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by Julie Berg-Raymond

This year marks the fifth season of the Star City Film Festival and the first year it will be held in its new home on the banks of the Mississippi River, in Lansing. Founder and Artistic Director of the Star City Film Festival is longtime actress, producer, director, and founder of Sacred Noise Society, Inc., Katie O’Regan of Waukon. Among the highlights of the 2023 festival will be Friday evening’s “Stories at Sunset” outdoor staged readings of festival-selected screenwriters’ work at the Red Barn Resort; the local premiere of O’Regan’s 2022 film, “Painting Jane,” Saturday evening at T.J. Hunter’s Banquet Hall; and a breakfast with filmmakers Sunday morning at Coffee on the River. The three-day-long festival also includes a red-carpet event and awards ceremony.

The Allamakee County Veterans Affairs Office and the Allamakee County Veterans Museum are sponsoring a PTSD Awareness Walk Saturday, June 24, beginning at 9 a.m. The Walk will take place from the Freedom Rock in the Waukon City Park to the Allamakee County Courthouse front lawn.

Following the walk, programs, speakers and video presentations will be provided by Veterans Administration PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) Specialists at the Allamakee Veterans Museum at 105 Allamakee Street, across from the Courthouse.

This event is part of the Veterans Administration’s National Center for PTSD program celebrating June as PTSD Awareness Month. Designated PTSD Awareness Day is June 27. Participants are encouraged to engage in 27 minutes of exercise.

Editor’s note: Due to space and other considerations, this story includes an abridged history of St. Mary’s of Hanover in honor of its 125th anniversary. A commemorative binder, which chronicles the parish’s complete history and includes photos, will be available to order.

by Lissa Blake

St. Mary’s of Hanover, the little limestone church nestled along State Highway 76 north of Waukon and south of Dorchester, will celebrate the church’s 125th Jubilee this Sunday, June 11 with an outdoor mass at 10 a.m. (In case of bad weather, the mass will move indoors.) Father Jerry Blake will be the celebrant, assisted by Deacon Jeff Molitor. Both are native sons of the parish.

Waukon native Daryl Hansmeier has been selected to perform at the world famous Carnegie Hall in New York City Monday evening, June 12. He will be performing in Carnegie’s production of the Dan Forrest work “Requiem for the Living” that Monday evening, beginning at 8 p.m. EST, which is 7 p.m. CST.

Hansmeier’s long-time friend and colleague, Dr. Jennaya J. Robison, who currently serves as director of choral activities/studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, will be conducting the work. The ensemble will begin rehearsals Saturday, June 10 in New York City and will rehearse through the performance time. The Requiem is a choral piece in five movements that features orchestra, soloists and chorus. The event will be recorded and Hansmeier has been informed that recordings of the production will be available. Following the production, a formal reception will be held in the reception arena of Carnegie Hall.

Motorists who travel over the three Iowa 76 bridges north of Waukon need to be aware of a bridge deck joint replacement project requiring lane closures that may slow down their trip. Beginning Monday, June 12, until late August, weather permitting, crews will work on the Iowa 76 bridges over the Upper Iowa River, Bear Creek and Waterloo Creek. Only one bridge location will be worked on at a time. Motorists will be assisted through the work zone with temporary traffic signals.

Drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles and wear seat belts.

U.S. District 2 Congresswoman Ashley Hinson and Iowa House of Representatives District 64 legislator Anne Osmundson paid a visit to Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative (ACEC) just outside of Postville Friday morning, June 2. Hinson discussed with ACEC staff their efforts to provide electric and fiber internet services to residents and businesses within Allamakee and Clayton Counties, among a variety of other matters. See the article scheduled for printing in next week’s edition of The Standard for additional information. Standard photo by Joe Moses.
 

Allamakee County Sheriff Deputy John Grampovnik was among the 550 peacekeeping authorities from across the nation who had their ultimate sacrifices honored this year with the engraving of their names on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. The unveiling of those names, which include six law enforcement authorities from the state of Iowa, took place as part of the events of National Police Week observed May 14-20 this year.

Deputy Grampovnik died January 27, 2022 while serving in his 24th year as a Deputy of the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial website states that Grampovnik “died from complications as a result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty.”

The City of Lansing and the Lansing Park and Recreation Board announce the completion of a mapping and trail signage placement project for the trails that emanate from the Mt. Hosmer Park. The project was made possible by a 2021 grant from the Wellmark Foundation. An unveiling event was held Tuesday, May 23 at Mt. Hosmer Park to share the installation with the public.

“We are excited to share all the great work that went into this partnership to bring this new benefit to Lansing residents and visitors who enjoy the beauty of Mt. Hosmer and its trails,” said Maryann Baldwin, Lansing Parks Board Chair. “Most importantly, our community volunteers who have created these trails and collaborated with the City and Northeast Iowa RC&D (Resource Conservation & Development) to bring this project to life.”

A variety of Memorial Day activities are being planned for the upcoming holiday weekend, including all the traditional Memorial Day observances this year scheduled for Monday, May 29 in all of the area communities within Allamakee County. Those traditions of parades, full cemetery programs and wreath laying are being planned in honor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in serving their country, with details of some of those celebrations being outlined below on this page in their respective highlighted boxes.

by Dwight Jones

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Discussing mental health and/or acknowledging you or someone you know may have a problem can be a difficult subject to talk about and even harder to understand. In order to try to better recognize mental health issues, The Standard is printing this five-part series throughout the month to look at the many ways mental illness affects the local community.

Part One of the five-part series told the story of a 19-year-old local college student who suffers from severe anxiety and depression that has used medication and therapy to get well. Part Two told the story of a lifelong Waukon resident who battled mental illness much of his life and unfortunately succumbed to it by taking his own life.