Community News

Members of the Iowa State Patrol, local law enforcement, the local community and family and friends of fallen Iowa State Trooper Ted Benda gathered near the Freedom Rock in the Waukon City Park late Tuesday morning, October 20 to commemorate the five-year anniversary of Trooper Benda’s passing in the line of duty. As part of the commemoration, a memorial bench was permanently placed near that Freedom Rock pavilion location, inscribed with the words “Your noble service and sacrifice will forever be remembered by those who cherish freedom.”

Ted Benda was a Waukon native, the son of Lawrence and Marsha Benda, and he graduated from Waukon High School in 2002. He joined the State Patrol in 2016 and began serving in District 10 - Oelwein in 2017.

Thursday, October 29 at 6:30 p.m., the Allamakee County Veterans Museum in Waukon will present another program from its Veterans History Project at the museum located at 105 Allamakee Street in Waukon. A video interview with the late William “Bill” Schneeberger of Waukon will be played.

Schneeberger served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He was working as an electrical engineer when drafted in 1951. After basic training, he was assigned to the Army Signal Corps and stationed at the White Sands Proving Ground near Las Cruces, NM. At this time the military was developing and testing missiles.

The public is invited to attend. There is no admission or membership charge to attend the program. The Allamakee County Veterans Museum is a handicapped accessible facility.
 

Families are invited to explore downtown Waukon and enjoy the magic of reading together as Robey Memorial Library, in collaboration with the Oneota Valley Literary Foundation (OVLS), presents the Main Street Story Walk throughout November and December. This season’s featured book is “Over and Under the Snow” by Kate Messner, a delightful winter adventure that follows a cross-country ski trip through the snowy woods, revealing the hidden world of animals living beneath the snow.

Voters will have the opportunity to elect six members of the Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach Allamakee County Extension Council at the November 3 General Election.

“The council members elected this year will be involved in bringing educational opportunities to Allamakee County for the next four years,” said Holly Kanengieter, Region 5 Director. ISU Extension and Outreach Allamakee County educational programming is a cooperative effort involving local citizens, Iowa State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Extension council members are elected at large, and all county voters can vote for five candidates and one additional candidate to fill a vacancy. Candidates on this year’s ballot include George Bieber, Tim Bulman, Jeannine Hisel, Joseph Swizdor, Jared Winkie and Ann Deering to fill a vacancy.

Saturday, October 10, the Waukon High School Marching Indians participated in the Iowa High School Music Association (IHSMA) State Marching Band Festival. Fifteen bands from the northeast corner of the Northeast District representing schools from all four class sizes participated in the festival hosted by Western Dubuque High School in Epworth. The Marching Indians were the first band of the day to receive a Division I rating and the smallest school to receive the top rating.

Thursday, October 29 at 6:30 p.m., the Allamakee County Veterans Museum in Waukon will present another program from its Veterans History Project at the museum located at 105 Allamakee Street in Waukon. A video interview with the late William “Bill” Schneeberger of Waukon will be played.

Schneeberger served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He was working as an electrical engineer when drafted in 1951. After basic training, he was assigned to the Army Signal Corps and stationed at the White Sands Proving Ground near Las Cruces, NM. At this time the military was developing and testing missiles.

The public is invited to attend. There is no admission or membership charge to attend the program. The Allamakee County Veterans Museum is a handicapped accessible facility.
 

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, October 19 at the Dolores Tillinghast Memorial Library in Harpers Ferry as part of the Supervisors’ annual schedule of offsite meeting locations. The Supervisors addressed a full agenda of matters including an update from the Harpers Ferry Area Heritage Society, and the consideration of hiring a permanent part-time employee for the Environmental Health/Planning and Zoning Departments. The meeting was called to order by Board of Supervisors Chairperson Tom Clark with Supervisors Dennis Keatley and Dan Byrnes present.

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, October 19 to address a full agenda of matters including the Resolution to consider the contract for residential solid waste and recycling collection services with Kluesner Sanitation LLC, the Proclamation for the Annual Distribution of Buddy Poppies and a presentation relating to the 1st Street NE Reconstruction Project. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Arvid Hatlan with council members present including Steve Wiedner, John Lydon, Cassie Handke, Nicholas Engrav and Tim Smedsrud.

There was no Public Comment with the meeting moving into Department Reports. Park, Recreation and Wellness Director Jeremy Strub noted that Tuesday, October 20 members of the Iowa State Patrol will be present for the Ted Benda Memorial Bench Dedication in the Waukon City Park’s Freedom Rock Pavilion. Tuesday, October 20 marks the five-year anniversary of Trooper Ted Benda’s line of duty death.

Allamakee Community Players, Inc. (ACPI) will present the show “Play On!” by Rick Abbot Friday and Saturday, October 23-24 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, October 25 at 2 p.m. at St John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon. “Play On!” is a hilarious story of a local theatre group trying desperately to put on a play despite maddening interference from the haughty author, who keeps revising the script. Tickets will be available at the door prior to each performance, or may be purchased online in advance at acpitheatre.ludus.com.

The Allamakee County Conservation Board and the Mississippi Valley Sportsman Club in Lansing will host an Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Hunters Education Online Field Day. The field day will take place Saturday, October 24 at the Mississippi Valley Sportsman Club, located at 1797 Columbus Road, Lansing, from 8-11:30 a.m.  Students should go to the Iowa DNR website to register for the class, under the Hunting & Trapping link and then the Hunter Safety and Education link that can be found at https://www.iowadnr.gov/.

The Hunters Education Online Field Day is open to youth aged 11-17 who have successfully completed the online hunters education course through the Iowa DNR.