Community News

The Allamakee Ecumenical Choir is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its "Christmas Festival of Lessons and Carols" service this Sunday, December 11 at 7 p.m. at St. John's Lutheran Church, located at 8 Fifth Street SW in Waukon. The program is prepared and directed by James Bieber. The public is invited to attend and share in this community celebration of Christmas.

The idea of a community choir was conceived through conversations between Monsignor Frederic Heles of St. Patrick Catholic Church and James Bieber, Director of Music and Organist at St. John's Lutheran Church in Waukon. They became friends through their mutual interests in fine arts and classical music. During their visits, Monsignor Heles often lamented about not hearing the beautiful Latin Gregorian Chant music in the Catholic masses (worship services) since Latin was eliminated by the Vatican II Council several years earlier.

Members of the public are invited to the next meeting of the Allamakee County Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee set for Wednesday, December 14. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Waterville Fire Station, located at 121 Main Street in Waterville.

At the meeting, planners will provide an overview of the hazard risk assessment process and review information on hazards that have been profiled for the hazard mitigation plan thus far. Meeting attendees will then have an opportunity to help score hazards to determine which are most likely to impact Allamakee County communities.

For those who would like to learn more about what hazards are currently identified and profiled for Allamakee County, take a look at Section 3: Risk Assessment within the existing hazard mitigation plan, which can be viewed on the Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission website at http://uerpc.org/allamakee-haz-mit.html.

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, December 5 to discuss a full agenda of items including the resignation of a Waukon Police Department Officer, the purchase of property as a location for a new Police Station and updates on street and storm sewer projects. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Duane DeWalle with the current agenda and meeting minutes of November 21 approved. There were no comments either heard or read during the Public Comments portion of the meeting.

Good Samaritan Evergreen Court Apartments in Waukon honored three of its residents for their military service Veterans Day, Friday, November 11, serving a special red/white/blue dessert and coffee. Pictured above, left to right, are Chester Thune, Hilmen Christianson and Arden Hanson. Submitted photo.
 

The Waukon High School Choir, under the direction of Sarah (Bieber) Palmer, will be sharing its music with the area church community during its 22nd Annual Tour of Churches this Sunday morning, December 4, according to the following schedule:

St. John's Lutheran 8:30-8:45 a.m.
Zion UCC 9:00-9:15 a.m.
First Presbyterian 9:30-9:45 a.m.
St. Patrick's Catholic 10:00-10:15 a.m.
First Baptist 10:30-10:45 a.m.
Zalmona Presbyterian 11:00-11:15 a.m.
St. Paul's United Methodist 11:30-11:45 a.m.

The annual tour allows choir members to serve the community by singing several pieces of music at various church services. At each stop, the choir takes a freewill offering donated to the Allamakee County Relief Office, the Allamakee County Food Shelf, the Backpack Program in the Allamakee Community School District, Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation and the Waukon Community Meal program.

The Waukon Chamber of Commerce is promoting the benefits of shopping local with its Fifth Annual Holiday Cash Bash. Everyone is invited to participate, and the rules are simple.
Visit any of this year’s participating merchants between November 21 and December 27 and purchase $25 worth of merchandise to be eligible to sign up for the Holiday Cash Bash drawing. There is no limit to how many times a person may enter, but they can only win one prize.

Prize winners of Waukon Chamber bucks will be drawn at the Waukon Chamber of Commerce office Thursday, December 29. Winners will be contacted by the Waukon Chamber of Commerce. The more a customer shops locally, the more times they can be entered in the drawing.

This year marks the 43rd year that Helping Services has served communities of northeast Iowa. Originally opened as the Decorah Information Center in 1973, the variety of programs and services offered has changed throughout the years due to new needs, issues and realities that families experience. This year marks a continued evolution for the organization, as it is embarking on a new name and logo heading into 2017.

The organization is pleased to announce that Helping Services for Northeast Iowa will now be known as Helping Services for Youth & Families. Helping Services’ Executive Director Carson Eggland remarks, “While this is a small change, it is important to note the name now says exactly what our team has been doing since 1973. We are here, in your community, to help and serve youth and families.”

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, November 21 to discuss a full agenda of items including RV and trailer parking, an electric franchise rebate and the third reading of the Storm and Surface Water Drainage System Utility Ordinance. No comments were heard or read during Public Comments.

Under Departmental Reports, Street Department Superintendent Keith Burrett discussed that his department is ready for the winter season. Recreation and Wellness Director Jeremy Strub indicated that this is a slow time program-wise with the transition from fall to winter activities, but things are picking up with use of the Wellness Center.

The Waukon High School Choir will make its 22nd Annual Christmas Church Tour Sunday, December 4. The annual tour allows choir members to serve the community by singing several pieces of music at various church services. At each stop, the choir takes a freewill offering. The proceeds of these collections will be donated to the Allamakee County Relief Office, the Allamakee County Food Shelf, the Backpack Program in the Allamakee Community Schools, the Northeast Iowa Community Action Group and the Waukon Community Meal program. If bad weather prevents safe travel, a cancellation announcement will be made through the usual school-closing channels. Should a cancellation happen, the tour will not be rescheduled for a later date.

Under the direction of Sarah (Bieber) Palmer this year, the choir will be singing during worship services at these Waukon area churches:

Jake Bollman of Waterville recently underwent the third open heart surgery of his life at the age of 23 and is said to be recovering well. At his annual check-up earlier this year, it was discovered that he had a previously repaired heart valve that was once again leaking and that the left side of his heart was swollen.

Bollman had the option of replacing the valve with one taken from a pig or receiving a mechanical valve. The valve from the pig option would only last six years and likely require another open heart surgery to replace again, so he opted for the mechanical valve in hopes that this would be his last open heart surgery.

However, with the mechanical valve, Bollman will have to be on a blood thinner the rest of his life and will continue to require numerous laboratory blood draws and doctor visits over the next several months. A benefit event is being planned for this Saturday, November 26 to help him pay for medical expenses and medication costs.