Black Hawk Bridge Memorial Day Farewell Celebration taking place this Saturday
Main Street Lansing, in conjunction with the Lansing Lions Club, the City of Lansing, the Light the Way Committee and other community organizations and businesses, is planning a Black Hawk Bridge Memorial Day Farewell Celebration scheduled for this Saturday, October 11, prior to the upcoming closure and demolition of the Black Hawk Bridge. A variety of community events are being planned throughout the day this Saturday, with that day culminating in a Memorial Party at T.J. Hunter’s throughout the afternoon and a Last Lighting of the Bridge Party at Shep’s Patio along the riverfront of the waters over which the Black Hawk Bridge has spanned for nearly a century.
Starting off the day will be the annual Driftless Half Marathon being run at 7:30 a.m. from its starting point near Harpers Ferry into Lansing along the Great River Road and benefiting area organizations with its proceeds, with the Kee High School and Middle School Music Departments hosting a fundraiser breakfast beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the Lansing Fire Station. All throughout the day Saturday, local businesses and restaurants will be offering discounts and deals for those shopping in the Lansing area. Main Street Lansing will be sponsoring the finale of a punch ticket promotion for shopping Lansing area businesses that will offer a chance for participants to win $100 in Downtown Bucks in a drawing being held at the party at Shep’s Patio later that same Saturday evening.
That punch ticket promotion is already underway at participating Lansing area businesses. Punches can be collected at each participating business throughout this week by making a minimum $5 purchase, with five punches filling out a card that can then be entered into that Downtown Bucks drawing being held that October 11 evening.
The Black Hawk Bridge Memorial Day event this Saturday will offer one final opportunity to participate in that punch card promotion all throughout the day. Shop at any participating downtown business and collect punches for $5 minimum purchases to fill out punch cards that can then be entered into the prize drawing mentioned above, with the announcement of the winner being made that night during the Last Lighting of the Bridge Party being held from 7-8 p.m. at Shep’s.
That event will also include music, a community toast to the Black Hawk Bridge, and - thanks to an anonymous donor - those attending will receive a free drink for the final toast and a commemorative glass featuring a design of the Black Hawk Bridge, while supplies last. A silent auction will also be held to bid on an original painting of a unique piece of Lansing history.
Prior to that final toast and Last Lighting of the Bridge event at Shep’s, the Lansing Lions Club will be hosting a Black Hawk Bridge Memorial Day Party at T.J. Hunter’s on Main Street from 2-5 p.m. There will be music, an exhibit of memories, art and photos, in addition to kids games.
Additional updates that may be made available as this weekend’s Black Hawk Bridge Memorial Day Farewell Celebration event approaches can most likely be found on the Facebook pages of Lansing Iowa, Lansing Lions Club, or the City of Lansing Iowa.
