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Area therapists incorporate anticipation of annual bike ride arriving in late July into motivation for local health and wellness programs

by Julie Berg-Raymond

RAGBRAI® won’t be rolling through Allamakee County until late July; but for residents at three area nursing homes and assisted living facilities, the ride has been going on since early June.

The brainchild of physical therapy assistant Jessica Wilkins, “Residents Ride RAGBRAI” is a therapy program that mimics the official RAGBRAI (Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) route and the accumulation of miles toward completion of the ride. Physical therapists at Good Samaritan Society and Northgate Care Center in Waukon, and at Thornton Manor in Lansing, are working with residents at all three facilities on this program.

As one could appreciate, with 10,000-plus bike riders moving across the state during RAGBRAI® XLV, there is a large support system that also moves along with this group in the form of motor vehicles. These support vehicles follow the bike ride across the state and that supporting crew is made up of approximately 1,500 vehicles of all types who are transporting the riders' tents, personal items and other articles. These vehicles are normally registered with Des Moines RAGBRAI and issued vehicle passes and move from overnight town to overnight town during the ride.

These support vehicles are provided an official route separate of the bike riders and are directed to remain off the bicycle route and not to go into any pass-through towns.  In addition, these roads are marked to assist the drivers as they travel.

The Kee softball team (35-2) has earned the top seed in this year’s Class 1A State Tournament field and will begin defense of its Class 1A State Tournament championship won last year Monday, July 17 against eighth-seeded Montezuma (19-12) on Buena Vista University Diamond at Harlan Rogers Park in Fort Dodge, beginning at 11 a.m. The winner of that match-up will move on to a Thursday, July 20 semifinals match-up at 7 p.m. against the winner of fourth-seeded Westwood (29-10) and fifth-seeded Colfax-Mingo (25-11). The losing teams in those two first-round match-ups will move to a consolation semifinal Tuesday, July 18 at 9 a.m.

Coronation event kicks off 164th Allamakee County Fair Tuesday, July 18

Four Allamakee County young ladies are vying for the title of 2017 Allamakee County Fair Queen. Those four candidates for this year's crown include MaKayla Manning, Kasinda McKee, Danielle Stock and Carley Sweeney.

The crown of Allamakee County Fair Queen and all the honors and responsibilities that accompany it will be bestowed upon one of those four candidates Tuesday evening, July 18 during the Allamakee County Fair Queen Coronation being held at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon to help kick off the 164th Allamakee County Fair.

Lansing RAGBRAI to hold final Town Hall meeting July 13

The final RAGBRAI Lansing Town Hall meeting will take place Thursday, July 13 at the Kerndt Bros. Community Center on the corner of Fourth and Main Streets in Lansing, beginning at 6 p.m. Residents are urged to come and learn everything about RAGBRAI in Lansing, including what is happening July 21 with long-term parking and the Allamakee County RAGBRAI Kickoff Party at the Fire Station. Plans for RAGBRAI's July 29 final destination arrival, including street and road closings, will also be discussed.

Merchants are encouraged to attend for a short meeting after the general meeting to get passes for their out-of-town employees and learn about RAGBRAI issues that pertain just to them. For more information, contact Craig White at director@lansingmatters.com.

As most residents of Allamakee County know, the Des Moines Register’s RAGBRAI® XLV bike ride is coming to the county Friday, July 28-Saturday, July 29. As you can imagine, with some 10,000-plus bike riders coming to the county along with the support vehicles that follow along, there will be a “slight” travel and safety impact on the roads they will be using and within the towns they will be passing through and staying in.

Therefore, I wanted to address several safety issues related to RAGBRAI, including the bike route and riders, support vehicles, the community impacts and emergency shelter and response plans being prepared for their safety. My focus for this first RAGBRAI article will be the bike route and its impact on our rural roadway network, with the other topics covered in future publications.

by Joe Moses

Due to the Fourth of July holiday resulting in early printing of The Standard last week, prior to the Monday, July 3 regular meeting of the Allamakee County Board of Supervisors, coverage of that July 3 regular meeting is included in this week's issue, along with the board's Monday, July 10 regular meeting.

MONDAY, JULY 3
The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session at the Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library Monday, July 3 as part of the board's effort to meet in various communities throughout the county. The board addressed a full agenda of items, including Manure Management Plan Updates, an appointment to the Veterans Affairs Commission and the consideration of a personnel change of status in the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Department.

The Kee softball team defeated Calamus-Wheatland Monday, July 10 in their Class 1A Region 5 championship game by a score of 11-0 to finish off another three-game regional sweep and earn a chance to defend the Class 1A State Tournament Championship the Hawks won last season. This year's return trip marks the fourth State Softball Tournament qualification for the Hawks, and the third in the last four seasons. Continuing its reign as the number-one rated team in Class 1A and earning this year's State Tournament top seed, Kee will now begin its Class 1A title defense Monday, July 17 with an 11 a.m. first-round game against Montezuma at Harlan Rogers Park in Fort Dodge. Find out more details about the Hawks' journey back to Fort Dodge and what lies ahead for Kee's title defense in the July 12 copy of The Standard.

The Waukon Police Department reports the theft of another vehicle in Waukon prior to the Fourth of July holiday. The Department reports that a silver 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe bearing Iowa license plate EOK 183 was stolen from Waukon between 11 p.m. Sunday, July 2 and 12:45 a.m. Monday, July 3 in the 10 block of First Avenue SW.
The Waukon Police Department wants to remind Waukon citizens to contact the police department immediately if they see any suspicious activity. Also, anyone who has any information regarding this vehicle or its whereabouts is asked to contact the Waukon Police Department through the Allamakee County Dispatch Center at 563-568-4521.

Tree planting ceremony in Waukon City Park to honor local emergency responders through Team BackStoppers

For many riders, RAGBRAI® is exactly what its name says it should be - a great bike ride across Iowa. But for 1974 Waukon High School graduate Tim Dougherty, the annual event has become so much more, and he has something extra planned when the ride comes through his native Waukon later this month. Dougherty, who currently lives in Eureka, MO, has only become an avid road bicyclist within the past half dozen years or so, but the most recent half of those years has developed much more meaning. This will be the fourth consecutive year that Dougherty has ridden RAGBRAI as part of a group called Team BackStoppers.