River Valley

VFW Auxiliary Gustave F. Kerndt  #5981 has announced the kick-off of the VFW Auxiliary’s annual Illustrating America art contest. Local students in grades K-8 can share how they view the world through their drawings and paintings while competing for national awards.

Students must submit an original two-dimensional piece of artwork. Coloring sheets, digital art and photography are not accepted. The entry must have been completed during the current 2021-2022 school year and the application must include a teacher or supervising adult’s signature in order to be complete.

Students begin by competing at the local VFW Auxiliary level. The first-place winner from each Auxiliary advances to the District competition with District winners advancing to the State competition. The contest consists of three grade divisions: K-2, 3-5 and 6-8. The State first-place winner in each grade division will be forwarded to Auxiliary National Headquarters.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

Following a special election Tuesday, September 14, Melissa Hammell was sworn in as mayor of Lansing immediately prior to the Lansing City Council’s regular meeting Monday, September 20. Hammell will serve out the remainder of the current four-year mayoral term through the year 2023.

October 8-10, over 200 quilted items will adorn the New Albin Community Center, located at 137 Railroad Avenue SW in New Albin. There will be an array of quilts, including antique  quilts, baby quilts, t-shirt quilts, wall hangings, table runners and wool work on display. Hours for the show will be Friday, October 8 from 4-7 p.m.; Saturday, October 9 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Sunday, October 10 from 12-4 p.m. All proceeds will benefit the New Albin Public Library.

New this year will be a variety of quilts for sale. A portion of the proceeds from those quilts sold will also benefit the New Albin Public Library.

Lisa Fruechte and Karen Darling of New Albin began organizing this show in 2006. With a number of helpers each year, they have seen it continue to grow. It is not required to be part of a quilt guild to display an item in the New Albin show.

The Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center will host a Building Better Birders Workshop Thursday, October 7 starting at 6:30 p.m. The presentation will feature “Common Feeder Birds of Iowa” by Kelly McKay, Mark Roberts and Brian Ritter.

The program will be free of charge, but advanced registration is encouraged. This program is designed to help those attending identify birds that might be visiting their feeders this winter in the Driftless Area.

Kelly McKay is from the BioEco Research and Monitoring Center in Hampton, IL. He will be assisted by Mark Roberts, Environmental Education Coordinator from the Clinton County Conservation Board and Brian Ritter, the Executive Director of the Nahant Marsh Education Center.  Funding for the speakers has been provided by the Resource Enhancement and Protection-Conservation Education Program (REAP-CEP).

by Julie Berg-Raymond

In its regular meeting held Tuesday, September 7 due to the Labor Day holiday being observed on its usual Monday meeting day, the Lansing City Council approved a request by long-time Lansing dentist Bruce Carlson to hold a community-wide “thank you” event at the City sports complex Saturday, October 9.

According to the Lansing Parks & Recreation Board August 16 meeting minutes, the now retired Dr. Carlson described the event as “a thank you to the community for the support of his dental practice and to introduce the new dentists who have taken on the practice.” He said he would also like to recognize several new businesses in Lansing.

Attendees will be permitted to bring their own beverages into the complex, but there will be no alcohol for sale. No alcohol consumption will be allowed outside the complex, including in the parking lot. Fences from Fish Days will be used to block off the event.

Lansing Village Creek boat channel dredging will begin Wednesday, September 15 and is expected to continue through October 15. The boat ramp will remain open, but space will be limited.

The navigation channel from the boat ramp to the main channel Mississippi River will be dredged hydraulically. Hydraulic dredge materials will be pumped into geo-fabric bags that will remain in place for drying on the northwest corner of the parking area. Once material is sufficiently dried, it will be hauled away at a later date. The channel beyond the railroad and highway bridges will be excavated and removed by barge.

Boaters will still have access to the middle and north ramps. Expect delays while equipment is in the area. The northwest corner of the parking lot will be closed to parking. Boaters are urged to use caution and follow signage to avoid active work zones. Work will occur Mondays through Saturdays.

The Lansing Area Women in Business (LWIB) organization is hosting its First Annual Fall Fashion Show at Coffee On the River in Lansing this Friday, September 17 from 6-9 p.m. Part of the event proceeds will go toward a scholarship being set up by LWIB. Social hour is 6-7 p.m., and the fashion show starts at 7 p.m.

“Hairdressers in town are pairing with local boutiques so everybody gets in on the action,” says Wendi Wilson-Eiden, co-owner of Coffee On the River with Diana Wilson-Thompson. “And Jim Kerndt has donated one of the rooms upstairs for the models to change; so there’s a lot of special thanks going out.”

Grant applications can now be submitted to the Waterville Community Foundation’s 2021 grant cycle. The online grant application can be found on the Community Foundation’s website at www.watervillecf.org. The deadline to submit applications is 5 p.m. September 30.

Grant applicants must be a 501(c)(3) designated organization or government entity serving Waterville in order to be considered for funding. Grants are awarded to projects within the program areas of arts and culture, community betterment, education and youth development, environment and animal welfare, health and human service. Grant recipients will be announced in December.

First-time grant applicants should contact Dotti Thompson, program manager at the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, at 319-243-1358 or dthompson@cfneia.org prior to submitting an application.

Notice is hereby given that the Arlin Falck Foundation will accept applications for grants for community development, community promotions, community education and similar matters. The grants shall be for the benefit of persons residing in Fillmore County and Houston County in Minnesota, and in Allamakee County and Winneshiek County in Iowa.

Entities that have a 501(c)3 designation by the Internal Revenue Service or municipalities are eligible to apply for these grants.  To obtain an application for grants or other information, contact Kathleen V. Nelson at 12743 Buckley Road, Caledonia, MN 55921, phone 507-724-3348 during regular business hours, or email arlinfalckfoundation@yahoo.com. Grant applications must be received by October 2 of this year.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking public comment in regard to an upgrade project for the City of New Albin wastewater treatment system. Public comment will be accepted through Wednesday, September 15 and can be done so by contacting Iowa DNR Environmental Specialist Jean Mayne at Jean.Mayne@dnr.iowa.gov or 515-725-0487.

An environmental review has been performed on the project based on the procedures for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). That review is available for public viewing at https://www.iowasrf.com/media/cms/New_AlbinFNSI_220DE9B29DAA7.pdf and offers the opportunity for public comment by the means and deadline listed above.