River Valley

The Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center in Lansing will remain open until 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 5 for anyone who is interested in watching the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train. The train will arrive in Lansing at approximately 4:50 p.m. and the musical performances will begin at 5 p.m. near the Lansing City Park and ballfield. 

As part of the Holiday Train event, the Driftless Center will be taking donations of nonperishable food items beginning Friday, November 30 for food banks of Allamakee County. Anyone wishing to donate items may drop them off during regular business hours or until 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 5 at the Driftless Center.

For more information on this program or any program that is offered by the Allamakee County Conservation Board or the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center, contact the Center at 563-538-0403 or follow the Allamakee County Conservation Department through its online presence.
 

Small Business Saturday, November 24, Main Street Lansing is hosting a food drive for Lansing Iowa Food Trust (LIFT). Bring a donation to the Main Street Lansing office at 253 Main Street and be entered to win gift certificates from local businesses. Specific donation requests from LIFT include soup, peanut butter, personal care items (such as shampoo, soap and toilet paper), cake and cookie mixes, and saltine crackers.
 

Main Street Lansing recently conducted a First Dollar Visit at 2nd Hand Heaven, located at 341 Main Street in Lansing. Pictured above at the First Dollar presentation, left to right, are Main Street Lansing representatives Judy Schild, Maryann Baldwin, Bruce Palmborg, Julie Papp and Jana Schoh, 2nd Hand Heaven owner Kim Kozelka, and Main Street Lansing representatives Mary Palmborg and Gary DeVilbiss. Submitted photo.

The Kee High School Post Prom Committee will host Bingo Sunday, December 2 in the Kee High School cafeteria in Lansing. Games will start at 4 p.m., with doors opening at 3:30 p.m.

Participants can bring a non-perishable food item or $1 donation and play an extra Bingo card free. All donations will be given to LIFT (Lansing Iowa Food Trust). All players will be eligible for a door prize drawing at intermission. Proceeds will be used to fund 2019 Post Prom prizes and entertainment.
 

Winter is knocking at the door, and some may be putting their boat up for the winter while some are still planning to use it for some cold weather sports such as hunting or fishing. If the approaching cold weather doesn’t necessarily mean the boating season is over, there are some important things to be considered.

Many unconsciously feel that accidents only happen to the “other” guy. For those who are planning to be on the water this time of year, the cold can be a mortal enemy, especially if they are not prepared. Not only must they dress warm so they can enjoy their time on the water, but they must also consider the possibility that they could end up in the water. No one plans on going swimming this time of year but accidents can and do happen. Always consider the “what if’ factor.

First: Boaters should not be out there alone. Two or three individuals stand a better chance working together than being alone. Consider the advantages of a second boat.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

Andy Kelleher, the new Main Street Lansing Executive Director, is no stranger to northeast Iowa. Kelleher grew up in the Lansing/New Albin area and attended school in the Eastern Allamakee Community School District. He graduated with top marks from Kee High School in Lansing and was ready to meet the world.
Kelleher had spent several summers at Village Creek Bible Camp, working with young people and organizing activities for their camps. He ventured away from the area to check out Cincinnati, OH and was ready to move there but eventually came back, ready to find his niche back in his hometown area. He continues to work with an area church’s youth group.

A special program will celebrate the nearly 200 World War I servicemen and women with ties to Lansing and other areas of Allamakee County. The program will start at 1 p.m., Monday, November 12 at Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library, located at 515 Main Street in Lansing.

The Byways of Iowa Coalition held its annual meeting Thursday, October 18 at the Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center in Lansing. At the meeting, attendees representing Iowa’s 14 byways spent time learning  the history of the Iowa Byways™ program and listened to updates and successes from byway coordinators across the state.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

The Lansing Iowa FoodTrust (LIFT) has been in operation for almost a month now. The LIFT Board would like to invite the public to an Open House at the LIFT site at 220 South Third Street (the former Rethswich Lumber office in Lansing) November 3 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The open house will give the public an opportunity to see how the operation runs on a weekly basis. The well-lit room which holds the food items available to local families or individuals is an inviting atmosphere. The back room serves as a much-needed storage area for food items waiting to be placed on the shelves for restocking. Several volunteers assist clients as they choose the food they want.

A special program will celebrate the nearly 200 World War I servicemen and women with ties to Lansing and other areas of Allamakee County. The program will start at 1 p.m. Monday, November 12 at Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library, located at 515 Main Street in Lansing.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, the day WWI ended. To mark this historic milestone, the Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library has created a series of posters highlighting Lansing’s participation in the war and how residents welcomed home their soldiers, sailors and nurses.

Brief accounts of the lives of many of those who served have been compiled in a notebook for the exhibit. Visitors to the library can learn about men who started vital businesses that still operate in Lansing and the families who made their living fishing on the Mississippi River and clamming or cutting buttons on its shores.