The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, July 17 to address a full agenda of items, including the discussion of handicapped signage, a proposed half marathon and relay running event, and quarterly reports for Planning and Zoning and the Relief Office. Chairperson Larry Schellhammer called the meeting to order.
The Supervisors moved into Public Comment, with Allamakee County Emergency Management Coordinator Corey Snitker offering to provide a presentation at the July 24 meeting regarding the Des Moines Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) safety plans and protocols for Allamakee County, including plans for severe weather, emergency shelters, railroad safety, law enforcement, medical and fire safety. The Supervisors discussed their recent tour of the Agri Star meat and poultry facility in Postville.
Take the journey up to the Marching Bears mound group with a Ranger at Effigy Mounds National Monument Thursday, July 27. Marching Bears is a late woodland mound complex that is thought to be amongst the most important preserved effigy mound groups in North America. This four-mile guided interpretive hike will take approximately three hours to complete. The moderately strenuous walk will focus on the lifestyles of American Indians who built the mounds between 1,250-900 years ago. Visitors should wear sturdy walking shoes, bring plenty of water and meet the Ranger at 9 a.m. at the Marching Bears trail access located across the railroad tracks off Highway 76, a quarter mile south of the headquarters of Effigy Mounds National Monument. Reservations are required, space is limited to 20 people, and no pets are allowed. To register, call 563-873-3491, ext. 123 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Participating in the Thunder Rode Drill Team event during the Winneshiek County Fair Wednesday, July 21 were a pair of Waukon residents. Justin Berns of Waukon is pictured above riding Buddy, who is being led by Meg Sessions with the assistance of sidewalker Rebecca Anderson. TJ Vobr of Waukon is pictured below riding Lilly, who is led by April Kruse with assistance from sidewalker Rose Hansen. The Waukon pair made up half of this year's Thunder Rode Drill Team event at the fair, a therapeutic horseback riding program based in rural Decorah. Photos by Lissa Blake.
... that Iowa has experienced its first Fourth of July with legal fireworks sales in a long time, and the results seem mixed. There were a few fires, and a few city councils received enough complaints to maybe reconsider previous actions.
I don’t even know if fireworks were legal in Waukon. There was something in a news story, but since I was not involved, it did not register. I do know I heard fewer fireworks this year than in many past years, when they were not allowed to be sold. It was as if those inclined to purchase them decided that if it was legal, it wasn’t fun anymore!
Were fireworks legal in Iowa in the days of my youth? I don’t know. I know the kids in the neighborhood in which we lived in those days, just west of the Waukon Greenhouse, had firecrackers. That would have been in about 1943 or 1944.
Lansing RAGBRAI® officials have provided the maps at left and below to alert area residents of the road closures and detours that will be put in place during the RAGBRAI visit to Lansing scheduled for Saturday, July 29. RAGBRAI bicyclists will be entering Lansing on the south edge of town, traveling Great River Road (County Road X52) from Harpers Ferry, before making their way to one of the three final tire-dip locations along the Mississippi River.
The black bars located on the maps at left and below indicate where streets in Lansing will be blocked off to vehicle traffic. That blocking of traffic basically protects the Great River Road bicyclist entrance route, as well as the Main Street locations that will serve as the activity and entertainment center for Lansing's celebration as the final destination of RAGBRAI XLV.
As one could appreciate, with 10,000-plus bike riders moving across the state during RAGBRAI® XLV, there is a large support system that also moves along with this group in the form of motor vehicles. These support vehicles follow the bike ride across the state and that supporting crew is made up of approximately 1,500 vehicles of all types who are transporting the riders' tents, personal items and other articles. These vehicles are normally registered with Des Moines RAGBRAI and issued vehicle passes and move from overnight town to overnight town during the ride.
These support vehicles are provided an official route separate of the bike riders and are directed to remain off the bicycle route and not to go into any pass-through towns. In addition, these roads are marked to assist the drivers as they travel.
Waukon baseball senior designated hitter Brandon Regan takes a cut at a pitch in the Indians’ 12-2 district semifinal loss at seventh-rated Dyersville Beckman Wednesday, July 12. Regan is one of four Indians this season who had their high school athletic careers ended by the loss. View and find out how to purchase this photo and many more by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on this website.
The Waukon baseball team had its 2017 season brought to a close by one of the highest regarded teams in the state, as the seventh-rated Dyersville Beckman Trailblazers disposed of the Indians by a mercy-rule final of 12-2 in five innings in the district semifinal round of Class 2A tournament play. The game began Tuesday, July 11 at the home of the Blazers and played through a single full inning with the score tied at 2-2, but a lightning delay eventually turned into a postponement to Wednesday, July 12 after more than an hour wait for a storm to pass through. That postponement proved to be troublesome for the Indians, as after that 2-2 first inning the Indians were turned away in order in each of the next four innings, the Tribe being outscored by a 10-0 margin after play resumed a day later to lead to the 12-2 Indian defeat.
Kee baseball senior right fielder Evan Whalen chases down a fly ball in the Hawks’ 9-2 home win over Nashua-Plainfield Tuesday, July 11. Photo by Jordyn Burroughs. View and find out how to purchase this photo and many more by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on The Standard’s website, www.waukonstandard.com.
Postseason tournament play is supposed to be the most exciting time of the season, and the Kee baseball team took that excitement level even higher as the Hawks played to a Class 1A District 5 championship and substate berth with three consecutive victories at home this past week, including a pair of one-run triumphs earned in dramatic late-inning fashion in their final two district tournament games. The baseball Hawks opened their postseason tournament road with a 9-2 win over Nashua-Plainfield at home Tuesday, July 11 before pulling out one of those one-run triumphs, 9-8, over Turkey Valley with a five-run sixth inning Thursday, July 13. Kee then clinched its first substate berth since the 2012 season with even further dramatics, scoring the game-winning run on the last play of a 5-4 victory over St. Ansgar Saturday, July 15.
June 23, eight ladies from the Harpers Ferry Fireflies team traveled to Des Moines to partake in the Iowa Senior Games, participating in the free throw shooting contest, Around the World, and in the afternoon they participated in the 3-on-3 basketball tournament under the name of Girls on Fire. In the morning contests, Judy Kelly of Prairie du Chien, WI won a bronze medal in the free throw contest for her age group. Sherry Adney of McGregor won the gold medal for her age group in the free throw contest, and Georgia Jones of McGregor won a gold medal in the free throw contest and a silver medal in the Around the World contest in her age group. In the afternoon event, the Girls on Fire placed first in a hotly-contested 3-on-3 tournament. The three teams placing in the medals each won two games and lost one.