April 8, 2025 by Decorah Leader

The New Minowa Players production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will open Wednesday, April 9 at the NMP Theatre — 906 South Mill St. in Decorah. The show will run through April 13, with evening performances at 7 p.m., and a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, April 13. Tickets are available online at newminowaplayers.org/ tickets, or at the Oneota Community Food Co-op.

(Photos by Roz Weis)

The Athenian Court scene features, from left: Miranda McGrath, Jim Tripp, Rick Scheffert and Julia Wharton.

Hermia, played by Hailey Sickler, is wandering in the woods by Lysander, played by Addison Cross.

Box 306, Fort Atkinson, IA 52144

Cydney Weitzel, as Puck, shares a somber scene with Dave Gosch, in the role of Oberon.

Roasted lamb is an Easter Sunday classic

also steeped in traditions, including family meals. Lamb is a popular Easter Sunday meal, and this recipe for “Roasted Lamb with Roasted Asparagus” from “Feast of the Seven Fishes: A Brooklyn Italian’s Recipes Celebrating Food & Family” (Powerhouse Books) by Daniel Paterna can make for the perfect Easter entrée. Lamb is most tender in spring and mild in ﬂavor, and it pairs well with the earthiness of asparagus.

ROASTED LAMB WITH ROASTED ASPARAGUS

Serves 8 to 10

Lamb: 1 leg of lamb or loin of lamb, about 4 to 5

to 5 sprigs fresh thyme

drippings while roasting. Serve warm.

Asparagus:

4 pounds of asparagus, remove woody ends

2 cups coarse bread crumbs

1 cup grated Romano cheese

2 tablespoons garlic powder

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

4 large eggs Sea salt, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Place the bread crumbs, cheese, garlic powder, and black pepper in a dish or bowl wide enough to hold the asparagus. Mix well to combine thoroughly.

Put the eggs in another dish or bowl of similar size and beat well. Working in batches, dip the spears into the egg, making sure they are coated well. Immediately place them in the bread crumb mixture and toss until each spear is fully coated. Transfer the breaded asparagus to a large baking sheet.

Cut small slits in the meat of the lamb with a sharp paring knife. Insert a slice of the garlic into each slit. Place the lamb in a large sealable plastic bag and add the olive oil, 2 cups white wine, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Seal the bag tightly and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 12 hours. Remove the lamb from the fridge the next day, at least 4 hours before roasting. Keep the lamb sealed in the marinade bag and allow it to come to room temperature. Heat the oven to 400 F. Remove the lamb from the bag with marinade. Place it on a rack in a roasting pan. Add 2 cups of wine. Roast for 11⁄2 hours or until the thermometer reads 150 to 160 F. Baste with

Place the asparagus in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the breading is browned and crispy. Serve with wedges of fresh lemon.

P ZZLE driftless

Horse Measuring Stick; Horse Tongues & Evenors; Saddle; Tack Room Items; Sleigh Bells; 2 Dog Sleds & Misc. Dog Sled Items; Grumann Canoe; Montgomery Ward Cement Mixer; 2 Wheel Lawn Cart; Stihl Chainsaws; Champion Generator; Hitch Mover; Ext. Ladders; Live Traps; Car Ramps; Vulcan No. 8 Anvil; Vices; Fencing Items; Wall Tent Set Up; Camping Supplies; Bicycles; Snowshoes; Tackle Boxes; Knives; Clamps; Rockwell Band Saw, Drill Press, Table Saw, Lathe, Craftsman Router; Work Benches; Handyman Jack; Forge; Asst. Hand Tools & Power Tools; Dressers, Chest of Drawers & Bed Frames; Regulator Wall Clock; Fringe Leather Jacket; Collector Plates; Coors

Flexible schedule, between 14-36 hours per week, depending on the applicant. No experience necessary. Will train. For more information or to apply, email museum@lauraingallswilder.us

NOW HIRING

Please send a letter of interest and resume to Kristin Kriener at kkriener@st-teresa.pvt.k12.ia.us

1:1 or in a group setting.

Send letter of application and resume to Principal Rick Varney, 101 Claiborne Drive, Decorah, IA 52101, or email rick. varney@decorah.school by end of the day on April 11, 2025, or open until position is filled. The Decorah Community School District is an EEO/AA employer

WHY choose St. Teresa Calcutta Preschool?

Winneshiek County Secondary Roads will be accepting applications for the position of “Equipment Operator II” for the Secondary Road Department until 4:00 p.m. Thursday, April 17, 2025 or until the position is filled at the office of the Winneshiek County Engineer, 201 W. Main, Decorah, IA 52101. Applications and job description are available at the Engineers Office and www.winneshiekcounty.org/jobs.html

Winneshiek County Courthouse, 201 W. Main St., Decorah • 563-382-5085 www.winneshiekcounty.org is now accepting applications for:

HELP WANTED

Brincks Construction & Cabinets Co.

Looking for FULL TIME CARPENTERS - Build new homes, framing, repair work, installation of doors, windows, & other duties assigned. Also for a FULL TIME CABINET

HELP WANTED MAINTENANCE

SUMMARY: Responsible for general Carpentry, Repairs, Landscaping/Snow removal

CURRENT OPENINGS

• Head Women’s Golf Coach: Responsibilities include meet scheduling and management, recruiting, budget oversight, student-athlete development, and academic monitoring.

• Custodial Staff: Cleaning, sanitizing, and caring for the building areas on campus you are creating an environment where excellence and growth can occur.

• Data Processing Coordinator: coordinate the certiﬁcation and reconciliation of all PLUS and private student loans as well as generation of daily aid distribution.

• Assistant Director of Student Activities and Leadership Development: oversee student recreational services and support student activities and student organizations

more information, or to apply, visit www.luther.edu/ofﬁces/hr/careers

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

•Must be capable of regular and predictable attendance

• Able to work overtime as needed

• Able to work holidays as needed

• Able to be on call (occasionally) for emergency site repairs

•General carpentry, plumbing, electrical, steel fabrication, and concrete skills

•General repairs in offices, yards, and other buildings

•Replacing light bulbs

•Repairing fences

•Repairing doors

•Repairing chutes

•Repairing damaged equipment

• Able to use heavy equipment such as farm tractors, backhoe, skid steers

• Able to use a wide variety of hand and power tools

Yard and landscaping

•Spraying for weeds

•Set up for special events

•Snow removal

•Performs other duties as needed and/or assigned

QUALIFICATIONS:

•Valid Driver’s License

• Ability to work overtime

• Able to work in a weekend and holiday rotation within the maintenance crew Applicants will be paid based on experience in the field, Ideal applicants have experience in at least one of the following:

•General Carpentry

•Plumbing

•Electrical

•Concrete

•Landscaping

•Heavy equipment operator

•Roofing

•Welding

•Knowledge of CAFO’s

Base pay is 21.00 but will increase based on the experience you bring at the time of application.

BENEFITS: Health, Life, Short & Long-term Disability, Dental, Vision, 401(k), Flex Spending Plan, Wellness Program, EAP, Paid Holidays, Paid Vacations, Paid Sick Days, Competitive Wage and Great People to work with!

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The work environment and physical characteristics are representative of those that an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this position. Refer to the “Essential and Marginal Function Analysis” statement for a complete description of essential functions and functional requirements. EEO - Pre-Employment Drug

and Post-Offer

Stop by to fill out an application or mail

Apply at: lynchfamilycompanies.com/careers or by

Luther College to welcome famed guidebook author Rick Steves

Luther College recently announced Rick Steves, a popular public television host, best-selling guidebook author and an outspoken activist who encourages Americans to broaden their perspectives through travel, will be speaking at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 27 at the Center for Faith and Life Main Hall. Tickets are on sale now through the Luther Ticket Office and online at tickets.luther. edu.

“We are excited to welcome Mr. Steves to campus this spring,” said Maren Johnson, director of the Torgerson Center for Nordic Studies and associate professor of Nordic Studies. “His life’s work has focused on the power of human connection through travel. As the grandson of Norwegian immigrants, his message and life’s work align with Luther’s commitment to study away and global education.”

Steves’ lecture, titled “Travel with a Norwegian Sensibility,” will reﬂect on his own heritage and the importance of continued connections across a global society. Steves will share pho-

Blood drive

April 17

The American Red Cross will host a blood drive from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, April 17 at the Stone Ridge Community Church at 1111 Montomery St., Decorah. For an appointment call 1-800-733-2767 or visit REdCrossBlood.org and use sponsor code: DecorahIA.

Neubauer to speak on recycling, composting

The Decorah Senior Citizens Hospitality Center’s monthly program will be held at 1:30 p.m. Friday, April 11 at 806 River St. in Decorah. The public is invited to attend an informative presentation on waste management in Winneshiek County. Attendees will learn how to properly recycle, reduce waste and make the most of composting to benefit both the environment and the community. Evan Neubauer with Winneshiek Recycling will discuss local recycling guidelines, composting techniques and the operations of the landfill.

Refreshments and fellowship will follow the presentation.

tos, stories and insights from more than 50 years of traveling outside of the United States.

Steves was 14 years old when his parents, Dick and June Steves, took him to visit his relatives in Norway.

“Visiting the house of my great-great-grandmother’s birth, I imagined the courage it must have taken to leave Norway and her entire family for America a century ago,” Steves wrote in “How Travel Pried Open My Hometown Blinders.”

As the first U.S. college founded by Norwegian immigrants, Luther officials said the college is proud to host this event as part of a yearlong commemoration of the first organized migration from Norway to North America 200 years ago.

“As Luther commemorates the bicentennial of Norwegian immigration to North America, Mr. Steves’ visit will be a great kick off to reinforce the power of human connection in the global society,” Johnson said.

Grief support group at VMH

A grief support group will hold its monthly meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 8 at Veterans Memorial Hospital’s Meditation Healing Center, located just inside the main entrance of the hospital. This informal meeting is open to anyone suf-

fering from any type of loss whether it be death, divorce, illness or other grief. The public is welcome to attend and bring a friend. The grief support meets the second Tuesday of each month at 4 pm at Veterans Memorial Hospital.

Amish School Benefit

SUPPER

Serving Time: 3:30-7:30 p.m. or gone

WAUKON EVENT CENTER, WAUKON

Service Notice

Also... BAKED GOODS FOR SALE Tuesday, April 15

Menu : Meat, Potatoes, Salad, Homemade Ice Cream & More FREE WILL DONATION Proceeds benefit Amish Schools

Photo submitted

Public hears about immigrant issues from area volunteers

BY SETH BOYES NEWS EDITOR

Area advocates encouraged community members to mirror the biblical good samaritan in their approach to supporting area immigrants. The Decorah Human Rights Commission and the Decorah Public Library partnered to host a March 18 panel at Pulpit Rock Brewing Company in Decorah, where four area volunteers discussed their work with the region’s immigrant community.

Ruth Palmer, a volunteer with the Northeast Iowa Peace and Justice Center, told last week’s audience immigrants often decide to leave their home countries to seek opportunities — and in some cases, false promises of employment, housing or other benefits. Palmer said Iowa’s immigrant population is particularly prevalent in certain industries, such as agriculture and hospitality.

Information from the American Immigration Council said immigrants made up nearly 6 percent of Iowa’s total population in 2023, and about 39 percent of immigrants in the state were naturalized citizens as of that year. Of the state’s total immigrant population, about 31 percent, or 58,900 individuals, were believed to be undocumented immigrants — accounting for 1.8 percent of Iowa’s population, but about 2.4 percent of the state’s workforce.

Palmer said she and other volunteers feel society should retire the use of the term “illegal” to describe undocumented individuals.

“We firmly believe no human person is illegal — we can be fat or we can be skinny, we can be ugly, we can be beautiful, but not illegal — never illegal,”

Fellow volunteer Marty Steele said, while some might claim increases in crime rates correlate with rises in immigrant populations, a number of studies have found immigrants are about 60 percent less likely to be incarcerated than citizens born in the U.S.

“These people do not want to be noticed. They don’t want to wreak havoc,” Steele said.

“They just want to put their heads down, work and take care of their families.”

Steele said, contrary to some claims, undocumented immigrants are unable to claim many of the benefits offered through government programs, including Social Security, Medicaid, welfare and supplemental nu-

Margaret Betteridge said seeing families separated as a result of an arrest or other federal action is difﬁcult. She and other volunteers work with immigrant families to establish chosen individuals as power of attorney, which Betteridge said may allow another person to act as a child’s legal guardian if their parent is being held in custody or has been deported. (Photo by Seth Boyes)

trition assistance — though she noted some women and young children may be able to receive benefits from the Women, Infants and Children Program — or WIC. Data from the American Immigration Council said undocumented immigrants paid more than $418 million in taxes during 2023 — almost $249.5 million in federal taxes and $169 million in state taxes.

Margaret Betteridge, a retired Spanish teacher who now volunteers as an interpreter with the Peace and Justice Center’s

Immigration Action Network, said she feels it is tragic to see families separated by federal authorities, adding many are simply hoping to work.

“You’ve heard of some recent arrests in northeast Iowa, and our immigration attorney that works with our group has warned us that families will be separated,” Betteridge said.

“We don’t’ want to think about that harsh reality, but we’re trying to help families set up power of attorney paperwork so that, if and when there’s a

crisis and parents are detained, the children have a safe place to be.”

Betteridge and others at last week’s panel discussion estimated U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel had conducted at least three enforcement actions in Postville since mid-to-late January — the city of approximately 2,300 people is situated about a mile beyond the Winneshiek County line and gained national attention in 2008 following a raid ICE which resulted in the arrest of more than 300 workers at a local kosher meatpacking plant. Communications staff with ICE said last week the agency was unable to confirm whether any enforcement action may have been conducted in Postville so far this year.

“Due to our operational tempo and the increased interest in our agency, we are unable to research and respond to specifics of routine daily operations,” staff said in a statement to the Decorah Leader.

The panel and other organizers said, while many Decorah residents may feel the urge to take action upon hearing word of possible ICE arrests or other activity in Postville, it is often more beneficial to wait until local volunteers call for aid after looking into a situation.

“If they need assistance, they will reach out to trusted allies, because people in crisis are going to call their trusted contacts for what they need,” Betteridge said.

ETHEL and Robert Mirabal

Luther College 2024–25 Center Stage Series presents

The panel recommended members of the public familiarize themselves with immigrant rights, donate to food pantries in Postville and support Postville businesses, noting many are owned by local immigrants.

“These are some of our very best neighbors, and we need to do whatever we can to protect them,” Steele said.