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Leon Pleasant served in the United States Air Force (USAF) as a photographer beginning at the end of World War II. During his long career, he took many photographs of historical and experimental aircraft, including those flown by famed USAF pilot Chuck Yeager, who was the first human to break the sound barrier in the Bell X-1 in 1947. Yeager also had a cameo appearance in the movie “The Right Stuff” which recounted his service as a mentor to the NASA astronaut program.

A portion of Pleasant’s personal collection has been donated to the Allamakee County Veterans Museum. The collection of 150 photos has been converted to digital images which can be better displayed and viewed on a large video screen. His collection will be presented for viewing Saturday, March 8 at 10 a.m. and again Friday, March 14 at 1:30 p.m.

Plans have been announced to hold the 2025 St. Patrick's Day Parade in Waukon Sunday, March 16, beginning at 1 p.m. All are invited to participate in this year’s parade with an Irish-themed entry at no cost. Any businesses, organizations, families or individuals wishing to have an entry are asked to be lined up by 12 noon that Sunday, with float entries lining up in the parking lot of WW Homestead Dairy and the former Northern Engraving plant, tractors unloading and lining up at the Sweeney Auction Service parking lot and horse units gathering at the Croell Redi-Mix plant in southeast Waukon.

For additional information about the St. Patrick’s Day Parade contact the Sweeney family at Village Farm and Home in Waukon at 563-568-4577 or the Waukon Chamber of Commerce at 563-568-4110.
 

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, March 3 to address a full agenda of items. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Arvid Hatlan with council members Steve Wiedner, Dave Blocker and John Lydon present. Council member Nicholas Engrav attended the meeting via Zoom web-conferencing.

During Public Comment, Mike Johnson addressed the council and expressed interest in being considered for appointment to fill the current council member vacancy, a position previously held by his brother, At-Large council member Kevin Johnson, who passed away February 11.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

The regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) was held at Kee High School Tuesday, February 18. Board President Bobbie Goetzinger called the meeting to order. Also present were board members Joe Manning, Melanie Mauss, Arla Wagner, and Heather Lutz (via Zoom), along with EACSD Superintendent Nick Trenkamp and Board Secretary Michele Martin. There were no visitors.

The meeting agenda was approved with the exception of removing Business Item A: 2025-2056 District Calendar. The board approved the February consent items, including the minutes of the January meeting, February bills, the Secretary’s Financial Report for January, and the January Student Activity and Food Service reports.

The Class 1A Region 5 championship game was the only Class 1A “Sweet Sixteen” match-up this season not to feature any of the small schools’ top-15 ranked teams, as the Kee girls basketball team and the Dunkerton Raiders were two of just four unranked teams remaining in the championship round of each of Class 1A’s eight regional tournaments when they took to the court Wednesday, February 26 at New Hampton High School. In addition to their unranked status, the two teams also brought other similarities into that Region 5 title tilt, including nearly identical win-loss records, nearly equal winning streaks over the past month and the fact that each of them had defeated another of Class 1A’s top-10 ranked teams to advance to this match-up - the Lady Hawks picking off fifth-rated Riceville, 51-42, and the Lady Raiders doing likewise to 10th-rated East Buchanan, 50-40.

Waukon High School 2023 graduate Carter Schellsmidt recently committed to furthering his collegiate baseball career by signing a letter of agreement with Valparaiso University located in Valparaiso, IN. The Crusader baseball program competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is also a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.

A five-year varsity mainstay during his high school baseball career for the Indians, Schellsmidt etched his name among the best players in the history of the program. During his senior season at the catcher position, Schellsmidt set a new single-season record for runners thrown out caught stealing with 21 such denials that also led all Class 2A catchers and ranked second among all high school catchers in the state of Iowa during that 2023 season.

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. The event will again be held Friday evening of Mother’s Day Weekend, May 9, from 6-11 p.m. at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon. This year, they welcome the regionally known JayR Brink Band to close out the musical line-up that night.

This year will mark the 47th year since many of BBF’s original band members had first played in a band together. These musicians come from four past area bands including Rising Sun, Horizon, Jackson Junction and Deep River. Many of the returning musicians are from Waukon including brothers Bill Withers, Jim Withers and John Withers, along with Gary Hesla, Bob Bechtel, Dave Dougherty, Brad Prestemon, Todd Pickett and Joel Anderson.  They will be joined by Keel Clemmens and Jamey Lideen, longtime band members over the decades.

Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Speech - Language Pathologist Steven Mazzafield offers a Stroke Support Group for individuals who have experienced a stroke, as well as caregivers and family members affected by stroke.

Monthly meetings are held the first Thursday of every month at 2 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Hospital. The next Stroke Support Group meeting will be held Thursday, March 6, at 2 p.m.

The Stroke Support Group provides opportunities to share tips, tricks, or trials among participants, offer support for caregivers, and provide an opportunity for socialization.

While strokes can happen at any age, risk of stroke is greatest as people get older with the majority of strokes occurring after the age of 70. Risk factors for stroke include obesity, sedentary lifestyle, binge drinking, diabetes, smoking, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.

The local Grief Support Group will be holding its monthly meeting at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) in Waukon Tuesday, March 11, at 4 p.m. in the Meditation Healing Center, located just inside the main entrance of the hospital. This informal meeting is open to anyone suffering from any type of loss, whether it be death, divorce, illness or some other grief.

Feel free to attend and bring a friend. This grief support group meets the second Tuesday of each month at 4 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon.
 

by Brandy Strub, Registered Dietitian, Veterans Memorial Hospital