River Valley

The Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center will host a Driftless Birding Day Saturday, November 9. The Driftless Birding Day will include a guest speaker, exhibits, and self-guided field trips to area birding hotspots.

At 10:30 a.m. that day, Stephen Winter, Wildlife Biologist for the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge, will be giving a presentation on canvasback ducks.

The self-guided field trips will include the Brownsville, MN overlook, Stoddard, WI overlook, New Albin’s Army Road, Red Oak Road near Harpers Ferry, and the Ferryville, WI overlook. Self-guided field trips are available any time during the weekend. Maps and directions to each site will be available from 8a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday the week prior to the Driftless Birding Day at the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center.

Main Street Lansing will be sponsoring a Trick-or-Treat Downtown Extravaganza the evening of Halloween, Thursday, October 31, from 4-7 p.m. Local youth are invited to trick-or-treat through the downtown businesses in Lansing. There will also be games, hot dogs and hot chocolate available for free at the downtown plaza.
 

The Allamakee County Veterans Museum, located at 105 Allamakee Street in Waukon, will commemorate the anniversary of the end of World War I which occurred November 11, 1918. The anniversary was originally called Armistice Day and celebrated each year November 11. In 1954, the day was renamed Veterans Day to recognize the service of veterans in all wars and in peace time.

November 11, 1918 the “Armistice” or agreement ending WW I was signed in France between the Allied Powers and Germany. The day was first officially celebrated in the United States of America in 1924.

A documentary about the events leading to American involvement in the war and the German surrender will be shown at the Veterans Museum Friday, November 8 at 2 p.m., again Saturday, November 9 at 10 a.m., and again Monday, November 11 at 6:30 p.m.

by Joshua Sharpe

During its regular meeting Monday, October 21, the Lansing City Council approved an amended lighting design for the new bridge being constructed at Lansing. The new design calls for multi-color, changeable lights - not “blinking” - at every panel point along the south side of the bridge, for a total cost of $143,625.

During discussion prior to the vote, council member Steve Murray clarified that the lights can be lit as all-white; or they can be lit in color, to correspond with and highlight various fundraising or other events.

Effigy Mounds National Monument will be hosting a 75th Anniversary Commemoration event this Saturday, October 26, beginning at 10 a.m. The public is invited to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Effigy Mounds National Monument with the signing of the executive order by Harry S. Truman, which took place October 25, 1949.

Effigy Mounds National Monument was preserved thanks to the hard work of many Iowans. It began with 1,000 acres donated by the State of Iowa for its establishment.

The day will begin with an honoring of the flags of the 19 affiliated tribal nations followed by short speeches and a keynote talk by Dale Henning, Ph.D.  Henning will share his remembrances of times before and after the monument’s establishment.

Main Street Lansing will be sponsoring a Trick-or-Treat Downtown Extravaganza the evening of Halloween, Thursday, October 31, from 4-7 p.m. Local youth are invited to trick-or-treat through the downtown businesses in Lansing. There will also be games, hot dogs and hot chocolate available for free at the downtown plaza.

The Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center will host a Driftless Birding Day Saturday, November 9. The Driftless Birding Day will include a guest speaker, exhibits, and self-guided field trips to area birding hotspots.

At 10:30 a.m. that day, Stephen Winter, Wildlife Biologist for the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge, will be giving a presentation on canvasback ducks.

The self-guided field trips will include the Brownsville, MN overlook, Stoddard, WI overlook, New Albin’s Army Road, Red Oak Road near Harpers Ferry, and the Ferryville, WI overlook. Self-guided field trips are available any time during the weekend. Maps and directions to each site will be available from 8a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday the week prior to the Driftless Birding Day at the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Harpers Ferry Museum (a sketched replica of which is pictured in the image at right) has been scheduled for Saturday, October 19 at 10:30 a.m. at Martelle Heritage Park, located at the corner of Vine Street and North 2nd Street in Harpers Ferry. Everyone is invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony, which is being hosted and conducted by the Harpers Ferry Area Heritage Society.

by Brianne Grimstad

Friday, September 13, The Bubble Hut in Lansing held its Grand Opening and received its “First Dollar” visit from representatives of Main Street Lansing.

Owner Marissah Wachter has been serving up healthy, energizing alternatives to soda and energy drinks since the business’ soft opening in June of this year. Wachter was inspired to open her own business after trying the Herbalife products.

“I fell in love with the products,” she said. “I went from drinking a 12 pack of Mountain Dew to one or two teas a day. And, I had no crash and didn’t feel bad after I switched.”

by Joshua Sharpe

At its Monday, October 7 regular meeting, the Lansing City Council approved an amendment to the union contract, which is set to take effect November 1 of this year, and heard from Chief of Police Ross Kolsrud regarding a new hire and equipment upgrades. The meeting also tackled multiple citizen concerns, ranging from the need for a streetlight repair and a parking issue to safety risks posed by an overhanging tree.

COUNCIL BUSINESS AND RESOLUTIONS
The council adopted Resolution 1026, the second amendment to the city employee union contract. The Resolution increases the wage for a Street Department employee from $23.50/hour to $25/hour; for non-certified police officers, the wage increase is from $18.55/hour to $22.26/hour; and for certified officers, the wage will increase from $21.70/hour to $24.04/hour. These increases go into effect November 1, 2024, with a flat, three-percent increase starting July 1, 2025.