Nicole Winke Gentes, of Lansing, was crowned Mrs. Iowa American 2021 Saturday, September 4, and will compete for the national title of Mrs. American 2021 in November.
Nicole, the daughter of Jim and Shirley Winke, is a 1992 graduate of Waukon High School and a 1998 graduate of Luther College in Decorah where - in addition to studying political science - she studied vocal performance, theatre and dance. She currently is an attorney with offices in Waukon and Lansing and she also teaches personal fitness. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, she taught dance, as well.
Betty Steege of Harpers Ferry has a way of bringing out the best in community members to make a difference for the people of Allamakee County.
“When Betty calls, you know you are going to say yes if there is any way possible you can help,” says Linda DeBuhr of Waukon.
DeBuhr’s work with the Alice Hermeier Foundation has brought her close to Steege, who for the past decade has served as the coordinator of the Allamakee County Community Foundation (ACCF). This year, the Community Foundation board and its local partners are excited to celebrate Steege’s 10-year service anniversary and the impact she has helped make in communities countywide. Now, with the launch of the Allamakee Forever Fund, the Foundation seeks to deepen that impact and continue it for generations to come.
The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, October 18 at Robey Memorial Library in Waukon as part of the board’s annual schedule of public library visits within the county. The Supervisors addressed a full agenda of items including discussion of a part-time dispatcher/jailer position, consideration of a traffic detour onto Secondary Roads due to the Waukon Holiday Parade and a City of Waukon planning update.
After the meeting was called to order, the agenda was modified with the removal of the County employee health insurance contribution matter. This item relates to the contribution amounts for spouses both employed by Allamakee County if enrolled in a family health insurance plan and if enrolled in a plan other than a family plan. Allamakee County Auditor Denise Beyer advised that this matter will be addressed at a future meeting.
Public invited to meet the candidates for Mayor and City Council October 25
A forum featuring the City of Waukon’s Mayor and City Council candidates who will be on the upcoming November 2 election ballot is being planned for Monday, October 25 at 7 p.m. The forum will be sponsored by Waukon Economic Development and will take place in the Community Room of the Robey Memorial Library, located at 401 1st Avenue NW in Waukon.
The following candidates are slated to be present for the forum: Mayor candidate Pat Stone; At-Large Council candidates Nicholas Engrav and Kevin Johnson; Ward 1 Council Candidates Stephen Wiedner and Jerry Schoenthal; Ward 3 Council Candidate Arvid Hatlan; and At-Large to Fill a Vacancy Council Candidate Andy Sires.
The City of Waukon has set its official Trick-or-Treat time for Halloween for Sunday, October 31 from 4-8 p.m. Area residents are asked to leave porch lights on to welcome trick-or-treaters, and the youngsters are reminded to keep safety in mind while making their rounds from house to house.
Monday, October 11, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Chapters around the world participated in special service projects in their communities in recognition of the DAR National Day of Service, which honors the founding of the DAR October 11,1890. This year, Hannah Lee Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution chose to honor healthcare workers on the frontline and all staff for keeping the medical centers running during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Local DAR chapter members distributed 40 baskets of goodies between the hospitals in Allamakee, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek counties.
Friends of Yellow River State Forest will be holding an educational program and workday at the mounds in the Paint Rock Unit of Yellow River State Forest at 9 a.m. Saturday, October 30. Sheila Oberreuter, museum technician at Effigy Mounds National Monument, will lead the mound program, which will include the linear and conical mounds near Paint Rock Lookout (pictured above) and the bear mounds at the north end of that unit. The program will discuss mound building in the Upper Mississippi River Valley, landscape characteristics present when mounds were being built and the changes that have occurred to the landscape since that time.
Mystery Science lessons are hands-on and engaging to students, inspiring students to love Science. All Mystery Science lessons are aligned with Next Generation Science Standards and support Common Core. Pictured in the photo at left, third grade students in Mrs. Byrnes’ classroom at St. Patrick School in Waukon take part in the Mystery Science lesson “Can you outrun a dinosaur?”. In this lesson students learned about how fossil dinosaur tracks reveal how fast a dinosaur can run. The students were able to explore and figure out if they could have won a race with a dinosaur that was just their size. To determine the winner, students compared the length of the dinosaur’s steps with their own running steps, as shown in the submitted photo.
The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors met Monday evening, October 18 for its regular monthly meeting. Under the consent agenda, the board approved the following personnel matters: After School Programming staff, Brittany Blocker as a part-time cook, Kimberly Shelton as co-ed bowling coach, changes in hours for Samantha Larsen, and Kyle Gordon as middle school wrestling coach. The board accepted the following resignations: Brooke Welsh from her seventh grade girls track coach position and Sarah Ferguson from her grades 6-12 art teacher position. The board approved an out-of-state trip for the music department to Chicago and Nashville in 2022. The board also approved an eligibility waiver regarding an open enrollment, as well as SIAC members.
Cheryl Garin (far right in photo), Commander of Lansing American Legion Post 0050, recently presented a check for $500 on behalf of the Legion to the Lansing Ambulance and Emergency Medical Service (EMS). Accepting the check on behalf of the Lansing Ambulance/EMS are Savanna Deering (far left) and Conrad Rosendahl (center). Submitted photo.
