Third edition of “Awesome Rides” calendar featuring local classic cars ready to raise more funds for Eastern Allamakee Community School District

The third edition of the “Awesome Rides” photo calendar benefiting the Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) has recently rolled off the printer, much like many of the classic vehicles featured inside the calendar once rolled through the streets of the Lansing and New Albin areas - and continue to, in many cases.

Now in its third year, Ray Burroughs of Waukon, a 1973 Kee High School graduate, was inspired to create the calendar after receiving something similar as a Christmas gift. Wanting to do something to commemorate his graduation from Kee High School 50 years earlier, the first edition of the “Awesome Rides” calendar was created and sold for the 2024 calendar year by Burroughs and resulted in him donating $3,700 to the Eastern Allamakee Community School District. The second year of the calendar project produced a donation to the EACSD of $7,100 last year, thanks to the generosity of calendar sponsors now supporting the calendar. So far this year, Burroughs says he already has well over an additional $4,000 - and growing - marked for another significant donation to his alma mater.

Burroughs emphasizes that the funds raised and donated to the school district are to be distributed evenly between all extracurricular activity programs within the district. He noted that all those programs are an important part of an overall well-rounded education, but not all of them receive regular funding.

In addition to benefiting the school district in the area he once called home, Burroughs notes that all the classic vehicles featured in the calendar are owned by people who either currently live within the district or who are otherwise associated with the school district. Like Burroughs, many of the vehicle owners are graduates of either Kee High School, or the former Lansing, New Albin or St. George High Schools that once served that same area now encompassed by the Eastern Allamakee Community School District.

Featured in the 2026 edition of the calendar are the following vehicles associated with the area:
• 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air owned by Ken and Denise Becker
• 1967 Pontiac Firebird owned by Jamie and Becky Colsch
• 1978 Ford F150 owned by Corey and Millie Richards
• 1974 Plymouth Barracuda owned by Roger and Toni Bakewell.
• 1985 Oldsmobile 442 owned by Gary Stahl
• 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle owned by Fred and Nancy Rethwisch
• 1940 GMC One-Ton Truck owned by Mike and Vickie Ferring
• 1965 Pontiac Grand Prix owned by Joe and Kris Becker
• 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle - True SS owned by Jeff and Becky Hawes
• 1929 Ford Model A owned by Don and Pat Zoll
• 1977 Ford F250 owned by Daryl and Karen Beneke
• 1973 Chevrolet C10 owned by Jesse and Kristina Burroughs.

Burroughs said he plans to continue to create a new calendar each year, as long as there is interest. He said the 2027 calendar is already filling up with photos. Anyone who wants to be part of future calendars is asked to mail Burroughs a letter expressing that interest and maybe sharing a photo of the vehicle they would like to include. That letter can be sent to: Ray Burroughs, 410 3rd Street NE, Waukon, IA 52172.

The continued development of the calendar involves a sponsorship sleeve wrapped around each calendar again this year featuring the businesses who provided sponsorship funding for this year’s product. Burroughs said those sponsorship funds helped pay for the printing of this year’s calendars and will likely allow for a continued larger donation to the Eastern Allamakee Community School District.

Providing that sponsorship support to this year’s calendar project are the following area businesses:

Lansing Hardware, West Side Waukon Lumber, Bodensteiner Implement, Severson Service, Moore Plastering, Hirth’s Junk Removal, Lansing Custom Homes, Carquest-Lansing Auto Parts, New Albin Savings Bank, Lansing Collision Center, Kious Kountry Auto Collision Center, Clark Tire Pros,

Peoples State Bank, R.W. Pladsen, Lansing Village Farm & Home, Big River Taxidermy, Touch of Class Styling Salon, Cole’s Auto Repair, South Side Marine, State Farm Insurance-Scott Houg, McMillan Muffler, Hennessy Towing, Caleb Colsch Family, Kerndt Brothers Savings Bank, EpicWear, WW Homestead Dairy, Wyninger Builders, Darling’s Repair, FreedomBank, Churchtown Customs, The Iron Mine, Howards Home Furnishings, Jim’s Appliance/JW Kitchens, Becker Brothers Construction, The Buck Stops Here, Studio K, and Torkelson Motors.

Burroughs encourages everyone to visit these businesses as often as they can in an effort to return the support that they have shown this project benefiting the Eastern Allamakee Community School District. He also wants everyone who does patronize those businesses to say “Ray the Calendar Guy” sent them.