Serving local communities during times like what has been experienced this past year is extremely important. The River Valley Panthers 4-H club hosted a 2020 Christmas Toy Drive. Members of the 4-H club asked local businesses to serve as drop sites for the toys. December 10, members dropped off five totes full of toys to the Allamakee County Relief Office in Waukon, as evident in the photo above. Submitted photo.
Studio Five Eleven, a hair salon opened last year at 511 East Main Street in Waukon, recently received a First Dollar visit from the Waukon Chamber of Commerce. Pictured above at that First Dollar presentation is Tiffany Rixen, owner of Studio Five Eleven. Photo courtesy of the Waukon Chamber of Commerce.
Campground congratulations ... Ownership of Upper Iowa Resort & Rental changed hands as of January 4 of the new year. Pictured above, left to right, former owners Kristi and Bob Hager of Waukon congratulate new owners Colton and Tessa Willie of Cresco. Submitted photo.
by Julie Berg-Raymond
When Bob and Kristi Hager of Waukon decided it was time to sell the campground they’d owned for 22 years, they knew they wanted more time to travel and to visit family; they also knew they wouldn’t sell unless they found the right people to take over the business they’d nurtured for more than two decades.
“I said that if we sell our campground, I would like to find a nice, hardworking young family to continue building a wonderful business,” Bob says. “Colton and Tessa Willie and their two boys fit that standard better than I could have imagined. They are going to continue to operate Upper Iowa Resort with high standards; and they will bring many new ideas to make the campground even better.”
End of an era, beginning of a new one ... Double D Liquor Store is now under new ownership as of Monday, January 18. Previous owner Don Blocker (left) and new owner Dillon Dietrich (right) are pictured together above during the ownership transition process. Submitted photo.
by Julie Berg-Raymond
If it weren’t for the fact that Don Blocker knows almost everyone in town, people might not realize that this past weekend marked the end of an era - and the beginning of a new one - for a long-time business in Waukon.
Double D Liquor Store is under new ownership; but the name will stay the same. The “D”s that once stood for brothers Don and Dennis will now, instead, stand for Dillon Dietrich of Waukon. He and his wife, Nicole, took over ownership of the business Monday, January 18.
Honored for Excellence in Teaching ... During the Waukon High School Band’s Christmas Concert in December, Waukon High School Band Director Jo Ann Sherman was honored by the Northeast Iowa Bandmasters Association with a surprise awarding of the Philip Sehmann Excellence in Teaching Award presented to individuals who meet the criteria of excellence, dedication and commitment to the value of instrumental music education in schools. Pictured above (left to right), Dustin Bliven, Decorah High School Band Director and Past-President for the Northeast Iowa Bandmasters Association District for the 2020-2021 school year, presented the award to Mrs. Sherman at the concert. Submitted photo.
At a surprise presentation during the Waukon High School Band’s Christmas Concert held in December, the Northeast Iowa Bandmasters Association (NEIBA) honored Jo Ann Knipfer Sherman, Band Director at Waukon High School, as the recipient of the 2020 Philip Sehmann Excellence in Teaching Award. The award was presented to Director Sherman at the concert by Dustin Bliven, Decorah High School Band Director and Past-President for the Northeast Iowa Bandmasters Association District for the 2020-2021 school year.
The Philip Sehmann Excellence in Teaching Award is given in memory of Philip Sehmann, who had a highly distinguished career as Director of Bands at Crestwood Community Schools. This award is presented to those individuals who meet the criteria of excellence, dedication and commitment to the value of instrumental music education in NEIBA member schools.
Local residents should expect to receive letters in mid to late February
The 2020-2021 Allamakee Scholarship Fund, Inc. phone-a-thon typically held in February each year is the major fundraiser for the organization and is conducted by the student applicants in conjunction with the Allamakee Scholarship Fund, Inc. Board of Directors. In past years, students used phone banks at Waukon High School and at Waukon State Bank and FreedomBank in Waukon to secure donation pledges.
With COVID-19 restrictions in place this year, no phone calling will be done at all, and students will, instead, address and mail phone-a-thon donation letters. These phone-a-thon mailings will be prepared Thursday, February 11, Tuesday, February 16 and Monday, February 22.
St. Patrick School’s annual Mardi Gras event will have a little different look this year due to current COVID-19 mitigation regulations, but event organizers and the school’s students and staff invite anyone and everyone to participate as much as they can in their annual fundraiser.
The event is scheduled for Saturday, January 30 and involves many of the same aspects of previous Mardi Gras celebrations, but in a bit different format.
A carry-out meal catered by BE Catered of Waukon will be available from 4-7 p.m., with both an adult meal and a smaller kids meal being available for carry-out only from the St. Patrick Church basement. Meals are only available through ticket purchases in advance of the event so that plans for the meal can be handled accordingly.
Join the Allamakee County Conservation Board (ACCB) for a Fullmoon Snowshoe Hike January 28 at 7 p.m. The hike will take place on County Road 527, a level B dead end road that travels along the Mississippi River for approximately two miles. Participants should meet at the Allamakee County rural recycling drop-off location near the Alliant Lansing power plant.
The Fullmoon Snowshoe will be a guided trail hike taking place after dark to enable the participants to see the stars and full moon like they have never seen before. The event requires preregistration for those wishing to use snowshoes provided by the ACCB and is open to all ages. However, anyone under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. In the case of inclement weather or poor snow conditions, the Fullmoon Snowshoe may be postponed or canceled and will be announced on ACCB’s Facebook page.
The Harpers Ferry Youth Ice Fishing Clinic sponsored by the Harpers Ferry Boosters Club and the Allamakee County Conservation Board will be at Nobles Island Boat Access, located at 645 Hwy. 364, Harpers Ferry, Sunday, January 31. Registration for youth aged 15 and under will begin at 11 a.m. and fishing will take place until 2 p.m.
Youth participating in the clinic may use their own equipment, but ice fishing equipment will also be available to youth who do not have their own. Food and drink will be available for those participating in the clinic. Prizes will be awarded to participants in each of three age groups.
Kee High School Student Council is holding a second blood drive this school year to help offset the critical need for blood in the local area. The money earned from each blood drive is dedicated for scholarship funds for Kee High School students.
The next Kee High School Blood Drive is scheduled for Friday, February 26 from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. in the Kee High School gym in Lansing. To make an appointment to give blood, visit redcrossblood.org or call Allison Fitzwater at 563-538-4201, ext. 111.
