River Valley

Saturday, September 10, family and friends of lifelong resident and local “River Rat” Pat Sandry will be honoring his memory with the Fifth Annual Pat Sandry Memorial Fishing Derby and Friends of Pool 9 Fundraiser held on the Mississippi River. Sandry passed away in November of 2017 after a short, courageous battle with cancer. He thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors, had a great passion for fishing and hunting, and he truly treasured the beauty of Lansing and the surrounding area.

Entry fee is $50 per boat with 50% payback in prize money and 50% being donated to Friends of Pool 9. There is a limit of two adults and two children per boat.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

The Old Stone School was the topic of two agenda items - involving two separate projects - at the regular meeting of the Lansing City Council held August 15.

Those who are feeling down or blue should know they are not alone, and that can be especially true now that there is a local group program to help lift their mood. Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Lansing recently received a grant from Gundersen Health System of La Crosse, WI to offer a new resource to help adults with low mood called Raising Our Spirits Together.

Raising Our Spirits Together is a technology-assisted, engaging, small group program that provides people who are feeling down with new tools and skills to feel better. The small groups meet in local churches and are led by pastors.

All are welcome at the Driftless Area Education & Visitors Center in Lansing Saturday, September 10 at 1 p.m. to hear local expert Raleigh Buckmaster give an illustrated presentation on how he has protected and cared for Indian mounds and burial sites on his farmland in the Lansing area. He will answer questions after his presentation and light refreshments, cookies and lemonade, will follow. Free will donation accepted.
 

The Heytman’s Landing boat ramp, south of Lansing, on Pool 9 of the Mississippi River is scheduled to be closed until September 23 this fall. The closure is taking place to accommodate the replacement of the railroad bridge that spans the boat channel along the river’s edge at that boat ramp site.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative (ACEC) and Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission (UERPC) are offering a solution for Lansing residents and businesses who are unsatisfied with their Internet service - a fiber-optic build-out in the city.

The build-out would be funded by a grant from the State of Iowa Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO); but first an appeal must be made challenging Lansing’s eligibility status, followed by the writing of an Invitation to Qualify (ITQ) plan. At its meeting Monday, August 1, the Lansing City Council voted to approve ACEC’s and UERPC’s request to support the appeal and ITQ work.

UERPC Executive Director Rachelle Howe estimated the cost to the City of the appeal and ITQ plan to be no more than $5,000 and added that UERPC would contribute $1,000 toward the effort. In attendance at the meeting, as well, was ACEC General Manager Hollee McCormick.

Join the Allamakee County Conservation Board for a guided Mississippi River backwater paddling adventure August 18, starting at 6:30 p.m. and returning to the landing by sunset at the Big Slough Boat Landing. Participants are welcome to use their own canoe or kayak but must follow all rules and regulations in accordance with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). A limited number of solo and tandem kayaks will be available to use from the Allamakee County Conservation Board (ACCB), provided with paddles and life jackets.

Advanced registration is required for this series of programs. To register or reserve a kayak, call 563-538-0403. Solo participants are encouraged to register, but may be paired with other paddlers in a tandem kayak if using ACCB equipment.

The final Chautauqua program for the Summer Series in Ferryville, WI will be held Wednesday, August 10 at 6:30 p.m. in the Ferryville Village Hall along Hwy. 35. The featured presenters will be Tim and Linda Eisele speaking about “Native Species Planting” on their Crawford County property of 100 acres that they have owned since 1990.

They will show photos of native vegetation they have found on their property and talk about some of the efforts they have made to try to improve the land for wildlife and increase their bio-diversity. This will be their third time doing a presentation for the Chautauqua summer series, and many are looking forward to learning more about prairie restoration.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

At its regular meeting Monday, July 18, the Lansing City Council discussed an upcoming grant opportunity for a fiber optic build-out in the city. Rachelle Howe, executive director of Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission (UERPC), will speak to the council at its next regular meeting Monday, August 1, along with Brenda Hackman and Hollee McCormick, representatives from Allamakee Clayton Electric Cooperative, about the grant opportunity.

“Fiber to small communities unleashes a host of great advantages,” Howe said in an email after the meeting. “The economic benefits of fiber for business sustainability and growth will entice residents to relocate to our region and will be beneficial for years to come.”

The De Soto Public Library will present “Be a Bookaneer! A Library Adventure Series” at Prairie View Elementary School in De Soto, WI Monday, August 1 at 10 a.m. Everyone is invited. Admission is free.

“Be a Bookaneer! A Library Adventure Series” is a live comedy and magic show appropriate for all ages and features Capt. KID – Toby KID Klauenberg, a Master Clown whose career spans 30-plus years. Attendees can earn their official Library Pirate names, while Capt. KID encourages them to plunder their library’s treasure chest of riches.

For more information call the library at 608-648-3593; email desotopl@wrlsweb.org; visit its website at https://desotolibrary.wrlsweb.org/ or look for De Soto Public Library on Facebook.