River Valley

Lansing RAGBRAI® officials have provided the maps at left and below to alert area residents of the road closures and detours that will be put in place during the RAGBRAI visit to Lansing scheduled for Saturday, July 29. RAGBRAI bicyclists will be entering Lansing on the south edge of town, traveling Great River Road (County Road X52) from Harpers Ferry, before making their way to one of the three final tire-dip locations along the Mississippi River.

The black bars located on the maps at left and below indicate where streets in Lansing will be blocked off to vehicle traffic. That blocking of traffic basically protects the Great River Road bicyclist entrance route, as well as the Main Street locations that will serve as the activity and entertainment center for Lansing's celebration as the final destination of RAGBRAI XLV.

The Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission (MRPC) will meet Monday, July 17 at the Kerndt Brothers Community Center on Main Street in Lansing, beginning at 10 a.m. The MRPC is a multi-state organization that works collectively to preserve, promote and enhance the scenic, historic and recreational resources of the Mississippi River; to foster the economic growth of the corridor; and to develop the national, scenic and historic parkway known as the Great River Road.

The Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library sesquicentennial presentations continue Thursday, July 13 in celebration of the 150th birthday of the town of Lansing being observed this year. The July 13 presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the library, with hot dogs and brownies being served at 5:30 p.m.

The subjects for the July 13 sesquicentennial presentation include pre-settlement exploration of the Upper Mississippi River and Lansing areas; origins of Lansing city government and court house location; and Black Hawk Bridge history. The discussion will be led by local author, historian and city planner Bill Burke.

by Macie Hill

The regular session of the Lansing City Council was held Monday, July 3. The following items were discussed: the Lansing Fire Department liquor license, a half hour parking sign in front of Kerndt Brothers Bank, hiring someone to paint the eagle signs in town, and discussing an ATV/UTV ordinance.

The meeting opened with a public hearing on a Proposal to Enter into a General Obligation Bridge Improvement Loan Agreement. No comments were heard or read, and the public hearing was closed and a resolution to enter into the loan agreement was approved.

The Lansing Fire Department received approval on a liquor license for RAGBRAI® and will not need to apply for a new one for Lansing Fish Days. A liquor license was also approved for the Lansing RAGBRAI Committee.

Wednesday, July 12, the Ferryville Tourism Council is sponsoring the second of this summer’s evening bonfire programs in Ferryville’s Sugar Creek Park at 8 p.m. The event will be held under the pavilion at the south end of the park just off of Wisconsin Highway 35, the Great River Road.

The program is “From Weeds to Wild Flowers on Gobbler Ridge” and will be given by Tim Eisele, a writer from Madison, WI. He and his wife, Linda, have restored a large section of their land in Crawford County, WI from regular land to native prairie. The resulting prairie is an attraction for birds, insects and animals that are native to the area. Eisele will use multi-media to show the process he and his wife went through during this years long process.

Attendees are asked to bring lawn chairs and bug spray.

The Ferryville Tourism Council is sponsoring the first of three summer bonfire programs Wednesday, June 28 at 8 p.m. at the south end of Sugar Creek Park in Ferryville, WI. Ric Zarwell will be the speaker for a program entitled, “Birdwatching in the U.S., from an Expert like John James Audubon to an Active, Maybe Obsessed Local Man.”

Zarwell was born and raised in New Albin. He has been a lifelong birder and has created, along with his wife, Betty, the River and Bluffs Birding Festival in the Lansing area. They have traveled to 44 nations and all seven continents to view birds native to those areas. Zarwell has a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Biology and a Master of Science degree in Natural Resources, both from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He leads birding trips and conducts monitoring of bird species in various habitats.

The Allamakee County Conservation Board (ACCB) will be hosting a series of summer day camps for the youth of Allamakee County throughout the month of July. The camps will be held at parks throughout Allamakee County. The series will feature camps for all age levels from three to 15 years of age. All camps will be free of charge, however, participants must be pre-registered.

Children ages seven to 10 will be able to participate in Birds Camp July 27. Birds Camp will be from 9:30-11 a.m. at County Home Park.  Participants will learn about kinds of birds in Iowa, what calls they make, and why they have different colors.

by B.J. Tomlinson

Last August, in the fall of 2016, while in Iowa City attending the University of Iowa, Ethan Halverson didn’t feel well. Ethan is a 2012 graduate of Kee High School in Lansing and the son of Marty and Faye Halverson of Lansing.
"Not really sick, just not like himself,” said his mother, Faye. Ethan then noticed swollen lymph glands that became lumps in his neck and upper chest.

On first examination, the doctors adopted a wait-and-see treatment plan, thinking perhaps the symptoms indicated a virus. But when the condition did not improve they ratcheted up their diagnostic options to include CT scans, ultrasounds and lab work. As a result of that further testing, in November of last year Ethan was diagnosed with stage three Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a malignant cancerous growth of cells in the body's lymphatic system.

by Macie Hill

The regular meeting of the Lansing City Council was held Monday, June 19. Discussion circled around MSA representatives addressing the City's radium issue in its water supply, Main Street well inspection, a new hiring for a city lawn mower position, fencing put up in front of the train tracks for RAGBRAI®, an ATV ordinance update, and a public hearing scheduled for the July 3 meeting.

MSA Professional Service representatives attended the meeting to meet all of the council members and let them know that they are interested in preparing the city's radium preliminary engineering report. The town of Farley in Iowa is one of MSA's clients which is having a similar situation that Lansing is having with radium. The project that MSA is proposing to take on would be about a three-year process with three parts, including design, bidding and construction.

The Ferryville Tourism Council is sponsoring the first of three summer bonfire programs Wednesday, June 28 at 8 p.m. at the south end of Sugar Creek Park in Ferryville, WI. Ric Zarwell will be the speaker for a program entitled, “Birdwatching in the U.S., from an Expert like John James Audubon to an Active, Maybe Obsessed Local Man.”

Zarwell was born and raised in New Albin. He has been a lifelong birder and has created, along with his wife, Betty, the River and Bluffs Birding Festival in the Lansing area. They have traveled to 44 nations and all seven continents to view birds native to those areas. Zarwell has a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Biology and a Master of Science degree in Natural Resources, both from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He leads birding trips and conducts monitoring of bird species in various habitats.