July 18 coronation event and Youth Showcase will kick off the 170th Allamakee County Fair
Four Allamakee County young ladies are vying for the title of 2023 Allamakee County Fair Queen. Those four candidates seeking this year’s crown include Natalie Byrnes of Waukon, Kiele Eberling of Postville, and Mallory Mohn and Riley Troendle, both of Lansing.
This year’s Fair Queen experience will be a bit different in regard to preparation and pre-coronation events for the young ladies involved. The overall end result, however, will be very similar to year’s past, where the Fair Queen Coronation will take place Tuesday, July 18 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion following the Youth Showcase that starts at 7 p.m. The coronation and Youth Showcase event is free to attend and open to the public.
State of Iowa Auditor Rob Sand will be visiting Waukon this Friday, July 14 as one of his stops in his annual 100 Townhall Tour. He plans to be at the location of the Allamakee County Freedom Rock in the Waukon City Park from 6:15-7:15 that evening.
These townhall events are open to the public and the media. This is Sand’s fifth Townhall Tour since taking office in 2019, in which he has hosted all events with advanced notice and makes them open to the public.
“The celebration of our country’s democracy is the perfect time for an elected official to say they welcome speaking to the public, instead of trying to avoid them,” said Sand in his schedule announcement just prior to the Fourth of July holiday. “Our office uncovered a record amount of waste during my first term in office in part because we listen to Iowans of all political stripes about where to look.”
The public is invited to meet with former State of Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller Thursday, July 13 at 7 p.m. at Robey Memorial Library (lower level) in Waukon to learn about the Opioid Crisis, who fueled the crisis, how these entities were held accountable, and measures enacted to prevent opioid addiction.
Miller and a bipartisan group of other states’ attorneys general sued opioid manufacturers, distributors, and other related parties for their actions in creating the opioid crisis and to recover funds to help address the damage they caused. From one of the settlements, Iowa received $225 million to help with opioid treatment and recovery. Half of any settlement money goes to Iowa’s counties and some cities, and half goes to the State of Iowa.
Opioid addiction touches many lives. Everyone is encouraged to attend.
The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, July 10 to address a full agenda of matters. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Arvid Hatlan.
During Public Comment, Executive Director Mandy Halverson of the Waukon Chamber of Commerce updated the council about the upcoming visit by Prosper Waukon, a descendant of Waukon’s founder, John Waukon, and his wife scheduled for July 24-27. Halverson noted that Prosper Waukon will be part of several events during his visit which are yet to be scheduled, with an appearance at Robey Memorial Library July 25 confirmed thus far.
Halverson also noted that KCRG will be back in Waukon to film an “Our Town” segment during the week of the Allamakee County Fair. She said that segment is scheduled to air the last week of July or in early August.
TASC, Inc., or Training Advancement Skills in the Community, has touched someone in the community in one way or another. It is a non-profit organization, one of the largest employers in Waukon, that concentrates on fulfilling the lives of the area’s lesser advantaged citizens.
After a presence of multiple decades in the local community, this organization has shown it provides assistance, service, support and supervision to adult clients who have been diagnosed with mental, physical or emotionally disabling conditions as stated by a licensed physician or psychiatrist. It is also a home and community based service that provides home services to assist individuals in their own homes.
Kerndt Brothers Bank has acquired the Securities America branch office of Rude’s Investment & Insurance Center, which was owned and operated by Brandon Rude in Decorah. Rude has a customer base encompassing much of the tri-state area, providing over 15 years of experience in investment and financial planning services.
This acquisition will provide Kerndt Brothers Bank with additional expansion of their existing investment services, including investment advising and consulting, and retirement programs for individuals, municipalities and businesses.
Jim Kerndt, President, and CEO of Kerndt Brothers Savings Bank, stated, “Brandon has over 15 years of experience in the investment field, and we are pleased he decided to join KBSB Wealth Management Services. Brandon is well positioned to assist with the complex tasks of financial planning, helping our many clients prepare now and enjoy retirement later.”
During its regular meeting Monday, July 3, Mayor Melissa Hammel signed a declaration stating that Friday, July 14 is Star City Film Festival Day in Lansing.
Hauge Norwegian Lutheran Church ... Submitted photo.
The Ferryville Tourism Council will be hosting the second program in its Chautauqua Summer Series Wednesday, July 12 in the Ferryville Community Center at 6:30 p.m. The featured presenter will be longtime Ferryville resident Larry Quamme, whose Norwegian heritage and family roots in Crawford County date back to 1870.
Quamme has taken a very active interest in the history of the Hauge Norwegian Lutheran Church on County B in rural Ferryville, WI. The Hauge movement began in Norway, and it was brought here by the immigrants who settled in southwest Wisconsin. Those who want to know more about how this happened, why it is no longer an active church, and find out information about the existing structure won’t want to miss Quamme’s presentation. Refreshments will be served as well, and everyone is welcome to attend.
The City of Lansing has partnered with Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission (UERPC) to create a community vision for the future of Main Street. The overall goal of the planning and visioning process is to identify needs, desires and concerns that residents, business owners and visitors have for the Main Street/Highway 9 corridor through Lansing. The end product will be a community-derived vision for the corridor that considers things like traffic safety, environmental impacts, historic preservation, lighting, streetscape amenities and more.
The Community of Lansing will be able to use the plan in pursuing individual projects and funding opportunities and in making decisions about infrastructure investments. Perhaps most importantly, the plan will be a tool for the community in communicating its vision and goals to the Iowa Department of Transportation when the time comes to reconstruct Main Street/Highway 9 through the town.
Pair of hits to score and drive in a run ... Waukon baseball senior catcher Carter Schellsmidt connects with a pitch in the Indians’ 7-6 loss in nine innings to MFL/MarMac in the semifinal round of Class 2A District Tournament play at New Hampton Wednesday, July 5. Schellsmidt collected a double and a single in five at-bats in the contest to both drive in and score a run, while he also threw out an MFL/MarMac baserunner from behind the plate on a snap throw to first base. View and find out how to purchase this photo and many more by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on this webpage.
A major league effort of nine innings of baseball unfortunately resulted in the end of the 2023 Waukon baseball season in the diamond Tribe’s Class 2A District Tournament semifinals match-up Wednesday, July 5 played at New Hampton against MFL/MarMac. The Indians had just lost to those same Bulldogs one week earlier, 3-1, to wrap up their regular season. Finding themselves in a 6-1 hole in their postseason rematch, the Waukon boys rallied to a 6-6 knot in the seventh frame to force extra innings, ultimately having the game snatched away in the ninth frame for a 7-6 loss to end their season.
