The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, August 14 to address a full agenda of matters including the opening and consideration of bids for concrete pavement patching, consideration of a change to the 28E Agreement for County Social Services, and discussion of returning unused tax dollars by Iowa State University Extension and the consideration of a proposal for use of these same funds for grant purposes.
The meeting was called to order by Board of Supervisors Chairperson Dan Byrnes with Supervisors Mark Reiser and Dennis Keatley present. There was no Public Comment during the time allotted for that agenda item.
Thursday morning, August 10, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst made Waukon Feed Ranch one of her stops during a day that also included additional visits to Butler and Winnebago Counties. Ernst began her day in Allamakee County with a tour at Waukon Feed Ranch. She is pictured above during her discussion with representatives of the Waukon Feed Ranch ownership and management network.
Among the variety of topics discussed with Senator Ernst was the Farm Bill, which she expects to be completed in early 2024, noting there are budgeting constraints and discussions on how to allocate the money. Senator Ernst said the Farm Bill is expected to be around $1.5 trillion, with 14% of that funding being allocated to farm programs and 86% designated for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other food assistance programs, with details being worked on as to who should be receiving SNAP benefits.
Waukon resident Dave Blocker was sworn in as the new Ward 3 representative on the Waukon City Council after he was appointed to the open position at the Monday, August 7 meeting of the Waukon City Council. Blocker was appointed to the Ward 3 seat after former Ward 3 councilman Arvid Hatlan was appointed to the office of Waukon Mayor following the resignation of former mayor Pat Stone in May of this year. Pictured above at the Tuesday, August 8 swearing-in ceremony are, left to right, Waukon Mayor Arvid Hatlan, Waukon City Clerk Sarah Snitker, new Ward 3 Waukon City Councilman Dave Blocker and At-Large Waukon City Councilman and Mayor Pro-Tem Kevin Johnson. Standard photo by Joe Moses.
Family affair has championship heir ... The foursome pictured above represents three generations of the Wayne and Nona Sawyer family of Waukon that played in the 2023 Waukon Golf & Country Club Men’s Invitational July 29-30, in addition to the top two finishers at this year’s event. Pictured, left to right, are Mike Sawyer and his son, Owen Sawyer; their father and grandfather, Wayne Sawyer; and Wayne Sawyer’s oldest son, Scott Sawyer. In his first time playing in the tournament and the first time this family foursome has played together in the annual event, Owen Sawyer topped the entire tournament field with some record-setting rounds that ended up at 124 strokes, five strokes ahead of the runner-up finish of his father, Mike, who has been a multiple-year winner of the tournament. Submitted photo.
Those involved with the 2023 Waukon Men’s Invitational Golf Tournament held July 29-30 at the Waukon Golf & Country Club say this year’s tournament will be one of the most memorable for a number of reasons. Several feats of notoriety made this year’s tournament stand out, including some scoring records, a couple hole-in-one feats and a new generation being adding to the championship plaque.
Owen Sawyer, a graduate of Cedar Falls High School this past spring who was playing in the event for the first time, won the tournament by shooting a 65 in Round 1 and following that tally with what is believed to be a tournament record 59 in Round 2. His back 9 score of 28 is believed to have tied a course record as well.
Each year the Waukon Swim Club honors swimmers with the Michael J. Hager Award given in memory of Michael J. Hager (1960-1991), who was the son of Bonnie and the late James Hager of Waukon. This year’s Michael J. Hager Award recipients are pictured at right, left to right, Dane Burns and Allia Ericson.
Michael Hager loved swimming. In 1976, as a lifeguard at the pool, he started the Waukon Swim Club. He worked as a lifeguard, swam with the club and coached until he graduated from high school in 1978. He went on to attend college for one year at William Penn University and then transferred to Luther College, where he swam for the Norse for three years. Each summer, Hager would come home to coach the swim team and lifeguard at the pool until he graduated from Luther in 1982. Hager believed that a swimmer did not have to be a technical or precision swimmer to be good in the sport. He believed that everyone could learn to swim and love the water.
Left to right - Front row: Leah Bulman, Justine Sullivan, Andrea Gibbs, Lexy Johnson; Back row: Reed Kelly, Isaac Roe, Noah Hatlan. Not pictured: Brock Hatlan and Lainey Sweeney. Submitted photo.
InnerTuba pays a visit to Thornton Manor ... United Kingdom native Jon Hodkin (far right in the above photo) brought his cycling musical tour that he calls InnerTuba to Lansing Monday, August 7. As part of his stop in Lansing, Hodkin brought his custom-made recumbent tricycle and trailer, along with his tuba, to Thornton Manor, where he played some music and presented a program for residents of the care facility (some of whom are pictured above with him) about his InnerTuba venture that currently includes cycling the length of the Mississippi River. Submitted photo.
InnerTuba provides “inner”tainment ... Jon Hodkin, creator of InnerTuba and a native of the United Kingdom, paid a visit to Lansing Monday, August 7 as part of his 2023 Mississippi River Tour that currently has him traveling the entire length of the Mississippi River, a journey of 3,000 miles in 150 days, from a starting point in Louisiana that began April 18 of this year to a planned finish at Lake Itasca in Minnesota scheduled for mid-September. As part of his travels on his custom-made recumbent tricycle that pulls a trailer housing his tuba, Hodkin’s visit to Lansing included a photo opportunity with the iconic Black Hawk Bridge (photo above) and a musical and educational program he presented at Lansing Office Works that Monday evening (photo below). Photos by Julie Berg-Raymond.
by Julie Berg-Raymond
Even in a place that has seen tens of thousands of bicycle riders come through town - having served twice in the past six years as the destinated “dip-site” for RAGBRAI - residents of Lansing still took notice when Jon Hodkin, a self-described “Triking Tubadour,” passed through town a little over a week ago.
The “triking” in the moniker refers to a custom-made recumbent tricycle; the “tubadour” is, of course, a play on “troubadour” - the French singer-poets of medieval Europe - indicating this traveling musician’s choice of instrument: the tuba. Born in the Midlands region of England, Hodkin lives now in Thurso, Scotland - the northernmost town on the mainland of the United Kingdom.
During its regular meeting Monday, August 7, the Lansing City Council adopted Resolution No. 992, a new draft of the Allamakee County Hazard Mitigation Plan. Included in the plan are all six cities, the three public school districts and the county. The plan is waiting for final approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“I will do a follow-up visit with each participating jurisdiction each year to see what actions are being taken on the plan or if there needs to be any additions,” Allamakee County Emergency Management Coordinator Corey Snitker said. “In three and a half years we will start this process over again as the plan is required to be reviewed and updated every five years.”
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, began dredging the Mississippi River navigation channel near Brownsville, MN in Pool 8 this week to ensure the channel remains open for commercial navigation. Dredging is expected to continue in this area through Labor Day. The Above Brownsville Placement Site, known locally as Crater Island, will be closed during this time when needed for dredging operations.
Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation (NEICAC) is accepting applications for the Head Start program for the 2023-2024 school year and the year-round Early Head Start program. Head Start is an all-day free three- and four-year-old preschool program that meets five days per week and serves breakfast, lunch and snacks daily at no cost to families.
Qualified teachers use the Creative Curriculum to help children learn and provide the academic and social skills to be successful when they reach kindergarten. Free before and after school care may be available for working parents and full-time students. All families with children three to four years old by September 15 are encouraged to apply for Head Start.
