This letter probably should be private and personal, but the event was so overwhelmingly nice I want to write it openly to all. September 15 our great-grandson Ian and Allison were married at St. Pat’s Catholic Church here in Waukon. This beautiful church was built in 1912 and it was filled with well wishers and supporters sending best wishes to the new couple.
Now, as a great-grandfather I feel I can give some advice. I want them both to pledge to honor God by attending church service every Sunday. If they do that it will become a natural habit and hopefully some of their friends will do the same. There is nothing nicer than seeing a young, newly married couple put our Lord Jesus in their lives. Health and happiness will be theirs. God bless them.
The election is getting close, so let’s review. From my experience first-hand, I know there needs to be a change.
I know I have been through this before, and probably think I should move on and get over it. The move I have done, but the lies, the unfairness of not being treated equal and the disrespect I received looking for true answers stays with me.
Sure, the loss of that 25x152-foot section of property was hurtful, but we are all going to end up with the same little piece of land in the end anyway. The dishonesty, the unfairness, the inequality and the disrespect, was this because I was a woman, alone or was it because I had the courage to approach them with questions, trying to find the truth?
Repurposing an iconic piece of Waterville history ... Waterville Mayor Dave Monserud sits in the new Waterville City Council meeting room now located in the former Waterville Elementary School building. The Waterville Public Library and a room dedicated to Waterville history are also currently housed in the former school building, with planning also currently taking place for remaining space within the former school structure. Photo by Kelli Boylen.
Room dedicated to Waterville history ... Work is underway on the History Room in the new Waterville Community Center. The room will include new trophy cases (one of which is featured at right) and a display of photos of classes that graduated from Waterville High School. Photo by Kelli Boylen.
Public library now housed in director’s former first grade classroom ... Although the Waterville Public Library now has less space than in its previous location, Library Director Heather Bente said they are excited to be in the new location. The library’s 5,000 volumes are now housed in the Waterville Elementary School room where Bente once attended first grade. Photo by Kelli Boylen.
by Kelli Boylen
For many, the thought of the Allamakee Community School District closing the doors at Waterville Elementary School at the end of the school year earlier this spring meant the building would be left to its memories up on top of the hill and possibly fall into an undesirable existence. However, thanks to the generosity of people in the area, the school building will continue to serve “the town on the hill” as a community center.
Waterville city government has already moved its operations to the new Waterville Community Center and the Waterville Public Library has moved its more than 5,000 volumes and shelving to the new location. Work is also currently underway on a museum featuring the school and community.
Dairy Cattle Evaluation State Champions ... The Little Switzerland FFA Chapter at Waukon High School was crowned the 2018 Iowa FFA Champion Dairy Cattle Evaluation Team in early September. Pictured above, left to right, are Waukon High School agriculture instructor and FFA advisor Jessica O’Connor with team members and Waukon High School students Grace Howe, Faith Palmer, Cayla Nolting and Kaylee Gibbs. Submitted photo.
Milk Quality & Products State Champions ... The Lansing FFA Chapter at Kee High School was crowned the 2018 Iowa Champion FFA Milk Quality & Products Team in early September. Pictured above are team members including: Left to right - Front row: Kee High School students Brooke Stanley and Rachel Walleser. Back row: Kee High School student Charles Stendel, Kee High School agriculture instructor and FFA advisor Ray Rankin and Kee High School student Peter Boland. Photo courtesy of the Kee High School Yearbook.
The honor of a State Championship is something every school strives for but only a handful get to experience, so to have two schools within about a 20-minute drive of one another in the same county each achieve a State Championship on the same day is, indeed, a rarity.
That’s exactly what transpired for the FFA chapters at both Waukon and Kee High Schools Saturday, September 8, as they each had teams emerge as the best in the state of Iowa in their respective Career Development Events (CDE) held in conjunction with the 2018 Youth Dairy Classic at Manchester. The Little Switzerland FFA Chapter of Waukon High School was crowned the Iowa Champion FFA Dairy Cattle Evaluation Team and the Lansing FFA Chapter of Kee High School in Lansing was named the Iowa Champion FFA Milk Quality & Products Team.
Work has begun on the First Avenue NW resurfacing project taking place from Allamakee Street up through its 500 block to Sixth Street NW in Waukon. From the Allamakee County Courthouse up through the block housing East Elementary School, preliminary work began the week of September 19 with some initial manhole cover adjustments and cement cutting as an early step in the resurfacing project, as pictured above. Waukon City Manager Dean Hilgerson advised The Standard that the project has an anticipated October 25 completion date with River City Paving handling the resurfacing. Hilgerson indicated that a total of five blocks, with the 100 block being skipped due to recent storm sewer work and resurfacing, will be milled and resurfaced with asphalt and that Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant sidewalk work will be done at intersections with some curb and gutter removal and replacement to also take place.
Robey Memorial Library in Waukon will celebrate Teen Read WeekTM October 7-13 with special events and programs spotlighting all the great resources and activities available at the library and to encourage teens from around the area to read for their enjoyment. Thousands of libraries, schools and bookstores across the country will hold similar events centered on this year’s theme, “It’s Written in the Stars: READ!”
Teen Read Week is a time to celebrate reading for fun while encouraging teens to take advantage of reading in all its forms - books, magazines, e-books, audiobooks and more. It is also a great opportunity to encourage teens to become regular library users.
ACEC receives IADG Impact Award ... Iowa Area Development Group (IADG) President Rand Fisher (left) presents an Economic Development Impact Award to Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative Executive Vice President/General Manager Paul Foxwell (right) at the cooperative’s 80th Annual Meeting September 10. The cooperative received the award for its economic development accomplishments and commitment to local communities. Submitted photo.
The commitment of Iowa’s rural electric cooperatives goes far beyond ensuring safe, reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible energy for their member-owners. Cooperatives actively create strategic partnerships and provide technical and financial assistance to support business growth and community vitality.
Annually, Iowa Area Development Group (IADG) presents Impact Awards to utility partners who were involved in significant economic development initiatives the prior year. Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative was recognized for its extraordinary economic development accomplishments and commitment to local communities during the cooperative’s Annual Meeting held in Postville September 10.
The Northeast Iowa Food Bank has recognized a need in eastern Allamakee County for the services of a community food bank. There are two food bank programs in the western part of the county, in Waukon and in Postville, but recognizing that Allamakee is one of the poorest counties in the state, a third site was deemed as being needed.
Based on those findings, and as a result of follow-through by many local volunteers, the LIFT (Lansing Iowa Food Trust) Food Pantry will be opening Wednesday, October 3 in the Lansing Properties Building office area located at 220 South Third Street in Lansing (formerly the Rethwisch Lumber building). Hours of operation will be every Wednesday from 4-8 p.m. and those who meet the qualification guidelines are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to supplement their food needs.
The Allamakee County Historical Preservation Commission has decided to go ahead with a long-term local project involving the recording and identifying of each rural country school that existed within the boundaries of Allamakee County from the 1800s through the 1960s. This will be a multi-phase project as the Commission would like it to be as thorough as possible.
It is thought there were 80 to 90 country schools in Allamakee County at one time, some with a longer lifespan than others. At this time, it is strictly a paper project with the idea to create a portfolio or file of history for each school. In 1912 Allamakee County had 18 townships with nine divided into 63 independent school districts. The other nine were organized as school townships with 60 sub-districts. As one can imagine, this resulted in a great number of rural country schools.
The Allamakee County Community Foundation (ACCF) has announced that Krista Rasque has been selected as a new board member. Rasque is a long-time resident of Lansing.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received her Master’s in Social Work. She was employed at the La Crosse County Department of Human Services for several years, where she investigated child abuse cases and helped families overcome challenging times. She was then employed at Gundersen Health System as a social worker helping families facing substance abuse issues during pregnancy.
“The ACCF board is very pleased that Krista will be representing Lansing on the board”, stated Betty Steege, ACCF Coordinator. “Krista brings a different skill set to our board plus a unique perspective to our endowment building.”
