Community News

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.

Four Allamakee County 4-H members traveled to the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny Friday, September 23 for the Grow by FarmHer conference. Grow is a series of events that is designed to inspire and empower young women in agriculture to take an active role in the agriculture industry. Throughout the event, a total of 350 young women ages 15-23 with an interest in agriculture had the opportunity to participate in inspirational and informational experiences as a group as well as meaningful one-on-one connections with women agriculture leaders. At Grow by FarmHer, young women were able to get a real-life look at what they need to do to be successful agriculture leaders, while gaining the encouragement and making the connections that are pivotal to helping them grow in agriculture. Pictured above, left to right, at the event are Allamakee County 4-H Youth Coordinator Morgan Bjerke, and Allamakee County 4-H members Faith Palmer, Shara Cota, Soraya Reyes and Makayla Manning.

The Allamakee County Farm Bureau is sponsoring a Hat & Mitten Drive again this year. According to Allamakee County President Dustin Byrnes, items collected will be donated to the Allamakee County Relief Office to be given to children in need of these items. Donations can be dropped at the county office in Waukon and will be accepted until November 1. On behalf of Farm Bureau, President Byrnes expresses his appreciation to the community for the many donated items in the past and stresses that the need is always great with tough economic times.
 

Fayette County Fairgrounds Pavilion was the site Saturday, September 17 for an event organized by Hannah Lee Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) to honor Vietnam War veterans. In partnership with the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration the DAR chapter recognized the veterans for their service, valor and sacrifice.  Between veterans, guests and others, more than 100 people attended the honorarium.

The 50-year commemoration of the Vietnam War was authorized by the 2008 Department of Defense Authorization Act. Hannah Lee Chapter had chosen to be a partner in this commemoration. This event in West Union was the second such appreciation staged by Hannah Lee Chapter this year.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in a pair of sessions this past week. Coverage of both the Board's Thursday, September 22 special session and Monday, September 26 regular session appears below.

SEPTEMBER 22 SPECIAL SESSION
The Board of Supervisors met in a special session Thursday afternoon, September 22 to discuss a few specific issues, including the County's right to appeal the issuance of final construction permits pertaining to Regancrest Holsteins and to discuss the Big Slough flooding debris field on the Mississippi River. The meeting was called to order by Board Chairman Larry Schellhammer, and Supervisors Dan Byrnes and Dennis Koenig were also present.

Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative (ACEC) held its 78th annual meeting Monday evening, September 12. Cooperative members approved reports from fiscal year 2015 and returned incumbents Arlyn R. Fossum of Waukon, Roger Arthur of Sumner and Robert V. Swenson of Clermont to their respective seats on the board of directors.

Brian Rude, Vice President External and Member Relations, Dairyland Power Cooperative, gave a brief history of the generation and transmission cooperative, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Dairyland was created by a group of distribution co-ops to ensure affordable and reliable electric power for their members. Rude explained that although coal will continue to be a main fuel source, Dairyland is a leader in seeking new renewable energy sources.

Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (Casey’s), in partnership with Northeast Iowa RC&D and the Byways of Iowa Foundation (BIF), has been hosting a promotion the entire month of September 2016 to help raise funds for public art to be installed along Iowa’s Scenic Byways. Although supporters can donate to Art Along the Byway at any Casey’s in Iowa, the Casey’s General Store in Waukon has been in support of the initiative and hopes to continue to help raise funding for the project.

“We are extremely excited about the opportunity to install a new public art piece in Waukon and encourage everyone to stop in to Casey’s and contribute. We would really like to show that our community is supportive of public art not only here, but in small towns across the state,” stated Ardie Kuhse of Waukon Economic Development Corporation.