The Allamakee County Conservation Board has announced the offering of three free summer day camps for local youth this upcoming summer season. Each day camp will be for a different age range and will feature outdoor activities along a certain theme.
Registration is required and space is limited. For more information or to register, call 563-538-0401. The day camps being offered include the following:
Insectigations (Students entering 1st-2nd Grade): Wednesday, July 9 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Waterville Farm. Come and explore all the tiny critters Iowa has to offer. Participants will dig in to the fascinating world of insects and explore how they may be small but they are just as cool.
During the recent spring break from school that began Wednesday, March 19, Waukon High School’s (WHS) Music Department embarked on an unforgettable trip to New York City for several days, taking a group of band and choir students from sophomore to senior year on an adventure that mixed musical exploration, cultural immersion, and the sheer thrill of experiencing one of the world’s most iconic cities. The WHS band and choir students take this trip every three years during that spring break period to various locations that offer exposure to musical venues and experiences.
The trip, led by WHS Choir Director Sarah J. Bieber and WHS Band Director JoAnn Sherman, offered students an exciting blend of musical and cultural experiences that many of them will carry with them for years to come. Along with an enthusiastic team of parent chaperones, the students explored the Big Apple through a lens of discovery, creativity, and excitement.
The Board of Directors of the Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) met for its monthly meeting at Kee High School Thursday, March 20. The meeting was called to order by Board President Bobbie Goetzinger, with fellow board members Heather Lutz, Joe Manning, Melanie Mauss and Arla Wagner also present, along with EACSD Superintendent Nick Trenkamp, PK-12 Principal Donna Thomas, Dean of Students Chad Winters, and Board Secretary Michele Martin.
The meeting agenda was approved following a public hearing on the 2025-2026 district calendar. No comments were made or received from the public. Later in the meeting the calendar was approved.
4x800 relay runs to second-place finish ... The Waukon boys track team 4x800 relay foursome of (left to right in above photos) junior Kelby Cahalan, freshman Beckham Delaney, junior Sam Stock and junior Brandon Leppert scored an early runner-up event finish at the Indians’ Early Bird home invitational Thursday, April 3 with a clocking of 8:46.32. Cahalan and Leppert also joined forces with freshman Silas Keeling and senior Ethan Gibbs for another runner-up event finish to end the meet, recording a time of 3:48.75 in the 4x400 relay.
The Waukon boys track and field team was finally able to get its outdoor schedule underway, and did so at home Thursday, April 3 after having a Tuesday, April 1 outdoor opener at Sumner-Fredericksburg called off due to winter weather. In what ended up being its outdoor season-opener, its own Early Bird Invitational, the track Tribe didn’t win a varsity event but did record four runner-up finishes and five third-place event results to tally 89 team points and finish fourth in the meet’s eight-team field.
The Indians were next scheduled to take part in the Decorah Invitational Tuesday, April 8 before competing in Postville’s Foster-Kiesau Relays scheduled for Thursday, April 10. Another trip to Decorah Monday, April 14 will be followed by the New Hampton Invitational Thursday, April 17 with yet a third early-week trip to Decorah coming up Monday, April 21.
Trio of top-five finishes ... Kee boys track and field junior Justin Wagner crosses the finish line to complete a runner-up effort in the 3200 meter run at the Waukon Early Bird Invitational Thursday, April 3. Wagner’s second-place finish came in 10:28.48 as part of a trio of top-five finishes he helped record at the meet, as he also finished fifth in the 1600 meter run with a clocking of 5:15.37 and anchored the 800 meter leg of the Hawks’ distance medley relay for a third-place finish in 4:07.67, teaming up with junior Isaiah Wagner and senior Brendan Jones on the 200 meter legs and junior Zach Goetzinger on the 400 meter circuit of that race.
The Kee boys track and field team faced an extremely busy start to its outdoor schedule this past week but had it shortened just a bit early on, as a Tuesday, April 1 meet at Sumner-Fredericksburg was called off due to winter weather. However, two other meets remained yet for the track and field Hawks, with those meets being on back-to-back nights and resulting in an eighth-place finish at the Waukon Early Bird Invitational Thursday, April 3 before the Kee boys placed seventh at the North Fayette Valley Invitational Friday, April 4.
The Hawks were next scheduled to compete at Edgewood-Colesburg Tuesday, April 8 before taking part in Postville’s Foster-Kiesau Relays Thursday, April 10. Kee’s boys will then compete in Decorah Monday, April 14 before traveling to Monona for the MFL/MarMac Invitational Thursday, April 17.
Lady Hawks’ shuttle hurdle relay of Winters, Mudderman, Strong and Mohn sets new record
The Kee girls track and field team got its outdoor competition schedule underway a little later than originally planned, as the Tuesday, April 1 Sumner-Fredericksburg Invitational the Kee girls were scheduled to compete in was called off due to winter weather. The Lady Hawks still had the Friday, April 4 North Fayette Invitational on their schedule for this past week and finished in the middle of that nine-team field, using six medal-winning efforts to headline a 57-point team result that produced a fifth-place team finish.
The Lady Hawks were next scheduled to compete at Postville Tuesday, April 8 before traveling to Decorah Thursday, April 10. Kee’s girls are then slated to take part in the Waukon Early Bird Invitational Tuesday, April 15 before competing in the MFL/MarMac Invitational at Monona Thursday, April 17.
The Waukon girls track team had to wait a bit to get its first outdoor competition of the season in the books, as the Sumner-Fredericksburg Invitational the Lady Indians were scheduled to compete in Tuesday, April 1 was canceled due to the return of winter weather in northeast Iowa. Instead of sitting idle for the week, the Waukon girls got themselves into the Union Invitational in LaPorte City Thursday, April 3 as a late entry, claiming four event finishes within the top three, including a runner-up result as its highest finish at the meet to pace a team scoring effort of 64 points that placed the track Tribe in fourth place in the large invitational field of 16 teams.
Bandmates, Brothers and Friends to perform May 9 in Waukon ... Pictured on stage at the first event benefiting the Veterans Memorial Healthcare Foundation in 2023 are members of the Bandmates, Brothers and Friends group. Left to right - Back row: Bill Withers Jr., Gary Hesla and John Withers; Front row: Todd Pickett, Joel Anderson, Jamey Lideen, Jim Withers, Bob Bechtel, Dave Dougherty, Brad Prestemon and Keel Clemmens, with the original band guitar played by former band member, the late Pat Dougherty, standing front and center on the dance floor. Submitted photo.
JayR Brink Band to perform following Bandmates, Brothers and Friends May 9 ... The JayR Brink Band will be finishing out the May 9 night of musical entertainment with Bandmates, Brothers and Friends in an effort to benefit the Veterans Memorial Healthcare Foundation. The group is well known for its variety of music covering a mix of country, folk and oldies with a folky, alternative country style. Submitted photo.
For the third year, Bandmates, Brothers and Friends (BBF) will reunite in Waukon for another night of outstanding musical entertainment to benefit the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation. This year they will be joined by the JayR Brink Band as part of the musical line-up, all to be held Friday evening May 9, from 6-11 p.m. at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon.
The first set of Bandmates, Brothers and Friends members will take the stage to begin the night, offering a variety of older country music, with a second set of BBF members performing a variety of hits from the 1950s through the 1990s. The JayR Brink Band will close out the evening’s musical entertainment.
Occupational Therapy at VMH ... April is Occupational Therapy Month. Occupational Therapists offer great help and support to breast cancer patients who are experiencing Lymphedema following their surgery. Local breast cancer survivor Cindy Berns of Postville is a patient who has greatly benefitted from this treatment. She states, “I didn’t realize there was help for Lymphedema and the cording. This occupational therapy is local and I can drive 10 minutes to come here instead of all the way to Iowa City. We are so lucky to have this hospital here and especially services like this.” Anyone who has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer, or is currently undergoing cancer treatments, and wishes to address physical or emotional issues, or pain related to the cancer treatments, should contact the therapy department at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-5528. Submitted photo.
by Tami Gebel, OTR/L
Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow, Kathy Bates, Rita Wilson, Hoda Kotb, Wanda Sykes, and Julia-Louis Dreyfus. What do these ladies have in common, besides being famous, beautiful, and strong? They are all breast cancer survivors.
According to the American Cancer Society, the average risk of a woman developing breast cancer is 13%, meaning that there is a 1 in 8 chance for a female to develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in women (Cancer.org). However, over the years the death rate has decreased, possibly due to increased awareness, early detection, and better treatments.
National Public Health Week observed at VMH ... April 7-13 is National Public Health Week. Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Community and Home Care, in its role as Allamakee County Public Health, holds the responsibility of preventing epidemics and the spread of disease, protecting against environmental hazards, promoting healthy behaviors and teaching everyone how to prepare for, respond to and recover from public health emergencies. Pictured at left, left to right, are the VMH Community and Home Care Public Health Supervisors Sheryl Darling-Mooney, RN; Lisa Moose, RN; and Cindy Johnson, RN. Submitted photo.
by VMH Community and Home Care and the Iowa Department of Public Health
Public health plays an important role in Iowa’s high standard of living. The goal of public health is helping to create an environment where people can live in good health. Public health helps make good health happen in Iowa’s homes, neighborhoods, schools and workplaces.
Public health is more than just state and local government agencies. The public health community works together to fight disease and promote healthy lifestyles through the use of nutrition education, physical activity, immunization clinics, disease surveillance and home nursing and home care aide visits.
