The COVID-19 pandemic has forced Canadian Pacific (CP) to forego its annual Holiday Train journey this year that has made stops in both Lansing and New Albin in Allamakee County the past several years. Not wanting to completely cancel the event and all its beneficial good will, Canadian Pacific has, instead, opted to pursue a more virtual avenue with both its musical performances and its fundraising that have been part of the Holiday Train’s annual trek during the holiday season.
Musical performers Serena Ryder and The Trews will headline CP’s 2020 “Holiday Train at Home” concert, which will stream on CP’s Facebook page this Saturday, December 12. The event will raise money and awareness and help local food banks collect much-needed donations this year.
Lansing’s VFW Auxiliary #5981 announces its scholarship contest for local art students in ninth through 12th grades. Patriotic students in ninth through 12th grades with a passion for art are encouraged to enter the 2020-2021 VFW Auxiliary Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest.
Students will compete with other student artists from across the nation for a chance to win one of 10 national scholarships. The first-place winner receives a $15,000 scholarship.
Helping Services for Youth & Families’ Domestic Abuse Resource Center has implemented a Domestic Abuse survivor chat line, which can be reached at HelpingServices.org/chat. There is also the option to call a 24/7 resource phone line at 800-383-2988. Whether chatting or calling, a trained Advocate will respond 24 hours a day.
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach-Allamakee County hosted Saturday Clover Kids October 17, and with the changing seasons it was the perfect time to talk about weather. Clover Kids spent time describing their feelings about different types of weather such as sunny, rainy and stormy. Thoughtful words like happy, lazy, nervous and scared were shared.
After reading the book “Wonderful Weather”, everyone agreed sunny weather puts us in a better mood over rainy weather. However, Clover Kids had fun making their own rain out of a cup, water, foam shaving cream and blue food coloring. They also made a tornado in a jar (photo above) and an anemometer, a tool that measures wind speed (photo below).
The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors members met Monday, December 7 at noon for a special meeting to discuss a couple of items relating to the $4,680,000 School Infrastructure Sales, Services and Use Tax Revenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2020 and virtual learning plans for snow days and extended school closures. Board member Scott Melcher was absent.
Pertaining to the bond, the board approved a tax exemption certificate and a resolution authorizing the terms of issuance and providing for and securing the payment of school infrastructure sales, services and use tax revenue refunding bonds. Roll call votes were taken on both items with board members Beth Shafer, Brent Beyer, Erik Helgerson and Allan Rissman all voting aye.
Beginning Wednesday, December 23, Winter Break Grab & Go activities are available for kids and for teenagers at Robey Memorial Library in Waukon. Each grab bag includes supplies to create something great over winter break.
Kids Grab & Go features Pasta Snowflakes and Waddling Penguin projects. Teen Grab & Go features Yarn Hats, Candy Cane Reindeer and Coffee Filter Snowflake projects. Activity bags are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis until gone. This program is in addition to the Grab & Go activity available for kids and for teens the second Wednesday of each month.
Back points on the way to a pin ... Waukon wrestling 220-pound sophomore Cullen Dickson works his Nashua-Plainfield opponent for back points in the Tribe’s season-opening quadrangular at Postville Tuesday, December 1. Dickson went undefeated on the night, recording two wins by fall, including pinning this opponent in 3:33. Standard photo by Joe Moses. View and find out how to purchase this photo and many more by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on this webpage.
The Waukon wrestling team opened its 2020-2021 season with a busy week of wrestling three dual meets and one tournament in its initial week of competition. The mat Tribe began that busy week with a road quadrangular at Postville Tuesday, December 2 in which the Indians lost to Nashua-Plainfield, 65-12, to Postville, 42-36, and to Oelwein, 43-42, on a criteria tie-breaker. The Indian matmen then wrestled at the Wapsie Valley Tournament Saturday, December 5, finishing tied for ninth place in the 13-team field behind the lead of sophomore Jakob Regan winning the 120-pound weight class at the event.
Game-high scoring leader ... Kee boys basketball senior Mat Gruber takes the ball strong to the basket in the Hawks’ 57-55 season-opening victory at home over Central Elkader Friday, December 4. Gruber scored a game-high 14 points and also grabbed four rebounds and recorded one each of steals and assists in the ballgame. Photo courtesy of the Kee High School Yearbook. View and find out how to purchase this photo and many more by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on this webpage.
The Kee boys basketball team opened its 2020-2021 season in thrilling fashion, taking its first game of the season right down to the final seconds - literally - to pull off a 57-55 comeback victory over Central Elkader at home Friday, December 4. The Hawks and Warriors were locked in a back-and-forth battle throughout the contest until Central nearly doubled up its Kee hosts in third quarter scoring, but the Hawks rallied back to return that favor in the fourth quarter, overcoming a near double-digit deficit to come away with the two-point triumph on a tie-breaking lay-up by junior Tyson Cota as the final buzzer sounded.
2020-2021 Waukon girls basketball team ... Left to right - Front row: Paige Hansmeier, Jayden Knox, Bailey Shafer, Maggie Criswell, Emily Bieber, Ella Hermeier; Back row: Grace Stegen, Emma Palmer, Margaret Wacker, Annika Headington, Brinley Jones, Brenna Berns, Mackenzie Kaeser.
2020-2021 Waukon girls basketball returning letterwinners ... Left to right: Ella Hermeier, Bailey Shafer, Margaret Wacker, Annika Headington, Brinley Jones, Maggie Criswell.
The 2020-2021 Waukon girls basketball season will have a different look to it for a couple reasons, one coming from the much wider outside world and the other from within. The much more positive of the two is the internal change, as Waukon High School graduate and multi-year assistant basketball coach Ben Rausch has assumed the varsity head coaching role for the program following the retirement of Greg Criswell after his three-year stint at the top of the Lady Indian totem pole.
Rausch is a 2006 graduate of Waukon High School and brings an extensive basketball resumé to his new head coaching position. That basketball experience stems from playing the game at multiple levels, and coaching at multiple high school levels as well.
2020-2021 Waukon boys basketball team ... Left to right - Front row: Jaden Hager, Lincoln Snitker, Ethan O’Neill, Brennan Sweeney, Sean Cooper, Nick Goltz, Hunter O’Neill. Back row: Vicente Quiroz, Braxton Stewart, Creed Welch, Aidan Jones, Andy Osmonson, Braden Hemann, Pat Hennessy. Not pictured: Kannon Boeckenheuer.
For the second consecutive season and the third time in the last four years, the Waukon boys basketball season will be getting a late start due to the success of Waukon’s football team during the previous fall season. While many would classify that situation under the old cliché of a “good problem to have,” compounding that “good problem to have” is the fact that many of this year’s basketball players factored heavily into this year’s Class 2A State Football Championship, including this winter’s five returning letterwinners from last season’s 13-9 Waukon boys basketball campaign.
“We’re getting another late start on this basketball season, but we are really excited about what our team can be,” shared Waukon boys basketball coach Jed Hemann, who, himself, helped engineer the Indians to their second State Football Championship in the past four years as the grid Tribe’s offensive coordinator. “Hopefully, our guys can get a full season to show what they are capable of doing.”
