Community News

In the spirit of the Scout promise to do a good turn daily and “to help other people at all times,” Waukon Pack 64 and Troop 64 of the Northeast Iowa Council of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) will be holding their collection of donations for the annual “Scouting for Food” donation drive Tuesday, March 12.

In Waukon, Scouts will be collecting food donations Tuesday, March 12 from 5-6:30 p.m. door-to-door. Donations can also be dropped off at the Allamakee County Farm Bureau Office, 14 1st Ave. NE in Waukon, during business hours the week of March 11-15. The Allamakee County Food Shelf is requesting the following non-expired donations: canned fruit, canned soup, macaroni & cheese, baked beans, Hamburger Helper, and Spam.
 

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, February 19 to address a full agenda of matters including a presentation relating to a potential campground at Green Valley Getaway, discussion of a housing proposal for the former Bresnahan property and discussion of a UTV purchase for the Park and Recreation Department. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Arvid Hatlan. There was no Public Comment with the meeting moving into Department Reports.

Park, Recreation and Wellness Director Jeremy Strub advised that youth basketball is finishing up including young kids and travel teams with registrations being accepted for youth soccer, which he noted is a large program involving kids from neighboring communities including Lansing, Postville and Monona in addition to Waukon. Strub also noted that summer recreation positions including lifeguards and coaches, among others, are being advertised.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, February 12 to address a full agenda of matters including the Grady’s Superhero Run 5K scheduled for August 2 in Dorchester, a recommendation from the Allamakee County Compensation Board relating to Fiscal-Year 2025 (FY25) elected official salaries and the consideration of signing an agreement with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources relating to four properties within Allamakee County. The meeting was called to order by Board of Supervisors Chairperson Dan Byrnes with Supervisors Mark Reiser and Dennis Keatley present.

The Waukon Chamber of Commerce will be launching its 2024 Event Series this weekend, Friday and Saturday, February 16 and 17. This event, aptly called the Cupid Shuffle as it happens near the Valentine’s Day holiday, will highlight Waukon’s local dining establishments and encourages folks to get out and patronize Waukon’s businesses and community amenities.  Cupid Shuffle cards with a list of participating businesses are available at the Chamber office and EpicWear in Waukon, or can be viewed on the Cupid Shuffle Facebook event page.

Those participating in the Cupid Shuffle should visit three different locations in Waukon to grab a drink, have a meal, and take part in an activity. Any participants who “shuffle” to three participating locations and fill out and turn in a Cupid Shuffle card can be entered into a random drawing for a chance to win $100 in Waukon Bucks.

A small river town is once again coming together to preserve its local history. The Harpers Ferry Area Heritage Society is raising $800,000 to build a new, 9,000-square-foot museum highlighting the community’s rich past. The effort builds on the Heritage Society’s previous work, which resulted in the historic Oil Springs School restoration and relocation.

“Harpers Ferry is one of the oldest communities in Allamakee County,” says Jane Hasek, one of the project’s leaders. “Its heritage is really unique.”

The city was founded by David Harper, who opened a hotel and launched a ferry that carried livestock, grain and more to Prairie du Chien, WI. Residents today feel a powerful connection to the community and its history and are excited to showcase their town in a new way.

Ashley Wenke of Pleasant Grove Homestead near Montezuma was named Iowa Farm Bureau Federation’s “Grow Your Future” Award first-place winner at the organization’s Young Farmer Conference held February 2-3 in Altoona. Wenke took home a $7,500 grand prize to expand her direct-to-consumer produce and meat business.

Also among the finalists in this year’s competition was Bobbi Jo (Wild) Berg, from Recipes from French Creek in rural Lansing of Allamakee County. Her business creates freezer meals with locally sourced ingredients, including eggs from her own farm, and she finished in third place as one of the finalists in the competition and received a prize of $2,500.

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, February 5 to address a full agenda of matters including discussion of the City’s Dangerous and Vicious Animals Ordinance, the Assessment Schedule for 9 Allamakee Street, and the tentative approval of Capital Improvement Project and Revenue Budgets. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Arvid Hatlan.

There was no Public Comment with the meeting moving into Department Reports, with Park, Recreation and Wellness Director Jeremy Strub providing an update. Strub noted that the Youth Recreation program’s basketball season is coming to an end with soccer being advertised to start in April, which he advised is one of the larger programs with participants from several communities. Strub noted that the Wellness Center is very busy this time of year and that advertising will begin for summer employment including coaches, park help, lifeguards, among others.

The community of Waukon now has two established locations for people to donate their can tabs (pull tabs) in efforts to help support Ronald McDonald House charities. Thanks to the organizational and supporting efforts of a local family, an organization and two businesses, anyone in the community can join in those efforts to help support a program that has helped and supported so many in times when that help and support is needed most.

The focus of the Ronald McDonald House programs is to offer a home away from home that provides comfort, support and resources to families who travel far from home for the medical care their child needs. With more than 380 Ronald McDonald House locations across the world, the support efforts locally are mainly focused on the Ronald McDonald House locations in Rochester, MN and in Iowa City.

The Allamakee County Veterans Museum will again present the popular Town Theatre video program of movies taken in downtown Waukon during the summer of 1941. The program will be held this Saturday, February 10, beginning at 10 a.m., at the Veterans Museum located at 105 Allamakee Street in Waukon.

The video will run continuously between 10 a.m. to 12 noon. There is no admission charge, and the museum is wheelchair accessible.

The popular movies were filmed in downtown Waukon in the 1940s by the Cote family and shown during intermissions before and after feature movies, previews, cartoons and news reels. Viewers can try and spot and identify relatives shown in the film and enjoy a nostalgic look back at period vehicles and dress with local scenes and businesses, just before the entry of USA into WWII.

Like other day care facilities in the area, Postville Childcare was recently ready to close its doors, which would have left 49 families without care and 17 staff members without jobs. Thanks to strong community partnerships, help came just in time.

As the center was gearing up to close, The Northeast Iowa Funders Network, made up of community foundations in Allamakee, Chickasaw, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek Counties, awarded a grant to Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission to support the work of regional planner Michelle Barness, who is coordinating strategies for addressing child care challenges.

Barness provided support to Allamakee County providers, economic development leaders and other partners as they worked to raise $163,000 for a countywide child care wage enhancement program. The state of Iowa provided 2-to-1 matching funds, making nearly $500,000 available to help providers pay staff competitive wages.