Community News

Ric Zarwell of Lansing, chair of the Friends of Pool 9 “Turtle Conservation Project” committee, reports that compassion abounds in the community of New Albin for mother turtles and their offspring. He notes that a number of residents of New Albin have been busy placing screens over an abundance of recent turtle nests where eggs have been laid. The screens prevent raccoons, opossums, skunks, dogs and cats, etc. from destroying the eggs. This also allows new turtle hatchlings to be collected and returned to their preferred habitats.

In another recent demonstration of caring for turtles in the New Albin community, Wednesday, June 10, children at Grotegut’s Daycare in New Albin made sure that compassion and care for local turtles took a major leap forward.

Upon finding a severely injured Painted Turtle, the children took it upon themselves to rescue the turtle and provide it as much comfort as possible in a box.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session at the Postville Public Library as part of the board’s annual schedule of offsite meeting locations to include libraries within the county. The Supervisors addressed a full agenda of matters including the discussion and consideration of purchasing a patrol vehicle to include electronic equipment, the consideration of a Temporary Road Closure Resolution for the Bridge Replacement on Bigfoot Road, and the discussion and consideration of a County Courthouse flagpole purchase and installation.

The meeting was called to order by Board of Supervisors Chairperson Tom Clark with Supervisors Dan Byrnes and Dennis Keatley present. During Public Comment, Executive Director Val Reinke with Allamakee County Economic Development (ACED) provided an update relating to recent and upcoming events within the county.

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, June 15 to address a full agenda of matters including an informational update relating to the Waukon Forward group and potential project funding, discussion with Republic Services relating to Residential Waste Collection Services, and the review and consideration of the Year 1 Sidewalk Condition Assessment Program. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Arvid Hatlan with council members present including Cassie Handke, John Lydon, Steve Wiedner, Nic Engrav and Tim Smedsrud.

During Public Comment, resident Clint Rethamel addressed the council and requested clarification and greater transparency relating to his variance request which has been remanded back to the Board of Adjustment.

The annual Awana Grand Prix car race was held at First Baptist Church in Waukon Wednesday, April 1. Twelve cars raced down the track in a double elimination race, vying for first-, second- and third-place trophies for speed and displaying their creativity in design.

The festivities began with pledges to the American flag, the Awana flag, and the Bible. This was followed by a challenge by Brent Beyer to the racers competing in the race to participate not necessarily to just win. Starter chairman Jeff Goettel then began the race.

Larry Gelo interviewed racers as they came to each heat. Finish line monitors were Melanie Harrington and Trevor Round, who attended the cars at the bottom of the track. Spectators that included family and friends watched as the winners were determined and awards given. All racers received a ribbon for participating.

The first-ever Lansing Liberty Motorcycle Rally is scheduled to be held in Lansing and travel throughout the surrounding tri-state area this Thursday-Sunday, June 11–14. In addition to well over 100 motorcycles registered to attend the event, area residents are invited to also take part in events scheduled to take place late this week in conjunction with the rally.

This riverfront rally is designed to bring riders, community, and Main Street together for a four-day celebration. Set against the bluffs and the Mississippi River, this inaugural event will fill downtown with motorcycles, live music, food, drinks, vendors, and small-town American pride, with the opportunity for rally participants from all over to discover what Lansing and the surrounding area have to offer.

Robey Memorial Library in Waukon invites the community to an educational presentation featuring veteran Iditarod dog musher Karen Land Saturday, June 13 at 2 p.m. in the library’s lower level Community Room.

This special event is part of Robey Memorial Library’s Live & Learn: Enriching Lives Through Monthly Learning Series and is designed for “kids” of all ages - from preschoolers to retirees. Karen Land brings 25 years of mushing experience to the stage, offering a firsthand look at the world of long-distance sled dog racing, including the legendary Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Audiences will meet Sophia, Land’s eight-year-old Alaskan husky and the star of the show. The presentation will also offer the unique opportunity to interact with a real sled dog.

Robey Memorial Library, in collaboration with the Oneota Valley Literary Foundation (OVLS), is inviting families to take part in the Main Street Story Walk throughout downtown Waukon this June. This year’s featured book is “I’m Trying to Love Spiders” by Bethany Barton. Families can enjoy the humorous and fact-filled story as it unfolds page by page in the windows of six participating local businesses along West Main Street. The Story Walk encourages families to spend time outdoors, read together, and explore downtown Waukon in a fun and interactive way.

Participants will visit six stops along West Main Street in downtown Waukon, with each location displaying a portion of the story. As families move from one business to the next, they’ll continue following the adventure of “I’m Trying to Love Spiders”.

The 29th Annual Studio Tour is scheduled for October 9-11. This year, 10 new artists will join many of last year’s exhibitors for 41 artists total at 31 studio locations, including Val Miller of Waukon and George Blair of New Albin. New exhibitors this year are three emerging artists, with their host artists, and a guest artist. They will open their doors for a behind-the-scenes studio view not usually offered to the general public.

The public can drive around the scenic driftless area and experience many well-known award-winning artists displaying and selling pottery, paintings, woodcuts, baskets, jewelry, woodworking, sculpture, collage, fiber arts, and more. Tour participants can set their own pace while driving from studio to studio.

The annual WinnMed Hospice Memorial Ride will take place Sunday, June 14, beginning at the WinnMed campus in Decorah. The event will be held rain or shine and is open to the public.

The day begins with a free-will donation breakfast from 9-11 a.m. in the WinnMed Cafeteria. Convenient parking is available in Lot F. Anyone is welcome to attend breakfast, whether riding or not.

Following the breakfast, all vehicles are welcome to participate in the poker run for a per vehicle fee. Sign-in will take place at WinnMed from 9-10:30 a.m. during the breakfast. Bikes and cars will depart at 11 a.m. for a scenic tour of northeast Iowa. The ride concludes at Pivo Brewery in Calmar at approximately 4:30 p.m. with a silent auction, door prizes, and refreshments.

The Empty Bowls event was held at East Elementary School in Waukon Thursday, April 30 from 5-7 p.m. It was hosted by the third through fifth grade art students as a service project to raise money for local food banks, using new pottery equipment generously funded by the McElroy Grant.

Elementary art teacher Emily Shannon Timm applied for the grant last fall and was chosen as a recipient this spring. Through the Empty Bowls project, students raised $513 for the Allamakee County Food Shelf and $200 for the Decorah Food Pantry (30% of the Decorah Food Pantry clientele is from Allamakee County.) Students raised $713 in all.

Empty Bowls events, held nationwide, are soup suppers with handmade bowls, filling the empty bowls of those without enough to eat in the local community. Each guest buys a ticket, chooses a handmade bowl and enjoys a variety of soups.