River Valley

by Julie Berg-Raymond

Mayor Melissa Hammell told the Lansing City Council during its regular meeting Monday, June 20 that Sunshine Thomas Bear - cultural preservation director/tribal historic preservation officer at the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska - will visit Lansing June 30 to meet with Mayor Hammell and members of the Lansing City Council about a new project, set to be completed next spring. Part of the Native American Interpretive Project, a kiosk will be installed on Front Street by the park and will offer information about Native Americans who once lived in this area. Sunshine Thomas Bear will look at and consider that location during her visit. The kiosk is being funded by a $25,000 grant through Northeast Iowa RC&D (Resource Conservation & Development), at no cost to the City.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

RAGBRAI - the oldest, largest and longest multi-day bicycle touring event in the world - is coming to northeast Iowa in late July this year, and Lansing has been selected as the final tire-dip destination.

Ian Zahren, Lansing RAGBRAI executive chair, led a public forum at Kee High School Wednesday, June 15 to provide the community with details about the logistics of being the final stop on the ride, and to encourage area residents to volunteer for the event. Allamakee County Emergency Management Coordinator Corey Snitker also spoke at the forum and advised attendees that his department is working with local fire and police departments and the railroad to ensure a safe and pleasant experience for everyone involved.

“The aim is to make this efficient for residents and the police department, and safe for bicyclists,” Zahren told forum attendees.

Main Street Lansing held a ribbon cutting and First Dollar certificate presentation for Arla’s Sewing Room, located at 253 Main Street in Lansing. Owned by Arla and Paul Wagner of rural Lansing, Arla’s Sewing Room offers sewing machine service and sewing/quilting classes, and patrons can also purchase fabric, thread and Elna sewing machines. The business plans to offer a larger selection in the future, so customers should continue to stop in and see what’s new. While Arla’s Sewing Room will provide service for any brand of sewing machine, the business will only sell Elna machines. In fact, Arla’s Sewing Room is the only business within 100 miles of Lansing that sells Elna machines.

“I have sewn my whole life, and this store has been a dream for years,” said Arla Wagner. “I love to sew. I appreciate all of the support and well wishes. It’s terrific. When life gives you scraps, quilt.”

by Julie Berg-Raymond

The Lansing City Council received some encouraging new information about the new bridge project from a representative of the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) during its regular meeting Monday, June 6.

While estimates of a road closure while the new bridge at Lansing is being constructed had earlier been in the three- to five-month range, Brennan Dolan, cultural resources and team lead/tribal liaison with the Iowa DOT, told the council at its June 6 meeting the three- to five-month estimate is being considered a “worst-case scenario.”

Friends of the Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library invite everyone to come celebrate the 107 years of the Dunlevy newspaper legacy and the life of John Dunlevy, past editor of The Allamakee Journal, Saturday, June 25 from 1-4 p.m. at Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library, located at 515 Main Street. A short program will be held at 2 p.m.

John J. Dunlevy, 83, a lifelong resident of Lansing, died Saturday, December 4, 2021. John Dunlevy was the third generation of his family’s operation of the newspaper in Lansing. He held this position until 1988 when The Allamakee Journal was sold. This concluded 107 years of the Dunlevy legacy with The Allamakee Journal.

For additional information, contact Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library at 563-538-4693.
 

Lansing is looking for volunteers to help welcome RAGBRAI cyclists from across the nation and around the world. More than 10,000 riders are expected to wrap up an entire week of peddling by dipping their tires in the Mississippi River at Lansing July 30, and everyone is invited to be an ambassador to paradise as part of the town’s “Pedal to Paradise” welcoming event.

Help is needed now through RAGBRAI week, July 21-July 31. Sign up in person at a volunteer meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 15 at Kee High School in Lansing or click on the volunteer tab at lansingragbrai.com.

Interested individuals can choose from many volunteering needs, such as food and vending, parking supervision, set-up and clean-up, transportation, beautification, information center, traffic management, greeting and picture taking, entertainment, housing, hospitality, or campground hosting. Volunteers can work just the day of arrival or help out longer term.

Street repair currently limiting access from north

Beginning Wednesday, June 1 and taking place each Wednesday after that, LIFT (Lansing Iowa Food Trust) will resume pre-COVID food distribution protocols from 4-6 p.m. each Wednesday at its 220 South 3rd Street location in Lansing. Clients will work with a volunteer at the facility  as they select their own food items, following the posted guidelines.

Clients are encouraged to bring their own boxes and bags to carry items. Special needs will be accommodated if items are available. LIFT will no longer have prepackaged boxes or drive-through service.

LIFT allows one shopper per household to select food. Children will not be allowed in the building while clients are shopping. Clients will be limited to four people at a time in the store during the distribution hours.

Thornton Manor would like to invite anyone who has (or who knows of someone who has) an old-fashioned car or fun motorcycle to participate in Thornton Manor’s First Annual Father’s Day Fun Parade scheduled for Friday, June 17. Participants can call Karen at Thornton Manor to confirm they are going to participate, or for more information, at 563-538-4236.

Parade will start at 10 a.m. Friday, June 17. Staff will be outside Thornton Manor to direct the traffic and set up the parade line.

All residents and staff who want to watch the parade will be seated safely outside the front of Thornton Manor. In the case of a rainy day, the parade will be canceled and rescheduled for a later date, which will be announced.
 

Get hooked on fishing during free fishing weekend June 3-5. Iowa residents can try fishing without buying a license this Friday through Sunday, June 3, 4 and 5 as part of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) free fishing weekend. All other regulations remain in place.

“A summer of family fun is just a short drive and a fishing pole away,” said Joe Larscheid, chief of the Iowa DNR’s Fisheries Bureau. “You’ll be reeling in fish and making new memories in no time!”

Free fishing weekend is a great time to learn how to fish, take family members fishing, or introduce a friend to fishing. Outdoor fun awaits at hundreds of Iowa lakes, thousands of miles of rivers or a neighborhood pond.

Find a list of stocked lakes and ponds that are easily accessible in parks and along trails on the Iowa DNR’s interactive Iowa Community Fisheries Atlas at www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/Fish-Local.

The first program in Ferryville, WI’s popular Chautauqua Summer Series is scheduled to be held Wednesday, June 8 at 6:30 p.m. in Ferryville’s Village Hall. The hall is located along Hwy. 35, Wisconsin’s Great River Road Scenic Byway, at the south end of the village.

The program for the June 8 presentation will be “Lock and Dam #9” and will be presented by Jay Grimsled and Brian Sipos. They will explain the history, the purpose, and the importance of the lock and dam system to the Mississippi River. Many drive by the Lynxville Lock and Dam frequently, and this June 8 Chautauqua program will provide an opportunity to learn more about it. They will provide information and answer any questions those in attendance might have.