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Most return trips in consecutive years to the State Tournament at Fort Dodge would produce a message such as “We’re Back!”.

But, in its first-ever return trip to the season grand finale in consecutive seasons, the Kee softball team’s message once all was said and done in Fort Dodge was “We’re Back-to-Back!” as the softball Hawks not only returned to every team’s ultimate destination for a second consecutive season, but also returned home with a second consecutive Class 1A State Tournament Championship.

“This is an unbelievable feeling,” Kee softball coach Liz Hill said of her team’s repeat accomplishment as the best team in Iowa high school softball’s Class 1A. “I am so beyond excited, happy and proud of these girls and what they’ve accomplished. It’s really impressive, as far as what one might expect out of high school girls. They have worked so hard for a long time to accomplish what very few teams have been able to.”

Availability of book coincides with Mt. Hosmer Challenge for RAGBRAI Saturday in Lansing

by Julie Berg-Raymond

Other books have been written about Harriet Hosmer (October 9, 1830-February 21, 1908) - a neoclassical sculptor considered the most distinguished female sculptor in America during the 19th century, and the woman for whom Mt. Hosmer in Lansing is named.

Most of those books tend to focus solely on Hosmer’s unconventional life and career in the context of a society that observed strict gender norms. If Lansing and the hill named for a woman who spent one afternoon there, early in her life, are mentioned at all, it is most likely as a reference to one interesting event in a long and fascinating life.

General public invited to "fireside chat" with Dr. Jay Alberts this Friday on Parkinson's Disease

by Julie Berg-Raymond

According to RAGBRAI®’s official website (ragbrai.com), more than 326,650 people have participated in at least some part of the 44 rides since the event began, in 1973.

Since 2003, about 50 of those people have participated each year as part of a group led by Sanborn native Dr. Jay Alberts, a researcher at the Cleveland Clinic - ranked as one of the top hospitals in America by U.S. News & World Report (2015), located in Cleveland, OH.
According to Dr. Alberts, “One unique aspect of our group is that we typically have seven to 12 Parkinson’s disease patients riding their own bike or on tandem throughout the week (of RAGBRAI).”

Wednesday evening, July 19, a storm producing high winds and heavy rain blew through the tri-state area, leaving a path of damage in its wake. According to the National Weather Service, the storm ultimately produced a confirmed F-1 tornado that caused severe damage in the Clayton County town of McGregor and ultimately produced wind gusts well in excess of 70 mph throughout the region, including in Allamakee County, that resulted in damage such as that pictured below.

Allamakee County Emergency Management Coordinator Corey Snitker reports that sirens were blown in Waukon due to the high wind gusts, and he says the southern half of the county experienced the worst wind damage, noting that the Rossville area appeared to be the hardest hit. The storm ultimately resulted in Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds making a disaster declaration for the four northeast Iowa counties of Allamakee, Clayton, Fayette and Winneshiek.

The Allamakee County Veterans Services Office has received a shipment of specially-published books in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. The initial limited shipment of books is being made available to any veteran who served in a “Boots on Ground” capacity in Vietnam or as “Brown Water Navy” on the inland waters of Vietnam. The book is also available to any surviving spouses of these specifically-listed veterans.

Youth from Lansing (pictured in group photo above) and Waukon (pictured in group photo below) explored the wonderful world of worms in June. They received hands-on learning with roughly 1,000 composting worms. The youth started off with a worm questionnaire to test their knowledge and learned some surprising new facts, such as worms hatch from cocoons, they don’t have eyes or teeth, and they breathe through their skin. They were able to compare composting worms to nightcrawlers and get a better look at each with magnifying glasses. Youth learned more about worms while completing experiments which included testing if worms liked wet or dry surfaces, rough or smooth surfaces, if they preferred the light or dark, and also if worms had a preference for smells. Before leaving, youth made their own composting bins with newspaper, learning how much to add and how wet it should be.

It’s a plane. It’s a helicopter. No, it’s a drone! Youth in third through fifth grades became more familiar with drones as they learned the different parts, terminology and rules and regulations of flying a drone. They first learned of the endless possibilities that law enforcement/fire departments use a drone for, such as locating missing people, reaching remote locations to observe damage, checking buildings for hot spots after a fire, dropping aid and many more. Youth learned about rotary wing and fixed wing aircrafts when experimenting with prop-copters and Styrofoam gliders. Some new terminology for the youth included words like roll, pitch and yaw, which are three dynamics that help create a flight path for planes and drones. Colin Brennan from Lansing brought his drone and explained to the youth some of the rules and regulations that he was to follow in order to use his drone for business, capturing photos and video.

Waukon State Bank made a donation in support of the Harpers Ferry Splash Pad project, a planned youth-friendly water activity to be located near the Ethel Robinson Meehan Community Center in Harpers Ferry. A donation of $2,500 was presented to Lindsey Deason, representing the Harpers Ferry Boosters. Pictured in the above photo, left to right, are: Back row - Amy McCormick of Waukon State Bank and Lindsey Deason of Harpers Ferry Boosters. Front row - Keira McCormick, Kennedy McCormick, Kaylin Deason and Mitchell Deason. For more information on the Harpers Ferry Splash Pad project, contact Lindsey Deason at 563-880-3225. Anyone interested in supporting the project can mail donations to Harpers Ferry Boosters, Inc. (Splash Pad), P.O. Box 162, Harpers Ferry, IA 52146. Submitted photo.
 

In partnership with Allamakee County 4-H, the Waukon VFW Auxiliary #4117 awarded citizenship awards to 4-H members at the 2017 Allamakee County Fair Youth Showcase held Tuesday, July 18 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion. Allamakee County Fair 4-H entries that show “The Way Our Youth Honor Their Veterans” were eligible for recognition by VFW Auxiliary #4117. First place was awarded to Diana Davison for her participation in Quilts of Valor that are presented to Allamakee County veterans. Second place was bestowed upon Ainsly Lydon for her American flag string art project. Two third-place awards were given to Sean Liddiard, for his photograph of Arlington Cemetery, and to Ashley Liddiard, for her Iwo Jima Memorial photograph. Certificates were presented by Auxiliary President Sherry Bechtel to the winning entries, along with a cash award. Pictured left to right, are Ainsly Lydon, Sean Liddiard, Ashley Liddiard, Diana Davison, Sherry Bechtel. Submitted photo.
 

With the ever present potential for bad weather or some other emergency happening; and given that as I am writing this we are just recovering from a very bad windstorm and currently waiting for some more potential bad weather, it seemed fitting to end my three-part series on RAGBRAI safety with some information on the emergency shelter plan that has been developed. This plan is especially important given that we are expecting, at a minimum, some 10,000 riders, plus thousands of support staff and unknown numbers of spectators and party-goers; and they basically have nowhere to go in the event of an emergency.