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The Waukon girls cross country team pulled double-duty this past week with a pair of meets within a couple nights of one another, finishing second in both of those events. Ranked seventh in the latest Class 2A team rankings by the Iowa Association of Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches, the Tribe’s distance ladies finished runner-up to Class 3A 15th-rated Decorah at Waukon’s own home invitational Tuesday, September 24 before also claiming second place at the Panther Invitational hosted by Central Springs Thursday, September 26, behind Class 2A fourth-rated Forest City.

The Lady Indians were next scheduled to compete at the Western Dubuque Invitational Thursday, October 3 before running at the South Winneshiek Invitational Tuesday, October 8 at Calmar. They will then prepare for the Northeast Iowa Conference Meet hosted by Decorah at Luther College Tuesday, October 15.

The Waukon boys cross country team hosted its own invitational this past week, welcoming nine other teams that tallied team scores at the meet and created a field of 66 individual varsity runners Tuesday, September 24. Placing three runners within the top-10 individuals - including the individual champion - and all seven of their varsity runners in the meet’s top-20, the Class 2A ninth-rated Indians scored 47 team points but finished second to a Class 3A fifth-rated Decorah squad that dominated half of that top-10 for 32 team points.

The Indians were next scheduled to compete at the Jesup Invitational Tuesday, October 1 before taking part in the Tuesday, October 8 South Winneshiek Invitational in Calmar. They will then prepare for their Northeast Iowa Conference Meet taking place at Luther College in Decorah Tuesday, October 15.

Coming off its first loss of the season, and playing its first road game of this 2024 campaign, the Kee football team was facing another of Eight-Player District 3’s top contending teams when the Hawks traveled to Riceville Friday, September 27. With each team having lost to District 3 front-runner Don Bosco during the two previous football Friday nights, the runner-up position behind the undefeated Dons in the District 3 standings was on the line, but a 12-0 early Kee hill to climb and a final 32 unanswered points by the host Wildcats in the third and fourth quarters turned an otherwise blow-for-blow battle between the two squads into an eventual 65-44 defeat for Kee’s gridders.

Looking to bounce back from a Homecoming loss that opened its Class 2A District 3 schedule a week earlier, the Waukon football team traveled to Cresco Friday, September 27 to take on a Crestwood squad that had picked up its first win of the season the week prior and had played to a winless non-district start to the season against the same three ranked opponents the grid Tribe had gone 1-2 against to start its 2024 campaign. That lone victory for the host Cadets heading into their own Homecoming game this past Friday was a forfeit win over a depleted Oelwein team, but that week off from competition may have very well factored into Crestwood, literally, running away to a 32-16 defeat of the Indians.

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital and Elliott Jewelers of Waukon hosted their 19th Annual Women’s Health Day Luncheon Tuesday, September 24, at the Waukon Event Center. Over 120 ladies attended the sandwich and salad buffet luncheon hosted by the Auxiliary members. Plus many area service organizations were present as vendors with information and giveaways as well as many hospital staff offering free health and wellness testing. The theme for this year’s event was “When I Grow Older.” Speakers included a panel from Veterans Memorial Hospital including Michael Coyle, CEO; Denise Wullner, Business Office Manager; and Jim Johnson, Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) volunteer, who all covered how to better understand Medicare and all the choices available.

Flu Shots are beginning October 2 at Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care/Allamakee Public Health. Flu shots are recommended for all those who have not yet received the vaccine and will be effective throughout the rest of the flu season.

Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Community and Home Care will be offering flu shot clinics all Wednesdays in October, including October 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30. Walk-in clinics will be held from 9-11:30 a.m. and appointments can be made for immunizations those afternoons by calling 563-568-5660.

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) will be holding a Pillow Perk Monday, October 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Lower Level of Veterans Memorial Hospital. Kraft Pillow Service will be on site to make old pillows look like new.

Everyone is encouraged to bring in their feather pillows to the Pillow Perk to be cleaned, sanitized and given new ticking. Foam and Dacron pillows may also be renovated by this process. People are also encouraged to bring in their feather beds and have them made into new pillows. For more information, call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

The Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation 2024 Christmas Fantasy will be themed, “Gnome for the Holidays!” Christmas Fantasy decorators are needed to decorate the numerous trees for display, and donors are needed as well for silent auction items.

The 2024 event will be held Friday through Monday, November 15-18. Plans will again include the usual Friday night happy hour event, Saturday night wine, cheese and dessert event and general admission Sunday and Monday afternoons. A luncheon will be held Monday only this year. Christmas tree decorators are invited to call Erin Berns at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) at 563-568-3411 Ext. 443 to reserve a spot.

The next LifeServe Blood Center blood drive will be held Monday, October 7, from 12-5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon.

The LifeServe Blood Center supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital with blood and blood products. Here are some interesting blood facts:
• Every three seconds someone needs blood.
• Blood makes up about eight percent of a person’s body weight.
• Blood is needed every minute of every day; summer, winter, spring and fall.
• Scheduled surgeries are not canceled in Iowa because of a lack of blood, but it is a problem in other parts of the nation.
• Donating blood includes a health check for the donor (checking blood pressure, pulse, temperature and hemoglobin) prior to donating.
• There is absolutely no way to contract any disease from giving blood.
• Blood can be split into different components (red cells, platelets, plasma, and cryoprecipitate) and used to help different types of patients.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Anyone struggling with any type of cancer, not just breast cancer, should review the following helpful nutrition information. Brandy Strub, Registered Dietitian at Veterans Memorial Hospital, recommends the following cancer diet tips and recommendations by Oncology Registered Dietitian Paige Welsh, RD/LD of Cleveland Clinic.

If you’re having trouble with eating, start with lean protein rich foods first (chicken, turkey, soy or dairy products, nuts and seeds, eggs, salmon, dried beans, legumes and lentils, or nutritional shakes/protein powders if needed) and then move on to the other food groups. If you choose to have a nutritional supplement instead of a meal, choose one with at least 350 calories. Protein helps maintain muscle mass and increases white blood cells, which can help fight infection, and people undergoing cancer treatments have higher needs.