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Everyone is invited to join area youth on athletic fields across the nation this Wednesday evening, October 8 in sharing their Christian faith with other students and the general public for this year’s Fields of Faith event. The local event is now in its 14th year and will open to the public at 6:30 p.m., with the event scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at the Waukon High School football field that October 8 evening, or in the Waukon High School gym in the event of inclement weather.

Main Street Lansing, in conjunction with the Lansing Lions Club, the City of Lansing, the Light the Way Committee and other community organizations and businesses, is planning a Black Hawk Bridge Memorial Day Farewell Celebration scheduled for this Saturday, October 11, prior to the upcoming closure and demolition of the Black Hawk Bridge. A variety of community events are being planned throughout the day this Saturday, with that day culminating in a Memorial Party at T.J. Hunter’s throughout the afternoon and a Last Lighting of the Bridge Party at Shep’s Patio along the riverfront of the waters over which the Black Hawk Bridge has spanned for nearly a century.

Tuesday, November 4 is scheduled as the City/School Election to determine which candidates will be elected by voters to leadership positions at the most local levels of government and guidance. Out of the six communities and three school districts within Allamakee County, there will be a total of five contested races, according to candidate listings from the Allamakee County Auditor’s Office following the September 18 candidate filing deadline.

CITY GOVERNMENT
There are five mayor seats up for election within the six Allamakee County communities featuring a city government system. Lansing is the only community where the mayor’s office is not on this year’s ballot, and that community’s three at-large city council seats on this year’s ballot are all being pursued by current incumbent candidates Stan Schwartzhoff, Mike Manning and Steve Murray, with none of those three having a declared opponent in this year’s election.

To commemorate the closing of the Black Hawk Bridge in Lansing, a group of Model A automobile enthusiasts took “one last trip” over the bridge Monday, September 22.

Drivers of the vintage vehicles were members of the Hawk A Model A Ford Club, founded in January 1971 and based in Cedar Rapids. The non-profit organization is dedicated to preserving and promoting the 1928-1931 Ford Model A. “[The Black Hawk Bridge] opened in 1931, the last year of the Model A Ford production,” says Dennis Zuber, of Homestead (one of the Amana colonies), who started creating club tours with his wife, Elaine, in 2007. “With thousands of Model A [vehicles] crossing that bridge in those first few years, it was only fitting we celebrated with a Model A-crossing at the end.”

Everyone is invited to join area youth on athletic fields across the nation Wednesday, October 8 in sharing their Christian faith with other students and the general public for this year’s Fields of Faith event. The local event is now in its 14th year and will open to the public at 6:30 p.m., with the event scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at the Waukon High School football field that October 8 evening, or in the Waukon High School gym in the event of inclement weather.

by Brianne Grimstad

U.S. Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley made a stop in Waukon at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) in Waukon for a tour of the facility and a question and answer session with VMH personnel Thursday, September 25 during his 45th annual tour of Iowa’s 99 counties. This was the senator’s first visit back to VMH since he made a stop there back in 2017.

Senator Grassley was given a tour of the hospital, led by VMH Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Michael Coyle. Coyle provided a brief history of the hospital and showed the senator around the main floor of the facility, pointing out the various services provided by VMH, as well as discussing some of the areas that were not viewed on the tour, including Community and Home Care-Public Health and Obstetrics.

Waukon High School seniors Zach Perkins and Avalea Burns were crowned Waukon High School's 2025 Homecoming King and Queen at the "Burning of the W" pep rally held Thursday evening, September 18 at Waukon High School. Additional photos of Waukon High School's 2025 Homecoming events are featured on Page 32 in this week's issue, as well as coverage of the Waukon football team's Homecoming victory over Forest City featured on Page 17. Even more photos from this year’s Homecoming festivities can also be found at the Photos link on this webpage.

Pick up the Wednesday, September 24, 2025 print edition of The Standard or subscribe to our e-edition or print edition by clicking here.

Kent and Rhonda Stock of rural Allamakee County were inducted into the 2025 Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the 4-H Exhibits Building at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines Sunday, August 17. The Iowa 4-H Foundation sponsors the annual Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Iowa State Fair.

Counties nominate volunteers, community leaders, and Extension staff members who have exemplified outstanding service and dedication to the 4-H youth program in their county. Only one individual or couple per county can be nominated each year.

by Joshua Sharpe

Two individuals, Sydney Matrisciano from Winona, MS, and Leah Pettit from Berea, KY, are undertaking an ambitious kayaking expedition along the entirety of the Mississippi River, commencing from its source in Minnesota and concluding at the Gulf of Mexico within a 60-day timeframe. This initiative, titled “River Runs Full,” spans nearly 2,300 miles and serves as a fundraiser aimed at raising $10,000 to help address childhood hunger in Mississippi, where over 20 percent of children experience food insecurity on a regular basis.

Starting their trek at the beginning of August, the paddling pair made their way through the Mississippi River waters bordering Allamakee County during the August 21-24 timeframe. Their trip’s first venture outside the state where the Mississippi River originates included a stay in Lansing, with details of that stay described later in this same article.

Seniors Addison Winters (left) and Noah Connelly (right) were crowned Kee High School’s 2025 Homecoming Queen and King at the coronation event held prior to Homecoming Week Sunday, September 14 in the Kee High School gymnasium to kick off this week’s Homecoming festivities. The change made a couple years ago to an earlier coronation date will now allow the King and Queen to preside over the entire Homecoming Week. Celebratory pages highlighting Kee’s 2025 Homecoming can be found inside this week’s Standard on Pages 27-28. Photo by Danielle Potter.

Pick up the Wednesday, September 17, 2025 print edition of The Standard or subscribe to our e-edition or print edition by clicking here.