River Valley

Saturday, August 28, family and friends of lifelong resident and local “River Rat” Pat Sandry will be honoring his memory with the Fourth 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.

To commemorate the opening of the Black Hawk Bridge linking Iowa and Wisconsin in 1931, a three-state festival called Fish Days was organized. The family-friendly event was so successful that it has continued as an annual tradition ever since. In recent years, a Sunday morning ecumenical worship service led by local church leaders has become part of the celebration.

After Fish Days had to be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, festival-goers were ready to return to Lansing for the event this year. Likewise, area churches were eager to participate in the community worship, held under the big-top tent at the festival grounds.

Worship organizer Karen Galema gathered Lansing pastors to plan for the 2021 community service: the Reverend Laura Gentry of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Father Sean Smith of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church and the Reverend Sedar Wembonyama of the Lansing United Methodist Church.

The 2021 Lansing Fish Days 5K/8K Walk/Run, held Saturday, August 14 had over 100 runners and walkers participating, with 67 runners in total. Top finishers in each race received gift cards donated by Milty’s, Shep’s, Fajita’s Grill and the Safe House Saloon.

This year’s 5K course featured a loop around Lansing from the Fire Department west to South Avenue, then east on Valley to Front Street and back to the Fire Department. The 8K course took runners straight up Sixth Street into Mt. Hosmer Park, with two loops around the hilltop roadway, and then back down the hill to reconnect to Main Street.

Local runner Mark Johnson helped direct 8K runners to Mt. Hosmer Park and then roamed the course with his GoPro camera, capturing scenic video views from the course. Post-race refreshments were donated by Lansing’s IGA and KwikStar. The race coordinators and Lansing Lions Club appreciate these generous businesses for helping to make the event a success.

Main Street Lansing held a ribbon cutting event for Backwater Suites, a new lodging facility located at 10 South Second Street in Lansing. Co-owned by two local couples, Alex and Shelly Galema and Scott and Jana Schoh, Backwater Suites just completed the renovation of its third lodging unit, with two more in the works. Backwater Suites is located one block away from the Mississippi River and is within walking distance to many local restaurants and retail stores. Additionally, it is one of the few lodging units in Lansing that offers ground-level access. All rooms have access to a shared patio space, and pets are welcome. If a larger group is interested in visiting, adjoining rooms are available. Pictured above at the ribbon cutting are, left to right, Main Street Lansing representative Maryann Baldwin, Backwater Suites co-owners Alex Galema, Shelly Galema, Jana Schoh and Scott Schoh, and Main Street Lansing representative Mary Palmborg. Photo courtesy of Main Street Lansing.

Saturday, August 28, family and friends of lifelong resident and local “River Rat” Pat Sandry will be honoring his memory with the Fourth 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

In its regular meeting Monday, August 16, the Lansing City Council acted on three citizen requests for their respective properties - a temporary driveway permit at 294 Wall Street on a City platted street, a retaining wall at 691 South Front Street, and a fence variance at 190 Iowa Street.

Lansing City Clerk Katie Becker also spoke later in the meeting on the September 14 special election scheduled to fill the vacant mayor seat, noting that no papers of nomination have yet been filed by any candidates. Deadline for filing papers is this Friday, August 20 by 5 p.m.

Speaking on the request for a temporary driveway permit at 294 Wall Street, councilman Curtis Snitker said, “I think it’s a logical step to take and I think the area will be better off with (the resident) using that approach than the really steep incline on the left side of his property.”

The staff members of Thornton Manor and Thornton Heights Assisted Living in Lansing are hosting a quilt raffle to benefit the Lansing Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Ambulance Fund. The EMS-themed quilt  (pictured above) was pieced and stitched by Eileen Smith and Arlis Myhre, and it will be on display at this weekend’s Lansing Fish Days in the Lansing Fire Station. All raffle donations will go toward the purchase of the new Lansing EMS ambulance, with the raffle drawing scheduled to be held December 17 of this year. Multiple opportunities to view the quilt and purchase tickets will be made over the next five months. For more information on raffle tickets, call Thornton Manor at 563-538-4236.
 

The Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center will host two Building Better Birders workshops Thursday, August 19 from 6-8:30 p.m. The presentations will be presented by Kelly McKay, Mark Roberts and Brian Ritter. The programs will be free of charge, but advance registration is encouraged and attendees will be asked to fill out a quick survey to help the presenters.

At 6 p.m., the Summary and Results of the Milan Bottoms Bald Eagle Night Roost will be presented. The Milan Bottoms is an area along the Mississippi River similar to areas in Allamakee County. Those who have ever wondered where eagles go at night or how they prepare for the winter will want to attend this presentation.

At 7:30 p.m., the Assessment of Human Activity on Bald Eagle Nesting will be presented. This study took place in the Upper Mississippi Wildlife Refuge including areas around Allamakee County.

The Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center in Lansing will host live rattlesnake programs Saturday, August 14 during the Lansing Fish Days celebration. Programs will be held at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. Each program will last approximately 20 minutes and will include time for attendees to ask questions about Timber Rattlesnakes in the Driftless Area.

For more information on this program or any program, contact the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center at 563-538-0403 or follow Allamakee County Conservation on Facebook.
 

by Julie Berg-Raymond

In its regular meeting Monday, August 2, the Lansing City Council discussed a proposal by Damon Olson of Damon Construction of New Albin for repair work and renovations to the Lansing swimming pool guard house.

The council considered whether to replace or repair the building’s existing walls, as well as three options for the roof - including replacing it entirely. Council member Curtis Snitker suggested the present damage to the guard house walls is a water mitigation issue and could be corrected with repair to the walls and a new roof. Olson agreed, adding that “after 50 years, I’m actually surprised the damage (to the walls) isn’t worse.”