River Valley

by B.J. Tomlinson

The Lansing City Council met Monday night, November 17 in its regular session. Main Street Lansing (MSL) Board President Bruce Palmborg introduced the new MSL Director, Dan Fisher. A Lansing resident, Fisher said he is committed to preserving the unique character of Lansing while furthering its progress.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

Nearly 100 people were in attendance at the Kerndt Brothers Community Center in Lansing Thursday, November 6 to learn the details of a horror movie, "The Burial," which is to be filmed in Lansing next summer.  Tom Garland, a professional comedian and actor from Cedar Rapids who is slated to play one of the lead roles in the film, welcomed the crowd and set a light, entertaining tone for the informational meeting.

Lansing Main Street Matters will again be sponsoring the “Main Street Madness” punch card promotion this year. 

Lansing shoppers can pick up a punch card at any of the participating businesses. The cards can then be validated with either punches or stamps in five-dollar increments for purchases made between November 18 and December 22.

Wednesday, November 5  a spirited and determined group of Eastern Allamakee Community Schools (EACS) fifth graders planted over 500 swamp white oak saplings  on the Mississippi River floodplain north of New Albin. Thirty-two students, with help of Friends of Pool 9 (FOP9) volunteers, parents, US Fish & Wildlife Service and US Army Corps of Engineers personnel, and EACS teachers Cheryl Kuhn and Debra Masek finished the task before lunch time.

The acorns were collected from the river floodplain near Black Hawk Park and grown in the Wisconsin DNR Nursery. The seedlings will have a high level of tolerance for the floodplain environment.

by B.J. Tomlinson

A new "self-help" group for youth is being started in Lansing at the United Methodist Church (UMC). The group is called “Cope-a-Cabana” and provides a faith-based curriculum that will be led by UMC Pastor Kevin Smith and Lisa Fruechte.
"We recognize it’s tough being a kid!” says Cope-a-Cabana co-leader Fruechte. "Thus, the name Cope-a-Cabana. We want to provide a safe place for the kids to learn to cope with the issues they are facing daily."
The goal of the program is to help children identify feelings and find healthy ways to express them, with the understanding that all kids have feelings of anger, happiness, frustration, sadness and many more and that it can be challenging to know what to do with these feelings. Children will learn skills to manage these feelings and can also learn they are not alone in what they feel; there are other kids out there who have similar issues.

Whole Hearted Productions has announced that the Lansing area will be the focal point of an upcoming horror film called, “The Burial.” Filming for the movie is set to begin next summer.  Writer/director Jack Meggers and President of Whole Hearted Productions, Kristine Hrycun, will host a meet and greet for the general public Thursday, November 6  at the Kerndt Brothers Community Center in Lansing at 5:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. Meggers and Hrycun will explain the concept of the film and the general locations planned for filming the movie.

The Ferryville Tourism Council is hosting the second annual Fall Migration Day from 9-11 a.m. Saturday, November 1 at River View Park in downtown Ferryville, WI, right along highway 35. Dan Jackson, president of the Coulee Region Audubon Society, will be on hand to help identify the many ducks, geese, swans and other migrating birds on their journey to warmer areas.
The Mississippi Flyway is the gateway to seeing this awesome spectacle in the bird world. This day will also be a celebration of the one-year anniversary of Ferryville’s recognition as the smallest Bird City in Wisconsin.
This event is open to all families and individuals who are interested in birds. Wisconsin is the second-leading state in the nation for birdwatchers, and this is a hobby everyone in the family can enjoy together.

by B.J. Tomlinson

The City of Lansing is accepting applications for the Owner Occupied Rehabilitation Program through October 31, 2014. All applications postmarked by that date will be considered.
The rehabilitation program can assist homeowners with up to $24,999 to help make repairs to their homes. The homes must meet Iowa’s Minimum Housing Standard’s upon completion. Rehabilitation may include items such as replacing shingles or siding that is in poor condition; and/or to aid in energy efficiency such as adding insulation to the attic and walls, replacing drafty old windows, and updating the electrical and plumbing.  
To determine if you are eligible for the grant funds: you must own and live in your home for a minimum of six months, you must be income eligible and your property cannot be located in the 100-year flood plain. Income eligibility is based on household size and annual (gross) household income:
Household Size/Gross Income
1    33,400