Community News

Thursday, October 27 at 6:30 p.m., the Allamakee County Veterans Museum will present a program on the Pan Am Clippers in World War II at its new museum in the former Vet’s Club building located at 105 Allamakee Street in Waukon. The program will be repeated Saturday morning, October 29 at 10 a.m.

A video will be shown commemorating the contributions of the former Pan American Air Lines during WWII. Its legendary Pan Am Clipper flying boats, international routes and experienced air crews were vital to the war effort. Just after the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941, the Clippers and their facilities on the Islands of Midway, Wake and Guam were also attacked.

The public is invited to attend the program. There is no admission or membership charge to attend the program. The facility is handicapped accessible.

As part of its Live & Learn: enriching lives through monthly learning series, Robey Memorial Library in Waukon is offering a book signing and discussion with Karla Gavin this Thursday, October 27 at 5:30 p.m. in the library’s lower level Community Room.

Karla Gavin, author of “Calming the Creative Chaos: Quotes for Everyday Life”, began collecting quotes at a very young age. Join her as she discusses the impact words have on people’s lives. Her book will be available for purchase.

Gavin has worked in a variety of positions within higher education during her career, and she has used many quotes to prepare speeches, class presentations, or to emphasize a point within a conversation. She has enjoyed serving as a 4-H leader, helping to plan and build a softball/baseball complex and running the concession stand, planting trees with the local tree board, and serving on a variety of committees within the local school district, to name a few.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, October 24 to address a full agenda of matters including the consideration of the Tobacco Awareness Week Proclamation, consideration of the language, contract and scoring criteria relating to the Allamakee County Facade Grant Program and the consideration of quotes for a new dump truck chassis for the Secondary Roads Department. There was no Public Comment during the time allotted for that agenda item.

The Third Readings of Amendment #11 and #12 to Zoning Ordinance L were approved, with Allamakee County Auditor Denise Beyer and Zoning Administrator Stephanie Runkle both indicating that no written or verbal comments have been received. Additionally, both amendments were approved for adoption by Board Chairperson Larry Schellhammer and Supervisors Mark Reiser and Dan Byrnes.

The City of Waukon has set its official Halloween Trick-or-Treat time for Monday, October 31 from 4-8 p.m. Area residents are asked to leave porch lights on to welcome trick-or-treaters,  and youngsters are reminded to keep safety in mind while making their rounds.

Northgate Care Center/Southcrest Manor II
Northgate Care Center, located at 960 4th Street NW, and Southcrest Manor II, located at 602 2nd Street SW, in Waukon will be hosting indoor trick-or-treating Monday, October 31 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Residents at each of those facilities will have treats to hand out to trick-or-treaters who stop by during that time frame.

Friends of Yellow River State Forest partnered with the Allamakee County Community Foundation recently to complete a streambank improvement project on the Big Paint Creek adjacent to the day use area along State Forest Road at Yellow River State Forest near Harpers Ferry. The project improved 270 feet of the streambank and was estimated to cost around $40,000.

Due to repeated high water events in recent years, the streambank in this area was continually eroding and had about a 12-foot dropoff, making water access difficult for anglers.

The streambank now has a 4:1 slope, which will allow the creek to spread out during high water events and prevent future erosion.

It also allows for easy stream access for visitors. Closer to the stream, the bank was formed into a sixfoot flat area which, again, prevents erosion and makes the creek easier to use.

by the Iowa Pork Producers Association

A car dealership-turned-restaurant is where you’ll find Iowa’s Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin for 2022. Lid’s Bar & Grill in Waukon, in the northeast corner of the state, has won the 20th annual contest, presented by the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) and managed by its restaurant and foodservice
committee.

“Obviously we enjoy highlighting our state’s delicious pork,” said Kelsey Sutter, IPPA’s marketing and programs director. “But this award also forever transforms local Iowa businesses, as tenderloin enthusiasts look forward to the announcement every year, and are known to travel lengthy distances to try a variation on this Midwestern staple.”

Each third-pound tenderloin is cut and twice tenderized at Quillin’s Food Ranch in Waukon. At the restaurant, the never-frozen meat is hand-breaded to order - dipped in milk then dredged through a seasoned
breading.

First established in the Waukon community in May of this year, 1TeK Technology Services has established itself at its 504 West Main Street location in Waukon.

Owners Ahmed and Orouba Khalili, who live in Calmar and also own and operate Decorah Tech in Decorah, say that the lack of service providers in the area prompted them to open 1TeK in Waukon to be able to help residents with services within driving distance, as well as respond to IT (information technology) issues in a timely and efficient manner.

The 1TeK location in Waukon will try and work with any IT-related issue that needs to be addressed. Services through that Waukon location include - but are not limited to - iPhone, iPad and computer repair, website creation, security cameras, and fully managed IT services for business, in addition to purchasing, installing, configuring and maintaining computers, servers or network appliances.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, October 10 to address a full agenda of matters including the First Reading of Amendments #11 and #12 to the Zoning Ordinance L, discussion of topics relating to the Veterans Memorial Hospital public measure on the November 8 election ballot, and the discussion and consideration of the Allamakee County Facade Improvement Grant Program.

During Public Comment, Executive Director Val Reinke with Allamakee County Economic Development (ACED) provided an update relating to recent events within the county including the Sip of Lansing event held Friday, October 7 in Lansing and the Driftless Half Marathon held Saturday, October 8 on the Great River Road Scenic Byway from Harpers Ferry to Lansing.

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in special session Friday morning, October 7 to address a short meeting agenda including discussion of the agreement relating to the clean-up of 11 Allamakee Street. Earlier that week at its Monday, October 3 regular meeting, the council had discussed the agreement for 11 Allamakee Street, the original location of Paws Up Pet Supplies owned by Tracey Tepesch, and the clean-up of 9 Allamakee Street, the building that housed Tin, Rust & Harmony, a business opened in December 2021 by property owner Mindy Jones. Both business locations were destroyed by a February 13 fire that originated at the 9 Allamakee Street business address.

Living up to the name above the door, Lara Berryman’s main focus in opening her new gift and home decor business at 9 West Main Street in Waukon is to “spread a little sunshine” to as many people as she can. Berryman opened “Hello Sunshine” August 29 of this year in the east half of the current Epic Wear building on Main Street in downtown Waukon.

Following graduation from high school, Berryman moved from her native Canada to attend the Art Institute of Seattle in pursuit of a career in interior design. It was there that she met her future husband, Colin Berryman, who had family ties in the Midwest that brought the Berryman family to Allamakee County for family reunions and other events, ultimately leading to a decision to make a move to a location where they felt they could raise their children in a safe, welcoming environment.