Corn maze event raises more than $7,200 for local family and FFA chapters ...

An event held during the final two weekends in September helped raise more than $7,200 for the future of local farming and a local farming family, and those funds were recently distributed to those respective benefactors at check presentation events. Waukon Feed Ranch created a corn maze for the public to try and navigate at its agronomy center located west of Waukon along Old Highway 9, taking a freewill donation the weekends of September 22-23 and 29-30 to help raise funds for the local FFA chapters of Waukon High School and Kee High School, along with the family of Brogan Gavin, son of Tom and Alana Gavin of rural Lansing who is undergoing treatment for leukemia. Along with the corn maze proceeds, the Allamakee County Cattlemen hosted a grilling event, WW Homestead Dairy sold cheese curds and the Allamakee County Dairy Promotion Board had its dairy wagon on site, with additional proceeds from those offerings also being added to the donated funding.

Presentation of those donated funds are featured in the two photos at right. In the top photo at right taken by Assistant Editor Joe Moses of The Standard, Brogan Gavin and his sister, Brielle, are holding a check in the very front row representing the $7,202.76 donated from the late September event to the Gavin family and the Waukon and Kee High School FFA chapters. Also pictured are: Left to right - Second row: Tom Weighner of WW Homestead Dairy, Nick Tilleraas of the Allamakee County Cattlemen’s Association, Jeremy Peake of the Allamakee County Dairy Promotion Board, Breyson, Tom, Alana and Braxon Gavin, and Kim Winters, Brad Herman and Mike Horns of Waukon Feed Ranch. Back row: Waukon High School FFA Advisor Jessica O’Connor and Waukon High School FFA Officers Shara Cota, Nathan Helgerson, Faith Palmer, Nicole Campbell, Kaylee Gibbs and Molly Brodahl.

In the bottom photo at right, submitted to The Standard, is the donation presentation to the Kee High School FFA chapter. Left to right: Mike Horns, Michelle Winkie and Kim Winters of Waukon Feed Ranch, Kee High School FFA members Charles Stendel, Brooke Stanley, Peter Boland and Ben Troendle, and Kee High School FFA Advisor Ray Rankin.