Top Stories

by Kelli Boylen
Freelance writer

The menu varies not only from year to year, but from hour to hour. One will definitely find themselves choosing from venison, turkey and catfish, but there might also be squirrel, elk, buffalo, rabbit, alligator, duck and goose. There will be hundreds of items between the live and silent auction, and choice beverages will also be available.

It’s time for the annual Harpers Ferry Fire Department Wild Game Feed, and this year marks the 25th anniversary of the anticipated event.

According to Harpers Ferry Fire Chief Dave Cota, the Wild Game Feed started in 1994 when Robert Vavra brought up the idea of a game feed which had been held as a successful fundraiser in Swisher, where he was from. The fire department decided to give it a try and held the event at the local bar which Vavra owned.

by Kristin Kopperud-Stinn

April 4, 2019, I will be celebrating an enormous milestone in my life: the tenth anniversary of my heart transplant. I was born with numerous congenital heart defects, which surgeons worked tirelessly at correcting, patching or fixing prior to my transplant at the age of 24.

I participated in gym class until my freshman year of high school. I ran (or rather walked) a mile in 16 minutes and six seconds when I was in the fifth grade. I played the flute even though I had only 40% percent of a normal lung capacity for someone of my height and weight. I also played teeball and little league baseball.

by Lissa Blake

It should be business as usual.

That’s what Farmers & Merchants Savings Bank (FMSB) Senior Vice President Dennis Lyons had to say about the merger of FMSB and FreedomBank, which becomes effective this week.

In November of last year, FreedomBank announced it would merge with FSMB. FreedomBank currently has offices in Elkader, Monona and Postville. FMSB has locations in Waukon and Decorah.

FMSB has been owned by members of the northeast Iowa community since its inception in 1925 (primarily Waterville and Waukon). It currently has over 70 shareholders who live locally or have roots in northeast Iowa. Arthur Jacobson (d.o.d. 1986) and his family have had a controlling interest in the bank since prior to it moving to Waukon in 1962.

Intermittent lane closure will use flaggers and pilot cars

The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) road/sidewalk improvement project for State Highways 9 and 76 through Waukon is now underway, getting its start on the north end of the Hwy. 9/Allamakee Street portion of the project Monday, April 1. Although there are not expected to be any total road closures or detours involved, motorists should expect delays from intermittent lane closures along the route throughout the project, which is anticipated to continue through the end of September. To help motorists navigate those lane closures, flaggers and pilot cars will be used to guide traffic during the construction process.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) held an informational meeting at the Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library Thursday, March 21 with people interested in the historical aspects of the proposed Black Hawk Bridge replacement/repair project. The purpose of this meeting was to share thoughts and ideas with Brennan Dolan, the Iowa DOT  Cultural Resource Project Manager for Districts 1 and 2, which includes Allamakee County.

Bridge closure on A26 further narrows local travel options

A bridge repair project to remove and replace several structural steel pieces on the Iowa 9 (Black Hawk) bridge over the Mississippi River at Lansing will require closing the bridge for approximately one week beginning at 8 a.m. Monday, April 15, weather permitting, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s (DOT) New Hampton construction office. Dynamic message signs will be in place along State highway routes in both Iowa and Wisconsin to alert motorists of the road and bridge closure.

Motorists are also reminded that another popular route for local travelers to access the La Crosse/Onalaska, WI area via Lycurgus Road and Iowa River Drive (A26) also currently has a bridge closure at Irish Hollow Creek that features a detour via nearby gravel roads. That A26 bridge closing is currently in place for several months for a complete replacement of the Irish Hollow Creek Bridge.

Little Red Schoolhouse to be open for tours

The Allamakee County Historical Society is planning an All-County Rural School Reunion for Sunday, April 28. The  reunion will be from 1-4 p.m. and held at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon. Treats, coffee and lemonade will be served.

It is hoped that those fortunate enough to have attended one of the county’s  rural schools will come celebrate and share memories, stories and pictures of their educational years. The Historical Society will have equipment available to scan photographs of students and teachers even if they are not identified or not sure of the name of the school - no matter the condition, as well as poems, stories, school souvenirs, certificates for attendance, reading, spelling, or anything pertaining to the one-room schools in Allamakee County that those attending would like to have preserved to share with future generations.

by Joe Moses

Senator Charles Grassley toured the Kol-Gol, Inc. manufacturing facility in rural Waukon Tuesday, March 19 as part of his annual 99-County Tour in which he hears the concerns of Iowans he represents. Kol-Gol, Inc. is a custom metal forming company specializing in a variety of metal products including point of purchase displays, agricultural fixtures and powder coating hanging solutions.

Allamakee County Treasurer Lori Hesse would like to remind property owners the second installment of property taxes is due by the end of this month (March 2019). With the end of March falling on the weekend (Sunday, March 31), property owners will have until Monday, April 1 to pay their taxes without penalty.

Payments may be made in person at the Allamakee County Treasurer’s Office in the Allamakee County Courthouse at 110 Allamakee Street in Waukon between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Property owners should bring their tax stubs with their payment to ensure proper credit. To avoid penalty on the second installment, payment must be received in the Treasurer’s Office by Monday, April 1. Penalty begins Tuesday, April 2.

The Irish Hollow Creek Bridge pictured above along Iowa River Drive (County Road A26) and located approximately 3.5 miles southwest of New Albin adjacent to the Upper Iowa River is scheduled to be closed to all traffic beginning Monday, March 25 for a replacement project of the entire structure which was first constructed in 1946. The closing was originally scheduled to begin March 18 but the recent thawing combined with rain made the gravel roads being used as a detour around the bridge project difficult to navigate.