Community News

A move to the Waukon area has provided Cortney Ryan with an opportunity to continue to do what she loves in a new location, as she recently opened Meraki Salon & Massage at 12 Allamakee Street in Waukon. Ryan first opened her new business April 4 of this year, and she has been planning for her grand opening coming up Monday, July 2 (see advertisement printed below for additional event details).

Ryan has 16 years of professional experience doing hair, having achieved her cosmetology license after graduating from La James College in Mason City in September 2002. More recently, she completed a degree in Massage Therapy from Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC), from where she graduated in the summer of 2013 with Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees as well.

Allamakee County native Pete Grady portrays former president

Robey Memorial Library in Waukon will host “Unconditional Surrender: A Visit with Ulysses S. Grant” Saturday, June 30 at 1 p.m. “Unconditional Surrender: A Visit with Ulysses S. Grant”, written, directed and performed by Pete Grady, is Grant’s life story, told by a man who knows he will soon die but who must complete his story before his death.

The one-hour show uses period music, photographs, cartoons, maps and drawings to explore Grant’s successes and failures in military and civilian life, and provides the audience with a new understanding of Ulysses S. Grant, whom author H.W. Brands has called “The Man Who Saved the Union.”

Grant portrayer Pete Grady graduated from Waukon High School in 1971 and has performed the show over 85 times - mostly in Iowa, but also in Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri.

Iowa Public Television’s (IPTV) Reading Road Trip host Dan Wardell visited Robey Memorial Library in Waukon Thursday, June 14 and drew a crowd of 108 area youth and family members, many of whom are pictured above giving the “thumbs up” that Wardell has made famous during his IPTV educational segments. Robey Memorial Library Director Cate St. Clair shared, “Dan only visits 26 libraries a summer, so we were lucky to get him.” Those attending got to meet Dan Wardell, hear a story and receive an official superhero card. Pictured below with Wardell are members of the Robey Memorial Library staff next to the Tippie the Cow mural in the library. Left to right: Adult and Teen Programming Director Chris Kerndt, Library Aide Ellen Thiele, Director Cate St. Clair, Children’s Programming Coordinator Ellie Krousie and Dan Wardell of IPTV. Submitted photos.
 

Robey Memorial Library in Waukon has an abundance of activities and events planned for the Summer of 2018. Listed below are descriptions of those activities and events. All programs are free of charge.

Kick-off of the Children’s Summer Reading Program (SRP) at Robey Memorial Library will take place the week of July 9 with scheduled events including Reading Challenge Registration, and a Library Scavenger Hunt throughout the week.

READING CHALLENGE
The four-week Reading Challenge runs from Monday, July 9 through Saturday, August 4. Participants, ages infant through sixth grade (completed), earn prizes for weekly participation, enter a drawing for special prizes, and display their reading totals in the library. Visit the Robey Memorial Library website or stop in to pick up a reading log and to get more details.

Children of all ages are invited to read to Sunny, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever owned by PJ Mullen, at K9 Story Time at Robey Memorial Library in Waukon. Sunny (pictured above) received her therapy training through the Love on a Leash Organization. K9 Story Time will be held each Thursday, June 21 through August 16, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Each reading session will be 10 minutes long allowing space for four different readers each Thursday. Registration is required and be can be done by contacting Robey Memorial Library at 563-568-4424 or www.waukon.lib.ia.us. Submitted photo.
 

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

Giant butterflies have been hovering over the potted flowers on Lansing’s Main Street. Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Lansing has created a public art project which they are sharing with the residents and visitors to town. Children and adults have met for several weeks to paint the large wooden butterflies.

Pastor Laura Gentry, an artist as well as the church’s pastor, conceived of the idea and brought the congregation on board to create a public art project which engages people. Many of the butterflies are both motivational and beautiful since they have positive phrases or biblical encouragements on them. The participants have created 19 butterflies to be  displayed in each of the  flowerpots of the downtown district.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, June 18 at the New Albin Public Library as part of the board’s yearly tour of county libraries. The board addressed agenda items including Secondary Roads Department transfers, approval of the Knotty Pine liquor license renewal and a Public Hearing for vacating and closing old road #231 in Hanover township.

During Public Comment, New Albin Public Library Director Heather Abrahamzon discussed plans to automate the library’s system to utilize a scanner and bar codes for checking books in and out. Abrahamzon further explained that this step will help the library become accredited and qualify for additional State funding and will allow patrons to search for books using a computer and utilize the inter-library loan system.

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, June 18 to address a full agenda of items including discussion of developing a sidewalk plan, discussion of the Waukon Mayor’s Facebook page and approval of wage increases for Union and non-Union City employees.

Mayor Pat Stone called the meeting to order with approval of the June 4 regular session and June 13 special session meeting minutes.

The Public Hearing for the Application for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for the Waste Water Treatment Facility was opened. City Clerk Allen Lyon indicated that no written or verbal comments have been received. City Manager Dean Hilgerson discussed the need for a representative from Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) to provide more information with the CDBG also listed later on the agenda.

This year Allamakee County is celebrating 100 years of organized county extension work. This long-established partnership with Iowa State University (ISU) provides local citizens with access to education and university research, providing education and building partnerships for a strong Iowa and a strong Allamakee County.

ISU Extension and Outreach Allamakee County will be receiving its 100-year certificate during the Allamakee County Fair in July of this year.

ISU Extension and Outreach is part of the federal Cooperative Extension Service, a network of more than 100 land-grant institutions, including Iowa State University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture serving communities and counties across the United States. Every county in Iowa has an elected extension council that decides how to support ISU Extension and Outreach educational programs at the county level.

An ongoing investigation for the past two months has ultimately resulted in the arrest of a Waterloo man in connection to a series of local thefts. Frank Lee Miller, age 55, of Waterloo was recently arrested in connection with the theft of tire rims from Clark Tire Pros on the north edge of Waukon.

April 10 of this year, the Waukon Police Department received a report of tire rims being stolen from Clark Tire Pros in Waukon. With the use of camera footage and assistance from other law enforcement agencies, the Waukon Police Department was able to successfully identify the thief as Miller. It was further discovered, by use of further camera footage, that Miller had stolen rims from Clark Tire Pros on two occasions.