Community News

King of Grace Lutheran Church in Waukon will be hosting an event at Waukon City Park Sunday, October 8 called “Pumpkins in the Park.” All community members are invited to join King of Grace Lutheran Church for an afternoon of fall fun at Waukon City Park in the Jaycee shelter from 2-4:30 p.m. that October 8 afternoon. There will be pumpkin decorating, games, a fall photo opportunity, treats, and a free raffle for gift baskets from local businesses.

All who attend will receive a free pumpkin to decorate and take home with them. This is a free event, and it is open to all ages in the community. More information about the event as it approaches can be found on the King of Grace Lutheran Church Waukon IA Facebook page.

The City of Waukon will be participating in the Iowa’s Living Roadways Community Visioning Program in 2024 and is looking for steering committee members to guide the community through the process. Interested individuals may contact Waukon City Clerk Sarah Snitker at Waukon City Hall for details or to sign up.

Community Visioning is an award-winning program that integrates landscape planning and design techniques with sustainable community action to assist community leaders and volunteers in making sound and meaningful decisions about the local landscape. More information can be found at the website https://www.communityvisioning.org/.

Waukon Area Fire Protection District Secretary/Treasurer Kyle Halverson (pictured at left in photo at right) accepts a donation check of $480 from Michael Steinberg (pictured at right in photo above), General Sales Manager at Iron Hill Harley-Davidson/Power Sports. The $480 donation represents proceeds from the local side-by-side ride Iron Hill Harley-Davidson/Power Sports sponsored September 10 of this year, with more than 75 entrants participating in the ride. Submitted photo.
 

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, September 18 at the Meehan Memorial Library in Lansing as part of the board’s annual schedule of library visits within the county. The Supervisors addressed a short agenda of matters including the consideration of County credit card use by the Environmental Health Department, the disallowance of a military exemption and the scanning project for County Courthouse building blueprints. The meeting was called to order by Board of Supervisors Chairperson Dan Byrnes with Supervisors Mark Reiser and Dennis Keatley present.

A Christmas gift received last year by 1973 Kee High School graduate Ray Burroughs of Waukon has inspired a similar project that he hopes will keep on giving.

After receiving a photo calendar created by his son, Jesse, as a Christmas gift this past December, Burroughs has taken that idea and is trying to make it into a gift of his own that will continue to give to the high school he graduated from 50 years ago. That idea has produced the first edition of “Awesome Rides,” a photo calendar now available for purchase that will not only benefit the Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) but also features classic vehicles owned by residents within or individuals otherwise associated with the school district.

“There have been a lot of fundraisers that come and go over the year, but I was thinking this is something that you not only have for the calendar year, but the photos are something you can keep even longer,” Burroughs said.

Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative (ACEC) held its 85th annual meeting Monday, September 11 in a drive-through format with another great year of attendance. The board of directors and employees appreciate all members who voted for their board directors and attended the drive-through.

Each member had the opportunity to vote, receive a complimentary gift and take home a hot to-go meal. Cooperative members who voted by mail or during the annual meeting drive-through returned incumbents Michael Gibbs of Waterville and Cindy Heffern of Harpers Ferry to represent District A.

In District C, incumbent Greg Formanek of Farmersburg was also re-elected.

The board of directors will next elect board officers during its September 25 board meeting.
 

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in special session Monday, September 11 for discussion of nuisance abatement procedures, follow-through and public expectation. This two-hour meeting with approximately 15 residents participating in person or via Zoom web-conferencing covered a variety of nuisance abatement issues and related topics, serving as an information sharing session for the council and members of the general public.

The meeting was called to order by Mayor Arvid Hatlan with City Clerk Sarah Snitker noting feedback received from a resident not available to attend the meeting. Snitker further noted that the person commented that they do not like parked vehicles on front yards and how that looks and that ordinances in place should be enforced throughout the community fairly.

FreedomBank recently announced the promotion of Barb Shull and Kate-Leigh Wilson to new positions within the organization. This move reflects the bank’s dedication to recognizing and nurturing the talents of its staff.

Barb Shull has been promoted to Senior Vice President and Executive Officer. She is the Waukon location’s “go-to” leader, representing both the markets team and customers within the Executive Officer group.

Kate-Leigh Wilson has been promoted to Assistant Vice President. As an ag lender in Waukon, she has a strong understanding of agriculture and is dedicated to helping FreedomBank’s loan clients achieve success.

Kathy Mueller, President and CEO of FreedomBank, expressed pride in the organization’s culture of success and development, promoting from within. Mueller stated, “We are grateful for Barb and Kate-Leigh’s contributions and look forward to their success in their new roles.”
 

Saturday, September 16 at 10 a.m. the Allamakee County Veterans Museum will present another program from its Veterans History Project at its museum located at 105 Allamakee Street in Waukon. A video interview by Chuck Bloxham with U.S. Air Force veteran Lt. Col. Beth Shafer of Waukon will be played. Lt. Col. Shafer will also be present to share comments and answer questions.

Lt. Col. Beth Shafer served in the U.S. Air Force on both active and reserve duty for 22 years. She attended the United States Air Force Academy and was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. following graduation. Lt. Col. Shafer then completed pilot training and was later assigned to flight crews on the C-130 Hercules transport plane (such as pictured with this article). After completing active duty, she was employed as a commercial airline pilot by United Air Lines.

The public is invited to attend the program. There is no admission or membership charge. The facility is handicapped accessible.
 

Midwest Veterans of America will be hosting a Veterans Day event Saturday, November 11 at AJ’s Steakhouse in Waukon, beginning at 12 noon. A full menu will be available to order from, and Midwest Veterans of America will be honoring 25 local veterans during the event, with those awards being distributed at 1:30 p.m.

Event organizers are seeking nominations of local veterans who will be honored at the event. To nominate a local veteran to be honored, call 563-568-5275.