Despite the current mandates in place regarding group gatherings and social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a small group of parents and youth from First Presbyterian Church in Waukon were able to find a way to serve the monthly Waukon Community Meal Monday, March 30. Due to public health concerns, the usual sit-down meal in the church’s fellowship hall could not be served. But with the City of Waukon’s permission, the church served free sack lunches using drive-through service at City Park in Waukon. Meeting earlier in the day at the church, the workers prepared 300 sack lunches, which contained a ham-and-cheese sandwich, a piece of fruit, a bag of vegetable relishes, a bag of chips, and a snack-size candy bar. Bottled water also was available. The sack lunches were then taken to the park, and about 275 were given away to drive-through guests. The work crew then delivered the remaining 25 meals to others in the Waukon community. Submitted photos.
The Waukon City Council met in regular session Monday, April 6 via Zoom web conferencing software in response to COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines prohibiting public meetings with more than ten attendees. There was no Public Comment during that portion of the meeting.
Mayor Pat Stone began the meeting with the removal of an agenda item and approval of the amended agenda by the council. The council moved into the next matter with Stone reading aloud the proclamation declaring April 2020 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
The council moved into Department Reports. Police Chief Paul Wagner reported that the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) has shut down in response to COVID-19 and as a result Waukon Officer Fallon Cassidy has not completed in-person training but will be completing her training through webinars and hands-on training sessions through nearby agencies with an anticipated April 17 graduation date.
Waukon High School alum honored ... Dr. Gary Schwartzhoff, a 1970 graduate of Waukon High School, was recently honored with the Marshall Bartholomew Award by Intercollegiate Men’s Choruses, Inc. Schwartzhoff has been a music educator for 46 years and is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. The award plaque pictured at right above notes that Schwartzhoff was presented the award “for his significant contributions to the field of men’s choral music”. Submitted photos.
Dr. Gary R. Schwartzhoff, DMA, a 1970 graduate of Waukon High School and Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, has been honored by Intercollegiate Men’s Choruses, Inc. as the recipient of the Marshall Bartholomew Award. Intercollegiate Men’s Choruses, Inc. is a National Association of Male Choruses that strives to promote quality men’s chorus singing and music, and its membership is made up of male choruses/glee clubs of the nation’s universities, colleges and secondary schools.
The Bartholomew Award was established by Intercollegiate Men’s Choruses, Inc. (IMC) in 1978 after the death of the legendary conductor of the Yale Glee Club and founder of the Intercollegiate Musical Council, now IMC. The award honors choral musicians who have made significant contributions to the field of male choral music.
Pictured above, left to right, Allison Donley, Owen Henkes, and Ella Strong ...
Despite the havoc caused by the COVID-19 virus with scheduled events during the month of March and beyond, the Kee High School Speech program had three of its students forge ahead to earn All-State nominations for this year’s Individual Speech competition. Kee Speech participants Allison Donley, Owen Henkes and Ella Strong each received the All-State accolades after a refined State Speech process in early March.
The Iowa High School Speech Association (IHSSA) opted to cancel this year’s State Speech Contest and All-State Individual Speech Festival scheduled for March 8 and March 30, respectively. The IHSSA did grant schools the opportunity to schedule smaller State Speech competitions within their local area, which MFL/MarMac High School did March 8 in Monona, inviting Kee High School Speech members to participate.
The Allamakee Community School District Board of Directors met in a special session Tuesday, March 31 via conference call to remain within the current guidelines for social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The board met to approve the hiring of a new principal for the East and West Elementary Schools to replace multi-year principal Joe Griffith, who has been hired as the Superintendent of Schools in the North Fayette Valley School District.
Since last fall, Bill FitzGerald of Lansing has been trying to find the owner of the boathouse pictured at right (front and rear views) that drifted into his dock property on the banks of the Mississippi River along the north end of Front Street, Lansing. FitzGerald said the boathouse apparently broke free during high water levels late last fall from its original location, which is believed to be somewhere in the Shore Slough area further north of Lansing. FitzGerald said he discovered the boathouse nestled in between the river bank and his boat slips, as pictured in the lower photo, noting the narrow area the structure had to float through to come to rest where it did. He tied it up to an adjacent boat slip to make it more visible to passersby in hopes someone would recognize it and make claim to it. The boathouse was frozen into that location all winter and currently sits in the slip area pictured in the top photo at right.
The regular meeting of the Lansing City Council was held Monday, April 6. The discussion centered around the consent agenda, street report and a COVID-19 update.
The consent agenda consisted of council meeting minutes from March 16, payments of claims, and liquor license renewal for Lansing IGA. The consent agenda was approved.
Mark Rethwisch was hired to fill one of the lawn mowing positions within the city this summer. The City is still looking for one more person to apply for another vacant position. A motion was made and seconded to purchase a new plow truck.
All local parks will be closed due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Garage sales are also prohibited at this time until further notice. Citywide clean-up day originally scheduled for April 14 has also been postponed.
Two Lansing businesses, River-N-Ridge Outdoors and Lansing Housing Products, competed for the $2,000 grant award offered to the winner of the local Open 4 Business: Fish Tank Edition competition, as well as the chance to compete for up to $28,000 at the state level through Main Street Iowa. The competition was originally set to take place during the Main Street Lansing Annual Meeting and Dinner scheduled for March 21 and would have featured live pitches on stage to the panel of judges. After the COVID-19 pandemic led to the postponement of that event, Main Street Lansing decided to continue with the competition remotely.
Patricia L. Sander, 91, of Waukon died Friday, April 3, 2020 at Northgate Care Center in Waukon. A private burial was held at Oakland Cemetery, Waukon. Memorial services will be held at a later date. Martin Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements.
Pat is survived by her husband, Keith Sander of Waukon; her children: Dave Sander, Sue Polsley and Julie Stuhr; 10 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
From: Allamakee County Emergency Management Agency, Allamakee County Public Health and the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office
The following release is to provide information related to various rumors and statements specific to the community of Postville and to also provide additional information related to the COVID-19 response within Allamakee County.
There have been numerous calls, emails and social media posts reference the arrival of busloads of people within Postville from outside jurisdictions. In conversation with the local officials in Postville, to include law enforcement and the leadership within the community mentioned, there is no evidence or credible proof that this is occurring. While travel is recommended to be restricted in many cases from certain areas, this is not mandated, and people are still free to travel within the United States. Our guidance to everyone is to avoid unnecessary travel at this time and social distancing is in place.
