 p.m. a video interview with World War II Army veteran Lynn Morrow recorded in 2006 will be presented, followed by a video documentary about the U,S, Navy battleship USS Iowa, BB-61.
Saturday, November 13 at 10 a.m. a video interview with World War II Navy nurse Harriet Hanson recorded in 2006 will be presented, followed by the USS Iowa documentary. Also taking place Saturday, November 13 at 1:30 p.m., a video interview with World War II Army veteran Carl Beal recorded in 2006 will be presented, followed by the USS Iowa documentary.
Robey Memorial Library in Waukon joins over a thousand libraries around the world during International Games Week as they transform their libraries with play. Like many other libraries across the country and around the world, Robey Memorial Library will offer special gaming programs and events suitable for the whole family.
The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, November 1 to address a full agenda of items including considerations and requests for direction relating to the 2022 Street Improvement Project, the group health insurance renewal for 2022 and Community Development Block Grants.
There was no Public Comment and the council moved into Department Reports with Park, Recreation and Wellness Director Jeremy Strub providing an update relating to the Waukon City Park. Strub noted that preparations are being made in the City Park for winter with restrooms being closed and water being turned off. The new shelter in the former Jaycees Shelter location was discussed by Strub as having been completed with suggestions being accepted for naming of the new shelter. Strub advised that fall sports have wrapped up with winter sports beginning soon. He also noted that October was a good month for the Waukon Wellness Center.
Thursday, October 21, area firefighters from Decorah, Calmar, Fort Atkinson, Ossian, Waukon and West Union, as well as Mabel, MN participated in a natural gas safety training put on by Black Hills Energy. Firefighters practiced at the Decorah fire training facility, with a total of 51 firefighters joining the training to use techniques for effectively containing and extinguishing natural gas fires with the latest materials for portable fire extinguishers and hose streams under controlled circumstances.
Saturday, October 2, students in seventh through 12th grades from the Waukon Middle School and High School attended the RitterSing Honor Choir (formerly known as Real Men Sing) at Wartburg College in Waverly. RitterSing is designed to bring together tenor and bass singers from across the region to jump-start and motivate the bass clef singers in high school choral programs early in the year. The festival offers two choirs: a 7th-9th/10th Grade Middle School Chorus and a 9th Grade-Adult Chorus. Choir directors can choose whichever choir works best for their students.
Students attending are pictured in the photo above and include: Left to right - Front row: Trevor Block, Trent Schullo, Drake Hankes and Issac Johanningmeier; Back row: Gabe Goettel, Reagan Lubahn, Caleb Perkins, Jaedyn McGuire and John Marti. They are under the direction of Sarah J. Bieber (Grades 6-12 Vocal Music Instructor) and chaperone Caitlyn Owen (Grades PK-5 Elementary Music Teacher).
During the 1961-1962 school year, the Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors approved the purchase of a piano for the school district when Peter Bieber, father of James Bieber and grandfather of current Waukon 6-12 grades vocal music teacher Sarah Bieber, was president of the school board. When not in use, it was kept in a padlocked box in the old high school gymnasium, and officials for basketball games were even known to have sat on top of it. When the old Waukon High School burned down in 1965, this piano was brought to the new high school (the current FFA room at Waukon High School). It was used heavily, not taken care of, and eventually sold at an auction.
Four students in the Allamakee Community School District have been selected to participate in the most prestigious Honor Choir in the state of Iowa for students. East Elementary School fifth grade Alto 1 singer Alice Jones (pictured in individual photo above), under the direction of Pk-5th Grade Elementary Music Teacher Caitlyn Owen, along with (left to right in photo below) Waukon Middle School eighth grade Alto 2 singer Tobias Treptau, seventh grade Alto 1 singer Eireann Goettel and freshman Soprano Annelise Ellingson were recently selected for participation in the 35th annual Opus Honor Choir Festival. The seventh through ninth grade students are under the direction of Sarah Bieber, Grades 6-12 Vocal Music Director. This is the first time in seven years that a fifth grade student has been selected for Opus.
The Lansing City Council voted Monday night, November 1 to approve sending out Requests for Proposals to renovate the historic Lansing Stone School into apartment units, using an Iowa Economic Development Association (IEDA) downtown housing grant.
