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Allamakee County Ideas Week 2026 is happening October 5-9 at The Works Coworking & Coaching in Lansing - and every workshop event is free and designed to educate, connect, and inspire local residents throughout Allamakee County, each one full of ideas for all.

Hosted by The Works, in partnership with Allamakee County Economic Development (ACED), this sixth annual weeklong event will feature dynamic speakers, practical workshops, and 1:1 coaching for those looking to make an impact on their communities throughout the county. Workshops and coaching also include refreshments from area restaurants and food entrepreneurs.

The Homecoming festivities at Kee High School in Lansing will kick off the celebration of Homecoming Week with the crowning of the Homecoming King and Queen taking place this Sunday, September 20. Kee High School’s Homecoming King and Queen for 2026 will be crowned at a ceremony beginning at 5:45 p.m. in the Kee High School gym, in conjunction with a “Lighting of the K” event also taking place as part of Sunday’s kick-off event for Homecoming Week 2026, with both events being open to the public.

Mike McAbee to perform Saturday night

by Julie Berg-Raymond

Katie O’Regan Films LLC has announced the 2026 Star City Film and Theater Festival is Friday and Saturday, September 25 and 26. This year marks the 10th season of the festival and the first time it will be held in its new, permanent home - Three Dolphins Theater, located at 501 3rd Street SW in Waukon.

Highlights of the 2026 festival include a live musical performance by the popular Iowa-based singer-songwriter and comedian, Mike McAbee, featuring a set-list of original tunes; and a Q&A session, live from Hollywood via  Zoom, by 2026 Festival Guest of Honor Thaao Penghlis - who for many years portrayed Tony DiMera on “Days of Our Lives.” Penghlis is an award-winning actor, author, and creator/host of the new podcast: “The Great Escape - Journey of Mary & Joseph.”

by Jennifer Bissell

After more than a 20-year hiatus, fifth grade students in Waukon are now learning the principles of the D.A.R.E. program, thanks in part to the Waukon Police Department and specifically Officer Alyssa Rostad.
Last spring, Rostad, with the support of Police Chief Paul Wagner, brought back the D.A.R.E. program to St. Patrick School fifth grade, East Elementary School fifth grade, and the sixth graders at Waukon Middle School. She’s looking forward to getting back into the schools again this fall, bringing valuable education to the fifth graders at East and St. Patrick’s.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

In a famous line from Alice Walker’s 1982 novel, The Color Purple - which won the Pulitzer Prize the following year, a character writes her sister a letter, in which she observes: “Time moves slowly, but passes quickly.”
Approaching the 25th anniversary of the events of what is colloquially known as “9/11” - when, on September 11, 2001, 19 terrorists associated with the extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airplanes to launch coordinated suicide attacks in the United States - millions of people are remembering where they were and what they were doing when they saw, live, via television coverage, the airplanes hit the World Trade Center towers in New York City.

The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) and Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) announced Thursday, September 3 that the Iowa 9/WIS 82 Mississippi River Crossing that has replaced the Black Hawk Bridge at Lansing is proceeding well ahead of the original timeline for completion. According to that September 3 announcement, the agencies expect to open the bridge to traffic in early November 2026, instead of the initial planned opening in the spring of 2027.

by Jennifer Bissell

The Waterville Rural Fire Department recently acquired a new piece of equipment that can help the department volunteers do their job more efficiently and potentially save lives.
The roughly 25-member department purchased a drone this past spring, using money raised from its two annual fundraisers. The new drone has already been utilized by the department itself and to assist other entities, including during the Agri Star Meat and Poultry fire in Postville July 28.

by Joshua Sharpe

Construction of Alliant Energy’s battery energy storage system at the site of the former Lansing Generating Station south of the little river town is progressing beyond the initial earthwork phase that has been so prominent for most of this year, moving into a stage where the physical components of the facility will increasingly become more visible to residents.

In a recent project update, Alliant Energy Project Manager Keri Sweeting shared that crews have commenced the installation of conduit to help facilitate energy transmission and are preparing the concrete foundations required to support the battery units. “At Lansing, we have initiated the installation of conduit and will soon begin pouring concrete to support the batteries,” Sweeting stated.

by Joe Moses

Current State of Iowa Auditor and gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand held a Town Hall style meeting Tuesday, August 25 at Robey Memorial Library’s lower-level Community Room in Waukon. The Town Hall was open to the public and credentialed members of the press with all attendees required to RSVP prior to the event.

Approximately 70 individuals were present for the Allamakee County Town Hall included in Sand’s 100 Town Hall Tour taking place in each of Iowa’s 99 counties with two Town Hall meetings taking place in Lee County in the southeast corner of the state which has two county seats, Fort Madison and Keokuk, something that is unique to that county in comparison to the rest of the state.

by David M. Johnson

Usually there are not a whole lot of events at the local, city, or county level that attract national attention. Aside from something like a major fire that has recently happened at Agri Star in Postville, there is typically calm and little consternation in the neighborhoods of this local area.

Time is like constant rain and a strong wind; it comes and then moves on, and what happens that looks and seems important at the time will gradually fade from memory. The seemingly innocuous 1948 National Plowing Match at Dexter, IA is one of those events where, over time, it became a footnote, a blip or sidebar of history - until a recent local discovery of some photos by the Harpers Ferry Area Heritage Society.