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The North Iowa Area Community College John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (NIACC JPEC) conducted the Youth Entrepreneurial Academy July 9-13 sponsored by the John K. and Luise V. Hanson Foundation. The academy is offered annually and free to all high school students interested in entrepreneurship.

Participants receive a $500 NIACC scholarship sponsored by John Pappajohn. This year’s academy included 13 high school students. The aspiring entrepreneurs completed the academy, which is held as a day camp each day. Students were given the opportunity to stay in NIACC’s student housing, and several students elected to do so. Students not staying in the student housing received gas cards to help cover the week’s travel from their homes to NIACC.

The Waukon Middle School 10th Hour June summer program was involved in many activities this past session. The students began the summer with learning the fine points of operating a Canon Power Shot camera so they could document each activity. Brittany Todd, owner of “Photography by Brittany” in Decorah, furthered that education in operating the cameras as the students toured her shop and listened to her explain in-depth instructions on a guided use of their cameras. Nathan Todd, proprietor of the Sugar Bowl in Decorah, also led the group in a tour of his ice cream parlor, which is known for its 24 flavors of ice cream. Students enjoyed the flavors of cookie dough, Zanzibar chocolate, cotton candy, and strawberry cheese cake. During an adventure day the students had at Luther College, they took on the Challenge Course that required nerves of steel, teamwork and large motor skills. Students flew through the air attached to harnesses that were hooked to their teammates.

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) has been participating in the Free Summer Food Service Program again this year, and its final offering for this year of those free breakfast and lunch meals will begin Wednesday, August 1. Menus for those final August dates accompany this article (both printed at right). Breakfast and lunch will be provided to all children ages one through this past spring’s graduating seniors at no charge and are the same for all children, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service.

Meals will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis at the sites and times as follows:

• Waukon Middle School Cafeteria: Mondays-Fridays, August 1-14. Breakfast will be served from 8-9 a.m. and lunch will be served from 11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

The last home games of the 2018 season were special ones for the Lansing Mudcats Little League baseball and softball teams. The July 10 game for the baseball Mudcats (pictured at right) and the July 11 game for the Mudcats softball team (pictured below at right) were each dedicated to the memory of their teammate, classmate and friend, Austyn Seitz, the son of Tony and Becky Seitz of Lansing who passed away suddenly in July 2015 at the age of seven. The players came up with the idea on their own and approached their coaches about doing something during the season as a tribute to Austyn to honor his memory and recognize that he has not been forgotten by his peers. He would have completed fourth grade this past school year and this would have been his first year as a member of the Mudcats traveling baseball team, which fields a combined squad of fourth through seventh grade players.

The mission of an athletic booster club is to provide support for a school’s athletic teams in such aspects as financial, equipment and other resource needs. This year, the Allamakee Athletic Booster Club supporting the Waukon High School and Middle School athletic teams certainly put an extra “boost” in booster club.

That boost came in the form of an additional nearly $35,000 in financial support that helped with the purchase of a variety of equipment, some more sport specific and some that can benefit all sports. These purchases were made over and above what the Booster Club and the athletic teams would normally spend in a year to provide those teams with equipment, training and other preparation and competition opportunities.

The 29th Annual Shooky Fink Wood Bat Baseball Tournament was held Thursday, July 12 and Friday, July 13 in New Albin. Thursday was the 11U Division, with New Albin, Lansing and Hokah and Spring Grove teams from Minnesota competing in a round-robin style tournament. New Albin finished in first place, with Hokah finishing as runner-up. In Friday’s 13U division, Pool A consisted of Waukon, Spring Grove, MN and Lansing, while Pool B consisted of New Albin and Lanesboro and Hokah from Minnesota. New Albin and Waukon both won their respective pools to advance to the championship game, which was rescheduled to Monday, July 16 due to a rainout Friday. New Albin defeated Waukon, 5-4, in that championship game to claim first place, while Waukon was runner up.

The Waukon High School wrestling team participated in the 2018 Luther College Team Wrestling Camp in Decorah. Campers at the 2018 camps participated in team building activities, and “Train Like a Norseman”, technique and live wrestling sessions. The camp closed with an individual tournament.

Jakob Regan and Tyler Block, members of the Waukon wrestling team, earned Wrestler of the Day honors from Luther camp coach Hunter Weaver, who provided guidance to wrestlers with quality feedback throughout the camp. The Waukon wrestling team is coached by Mason Berns and Caleb Ferring.
 

Richard Allen Ellefson, 68, of Lansing died suddenly Wednesday, July 18, 2018 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. A celebration of life for Rich will be held Sunday, July 29 at Mount Hosmer in Lansing, beginning at 11 a.m. Everyone is welcome to attend and share their memories with the family.

Rich was born January 25, 1950 to Junice (Ellefson) Bolsinger in Waukon. He attended school in Lansing and graduated from Kee High School in 1968. December 12, 1980 he was united in marriage to Yvonne Smith. To this union two sons were born. The couple later divorced.

Rich enjoyed going out for breakfast at Nutmeg’s, going out to eat at Milty’s, having a few beers at the OP, and playing cards. Rich also liked hunting deer and hunting turkeys. Rich was very kin- hearted and loved helping people, and he was a “fixture” of Lansing. Rich was employed at Northern Engraving for numerous years until the plant closed.

Harry M. and Janet Anne Hite of Falls Church, VA passed away within nearly two months of one another at Sunrise Care Facility in Falls Church, VA. Harry passed away May 5, 2018 at the age of 92 and Janet passed away July 13, 2018 at the age of 85. Graveside services for Harry were held May 15 and Janet’s graveside services were held July 20, both in King David Memorial Gardens at National Memorial Park in Falls Church, VA with Fr. David A. Whitestone, Pastor of St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Fairfax, VA officiating.

Harry Hite was born in December of 1926 in Front Royal, VA to Thomas and Edith Hite. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Law. He was a governmental lawyer who worked at the Pentagon, the U.S. Department of Defense, the FBI and 20 years at the U.S. State Department.

Ramona L. Ward, 69, of Waukon died Thursday, July 19, 2018 from complications of a lung disease at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, MN. Funeral services were held Monday, July 23 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. Mark Osterhaus officiating. Burial was at St. Mary’s Hanover Cemetery in rural Waukon.

Ramona Louise Ward was born May 17, 1949 in Spring Grove, MN, the daughter of Emmet and Lillian (Doubek) Schwartzhoff. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Dorchester, attended elementary school in Dorchester and graduated from Waukon High School.