River Valley

Ferryville, WI will be hosting its annual River Bluff Daze Saturday, July 27. A variety of free activities are taking place throughout the day, with more details available in the advertisement to be printed in a future edition of The Standard or online at www.visitferryville.com.

The day will begin at 8:30 a.m. with an expert-guided nature hike at Sugar Creek Bluff, meeting at the Ferryville Boat Landing to carpool up to Sugar Creek Bluff. The Farmers Market in Sugar Creek Park begins at 9 a.m. offering a wide variety of products plus free coffee to sip while it lasts.

The 12th Annual Antique Tractor Pull hosted and organized by the Ferryville Antique Tractor Association begins at the Ferryville Community Center at 12 noon, with weigh-in taking place from 10 a.m.-noon. Three classes for the pull include the Antique Class, Ageless Farm Class and Non-Turbo Farm Class.

Public invited to participate in community welcoming, send-off and other events

Lansing and Harpers Ferry are “Calling all runners, walkers, bikers and paddlers!”

The Relay of Voices relay team will be coming into Lansing August 7 from La Crosse, WI and leaving August 8, and entering Harpers Ferry August 8 and leaving August 9 to move on to Guttenberg, and the public is invited to greet and meet the Relay of Voices relay team as they enter and leave each community. Lansing and Harpers Ferry will each host the relay team and its crew with a community potluck, local entertainment and an opportunity to gather along the Mississippi River and share local stories.

by Macie Hill

The Lansing City Council regular meeting was held Monday, July 15. Discussion centered around the adoption of the consent agenda, a public hearing to vacate a portion of an alley, a Black Hawk Bridge update and a splash pad update.

A public hearing was open from 7:04 to 7:09 p.m. regarding the proposal to vacate and convey a portion of Blackhawk Alley to property owner Les Askelson. A motion was made and seconded to approve Ordinance #200 to vacate that portion of Blackhawk Alley. A motion was also made and seconded to approve the second and third readings of Ordinance #200. The council approved the building permit for Les Askleson assuming the ordinance is properly recorded.

The council discussed the July 9 public meeting regarding the Black Hawk Bridge. To give input on the replacement of the Black Hawk Bridge’s design, pier style or route go to the following link: http://bit.ly/iowadot2723.

The Lansing Park and Recreation Board has been working toward the addition of a splash pad to the playground area on South Front Street in Lansing and hopes to have the equipment installed within the next three weeks, depending upon weather conditions. The splash pad, designed similar to the one pictured above, will be located adjacent to the children’s play area between the asphalt path and the playground. A fund-raising effort has been ongoing since last December, and due to the generosity of all those who have already contributed, the project is nearing its goal. A matching grant was received by the board not to exceed $5,000 for all donations received after June 27.

Public can vote until July 21

Reader’s Digest has revealed the 50 “Nicest Places in America,” the result of a national crowd-sourced effort to uncover places where people are kind and treat each other with respect. With one nomination from each state being selected as a finalist, the Lansing Iowa Food Trust (LIFT) in Lansing was selected as the contest finalist for the state of Iowa and the public can now vote to determine which finalist gets a cover story in the November issue of Reader’s Digest.

In an era of unprecedented cultural and political divides, “Nicest Places in America” is Reader’s Digest’s response. For the third annual search, Reader’s Digest editors sifted through over 1,000 stories of kindness submitted over 31 days from across America to name 50 finalists, one from each state.

At its June 17 meeting, the Friends of Pool 9 Board of Directors decided to postpone the group’s Annual River Clean-Up of Pool 9 until September of this year. High water this spring during the usual annual clean-up time forced postponement of the event in the interest of safety and effectiveness.

However, Friends of Pool 9 did conduct a major fire ring and beach clean-up that took place Tuesday, June 25. Many of the 23 fire rings placed on area beaches from Lansing to Black Hawk Park in Pool 9 needed to be dug out and re-set after this spring’s high water. They had been under water for three months and the sand on the down slope side of the fire ring had washed away. Blake Schoh was the designated coordinator for the beach cleaning activity to keep the beaches clean and accessible for campers.

The Ferryville Tourism Council announces its second Chautauqua program of the 2019 Summer Series. Wednesday, July 10 at 6:30 p.m. in the Ferryville Village Hall, a program on the geology of the Upper Mississippi and Lower Wisconsin Rivers will be presented.

Featured presenter Eric Carson, a geologist from the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey based in Madison, WI for over 11 years, specializes in studying the Driftless area of southwest Wisconsin. He is eager to share his research and will have interesting information and stories about how the formation of the Driftless Area is very unique and was formed by the rivers carving out a path through the bedrock. He will also share geologic history, how the rivers came to be where they are, and types of rock found along the rivers.

by Macie Hill

The Lansing City Council meeting was held Monday, July 1, nearly a month since the council last met due to schedule conflicts with the council’s regularly scheduled June 17 meeting. Discussion centered around adoption of the consent agenda, a Clear Creek Crossing Project update, a splash pad update, amending the City’s ATV Ordinance, setting a public hearing date, accepting an officer’s resignation and advertising a police officer position, permission to fundraise for the City swimming pool and closing part of South Front Street October 12.

The consent agenda consisted of council meeting minutes from June 17, payment of claims, Park and Recreation meeting minutes from May 21 and the transfer of $15,000 from Trust Fund Savings to General Checking for a police vehicle. A motion was made and approved with minimal discussion.

Gardening and pizza went together perfectly in Lansing recently when 16 youth learned the different parts of a plant, and how each part is edible depending on the fruit or vegetable. It was discussed which parts help make a pizza, while everyone designed their perfect pizza. Ideas ranged from pepperoni to gummy bears to ice cream. Youth used English muffins to make personal pizzas for lunch.

Representatives from Main Street Lansing recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony for The Dharma House with owner Michelle Gauer. The Dharma House, Lansing’s newest lodging option located at 61 North Fourth Street, offers unique space for lodging, wellness activities and retreats. The late 1850s home has been converted into a modern-day farmhouse with three suites, as well as office space and a massage room. Pictured above at the ribbon cutting are, left to right, Main Street Lansing representatives Maryann Baldwin and Jana Schoh, The Dharma House owner Michelle Gauer, and Main Street Lansing representatives Mary and Bruce Palmborg.