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The Allamakee County Fair Board is finalizing plans for the 2020 Allamakee County Fair, an event that has been modified this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigation guidelines put in place as a result of that virus. Still being planned for its original timeframe of next week, many of the same fair events are still being held as planned but with modifications to either schedules or format, beginning next Tuesday, July 7 with the first 4-H animal show and lasting through Sunday, July 12. A full schedule of this year’s Allamakee County Fair events can also be found on Page 24 in the July 1, 2020 edition of The Standard.

Despite many larger Fourth of July events being canceled this year due to COVID-19, many area communities will still be offering their fireworks displays. Those attending are reminded to maintain social distancing and keep other mitigation guidelines in mind. The following most local fireworks shows are all planned for this Saturday, July 4:
• Harpers Ferry at dusk
• Lansing at 10 p.m.
• Marquette at 9 p.m.
• Monona at dusk
• Eitzen, MN at dusk

Allamakee County residents are being reminded that each community’s Severe Weather Warning Sirens will normally be tested the first Thursday of every month in the morning around 10 a.m. The next scheduled test is for this Thursday, July 2.

Allamakee County Emergency Management Coordinator Corey Snitker says the purpose is to test the County’s remote siren activation system operated from the Allamakee County E911 Dispatch Center located at the Sheriff’s Office north of Waukon. This system allows the dispatcher on duty to remotely activate any community warning siren in the event of threatening weather from their location, thereby expediting siren activation in an emergency.
 

Due to restrictions in place regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Iowa State Extension and Outreach - Allamakee County 4-H Program has created an alternative fair experience for youth exhibitors to be implemented this year.

Local 4-H and FFA youth will have the opportunity to show their livestock in a private fair experience during the week of July 7-12, according to the schedule printed on Page 24 in this week’s edition of The Standard. With this unique fair experience, youth will not be selling their live animals as in years past, prior arrangements for market animals have already been made.

In place of the traditional Livestock Auction, youth will participate in a Premium Auction. Local supporters can still bid and pay a premium on a youth to reward them for their hard work and help them offset expenses incurred. This premium will then help fund next year’s projects, as plans are to return to the more traditional Livestock Auction for next year’s fair.

Having had just one confirmed positive case of COVID-19 reported for the entire first three weeks of June, Allamakee County has now been reported as having two additional confirmed cases in just this past week, the last full week of the month. Those two new cases this past week bump the Allamakee County total to 123 total cases, with a total of 155 tests reported as being conducted within the county during this same past week’s timeframe.

by Lissa Blake

The Coronavirus is real and it affects real people. That’s something the children of Gary and Carol Bahr of Waukon have learned first-hand in heartbreaking fashion over the past two months, when COVID-19 took the lives of both of their parents.

Gary and Carol Bahr, both 74 years old, passed away within days of each other in mid-April and early May of this year. Although Gary was the first one to be hospitalized, his wife of 54 years preceded him in death by three weeks.

Their children, Jeff Bahr of Onalaska, WI and Jason Bahr and Jenny (Bahr) Kugel, both of Waukon, recently shared their family’s story with The Standard in an effort make people realize how real this virus is and how much of an impact it can have.

Variety of free entertainment and events; Tickets for grandstand admission go on sale this Friday

The Allamakee County Fair Board continues to make plans for the 2020 Allamakee County Fair, an event that will be modified this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigation guidelines put in place as a result of that virus. Despite the modifications, all involved with the planning process have been working hard to provide the best variety of events and entertainment possible under the unprecedented situation presented by the pandemic virus.

The 2020 Allamakee County Dairy Days Parade was able to take place Monday, June 15 in Waukon, being postponed from its original date of June 1 due to concerns and mitigation guidelines in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the postponement and virus concerns, approximately 35 entries traveled the parade route with a good number of parade viewers lining the route as well. The annual celebration brings together those representing the future of the industry, such as the Allamakee County Dairy Ambassadors and Allamakee County Dairy Royalty (all pictured above), as well as those who have represented or supported the industry in a variety of ways currently and throughout its storied past in Allamakee County, all in an effort to recognize the importance of the dairy industry to all who live, work and play in Allamakee County.

For the second time in three weeks, and just the second time since case statistics began to be reported in March of this year, Allamakee County recorded another full Monday-to-Monday week of no new confirmed cases of COVID-19. This past week of no new cases follows a previous week of just one new case reported, which actually followed the first week of no new cases for the county.

The 2020 U.S. Census has been underway since early spring this year, basically limited to self-reporting mode thus far due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With U.S. residents being invited via mail to complete the Census online, over the telephone or through the mail itself, Allamakee County ranks as one of the lowest counties in the state of Iowa in regard to self-response rate to that counting measure.

As of Monday, June 15, the state of Iowa average for self-response was listed at 67.5% overall, with Allamakee County’s response rate being listed at just 54.0%, which ranks 97th out of all of Iowa’s 99 counties. Only Ringgold County (53.3%) in southwest Iowa and Dickinson County (43.0%) in northwest Iowa have lower response rates from their residents. The last time the U.S. Census was conducted, in 2010, the state of Iowa response rate was 73%.