Betty J. Jennings, 94, of Chippewa Falls, WI passed away peacefully Monday, November 20, 2023 at the Wisconsin Veterans Home in Chippewa Falls with family by her side. Funeral Mass was held Monday, November 27 at Notre Dame Catholic Church, Chippewa Falls, WI with Fr. Jesse Burish officiating. Interment was in Forest Hill Cemetery, Chippewa Falls.
For those unable to attend, the service was recorded and is available to view at https://www.pedersonvolker.com/obituaries/betty-jennings. In Lieu of flowers, please plant a tree or perennial in your yard or another place of significance to you, in remembrance of Betty, as she so enjoyed planting, tending and viewing her own flower gardens. Pederson-Volker Funeral Chapel & Cremation Services, Chippewa Falls served the family. Please share your memories and condolences online at pedersonvolker.com.
Laurel M. Gulla, 54, of Waukon passed away peacefully surrounded by family Tuesday, November 21, 2023 at WinnMed in Decorah. Memorial services were held Friday, November 24 at Martin - Grau Funeral Home in Waukon with Fr. John Moser officiating. In memoriam, Laurel wishes for you to give back to the nature she loved so much; plant a tree or grow a garden. Laurel would want us to appreciate the simpler things in life.
Laurel Mary Galanda Gulla was born May 2, 1969 near Pittsburgh, PA, the daughter of Joe and Mary Alyce (Winkler) Galanda. Laurel began her education at John F. Kennedy Catholic Elementary School in Washington, PA. She then moved on to attend Trinity High School, also in Washington, graduating in 1987. After high school, Laurel attended Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in education in 1991.
Pictured above, left to right: Nicholas Engrav and Andrew Sires
Absentee voting underway; County Courthouse will be lone polling site
Vote totals from the Tuesday, November 7 City/School Election have resulted in a run-off election being required to determine a winner of the At-Large seat on the Waukon City Council listed on this year’s ballot. With Waukon City Code requiring that the winning candidate in such an election receive at least a 50%-plus one vote majority, the three candidates vying for that single At-Large seat each received in the neighborhood of just one-third of the vote total cast in the November 7 balloting for that race.
Incumbent candidate Andrew Sires received 225 votes (33.73%). Challenger Nicholas Engrav garnered 245 votes (36.73%), and challenger Jean Brink collected 196 votes (29.39%).
The Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (CPKC) Holiday Train is scheduled to make its way to the Lansing and New Albin areas again this year as part of its 2023 trek to help raise money, food and awareness for local food banks in communities along the CPKC network. The festive railway celebration is scheduled to make its way through northeast Iowa Friday, December 8 with stops in Ossian, Marquette, Lansing and New Albin before a final stop that day in La Crescent, MN.
Highlighting the return of the Holiday Train will be a pair of concert performers, Tenille Townes and BRELAND, who will present about a half-hour show at each location. Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician Tenille Townes hails from Grande Prairie, Alberta in Canada. Her acclaimed debut album was named Country Album of the Year at the 50th JUNO Awards and Album of the Year at the 2021 Canadian Country Music Awards. Townes also earned her third consecutive Female Vocalist of the Year trophy.
Harpers Ferry area history ... A number of historical items, such as those pictured above, were on display at the 10th anniversary celebration of the Harpers Ferry Area Heritage Society held Saturday, November 4 at the Ethel Robinson Meehan Community Center in Harpers Ferry. In an effort to preserve that past, the Society continues to work toward the future with plans for a new museum to be built. Submitted photo.
Historical progress ... Pictured above is the area known as Martelle Heritage Park in Harpers Ferry, the site where many of the projects undertaken by the Harpers Ferry Area Heritage Society have become, and will continue to become, a reality. The former Oil Springs School and accompanying outhouse pictured at right in the photo have been in place on the site since being moved from their original location just north of Harpers Ferry in 2016, and plans have been in place for the property to also house a new museum (as indicated by the sign in the photo at left) that will house many artifacts, documents and other historic items from the Harpers Ferry area, with plans for breaking ground on that project in 2024 and completion of the project currently planned for sometime in 2026. Photos by Brianne Grimstad.
Displaying her heritage ... Pictured above is Marlys Martelle standing next to the sign identifying Martelle Heritage Park in Harpers Ferry. The Martelle family donated property in Harpers Ferry where the Harpers Ferry Area Historical Society has moved the Oil Springs School and where a new museum housing much more history from the Harpers Ferry area is being planned to be constructed within the next couple years. Submitted photo.
by Brianne Grimstad
The Harpers Ferry Area Heritage Society (HFAHS) celebrated its 10th anniversary Saturday, November 4 with an event held at the Ethel Robinson Meehan Community Center in Harpers Ferry. Guests at the celebration heard from two speakers, Effigy Mounds National Monument Superintendent Susan Snow and Maiden Voyage Tours, LLC Captain and Harpers Ferry resident Robert Vavra.
“Preserving this history is preserving my history,” Vavra noted. His riverboat tours cover many topics and he is well-versed in Mississippi River history, as he has relied on the river to make a living, including spending time as a clammer and a diver for mussels to be used in the cultured pearl industry.
Live music was performed at the November 4 celebration by John Stravers following the presentations. A sample of some of the donated artifacts with ties to the Harpers Ferry area were also on display.
Productive partnership ... Gabe McCann and Jeff Morris (left to right) are attaching the habitat to a recently completed Black Bear mount at Big River Taxidermy in Lansing. Over the past few years, McCann has been learning the art of taxidermy from Morris. Photo by Julie Berg-Raymond.
A keen eye for detail ... Gabe McCann is rebuilding the eyelids and nose pad on a whitetail deer. The white dots on the nose pad are Mod Podge - the brand name of a glue, sealer and varnish in one, used for decoupage and other arts and crafts. This is a first step in rebuilding the nose pad; the Mod Podge will be translucent when it dries. Photo by Julie Berg-Raymond.
Racking up the awards... This whitetail head crafted by Jeff Morris of Big River Taxidermy won three state champion awards at the Master’s level, as indicated by the many ribbons hanging from its antlers. Morris has stepped away from the competition aspect of taxidermy in recent years, wanting to more fully concentrate on the work that he does for his customers. Photo by Julie Berg-Raymond.
by Julie Berg-Raymond
Master taxidermist and owner of Big River Taxidermy in Lansing, Jeff Morris is, after almost three decades, turning over part of the widely renowned business to a young man who has been working with Morris as his apprentice for five years - Gabe McCann, of Gays Mills, WI.
“Big River Taxidermy is still what it has always been,” Morris says. “I’m still going to take care of my long-term customers - and I’ll continue to take on some new ones. I’m just handing over a portion of the business to Gabe, and he’ll be working under my supervision.”
A total of 36 area military veterans were honored during an event hosted Saturday, November 11, Veterans Day, at AJ Bar & Grill in Waukon. The event was hosted by Midwest Veterans of America and included each of those veterans receiving a plaque and small American flag, in addition to rounds of applause and gratitude from the many in attendance for their years of service to their country. Many of those honored veterans are pictured in the top photo, standing on the staircase for a group photo, and many of their family members, friends and acquaintances were also in attendance to share in their honoring, as depicted in the bottom photo at right of the capacity crowd. Among the honorees was retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant Kevin Herman, a 1984 graduate of Waukon High School who served as emcee of the event and is pictured in the photo at center addressing the crowd. Standard photos by Joe Moses.
Quilts of Valor presentations were made at the VFW/VFW Auxiliary Spaghetti Supper held Thursday, November 9 in New Albin. Pictured above with their quilts following the presentation are, left to right: Front row - Dan Becker of New Albin and Jennifer Mitchell of New Albin; Back row - Richard Protsman of Waukon, Bill Moore of Lansing and John Whaley of New Albin. Photo submitted by local representatives of the Quilts of Valor Foundation.
Commander Dan Hanson of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of the U.S. Post Gustave F. Kerndt #5981 announces the kick-off of this year’s VFW’s Voice of Democracy Scholarship competition. Local high school students have the opportunity to compete for thousands of dollars in scholarships and a trip to Washington, D.C.
Prizes and scholarships are awarded at the Post, District, State and National level. All State first-place winners receive a four-day trip to Washington, D.C., to tour the city, be honored by the VFW and its Auxiliary and receive their portion of $171,000 in national awards, the top scholarship being $35,000.
Students must record a three-to-five minute audio essay on a flash drive and submit the recording, typed essay and completed entry form to their local VFW Post by October 31 of this year. The 2023 theme selected is “What are the greatest attributes of our Democracy?”
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds lake property owners to check their boat and trailers, and docks and lifts, for aquatic invasive species before storing them for the winter. Aquatic invasive species, everything from zebra mussels to Eurasian watermilfoil, move from one waterbody to another by hitchhiking on boats, in bait buckets and on other equipment used in the water. They can create serious problems for Iowa waters and negatively impact the quality of outdoor recreation experiences.
