Community News

This year’s Waukon Corn Days meal date and location have been set for Friday, August 16 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds in Waukon. The Waukon Chamber of Commerce will be serving a meal of sweet corn and pork loin sandwiches from 4-8 p.m. that evening near the 4-H building at the Fairgrounds. A variety of other activities will also be taking place that same Friday evening at the Fairgrounds location, including face painting, glitter tattoos and Inflatibles kids toys to play on.

The crowning of the Corn Days Royalty will also take place, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Friday. Additional community events will also be happening throughout Waukon both Saturday and Sunday, August 17 and 18, including the annual VMH Cardiac Classic Run/Walk and WW Homestead Dairy Car Show Saturday, and the Knights of Columbus Fly-In Breakfast Sunday morning at the Waukon Airport.

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in special session Monday, July 22 to address several matters including the hiring of a police officer and a revised Anticipatory Warrant relating to Veterans Memorial Hospital’s General Fund.

Mayor Pat Stone called the meeting to order. The council approved the meeting agenda and moved into discussion of the Resolution issuing a revised Fiscal-Year 2019-2020 Anticipatory Warrant relating to the Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) General Fund. This matter relates to the approved renewal of the $750,000 loan for the hospital with a one-year extension that took place at the July 1 council meeting following a presentation from VMH CEO Mike Myers. At that meeting, Myers provided an overview of steps being taken to improve VMH’s profitability, including the hiring of a CFO with experience in making a distressed critical access hospital profitable again.

Children of all ages are invited to read to Sunny, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever owned by PJ Mullen, at K9 Story Time at Robey Memorial Library in Waukon. Sunny received her therapy training through the Love on a Leash Organization.

K9 Story Time will be held Thursdays through August 15, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Each reading session will be 10 minutes long allowing space for four different readers. Registration is required and can be made by contacting the library at 563-568-4424 or www.waukon.lib.ia.us.
 

Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer will give the keynote address at the Allamakee Democratic Party’s  Fundraising Dinner Sunday, August 4 at the Old Rossville Store in Rossville. Finkenauer represents the people of  Iowa’s First Congressional District in the United States Congress in Washington, D.C.

Congresswoman Finkenauer was raised in Sherrill, a small town in rural Dubuque County, in a family who taught her the importance of hard work, caring for others, and the value of public service. After graduating from Drake University in Des Moines, she was elected to the Iowa State House of Representatives at the age of 25. Throughout her two terms in the State House, Finkenauer made improving the lives of Iowa’s working families her top priority. She ran for the U.S. Congress in 2018 to continue to focus on building a stronger economy and middle class.

A total of 18 Allamakee County 4-H youth recently showcased their talents by competing in various communications and clothing events during the 2019 Allamakee County 4-H Expressions Day Program and Style Show held at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon Sunday, June 23. Several received top awards and will have the opportunity to represent Allamakee County at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, August 8-18.

4-H’ers winning top honors in Educational Presentations and who will be representing Allamakee County at the Iowa State Fair include Breelyn Dahlstrom, Diana Davison, Hannah Hagen and Gabriel Mattson. 4-H’ers performing Educational Presentations are judged on stage presence, vocal projection, organization, visual aids, educational value of topic, and how well they kept their audience interested as they present their information.

More than two dozen local young men and women of high school to college age have been serving local residents and visitors to the Waukon Family Aquatic Center again this summer in a capacity they never hope to use, but one in which they are more than prepared to do so, if necessary.

The role of swimming pool lifeguard has often been stereotyped as the ideal summer job of being able to “hang out” at the pool, catching a tan, and twirling a whistle around one’s finger. Although there are a great degree of enjoyable moments, Waukon Family Aquatic Center Manager CC Althoff and Assistant Manager Cassandra Berger say there is so much more to being a lifeguard than just a summer job.

by Joe Moses

The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, July 15 to address a full agenda of items including the search for a City Manager, discussion of Police Department building repairs and Waukon’s urban forest.

The Public Hearing on proposed plans, specifications, form of contract and estimated cost of the 2019 Fifth Street SW Improvement Project was opened and closed without comment from the public. City Clerk Lana Snitker indicated that no written or verbal comment had been received.

During Public Comment, Director Ardie Kuhse of Waukon Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) discussed the broadband survey which has been mailed to Waukon residents and businesses or can be completed online. Kuhse indicated that anyone who has not received a survey by mail is welcome to contact her and a paper survey will be provided. Kuhse advised that 340 completed surveys have been received thus far.

Survey link also available online or can be picked up locally if not received in the mail

Some time ago, the City of Waukon formed a Broadband Committee to investigate opportunities for providing improved broadband services within the city. The committee is comprised of representatives from the Waukon City Council, local businesses and homeowners.

In the course of the committee’s work, they were approached by representatives of Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative about the possibility of providing such services. The Cooperative has been involved in providing broadband service within the rural areas around Waukon for the past several years and has built out a fiber and wireless infrastructure to support those areas.

“KEEP SMILING - Remembering Two Lives Well Lived” are the words engraved on a new granite bench donated to the Waukon Wellness Center in memory of Bob and Bernie Heffern by their children and families, some of whom are pictured above with Waukon Park and Recreation Wellness Director Jeremy Strub. Bob and Bernie’s enthusiasm for making a difference in the lives of others and their community was apparent to all who knew them. Their appreciation of the Waukon Wellness Center for its physical and social benefits ran deep as well, particularly after moving to Waukon from their vigorous farm life to a much less physical lifestyle. The bench is located in the north entrance to the Waukon Wellness Center and is available to seniors and young alike as they are waiting for their ride or just needing a place to sit and chat. Submitted photo.
 

Ann-Elise Bakkum and Harold “Pepper” Miller were recently chosen as co-winners of the Waukon Wellness Center’s 2019 Bob Heffern “Get Your Rear In Gear” Memorial Award, presented as a one-year membership to the Wellness Center for each individual. Pictured above at the award presentation are, left to right, Waukon Park and Recreation Wellness Director Jeremy Strub, Ann-Elise Bakkum and Harold “Pepper” Miller displaying the plaque which will bear the names of the award winners as it hangs in the lobby area of the Waukon Wellness Center.