The Allamakee County Fair Board has announced country music group “Big Time Grain Company” will be the headlining act for this year’s grandstand entertainment at the 2023 Allamakee County Fair. The brother duo of Bret and Chad Bourquin front this musical act scheduled to perform Friday evening, July 21 in the grandstands, with Flatland Ridge returning to the Fair as the opening act that evening.
Raised on a farm near Olathe, KS, the brothers first formed “Big Time Grain Company” in 2012 and the band has since opened for such headlining performers as Big and Rich, Luke Combs, Restless Heart, Dan & Shay, and many others. With songs such as “Little Redemption” and “Hard to Want”, the musical act was chosen to perform for a crowd of more than 800,000 people at the celebration rally when the Kansas City Royals won the 2015 World Series and has also been the featured entertainment for Kansas City Chiefs home football games.
Water levels on the Mississippi River have been steadily climbing over recent weeks, now to the point of flooding communities along the mighty river, evidence of which can be seen in the photos below along the river valley in Allamakee County from New Albin through Lansing and Harpers Ferry, and on down the river. A combination of record snowfall amounts this year in Minnesota melting so quickly during the unusually warm second week of April, in addition to additional recent snow and rainfall, has caused the Mississippi River to rise more than 10 feet since April 1 from its typical Lansing gauge level hovering above eight feet to its latest measurement as of press time Tuesday morning, April 25 of just over 19 feet, which is considered moderate flood stage, rising nearly six feet within just the past week.
Third-generation IAA Hall of Fame inductee ... Jodi Sweeney-Egeland of Waukon was inducted into the Iowa Auctioneers Association (IAA) Hall of Fame during the 2023 Iowa Auctioneers Association Convention held in Des Moines in late January of this year. She is pictured above with her family. Left to right: 2001 IAA Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Sweeney, Dustin, Audrey, Jodi and Hudson Egeland, and Penny, Jeffrey and Carley Sweeney. Sweeney-Egeland is the third generation of the Sweeney family to be inducted into the Iowa Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame. Pictured below, left to right, are her grandfather, the late Ray Sweeney, the 1992 IAA Hall of Fame inductee; her father, Jeff Sweeney, the 2001 IAA Hall of Fame inductee; and Jodi Sweeney-Egeland, the 2023 IAA Hall of Fame inductee. Submitted photos.
During the 2023 Iowa Auctioneers Association Convention held in late January of this year in Des Moines, Jodi Sweeney-Egeland became the third generation of the Sweeney family to be inducted into the Iowa Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame. She joins her father, Jeff Sweeney, the 2001 inductee; and her grandfather, the late Ray E. Sweeney, the 1992 inductee.
Jodi grew up in the auction industry and started coming along to her family’s auction events to help run clerk sheets at age five. By the time she was 11 years old, she was promoted to clerking and performed that task through junior high and high school. Jodi went off to college at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) in Cedar Falls in the fall of 2005 and decided to take a summer session at the World Wide College of Auctioneering in June of 2006.
Allamakee County Veterans Museum Wall of Honor ...
The Allamakee County Veterans Museum in Waukon is still in search of a number of photos to complete its Wall of Honor (pictured above) displayed inside the museum. Organizers of the Allamakee County Veterans Museum are seeking help from family members, friends and the general public in locating good quality photos of a number of Allamakee County Veterans who were Killed in Action (KIA) or held as Prisoners of War (POW) during World War I, World War II, the Korean War or the Vietnam War.
A full listing of the photos still needed for Allamakee County Veterans follows in this article. Anyone who has pictures of these men is encouraged to bring them to the museum or contact the museum by phone (563-568-2954) or by email message (info@allamakeehistory.org) so that arrangements can be made to make a copy that photo for this project:
Across the nation and right here in northeast Iowa, April is a time to highlight Child Abuse Prevention and raise awareness for the efforts being done to eradicate child abuse.
Helping Services for Youth & Families Family Education Team is partnering with Community Partnerships for Protecting Children (CPPC) to put on a free community event for families. The event is focused on bringing community awareness to Child Abuse Prevention Month and community resources through activities that the whole family can enjoy. The Blue Family Day event being held at the Waukon Wellness Center this Saturday, April 29 from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. will include a bouncy house, carnival games and community resources to explore. Everyone is welcome to attend the event.
Division I Soloists and Ensembles ... Left to right - Front row: Leah Schnitzler, Moriah Downing, Lauren McCabe, Bailey Sherman, Annie Ellingson, Alice Day; Middle row: Toby Treptau, Lucia Aldrich, Taylor Kiel, Reagan Lubahn, Tate Ellingson, Gabe Goettel, T’Laiyah Leiran; Back row: Ryan Kolsrud, Jacob Smith, Micheal Duncklee, Logan Lubahn, Noah Evans, Jackson Perkins. Not pictured: Cody Huinker, Alaina Gebel, Kallie Troester, Jay Aldrich. Submitted photo.
Division II Soloists and Ensembles ... Left to right - Front row: Lauren McCabe, Taylor Kiel, Reagan Lubahn, Ella Dehli, Kallie Troester; Back row: Ryan Kolsrud, Jacob Smith, Micheal Duncklee, Trace Earles, Dekota Bechtel, Logan Lubahn. Not pictured: Cody Huinker, Alaina Gebel. Submitted photo.
Division III Soloists and Ensembles ... Left to right: Noah Evans, Leah Schnitzler, Alice Day, T’Laiyah Leiran. Submitted photo.
Saturday, April 1, members of the Waukon High School Band participated in the Iowa High School Music Association solo and ensemble festival. The event was held at Waukon High School and hosted by the music staff along with the Allamakee Music Boosters.
The College and Career Connection (CCC) program at Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) provides high school students with work-based learning experiences, such as business tours and job shadows, to help guide their future professional success.
Many students throughout the year participate in CCC events and activities to gain insights into possible careers. These activities, and one-on-one guidance from College and Career Coaches, make a difference in the students’ understanding of what a career is really like and whether it’s a good fit.
State of Iowa Treasurer Roby Smith is reminding Iowans there is still time to contribute to their College Savings Iowa 529 account and deduct those contributions from their 2022 state taxes. “An added benefit for Iowa taxpayers is the state income tax deduction. If you want to maximize your $3,522 Iowa state tax deduction for each plan beneficiary on your 2022 taxes, the deadline for contributions is May 1, 2023,” stated Smith.
Whether opening a 529 account or already owning at one, College Savings Iowa can help save for future education costs while also taking advantage of tax benefits. “I want to ensure Iowa taxpayers make the most of the tax deduction available to them,” Smith continued.
Additional tax benefits for all participants include tax-deferred earnings and tax-free qualified withdrawals. For more information about College Savings Iowa, call 888-672-9116 or visit CollegeSavingsIowa.com.
Good Friday Justice and Peace Stations of the Cross event ... Pictured above is the group of walkers in front of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church who participated in Lansing’s third Justice and Peace Stations of the Cross event held Good Friday, April 7. In the photo at left, prayers are said for peace in Ukraine at The Good Life and Frame Shop owned and operated on Main Street in Lansing by Ukrainian immigrant Lesya Ryzhenkova. Pictured in the photo, left to right, with Ryzhenkova are Marlene Duffy, Mike Larsen, Ann Fields, Judy Schild (former owner of the frame shop) and Lanny Fields. Photos courtesy of Lynsey Moritz.
Friday, April 7, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Lansing led a Good Friday Justice and Peace Stations of the Cross event. This was the third such walk hosted by the congregation with the largest group of walkers so far. Some carried signs calling for justice or declaring God’s wide embrace.
The tradition began in 2021 when being outside was the safest way to hold the service during the pandemic. “We wanted to make a strong connection between our faith in Christ and how his suffering continues whenever any of God’s people suffer,” explained Pastor Laura Gentry of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church.
The Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) Board of Directors met in regular session Monday, April 17. Board President Bobbie Goetzinger called the meeting to order with fellow board members Tony Becker, Melanie Mauss and Arla Wagner all present. Board member Kelli Mudderman was absent. Also present at the meeting were EACSD Superintendent Dr. Dale Crozier, Kee High School and Middle School Principal Dr. Sarah Murray, New Albin Elementary School Principal Donna Thomas, Board Secretary Michele Martin and Technology Coordinator Dave Ellefson.
The board held a public hearing on the 2023-2024 school budget that was opened and closed with no comment. The board then approved the agenda, followed by approval of the April consent items, minutes of the March meeting, bills for April, Secretary’s Financial Report for March, and the Student Activity and Food Service March Reports.
