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The Harpers Ferry Fireflies traveled to Kansas City, MO to play in the National Granny Basketball Tournament July 30-31. Twenty teams participated in this year’s tournament, including six from Iowa, seven from Kansas, two from Louisiana, two from Oklahoma, two from Texas and one from Missouri.

During Saturday, July 30 pool play, the Fireflies played the Oklahoma Rockers of Jones, OK and won, 65-55. They then defeated Sugar and Spice of Wichita, KS, 50-20, and in the final game of the day defeated the Classic Roadrunners out of Des Moines, 55-37. Advancing to the championship bracket of the Sunday, July 31 single elimination tournament games, the Fireflies made their way to the tournament’s championship game by defeating the Oklahoma Rockers again, 57-41, and the Late Bloomers out of Norway, IA, 40-35.

The Heytman’s Landing boat ramp, south of Lansing, on Pool 9 of the Mississippi River is scheduled to be closed until September 23 this fall. The closure is taking place to accommodate the replacement of the railroad bridge that spans the boat channel along the river’s edge at that boat ramp site.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) encourages boaters to seek other ramps in the area during the Heytman’s Landing closure, including Village Creek on the south edge of Lansing and New Albin Army Road, located north of Lansing. There are also many ramps on the Wisconsin side of the river. The Big Slough and Winneshiek Slough landings are available along Hwy. 82 (locally known as the dike road) in Wisconsin after crossing Lansing’s Black Hawk Bridge. The Blackhawk Park area near De Soto, WI has multiple ramps and the Dairyland Power access south of Genoa, WI has plenty of parking.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting informational meetings on Chronic Wasting Disease in northeastern Iowa. A pair of such meetings are scheduled for Wednesday, August 24 at Johnson’s Hall and Restaurant in Elkader from 6:30-7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, August 31 at the Waukon Banquet Center from 6:30-7:30 p.m. The DNR invites everyone who is interested in learning more about what Iowans can do to help slow the spread of the disease.

Hazard risks can be natural or man-made, and cover a variety of things, such as storms and flooding, hazardous materials, infrastructure, terrorism, human disease and more. The public is invited to be involved in Allamakee County Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee (HMPC) meetings to identify hazard risks and discuss ways communities can prevent, or mitigate, these risks in the future.

Planning committee members require no previous experience to be involved. The planning process will provide the data, materials and questions necessary to engage stakeholders in thinking about hazard mitigation needs for their community.

Planning committee members will attend up to five meetings over the course of the coming year. The initial planning meeting will be held from 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, August 31 at Waukon City Hall, located at 101 Allamakee Street in Waukon.

Allamakee County greeted 18,000 bicyclists and also welcomed support crews and other visitors that pushed population estimates to nearly 25,000 people for the final day of RAGBRAI® XLIX Saturday, July 30, as the Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) came to a close for its 49th year. As depicted in the surrounding photos, bicyclists celebrated completion of this year’s RAGBRAI journey with the traditional dipping of their front tire in the Mississippi River in Lansing and some also raised their bicycles over their heads in triumphant celebration of their accomplishment (evident in the photos above and below taken by Julie Berg-Raymond).

This article is submitted by Matthew Brandt with assistance from Mark Brandt, Rachel Brandt, and Dana Wind Lorelle (daughter of Julie Brandt)

I grew up knowing that my Great Uncle Arthur F. Brandt of Postville served in the Army in World War I. I grew up knowing he died a hero, having guided his company back to safety while enduring mortal wounds. I grew up knowing he was buried in France along with other soldiers who never made it home.

As an adult, having been reared on this legend, I entertained vague notions of someday visiting his grave and paying my respects. But it wasn’t until my own cancer diagnosis, when my wife inquired, “Not to be morbid, but do you have any items on your bucket list?” that I realized the time to visit Uncle Arthur’s grave was upon me.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

When Kristie Ringelstetter, of Lansing, first spoke to the Lansing City Council in late September 2021 about forming an in-town trap-neuter-return (TNR) program for cats, she knew there would probably be some questions and concerns.

There was, for example, a concern about what would happen when a skunk got trapped, instead of a cat. “Who gets called, then?” someone wondered. Another person said that it was, after all, against city ordinances to “drop off” cats in town - “which is what you would be doing,” the person noted.

“Well, they’re already here,” Ringelstetter responded to that suggestion. “We’re trying to make sure they don’t reproduce.” On the question of the accidental skunk, she said she’d never had that problem; but she added that she would be talking with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and animal welfare organizations about the possibility.

Coronation of the 2022 Allamakee County Fair Royalty took place Tuesday, July 19 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon, kicking off the 169th Allamakee County Fair. Five area young ladies were vying for this year’s Fair Queen crown, which was bestowed upon Rhianna Jones (fourth from left in photo above), daughter of Eric and Liz Jones of Lansing. Cheyanne Troendle (third from left in photo above), daughter of Darrell and Amy Troendle of Waterville, was crowned Allamakee County Fair Princess. All five of this year’s candidates served as the 2022 Allamakee County Fair Royalty Team throughout this year’s Fair.

New Albin Improvement League (NAIL), a volunteer group dedicated to making the community of New Albin the best that it can be, was honored earlier this summer with a Governor’s Volunteer Service Group Award for outstanding commitment and service. An Iowa Governor’s Award Ceremony was held at the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls May 31. However, no members of NAIL were able to attend that Tuesday afternoon ceremony to receive the group’s award in person.

by Corey Snitker, Allamakee County Emergency Management Coordinator

As most residents of Allamakee County know, the Des Moines Register’s 2022 RAGBRAI XLIX bike ride is coming to the county Saturday, July 30. As one can imagine, with some 10,000-plus bike riders coming to the county along with the support vehicles that follow along, there will be some travel and safety impacts on the roads they will be using and within the towns they will be passing through.

Therefore, I wanted to address the routes the bikes and support vehicles will be using while in Allamakee County as they leave West Union to travel to Lansing, including passing through Postville and Waukon.