River Valley

Wed
14
Jun

Still time to sign up to help paint community mural in Lansing


Volunteers needed to help paint a community mural ... The public restrooms on Front Street in Lansing will be transformed June 15-18 by a community mural painting project. Volunteers are being sought to help complete the project and can sign up at LansingLutherans.org. Submitted photo.

The Great Blue Heron Mural is a public art project wrapping around the public restrooms next to the fire station on Front Street in Lansing. The Lansing City Council approved a plan by local minister Laura Gentry to create a mural featuring wildlife of the Mississippi River valley. Set up in simplified blocks, volunteers will be able to fill in the design like a color-by-number painting.

The team of organizers invites businesses, nonprofit organizations, churches, clubs, sports teams, families and individuals to take part in the creation of this art work between Thursday, June 15 and Sunday, June 18. A variety of volunteer duties will be available for people of all ages.

“We encourage everyone to get involved!” explains Laura Gentry. “It will be a fast-moving and fun process. Stop by for an hour, do some work on the mural and you’ll always be able to say: ‘I helped paint that!’”

Wed
14
Jun

Lansing City Council approves budget for Fiscal Year 2024 among other matters

by Julie Berg-Raymond

After a public hearing during its regular meeting Monday, June 5, the Lansing City Council approved Resolution No. 988 regarding the budget for Fiscal Year 2024. No written or verbal comments were made to City Hall regarding the budget.

Other actions taken by the council included: approving the Iowa Department of Transportation Bridge Pre-Construction Agreement; approving Scouts/Aperans to run the concession stand for the 2023 Summer Recreation Season; and approving the hiring of Fehr Graham Engineering for the Platt Street Project.

The council also approved the following Department of Parks and Recreation hires for the 2023 summer recreation season, pending prerequisites: Mallory Mohn at $11.50 per hour; Cadan Evanson at $11.50 per hour; Maya Draka at $11.25 per hour; Mia Kurth at $11 per hour; and Nathan Boardman at $11 per hour.

Wed
14
Jun

Ferryville, WI Tourism Council’s Chautauqua Summer Series scheduled begins June 14, continues through the summer

Ferryville Tourism Council is announcing the first of its Chautauqua Summer Series for 2023. “Country School Days” will be presented Wednesday, June 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the Ferryville Village Hall.

The presenter will be Larry Scheckel, a retired secondary science teacher from Tomah, WI. He grew up one of nine children in southwest Wisconsin, and he attended Oak Grove School for eight years. This one-room school led to his 2021 book on daily life in this long-gone school community.

Attendees will learn about the importance of this school to the rural community and what memories he holds of the educational foundation he received there. The number of one-room school houses is definitely fading, so this will be a special program of important recollections from Larry Scheckel. He has presented once before on his book about the Clara Olson murder of 1926. He and his wife, Ann, will bring some of his books to sell as well.

Wed
07
Jun

Volunteers being sought to help paint community mural in Lansing


Volunteers needed to help paint a community mural ... The public restrooms on Front Street in Lansing will be transformed June 15-18 by a community mural painting project. Volunteers are being sought to help complete the project and can sign up at LansingLutherans.org. Submitted photo.

The Great Blue Heron Mural is a public art project wrapping around the public restrooms next to the fire station on Front Street in Lansing. The Lansing City Council approved a plan by local minister Laura Gentry to create a mural featuring wildlife of the Mississippi River valley. Set up in simplified blocks, volunteers will be able to fill in the design like a color-by-number painting.

The team of organizers invites businesses, nonprofit organizations, churches, clubs, sports teams, families and individuals to take part in the creation of this art work between Thursday, June 15 and Sunday, June 18. A variety of volunteer duties will be available for people of all ages.

“We encourage everyone to get involved!” explains Laura Gentry. “It will be a fast-moving and fun process. Stop by for an hour, do some work on the mural and you’ll always be able to say: ‘I helped paint that!’”

Wed
07
Jun

Ferryville, WI Tourism Council’s Chautauqua Summer Series scheduled to take place in June, July, August

Ferryville Tourism Council is announcing the first of its Chautauqua Summer Series for 2023. “Country School Days” will be presented Wednesday, June 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the Ferryville Village Hall.

The presenter will be Larry Scheckel, a retired secondary science teacher from Tomah, WI. He grew up one of nine children in southwest Wisconsin, and he attended Oak Grove School for eight years. This one-room school led to his 2021 book on daily life in this long-gone school community.

Attendees will learn about the importance of this school to the rural community and what memories he holds of the educational foundation he received there. The number of one-room school houses is definitely fading, so this will be a special program of important recollections from Larry Scheckel. He has presented once before on his book about the Clara Olson murder of 1926. He and his wife, Ann, will bring some of his books to sell as well.

Wed
07
Jun

Allamakee County Community Foundation mini-grants now available to help assist with funding of local project needs

Letters of interest are now being accepted for the Allamakee County Community Foundation’s emerging needs grant program. “Mini-grants” will support programs that help improve local quality of life and the well-being of county residents outside of the Foundation’s regular grant cycle.

Emerging Needs Mini Grants are available in June, August and October. Grants up to $500 are available for organizations with a 501(c)3 designation, along with schools and municipalities. As part of the Foundation’s broad efforts to partner with local organizations to address pressing needs and help residents thrive, grants are awarded in the areas of health and human services; education; neighborhoods and community development; environment; children, youth and families; and arts and culture (including historic preservation). Organizations should visit dbqfoundation.org/accf for more information.

Wed
31
May

Volunteers being sought to help paint community mural in Lansing


Volunteers needed to help paint a community mural ... The public restrooms on Front Street in Lansing will be transformed June 15-18 by a community mural painting project. Volunteers are being sought to help complete the project and can sign up at LansingLutherans.org. Submitted photo.

The Great Blue Heron Mural is a public art project wrapping around the public restrooms next to the fire station on Front Street in Lansing. The Lansing City Council approved a plan by local minister Laura Gentry to create a mural featuring wildlife of the Mississippi River valley. Set up in simplified blocks, volunteers will be able to fill in the design like a color-by-number painting.

The team of organizers invites businesses, nonprofit organizations, churches, clubs, sports teams, families and individuals to take part in the creation of this art work between Thursday, June 15 and Sunday, June 18. A variety of volunteer duties will be available for people of all ages.

“We encourage everyone to get involved!” explains Laura Gentry. “It will be a fast-moving and fun process. Stop by for an hour, do some work on the mural and you’ll always be able to say: ‘I helped paint that!’”

Wed
31
May

Main Street Lansing sees change of leadership as Board President Bruce Palmborg retires, Executive Director Andy Kelleher plans move to Iowa City


Presidential transition ... Lansing native Chris Troendle (left) will be assuming the role of president for the Main Street Lansing Board of Directors following the recent retirement of Bruce Palmborg (right) from that position. Palmborg has served in the role of board president since the creation of Main Street Lansing in 2012. Submitted photo.

Volunteer of the Year also named new executive director ... Andrew Boddicker (left in above photo) was selected as Volunteer of the Year by the Main Street Lansing organization at its annual banquet in April of this year. Boddicker has also been named the new executive director of Main Street Lansing, replacing current director Andy Kelleher (pictured at right) in that position in July of this year when Kelleher plans to move to Iowa City to pursue a degree in International Relations at the University of Iowa. Submitted photo.

Chris Troendle is new board president, Andrew Boddicker will be new executive director

by Julie Berg-Raymond

Main Street Lansing will have new leadership, beginning this year. Chris Troendle is the organization’s new board president, replacing Bruce Palmborg - who retired in the fall of 2022 after serving in that position for 10 years.  Palmborg, who was one of the people instrumental in getting Lansing designated a Main Street Iowa community, will continue to be involved on the organization’s board of directors. Andrew Boddicker will begin serving as Main Street Lansing’s executive director July 10 of this year, replacing Andy Kelleher - who has held that position since the winter of 2018. Kelleher is moving on to the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City this fall to complete studies for his degree in International Relations and a career with global aspirations.

Wed
31
May

Lansing City Council holds second in a series of work sessions with UERPC on Main Street/Highway 9 Corridor Visioning Plan

by Julie Berg-Raymond

Aaron Detter, senior transportation planner with Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission (UERPC) in Decorah, facilitated the second in a series of work sessions on the Main Street/Highway 9 Corridor Visioning Plan with the Lansing City Council during a special council meeting Monday, May 22 in Lansing City Hall. The work session was open to the public.

Wed
24
May

Friends of Pool 9 to offer limited River Clean-Up June 3 after spring flooding


Called off in April due to flooding, Friends of Pool 9 to host River Clean-Up June 3 ... The Lansing Marina shows evidence of near-record flood levels of the Mississippi River during the spring flood of April 2023, when levels reached 19.61 feet at the Lansing gauge. This year’s spring flooding forced the Friends of Pool 9 to call off the annual River Clean-Up Day originally scheduled for April 22 of this year. A scaled back version of the River Clean-Up Day has now been scheduled for Saturday, June 3. Submitted photo.

The Friends of Pool 9 (FOP9) Board of Directors had made plans for the Annual Pool 9 River Clean-Up earlier this spring, but it was not to be with the spring flooding that took place. Conditions quickly rose to the dangerous level as near-record crests occurred the following weekend of the planned event, reaching the fourth highest level ever recorded in Lansing at 19.6 feet.

Flood waters made it too dangerous to send volunteers out to collect debris, and there will be another year. For historical information, record water levels at the Lansing gauge are as follows: 22.5 feet on 4/24/1965, 19.93 feet on 4/21/2001, 19.90 feet on 6/20/1880, and 19.61 feet on 4/28/2023.

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - River Valley