Community News Stories

Winneshiek Medical Center Auxiliary holds Collective Goods & Bake Sale— Nov. 19

The Winneshiek Medical Center Auxiliary will hold their annual Collective Goods Book and Bake Sale on Tuesday, November 19 from 7 am – 3 pm in the Winneshiek Medical Center lower level conference rooms.  The sale will feature unique books and gifts from Collective Goods as well as homemade treats from WMC Auxiliary members.

Proceeds from all Auxiliary fund raisers, including profits from the WMC Gift Shop, benefit Winneshiek Medical Center by supporting program and equipment needs, as well as the Auxiliary Health Career Scholarship.

To learn more about Auxiliary events, contact the Winneshiek Medical Center Volunteer Services department at 563-387-3036.

National Philanthropy Day is quickly approaching on Friday, November 15, 2019.

This is a day to recognize and pay tribute to the contributions that people and organizations have made to our lives, community, and our world.

The Association of Fundraising Professionals, Upper Mississippi Valley Chapter will be honoring the following individuals and organizations on November 15, 2019 at a luncheon to be held at the Lunda Center on the campus of Western Technical College from 11:30am to 1pm.

Honorees this year include:

• Outstanding Philanthropists: Marilyn and Jeff Roverud of Decorah, IA
• Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser: Kevin O’Reilly of Winona, MN
• Outstanding Philanthropic Organization: Dahl Automotive
• President’s Award: Rotary Works Foundation

See more information on the four recipients in the following pages.

The public is welcome to attend. Tickets for the luncheon are just $30, or a full table for eight can be purchased for $240 online.

Contacting Mary Kay Wolf (see below).

Outstanding Philanthropists
2019 NATIONAL PHILANTHROPY DAY AWARDS LUNCHEON
Jeff & Marilyn Roverud

“Service” and “community” have been constants in the lives of Jeff and Marilyn Roverud. They have shared their gifts and talents through individual efforts and as a team. Highlights of leadership for Jeff include serving on the Iowa Limestone Association Board of Directors for 14 years including service as president. He also served on the National Stone Association Board of Directors and was elected chair of that board, traveling the U.S. representing the stone industry. A two-time Paul Harris Fellow of the Decorah Rotary Club, Jeff joined other club members on a mission trip to Panama working on a clean water project for indigenous people.

Marilyn has served on the boards of Humanities Iowa, Lutheran Services of Iowa,  Decorah Community Schools Foundation, and the Greater Decorah Community Foundation, and on the candidacy committee of the Northeastern Iowa Synod of the ELCA. Serving Luther College as a member of the Board of Regents for 12 years, including eight years as secretary, has been a lifetime privilege.

Together the Roveruds have shared their philanthropic giving with their alma mater, Luther College, by establishing endowed student scholarships, endowed faculty fellowships, and sharing their leadership in numerous campaigns along with participation in the Luther College Annual Fund. Multiple community organizations and initiatives have been recipients of their support including Vesterheim NorwegianAmerican Museum, where they have sponsored the Syttende Mai celebration for 17 continuous years.

The Roveruds are the parents of two daughters—Kirsten Roverud Heine of Decorah, Iowa, and Suzanne Roverud Mineck of Waukee, Iowa. They are active, long-time members of First Lutheran Church in Decorah.

Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser
2019 NATIONAL PHILANTHROPY DAY AWARDS LUNCHEON
Kevin O’Reilly

Kevin O’Reilly from Winona, Minn., Vice President of Strategic Sourcing at Peerless Chain volunteers as an organizer for Winona ORC’s Annual Sponsorship drive.

He raises between $50K and $60K each year for those with disabilities seeking employment. Not only does Kevin volunteer to lead the sponsorship drive, he also manages the annual golf tournament committee, making sure the event is not only fun but rewarding as well. Kevin also volunteers his time coordinating and delivering meals to those in need through a partnership between Peerless Chain and Volunteer Services.

Kevin is a graduate of the Blandin Community Leadership Program; he was volunteer of the year in 2011 for the Winona Area United Way, and also served several years on the Winona ORC board as a member and President beginning in 2008. The hours of volunteer time spent by Kevin raising funds for Winona ORC is immeasurable. Winona ORC staff reflected on a recent conversation they had with Kevin’s wife, Sue. After complimenting her family on the outstanding volunteer work they do in the Winona Community, Sue shared their belief “to whom much is given, much is expected.” To this Winona ORC staff, that was a perfect way to describe Kevin and his commitment to Winona ORC and the community it serves.

Outstanding Philanthropic Organization
2019 NATIONAL PHILANTHROPY DAY AWARDS LUNCHEON
Dahl Automotive

Philanthropy has always been important to the Dahl Family, dating all the way back to 1911. In fact, one of Dahl Automotive’s Core Values is “Promote Giving Back to our Community”. Over the past 15 years the Dahl Family Foundation has awarded almost 70 grants totaling over $4.5 million.

One of the major fundraising events Dahl Automotive conducts occurs in September; the Dahl Automotive Lube-a-Thon. Through this fundraiser and other annual support, the company showed their dedication to a local non-profit. The event is run completely by volunteers; including Dahl team members, representatives from the benefiting charity, and family members of both organizations. With all of the supplies donated by many generous sponsors, 100% of the money raised goes directly to the non-profit.

Since the event’s inception over $150,000 has been raised.

President’s Award
2019 NATIONAL PHILANTHROPY DAY AWARDS LUNCHEON
Rotary Works Foundation, Inc.

The Rotary Works Foundation, Inc. is a 501 (c) 3 organization sponsored by area Rotary Clubs that encourages Rotarians to enact the Rotary Four Way Test by financially supporting local and international charitable and educational activities. The Foundation grants over $25,000 per year to organizations in need.

The Rotary Club of La Crosse founded the Rotary Foundation in 1982 to provide a separate agency to award grants for local and international activities which fall under the criteria established.

In 2008, the foundation became a regional foundation and changed its name. Rotary Works Foundation is made up of the nine Rotary Clubs in the area — La Crosse Downtown, La Crosse East, La Crosse After Hours, Valley View, Onalaska, Onalaska Hilltopper, Holmen, Caledonia and La Crescent and is governed by a board made up of members from each of the clubs.

The efforts of the Rotary Works Foundation are supported in large part by the nine Rotary clubs and individual members of those clubs. Because of the large scope of many of the activities, the Foundation enthusiastically welcomes contributions and memorial gifts from people who share its commitment to improving the quality of life in the La Crosse area and the world.

AFP – Upper Mississippi Valley Chapter President, Rose Dobbs, selected The Rotary Works Foundation for the President’s Award because of her personal connection to Rotary. Rose was a Rotary Youth Exchange Student in 1996, sponsored by La Crosse Downtown Club. Since that time she has held a special place in her heart for the work that Rotary does for the community and the world. Rose’s late father, Tom Reinert, was also very active in the La Crosse Downtown Club serving as president, a Paul Harris Fellow, and as an outbound coordinator for the Rotary Youth Exchange.

Winneshiek Medical Center is pleased to welcome Jennifer Becker, ARNP, to the medical practice.  Jennifer recently joined the ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialty at Winneshiek Medical Center, led by Mayo Clinic Health System physician William Remington, M.D.

Jennifer earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and her Master of Science in Nursing, specializing as a family nurse practitioner, from Walden University.  Prior to receiving her advanced degree, she worked as a home health and hospice nurse.

“The Ear, Nose and Throat practice at WMC provides such a wide breadth of care with many unique cases.  I look forward to specializing in this area and help provide greater access to ENT services for our patients,” says Jennifer.

ENT specialists treat conditions of the ear, nose, throat, head and neck, including:  hearing loss, dizziness, sinus problems, voice problems, and skin cancer.  At Winneshiek Medical Center, Dr. Remington performs minimally invasive sinus surgeries (Balloon Sinuplasty), ear tube insertion, tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy and many other surgical procedures.  The ENT specialty also works alongside full time Mayo Clinic Health System audiologist Cynthia See, Au.D.

To make an appointment at Winneshiek Medical Center, call 563-382-2911 or request an appointment online at www.winmedical.org/mychart.

Cutline: Jennifer Becker, ARNP, recently joined the Ear, Nose, Throat (ENT) practice at Winneshiek Medical Center Decorah Clinic.  Becker (seated) is pictured with Mayo Clinic Health System physicians William Remington, M.D. and Cynthia See, Au.D.

Winneshiek County Public Health is offering an Early Bird walk-in flu clinic to the public at the Winneshiek County Public Health office at 305 Montgomery St., Decorah this Friday, October 11, 2019 from 7-10 a.m. Cost of the vaccine is $30 and is for everyone ages 6 mos. and older. Currently, we do not have the high dose flu for ages 65 and older and are expecting another shipment later next week, BUT have sufficient amounts of the quadrivalent (4) strain available and will help to get you covered. It takes 2 weeks for you to be fully covered against the influenza with the vaccination so please don’t delay and get yourself protected.

Please be aware that water line repair is occurring outside the west entrance. That entrance is still open and you may also enter the south side of the building.

If you have questions regarding possible insurance coverage, please call 563-382-4662 for answers. Don’t delay, get your flu shot now. No appointments necessary.

The Allamakee County Economic Development (ACED) Board of Directors announced WW Homestead Dairy as the 2019 Cloy Kuhse Positive Impact Award winner at the ACED Annual Meeting hosted in Harpers Ferry on Thursday, October 10. This annual award was created to highlight and recognize a business that is making a positive impact in Allamakee County, as well as, to honor the memory of Cloy Kuhse and his vision. WW Homestead Dairy now joins the list of annual award recipients including Growing Bear Daycare & PreSchool of Waukon, New Albin Savings Bank, Waukon Dental, Mike Ferring Construction of Waukon, TASC of Waukon, Wuennecke’s Meat Market of New Albin, and NorplexMicarta of Postville.

WW Homestead Dairy includes the families of Tom & Angie Weighner, Paul Weighner, and Tom & Janet Walleser. The dairy has 10 full time employees and 8-10 part time employees making and delivering dairy products throughout Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

ACED Board President Christina Drahos shared the following comment from the nomination, “WW Homestead Dairy embodies all that is good with our American Spirit. Three families looking for a new way to market their own dairy products teamed up to start a new business, take the leap of faith, and pour their heart and soul into the adventure.”

Val Reinke, Allamakee County Economic Development, Executive Director shared with audience, “The dairy offers really fun events such as the drive in mooovies, Friday Night Cruisin’, Corn Days car show, opportunities for organizations to fundraise, social media fun – name that calf, create the next ice cream flavor, photos of farm livin’ and so much more.”

Thank you to Kyle & Bobbie Goetzinger and Andy & Erica Wagner for taking the time to nominate this deserving business for the Cloy Kuhse Positive Impact Award.

The Oneota Valley Community Orchestra (OVCO) celebrates its 6th season in 2019-2020 under the leadership of Music Director, Matthew Cody. The first concert is on Sunday, October 27, 2019 at 4:00 p.m. in the Decorah High School Auditorium. Musique Française! will feature French music of the late romantic period and will include music by Jaques Offenbach, Georges Bizet, and César Franck.

The season continues on January 10th thru January 11th when the OVCO presents a fully staged production of the opera Amahl and the Night Visitors by Gian Carlo Menotti. “A family friendly opera originally written for NBC to broadcast live in the 1950’s, it is a beautiful score and we’re thrilled to be able to present it to our audience!” said OVCO director Matthew Cody. Both performances will take place at 7:00 p.m. in the Decorah High School Auditorium. Ticket information will be available on the website.

The third performance of the season will take place on Sunday, February 23 at 3:00 p.m. at the Decorah High School Auditorium. This concert includes Beethoven’s violin concerto with violinist Rebecca Corruccini of the Minnesota Orchestra and a North American premiere, by local composer Ben Hippen, American Nocturne. Also on the program is Rossini’s Overture to The Barber of Seville and Tchaikovsky’s Marche Slav.

The orchestra’s season finale is on April 26th at 3:00 p.m. when OVCO will once again have an opportunity to collaborate with the Decorah Chorale and director Jason Rausch. The orchestra and chorale will perform Carl Orff’s famous Carmina Burana in the Decorah High School Auditorium. “Carmina is one of those pieces from classical music that has filtered itself into pop culture and parts of it are recognizable by almost everyone. It has remained immensely popular in concert halls since it’s premiere 82 years ago. This is going to be awesome!” said Cody.

The Oneota Valley Community Orchestra was founded in 2014 and has grown to be one of the leading orchestras in the area providing Oneota Valley with rich cultural and educational opportunities. The OVCO is sponsored by the Marion E. Jerome Foundation and the Depot Outlet.

You, like many others, may have training in CPR to stabilize those who are not breathing or in cardiac arrest until emergency responders arrive. CPR (short for cardiopulmonary resuscitation) has saved countless lives of those we love in their time of need. But what about the times when people are in a mental health crisis? Do you have the skills and training to perform life-saving mental health intervention?

QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the three simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. Bridgette Hensley, Psy.D., Mayo Clinic Health System psychologist and QPR certified trainer at Winneshiek Medical Center says, “Everyone should be trained in QPR. Suicide is one of the most preventable kinds of death. QPR provides hope and empowers people to help by teaching them how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help.”

The QPR mission is to reduce suicidal behaviors and save lives by providing innovative, practical and proven suicide prevention training. QPR training is for anyone: parents, friends, neighbors, teachers, ministers, doctors, nurses, office supervisors, foremen, advisors, caseworkers, law enforcement, and many others who are strategically positioned to recognize and refer someone at risk of suicide.

Dr. Hensley says, “In CPR the general public is educated about the classic signs of a heart attack, and then taught how to respond. In QPR participants are educated about the known warning signs of a suicide crisis: expressions of hopelessness, depression, giving away prized possessions, talking of suicide, securing lethal means, and then taught how to respond.”

Dr. Hensley adds, “The more people trained in QPR in our community, the more lives will be saved.”

Free QPR Training at WMC
Winneshiek Medical Center is holding a free QPR training in the WMC lower level conference rooms on Thursday, November 14 from 6:30 – 8 pm.

The training is appropriate for teens and older, and is led by Dr. Hensley. Space is limited and registration is appreciated by Friday, November 8. Register online at www.winmedical.org/QPR-training or call WMC at 563-382-2911 and ask for Behavioral Health.

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Photo Cutline:
Bridgette Hensley, Psy.D., Mayo Clinic Health System psychologist and QPR certified trainer at Winneshiek Medical Center.

Cresco, IA | Rushford, MN (8 a.m. Oct. 23, 2019)— MiEnergy Cooperative’s Operation Round Up Trust Board met in September and elected to donate $5,300 to the following local organizations:

• $1,000, St. Lucas Fire Association, Iowa, to support the building of a new fire station.
• $750, Fillmore Central Public Schools, Preston, Minn., for a take home science experiment backpack program.
• $750, St. Charles Public Library, Minn., to help purchase a speaker system.
• $750, Winona County Emergency Management, Winona, Minn., for a winter survival kits for children program.
• $500, Lawler Lions Club, Iowa to support building a new shelter and Croell Park improvements.
• $500, Wykoff Fire Department, Minn., to help purchase road safety equipment.
• $300, Empty Bowls of Harmony, Minn., to purchase event supplies that support Fillmore County food shelves.
• $300, Peace Lutheran Church, Ridgeway, Iowa, to purchase an automatic external defibrillator.
• $250, Mobile Mamma, Cresco, Iowa., to support educational materials for online safety program.
• $200, Decorah Quilts of Valor, Iowa, to purchase fabric for quilts for veterans.

Operation Round Up is funded by donations made by members of MiEnergy Cooperative who voluntarily have their electric bill round up to the next dollar. About 1,800 members currently participate with the average donation being $6 a year per member.

The program is based on the idea that small change adds up. Currently, the program gives away about $10,000 each year to local organizations.

The Operation Round Up Trust Board chooses where the funds get donated and the amount of the donation based on an application process. The trust board members include: John Bronk, of Winona, Minn., president; Janelle Mahr, of Lime Springs, Iowa, vice president; Margaret Knutson, of Houston, Minn., secretary/treasurer; Larry Hafner, of La Crescent, Minn.; Allen Hanson, of Preston, Minn.; Arlene Hegge, of La Crescent, Minn.; Shannon Schmelzer, of Cresco, Iowa; and PerryO Sliwa, Decorah, Iowa.

Donations to Operation Round Up are tax deductible. Organizations receive grants through an application process. The next application deadline is February 15. To learn more about Operation Round Up or to round up your electric bill, visit www.MiEnergy.coop or call 1-800-432-2285.

MiEnergy Cooperative is a member-owned electric distribution cooperative and is the result of a merger between Hawkeye REC, of Cresco, Iowa and Tri-County Electric Cooperative, of Rushford, Minn. in 2017. It maintains 5,500 miles of power lines covering most of Fillmore, Houston and Winona counties in Minnesota and Chickasaw, Howard and Winneshiek counties in Iowa. The cooperative also serves small pockets bordering those counties. It provides electricity to more than 18,700 members in northeastern Iowa and southeastern Minnesota. MiEnergy is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative.

Luther College inauguration weekend kicks off with an “Inaugural Night on the Town”

President Jenifer K. Ward encourages everyone to join in the inauguration celebration Friday night in downtown Decorah

DECORAH, Iowa — “I want you to understand we are your college and you are our town,” said President Jenifer K. Ward at the Decorah Rotary Club in August. Since her arrival, President Ward has been enthusiastic about the partnership between campus and community and the opportunity to grow this important relationship. That’s why the Friday before her inauguration she suggested an “Inaugural Night on the Town” in downtown Decorah. Friday evening, Nov. 1, downtown shops, restaurants and venues will be open for all to enjoy and special entertainment is planned.

“I’m extremely excited for the city of Decorah to be included in the inauguration of President Ward,” said Decorah Mayor Lorraine Borowski.
This event is designed to embrace the connection between Luther and the Decorah community. Luther is partnering with the Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce to make this special night happen. “This is a great opportunity for businesses to participate in something that brings in people from out of town and brings the Luther community downtown to start creating those connections because there could be a lot of power between those two economic drivers,” said Kristina Wiltgen, executive director of the Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce. “The businesses I have heard from so far are very excited that people will be pushed into the community rather than isolated on campus and they are excited for this kind of outreach and thinking of President Ward’s.”

Special entertainment and activities are planned for the occasion. All events are open to the public with no charge for admission:

• 6–7:30 p.m. – Open mic event at West Music (126 East Water), performers are welcome to stop in and sing or play
• 7:30 p.m. – Luther a capella groups Beautiful Mess, Bromatic Progression, Fermata Nowhere and Undeclared perform at Impact Coffee (101 West Water)
• 7:30 p.m. – Luther Ballroom and Swing Club, demonstrations and lessons at the Lingonberry Event Center (218 West Water)
• 7:30–9:30 p.m. – Free tours of the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, the gift shop will also be open
• 9 p.m. – Live music with the Bigmouth Buffalo String Band, which consists of current students and alumni including Colin Cosgrove, Jeffrey Lackmann and Nick Vande Krol, at the Courtyard and Cellar (421 West Water)

A full list of business remaining open for the event can be found at luther.edu/inauguration/schedule/Decorah.

Luther College is home to more than 1,900 undergraduates who explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our 60+ academic programs, experiential approach to learning and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.

Unique Preparation for NMP’s Alice in Wonderland

How do 45 children get ready for the upcoming New Minowa Players show Alice in Wonderland? There are the usual things like practicing lines, entrances, where to stand, and song lyrics that are part of any show. These young people are pulling out the stops to create wonderful performances at NMP’s Theatre in Decorah on October 23-27.
The unique ways this cast has been involved include drawing, painting, and working on costumes. The children have created artwork using crayons, markers, and colored pencils. Several of the cast’s artwork is on the show posters being displayed by many area businesses.

On Saturday, October 5 many of the cast enjoyed painting the set using their own ideas of what Alice’s world should be like. The painters enjoyed talking about what they wanted to paint, then carrying through with the idea while sometimes getting paint on themselves.

Two children, Link Dallenbach-Durbin and Ruth Kueny have been working with Lara Martensen-Burrell, Maxx Madcap, Emily Young Jonnson, Angela Kueny, Lindsey Harmon-Wood, and Shannon Dallenbuch-Durbin as part of the costume crew. They have discussed how to work with fur, create cards, and how outlandish the Mad Hatter’s hat should be.

Everyone’s hard work will be seen at their performances on October 23 at 6:30 p.m., October 24-26 at 7:00 p.m. and October 27 at 2:00 p.m. at NMP’s Theatre.

Due to very brisk ticket sales, a limited number of tickets will be sold one hour prior to each performance at the theatre, 906 S. Mill Street, Decorah.

Show sponsors include: Decorah Bank and Trust, Family Table Restaurant, Iroc Web Design Services, Pizza Ranch, RocketDog Books, Rockweiler Appliance & TV, Rick and Sheryl Scheffert, Sogo Snacks, and Singing Hammers Construction.

Mark your calendars now and start making plans to explore and shop the 22nd Annual Northeast Iowa Artists’ Studio Tour!!

Visit 30+ locations over 3-days for the behind the scenes look of 50+ artists’ processes and their newest works. You’ll also enjoy the beautiful scenery as you drive through quaint small towns and the breathtaking countryside of the Driftless Region of Northeast Iowa.

Open 10am-5pm each day! October 11, 12 and 13!!!

Join the Winneshiek County 4-H Endowment at the Friends of 4-H Gala on Saturday, November 9, 2019 at the Wild Woods Event Center in Ossian.

Social hour will begin at 5:30 pm with live music provided by Steve Schroeder. Dinner will be served at 7:00 pm by our 4-H County Council members and a Dessert Auction will follow the dinner. Sharing some of their 4-H memories will be Dennis Blumhagen of Ossian and Marian Rovang Rude of Decorah.

Tickets are $50 and tables of 8 may be reserved. Call the Winneshiek County Extension office at 563-382-2949 for tickets and dinner choices. This is a wonderful evening to reconnect with friends and family and support the 4-H program. All proceeds support the Winneshiek County 4-H Endowment.

PIVO Brewery recognized for brewing excellence at world’s largest commercial beer competition.

PIVO Brewery was awarded a gold and bronze medal at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) competition, the world’s largest commercial beer competition. The GABF, presented by the Brewers Association, recognizes the most outstanding beers produced in the United States. Gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded on October 5 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, in 107 beer categories covering 174 different beer styles (including all subcategories), establishing the best examples of each style in the country.

PIVO Brewery was awarded a Gold Medal in the Chocolate Beer category for its Old Balltown Dark Chocolate Milk Stout. This beer has deep and complex dark chocolate flavors blended with salted caramel. It is aged on bourbon barrels for several months to mellow the flavors and add some vanilla and bourbon accents from the oak barrel.

PIVO Brewery was awarded a Bronze Medal in the Historic Beer category for its Decorah Nordic Gruit. This traditional Scandinavian style of beer is brewed with no bittering hops. Juniper berries, rosemary, bay leaf, black walnuts and toasted caraway seed are the Nordic style beer flavorings that make this a truely unique beer.

PIVO Brewery is a 15 barrel microbrewery located in Calmar, Iowa that strives to make a large variety of different beers and ciders. Their brewery taproom in Calmar has 40 taps that are typically serving over 35 different PIVO made beverages. They are the only brewery in Iowa co-located with a commercial art studio (Blepta Studios) that teaches classes and produces art for sale. PIVO Brewery is currently building an event center onto their brewery that will have a 350 person seating capacity. Craig and Sara Neuzil of Calmar are the owners of PIVO Brewery and Blepta Studios.

Sunil Khanna, M.D. returns to Winneshiek Medical Center to provide ophthalmology care

Winneshiek Medical Center is pleased to welcome back Mayo Clinic Ophthalmologist Sunil Khanna, M.D. Dr. Khanna provided outreach care at WMC from 2011-2017, and has resumed cataract surgeries and eye injections twice per month at Winneshiek Medical Center. Pre- and post-surgical visits are coordinated through Oneota Valley Family Eye Care in Decorah.

Dr. Khanna earned his medical degree from the School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Kansas City. He completed his residency at Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology.

Talk to your doctor or ophthalmologist about receiving Mayo Clinic specialty care locally, or call 563-382-2911 and ask to speak to the Same Day Services department to learn more.

For over 20 years, volunteer counselors through the Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) have helped Winneshiek County residents understand their Medicare benefits by:

• Checking a client’s current Part D or Medicare Advantage plan to make sure drugs are covered at the lowest cost and with the least amount of restrictions
• Reviewing a client’s employer coverage and comparing it to other Medicare options
• Checking to see if clients are eligible for Part D “Extra Help”
• Providing education to help clients understand options if not currently on a drug plan
• Offering regular “Welcome to Medicare” seminars for people beginning Medicare benefits

Winneshiek Medical Center is pleased to welcome two new volunteer counselors to the Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP): Karen McLean and Dale Dougherty.

McLean, also a WMC Trustee, retired from Des Moines University in 2017, where she served as Provost since 2009. From 1983 – 2009, she held various administrative and academic positions for University of Wisconsin-La Crosse College of Science and Health. McLean holds a Ph.D. in exercise science, M.S. in adult fitness and cardiac rehab and B.S. is in physical therapy. She is also a graduate of the American Council on Education institute for New Chief Academic Officers and the Harvard Institutes for Higher Education Management Development Program.

Dougherty earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business from Upper Iowa University, and while serving in the army, earned his Masters in Management from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. He served active duty from 1969-1979, and then joined the Iowa National Guard in Waterloo, serving there until 1998. During that time, Dougherty also worked for Farm Service in the southeast Minnesota region. In 1989, he began flying EMS helicopter for Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo. In 1992, Gundersen Health System began an EMS helicopter service, and Dougherty became their first pilot. He served as a Gundersen EMS pilot until his retirement in January 2019.

They join Dave Sweet, who has served as a SHIIP counselor for 15 years; Jim Sims, who has served for seven years.

Open Enrollment, October 15-December 7
Every year Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage plans announce their changes for the next year, and Iowans on Medicare can decide if they want to change plans from October 15 to December 7. Any change you make will be effective January 1, 2020.

Plans can change their coverage and costs from year to year, so comparing plans during the open enrollment is critical.

Local Medicare Part D Help
To help you compare plans for 2020 during the open enrollment period, volunteer SHIIP counselors are available by appointment at Winneshiek Medical Center in Decorah by calling 563-387-3036.
Anyone with questions about Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plans can contact SHIIP, a free, confidential service of the state of Iowa. Call 1-800-351-4664 (TTY1-800-735-2942), go to www.therightcalliowa.gov or e-mail shiip@iid.iowa.gov.

Cutline: To help clients with Medicare questions, including comparing plans for 2020 during the open enrollment period, volunteer SHIIP counselors are available by appointment at Winneshiek Medical Center in Decorah by calling 563-387-3036. Pictured left-right: Dave Sweet, Karen McLean, Jim Sims and Dale Dougherty.

Winneshiek Medical Center welcomes two new emergency physicians:
Christopher Cooper, D.O. and Sandy Clayton, M.D.

Winneshiek Medical Center and Mayo Clinic Health System are pleased to welcome Christopher Cooper, D.O. and Sandy Clayton, M.D. to the emergency department at Winneshiek Medical Center.

Dr. Cooper graduated from Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his residency from San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium (SAUSHEC). Dr. Cooper has spent the last four years at Irwin Army Community Hospital in Fort Riley, Kansas, with two of those years being the chief of the Emergency Department and EMS medical director for Fort Riley EMS and Fire Department.

Dr. Cooper shares, “My wife and I are both originally from Iowa. We chose to relocate our family to Decorah to be closer to home. Winneshiek Medical Center was the type of emergency practice I was looking for and the Driftless region’s atmosphere shared our interests. We are an outdoors family— hunting, fishing, golfing, hiking, anything outdoors, really, is something we look forward to exploring in the region.” Dr. Cooper is excited to build relationships with his patients in a smaller community to give them the medical attention they need and deserve.

Dr. Sandy Clayton received her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Missouri and completed her residency from Medical College of Georgia. Dr. Clayton comes to Winneshiek Medical Center from Irwin Army Community Hospital in Fort Riley, Kansas. She was an active duty Army Emergency Medicine physician for four years following her residency, and for two of those years, she served as the chief of urgent care.

Dr. Clayton says, “I became interested in Winneshiek Medical Center for their strong connection to Mayo Clinic Health System. I also enjoy working in a community emergency department; the staff are fantastic and they take a team approach to patient care. And Decorah! We fell in love with the town. It’s a small town feel, but with plenty to do. I have four children— ages 8, 5, 2 and 1— they keep me busy on my time off and we really enjoy experiencing what this great town has to offer.”

Winneshiek Medical Center emergency department is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by a team of Mayo Clinic Health System physicians, who are supported by a highly-trained and committed ancillary health care staff. For more information visit www.winmedical.org/emergency-services.

Photo cutline: Winneshiek Medical Center and Mayo Clinic Health System are pleased to welcome Christopher Cooper, D.O. and Sandy Clayton, M.D. to the emergency department at Winneshiek Medical Center. Winneshiek Medical Center emergency department is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by a team of Mayo Clinic Health System physicians, who are supported by a highly-trained and committed ancillary health care staff.

When emergencies happen, who do emergency responders call when they need help? In Winneshiek County, we are fortunate to not only have a fantastic group of emergency responders across the county, but we also have shared countywide resources. In a day when everything costs a lot of money, one way to try and be fiscally responsible is to avoid duplicating resources; this is especially true in a county our size. In Winneshiek County we have several top-notch resources, to name a few: the Decorah Fire Department drone, the Calmar Fire Department drone and the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office K-9 McCoy (see attached picture).

“The fire department drone(s) and their pilots have assisted area fire departments, law enforcement organizations, and emergency management agencies on search and rescue, drug task force call-outs, and damage assessment missions” said Coordinator Sean Snyder. Without this local resource, we as emergency responders would need to rely on surrounding counties or state-level resources, which could be several hours away.

The Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office K-9 McCoy is a resource that has been used by the Sheriff’s Office, Decorah Police Department, Calmar Police Department, and the Iowa State Patrol. “Without the generosity of the public, the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office would have had a hard time affording such a valuable countywide asset; we cannot thank everyone enough. Sharing resources allows us to be better equipped to respond to emergencies without additional cost to the tax payers,” said Sheriff Dan Marx.
Snyder added, “Winneshiek County has some of the best emergency responders in the state and by utilizing shared countywide resource management, getting the appropriate resource to the scene, for me, is as easy as making the request.”

Pictured from Left to Right.
Decorah Fire Engineer Zach Kerndt, Lieutenant Steve Nesvik with K9 McCoy and Calmar Fire Chief Aaron Brincks.

When a loved one passes, family and friends can experience many emotions. They may find comfort among others going through the grieving process. Sharing stories, frustrations and successes can make a new and difficult situation much easier to bear. Every year, Winneshiek Medical Center Hospice holds their annual Service of Remembrance to offer community support to those who are grieving, and honor hospice families with a candle lighting ceremony and a rose given in memory of the deceased.

The service will be held on Saturday, October 12, at 10:00 am at Stone Ridge Community Church, 1111 Montgomery Street, Decorah. The public is invited to join Winneshiek Medical Center Hospice in remembering the loved ones lost through August 2019.

Help us celebrate a life that was important, a relationship that made a difference and a love that cannot be taken away.

Refreshments and a time of informal fellowship will follow. For more information, call Winneshiek Medical Center Hospice at 563-387-3024.

The Decorah Parks and Recreation Department invites area families to attend the 4th annual Touch-A-Truck event. This free open house will be held Saturday, October 5, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, in the parking lot behind the Fire Department.

Kids will have the opportunity to explore their favorite vehicles including police, fire and emergency vehicles, construction equipment, and city maintenance vehicles.

This event is hosted with the Decorah Fire Department in conjunction with Fire Prevention Week, and includes a free hot dog lunch.

The Northeast Iowa affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness will host its “Peace Be The Journey” bicycle ride for mental health awareness from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Decorah Fish Hatchery, 2325 Siewers Spring Rd., Decorah. The purpose of the ride is to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and raise funds for education, support and advocacy for those affected by mental illness, their families and their communities.

The course for the ride will be the closed-loop Trout Run trail, beginning and ending at the fish hatchery. Welcoming comments and an address from Sheriff Marx will be made at 10 a.m. All riders are encouraged to wear helmets. Additionally, for-purchase concessions from Kymar Kafe, caramel-apple sundae bowls, a “bouncy house” and face painting will be available to all riders and the public. Door prizes have been contributed by numerous regional businesses.

Early registration for the ride, received by Sept. 15, is $25 for adults, $10 for teens and no cost for riders 12 and under. Riders with financial limitations and college students are asked to contribute $10 if desiring a t-shirt. Riders may register online at namineiowa.org. Registration fees increase by $5, and no t-shirts will be guaranteed for riders who register after Sept. 15. Registration is available at the event, and t-shirts may be available that day, depending upon demand and supply.

This event is generously sponsored at the $500 level by Winneshiek Medical Center, DECO Products, Peake Orchards, LetterWerks Sign City, Decorah Newspapers, Decorah Rental and Sales, and Wennes Communications. Generous $250 sponsors include, Decorah Bank and Trust, Rootz Salon, Don’s Sales and Service, Oneota River Cycles, Thrivent  Financial, Families First Counseling Services, and the Ackman/Green families.

All funds raised through the event go directly to NAMI services throughout Howard, Winneshiek, Allamakee, Fayette and Clayton counties.

What will downtown Decorah look and feel like in 25 years? There have been many changes in recent years and will be many more in the future. There is great interest and work being done to create this downtown vision. Some of the key elements are: being walkable, bike-able, maintaining history, having excellent wayfinding signage, and creating outdoor eating and meeting spaces. Roger Brooks, a well-known branding consultant, was contracted in 2007 to look at our downtown and offer suggestions of what would make our downtown an even greater place. One of his recommendations was to have gathering spaces on Water Street. T that time, Downtown Decorah Betterment Association (DDBA) commissioned the design of Water Street Park and raised the funds to make the Park a reality. A Great Places grant of $25,000 was leveraged to help with creating Water Street Park. Today, Water Street Park has become a wonderful gathering place allowing us to enjoy the outdoors while having lunch, a cup of coffee, listening to music, or just relaxing.

DDBA, in collaboration with Decorah Park Rec, Decorah Area Chamber, and Decorah Jobs, is working to establish an additional gathering space. Dry Run Park is a pocket park at the East end of downtown at the intersection of East Water Street and Riverside Avenue. The cost of building this park is $170,000, which includes seed funding for future maintenance. The park will offer similar amenities to Water Street Park and will feature an overlook of the Dry Run Creek flowing below.

DDBA’s goal is to raise all of the funds from business and individual donations, and early efforts have secured over $100,000 in pledges. Please consider helping make this feature of downtown a reality by helping us reach our goal! Pledges can be made over two years, and gifts of $500 or more will be recognized on a plaque at the new park.

If you have questions or would like to pledge, please contact any of the following DDBA volunteers:

• Keith Christensen 380-7453
• Joe Grimstad 382-1558
• Mike Harman 382-2020
• Mark Lovelace 380-1829
• Harlan Satrom 382-4277

Prairie du Chien – On Saturday, September 28th the Prairie du Chien Flotilla, US Coast Guard Auxiliary will hold a brat fry from 10AM to 3PM at Nelson True Value in Prairie du Chien. Money raised at this event will be used to purchase needed public boating safety education materials and to train Auxiliary volunteers in the performance of the many services the Auxiliary provides on the river and to the area boating community from environmental safety to search and rescue and navigation services.

Established by Congress in 1939 The Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed civilian component of the US Coast Guard and supports the Coast Guard in nearly all mission areas. Area Auxiliarists volunteer their time and purchase their own uniforms and most equipment in their effort to serve their communities. We are always in need of more volunteers.
Come out to Nelson’s, have a brat or a burger meet and support your Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Mentors are needed to spend time with youth in Allamakee, Howard, and Winneshiek Counties. There are 22 youth waiting for a mentor through Youth Mentoring at Helping Services. Mentoring is simple! Mentors are a friend to a youth. They spend a minimum of four hours per month with their youth who are ages 6-16. Mentors that are spending time with youth in the community can be individuals, couples, or families.

School-based mentors that are college-age and older are also needed to meet with a student one hour per week at John Cline School in Decorah. A school-based mentor recently shared, “My mentee and I were shooting baskets outside and he wasn’t having luck making a basket. I showed him how to throw the ball underhanded and as the ball sunk, he leapt with excitement sharing it was the first basket he had EVER made!”

Youth Mentoring at Helping Services for Youth & Families offers group events for their program participants on a regular basis. Recent events have included going to a play, a family picnic, and visiting the Children’s Museum of La Crosse. Group events are great opportunities to offer new experiences to youth. In the last fiscal year, 96% of youth participants agreed that their mentoring experience provides them with new information and new things to do. Some mentees have never been to a high school football game, never been to the Whippy Dip, never ate a meal at Pizza Ranch, or experienced things that many of us take for granted.

Upcoming events include going to Effigy Mounds, doing community service projects, eating a fancy meal together, go-karting, and visiting a farm. Volunteers are needed to spend time with youth at these events. These volunteers are called Mentors For A Day. They notify program staff when they are available to volunteer and find that it is a great way to be involved with mentoring.

For more information on how to become involved in this rewarding experience, contact Kathy or Colinne at 563-387-1720 or visit www.helpingservices.org/mentoring.

Serving families since 1973, Helping Services for Youth & Families is dedicated to responding to current health and safety needs of youth and families through empowerment, support, and education.

The characters of The Queen of Hearts, The Cheshire Cat, and The Mad Hatter are all classics in children’s literature. These characters and many more will come to life in New Minowa Players children’s show “Alice In Wonderland” being performed at New Minowa Players Theatre in Decorah October 24-27.

Local playwright, Rick Scheffert, has written the show’s script with the storyline based on Lewis Carroll’s novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”. Rick is also the director of the show. Catchy tunes and their lyrics were written by Sheryl Scheffert. This dynamic team is excited to be working together with vibrant performers ages 6-12. A record number of 47 children, are singing joyfully, learning lines, remembering where to stand, and bringing this wonderful tale to life.

Alice (Nora Lesmeister) is sitting with her sister (Annika Keefe) who is reading a boring book, when a rabbit (Greta Jones) goes running by. Alice follows the rabbit down the rabbit hole, and nothing is as it was before. She meets up with Mouse (Nessa Kane) who helps her find her way to a strange new world. She gets advice from Caterpillar (Hannah Arendt), learns about doors from an odd person (Colin Thompson), who is invited to play croquet by another person (Sara Brown).

Alice is invited to play croquette by the heralds (Cecilia Harriman, Kaya Johnson, Annika Keefe, and Opal Wankerl). She gets directions from Cheshire Cat (Elsa Johnson), has tea with the Mad Hatter (Margret Zook), the March Hare (Mara Branum) and the Dormouse (Savannah McCann) along with the partiers (Mary Brown, Emma Cline, Nathan Rhodes, Olivia Rissman, Adina Scardina, and Grace Stockman).

She meets up with the gardeners (Lulu Bellrichard, Annika Keefe, and Addison Wicklund) who are painting white roses red, so the queen won’t find out they planted the wrong color. Alice is introduced to the Queen (Adina Scardina) and King of Hearts (Ezra Harmon-Wood) and plays a game of croquette where the balls are hedgehogs (Taylor Vick, Viola Vrtis, Aubriana Moloken, Sally Edison-Albright, Jennifer Houdek, and Niva Anderson), the guards (Kylie Cord, Maggie Gavle, Liv Anderson, Dahlynne Borsheim, Poppy Bellrichard, Anders Wicklund and Mikayla Hiner) are the hoops and the croquette players (Walter Edison-Albright, Iantha Miller, Hazel Wankerl, Justice Nelson, Shepard Harmon-Wood, Violet Martensen-Burrell, and Maddy Johnson) and an unwilling executioner (Olivia Rissman) are all part of the queen’s court.

Alice goes to a trial where the Knave of Hearts (Clarence Nimrod) is accused of stealing tarts from the Queen. One of the main witnesses at the trial is the cook (Jillian Volz). The jurors at the trial are Opal Wankerl and Elsa Christman.

Performances will be October 24, 25, 26 at 7:00 p.m. and October 27 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale at Oneota Community Food Co-op and online at newminowaplayers.org.

Sponsors for the show are Decorah Bank and Trust, Family Table Restaurant, Iroc Web Design Services, Pizza Ranch, RocketDog Books, Rockweiler Appliance &TV, Rick and Sheryl Scheffert, Sogo Snacks, and Singing Hammer’s Construction.

2019 Fort Atkinson Iowa Rendezvous The Theme for the Fort Atkinson Rendezvous, scheduled for September 28th & 29th 2019, is “Frontier Blades”

Frontier Blades were an essential part of the Army and the early settlers, they included the Sword, the Bayonet and the Bowie Knife. These were standard items that no one would be without, even though the
Army Soldiers and the Frontier Trader’s and Explorer’s carried guns, an edged weapon was an integral part of their lives.

They were utilized for combat, defense and hunting, as well as the everyday use of a knife which involved skinning, fire starting and cutting of various items.

Various other renditions of Frontier Blades were commonly made by blacksmiths for specific reasons, Knifemaking is an art in itself involving knowledge and skill, many examples will be on display and some examples for sale to the public.

This Year’s Rendezvous Days is the 43rd Annual and is held in September on Saturday the 28th & Sunday the 29th, admission is free and open to the Public, the School Day will be held on Friday the 27th

For Information:

• Visit Fort Atkinson’s Facebook

Winneshiek County Celebration of Life will be hosting the Corey Farley Band on Saturday Oct 26th at the Inwood Ballroom in Spillville!!! Doors open at 6pm, Cory will on stage at 8pm!. It’s a $30.00 donation to get in the door – your can get your tickets the night of the show!

Winneshiek County Celebration of Life will also be selling raffle tickets which can be purchased from Winneshiek County Celebration of Life committee members Tickets are $5.00 per ticket or get 6 for $20.00!

Cory Farley Band Concert & Dance Raffle Packages are as listed below!

Name: Welcome Friends Package

• Iowa Rotocast Plastics – Grizzly 40 Cooler
• Firemen’s Inn – Gift Certificates
• Polashek’s Locker – Gift Certificate
• Pulpit Rock Brewing Company – etched glasses & t-shirts
• PIVO Brewery – Growler

Name: Family Togetherness Package

• U-2 BBQ & Catering – your “choice of meat” roaster
• Joyce Meyer – 11×14 Sunflower photo
• Appearances Salon & Spa – gift basket and Airbnb weekend stay at Springer Shadyrest on Broadway
• Blepta Studios – jewelry

Name: Ladies Spa Package

• Hammel Jewelers – Diamond ring
• Eclips Salon and Day Spa – “Bless Your Heart” facial with lip & hand treatment
• Iowa Skin Care Medical Spa – “Med Spa” gift certificate
• Hotel Winneshiek – gift certificates

Name: Cory Farley Signed Guitar

• Washburn acoustic guitar — Played at event and signed by Cory Farley

TICKET locations:

• Fidelity Bank & Trust – Calmar
• Fidelity Bank & Trust – Ossian
• PIVO Brewery & Blepta Studios – Calmar
• Hovden Oil – Ridgeway
• Margaret’s – Decorah
• Eclips Salon & Day Spa – Decorah
• Appearances Salon & Spa – Decorah
• Hammel Jewelers – Decorah
• Modish – Decorah
• Viking Bank & Trust – Decorah
• KVIK Studios in downtown Decorah
• WCCOL Board members
• WCCOL Friends

Winneshiek County Celebration of Life provides funding for mammogram screenings for non-insured or under-insured women in our area. They also have added fuel/food cards for community men and women who are in active treatment for cancer. Over the years they have helped THOUSANDS of your friends, family and neighbors!

Auditions for New Minowa Players’ Fall show, “Grand Tally” are Friday, September 20th, beginning at 6 p.m. and again Saturday, September 21st beginning at 11a.m. at New Minowa Players Theatre, 906 South Mill Street, Decorah.

Auditions will last approximately one hour. Actors will be asked to perform a cold reading. Please bring a list of conflicts between the first rehearsal September 23rd through the final performance November 24th.

“Grand Tally” is written by local author Robert Wolf, a stage play adaptation of his novel of the same name. Written prior to the events of the 2014 Bundy Standoff in Clark County, Nevada, but sharing remarkable similarities, Grand Tally evokes a farcical examination of personal idols, media consumption, and corporate accountability. The show features original compositions by Decorah connected musicians, Brooke Joyce, Jonah Elrod & Ben Hippen.

Rehearsals will take place weeknights from September 23rd through November 24th, with occasional weekend rehearsals if necessary. A more detailed schedule will be composed when conflicts may be accounted for. Performance dates are November 21-24, with evening performances Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7, and a Sunday matinee at 2.

Questions should be directed to Sam Whitehead, director, at samuelawhitehead@gmail.com.

Sponsors for Grand Tally are Decorah Bank and Trust, Family Table Restaurant, Gallery of Tops, Iroc Web Design Services, Pizza Ranch, RocketDog Books, Rockweiler Appliance &TV, Rick and Sheryl Scheffert, Sogo Snacks, Singing Hammer’s Construction.

Please self-report any/all damages after last night’s storm. The process is super easy and will help Winneshiek County Emergency Management catalog the damages that are reported to the state.

Steam Engine Days…how it all began
By Lynn Clauson and Dorothy Anderson

(From the 30th Anniversary Hesper-Mabel Steam Engine Days Program, Martell Publishing Co., 1972)

The morning of October 3, 1953 dawned clear and warm – a perfect day to publicly exhibit the powers of the old steam engines. Also a good day to do the threshing and have a little fun besides. Admittedly, Steam Engine Days was started on a small scale. The first of the now annual Hesper-Mabel Steam Engine Days was nothing more than a public exhibition of oldtime threshing with steam engines, but then not all good things start big.

With the coming of the gasoline engine or tractor and the modern combine, the use of steam power to “thresh” the grain was becoming a thing of the past. A love for the steam engine was very strong in a few men in the Hesper community and they felt this part of farm history should not be forgotten. Other communities were holding special days to keep this method of harvesting alive, so why not Hesper! They would at least have a small get-together.

The first location of what is now an annual event was the Gerhard Clauson farm, six and one half miles east of Hesper, Iowa. At the time, Mr. Clauson invited Jesse McMillen of Hesper, and James Sylling of Spring Grove to join him since both men also owned engines. The three men didn’t expect any widespread interest, but all were prepared to have a good time anyway. Mrs. Clauson recalled that she and her husband’s sister were prepared to serve lunch themselves. Several doughnuts were purchased at a bakery, but as this supply vanished, homemade cookies were brought out of storage and used. A hot-dog stand was also on the premises. Because the only form of advertising had been spread by word-of-mouth, Clauson and the others were very surprised when crowds of several hundred came to view the exhibition. Even the cool weather of the afternoon didn’t chase the crowds away. No elaborate entertainment had been planned for the exhibition of steam engines in 1953, but the children were treated to horse and buggy rides over much of the farm by Lloyd Larson.

Another avid steam engine man was a Mr. Christau, “Krink”, as he was called. Somehow he had heard of this get-together and wanted to be there. He was from Grand Meadow, Minnesota. He and his wife decided to come to see the steam engines that day. As they arrived in the Hesper and Mabel area, he inquired how to get to this event. No one he happened to ask had heard about it, so they were of no help. Mr. Christau started down some gravel roads and all of a sudden he realized he saw the tracks of a large steam engine’s wheels in the road. So, he and his wife just followed them and soon they were enjoying themselves at the Clauson farm.

All in all, the exhibition was considered a great success. The three men who organized the event and those attending had felt that it was quite an idea. It seemed that there was an interested in the old steam horses, so there was talk of holding another exhibition again the following year.

The talk was not in vain. In 1954, another celebration was held, this time on the Charlie McMillen farm west of Hesper. More publicity was given, and in 1954 the first buttons for the event were sold. The buttons provided an even greater attraction and the crowds grew. In a nearby field belonging to Charlie Sellman, twelve airplanes bearing spectators landed. This was startling considering the mild interest Mr. Clauson had expected when he suggested the idea. However, even at the first exhibition, eight or nine airplanes had landed bringing interested people to the event. Mrs. Aurthur Anderson made a tape recording of the engines as they paraded up the driveway to the field to begin “threshing”. In the fall of that year, Charlie McMillen’s son-in-law, Arthur Anderson and family moved to the farm and for years following he plowed up pop bottles and other remnants of that day. Cars were parked all over the farm and even in neighboring fields. A few more side events were added that year including the Hesper Improvement Club food stand. They continued until 1972.

Because the event had aroused such an interest, each fall over Labor Day weekend, the event was continued on farms in the Hesper area. In 1955 a large crowd gathered at the Otto Rasmussen farm to view the steam engines. Hesper Steam Engine Days were held on the Fred Koppen farm in 1956. In 1957 festivities were again held on the Rasmussen farm with the Koppen farm the site of the event in 1958 and 1959.

In 1959, Jesse McMillen added another steam engine to the collection which was drawing such interest. After fourteen months of work, he was able to demonstrate a “midget” engine, a half-scale Advanced Rumley at Steam Engine Days. Mr. Christau was a builder of steam engines, and Jesse McMillen hired him to build this engine. Jesse, and his brother Charlie spent many days in Grand Meadow helping “Krink” build. Although Charlie McMillen no longer owned an engine, he enjoyed helping his brother. Later they built an upright which added more interest to the celebration.

After the festivities in 1959, the six men who had kept the event going – Gerhard Clauson, Jesse McMillen, James Sylling, Charlie McMillen, Dewey Golberg, and Arnold Peterson – were wondering how they could continue as the crowds were getting almost too large to handle. The public expressed a wish that it not be discontinued.

At this time the Mabel community saw this as an opportunity for them to offer a place to hold the event. So, in 1960, Mr. Odell Lee Sr., acting on behalf of the Mabel Business Association, contacted Jesse McMillen and urged the Hesper group to move their steam engine activities to Mabel. This sounded like a good idea to the Hesper group, so, on the first Friday after Labor Day in 1960, the first Hesper-Mabel Steam Engine Days came into existence. In cooperation with the Mabel Business Association, a complete celebration with parades, entertainment, in the form of a carnival, Queen contests, fall games, and many other activities was set up, although the main attraction remained the old steam horses.

“Hesper-Mabel Steam Engine Days” had been born. The festival which made Mabel more than a tiny dot on a map, however, depended upon the community for its growth. Today cars from almost every state may be found on the grounds. This success is certainly due largely to the participation of so many local organizations.

The Mabel Business Association continues to plan for this day as the outstanding event of the year. As many as 50,000 people attended the festival in 1967, and an average of 35,000 a year make it a great “weekend”.

Members of many groups such as the area 4-H clubs and farm organizations contribute greatly by making floats for the parade and sponsoring events such as the queen contest which actually started when Hesper held it alone around 1957. It has become one of the highlights to Steam Engine Days.

The VFW sponsors a “Kiddie parade” each year. This preceeds the large parade led by the steam engines. They have had to have their iron wheels “padded” so as not to ruin the black-top roads. Towns nearby add their bit to the parade also. The Shriners from Rochester usually put on their motorcycle demonstration on one of the days.

The churches in the area have all contributed. The Hesper Lutheran Church and Mabel First Lutheran Church have food stands on the grounds. A later addition and one which is enjoyed by everyone is the church service on Sunday morning. A guest pastor is brought in for the service. Special music is provided by area groups. In place of a bell tolling three times, a steam engine whistle is blown three times. This seems so very appropriate and sends shivers up the spines of those who cherish the memory of those “good ‘ol days”.

New attractions are constantly being added including window displays, flower shows, art contests, and an antique show. Arts and crafts are displayed by local and distant personnel.
Although “steam” is still the main display used not only to thresh but to saw wood, etc., a display of gas engines, antique and new, has been added. And, as some of the original founders have passed on, new faces appear as the interest continues. Lloyd Foltz has taken over Jesse McMillen’s engines.

Through all of the changes and updating, Steam Engine Days has undergone, the basic idea to exhibit the old steam horses has not been lost even though they have many modern attractions to compete with. Perhaps that is why people from all over the United States are attracted to the tiny village of Mabel each September to gaze at the mighty steam engines and to mingle with the people who works so hard to make it possible.

Bryan Richards, Emerging Disease Coordinator at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin will speak about Chronic Wasting Disease on September 19, 2019 at 7:00pm in the Rushford-Peterson School Auditorium. In this presentation he will discuss basic characteristics of CWD and how it impacts the potential for successful deer management, documented disease distribution and prevalence trends, and recent science updates. An open discussion will follow.

CWD is a fatal, contagious, neurodegenerative disease in deer and elk. The cause is a malformed prion which has been found in tissue and fluids of infected animals, including in their urine, feces, saliva, blood, and antler velvet. Those prions have also been found to be present environmentally in soil and plants.

Southeastern Minnesota is now a disease management zone, which means the DNR will implement rules that attempt to control the disease within the area. According to the DNR CWD Management Plan, should prevalence of CWD be found to be greater than 5% in this area, the DNR will then move to label the area an endemic zone and switch to passive surveillance, liberal hunting, and monitoring within the zone.

Whether you are a landowner, farmer, a concerned citizen, or hunter the spread of CWD will affect all residents of southeast Minnesota. Attendance by all residents is encouraged.
The presentation is sponsored by the Farm Bureaus of Winona, Houston, and Fillmore Counties along with the Bluffland Whitetails Association. You may contact Cynthie Christensen, President, Houston County Farm Bureau, (507) 251-8465 for more information.

Free event Thursday, August 29, 4-7 pm

Winneshiek Medical Center will hold a Grand Community Picnic on Thursday, August 29 from 4-7 pm on the WMC campus.

“The Grand Community Picnic has become a fun tradition for many families as summer winds down each year. The picnic is an opportunity for the medical center to continue to show our gratitude to the people who trust us to provide health care for their families, neighbors and friends,” says Lisa Radtke, chief administrative officer, Winneshiek Medical Center.

Free Community Picnic Attractions

• BBQ pork sandwich, chips and a beverage
• Giant Bouncy House Obstacle Course
• Kids games area
• Giant Walk-Through Colon (cancer education for everyone)
• “What You Don’t See” trailer (drug education for parents/caregivers)
• Face painting
• Popcorn from the Lion’s Club
• Pokey Pete rides
• Trolley rides by Decorah Trolley Company
• Live music by Mike McAbee
• Garden tours
• Garden food demonstrations
• WMC ambulance tours
• WMC Radiology tours
• Fire truck display
• Winneshiek County Canine McCoy meet-and-greet

Moo-Mobile shakes will also be available for $1 each throughout the evening.

More Information
The picnic is made possible with the help of more than 100 staff volunteers from Winneshiek Medical Center, the WMC Auxiliary and WMC Foundation, and will be held rain or shine.

Convenient parking will be available, with regular trolley rides and golf carts running from the parking lots to the event site.

Information on the WMC Grand Community Picnic is also available at www.winmedical.org/community-picnic. For additional information on the picnic or other Winneshiek Medical Center activities, please call the WMC Marketing & Communications department at 563-382-2911 or email communityrelations@winmedical.org.

Don’t be a VICTIM of a scam!

This is a lengthy post. It is intended to inform people about SCAMS that are going around on the phone and internet. Please take time to read the information below provided by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection. Tell your family and friends about these scams so they are not taken advantage of financially.

Imposters / Scammers are everywhere! When the phone rings, do you know who is calling before you answer or who sent the mail you just opened? When at your computer or on your smart phone, do you know who sent the email in your inbox? Do you know who created that pop-up message on your screen? All of these methods and many more are being used by scammers who are not what they may seem to be.

Here are some common indicators that you are dealing with an imposter:

• Requests for personal information. Examples include: date of birth, social security number, Medicare ID number, credit card numbers, or bank account numbers.
• Requests for payment of any kind. No contest, prize or grant recipients have to make payment to receive their winnings or award.
• Requests for payment by wiring money or pre-paid debit cards. Providing money through either of these is the same as giving someone cash and it is not likely that it can be traced or retrieved once given.
• Threats and urgency. The more threatening the call – you’ll be arrested, have to go to court, have your credit ruined the more likely it is from an imposter. Calls requiring urgent action from someone you do not know are likely made by imposters.
• Requests for secrecy. This is especially true for appeals for financial assistance from relatives who say “Don’t tell my mom and dad.” Or for calls about winning a prize where you are told by the caller you can’t tell anyone else about it until you have received your winnings.

Imposter Phone Scams

• IRS or Department of Treasury. Threatening calls that you must pay now for tax violations. The IRS will not contact you by phone. They would contact you by mail. They will not make threats.
• Federal Grant Award. Do not be fooled by the 202 area code look like the call is coming from Washington, D.C. These unsolicited grants are not awarded. In the rare case where someone receives a grant they did not apply for, no payment is required to receive the grant.
• Medicare or Affordable Health Care Act. The caller claims to be a government representative insisting that you provide personal identification information and/or pay a fee or face loss of benefits. Government agencies will contact you by mail, not by phone. They will not make threats on the phone.
• Other Law Enforcement or Government Agency. The caller may threaten deportation but for a fee will assist you to get your certification. They hope you will be scared enough to part with money and/or personal identification information. Or a caller may claim that a foreign dignitary who needs your help with a money transfer is “legitimate”. No law enforcement or government agency makes these kinds of calls.
• Lottery or Prize Winner. The caller says you have won but an administrative fee, shipping, or taxes need to be paid. You never have to pay for a prize or winnings.
• Family Assistance. Also known as the “Grandparents Scam”. These callers prey on the goodwill and desire to help family. The caller will say they are a family member, usually a younger one, in some kind of trouble needing immediate financial assistance. These scammers will feed off of information you inadvertently give them. The caller will ask you not to call someone who could verify the legitimacy of the call (“Don’t call mom or dad”) and to send money in an untraceable manner.
• Computer Problems. The caller claims to be from “Microsoft” or “Google” or another known company and states they have detected a problem with your computer. The caller may tell you to look in a particular place in your computer where you will see many error messages. The caller will tell you this is because of a virus or other problem with your computer. The error messages you are seeing are completely normal on any properly functioning computer. These callers will attempt to get you to pay for services, likely via credit card and to give access to your computer so they can steal personal information and download damaging software known as “malware” that will continue to allow access and even control of your computer. None of these companies make these kinds of calls. Never give a caller access to your computer unless you are sure you know who is on the other side of the phone.
• Utility shut off. The caller states you haven’t paid your utility bill and someone is on the way over to disconnect your service unless you make an immediate payment to the caller. These calls target small businesses but some consumers report receiving these calls at home. To check if what the caller says is true, call the number on your billing statement, not the number the caller gives you.
• “Spoofed” Numbers. Technology exists that allows a caller to control what shows up on Caller ID. This is called “spoofing”. Calls may appear to come from a governmental agency, company or even a neighbor when actually the calls are coming from outside the country. If you do not recognize the number on the Caller ID, let the call go to your answering machine or voicemail. If it is important or a personal call, the caller will leave a message. If you have a question about the message left, call the Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-422-7128.

Imposter Mail Scams
Mail scams require a response once you’ve received the mail. The most common imposter scams are prize scams where you are instructed to call and told that you need to make a payment of some sort to receive you winnings. Versions of the phone imposter scams may also come in the mail or through email.

Imposter Computer Scams

• Email scams. Email imposter scams may be versions of the imposter phone or mail scams. Often the objective may be to get you to click on a link that will ask you for personal information or to click on an attachment that will download a virus or other malware to your computer.
• Screen Pop-Ups. A message will pop up on your screen, usually claiming there is something wrong with your computer and telling you to click on the window for assistance. You will then be given information to contact someone to help you, possibly from a known company like “Microsoft” or “Google”. This is a variation on the Computer Problem calls. Often the screen pop-up messages are the result of a virus that has been downloaded to your computer to get you to make contact with them rather than the calling you. Sometimes you may receive a call once this message appears or you click on the pop up window. If an error message appears on your computer, contact someone you know and trust for help. Do not click on pop-up windows reporting a problem with your computer.
• Online search imposter scams. When looking for assistance through an online search, be aware that some companies, including scammers, have paid to have their links appear at the top of your search list. It is very easy to think you are talking to a representative of the actual company you want, or are on their website, only to find you are being asked to provide personal information, payment information and/or access to your computer. Check the website address to make sure you are dealing with the real company.
• Online dating imposter scams. Online dating makes it easier for a person to misrepresent them self. Fake or outdated photos may be used, personal histories enhanced or exaggerated, personal traits fabricated. With traditional dating it is possible to talk with friends, family members or acquaintances to check a person’s reputation. Online dating does not usually make this possible. Once a scammer is confident they have your trust, they will start asking for money. They may tell you they need it to help get money the government owes them, cover the costs of a sudden illness, surgery, a robbery, accident, or job loss. It may be for them, or a daughter or son. They may ask for money to cover the cost of travel to finally meet face-to-face. You might get documents from an attorney as “proof” of their genuine intentions along with a promise to pay it back. As real as the relationship seems, it is a scam and you lose the money sent.
• Social networking website imposter scams. Treat links in messages on these sites as you would a link in an email message. If it looks suspicious, even if you know the source, it is best to delete it or mark it as junk. Hackers can break into accounts and send messages that look like they are from your friends, but are not. If you suspect that a message is fraudulent, use an alternate method to contact your friend to find out. Do not trust that a message is really from who it says it is from.

Do Not Respond!
The best defense against all these imposter scam is to not respond.

• Do not answer the call. Use your Caller ID. If you do not recognize the number let it go to your answering machine or voicemail. If you do answer the call, hang up as soon as you realize this is not someone you want to talk with. Talking to these callers or calling them back will likely result in additional contacts from them and other scammers.
• Delete email from unknown senders. If you do not know who sent it, do not open it. Sometimes opening an email is enough to tell a scammer that this is a valid address and they will continue to send you email. If you do not know who sent it, never click on a link or attachment in an email.
• Verify your search result. Before acting on the result of an online search, check to make sure you are dealing with the company you want. If you do make contact, watch for the signs of a scam.
• Do not call the verification number you are given. Call the number on a billing statement, found in the phone book or reliable online directory. Never check to see if something is legit using the number given to you on the call, mailer, email or message.

Urbandale, Iowa – The Iowa State Fair has ended and the eggs have been counted. The Iowa Egg Council, along with the help of wonderful volunteers, served 173,952 eggs-on-a-stick to fairgoers!

The egg-on-a-stick continues to be a fair-favorite year after year, and from what we hear, a family tradition. What’s not to love about a 70 calorie, high protein snack that’s FREE?!

Add the Iowa Egg Council booth to your list of stops for the 2020 Iowa State Fair. We will see you next year!

Be on the LOOKOUT!

A white Chevrolet s10 truck (as pictured) was stolen from a residence in Northern Winneshiek County. We are looking for assistance in locating the white Chevrolet s10 truck and/or identifying the suspect.

**The white utility truck in the video was not the one stolen.

Please contact the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office with any information

If you have any information about her whereabouts please contact the West Union Police Department at (563)422-3535.

This subject fled from officers at the Decorah Wal-Mart a short time ago. He is suspected to be from the Milwaukee area. He may be looking for a vehicle as we suspect that we have his. We ask that you lock your vehicles and make sure you remove the keys from them. Also, lock your residence if you leave for any period of time.

If you see suspicious activity in your area, please contact police. I know the photo is not a good one, but we wanted to get the information out ASAP. The suspect does have a large neck tattoo.

18th Annual Community Vacation Bible Camp (later this year because of all of the snow days)

ROAR: Life is Wild, God is Good!

Takes place in a Jungle

(We call it VBC Camp, not VBS School, because it is nothing like school) ☺

Hosted by St. Benedicts, Decorah Covenant, Washington Prairie Lutheran and Stone Ridge churches.

Open to all, do not have to belong to any church to join the fun! …A community event held at
Stone Ridge Church.
August 5 – 9, Mon – Fri
9 am – noon

Campers start at 4 yrs old.
Going into 5th grade can be helpers
Older kids and adults – crew leaders, or station leaders.
If you love kids and love God this is the place for you!
Gain Leadership experience, Be a Role Model.
High School kids get Silver Cord hours too.

Outdoor Games, Imagination Station, High Energy, make new friends

Looking for a Photographer.

Sign up at: vbspro.events/p/events/decorahvbs
Link on decorahnews.com and church sites

Everyone gets a t-shirt and every camper family gets to keep a CD of the fun music
Camp empowers kids to boldly face life’s challenges.

International Owl Awareness Day Celebration

Houston, MN – Celebrate and learn about owls with a full day of programs and fun on August 3 in Houston, MN. In addition to the Eurasian Eagle Owl, Great Horned Owl, American Barn Owl and red morph Eastern Screech-Owl who work at the International Owl Center, you’ll also get to see and learn about Quarry Hill Nature Center’s tiny Northern Saw-whet Owl and Oxbow Park’s Barred Owl and gray morph Eastern Screech-Owl.

You’ll also find a plethora of owl items for sale, including owl cookies you can decorate yourself, owl face painting, a scavenger hunt around town and more. There will also be a special exhibition of extremely lifelike owl carvings by Robin Warburton.

Most activities take place at Houston Elementary School, two blocks south of the International Owl Center in Houston. Admission is $7 for adults, $4 for ages 4-17, and free for members and ages 3 and under. Find full details at www.InternationalOwlCenter.org.

International Owl Center
126 E Cedar St.
PO Box 536
Houston, MN 55943

Making the world a better place for owls through education and research.

Decorah Student Wins High School Division of Iowa Student Composition Competition

Results from Iowa Composers Forum annual competition

Jesus Peña, a member of the class of 2020 at Decorah High School, has been awarded first place in the 19th annual Iowa Composers Forum (ICF) Student Composition Competition. The first place winner in each division receives a cash award, and selected winning compositions will be performed at an ICF Festival of New Music in the fall of 2019. Judges this year included Warren Gooch, ICF member and Professor Emeritus of Music Theory-Composition and former chair of the Music Graduate Program at Truman State University in Missouri as well as Jonathan Wilson, freelance composer and ICF member.

The winning piece, “Sinfonia in B minor, Color Symphony” was a project Peña completed as part of an independent study of music composition. He spent a semester writing and revising the music, preparing the parts and leading rehearsals of the music prior to its premiere performance in early June at the Decorah High School Orchestra’s outdoor concert. Teacher Nicole Cody commented: “I’m so proud of the work that Jesus did on this composition. He wanted to learn about the way Mozart wrote music. He was constantly generating and refining new ideas and then built them into a cohesive work that is full of artistic meaning, while honoring the forms and styles of Mozart.”

The Iowa Composers Forum was founded in March of 1987 in Des Moines by seven composers who wished to create an environment for the performance and dissemination of music composed by Iowans. Over the intervening years, the ICF has presented more than 100 concerts and tour recitals of works by member composers. These concerts have featured the performances of over 800 works of new music, including works by student composers from the elementary, middle, high school, and collegiate level. The ICF has commissioned many new works, both unilaterally and in partnership with other organizations such as the Iowa Music Teachers Association and the Iowa Choral Directors Association. The ICF sponsors its own annual student composition competition, open to students studying at the collegiate level and earlier.

Each year, the ICF offers the following:

• a concert event in the fall.
• a multi-concert new music festival, stretching over multiple days, in the spring. These are almost always held on Iowa college campuses. Recent festival sites have included the University of Northern Iowa, Luther College, Iowa State University, and the University of Iowa.
• a student composition competition, open to students studying at the middle school through collegiate level. Winners receive premiere performances and prize money.
• a quarterly newsletter for its members, containing member news, concert reviews, calls for scores, and other professional opportunities.

The Forum extends its congratulations and encouragement to all the entrants. More information about the Iowa Composers Forum and the next call for scores can be found at www.iowacomposers.org. All entrants receive a one-year membership to the Iowa Composers Forum.

DECORAH, Iowa – Luther College professors and students are sharing their findings about flooding and encouraging community conversation in Freeport during a community meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 16, at Freeport Park.

Representatives from Luther College will talk about their research on the 2016 Upper Iowa River flood and Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation and Development will be on hand to discuss their watershed plan to enhance flood resilience. Residents will also have opportunities to share ideas and engage in discussion about ways to prepare for future floods.

A team of Luther College professors and students recently completed a series of interviews with members of the Freeport community affected by the Upper Iowa River flood of 2016. The team also conducted a survey of households throughout the Upper Iowa River Watershed to assess the impact and damage of the 2016 flood event. The meeting on Tuesday will share findings of these interviews and survey results, as well as facilitate conversation among community members about the implications of the research.

“One of our biggest takeaways from this research were the impacts – emotional, social and economic –  that flooding has on our community beyond the flood event itself. We hope this work contributes to ongoing conversations about how to make our communities more resilient to flooding,” says Rachel Brummel, assistant professor of environmental studies and political science.

In addition, a representative from Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation and Development will introduce the proposed watershed plan for the Upper Iowa River and discuss projects in the watershed designed to reduce the scale of future floods.

The meeting is intended to facilitate a conversation among Freeport community members on how to create a community that is resilient to future flooding. Food and drinks will be provided. Everyone is invited to attend.