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Hairball to headline Friday's grandstand entertainment; Variety of activities and events planned

This week, July 20-24,  the 169th Allamakee County Fair will be held for all to enjoy at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds in Waukon. A wide variety of entertainment is in place to headline this year’s Fair at the grandstand, along with a great deal of other activities for everyone to enjoy each and every day throughout the five-day event.

Kicking off this year’s grandstand entertainment line-up Wednesday, July 20 at 7 p.m. will be a Truck and Tractor Pull featuring local trucks and tractors as well as some powered-up regional competitors in a variety of high-revving classes. Free admission is being granted to all local military veterans for that truck and tractor pull event.

The Allamakee County Community Foundation (ACCF) awarded a grant in the amount of $20,000 to the Building New Traditions Campaign at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds in Waukon. The Building New Traditions Campaign has been dedicated toward constructing a new, larger all-species youth livestock show barn centrally located at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds, a project that also involved relocation, elimination and transformation of some of the other livestock buildings at the Fairgrounds, with those improvements having been made and those facilities now being ready for use at this year’s Allamakee County Fair taking place this week.

The family of Andrew and Emily Moore of Waukon recently donated $5,000 to the Building New Traditions Campaign at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds in Waukon. The Building New Traditions Campaign has been dedicated toward constructing a new, larger all-species youth livestock show barn centrally located at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds, a project that also involved relocation, elimination and transformation of some of the other livestock buildings at the Fairgrounds, with those improvements having been made and those facilities now being ready for use at this year’s Allamakee County Fair taking place this week. Pictured above at the donation presentation at the site of the new building construction are, left to right - Front row: Abigail, Emily, Andrew, Maxwell and Jackson Moore; Back row: Allamakee County Fair Board members Bobbi Baxter, Brian Kerndt, Tyler Plein and McKayla Rethamel.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson In 1995, New Albin celebrated its centennial of the first 100 years of existence. Calculations may leave some wondering how 150 years are now being celebrated, just 27 years later. The answer lies in when the countdown begins. The Centennial in 1995 commemorated the incorporation of the town of New Albin in 1895, but the upcoming 150th year celebration goes back to the origins of the town when it was first platted in 1872 as the railroad came to the area. This is only fitting since a lot of activity and building took place before the town became officially incorporated. The northernmost town in Iowa, New Albin, has evolved through several growth spurts. It once had a 20-bed hospital and an airport, plus numerous professional and retail establishments. THE PAST Before the town existed, the area was home to many Native American tribes including the Sac, Fox, Sioux and Winnebago.

July 19 coronation event and Youth Showcase will kick off the 169th Allamakee County Fair
 

Five Allamakee County young ladies are vying for the title of 2022 Allamakee County Fair Queen. Those five candidates for this year’s crown include Maycie Curtin, Mckenzie Kaeser and Claire Opperman, all students at Waukon High School, and Rhianna Jones and Cheyanne Troendle, both students at Kee High School in Lansing.

Each candidate participated in an individual and group interview held Wednesday, July 6 at Veterans Memorial Hospital where they were judged on their professionalism, personality and poise. The Fair Queen Coronation will be held Tuesday, July 19 at the Allamakee Fairgrounds Pavilion following the Youth Showcase that starts at 7 p.m. The event is free to attend and open to the public.

Photos and biographies of the candidates seeking this year’s Allamakee County Fair Queen crown are printed here:

Maycie Curtin

by Abigail Waters

Over the last few years, a trend of increasing participation in goat, swine and dairy showing exhibits has made the Allamakee County Fair Board take a good look at the facilities at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds and think about what improvements the board could make for the future.

That assessment has resulted in the construction of a new, larger all-species livestock show barn through a “Building New Traditions” campaign that has taken place throughout this past year. That new show barn is currently being completed in time for use during this year’s Allamakee County Fair in just a couple weeks.

The Standard talks with festival founder, Waukon’s Katie O’Regan, about the festival and her film premiere

by Julie Berg-Raymond

Sacred Noise Society, Inc. announces the Star City Film Festival, scheduled for July 15-17 at the historic Town Theater on Main Street in downtown Waukon. This is a coming-home for both the film festival and its founder, Katie O’Regan, of Waukon - a long-time actress, producer, director, and founder of Sacred Noise Society, Inc.

O’Regan initiated what was then called the Spring Grove International Film Festival in Spring Grove, MN in 2020. The festival featured an independent film called “Senior Entourage,” directed by L.A.-based artist Brian Connors. One of the stars of that film was multiple award-winning actor, the late Ed Asner - who came to Spring Grove as the inaugural film festival’s guest of honor.

Brandon Propes of Webster City is a musician who plays guitar, bass, piano and drums. He records his own original instrumental songs, and he recently found inspiration at the Yellow River State Forest in rural Allamakee County.

“For inspiration through the pandemic, I turned to hiking and writing a composition to audibly describe how I felt in that moment,” Propes said. “I have grown proud of these songs. One song in particular was inspired by the Scenic Overlook of Big Paint Campground. I put the album cover for that single as the picture I took that morning. I have the songs under my old band’s name, The Coming Tides, and they are available on all platforms.”

Propes was born in northwest Indiana. His parents split up when he was young, and he ended up moving to Iowa.

“One of my fondest memories as a kid was fishing for trout in Indiana. We lost my dad too young, he was just 48,” Propes explained.

The Allamakee County Auditor’s office would like to clarify an issue that impacted some local voters when importing vote credit for those who voted in the June 7 Primary Election.

Voters in Precinct 2 (French Creek, Jefferson, Ludlow, Makee and Union Prairie Townships) who voted at the Waukon Banquet Center in that June 7 Primary Election have since received two new Voter Registration cards addressed from the Allamakee County Auditor’s Office following the election. The first card was issued due to a clerical error - the wrong box was inadvertently checked in the State of Iowa voter registration system during the auditor’s import process to give voters credit for voting in the Primary.

by David M. Johnson

Old Glory, the Flag, the Stars and Stripes, are monikers or other names for the flag of the United States. As this nation has observed, or will soon observe, at least one recent or upcoming holiday or designated day in recent months - Memorial Day in May, Flag Day in June and Independence Day in July - much attention is drawn to that symbol of this nation.

History tells the tale that this nation’s flag began its storied history during the 1775-1776 time period.  Betsy Ross is historically noted to have been given the responsibility to sew a flag that would best represent her emerging country from the colonial grip of England.