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Everyone is invited to join area youth on athletic fields across the nation Wednesday, October 9 in sharing their Christian faith with other students and the general public for this year’s Fields of Faith event. The local event is now in its 13th year and will open to the public at 6:30 p.m., with the event scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at the Waukon High School football field Wednesday, October 9, or in the Waukon High School gym in the event of bad weather.

Election Essentials is a weekly series of articles offering a variety of information regarding elections in Iowa and Allamakee County prior to this year’s November 5 General Election. The information is being provided courtesy of Allamakee County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections Denise Beyer.

In an effort to increase voter education and engagement and also provide another avenue for voters to obtain essential information about upcoming elections, the Allamakee County Auditor’s office has launched a new Facebook page: Allamakee County Elections. One goal of the Auditor’s office is voter education and with almost every voter having constant access to the internet via their cell phone or home computer, creating an elections Facebook page seemed like an easy way to educate and inform voters. Voters can stay informed about all aspects of the 2024 General Election right from their Facebook feed.

Waukon High School seniors Olivia Dougherty and Jaxon Brinkman were crowned Waukon High School's 2024 Homecoming Queen and King at the "Burning of the W" pep rally held Thursday evening, September 19 at Waukon High School. Unfortunately, the traditional “Burning of the W” was not allowed to take place at the end of the pep rally due to weather conditions. Additional photos of Waukon High School's Homecoming events are featured on Page 32 in this week's issue, as well as coverage of the Waukon football team's Homecoming game with North Fayette Valley featured on Page 18. Even more photos from this year’s Homecoming festivities can also be found at the Photo Galleries link on The Standard’s website, www.waukonstandard.com.
 

by Brianne Grimstad

May 3, 2024 was a day that changed the life of Zach Quandahl of Waukon and his family members.

It was a nice day outside and Zach decided to take advantage of that by taking his Harley-Davidson motorcycle for a ride to meet some friends for supper in New Albin. Traveling along Highway 9, just north of Waukon past the Allamakee County Public Safety Center, the bike began to wobble, and Zach was unable to stop it. He met an oncoming vehicle and clipped the headlight of the car with his left leg.

He continued to ride as long as he was able to and slow the motorcycle down, before he himself went down. He was able to call 911 at 5:11 p.m. for himself.

Four people who encountered the scene of the incident stopped to give assistance, one of them being an off-duty EMT.

Zach’s left leg was lacerated badly, and with help from the bystanders, they used belts to make a tourniquet on his leg. One of the belts, however, broke.

by Joe Moses

State of Iowa Auditor Rob Sand continued his annual 99 County Tour with a Town Hall meeting in Waukon Thursday morning, September 19 at the Sweeney Shelter near the Allamakee County Freedom Rock in Waukon City Park.

Sand began the town hall meeting by providing an update relating to the State Auditor Office’s Public Innovations and Efficiencies (PIE) Program. He noted that this program recognizes the efforts of local governments, including counties and cities in addition to school districts, in saving tax dollars and promoting efficiency. Sand explained that a checklist of items compiled through this program is sent out each year to schools and local governments to provide suggestions with ongoing feedback allowing entities to share and add to these efficiencies.

Election Essentials is a weekly series of articles offering a variety of information regarding elections in Iowa and Allamakee County prior to this year’s November 5 General Election. The information is being provided courtesy of Allamakee County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections Denise Beyer.

Any eligible voter who is unsure if they are registered or unsure if they are registered at the correct address can check by going to the Allamakee County Elections website, https://allamakeecountyelections.iowa.gov/, clicking “Am I Registered”, and entering their name and zip code. See the QR code at the end of this article +to easily check your registration.

Seniors Violet Nehman (left) and Parker Leppert (right) were crowned Kee High School’s 2024 Homecoming Queen and King at the coronation event held prior to Homecoming Week Sunday, September 15 in the Kee High School gymnasium to kick off this week’s Homecoming festivities. The change made last year to an earlier coronation date will now allow the King and Queen to preside over the entire Homecoming Week. Celebratory pages highlighting Kee’s 2024 Homecoming can be found inside this week’s Standard on Pages 14-15. Photo by Danielle Potter.

Pick up the Wednesday, September 18, 2024 print edition of The Standard or subscribe to our e-edition or print edition by clicking here.

Students at Waukon High School have selected their Homecoming Court representatives for the 2024 celebration, with the coronation of this year's Homecoming Queen and King scheduled to take place at the "Burning of the W" pep rally scheduled for this Thursday evening, September 19, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Waukon High School gym. Pictured in the photo above are this year's Waukon High School Homecoming Queen and King candidates from the 2024-2025 Senior class, including: Left to right - Front row: Queen candidates Reese McCormick, Faith Cooper, Mari Delaney, Olivia Dougherty; Back row: King candidates Judah Johnson, Ethan Gibbs, Jaxon Brinkman, Carson Hager.

This Friday, September 20 will feature a first-ever event in the Archdiocese of Dubuque, and it will be taking place in rural Allamakee County. The Johanningmeier and Deering families of Distant View Farms, located at 853 State Highway 76 South, Monona, nine miles southeast of Waukon and about a mile east of Rossville, will be hosting the Archdiocese’s inaugural Rural Life Mass, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Friday. Archbishop Thomas Zinkula, who grew up on a farm with his eight siblings, greatly appreciates rural life and is excited to celebrate this Rural Life Mass in rural Allamakee County. This first-of-its-kind Archdiocesan event recognizes the many people who work the land and live in Iowa’s rural communities.

by Lissa Blake

Sometimes having a real conversation with another human being can really help a person’s state of mind. “Everyone is dealing with a lot of stuff,” said Pastor Grant Vander Velden of First Presbyterian Church in Waukon.

Vander Velden said following the COVID-19 pandemic, when human interactions were at an all-time low, he started hanging out in coffee shops, just to get back to being around people and to be more available for others. “I started having these incredible conversations with people,” he said. “Sometimes you just need some assurance that you are not the only one.”

Vander Velden hosts weekly Talk Times Wednesdays, from 3-5:30 p.m. as a specific time for people to stop in at Aztec Parlor on Main Street in Waukon and simply visit with him.