News Center newsletter

The National Park Service (NPS) Effigy Mounds National Monument and leaders of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska (ITKN) signed a first-of-its-kind agreement establishing the first Tribal Sister Park relationship between a U.S. National Park and a Tribal Nation’s National Park this past week. This agreement promotes cooperation and support between Ioway Tribal National Park, located along the south/northeastern border between Nebraska and Kansas, and Effigy Mounds National Monument, located in northeast Iowa. It enriches the experience and capacity of the personnel at both parks, strengthening the nation-to-nation relationship.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, November 28 to address a full agenda of matters including an update relating to the Veterans Memorial Hospital City-ownership to County-ownership conversion, discussion of improvements and increased maintenance of Hickory Nut Drive, and discussion relating to the condition of Allamakee County Courthouse restrooms, among other matters.

During Public Comment, Lansing area resident Doug Mullen discussed the City-ownership to County-ownership conversion of Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) following the passage of Public Measure AN in the November 8 General Election. Mullen noted that he believes many who voted in favor of the conversion did so due to their perception that a vote against the measure would result in the closure of the hospital.

The Waukon High School Choir will travel around the area on its 27th Annual Christmas Church Tour Sunday, December 4.

The choir sings at seven churches each year. Those churches are selected based on a number of factors, including church proximity to the high school, accessibility for school buses, the physical size of the church, the membership size of the congregation, and whether the worship service is broadcast.

Under the direction of Sarah Bieber, the choir will be singing during the worship services at these Waukon area churches according to the following time schedule:

St John’s Lutheran
8:30-8:45 a.m.

Old West Lutheran
9-9:15 a.m.

First Presbyterian
9:30-9:45 a.m.

St Patrick Catholic
10-10:15 a.m.

First Baptist
10:30-10:45 a.m.

Zalmona Presbyterian
11-11:15 a.m.

Robey Memorial Library Foundation is hosting a Winter Book Sale Friday, December 2  from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday, December 3 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Shoppers may fill a bag with books for $5 or purchase items individually.

Proceeds from the book sale go to the Robey Memorial Library Foundation.  The Robey Memorial Library Foundation supports ongoing programs including: Newborn Project through Veterans Memorial Hospital; 1,000 Books before Kindergarten; 100 Books before High School; and Read for a Lifetime (high schoolers).

The Robey Memorial Library Foundation has a monthly book sale the third Thursday from 2-6 p.m. For more information, contact Robey Memorial Library at 563-568-4424 or www.waukon.lib.ia.us.
 

Waukon resident Cameron Berges is starring in the Elkader Opera House Players production of “A Christmas Story.” The show follows the beloved classic Christmas movie and Berges plays the role of Ralphie’s dad, “The Old Man,” including a big dance number he stars in with an ensemble dressed up like leg lamps. Berges is pictured at left in the photo above with co-stars (left to right) Gavin West (Ralphie), Meghan Birdnow (Mother) and Erin Camp (Randy).

Berges began work with the production in May of this year with auditions and has been rehearsing since August. Performances are scheduled for December 2, 3, 9 and 10 at 7:30 p.m. and December 4 and 11 at 2 p.m. at the Elkader Opera House.  Tickets are available online at operahouse.booktix.com. Submitted photo.
 

A Drive-Thru Santa on the Farm event will be held at Iowa’s Dairy Center Friday evening, December 9 from 5-7 p.m. Iowa’s Dairy Center is located at 1527 Hwy. 150, Calmar. Visitors will be able to meet Santa from their vehicles. The drive-thru event will take visitors right through the farm’s freestall barn to see a close-up view of the milking cows. Pre-packaged cookies and milk will be served directly to vehicles and visitors will also receive a fun holiday goody bag which includes dairy educational activities. This family-friendly event is free to the public and donations are appreciated. The event will be weather permitting. For up-to-date information or questions, visit the Northeast Iowa Dairy & Agriculture Foundation’s Facebook page or contact 563-534-9957 or info@iowadairycenter.com. Submitted photo.
 

Helping Services for Youth & Families is hosting the 18th annual Holiday Lights event, held at Pulpit Rock Campground in Decorah. Holiday Lights is an annual fundraiser for Helping Services for Youth & Families, a nonprofit organization with programs that promote healthier and safer families throughout northeast Iowa. A free-will donation will be collected when entering the gates of Holiday Lights to view displays such as pictured above in the submitted photo. All donations benefit Helping Services for Youth & Families.

Ross Geerdes, Naturalist with Allamakee County Conservation visited the Kindergarten classrooms at West Elementary School in Waukon Monday, November 14, presenting information about wild turkeys. Students learned about what turkeys eat, the names of male and female turkeys, what animals are their predators, their body parts, and their habitat (as listed on the whiteboard in the photo background). Along with learning about their predators, Geerdes brought in furs of these animals for the children to see and feel. Submitted photo.
 

“The Case of the Stinky Stench” engaged the Clover Kids during their November session as they followed Lady Pancake, Sir French Toast and Inspector Croissant through the refrigerator to find the source of the stench. At the end of the book, after the stench was found and cleaned, Lady Pancake was separated from her friends. The Clover Kids were challenged to build a bridge over Corn Chowder Lake for her. Using spaghetti noodles and marshmallows (as pictured above), the bridge had to be one inch off the ground and eight inches long. They worked together in groups and numerous bridge designs were made and tested. Afterwards the youth painted with different food items such as peppers, celery, broccoli and marshmallows (as pictured below) to create their own unique art pieces.

by Alaina Gebel

This past June, I had the privilege of attending the Washington FFA Leadership Conference. FFA members from across the nation traveled to Washington D.C. to learn about serving our communities, meeting new people, and touring the D.C. area.

FFA members attended sessions throughout the conference regarding advocating, setting goals, connecting with other FFA members, and leadership. The facilitators at the conference emphasized leadership and serving one’s community. Participants created an action plan to implement once they returned home.

Since my return from the Washington Leadership Conference, I have been hard at work trying to implement my community service projects. One of my main goals is to bring agriculture education into the elementary schools within our community.