River Valley

This Friday through Sunday, October 13-15, over 200 quilted items will adorn the New Albin Community Center, located at 137 Railroad Avenue SW in New Albin. The “Pieces in Time” Quilt Show will feature a quilt raffle, an antique section, vendors, demonstrations, refreshments and more.

Hours for the show will be Friday, October 13 from 4-7 p.m.; Saturday, October 14 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Sunday, October 15 from 12-4 p.m. All proceeds from the show will benefit the New Albin Public Library.

“Loose Threads,” the local quilting group, will be showcasing panel quilts and mystery quilts this year. Demonstrations taking place at this year’s show will include microwave bowl holders and small quilted baskets. There will be two raffles conducted during the show, one for a quilt and the other including items such as baskets, pillow cases, dish towels and more. There will also be a portion of the show area dedicated to quilt sales again this year.

The City of Lansing has partnered with Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission (UERPC) to create a community vision for the future of Main Street. The overall goal of the planning and visioning process is to identify needs, desires and concerns that residents, business owners and visitors have for the Main Street/Highway 9 corridor through Lansing. The end product will be a community-derived vision for the corridor that considers things like traffic safety, environmental impacts, historic preservation, lighting, streetscape amenities, and more.

The project kicked off at the beginning of this year and has included two Lansing City Council work sessions, a focus group with Main Street business owners, an in-person community input meeting, and options for providing feedback online. There are still opportunities for community members to participate in the planning process.

The Lansing/New Albin Police Department, in partnership with Center Baptist Church and Lansing United Methodist Church Youth Ministry, will be hosting a second Faith & Blue event this Sunday, October 8 at the Lansing City Park, located at 451 South Front Street. The event is being held as part of the National Faith & Blue Weekend taking place across the United States this weekend, October 6-9, and it is open to everyone. The inaugural event was held last year in early October.

The event will feature a picnic lunch and live musical entertainment from 1-3 p.m. Sunday. There will also be some personal testimonies of faith from local Law Enforcement Officers. Free will donations will be accepted, with 100% of those proceeds being distributed to local food banks.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service knows that access to America’s public lands increases the quality of life. National wildlife refuges across the country offer quality opportunities to connect with special places in a variety of ways. Before any activity can be allowed on a national wildlife refuge, that use must first be evaluated through a Compatibility Determination.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has developed a draft Compatibility Determination for the issuance of a Right-of-Way (ROW) permit to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (Wisconsin DOT) is proposing to improve the existing bridge crossing of Iowa Highway 9 (IA 9) and Wisconsin State Highway 82 (WI 82) over the Mississippi River at Lansing, Iowa.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

A town hall meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 2, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library. The regular meeting of the Lansing City Council also scheduled for that evening will commence at 7 p.m. - following the town hall meeting - at Lansing City Hall.

American flags to be retired patriotically and respectfully

The public is invited to join the Lansing Gustave F. Kerndt VFW Post #5981, the Lansing Fire Department and local Boy Scout troops as they will lead an official flag decommissioning ceremony to properly send off unserviceable American flags this Saturday, September 30, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Red Barn Campground, located at 2609 Main Street in Lansing.

The public is encouraged to attend as the groups honorably retire, with dignity, American flags that have become tattered, soiled or no longer fit for display in a patriotic ceremony honoring the national symbol of unity. The flags will be incinerated in a dignified manner under Fire Department supervision.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

The Lansing City Council held a special meeting Monday, September 11 to discuss the institution of a tax abatement ordinance in Lansing. Main Street Lansing Executive Director Andrew Boddicker offered a presentation to the council that included general information about the meaning and functions of tax abatements, explained how instituting a tax abatement ordinance would benefit Lansing, and described a series of potential abatement levels the City could consider in the writing of the ordinance.

Life can be challenging. It’s helpful to hear how people have overcome or learned to live with their challenges. That’s the idea behind the “When Relationships Change” program offered free to the public.

The program is scheduled for Thursday, September 28 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Lansing. Emily Rathbone of Waukon will share her inspiring story of battling and defeating addiction, including a stay in prison, and how she is using her experience to help others.

Social hour will begin at 4:30 p.m. with a meal at 5 p.m. immediately followed by Rathbone’s presentation. All are welcome to attend the program. Attendees do not need to be a member of Our Savior’s Lutheran  Church to attend.
 

Commander Dan Hanson of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of the U.S. Post Gustave F. Kerndt #5981 announces the kick-off of this year’s VFW’s Voice of Democracy Scholarship competition. Local high school students have the opportunity to compete for thousands of dollars in scholarships and a trip to Washington, D.C.

Prizes and scholarships are awarded at the Post, District, State and National level. All State first-place winners receive a four-day trip to Washington, D.C., to tour the city, be honored by the VFW and its Auxiliary and receive their portion of $171,000 in national awards, the top scholarship being $35,000.

Students must record a three-to-five minute audio essay on a flash drive and submit the recording, typed essay and completed entry form to their local VFW Post by October 31 of this year.  The 2023 theme selected is “What are the greatest attributes of our Democracy?”

The Allamakee County Community Foundation (ACCF) recently welcomed Leah Benzing, Jim Johnson and Lisa Snitker to its Advisory Board. The new members reside in Harpers Ferry, Waterville and Waukon, respectively.

This spring, three long-time board members retired from service, including Pat Cota, Sheryl Evanson and Jarod Olson. The three represented 28 years of combined service to the organization.

“Pat Cota inspired me to become a member of the Foundation board,” says Benzing. “I’m looking forward to learning more about each community within the county, building relationships with our community members, learning about the visions of each group and what they are working on in their community.”