News Center newsletter

The Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center located in Lansing will host the Driftless Birding Fest Saturday, November 9. The Fest will include speakers, exhibits and self-guided field trips to area hotspots.

Speakers will include William Reiter-Marolf, who is a biologist with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Upper Mississippi River Refuge. His presentation will begin at 10 a.m. and will include information on the Upper Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Refuge and the bird research that is done throughout the entire refuge.

At 1 p.m., Pamela Eyden, editor of the book “Birds of the Upper Mississippi and the Driftless Area,” will read selected stories from the book at the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center. Along with other editors of the Big River Magazine, she helped put together the 39 stories that appeared in the magazine over a 22-year period.

“No matter how carefully a project is planned, something may still go wrong with it.” This saying is adapted from a line in “To a Mouse”, a poem by Robert Burns. Organizers say the phrase also accurately describes what has happened with this year’s “Big Splash” splash pad project for the playground area on South Front Street.

The proposed project began with an idea from some concerned citizens who wanted to add more activities for young children at the playground. A splash pad project was chosen to add some water activities for younger children who are not able to enjoy the benefits of a swimming pool because of their age or also because of some physical limitations.

Kerndt Brothers Bank has announced a branchwide food drive for each of the local food pantries located in Lansing, Waukon, Decorah, Clermont, West Union and Cedar Rapids. Non-perishable, non-expired food items such as pasta, soup/broth, canned vegetables and fruits, dinner kits, crackers, syrup, pancake mix, peanut butter, jam/jelly, among others, will be accepted for donation. Also appreciated are personal care products such as toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrushes.

Items will be accepted until November 20 and may be dropped off at any of the six Kerndt Brothers Bank locations in the communities listed above. Food collected at each branch will be delivered to the local food pantry in their respective communities.
 

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, October 28 to address a full agenda of items including the Red Ribbon Week Proclamation, a land donation for the Conservation Board and quotes for a new pick-up truck for the Secondary Roads Department.

During Public Comment, Dennis Blocker with the Allamakee County ATV/UTV Club asked for an update on the proposed changes to the County’s ATV Ordinance allowing ATV use within Yellow River State Forest. Supervisors Chairperson Larry Schellhammer indicated that County Attorney Anthony Gericke had responded by email and provided an overview of the process necessary to change the existing ordinance with public hearings being necessary. Schellhammer indicated that he has received a lot of feedback on the matter and that he would not be in support of changing the ordinance with the risks outweighing the rewards.

The Waukon High School Drama Department will present “GOOD NEWS!” as this year’s musical production November 7, 8 and 9 at 7 p.m. on the auditorium stage at Waukon High School. However, if the Waukon football team advances to the second round of this year’s State Play-Offs, the Friday, November 8 performance will be moved to 1 p.m. Sunday, November 10, so as not to conflict with that November 8 second-round play-off game.

It is only fitting that the production’s schedule be adjusted for the football team as “GOOD NEWS!” is about a college football team in the 1920s. Anticipation builds on the campus as game day nears but the football hero, Tom Marlow (played by Ethan Hooten), must first pass a big Astronomy exam in order to play. When he unexpectedly falls for his tutor, Connie Lane (played by Oonagh Ahouse), romance blooms. With songs like “You’re the Cream in My Coffee,” “Button Up Your Overcoat,” and “Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries,” this show is fun for everyone.

Allamakee County 4-H Clover Kids enjoyed a pumpkin science-themed meeting recently and found out just how gooey a pumpkin’s insides are (as evident in the faces of some of those Clover Kids pictured above at right). Some took on the challenge and attempted to count all the seeds they discovered inside (as pictured in photo at center). Clover Kids then made thankful pumpkins (such as in the photo below) and wrote three things on their pumpkin they were thankful for. Youth also enjoyed the book “Runaway Pumpkin” and guessing what was going to happen next. For more information about 4-H and upcoming activities contact the Allamakee County Extension and Outreach Office at 563-568-6345 or http://www.extension.iastate.edu/allamakee/. Submitted photos.
 

The Kee football team brought its season to a close Friday, October 25 at Midland, but not before giving that host Eagle team fighting for extension of its own season a strong challenge that eventually waned away in the final frame to a 36-18 Hawk defeat. The Kee gridders answered Midland nearly blow-for-blow to just a 20-18 deficit through three full frames but had that pace derailed in the fourth quarter to result in a final 16-0 Eagle outburst that provided a majority of the game’s final doubled-up margin.

The loss ends Kee’s football season at a 2-7 overall record that included a mark of 2-5 that placed the Hawks sixth in the final eight-team standings of Eight-Man District 3. The Midland victory allowed the Eagles to improve to 7-2 overall and a third-place record of 5-2 in District 3 play that all proved to be good enough to land them one of the final State Play-Off seeds and a first-round date at HLV-Victor this Friday, November 1.

Waukon girls cross country team earns third consecutive qualification for Class 2A State Meet with runner-up finish at State Qualifier

For the third consecutive season the Waukon girls cross country team has proven itself among the Class 2A elite, running to its third straight State Meet qualification Thursday, October 24 at the Class 2A State Qualifying Meet hosted by North Fayette Valley High School in West Union. In an 11-team field where they were one of three ranked teams vying for a top-three finish to earn State Meet qualification, the 13th-rated Indians benefited from having all five of their scored runners finish within the top 23 individuals overall, and within the top 20 scored runners, to score 60 team points and firmly secure a runner-up team result and advancement to this year’s season grand finale once again.

Despite the Waukon football team’s Friday, October 25 final game of the regular season at North Fayette Valley featuring the already State Play-Off clinched Indians taking on a transitioning TigerHawk team bringing its season to a close, there was still plenty to play for besides the natural rivalry that seems to have developed between the two squads over the last several seasons. The Indians had a chance to gain further play-off advantage with a pending top billing in the final Class 2A State Play-Off seeding process resulting in hosting their first two postseason games and an even more historical motivation of being the first Indian grid squad in the Iowa high school football play-off era to complete an undefeated regular season and the first such season since the grid Tribe played to unblemished marks under Coach Walter “Red” Rixen in both 1953 and 1957.

Kee cross country girls run to third consecutive State Meet qualification in championship fashion; Junior Chris Wagner becomes first Kee boys State qualifier since 1994 season

A trip to the season grand finale was on the line at the Class 1A State Qualifying Cross Country Meet hosted by Cedar Falls High School Thursday, October 24, and for the first time since anyone can recall, and quite possibly ever, both the Kee girls and boys cross country programs will each be represented at the season-climaxing Class 1A State Cross Country Meet in the same year. The Hawk girls earned their third consecutive State Meet team qualification in championship fashion at the Cedar Falls State Qualifier, while the Hawk boys were headlined by the individual State Meet qualification earned by junior Chris Wagner.