Approximately 200 tractors began their two-day trek throughout Allamakee County Friday morning, July 23 for the 14th annual North Iowa Tractor Ride. The tractors gathered in the parking lot of Waukon High School (as pictured below) as they arrived Thursday afternoon, July 22 in preparation for their journeys over the next two days throughout Allamakee County.
The Harpers Ferry Fireflies once again reign as Granny Basketball National Tournament Champions after sweeping through the eight-team field of the National Granny Basketball Tournament held in Prairie du Chien, WI July 16 and 17. Pictured above with their National Tournament Championship trophy are members of this year’s team. Left to right - Front row: Kaysia Mahr-Whalen; Second row: Georgia Jones, Tina Hendrix, Barb Tomlinson, Bonnie Jones, Donna Matti; Third row: Coach Bill Nation, Jackie Friederich, Rosanne Wicks, Betty Steege, Margaret Hermeier, Assistant Coach Ron Steege; Back row:
Linda Mahr, Sherry Adney, Maurine Monroe, Judy Kelly, Karen Wagner, Sally Light. Photo courtesy of B&C Studios of Holmen, WI.
The USDA has issued nationwide waivers allowing schools to operate the Seamless Summer Option during the upcoming 2021-2022 school year. Allamakee Community School District has elected to participate in the Seamless Summer Option during this time.
Free meals will be provided to all enrolled children and Applications for Free and Reduced Price School Meals/Milk will not be necessary to participate in Seamless Summer Option. Applications for Free and Reduced Price School Meals will still be available from the school, as an application may be needed for other benefits such as P-EBT. The Income Eligibility Guidelines are listed in the table below accompanying this article.
Households may meet Income Eligibility Guidelines one of four ways listed below:
The Allamakee Community School District is participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Summer Food Service Program, which will allow for a safe and streamlined service of nutritious meals. Meals will be provided to all children without charge.
Free meals will be provided at the Waukon Middle School Mondays-Fridays from August 2 through August 13. Those meals will include breakfast served from 8-9 a.m. and lunch from 11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.
Pinterest Projects Class is being held Thursday, August 12 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the lower level of Robey Memorial Library in Waukon, featuring the project Book Pages Wreath. Transform rolled book pages into a decorative wreath for any room. No pre-registration is necessary for the class.
Pinterest Projects Class is a bi-monthly class featuring a project found on Pinterest, and materials will be provided by the library. Pinterest is a visual bookmarking tool that helps discover and save creative ideas. Contact the library at www.waukon.lib.ia.us or 563-568-4424 for more information.
The Lansing Fish Days Committee is hosting a photography contest in conjunction with the annual community celebration being held August 13-15. Photographers of all ages are encouraged to participate. Each photographer can submit up to three photos, and it is asked that all photos be in a 5”x7” format and printed on photo paper. The photos will be displayed in plastic sleeves.
The contest will involve two categories, “Out and About in Lansing” and “Lansing’s Black Hawk Bridge,” such as the submitted photo above. There is no fee to enter the contest, but all submitted photographs become property of the Lansing Lions Club to be used as seen fit. The images, however, remain the property of the entrant. Prizes will be awarded in each category, including First Prize of $25; Second Prize of $10; and People’s Choice Prize of $10. A Grand Prize of $50 and a Lansing Fish Days t-shirt will be awarded overall, with both categories being judged to determine an overall winner.
With summer’s temperatures soaring to their highest of the season, Iowa’s lakes and reservoirs are busy places as Iowans of all ages look to escape the heat. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is reminding boaters to exercise safe boating practices and to have a designated boat operator who abstains from drinking alcohol.
Susan Stocker, boating law administrator and education coordinator for the Iowa DNR, said the goal is to reduce boating accidents, injuries and fatalities caused by alcohol impaired operators.
“Alcohol reduces reaction time and the ability to make quick sound judgments in an emergency situation. Then, if we factor in the wind and sun and glare off the water combined with the water movement that enhances the effects of alcohol, that leads to a dangerous situation waiting to happen,” Stocker said.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has developed an online mapping application to help visitors navigate trails in state parks. Through GPS and mobile data, the application can be accessed on mobile phones and helps the user identify trail names, trail heads, acceptable trail use (i.e. hiking, biking, etc.), and distances.
The application is web-based rather than downloadable from an app store, so data service availability could be a factor when using the application. To access trail maps, go to iowadnr.gov/stateparks and click on Iowa State Park Trails.
Ending a decade-long drought without a doubt ... The Kee baseball team displays the banner signifying the Hawks’ qualification for the 2021 Iowa High School State Baseball Tournament after posting the 11-0 mercy-rule win in five innings shining bright on the scoreboard in the photo background above. That win came in the Class 1A Substate 2 Championship game played Tuesday, July 20 at Charles City High School, with the Hawks’ mercy-rule victim being a Northwood-Kensett team that had upset Class 1A top-rated Mason City Newman just a few nights earlier. Playing in a substate championship game for the first time in four years, the Hawk victory advanced them to the Class 1A State Tournament for the first time since the 2011 season, when Kee finished as the Class 1A State Runner-Up. The Hawks’ Substate Championship earned them their 20th appearance at the summer season grand finale, and the first without legendary head coach Gene Schultz at the helm of the program. Kee’s diamond dwellers were scheduled to open this year’s Class 1A State Tournament as the number-four seed in the eighth-team bracket with a Monday, July 26 first-round match-up with fifth-seeded New London.
Playing in its first Class 1A Substate Championship game since the 2017 season and looking to earn qualification for the Class 1A State Tournament for the first time in 10 seasons and the first time ever without legendary head coach Gene Schultz at the helm, the Kee baseball team was matched up with a team looking to make its own bit of history in the Class 1A Substate 2 Championship game played at Charles City High School Tuesday, July 20.
There will be a cross country camp Monday through Friday, August 2-6 for boys and girls entering grades 7-12 in the Allamakee Community School District this fall. As always, there is no fee for the camp, which will start at 6 p.m. each day and be held at the cross country course behind Waukon High School.
Boys and girls entering seventh grade will need to have their completed physical form turned in to the middle school office, or they must bring them to camp, before they will be allowed to participate. All other grades can use their physical exam from the last school year for camp. Participants should bring a completed registration form (below) to the first day of camp, August 2.
