Community News

The Tuesday, January 18 home game for the Waukon boys basketball team against Prairie du Chien, WI allowed the crowd to witness more than just basketball at the Waukon High School gymnasium, as youth ranging from Pre-Kindergarten on up through eighth grade performed as part of the Little Indian Cheerleading Camp that took place just a day earlier, Monday, January 17, during a scheduled day off in the Allamakee Community School District. Under the guidance of Waukon High School cheerleading coaches Amy Bieber and Lexi Brink, along with past and present members of the Waukon High School Cheerleading Squad, a combination of more than 80 young providers of the pep took what they learned from that Monday camp, with Pre-Kindergarten through second grade participants performing during halftime of Tuesday’s junior varsity game and third through eighth graders performing at halftime of Tuesday’s varsity game.

The Lawrence D. Anderson VFW Post #4117 and the VFW Auxiliary to Post #4117 recently selected the winners of their annual youth essay contest involving local students in third grade on up through high school students. The local winners of the contest, selected in November, advanced on to the District level of competition.

Sixth grader Allia Ericson of Waukon Middle School placed first in the Patriot’s Pen essay competition at the District level and advanced on to the State level of competition, where her entry did not secure further advancement. Waukon Middle School seventh grader Reegan Benzing placed second in this year’s District level of competition. Those two District-placewinning essays, along with the other first-place essays from the Patriot’s Pen and Voice of Democracy local level of competition, are printed on this page and on the next page.

Many things describe the middle school years. Perfect probably isn’t one of them. Readers discover something closer to reality in The Worry Knot, a debut middle grade novel penned by Minnesota children’s author and Waterville native Mary Evanson Bleckwehl.

Hazard Middle School, where worry and dessert are always on the menu, is the setting for most of the story. It’s where twelve year-old Rourke Berger learns that trying to keep his worries at bay and his autistic brother safe isn’t an easy task. Following the success of her three picture books and a children’s cookbook, Bleckwehl has written a fictional story for older readers - one of heart, hope and an unlikely hero.

In an effort to capture the beauty of Yellow River State Forest near Harpers Ferry through the perspectives of artists near and far, the Friends of Yellow River State Forest recently hosted a 2nd Annual Art Contest at the end of 2021. Contest categories included adult art, kids art, adult photography and kids photography. Submitted entries were posted on the Friends of Yellow River State Forest Facebook page and votes were tallied using the number of “likes, loves, and wows” the entries received.

The contest is intended to be a good-natured event with participants sharing their creation on their Facebook page and encouraging others to vote for them. The group feels this gives the forest exposure as people go to the group’s Facebook page to “like” these entries, therefore seeing the beauty of the forest as they search for the creation they want to vote for.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) recently announced recipients of the latest Empower Rural Iowa Broadband Grants Program. Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative was one of 160 applicants awarded two grants totaling over $3 million for new broadband infrastructure in rural Allamakee County. With the help of Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission, this grant is the fourth OCIO grant awarded to the Cooperative.

Saturday, January 8 at 5:51 a.m., Lane Allen Fogt, age 23, of Waukon arrived at the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office and reported that he had been involved in a motor vehicle accident along State Highway 9 near its intersection with Lycurgus Road northeast of Waukon. Fogt was then transported to Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon and treated for minor injuries received in the accident.

An initial report from the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office indicates that Fogt had been traveling westbound on State Highway 9 when his pick-up truck entered the north ditch. The vehicle struck the ditch embankment and went airborne, striking a fence and entering the Lycurgus Catholic Church cemetery (as evident in the photo at right), damaging several headstones before coming to a stop.

Plans have been announced to hold the 2022 St. Patrick's Day Parade in Waukon Sunday, March 13. All are invited to participate in this year’s parade with an Irish-themed entry at no cost. Further details of the annual event will be printed as they become finalized.

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, January 10 to address a full agenda of items during its first meeting of the 2022 calendar year.

Mayor Pat Stone called the meeting to order with approval of the consent agenda which included several beginning of the year reorganizational matters and appointments. Council appointments included Health Officer Dr. Nicole Barbee, City Clerk Sarah Snitker, Water and Sewer Superintendent Jim Cooper, Street Superintendent Keith Burrett, Zoning Administrator Gary Boden and City Attorney Jeff Swartz. Mayor appointments included Police Chief Paul Wagner, Mayor Pro-Tem Kevin Johnson and Fire Committee members John Lydon and Kevin Johnson.

Council meetings were again set for the first and third Mondays of each month at 7 p.m. The Standard was designated as the official City newspaper. There was no Public Comment and the meeting moved into Department Reports.

The Allamakee County Veterans Museum will celebrate the New Year by offering a  program to the public in the Program Room of its new museum in the former Vet’s Club building on the 100 block of Allamakee Street in Waukon.

This Thursday, January 13 at 6:30 p.m. a video interview with World War II Army Air Corps veteran Oliver Emerson recorded in 2006 will be presented, followed by a video documentary about the WWII bombers that Emerson served on during the war. The program will be introduced by Emerson’s son, Joe Emerson, who is also a retired Army veteran and pilot.

There is no admission or membership charge. The facility is handicapped accessible. Due to COVID-19 concerns, masks are encouraged but not required.  Light refreshments will be available.

January is National Mentoring Month. Helping Services for Youth & Families is celebrating mentoring friendships and inviting others to engage in their community with the theme “Mentoring is simple! Be a friend to a youth.”

Mentoring has a positive impact on youth and the volunteer mentor. Research confirms that quality mentoring relationships bring about powerful and positive changes in youth. Mentored youth have a greater chance of avoiding negative influences, such as substance abuse, bullying or dropping out of school.

One in three youth grows up without a positive adult role model to look up to.