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by Stephanie Kelley

For 133 years, the bell from a little white church in Waterville rang out on Sunday mornings. It rang for every wedding and every funeral. It rang for every celebration and every holiday. And then, in 2010, it stopped. The little white church closed the doors and stood silent.

Across the Midwest, churches have anchored their communities. Served those in need. Baptized and buried generations of families. Housed social gatherings, and, once a week, brought entire communities together to the sound of church bells. The church was the spark that kept the town alive and a part of its identity. One could find fellowship and a whole lot of potluck within its walls.

by Lissa Blake

A wonderful first season. That’s what New Albin Improvement (NAIL) member Betsy Whitlatch had to say about the success of the New Albin Splash Pad and additional improvements made to the city park. “This was our first full summer and we heard some really great reviews,” she said.

Whitlatch said adding a new shade shelter to the park area really made it a more welcoming space for people of all ages. “That was a huge addition to the area. We saw lots of kids and families there all summer,” said Whitlatch. Whitlatch said this summer saw higher usage of the basketball courts in the park, and even though the splash pad has been winterized and is closed for the winter, the playground is still seeing some heavy use.

by Stephanie Kelley

Fiber optic internet is fast. Really fast. Using a download speed calculator, it means that what takes dial-up internet over 331 days, downloads with fiber in 34 seconds. That’s one movie in HD (high-definition). That’s 4.0 GB (gigabytes) of data. It’s easy to get confused when talking about the internet. Isn’t it all just WiFi? Actually, it’s not. WiFi, or wireless internet, is simply another type of internet, like dial-up, like fiber optics. Except that wireless travels through air with high energy radio waves, dial-up sends electrons through copper wire, and fiber optic internet is light traveling through glass.

The 30th annual Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation Christmas Fantasy will be held this weekend. The theme will be “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” which is fitting for an outdoor Fantasy.

A drive-through of lighted displays will be out in front of the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon for anyone wanting to drive through or walk through evenings during the event, which will be held Thursday-Monday, November 18-22. The grounds will be open from 5-9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday nights and from 4-7 p.m. Monday night. The format of the event was changed again this year to keep the event COVID-safe.

Silent Auction items will be displayed inside the Pavilion for anyone who would like to walk through the display of numerous items. Bidding for all the Silent Auction items will be done entirely online this year. Photos with descriptions of each item will be entered into the online auction website, which is hosted by Sweeney Auction Service.

by David M. Johnson

Midwest Veterans of America will be hosting a Veterans Day event Thursday, November 11 at Lid’s in Waukon, beginning at 6 p.m. The event will honor 20 local veterans for their service. Those who have additional questions may contact Jerry Halverson at 563-568-5275.

The Waukon Patriot Quilters will be presenting quilts to several selected local veterans this Veterans Day, Thursday, November 11 at 1 p.m. at the Sweeney Shelter by the Allamakee County Freedom Rock at the Waukon City Park. The public is invited to attend the event and honor their service.

Area veterans organizations recently donated 55 classroom flags and brackets as well as four larger flags for gymnasiums to the Allamakee Community School District. Pictured above at the flag presentation are: Left to right - Front row: Seventh grade student Lauren Kelly and eighth grade student Noah Hager of the Waukon Middle School; Back row: John Regan, Jr. and Virgil Thorstenson, both of American Legion Post 62, Waukon; James Magner of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 4117, Waukon; Waukon Middle School Principal Luke Steege; Waukon High School Principal Jennifer Garin; Joseph Kroack of American Legion Post 62, Waukon; and Buffy McGeough of American Legion Post 722, Harpers Ferry. Submitted photo.
 

Family, friends and hundreds of colleagues in law enforcement from near and far descended upon Waukon Tuesday and Wednesday, October 26 and 27 to pay their final respects to Iowa State Trooper and Waukon native Ted Benda. The 37-year-old husband and father of four young daughters suffered fatal injuries in an October 14 single-vehicle crash north of Postville while on duty and responding to a late evening call for assistance, ultimately succumbing to those injuries Wednesday, October 20 at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, WI.

Visitation for Trooper Benda was held Tuesday evening, October 26 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon, and his funeral service was held the following day in the gymnasium of the Waukon High School, where he graduated from in 2002. That gymnasium was filled to capacity in both its bleacher and floor seating by family, friends and colleagues, with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and Lt. Governor Adam Gregg among those in attendance.

Allamakee County Economic Development & Tourism (ACED) has announced Veterans Memorial Hospital & Clinic in Waukon as the 2021 Cloy Kuhse Positive Impact Award winner. The announcement was made at the ACED Annual Meeting held at Turner Hall in Postville Thursday, October 14. ACED board members Larry Schellhammer and Sammi Scholtes shared the nomination information with the attendees, which included the following excerpt: “Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) is a staple in our community - providing quality, accessible healthcare for Allamakee County. VMH has navigated the challenges and changes that have come with COVID-19, making sure the people of Allamakee County are taken care of. In the midst of one of the most turbulent times in healthcare, VMH added a clinic which has provided a critically needed service in northeast Iowa. We are lucky to have such a great healthcare facility available to us, and what a positive impact they have made in Allamakee County.”