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The annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in Waukon has been scheduled for this Sunday, March 17 and will begin at 1 p.m. with many of the same festivities taking place as in years past throughout the community.

The parade route will be the same as in past years, beginning from the southeast edge of town and heading up Rossville Road and Spring Avenue to the stoplight intersection with Main Street. Turning left on to West Main Street, the parade will venture up to Second Street SW, where the entries will turn left at the Post Office intersection, travel one block south to First Avenue SW, and then east back to Spring Avenue, turning right at Kwik Star to head back south to its point of origin.

The 2019 Allamakee County Dairy Banquet will be held this Saturday, March 16 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon. The meal will be served from 7-8:30 p.m. with the program starting at 8 p.m.

The annual celebration recognizes the importance of the dairy industry in Allamakee County and the contributions dairy families make to this important industry. Every year, top producers from the county are recognized at the banquet. In addition, several other awards are presented that evening, some of which include the following:

• Outstanding Young Dairy Family Award
• Pioneer Dairyman Award
• Distinguished Dairy Family Award
• Service to Dairy Industry Award
• Golden Butter Knife Award.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, March 11 to address a full agenda of items including radon testing at the Allamakee County Historical Society Museum, the temporary road closure of Iowa River Drive (A26) for the Irish Hollow Creek Bridge replacement and the installation of air conditioners at the Allamakee County Courthouse.

During Public Comment, Waukon City Attorney and President of the Allamakee County Historical Society Jim Garrett discussed that the City of Waukon has agreed to sponsor the St. Patrick’s Day Parade coming up this weekend in Waukon, allowing the extension of the City’s liability coverage for the event.

Allamakee County Treasurer Lori Hesse would like to remind property owners the second installment of property taxes is due by the end of this month (March 2019). With the end of March falling on the weekend (Sunday, March 31), property owners will have until Monday, April 1 to pay their taxes without penalty.

Payments may be made in person at the Allamakee County Treasurer’s Office in the Allamakee County Courthouse at 110 Allamakee Street in Waukon between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Property owners should bring their tax stubs with their payment to ensure proper credit. To avoid penalty on the second installment, payment must be received in the Treasurer’s Office by Monday, April 1. Penalty begins Tuesday, April 2.

A community-based discussion addressing a shortage of child care in Allamakee County is scheduled to be held this Friday, March 15 from 8 a.m.-12 noon in Room 113 of the NICC Waukon Center, located at 1220 Third Avenue NW in Waukon. A continental breakfast will be served.

Discussion facilitators will share information, gather ideas and input from those in attendance to address how the shortage of child care impacts this area’s economic growth and success. The meeting is being hosted by Early Childhood Partners and will be facilitated by the Iowa Women’s Foundation.

According to statistics provided by those groups, 82% of households in Allamakee County have both parents working outside the home, and there has also been a 50% decrease in child care programs in the last five years in Allamakee County.

by Lissa Blake

With 880 miles of road to maintain, Allamakee County road crews have been putting forth their best effort to combat the snow, ice and wind conditions this winter. Allamakee County Engineer Brian Ridenour recently explained what it takes to keep the roads clear and County employees and residents safe during a winter such has been experienced this year.

“We have 10 motor graders, 12 plow trucks, five loaders and 27 dedicated, dependable operators,” said Ridenour of his Allamakee County Secondary Roads Department. He said the County’s normal budget for winter maintenance is $500,000, and he says his department has already used up about 90 percent of that this winter.

“Hopefully, March will be good to us,” said Ridenour. In addition to labor, that money helps pay for around 1,200 tons of salt and 30,000 tons of sand used on County roadways.

Allamakee County Treasurer Lori Hesse would like to remind property owners the second installment of property taxes is due by the end of this month (March 2019). With the end of March falling on the weekend (Sunday, March 31), property owners will have until Monday, April 1 to pay their taxes without penalty.

Payments may be made in person at the Allamakee County Treasurer’s Office in the Allamakee County Courthouse at 110 Allamakee Street in Waukon between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Property owners should bring their tax stubs with their payment to ensure proper credit. To avoid penalty on the second installment, payment must be received in the Treasurer’s Office by Monday, April 1. Penalty begins Tuesday, April 2.

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon is seeing an increasing number of patients with the influenza virus. The Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care public health department is sharing the following information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to alert the community about what to do if they do contract the flu virus and how to prevent spreading it.

FLU SYMPTOMS
Influenza (also known as flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by flu viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. Flu is different from a cold. Flu usually comes on suddenly. People who are sick with flu often feel some or all of these symptoms:

Person of the Year - Karen Carlton ...

A pair of area entities serving northeast Iowa received awards for their efforts in promoting tourism at the 2019 Iowa Tourism Conference hosted by the Iowa Tourism Office and the Travel Federation of Iowa in Altoona February 6-8. Northeast Iowa Tourism Association and Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) each received awards in their respective rural divisions of promoting aspects of Iowa tourism.

Northeast Iowa Tourism Association, a seven-county regional marketing group with a mission of promoting tourism in northeast Iowa, was recognized with an award for Outstanding Social Media Execution (Rural). Northeast Iowa Tourism Association has members representing Allamakee, Buchanan, Chickasaw, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek Counties.

Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) also received an award for Outstanding Niche Marketing Initiative (Rural) for its Northeast Iowa Trout Fishing Guides.