River Valley

The 2016 River Adventure Day sponsored by Friends of Pool 9 (FOP9) will feature a day at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, MN Monday, July 11. Children entering fifth grade and up to those entering eighth grade in the fall are eligible to attend.

The FOP9 has chartered a motor coach which will leave the Lansing baseball field at 8:30 a.m. and return between 3:30 and 4 p.m. that Monday. Chaperons will be provided, or one parent can accompany their child. The day will include seeing many exhibits and a special program will be provided to the group by the center staff featuring live eagles and other birds.

The FOP9 will have a catered box lunch provided to each participant at the center along with beverages. All costs for the bus, the entrance fee, the lunch and exhibits will be provided by the Friends of Pool 9 organization. There will be no costs for a child and/or parent to attend this event.

Jada Mitchell (at right in the above photo) was crowned Little Miss New Albin during the annual New Albin Days celebration held June 10-11, with Jersey Mathison (at left in the above photo) being awarded runner-up honors. The two presided over a variety of activities during the two-day annual event, which weathered a Friday evening rainstorm and a high heat index Saturday to provide a wide array of events and enjoyment for all in attendance. Additional photos from the event can be found on Page 5A inside this week's issue of The Standard, as well as by clicking on the Photo Galleries link. Photo by Lori Darling.
 

The former Lansing Feed Service owned by the Bolson family for many years and located along Main Street/State Highway 9 on the west end of Lansing caught fire late Monday afternoon, June 20. There were no injuries reported from the blaze, but some of the firefighters were treated for heat ailments on scene due to the high temperatures and humidity. It was further reported that a pontoon boat being stored in the facility was saved from damage, although other odds and ends also stored within the facility were not as fortunate. The Lansing Fire Department was on the scene of the blaze for most of the late afternoon. The Lansing Police Department and the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Department worked to shut down and/or reroute vehicle traffic along Main Street/Highway 9 while the building was burning. The building is currently owned by Kirk Kious, and the cause of the fire is initially thought to be a spark from welding taking place within the building.

by B.J. Tomlinson

The Lansing City Council met in regular session Monday night, June 20 and reluctantly accepted the resignation, effective immediately, of Councilman John Rethwisch. In an e-mail message to the Council, Rethwisch cited conflicts with others and a belief that his involvement was disruptive to the Council as the reasons for his decision.

The Council discussed options for replacing Rethwisch and voted to appoint a new member until the next general election, which will be in November of this year. At that time, the newly-elected member will serve the three years remaining on Rethwisch’s original four-year term; the Council will also officially post the open position.

The 2016 River Adventure Day sponsored by Friends of Pool 9 (FOP9) will feature a day at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, MN Monday, July 11. Children entering fifth grade and up to those entering eighth grade in the fall are eligible to attend.

The FOP9 has chartered a motor coach which will leave the Lansing baseball field at 8:30 a.m. and return between 3:30 and 4 p.m. that Monday. Chaperons will be provided, or one parent can accompany their child. The day will include seeing many exhibits and a special program will be provided to the group by the center staff featuring live eagles and other birds.

The FOP9 will have a catered box lunch provided to each participant at the center along with beverages. All costs for the bus, the entrance fee, the lunch and exhibits will be provided by the Friends of Pool 9. There will be no costs for a child and/or parent to attend this event.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach hosted Diggin’ Up Dinosaurs day camp at the Lansing Community Center. A total of 21 Kindergarteners through third graders traveled back in time when the dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Together they learned about fossils, including making their own fossils to take home, and they got to hold dinosaur eggs, participate in a cookie dip and enjoyed caveman ice cream. The youth learned how big or small dinosaur eggs could be and made their own eggs with a dinosaur inside. They also learned exactly how tall dinosaurs were by using helium balloons and plenty of string. For more information about 4-H and upcoming activities contact Becky Rea, 4-H K-12 Program Coordinator, at the Allamakee County Extension and Outreach Office at 563-568-6345 or http://www.extension.iastate.edu/allamakee/. Submitted photo.
 

Two Waukon High School juniors, Austyn Ede and Adam Gruman from Harpers Ferry, have been selected to attend Hawkeye Boys State being held this week, June 12-17, at Fort Dodge in Johnston. Ede is the son of Hillary and Tom Ede, and Gruman is the son of Marcia and Bernie Gruman, all of Harpers Ferry. Both young men are sponsored by Scenic Post 722 American Legion of Harpers Ferry.

Iowa conducted its first “Hawkeye Boys State” in 1938 and has held one every year since, with the exception of 1945, when World War II gasoline rationing made it impossible. Hawkeye Boys State is a six-day course in self-government. Participants will learn more about the functioning of city, county and state government in the state of Iowa than 75% of the population of Iowa.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, along with New Albin Community Education, recently hosted Cooking Up Science: The Clover Cookie Factory at the New Albin Townhouse. Seven third through fifth graders (pictured above) explored the ins and outs of sugar cookies and other cooking techniques while examining some cookie “flops”. At the camp, all-purpose flour and gluten-free flour were used to show gluten formation, salt was added to hamburger bringing out proteins important for cooking, their tongues were used to make a flavor taste map, and many more fun activities. Everyone was able to sample the cookie “flops” along with the correct cookie after deciding what ingredients were forgotten in the “flops”. The youth also took home the secret Clover Cookie recipe. They won’t be sharing, but they might be willing to use their new skills for a taste testing.

The annual New Albin Days celebration is scheduled to take place in the community of New Albin this weekend, Friday and Saturday, June 10 and 11. A wide variety of activity is being planned, with a schedule of events available on Page 14A of this week's issue of The Standard.

This year's New Albin Days button (pictured with this article) required for admission is available for purchase at most New Albin businesses and will be available on the festgrounds at this year's event.

Once again this year there will be a crowning of both a Little Miss New Albin and Little Mr. New Albin to kick the event off Friday at 5 p.m. Entry forms are available at New Albin Savings Bank for boys and girls ages 8-13 living within the 52160 zip code. Along with the registration form, each entry is required to write an “I love New Albin because ..." essay and a judge will determine the winner of each crown.

by B.J. Tomlinson

The Lansing City Council met in regular session Monday night, June 6. After Council approval of the consent agenda, Mayor Mike Brennan opened a public hearing to consider adoption of a Budget Amendment for the current City Budget. After questions and comments from the Council, the hearing was closed and the Amendment was approved. The Council also set July 5 as the date for a proposal to enter into a General Obligation Corporate Purpose Loan Agreement for borrowing money to complete the Clear Creek Water/Sewer Project.