Top Stories

The items below summarize the top news stories that appeared in The Standard during the first six months of 2022, January-June.

by Ellen Modersohn

Waukon’s East Elementary School cafeteria was bursting with excitement Monday, December 12. Not only was it holiday dress-up day, with teachers and their students bundled in bright reds and greens, but 65 third graders were eagerly meeting their semester-long pen pals in person for the first time.

Over the past several years Northeast Iowa RSVP 55+ Initiative conducted a pen pals program between its volunteers and third graders at Crestwood Elementary School in Cresco. This year the program expanded to include five schools: two in Cresco, one in Decorah and at New Albin Elementary School in the Eastern Allamakee Community School District in addition to East Elementary in Waukon.

Sharilyn Decker of Waukon, a new RSVP member, recalls having a pen pal when she was a child: “Pen pals were very common growing up, and I always wrote to my friends.”

Waukon High School 2014 graduate Parker Hesse continues to climb toward the pinnacle of his NFL (National Football League) dream as he plays through his fourth season at the ultimate level of the sport he loves.

Having served as a practice squad player with the Tennessee Titans his first two seasons in the league, beginning in 2019, Hesse saw his first action as an active roster player last season after transitioning to the Atlanta Falcons, where he continues to elevate his status and his career as now one of the top tight ends for that current Atlanta squad.

Ascending to that role in a new position from what he’s consistently played in previous levels of football, Hesse says the most important thing he’s developed in his growth and advancement in the league may not have anything to do with a football at all.

Having waited three years since its last visit due to COVID-19 concerns, large crowds greeted the colorfully decorated Canadian Pacific Holiday Train at both its stops in Lansing and New Albin Wednesday evening, December 7, as depicted in the surrounding photos. Those attending were treated to musical entertainment by performers Alan Doyle and Kelly Prescott, along with other holiday activities put on by community members, businesses and organizations.

The annual Holiday Parade held in Waukon Thursday evening, December 8 brightened up the beginning of the holiday season in more ways than one as nearly 50 entries made their way through the city streets. The parade was organized this year by First Presbyterian Church in Waukon, and the combination of temperatures near 30 degrees and the first-ever Holiday Hop local shopping promotion taking place in Waukon businesses earlier that same evening helped add to a large crowd of parade viewers lining the parade route, as evident in the photo above. Parade float entry winners included: First Place ($200 in Waukon Chamber Bucks) - Ness Pumping Service & Porta-Potty Rentals; Second Place ($150 in Waukon Chamber Bucks) - Veterans Memorial Hospital Medical Records Office; Third Place ($100 in Waukon Chamber Bucks) - Leikvold Custom Pumping; Random Drawing ($50 in Waukon Chamber Bucks) - Opie and Violet Berger with their toy vehicles they drove in the parade.

Allamakee County residents are invited to attend the sixth and final event in the THRIVE series of interactive workshops being co-hosted by Mental Health Today - a Matt Howe Tribute (MHT) and the nonprofit, Worldmaker International. “Grow Through What You Go Through” is a one-hour workshop focused on learning how to help others grow through adversity by allowing for healthy grieving, grappling with the tough stuff and finding meaning along the way.

“Grow Through What You Go Through” is open to all Allamakee County residents and is being offered in a one-hour afternoon session Monday, December 19 from 12-1 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Light refreshments will be provided. The session was originally scheduled for December 5 but had to be rescheduled due to winter weather.

The Allamakee County Veterans Museum will be offering another program to the public in the meeting room of its new museum in the former Vet’s Club building at 105 Allamakee Street, Waukon Thursday, December 15 at 6:30 p.m. Dr. Dan Davis, a marine archaeologist and professor in the Department of History at Luther College, will give a public talk entitled “Finding American MIAs in Underwater Environments,” and will detail his efforts to locate, document and recover American service members from submerged aircraft from World War II. The talk will focus on past and current projects, as well as the technologies being used to locate and identify human remains. Dr. Davis is a former U.S. Navy deep sea diver with degrees in Nautical and Classical Archeology, and nearly 30 years of underwater fieldwork across the globe.

The Allamakee County Veterans Museum will be offering another program to the public in the meeting room of its new museum in the former Vet’s Club building at 105 Allamakee Street, Waukon Saturday, December 17, beginning at 10 a.m.

The topic of the presentation will be “Why did the Japanese Navy attack Pearl Harbor?” A video documentary will be presented and local U.S. Navy veterans will discuss their visits to the Pearl Harbor monuments and share their insights.

There will be no admission charge and the new museum is wheel chair accessible. Museum winter hours include tours Saturdays from 9 a.m. until noon, and by appointment for groups of all kinds. Special programs are planned to be held monthly as announced. Submitted image.
 

The Canadian Pacific (CP) Holiday Train returns to the rails this season on its first cross-continent tour in three years, following virtual concerts in the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. The 24th Annual Holiday Train is again raising money, food and awareness for local food banks in communities along the CP network, making its way through northeast Iowa Wednesday, December 7 with stops in Guttenberg, Marquette, Lansing and New Albin before a final stop that day in La Crescent, MN. Highlighting the return of the Holiday Train will be a pair of concert performers, Alan Doyle and Kelly Prescott, who will present a half-hour show at each location.

The Allamakee Ecumenical Choir will present its 46th Annual Candlelight Christmas Festival of Lessons and Carols Service this Sunday, December 11 at 7 p.m. The service will be held at St. John’s Lutheran Church, located at 8 Fifth Street SW in Waukon.

Local clergy will be reading the lessons. The carols will be sung by the congregation with organ accompaniment. Choral numbers will be presented by the Ecumenical Men’s Choir (also known as the Heartland Barbershop and Gospel Singers). Music will also be provided by the St. John’s Handbell Choirs, Waukon High School Brass Quintet, pianist Kristie Roeder, and Baritone Horn Soloist Shauna Johnsen. The program is under the direction of James Bieber, who is assisted by his daughter, Sarah Bieber, Waukon Middle and High School Choral Director.