River Valley

Many people want to give back to the community but may not have a lot of time to volunteer. In only about an hour, volunteer blood donors can help save lives and feel instant gratification.

The community is invited to give back and help save lives by donating blood Friday, June 8 from 1-6 p.m. at the Kerndt Brothers Community Center located on Main Street in Lansing.

Blood is a perishable product that can only come from generous volunteers. By donating blood, individuals can make a difference in the lives of patients in their community and throughout the nation.

To make an appointment or to learn more, download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Completion of a RapidPass online health history questionnaire found at redcrossblood.org/rapidpass is encouraged to help speed up the donation process.

American Legion Ladies Auxiliary, Unit #722, Harpers Ferry has selected Taya Duehr, a junior at Waukon High School, to attend Iowa Girls State June 17-21 of this year at Drake University in Des Moines. She is the daughter of Jane and John Duehr of Waterville and a sister to Kate Davis and Travis Duehr.

Duehr is involved in cheerleading, competition cheerleading, Student Council, 4-H, 4-H Council and also works part-time. She has lived on a farm her entire life, and she says growing up on a farm has given her the opportunity to grow as a person  and become a  hard worker.

The Iowa Girls State program is one of the premier programs sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary, started by a dream of four women to teach young women about the political process.  Girls State is a “learning by doing” program, which takes the girls through the entire political process. The program covers city government, which is non-partisan in Iowa.

The Ferryville Tourism Council and the Mississippi Valley Conservancy will be hosting the annual International Spring Migration Day hike at Sugar Creek Bluff Natural Area this Saturday, May 12. Hikers are invited to gather at the Ferryville Village Hall, along the Great River Road (Hwy. 35) at the south end of the Village of Ferryville between 7:30 and 8 a.m. Treats, handouts and a sign-in will be available at the village hall, and the group will then carpool to the trailhead for the 8 a.m. hike.

Thursday, May 17, the public is invited to hear living history interpreter Don Borcherding of Rochester, MN give a presentation reenacting explorer Zebulon Pike. The free program will begin at 6:30 p.m., preceded by a light supper with freewill offering.

At the time Lewis and Clark were climbing the Bitter Root Mountains in Montana, Pike was commissioned to map the Mississippi River, take a census of Native Americans and find sites for future forts and trading posts. Borcherding will explore the hardships Pike and his men endured, and what the river and the people who lived along it were like.

Upcoming programs in the speaker series being hosted by Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library include the following: June 22 at 6:30 p.m. - Reasons for the Seasons and Summer Skies presented by Carl Bracken, Astronomer, which is a program designed for the whole family; and July 19 - Click by Click Humor in photography by Bob Modersohn.
 

submitted by Friends of Pool 9

On a slightly questionable weather day with cool temperatures, moderate stream flow and rising water levels, a group of volunteers gathered at all ends of Pool 9 to help clean the Mississippi River corridor, for the 13th year.

While many would find something else to do on a day like this, these folks put on their life jackets, boated out and waded into the Mississippi. They walked the Highway 82 dike, scoured area beaches, cleaned and sifted fire rings, walked the boat landings and the perimeter of Pool 9, and boated into the backwater depths to retrieve as much of the unwanted man-made debris as possible. Such is the desire and persistence of this bunch of volunteers from northeast Iowa, western Wisconsin and other places unknown.

A free event focused on mental well-being and building resilient communities is scheduled to be held Saturday, May 5 at 10 a.m. at the New Albin Community Center. Featured speakers will include Tabita Green, author of “Her lost year.” She will have copies of her book available at the event for signing and purchase. Lansing/New Albin Police Chief Conrad Rosendahl will then follow with an additional presentation.
 

Iowa Public Television replaced the broadcast antenna serving the Lansing viewing area last week. The replacement process caused a temporary service outage while the existing antenna was removed and new equipment was installed.

The change also resulted in a channel change for viewers watching the over-the-air translator signal, from the current channel 39 to the new channel 31. Crews tried to limit the necessary outage as much as possible.

Upon completion of the replacement, viewers watching IPTV’s over-the-air signal were required to rescan their televisions to receive the new channel. Viewers watching IPTV via a cable or satellite provider did not need to make any adjustments. For more information about Iowa Public Television, contact Susan Ramsey at 515-725-9703 or Susan.Ramsey@iptv.org.
 

Sunday, April 8, Cub Scout Pack 47 hosted its local Pinewood Derby Races, with the following scouts participating and pictured above in no particular order: Brayden Waters, Justin Wagner, Carter Verthein, Bentley Hatlan, Noah Connelly, Hunter and Aiden Hostert, Xander Howard, Tyrone McCarthy, Noah Mauss, Sam Janzen and Braiden Hatlan. Each scout designed, cut and painted their own cars. The event was a round-robin type of derby, with each of the scouts racing one another twice. The top three finishers at the local derby are pictured below, left to right: First Place - Carter Verthein, Second Place - Noah Connelly and Third Place - Bentley Hatlan. Winners had the opportunity to advance to the District Pinewood Race held in Manchester April 21. Cub Scout Pack 47 extends its appreciation to Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Lansing for the use of the church hall to conduct the races. Submitted photos.
 

Kee High School’s Post Prom was held Sunday, April 22 from midnight until 4 a.m. following the Kee High School Prom. Guests played table games and other activities using play money. The raffle and silent auction prize packages were also very popular with the guests. Special entertainment was provided by hypnotist Blake Powers from Wand Enterprises. Everyone attending was given an opportunity to guess the number of candies in a jar and Kee junior Macie Hill (pictured in the photo below) won $100 for guessing closest to the actual number. Door prizes were awarded throughout the evening and everyone drew a number to win a prize package at the end of the event. A special drawing was held and the winners of that drawing are pictured in the photo above. The Kee senior grand prize (a Sceptre TV) was won by Brock Flack (left). The Kee junior grand prize (a Sanyo DVD player) was won by Jacob Berns (center) and the Guest grand prize (Polaroid tablet) was won by sophomore Ella Strong (right).

The Northeast Iowa Food Bank, along with interested groups and citizens in Lansing, is working toward opening a Lansing Food Bank in Lansing sometime this spring or early summer. An organizational meeting is scheduled to be held Wednesday, May 2 at 7 p.m. in the Community Room at Main Street Lansing (corner of Fourth and Main Streets).

Steps taken up to this date regarding the local food bank will be explained. Anyone interested in volunteering, serving on the board or donating in any way to assist with developing a Lansing Food Bank is encouraged to attend.

The need for a local food bank has already been demonstrated and chronicled by the Northeast Iowa Food Bank. For information about the meeting or the local food bank, contact Craig White, Director, Main Street Lansing at 563-538-9229 or director@lansingmatters.com.