Honoring their great-uncle ... Several great-nephews and great-nieces of Postville native and World War I hero Arthur Brandt made the trip in late June of this year to his final resting place in Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial near Verdun, France. Pictured above, left to right, are Mark Brandt of Minneapolis, MN, Mary Kay and Matthew Brandt of Cedar Rapids and their daughter, Rachel Brandt, of New York, NY, and Julie Brandt of Cary, NC. All are members of the Betty and Kenneth “Cod” Brandt family of Waukon. Submitted photo.
Submitted photo.
Courage in many aspects ... In addition to his bravery that led him to heroic measures during World War I, Postville native Arthur Brandt’s courage also led him to other adventures during his young life. He is pictured at right sporting a racing jersey for Excelsior Autocycle, racing motorbikes in a sport called Board Track Racing that was popular in the early 1900s. Submitted photo.
This article is submitted by Matthew Brandt with assistance from Mark Brandt, Rachel Brandt, and Dana Wind Lorelle (daughter of Julie Brandt)
I grew up knowing that my Great Uncle Arthur F. Brandt of Postville served in the Army in World War I. I grew up knowing he died a hero, having guided his company back to safety while enduring mortal wounds. I grew up knowing he was buried in France along with other soldiers who never made it home.
As an adult, having been reared on this legend, I entertained vague notions of someday visiting his grave and paying my respects. But it wasn’t until my own cancer diagnosis, when my wife inquired, “Not to be morbid, but do you have any items on your bucket list?” that I realized the time to visit Uncle Arthur’s grave was upon me.
Overall view ...
The view from County Home Park downward to the County Pond just off of Highway 9 north of Waukon is shown in the photo above. Allamakee County Conservation is completing an improvement project at the County Pond that has increased the surface area of the pond and made it more accessible and provided better fish habitat. Standard photo by Joe Moses.
Standard photo by Joe Moses.
Surrounded by more level access ... The picture above of the County Pond shows the more level walking area that has been created around the pond for improved fishing access. The leveling of the bank surrounding the expanded pond is reinforced with riprap that is also providing improved fish habitat within the pond. Standard photo by Joe Moses.
Riprap serves dual purpose ... Improvements taking place at the County Pond, part of County Home Park located north of Waukon off of Highway 9, include work both in and out of the water. The riprap lining of the pond, as shown stabilizing the pond bank in the photo above, is also a visible fish habitat improvement at this popular year-round fishing location for bass, bluegills, crappie and catfish. Standard photo by Joe Moses.
Public restroom at canoe access ... A public restroom, pictured above, has been added to the Red Bud Landing Canoe Access on the Upper Iowa River. The installation of this restroom was made possible through a combination of grant funding sources including the Water Recreation Access Cost-Share Program (WRAC), a competitive grant cycle administered through the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), in addition to some funding from the Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) program. A sidewalk will soon be added to the area for further access. Standard photo by Joe Moses.
by Joe Moses
Assistant Director Jarrod Olson of Allamakee County Conservation provided a tour and an update Tuesday, July 26 relating to ongoing improvements being made at two sites within the county including the County Pond and the Red Bud Landing Canoe Access. Both are under the care of the Allamakee County Conservation Department.
COUNTY POND – COUNTY HOME PARK
The tour began with the County Pond, part of County Home Park located north of Waukon off of Highway 9, just prior to the Allamakee County Solid Waste and Recycling location and Allamakee County Public Safety Center. Olson discussed fish habitat improvements that have been made to the County Pond as the result of competitive grants being awarded through a six-district conservation area. Olson noted that this competitive grant funding is supported through a portion of fishing license sales within this multi-district area.
First Dollar visit for Tatum Miller Photography ... Tatum Miller Photography, a new photography studio recently opened at 7 West Main Street in Waukon, received a First Dollar visit from the Waukon Chamber of Commerce. Pictured above at that First Dollar visit are, left to right, Tatum Miller Photography owner Tatum Miller and Waukon Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Laurie Adrian. Photo courtesy of the Waukon Chamber of Commerce.
Pursuing something that she’s always loved, Waukon native Tatum Miller has recently opened her own photography studio at 7 West Main Street in Waukon. That location that previously housed Bodensteiner Insurance and was the long-time office of Ewing Real Estate prior to that, has now been transformed into the new home of Tatum Miller Photography.
“I’ve always loved photography,” the former Tatum Tierney shared. “It would be one regret that I would have if I never gave it a try.”
Miller wants the end result for her customers to be more than just the photos the camera produces - she wants them to take away a complete experience. It is that aspect that she wants to build on in making her photography business unique.
First Dollar visit for new owner of Waukon Banquet Center ... Waukon Banquet Center, newly owned at its 612 Rossville Road location in Waukon, recently received a First Dollar visit under its new ownership from the Waukon Chamber of Commerce. Pictured above at that First Dollar visit are, left to right, Waukon Banquet Center new owner Trystan Riley, his puppy Boog, and Waukon Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Laurie Adrian. Photo courtesy of the Waukon Chamber of Commerce.
Sharing in the excitement and joy of big events, along with a little bit of familiarity, have brought Waukon native Trystan Riley to ownership of the long-established Waukon Banquet Center. The location of many celebrated events over the years, Riley took over ownership of the facility June 2 of this year from previous owners, Mike and Audrey Peterson, and is looking forward to making his own mark with it.
“I’ve bartended for years, and I like the idea of owning my own place,” Riley said of his new venture. “I had worked at Waukon Banquet Center previously for a few years, and I really enjoyed it. I like the events, and the environment, and I’ve always liked living in this area.”
With its long-established legacy of being a place where big events are celebrated, Riley feels the sky is the limit with what can be done at the facility. His willingness to work with anyone wishing to use the facility may also be as wide open as its floor plan.
Robey Memorial Library in Waukon will be hosting Main Street Story Walk in August featuring the children’s story “The Bad Seed” by Jory John. During the month of August families are encouraged to read this story at selected businesses as they stroll the downtown area. When joining in the fun, participants are reminded to be careful crossing the downtown streets for the safety of all. Seven selected businesses have a portion of the story posted in the front window of their establishment for viewing from the sidewalk. Each stop along the story walk will direct participants to the next location. Selected businesses are located on West Main Street and 1st Street NW in downtown Waukon and are labeled and numbered on the above map at the following locations: 1. Blake Electric; 2. Epic Wear; 3. S&D Cafe; 4. Rockweiler’s Appliance; 5. Hartig Drug; 6. Cunningham Hardware; 7. The Copy Shoppe. Submitted image.
The Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services (IVRS) Summer Career Fest for high school students was held June 21-22 at the Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Calmar Campus in collaboration with Iowa Workforce Development. Students from Waukon, Postville, Decorah, Cresco and Calmar attended and got to meet the dairy herd at the NICC Dairy Center while touring multiple barns, and they also observed the milking process and made butter. Local partners including Decorah Police Department, Gemini Inc., Toppling Goliath Brewing Co., Silver Laine Co., Dragonfly Books, Silver Birch, Winneshiek Medical Center, Beyond the Bar Bakery and ArtHaus provided presentations on job interviews, job applications and self-employment. Submitted photos.
Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Business and Community Solutions is offering two High School Drivers Education options for Allamakee and Eastern Allamakee Community School District students starting Monday, August 29-October 3, and Monday, October 17-November 17. The course will be held from 5-7 p.m. each Monday, Tuesday and Thursday during those timeframes.
To satisfy the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) requirements, students must attend 30 hours of classroom instruction and six hours of Behind the Wheel (BTW) driving experience. Attendance is required at all sessions. Students must have an Iowa driver’s permit before the first class.
The deadline for paid registration is August 15 and October 3 (for free and reduced lunch, students should contact the school office). To register for the course, call NICC Waukon center at 844-642-2338, ext. 6700.
For the second consecutive season, the Waukon baseball team played to 15 wins and hovered right around the .500 mark with its 2022 campaign of 15-17. Never losing more than three games in a row at any point in the season, the diamond Tribe had this summer’s campaign brought to a close in the second round of Class 2A district tournament play by a Dyersville Beckman squad ranked fourth that played its way to the Class 2A State Tournament, the Blazers having their season ended in the season grand finale semifinals by undefeated and now four-time Class 2A State Champion Van Meter.
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The 2022 Waukon softball season played out to an overall record of 8-16 for an overall young Lady Indian squad that didn’t have a single senior on this summer’s roster and most of the time had two-thirds of its players on the field be sophomores or younger, including as many as three freshmen and an eighth grader at certain points. The learning curve of this season’s squad seemed to be falling sharply as the season came to a close, as the diamond Tribe won three of its last four regular season games, but the Indians had their season brought to an early close in the opening round of their Class 3A regional tournament by a Dubuque Wahlert squad that eventually played its way to qualification for this season’s Class 3A State Tournament.
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Kee baseball senior Tyson Cota played for the Small Schools East squad in the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association (IHSBCA) Senior All-Star Series played at Roosevelt Field in Mason City this past weekend, Friday-Sunday, July 29-31. The Small Schools East squad consisting of players from Class 1A and 2A players from the east side of the state won the series as it posted two victories in its three games played in the series, handing the Large Schools West squad its only loss of the series to tie with that team at a 2-1 series record and winning a head-to-head match-up between the two teams.
