15th annual Oneota Film Festival is March 6-9
The Oneota Film Festival board recently announced the 15th annual Oneota Film Festival will take place March 6-9 in downtown Decorah. The weekend will provide many opportunities to make connections with filmmakers, friends and other members of the broader-Decorah community during special events, filmmaker Q&A discussions and film screenings. This year, the Oneota Film Festival board has selected more than 60 new, independent films, including documentaries, dramas, family-friendly animated and short films as well as student films.
Highlights of the festival this year include the opening night screening of “Songs of the Earth,” which features Norway; the Oneota Film Festival Social with Driftless Jazz at Impact Coffee on Friday night; a showing of “Climbing Into Life,” which focuses on Dierdre Wolownick, who is the oldest woman to ascend El Capitan in Yosemite and is the mother of Alex Honnan — of the film Free Solo. Organizers also highlighted a morning coffee event with filmmakers from
Our Postville Community Heart & Soul, Bridging Generations: The Story of the Blackhawk Bridge and Peg of My Heart are among the 60 new, independent films, selected by the Oneota Film Festival board for the 15th annual event.
Trees available for purchase by Alliant customers
9-11 a.m. Sunday, March 9 at Porter House Museum in Decorah.
Films will be screened at Hotel Winneshiek, Drift: Strength and Yoga Center, T-Bocks Upstairs, ArtHaus, Vesterheim
NEICAC accepting LIHEAP applications
Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation is taking applications for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program through April 30. LIHEAP customers will need to provide the following when applying for LIHEAP:
• The social security number of each household member, regardless of age, must be provided for that household member to be eligible. At least one household member must provide a social security number documentation for the household itself to be eligible.
• A copy of their most recent heating and electric bill.
• Documentation of gross income for everyone living in the home for the previous 30 calendar days, the most recent 12 months or for the previous calendar year. Visit www.neicac.org to schedule an appointment or to download and complete a LIHEAP application. Customers may also complete an online application by visiting https://liheapapply.hhs.iowa.gov/s/. For more information, chat with an NEICAC Team Member at www.neicac.org, contact your local NEICAC Family Services Office or call the central office in Decorah at 563-382-9608.
Commons,
Commons, Pulpit Rock Brewery and the All Vet’s Club. Dozens of filmmakers will be screening their films and hosting Q&A discussions after the screenings, including students from local middle and high schools. Filmmakers will be honored at the Meet the Filmmakers Recep-
tion at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 8 at Upstairs T-Bocks. The Oneota Film Festival events are free and open to all. The festival schedule and film descriptions are now available online at www.oneotafilmfestival.org, and festival guides are available now at sponsor locations throughout Decorah.
CHICKASAW COUNTY FARMLAND FOR SALE
The Bernice H. Felder Trust is offering for sale for cash a farm of 127.48 acres, more or less. Possession will be given April 11, 2025. The current tenant’s lease has been terminated. The property is located in Washington Township described as:
The West One-Half of the Southeast Quarter of the Northwest Quarter and the Southwest Quarter of the Northwest Quarter and the West One-Half of the Southwest Quarter (except Parcel A and Parcel 2024-57 in the Northwest Quarter of the Southwest Quarter) and a road twenty feet wide across the Northwest corner of the East One-Half of the Southwest Quarter of all in Section Thirty-Five, Township Ninety-Seven, Range Thirteen West of the 5th P.M. Sealed bids may be delivered or emailed to the offices of Elwood, O’Donohoe, Braun & White, LLP at 101 N Locust Avenue, New Hampton, Iowa 50659, Iowa by 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 27, 2025. Emailed bids will be kept confidential and sealed bids will be opened that afternoon. The persons submitting the five highest bids will be invited to an auction to be held at the offices of Elwood, O’Donohoe, Braun & White, LLP at 101 N Locust Avenue, New Hampton, Iowa on March 28 at 1:30 p.m. and will have the right to raise their bid at that time. The successful bidder will be required to pay 10% down on the date of sale. Balance of purchase price will be paid on April 11, 2025. Seller reserves the right to reject all bids. Announcements made the day of sale take precedence. At any time after Sunday, March 2, interested parties may request all available information regarding the farm in person, at the New Hampton office, by calling (641) 394-5943 or by emailing kit@elwoodlawfirm.com.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is encouraging the public to begin planning for spring and consider planting a tree, whether it be in a residential yard, local park or outside a school. The DNR highlighted several upcoming opportunities where the public may procure trees for spring planting. Alliant Energy customers may purchase up to two trees per planting address at $25 per tree. Interested parties may reserve trees by ordering online through either Alliant’s One Million Trees program or through the DNR’s Residential Tree Distribution Program. Local pickup for tree order is scheduled from 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, April 22 at the Chuck Gipp Fish Hatchery — 2321 Siewers Spring Rd. in Decorah
County Democrats to meet
Winneshiek County Democrats will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27 in the social hall at Decorah’s UCC Church. Newly elected District Two chairs Sarah Corkery and Sarah Eastman will visit the meeting to speak about plans going forward and will solicit input. Attendees will also hear from Fayette County Chair Amy Adams with a presentation on Progress Iowa. Other items of discussion will include a report on the use of the downtown office’s window for messaging and an update on plans for the March 16 St. Patrick’s Day event. County Chair John Beard said all Democrats are invited to attend.
ELWOOD, O'DONOHOE, BRAUN & WHITE, LLP 101 North Locust Avenue, Box 310, New Hampton, IA P: (641) 394-5943
Thank
Myles Lawrence Pitzenberger-Quinn,
Kids and healthy eating: Gobble up these body-friendly food practices
Despite being pint-sized people, children can have some very big personalities and opinions. Parents know that kids have strong feelings on everything from the clothes they wear to the foods they eat.
a Fern Meyer T hank You
wishes to express our heartfelt gratitude for the overwhelming support and kindness shown during her illness and passing. We are deeply touched by the outpouring of love from our community, friends, and family. Thank you to Helms funeral home for their guidance and pastor Rev. Nathan Wicks of Peace Lutheran Church for the service. We would especially like to thank The
NORTHEAST IOWA
The Northeast Iowa Fox and Coon Club would like to extend their thanks and gratitude to the donors, sponsors and those that helped out and attended the annual wild game feed and made it a great success.
*Please keep in mind for next year which will be the Fox & Coon Club Associations 80th year.
Although not all children are inherently picky eaters, most go through phases of picky eating during their childhood development, particularly when they are toddlers. The UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals also says some children naturally are more sensitive to certain tastes, smells and textures, which could make certain foods less desirable to youngsters. Others may mimic their parents’ picky food tendencies. A child who has strong aversions to trying new foods can make it hard to plan meals, especially ones that include nutritious fare.
Getting kids to eat more healthy foods and be excited about them could take some time and effort. Parents can try some of these strategies to change kids’ perceptions about healthy eating.
Take the lead
Parents can model healthy heating behavior every time they sit down to a meal. Research suggests parents’ eating behaviors significantly influence their children’s food preferences and dietary habits. Given their influence, adults
should choose healthy foods often enough so that the process becomes habit for the entire household.
Make it a team effort
Children may refuse foods because it gives them a modicum of control in a world where adults seem to be making all the decisions. When children are included in meal planning and shopping, they are more likely to eat foods that are healthy. While the bulk of foods should be healthy ones, a few treats or special ingredients can be thrown in every so often.
Create family meal expectations
Routines are essential to children’s well-being. By eating together as a family and serving
meals and snacks around the same time each day, kids will thrive knowing what is coming next. Mealtime is a good time to talk about healthy eating habits and table manners as well, says the Cleveland Clinic. Parents can model how half of the plate should be made up of vegetables and some fruit.
Respect eating quirks
One child may only eat broccoli if it is dunked in ketchup. Another might only embrace a turkey sandwich if it is cut into triangles. Parents should pick their battles regarding food. Parents should go with the flow if kids are eating right, even if their choices are a little unorthodox.
Make it a game
Incorporate some fun into meals by encouraging children to come up with funny names for their foods, however ridiculous they may be. Make competitions of healthy eating by seeing who can eat the most vegetables during the week and earn a prize. Kids likely will respond better to these positive choices rather than ultimatums about foods they “have” to eat. Healthy eating may not come easily to all children, especially if they are picky eaters. Some patience and flexibility on the part of parents can help kids become more excited about healthy food choices.
The WinnMed Auxiliary is offering its annual Health Career Scholarship to students pursuing a health care profession. The applicant must be a college undergraduate or graduate student who is currently enrolled in the health career program of their choice. The applicant must also be a resident of Winneshiek County, a WinnMed employee or a dependent of a WinnMed employee. Eligible applicants may visit https://winnmed.org/donate/winnmed-auxiliary or call 563-387-3036 for an application. The deadline for application is April 1, 2025.
Snyder forms Winneshiek Emergency
Preparedness Coalition in case disaster strikes
(The complete version of this article originally published in the February 20 Decorah Leader, find it in full at decorahleader.com)
Townspeople don’t often know what to do after a community-wide disaster, and local emergency responders said that lack of awareness can devastate a town by causing even more turmoil for residents who’ve potentially lost everything they owned. Winneshiek County Emergency Management Coordinator Sean Snyder hopes to avoid that “disaster within the disaster” by establishing the Winneshiek Emergency Preparedness Coalition — a countywide network of volunteers who will collaborate to provide resources and relief if any of the county’s towns experience a disaster.
Snyder described a hypothetical scenario in which a tanker truck carrying a hazardous chemical is involved in a collision in downtown Decorah, causing the tank to leak. In that case, Snyder said, those within up to half-a-mile would need to be evacuated — essentially the distance from the corner of Water and Winnebago streets to the intersection of Water and Montgomery streets.
Snyder explained there may be other factors aside to consider during such a response. Aside from organizing an evacuation and arranging temporary shelter, he said some residents’ health might depend on an oxygen supply or electricity.
The WEPC was originally called the Winneshiek County Healthcare Coalition and was hosted by Winneshiek County Public Health. Public Health Administrator Krista Vanden Brink said, thanks to the relationships established prior to the 2009 swine flu pandemic, the county was not only prepared for the disease, but it also became an example of preparedness for surrounding counties. Public Health was able to vaccinate 1,200 school children in one day and 1,200 county residents one week later
to help slow the spread of the disease, she said.
“By having those meetings prior to the vaccine becoming available, we already had those relationships between clinics and nurses, so the response was great because of that,” Vanden Brink said, adding that Public Health will also be involved in the new WEPC. “And, other counties were shocked, because they hadn’t even considered having those conversations yet. So, we were ahead of the game.”
Snyder said his primary objective for establishing the WEPC is collaboration.
“A major part of emergency management is the public/private partnerships, and this is the perfect way to ignite those partnerships in our communities,” he said. “In the case of a tornado, the government doesn’t come in and save the community. It’s the private entities within that community that are the true post-disaster heroes. It takes the local hardware stores and lumber yards and other businesses that truly help the community rise up from the ashes and get it moving again. I’m trying to bring those organizations and entities to the table, so we’re not meeting for the first time right after a disaster hits. I want all sides to understand their roles. I have a role, but as a private business and a private resident, you have roles as well, and that’s what I’m hoping to find through this process.”
The first Zoom meeting of the new WEPC will take place at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 26,
AUCTION CALENDAR
CLOSES SUNDAY, MARCH
2 - 1 p.m. Online Coin Auction at Sweeney Auction Center Waukon. www.sweeneyauctionservice.com Waukon, Ia 563-568-2464.
CLOSES MONDAY, MARCH 3 - 4 p.m. Online Antique, Collectible, Household Auction at Sweeney Auction Center Waukon. www.sweeneyauctionservice.com Waukon, Ia 563-568-2464.
SATURDAY, MARCH 15 - Guns & Sporting Good Auction at Sweeney Auction Center Waukon. www.sweeneyauctionservice.com Waukon, Ia 563-568-2464.
TUESDAY, MARCH 25 - Sweeney Machinery Consignment Auction at Sweeney Auction Center Waukon. Call to consign Sweeney Auction Service. www.sweeneyauctionservice.com Waukon, Ia 563568-2464.
SATURDAY, MARCH 29 - 10
a.m. McMillan Bros Farm Machinery Auction, 6113 Golden Road, Elgin at Sweeney Auction Center Waukon. www. sweeneyauctionservice.com Waukon, Ia 563-568-2464.
For information on the group and how to participate, call Snyder at 563-387-4095 or email ssnyder@ co.winneshiek.ia.us.
and Snyder believes the group will meet quarterly at first.
Snyder hopes other locally established emergency preparedness groups will want to be involved in WEPC’s efforts.
Snyder said one challenge is that Winneshiek County doesn’t currently have a longterm recovery coalition — a group which brings together government agencies, non-profit organizations, faith-based communities, businesses and community members to collaboratively address the needs of individuals and families after a disaster.
“Let’s say we have a Greenfield tornado,” Snyder said. “The emergency response side of things is going to be over fairly quickly. After a day or two or a week — depending on the type and level of disaster — the emergency responder portion goes away. You, the business owner or private individual, are left with what’s next. I’ll still be coordinating the governmental side of things, but we don’t have anyone local who is designated to connect community members to needed tasks.”
Examples of those needed tasks include connecting residents to resources and coordinating donations. Snyder said there are a variety of helpful actions the public often takes following a disaster, but he also said it’s necessary to establish organizers to ensure such ef-
forts are effective.
“There are a lot of logistics involved in a long-term recovery coalition, and I’d love to have those building-block pieces in place, so we can transition quickly should we have such an event,” he said.
Snyder hopes a core group of leaders will evolve from the WEPC’s meetings, consisting of representatives from Public Health, WinnMed, local media, banks, private businesses and public citizens. He said that core group could then reach out to other members of their communities to be available when needed.
“I would like to establish something central to Winneshiek County, where we could have one voice announcing where to donate, how to donate, where donations are going and how the donations will be used,” he said.
Snyder will share his vision for the WEPC during the Feb. 26 meeting — after which he’ll talk with participants about how to expand the group.
Registry BridalAce
June 21, 2025
June 28, 2025
Gina Radewan & Blake Holthaus
July 19, 2025
Rachel Grimstad & Ben Krutzfeldt
Keegan Steinlage & Ben Hageman
August 9, 2025
Kaitlyn Rooney & Jake Muhlbauer
August 16, 2025
Shelby Schroeder & Ryan Schmalen
September 20, 2025
Andrea Heins & Lyle Huinker
December 31, 2025
Margaret Earley & Caleb Scherf
ACE
KITCHEN PLACE
101 E. Water St., Decorah 563-382-3544
Monday-Saturday 9am-5:30pm Sunday 10am-2pm
needed to know Everything I ever By Ole Winter
(Retired Lutheran Pastor Ole Winter reminisces on his 90-plus years of life, sharing past experiences and life lessons with Driftless readers.)
Sleds in the Cemetery!
Nearly three inches of snow had fallen the day before. The late afternoon December sun tried to sneak though openings in some snow clouds, but got caught in the act. It was the kind of Sunday afternoon about which Robert Frost might have written a poem. For me it was time for a late day walk that would take me through Phelp’s cemetery. As I entered the north gate my otherwise quiet walk was assaulted by elated yells and screeches of four pre-teen boys on their sleds. Those snow toys were scudding down the north slope of this burial ground, sometimes becoming airborne on the uneven ground. Dodging large burial markers of Decorah’s early residents, this was not for the faint heart. Stopping to watch I wondered if I should say it did not seem that their play was appropriate in this place. Instead, I found myself saying, “Looks like fun,” and their reply was, “It’s a blast!” Did I not want to be thought of as some old curmudgeon taking away their fun? What would
you have done? I wondered as I continued my walk, what are these boys thinking ... or are they? When you’re 10 or 11 years old you either don’t think or you see yourself as immortal, death is so far away, not under your sled. Would they think, as they were going to sleep that night, that they had been sledding over the earthly remains of Decorah’s great grandparents? Probably not. The were just “having a blast.”
My thought as I write this today goes like this, “God bless you, young men. Did you later find a better place to sled? I hope you got through that day without a headache from hitting a head stone. But more than that. I sincerely hope that you now have or will have in the future, a faith that allows you to be joyful and rejoicing even in a cemetery; yes, even one where you might one day be buried! All because of the hope you can have in a Lord who’s cross is etched in many of the stones in Phelps cemetery.”
at Sweeney Auction Service, Waukon, IA
Lots of Coins
Auction
BEGIN CLOSING SUNDAY, MARCH 2
PREVIEW: Saturday, March 1, 9:00
Gold Coins, Over
1:00 P.M.
Morgans & Peace Dollars, Silver Halves, Quarters & Dime, Pennies, Special Coins & Tokens, Various Currency & more 1000 Lots of Antiques, Collectibles & Household Online Auction LOTS BEGIN CLOSING MONDAY, MARCH 3 AT 4:00 P.M. AUCTION PREVIEW: Saturday, March 1, 9:00 A.M. – Noon Amish Made Dining Table & 8 Chairs, Dining Hutch, Curio Cabinets, Dressers, Chest of Drawers, Dining Table & 8 Chairs, ylinder Roll Secretary w/ Book Case Top, Pine Cupboard & Other Cupboards, China Cabinet, Primitive 2 Door Cabinet, Church Pew, Parlor Tables, Misc Tables, Reclining Sofa, Recliner, Hall Tree, Desks, Marble Fern Stand, Wicker Chairs, Trunks, Kitchen Table w/ 4 Rolling Chairs, Book Shelves, Wash Stands, Primitives, Fishing Lures & Tackle, Knives, Redwing & Western Stoneware Crocks & Churns, Chicken Feeders, Cherry Band Pitchers, Stoneware Lids, Roseville Art Pottery & Others, Pyrex, Fire King, Advertising Signs, Glass Eye Stop Signs, Clocks & Thermometers, Coca Cola Signs & Trays, Glassware, Coo Coo Clocks & others, Vintage Lamp Shades, Quilts, Farm Toys, Coffee Grinders, Trading Cards, Bows, Decoys, Shawnee Corn Pottery, Vintage Christmas, Seed Box, Lladros, Barbies, Knives, Coleman Lanterns, There are Numerous Collectibles & Antiques on this auction.
Guns & Sporting Goods Auction
SUNDAY, MARCH 15 AT 8:30 A.M. Approx. 250 Guns of All Types & Models Hand & Long Guns,
Photo of Emergency Management window decal.
Madison Sexton & Cole Tweten
Wedding Bliss
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CURRENT OPENINGS
Slide these sandwiches into meal plans
Sliders are pint-sized sandwiches that pack a wallop of flavor into each bite. There are different stories regarding how sliders came to be. Some posit that the name came from the fact that sliders being so small can easily “slide down the throat,” a concept attributed to hungry American sailors during WWII. The burger chain White Castle also lays claim to the slider name, having built its brand upon these modest burgers.
Aioli
Makes 24
1 11⁄2-pound boneless pork loin roast, trimmed 1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1 cup water
1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1⁄2 cup vertically sliced shallots (2 large)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary 4 garlic cloves, minced 3⁄4 cup canola mayonnaise 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish 24 wheat slider buns, split and toasted 2 cups arugula
Although sliders are most often associated with hamburgers, modern recipes utilize different types of fillings between the buns. Because they’re small, sliders also are great for sampling different flavors, with two or more sliders being paired together on a dish. Those who want to try something different with their sliders can opt for “Rosemary Pork Sliders with Horseradish Aioli” from “Cooking Light: Dinner’s Ready” (Oxmoor House) from the Cooking Light Kitchens.
Sliders with Horseradish
Pork
1. Sprinkle pork with pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Transfer pork to a 3-quart slow cooker coated with cooking spray. Add 1 cup water and next four ingredients to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until tender.
2. Remove pork from slow cooker; place in a bowl. Shred pork with 2 forks. Pour cooking liquid through a sieve into a bowl, reserving shallots and garlic. Add 3⁄4 cup of strained cooking liquid, shallots and garlic to pork; toss well. Discard remaining cooking liquid.
3. Combine mayonnaise and horseradish in a small bowl. Spoon about 2 tablespoons pork mixture on bottom half of each bun. Top evenly with arugula. Spread 11⁄2 teaspoons mayonnaise mixture on cut side of each bun top. Cover sliders with bun tops.
Nordic Fest announces 2025 theme
The Nordic Fest Board of Directors is excited to announce the 2025 Nordic Fest theme — Commemorating Crossings 1825-2025.
With this year’s theme, Nordic Fest joins international, national and local organizations, including Vesterheim – the National Norwegian-American Museum and Folk Art School — in commemorating the 200th Anniversary of Norwegian Emigration.
On July 4, 1825, a group of 52 Norwegians set sail from Stavanger, Norway, on the ship Restauration to make the first organized migration from Norway to North America. Since the Restauration was a type of vessel called a sloop, the immigrants onboard became known as “Sloopers.”
More than 800,000 Norwegians have followed since then, in search of new opportunities. In North America today, nearly five million people claim Norwegian ancestry. Members of the Nordic Fest Board said they are looking forward to commemorating the 200th anniversary
and celebrating the strong ties between Norway and North America.
“Norwegian heritage is strong in the Decorah community, and we are excited to be able to commemorate the 200th anniversary of that first crossing, and the crossings that followed, at this year’s Nordic Fest,” Nordic Fest Board President Cole Steffen said. “We look forward to seeing local businesses, organizations and groups incorporate this special theme into Nordic Fest offerings and beyond.”
Businesses, organizations and groups are encouraged to incorporate the 2025 theme into food specials, window displays, activity offerings and parade float entries at this year’s festival in July.
Nordic Fest is an annual three-day summer festival held in Decorah, which celebrates community and the area’s Scandinavian heritage. The 58th annual Nordic Fest will take place July 24-26, 2025.
For more information, visit nordicfest.com.
SPRING BOAT SHOW & SALE
