River Valley

Main Street Lansing will be sponsoring a Trick-or-Treat Downtown Extravaganza the evening of Halloween, Friday, October 31, from 4-6 p.m. Local youth are invited to trick-or-treat through the downtown businesses in Lansing. There will also be hot dogs and hot chocolate available for free at the downtown plaza.

Lansing native Denise Keenan will the featured speaker at the next When Relationships Change event being hosted by Our Savior Lutheran Church in Lansing Sunday, November 2. A pre-Thanksgiving meal will be served at 12:30 p.m. followed by Keenan’s presentation. There is no cost or registration needed to attend.

Denise Keenan is a multi-faceted practitioner with expertise in such areas as Holistic Wellness, Life Transformed Coaching, Reiki, Pranic Healing, Hypnotherapy, Yoga Instruction, Sound Healing, Coaching Life, and Bodywork. She is the daughter of the late Walt and Margaretta Keenan.
 

by Joshua Sharpe

The Lansing City Council held its regular meeting Monday, October 20 at City Hall with all council members present. The council approved the 2026 Driftless Half-Marathon date, adopted several financial and administrative resolutions, and reviewed progress on ongoing infrastructure projects. 

Main Street Lansing will be sponsoring a Trick-or-Treat Downtown Extravaganza the evening of Halloween, Friday, October 31, from 4-6 p.m. Local youth are invited to trick-or-treat through the downtown businesses in Lansing. There will also be hot dogs and hot chocolate available for free at the downtown plaza.
 

Lansing native Denise Keenan will the featured speaker at the next When Relationships Change event being hosted by Our Savior Lutheran Church in Lansing Sunday, November 2. A pre-Thanksgiving meal will be served at 12:30 p.m. followed by Keenan’s presentation. There is no cost or registration needed to attend.

Denise Keenan is a multi-faceted practitioner with expertise in such areas as Holistic Wellness, Life Transformed Coaching, Reiki, Pranic Healing, Hypnotherapy, Yoga Instruction, Sound Healing, Coaching Life, and Bodywork. She is the daughter of the late Walt and Margaretta Keenan.
 

Volunteers are preparing to collect Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts during National Collection Week, November 17-24. Nearly 5,000 drop-off locations will open across the country in November, and shoebox packers can find their local drop-off locations in Iowa.

Among the drop-off locations most accessible to this local area are Christ Community Evangelical Free Church in New Albin and Stone Ridge Community Church in Decorah. Christ Community Evangelical Free Church is located at 188 Plum Street NE in New Albin, and its open hours of accepting Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts during the November 17-24 drop-off week include the following:
November 17: 1-3 p.m.
November 18: 1-3 p.m.
November 19: 1-3 p.m.
November 20: 5-7 p.m.
November 21: 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
November 22: 8-10 a.m.
November 23: 11 a.m.- 2 p.m.
November 24: 8-10 a.m.

The Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library will host Northstar Digital Literacy and IowaWorks for a free program Tuesday, October 21 at 10 a.m. This free program aims to bridge the digital divide by helping adults gain important computer skills needed for life and work.

Those attending can conduct self-assessments, online modules and get on-site help during the program. The IowaWorks Mobile Workforce Center (bus) will be on site and includes laptop workstations, a printer and everything needed for a job search.

Contact the library to have questions answered. Call 563-538-4693, email library@lansing.lib.ia.us, or just stop in.
 

by Joshua Sharpe

The Lansing City Council met Monday, October 6 in regular session. The evening’s agenda was framed around resident requests, capital planning, and improvement projects, and it included a citizen advocating for street improvements, financing matters for essential purchases and marina improvements, procedural updates to ensure compliance with state reviewers, and specific public works tasks aligned with the seasonal timeline.

Prior to the business of the meeting agenda, recognition was offered regarding the retirement of long-serving Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library Director Derva Burke, with Carmen Golay appointed as the successor to that role. An open house is scheduled for Tuesday, November 4 from 5-7 p.m. at the library to commemorate Burke’s 18 years of service as library director.

Dairyland Power Cooperative, along with 10 of their member cooperatives and the Wisconsin statewide association, kicked-off National Co-op Month with the 3rd Annual Cooperative Day of Service Wednesday, October 1. Dairyland coordinated five service projects throughout its service territory and joined forces with employees from local electric cooperatives to showcase their dedication to the cooperative principles, Concern for Community and Cooperation Among Cooperatives.

Join the Allamakee County Conservation Board (ACCB) for a Fall Colors Photography Hike Thursday, October 16 at 5 p.m. in an effort to take in the colors of fall. This is a program for anyone wanting to try their hand in landscape photography.

The hike may be on uneven ground and sturdy, closed-toed shoes are recommended. Attendees are asked to bring their own camera - phone or professional. Registration is not required but is recommended. To register or receive more information on this event, call the ACCB at 563-538-0401.

Meet at the Luster Heights Unit of Yellow River State Forest, which is located five miles south of Harpers Ferry on the Great River Road (Hwy 364) on the east side of the road. Turn onto Luster Heights Road; there is a parking lot one mile on the left.