Community News

The fifth annual Fields of Faith event in Waukon was held Wednesday, October 12 at the Waukon High School football field to share in an evening of faith-filled messages despite temperatures that caused an overnight freeze. The featured highlight of the evening was the presentation by Zach Blickens, a resident of Cedar Rapids who, along with his family and their band "White Ribbon Day," is undertaking a worldwide mission to share their story of faith. "White Ribbon Day" (pictured immediately below center) also performed at the event. Within his message, Blickens talked about his experiences in sharing his faith message around the world and also shared his "ABCs of Faith," encouraging those in attendance to "Admit" they have done wrong, "Believe" that the Lord will forgive those wrongdoings, and "Choose" to follow the right path to better serve the Lord.

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, October 17 to discuss a full agenda of items, including the City Hall phone system upgrade, a Water/Sewer Department portable generator and the Police Department facilities. The Public Hearings for the Caterpillar end loader lease agreement and the Storm and Surface Water Drainage System Utility were opened and closed without any written or verbal objections.

During the Public Comments portion of the meeting, resident Pam Delphey addressed the Council regarding her concerns with a neighbor who has cemented much of their yard space. Delphey explained that the cementing was done on the south side of the neighbor’s home, which has resulted in increased water run-off towards her home. Delphey further explained that the cement work has no other purpose than to not have grass to mow.

Director of Affiliates MJ Smith recognized local leader Dr. Richard Hermeier at the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque's (CFGD) 14th annual donor luncheon held Thursday, September 29 at the Dubuque Golf and Country Club. Dr. Hermeier was among several recognized leaders from the Foundation's rural affiliate foundations and was featured in the 2016 Allamakee County Community Foundation (ACCF) annual report.

As shared in the report, Dr. Hermeier created an endowment that annually supports both Waukon Athletics and the Waukon Wellness Center, a place where families and residents of all ages enjoy exercise and fellowship. As a 1955 graduate of Waukon Senior High, Dr. Hermeier wanted to give back to the community in which he grew up.

"The school and the community have given so much to our whole family," he said. "This is just a small token of our appreciation for all that Waukon has given me, athletically, and in many other ways."

The Allamakee Democratic Party will hold its Fundraising Supper Sunday, October 23 at the Old Rossville Store in Rossville. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller will be the keynote speaker at this event.

Miller is a graduate of Loras College and Harvard Law School. After serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer and legislative assistant to U.S. Representative John Culver, Miller practiced law in McGregor and served as the city attorney for McGregor and Marquette for five years.  He is currently serving his fifth consecutive term as Iowa’s Attorney General.

Among the special guests at the event will be State Representative Patti Ruff and Jan Heikes, candidate for the State Senate. Patty Judge, candidate for the U.S. Senate, and Monica Vernon, candidate for U.S. Congress have been invited.

The Allamakee Community Players will be presenting the Pat Cook comedy "Don't Try to Wake Him, Hand Me the Shovel" on the stage in the St. John’s Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall in Waukon. Performances are scheduled for this Friday and Saturday, October 14 and 15 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, October 16 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available from any cast member or can be obtained by calling Karla Lubahn at 563-568-4640 or Kris Larson at 563-380-4531. Additional information can also be found in the advertisement in this week's Events and Entertainment advertising printed on Page 7A of this week's edition of The Standard. Pictured in the photo at right, left to right, are the local talents that make up the production's cast and crew members: Front row - Cathy Buhl, Jada, Kaira and Chasity Bushaw, James Riehle. Middle row - Barb Hagen, Cheri Turner, Gwen Schroedel, Barry Mueller, Esther Walleser, Kris Larson.

Students from West, East and Waterville Elementary Schools in the Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) had their artwork selected for submission in the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA) “Design-a-Decal” competition during the spring of the last school year, 2015-2016. From all the designs submitted from across the state of Iowa, just 24 were chosen to be used as ISEA Student Achievement Decals, and among those 24 designs selected statewide were three students under the art direction of Carlyn Lechtenberg in the Allamakee Community School District. Those three students are pictured at right with plaques they were awarded to commemorate their selection, and pictured immediately next to them is their artwork selected to be included in the ISEA Student Achievement Decal Sheet also pictured at far left and used by teachers throughout the state of Iowa to reward students for their achievements throughout the current school year.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, October 10 to address a variety of topics, including consideration of a Board appointment policy, an interim financing proposal for the Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center, and a temporary closure for Columbus Road to begin this week. There were no comments during the Public Comments portion of the meeting.

Allamakee County Planning and Zoning Administrator Tom Blake discussed the plat approvals for Gary L. and Karen L. Galema and Gary L. and Ellen R. Brown. The Galema plat required a minor change to include a legend on the map that was submitted. This omission prevented the approval from taking place at a previous meeting. The Brown plat involved the sale of one and a half acres of wooded land to a neighbor living on an adjacent property. Both plats were approved by the Supervisors.

Waukon High School seniors Adam Gruman (left) and Lanci Bulman (right) were crowned Waukon High School's 2016 Homecoming King and Queen at the traditional "Burning of the 'W'" pep rally Thursday evening, September 29 at the Waukon High School gym. Additional photos of Waukon High School's Homecoming events are featured in the print edition and e-edition of The Standard.
 

Zach Blickens is this year's featured speaker; World-touring "White Ribbon Day" to perform

Students, parents and community members are invited to join thousands of others on athletic fields all across the nation Wednesday, October 12 to share their Christian faith with each other during the 11th annual national Fields of Faith event. Although in existence nationwide for the past 11 years, the local Fields of Faith event in Waukon is being held for its fifth year that same evening at the Waukon High School football field after a successful inaugural event in 2012 that drew more than 400 local people and has continued to grow to approach nearly 1,000 attendees in recent years.

The Waukon event will kick off with a performance by the band "White Ribbon Day" which will take place at 6:15 p.m. The Fields of Faith program will begin at 7 p.m. with a series of speakers sharing their faith and other personal stories with those in attendance.

Dr. Linda Carstens, Registered Dental Hygienist Brooke Troendle and Registered Dental Assistant Michele Wood (left to right in top photo) of Waukon Dental took part Friday, September 23 in the 2016 Iowa Mission of Mercy held in Dubuque September 23-24. The Iowa Mission of Mercy is a free dental care event made possible by dental professionals volunteering their services for anything from teeth cleaning to teeth pulling or replacement. Sponsored by the Iowa Dental Association, the event is in its ninth year of existence and is designed to help those who need dental care but do not have dental insurance or can't afford the work needed. This year's two-day event (pictured below) reported a total of 1,368 patients receiving dental care totaling $865,264 in value. Submitted photos.