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Saturday, October 2, students in seventh through 12th grades from the Waukon Middle School and High School attended the RitterSing Honor Choir (formerly known as Real Men Sing) at Wartburg College in Waverly. RitterSing is designed to bring together tenor and bass singers from across the region to jump-start and motivate the bass clef singers in high school choral programs early in the year. The festival offers two choirs: a 7th-9th/10th Grade Middle School Chorus and a 9th Grade-Adult Chorus. Choir directors can choose whichever choir works best for their students.

Students attending are pictured in the photo above and include: Left to right - Front row: Trevor Block, Trent Schullo, Drake Hankes and Issac Johanningmeier; Back row: Gabe Goettel, Reagan Lubahn, Caleb Perkins, Jaedyn McGuire and John Marti. They are under the direction of Sarah J. Bieber (Grades 6-12 Vocal Music Instructor) and chaperone Caitlyn Owen (Grades PK-5 Elementary Music Teacher).

During the 1961-1962 school year, the Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors approved the purchase of a piano for the school district when Peter Bieber, father of James Bieber and grandfather of current Waukon 6-12 grades vocal music teacher Sarah Bieber, was president of the school board. When not in use, it was kept in a padlocked box in the old high school gymnasium, and officials for basketball games were even known to have sat on top of it. When the old Waukon High School burned down in 1965, this piano was brought to the new high school (the current FFA room at Waukon High School). It was used heavily, not taken care of, and eventually sold at an auction.

Four students in the Allamakee Community School District have been selected to participate in the most prestigious Honor Choir in the state of Iowa for students. East Elementary School fifth grade Alto 1 singer Alice Jones (pictured in individual photo above), under the direction of Pk-5th Grade Elementary Music Teacher Caitlyn Owen, along with (left to right in photo below) Waukon Middle School eighth grade Alto 2 singer Tobias Treptau, seventh grade Alto 1 singer Eireann Goettel and freshman Soprano Annelise Ellingson were recently selected for participation in the 35th annual Opus Honor Choir Festival. The seventh through ninth grade students are under the direction of Sarah Bieber, Grades 6-12 Vocal Music Director. This is the first time in seven years that a fifth grade student has been selected for Opus.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

The Lansing City Council voted Monday night, November 1 to approve sending out Requests for Proposals to renovate the historic Lansing Stone School into apartment units, using an Iowa Economic Development Association (IEDA) downtown housing grant.

The annual Fall Migration Day will be held Saturday, November 13 from 9-11 a.m. at the River View Park observation deck in the middle of Ferryville, WI. Scopes (such as pictured above) will be set up by Dan Jackson and Michael White for better viewing of the migrating water fowl. Swans, bald eagles, herons, white pelicans and many species of ducks are all possibilities for viewing that day. Treats will be provided. This event is for every level of birder and for families who want an outside activity in the morning. For more information, call Joanne White at 319-240-5692 to leave a message, and a call will be returned. More information can also be found on the Ferryville, WI Facebook pages. Submitted photo.
 

The Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center will host the Driftless Birding Fest November 12 and 13. The Driftless Birding Fest will include speakers, exhibits, and guided and self-guided field trips to area birding hotspots.

The self-guided field trips will include the Brownsville, MN overlook, Stoddard, WI overlook, New Albin’s Army Road, Red Oak Road near Harpers Ferry, and the Ferryville, WI overlook.

Friday, November 12 from 6-8 p.m. “Raptors of Iowa” will be presented at the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center.  Following the presentation, from 8-10 p.m., there will be an “Owl Prowl” to find and hear owls on the bluffs surrounding the nature center.

Heart-stopping Hawks earn first-ever quarterfinals berth in Eight-Player program history

The past three Fridays of the Iowa high school football season have had a lot riding on them for the 2021 Kee football team, and the grid Hawks have taken their fans and themselves on quite the ride in each of those weeks, including its latest thrill of a 42-40 upset victory at undefeated and top-five rated Turkey Valley Friday, October 29 in the second round of the Eight-Player State Play-Offs.

The Waukon boys cross country team finished about right where it was supposed to at its season grand finale Class 2A State Cross Country Meet held Saturday, October 30 at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course near Fort Dodge. Having been tabbed with a seventh-place ranking among Class 2A schools by the Iowa Track and Field Coaches Association heading into the meet, that’s exactly where the distance Tribe ended up in its second consecutive season grand finale appearance, scoring 185 team points to finish seventh among Class 2A’s elite field of 15 teams at the State Meet.

Indians will host NFV in District 5 rematch Friday for the right to play in the Dome

A Storm blew into the Waukon High School football stadium Friday, October 29, but it was the host football Indians that created the “reign”.

Dodging an early cloud with an initial denied four-play series followed by a goal-line stand, the Waukon football team weathered pretty much everything the Storm from Camanche brought to the field in the 40-0 home triumph for the grid Tribe in Friday’s second round of the Class 2A State Play-Offs. First turning the ball over on downs on a first-series denied fourth down attempt deep in their own territory but then coming up with the first of five turnovers they created in the ballgame, the Indians racked up over 400 yards of offense and scored in every quarter on the way to the their ninth straight win of the season and advancement to the Class 2A quarterfinal round of competition for the fifth consecutive season.

Romana J. “Monnie” Brazell, 86, of Cedar Rapids passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family, Wednesday, October 27, 2021. Visitation will take place at Cedar Memorial Park Chapel of Memories from 10:30 a.m.-Noon Saturday, November 6, followed by a private service for family.

Monnie was born in Waterville October 25, 1935 to Oliver and Ida Teslow. She moved to Cedar Rapids at age 18 and began a long career with Northwestern Bell, starting as a telephone operator. She enjoyed cooking and, throughout her life, searched for new recipes she could try and then share with family.

She was a master seamstress, sewing most of her daughters’ school clothes back in the day. She added embroidery and quilting later in life, creating heirloom quilts for her children and grandchildren.