Although area thermometers and daytime weather conditions didn't offer much support of the name, the annual WinterFest celebration did take place in Lansing Saturday, February 18. Temperatures rising toward the 60-degree mark during the latter portion of this past week (confirmed by the LED thermometer reading pictured at right) allowed for WinterFest enthusiasts to take part in a variety of activities while donning some very "unFebruary-like" attire, such as the shorts and sandals sported by the youngsters pictured above. For additional WinterFest photos taken for The Standard by Jordyn Burroughs, see Page 5A of the print edition or e-edition. For additional spring-like weather in February... don't look too far ahead in the forecast.
The Waukon Chamber of Commerce will be hosting its Annual Banquet this Friday, February 24 at the Waukon Banquet Center. The Chamber will be awarding nominees from the community for Business of the Year and Person of the Year honors. Awards will also be distributed to honor businesses and organizations for their Years of Service to the community for those celebrating a five-year increment anniversary.
The doors will open for the event at 5:30 p.m., with awards being distributed at 6:30 p.m. and the meal to follow. This year’s banquet will be catered by Schulte's BBQ & Catering and they will be serving charcoal cooked beef and pork loin, along with all the sides.
Anyone with further questions about the event should contact Waukon Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Stephanie Dugan at 563-568-4110 or by email at waukoncc@mchsi.com.
At the February 6, 2017 Waukon City Council meeting, representatives from Alliant Energy were present to answer questions and address concerns relating to the installation of green utility/transformer boxes in the boulevard in front of customers' homes or in yards, as necessary. Alliant Energy's representatives indicated that this would be done at no charge to customers and would improve service reliability.
Justin Foss, Senior Marketing and Communications Partner with Alliant Energy, recently provided additional information and clarification on this project. Foss indicated that Alliant Energy repairs and replaces a portion of its power grid on a yearly basis and advised that sections of Waukon have been targeted for that transition this year due to the amount of trees within the city.
Southcrest Manor II in Waukon is managed by Allamakee Housing. Health services are provided by Northgate Care Center, who recognized all the tenants of the facility who are 90 years of age and older at a Valentine’s Day celebration at Southcrest Manor II. Pictured above are: Front row - Left to right: Julie Peters, Jean O’Hare and Esther Ward. Back row: Marjorie Held and Betty Christensen. Submitted photo.
The company known as ITC Midwest (International Transmission Company), with over 7,000 miles of transmission lines in the Midwest states of Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, plays a major role in the economy of northeast Iowa. Thursday, January 26, ITC made a substantial donation to the Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center being constructed in Lansing. Pictured above, left to right, Allamakee County Conservation Foundation campaign co-chair John Verdon, Allamakee County Conservation Assistant Director Jarrod Olson and Allamakee County Conservation Director Jim Janett accept a $3,000 donation check for the Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center from ITC regional representatives Lori Broghammer and Dan Hagen.
East Elementary Kids Club has had many great volunteers thus far this year. The Kids Club staff and students appreciate the efforts of Waukon High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Advisor Joan Schwartz and her FBLA students, the Waukon High School Orange Cord Program, Keystone AEA and Kathy Hay, ISU Extension with Becky Rea, Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative with Andrew Blair, Robey Memorial Library, Ross Geerdes with Allamakee County Conservation, Ann Hart and Al Hanson with RSVP, TASC, Jim and Sue Bieber, Lynn Groe, Joanne Sherman and her Band Buddies, Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Tech Team and the STEAM Night for all volunteering time to the Kids Club program. Pictured above are Waukon High School students Michaela Dehli and Megan O’Neill, who started a Videography Club with Kids Club students while volunteering with FBLA.
Members of the Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Education gathered for their regular monthly meeting Monday, February 20. Board Secretary Jaime Curtin noted that work is being done on the budget, and contracts are being prepared for the coming year. Superintendent Dave Herold noted that after a few months of declining funds, the school lunch fund had a gain in January.
Herold continued by reporting that insurance premiums had no increase again, making for at least three years of steady costs. “This is great news again. Our rates are down because we have been keeping our claims down,” Herold remarked.
The Waukon High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter is hosting its annual Carnival this Friday, February 24 at the Waukon High school gym and cafeteria from 4-7 p.m. Carnival games along with a small concession stand and cotton candy will be available. All games/activities can be participated in for just a quarter each. Proceeds from the carnival will be returned to the elementary schools in the Allamakee Community School District. Submitted photo.
... that I read with great interest Orlan Love’s article in Sunday’s Gazette regarding the vagaries of water quality in northeast Iowa, and in the “driftless” area with its karst topography.
Those of us who have lived here for a number of years are perhaps more familiar with the latter than the former, because while we know this hilly area is such because it was missed by the glacial drift of the age of ice, before climate change(!), the term “driftless area” seems to have lately become adopted as something to attract tourists. As stated in the article, there is northeast Iowa, and then there’s the rest of the state. Those from the loess hills near the Missouri River might quarrel with that.
It’s getting close to s-p-r-i-n-g! Which means it’s also getting close to L-E-N-T. “So?” you may ask, “what difference does that make?”
Well, if you choose to make a difference, Lent can come to be a very significant thing. It is a time to do some self-evaluation. Specifically it has to do with your assessment of your relationship with God - The Almighty, The Creator, The Supreme Being, The Father in Heaven, The Son & The Holy Spirit, etc.
