Community News

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, November 17 to address a full agenda of matters including the annual review of the County Hazard Mitigation Plan, an update relating to garbage and recycling services for residential properties, and a review of reports from the city’s insurance provider relating to city buildings. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Arvid Hatlan with council members present including Steve Wiedner, Nicholas Engrav, Dave Blocker, Tim Smedsrud and John Lydon.

More than 40 area military veterans were honored during an event hosted Saturday, November 8 at Fiesta Vallarta (the former AJ Bar & Grill location) in Waukon in honor of Veterans Day, which is observed November 11 each year to commemorate the end of World War I November 11, 1918 and to honor all those who have served in the United States Armed Forces.

The event was hosted by Midwest Veterans of America and included each of those veterans receiving a plaque and small American flag, in addition to rounds of applause and gratitude from the many in attendance for their years of service to their country. Many of those honored veterans are pictured in the photo above, standing on the staircase at Fiesta Vallarta for a group photo, and many of their family members, friends and acquaintances were also in attendance to witness and share in their honoring.

The Waukon Lions Club donated 146 pounds of can tabs (“pull tabs”) in an effort to benefit the Ronald McDonald House in Iowa City October 24. Waukon Lions Club member Neal Daley is pictured above with the donation that will provide over $100 to the Ronald McDonald House. The Waukon Lions Club collects can tabs in Waukon at the Waukon Redemption Center and various other locations. The Sweeney family and Village Farm and Home in Waukon also collect can tabs, and their donation goes to the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester, MN.

This November and December bundle up and take a stroll through downtown Waukon while enjoying a heartwarming story. Robey Memorial Library, in collaboration with The Oneota Valley Literary Foundation (OVLS), is hosting the Main Street Story Walk during the months of November and December.

This year’s featured story is the beloved classic The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, a timeless tale of winter wonder and childhood adventures. Families are invited to follow the story as it unfolds in the windows of four local businesses. The Story Walk offers a perfect opportunity for families to enjoy some fresh air, read together, and explore downtown Waukon.

After several decades of absence, the Waukon Police Department has announced that the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program is coming back to Waukon. The department’s new D.A.R.E. officer, Officer Alyssa Rostad (pictured above), recently completed a week and a half of intense training in Johnston. Officer Rostad will now be working with students from the Allamakee Community School District and St. Patrick Catholic Schools in Waukon.

D.A.R.E. is for “teaching students decision making for safe and healthy living”. Officer Rostad is eager to build lasting relationships with students while providing them with important educational topics and resources. For more information about the D.A.R.E. program overall, visit dare.org. Submitted photo.
 

R.W. Pladsen, Inc. in Waukon recently completed its Fill-A-Truck promotion held annually throughout the month of October to benefit the Allamakee County Relief Office in its efforts to help those less fortunate in the community. Individuals could donate a non-perishable food item to help “fill a truck” and also have their name entered into a weekly Friday drawing during the month of October for prizes that included gift certificates, t-shirts, mugs and other items donated through the generosity of Allamakee County businesses much appreciated by R.W. Pladsen, Inc. and all those benefiting from the promotion. Pictured above at the presentation of the donated food items to the Allamakee County Relief Office are, left to right, Steve Pladsen, Carli Mellick and Lilly Hart of R.W. Pladsen, Inc., and Allamakee County Relief Office Director Rebecca Hawes. Submitted photo.

by Brianne Grimstad

The Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Board of Trustees met for its regular monthly meeting Tuesday, October 28. The board heard a presentation, during which the results from the annual audit conducted by the auditing firm Wipfli were presented to the board.
VMH Administrator Michael Coyle noted that VMH received a “favorable report” and he also noted that the audit team was impressed with how easy the VMH staff was to work with and how organized everything was. There were no major issues found during the audit, just a few adjustments to be made.

Coyle noted that the hospital does not receive IPERS information until after the audit was completed, which was one of the adjustments, as  well as some estimates for the 2025 Medicare Cost Report. After everything was completed, VMH ended up with a positive bottom line of $694,000 for the year.

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, November 3 to address a full agenda of matters including the Resolution approving the road closure for the Waukon Lighted Holiday Parade, discussion of concerns relating to garbage and recycling services for residential properties, and discussion of a request for proposal for City Hall ceiling repairs.

The meeting was called to order by Mayor Arvid Hatlan with council members present including Steve Wiedner, Nicholas Engrav, Dave Blocker, Tim Smedsrud and John Lydon. Hatlan noted that the agenda item relating to the consideration of hiring an assistant police chief has been removed from the meeting agenda.

This November and December bundle up and take a stroll through downtown Waukon while enjoying a heartwarming story. Robey Memorial Library, in collaboration with The Oneota Valley Literary Foundation (OVLS), is hosting the Main Street Story Walk during the months of November and December.

This year’s featured story is the beloved classic The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, a timeless tale of winter wonder and childhood adventures. Families are invited to follow the story as it unfolds in the windows of four local businesses. The Story Walk offers a perfect opportunity for families to enjoy some fresh air, read together, and explore downtown Waukon.

Proboscis Theatre Company announces the regional premiere of Prospero’s Black Box, which will take place at the Three Dolphins Theatre in Waukon Saturday, November 8 at 3 p.m. Three Dolphins Theatre is owned and operated by Katie O’Regan of Waukon and is located at 501 3rd Street SW in Waukon.

Prospero’s Black Box is created and performed by Proboscis co-artistic director Jeff Mills, who is an alumnus of the (now closed) National Theatre Conservatory at the Denver Center Theatre Company, where he earned his Master of Fine Arts degree. Now based in Chicago, IL, Mills is returning to Denver, CO after performing Prospero’s Black Box at festivals in Hydra in Greece, Prague in Czech Republic, Verona in Italy, Santa Barbara CA, and Chicago, IL.