Gays Mills Flood Pictures  g  Soldiers Grove Flood Pictures  g   Steuben flood pictures on this link

Home
Archives
Classifieds
Contact us
Obituaries
Hoffman Hall
Local Sports
Feature Photo
Subscribe
Guttenberg Press
North Iowa Times

Search Courier Press for:

Click here for NOAA Mississippi River Stage information

Link to LEGALS

CONTACT US for picture reproduction of photos in our paper...reasonable prices!

July 27, 2005

A good time for everyone at Carparee Family Fun Days

There's no carping about it, Carparee Family Fun Days is just around the corner and offers plenty of family fun for everyone. Carparee Family Fun Days will be held Friday, Aug. 5 and Saturday, Aug. 6, with a variety of activities at various locations on St. Feriole Island.

FRIDAY

Sand castle building will begin at 5 p.m. at the beach and is sponsored by the Family Resource Center.

Very fine fare will be found at the fish fry and food stand at the Riverfront Gazebo from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Also held on St. Feriole Island will be the Young Entrepeneurs' Trade Show, in which youngsters will be plying their creative wares from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

At 5:30, there will be a lot of high-kicking excitement as the Prairie du Chien Tae Kwon Do Club gives a demonstration of skill, power, and speed.

At 6 p.m., the kid's casting contest will offer plenty of prizes. The kid's casting contest is sponsored by the Prairie du Chien Rod and Gun Club.

The carp bobber race will begin at 6:45 and the penny auction and silent auction will start at 7 p.m.

Also beginning at 7 p.m., will be the Mississippi Blackhawk Waterski show, which always has plenty of thrills, skills and high flying acrobatic excitement.

SATURDAY

Any girl or boy, man or woman interested in fishing should get their poles, reels and special bait ready because the Carparee Family Fun Days fishing contest sponsored by Willy and Nellie's will run all day until 4:30 p.m. There are many prizes for those lucky anglers who make a good haul. Those prizes will be awarded at 5 p.m. at Willy and Nellie's.

At 10 a.m. Carparee patrons will get to enjoy the Carparee Family Fun Days Parade, which also includes a pet parade.

Following the parade, the world-famous flat bottom boat race will commence at 11 a.m. A favorite viewing spot for the raucous race is the Blackhawk Avenue bridge, from which one can witness the contestants' well-honed "skills" and of course a few spills.

Carparee Family Fun Days is sponsored by the Prairie du Chien Area Chamber of Commerce and more information can be obtained by calling (608) 326-8555 or logging onto www.prairieduchien.org.

Canada to Gulf of Mexico canoeists to stop in Prairie  

For four intrepid canoeists, their epic adventure is all downstream from now until journey's end.

Although Nathan Schuette, Jesse Kruckenberg and Adam Amundson of Edgerton, Wis. and Eric Goldsmith of La Crosse still have about 2,200 miles to go, they have finally entered the Mississippi River and are headed towards the Gulf of Mexico.

The four are traveling in two 19-foot Kevlar canoes loaded with supplies and are currently a bit downstream from the Twin Cities. They are stopping in several communities along the way and are expecting to come ashore at Lawler Park in Prairie du Chien in about four or five days.

While canoeing down the Mississippi from its source to the Gulf is no easy feat, the tough part of the journey is now behind the four young travelers.

They started their adventure of a lifetime at the Canadian border in Pembina, North Dakota on June 3 with the goal of canoeing the country from border to border. As they traveled south, the hearty foursome had to paddle for about 400 miles against the swollen waters and strong currents of the Red and Wild Rice rivers, both of which flow north. They also battled stiff winds, rain, and mosquitos.

While fighting their way upstream, the four men, all 22 years of age, each burned about 4,000 calories a day.

"Nathan told me he had to pull his belt in three notches," said his mother Deanna.

They finally conquered the strong resistance of the Wild Rice River and paddled into Long Lost Lake in Itasca State Park. The foursome then portaged across the park to Lake Itasca, the headwaters of the Mississippi River.

The first 50 miles or so of the Mississippi was no day at the beach either because Old Man River is no bigger than a small creek near its source and can be difficult to navigate.

The four explorers are quite relieved, however, that their journey is now all downstream.

"I'm glad that first part is over," said Deanna. "Their morale has gone way up." Deanna also noted that the weights of the four men have stabilized now that they are going with the flow. She said that Nathan told her, however, that the adventure was never about the fun, it's about the challenge.

The four canoeists are trying to rough it as much as possible and camp out each night in an old Army tent, which has no bottom. "Nathan told me he didn't want a sissy tent," said his mother.

They have enjoyed everyone they've met along the way and some people have "taken care of them," said Deanna.

The canoeists will veer away from their roughing it rules a bit once they get to Prairie du Chien, where all of their parents will meet them and take them out to eat before they continue downstream the next day.

The end is in sight for South Dousman residents

Street construction comes to an end while sidewalk matters continue

Families living on Dousman street in Prairie du Chien have something to look forward to. After approximately six weeks of construction the end is in sight. Grading on the road was done Tuesday and according to street superintendent Rod Fishler, paving is set to begin Wednesday morning. Fishler said that the paving is a two-day project, but that the road should be finished up by the weekend.

The new issue for South Dousman residents, as well as many other Prairie du Chien citizens is whether to add sidewalks to many of the city's streets.

On Tuesday night about 40 to 50 people gathered in city hall with the Public Works Committee to discuss the issue. According to City Administrator Gary Koch, they talked through the issue for over two hours, but reached no definite decision. He said that there were many people in attendance to represent both the opposition and support for the sidewalks.

"This is something that the Public Works Committee will probably have to hold a special meeting for," said Koch." The City Administrator also predicted that the committee would most likely work to put a policy in place before making any final decisions.

 

July 25, 2005

Dan Gingerich takes no holiday from determination Despite the unfinished roof which is now falling in some places, Dan Gingerich's creative idea is plain. The hulking, incomplete building next to the Holiday Shores Motel in McGregor is evidence of his persistence and his dream to fully develop his family's riverfront property.

Massive recycled barn timbers, some hand hewn, support an air of dignity instead of a roof in the structure. Pendant wooden finials punctuate the space around the main hall, adding to the geometry of the timbers. Simple barn windows sit on edge along the second story balcony, like diamonds. Materials from seven different barns and other historic structures were used in the construction. Dan believed that the integrity and beauty of the historic materials he used in his building, planned as a banquet center and 12 additional motel rooms, would be unique and interesting to his guests. He thought the building would complement the historic architecture of the town, as well as his business. "It was a good plan, good for the town," Gingerich said.

Instead, the huge unfinished shell, with dormers and a cupola, has been declared a nuisance by the City of McGregor and will be taken down late this fall. The brief life of the building, which was begun in 1998, is a story as full of twists and turns as any soap opera plot.

According to Dan, when he and his wife Jill took over management of the Holiday Shores from his parents, Delmar and Betty Gingerich in 1995, the forty year-old motel was showing its age, and they needed more winter business. The couple began looking at ways to upgrade the property. Dan had timber frame construction experience, and had worked on structures such as Blair Dillman's Barn Restaurant in Prairie du Chien. He also had access to used barn materials. So they decided to create a new building on the property that would add motel rooms and generate more winter business. When it was done, they would remodel the existing rooms at the Holiday Shores and tie the two structures together. They borrowed $600,000 for the project in 1997. Construction began in 1998.

Dan had drawn a picture of the building's exterior, and an acquaintance who was an architect printed out floor plans based on Dan's drawings. They had secured building permits. After construction was underway, the state fire marshall visited the construction site in 1998. He told Dan that there were several major problems with the building. He wanted to see engineering plans for the structure, and architect-drawn floor plans and elevations. He said the building needed an elevator for handicapped accessibility and a fire- proof wall between the new building and the original motel structure, and other expensive items in order to meet state code. Dan said he was just putting up a building the way he thought best, the way his dad had made additions to the motel in the past. He had not considered state regulations. "What we didn't understand was the building process had changed. We were trying to keep costs down," he said.

The note for the $600,000 came due in 1999, with construction far from complete.

An angel of mercy seemed to appear in the form of Dave Kelly of Decorah. Dan's attorney had put him in contact with Kelly in early 1999. Kelly said he thought he could easily pull together six investors at $100,000 each; thereby solving Dan's problem. Kelly was suffering from cancer and underwent treatment in Iowa City. "He had a lot of interest in the project," said Mike Kelly, Dave's son, who has taken over his father's real estate business. Mike said that his father visited the McGregor construction site shortly before entering the hospital. Dave Kelly did not survive, and Mike did not feel up to the task of the project after his father's death. So the potential investors were lost, and the structure went into receivership in 2000.

The weather continued to beat in on the incomplete building, and creditors hounded the Gingerichs. Then came the flood of 2001. The flood closed the motel for a month, and caused $60,000 in damages, plus $30,000 in lost income, according to Dan. Several rooms of the motel, which was built after the flood of 1965, had eight inches of water in them. After the cleanup and repair, the couple received $90,000 from their flood insurance policy, all of which was taken by their creditors. At this point few options were left to them, so they hired a lawyer and began Chapter 11 reorganization.

As they worked through the paperwork and procedures of the reorganization, their lawyer began to receive offers on the prime riverfront property the motel and half-built banquet hall occupied. Dan said they began to feel that the attorney was not really working on their behalf. Then the attorney told them they would not be eligible for Chapter 11 after all. So after 18 months of useless work on Chapter 11, they fired their attorney and got a new one.

By this time, the situation had gotten really desperate, and their new lawyer said that the couple would be forced to sell their property at a sheriff's auction, which was held last February 2. But the Gingerichs held onto a six month right of redemption, which means that if they can raise the money to pay off their debt by August 1, they can keep their property. Then in June, the City of McGregor, which had been taking a lot of negative public comment on the state of the banquet hall, officially declared the structure a nuisance. "It's been an ongoing issue for at least two years," said City Clerk Norm Lincoln. "The council has been very generous with the owners in terms of the time they have given them," he added. Then at their July 20 meeting, the council asked the city attorney, Mike Schuster, to draw up a binding agreement that the banquet hall must be removed by January 31, 2006, to which Dan agreed.

Perhaps what is most amazing about this story is Dan himself. He knows he has made some mistakes, but he does not feel sorry for himself. The energy and vision which brought the stone and timbers from seven barns onto his property is still glowing in his eyes. Although he now plans to tear down his timberframe banquet hall, and he only has less than two weeks to raise the money to save his property, he has not given up. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to live and work here," he emphasized.

Dan says he is now seeking investors for a new development at the Holiday Shores site. "Our goal is simply to develop this site. And we want to do what is best for McGregor and best for our business," Dan said. No doubt a successful development at the Holiday Shores site would be a tremendous benefit to the city tax base, and to the community at large. "I need support from the town," he concluded.

Prowlers hit the streets of Prairie du Chien

Boldly, in broad daylight, they prowled the streets of Prairie du Chien. And, they caused a bit of a stir amongst the local citizens, some of whom stopped, stared and pointed.

Rather than cruisin' for a bruisin', however, these Prowlers rolled along Blackhawk Avenue as a group of people out having a good time.

"We always have a lot of fun, no matter what we do," said C.J. Longstreth, one of about 40 Chrysler Prowler owners in town for a day trip. "It's a great group of people."

Longstreth of Rochester Hills, Mich. and Jerry Scholten of Auburn Hills, Mich. said that 75 members of the Prowler Owners Association are staying in Wisconsin Dells for a week and are touring many areas of Wisconsin.

On Thursday, the group cruised to La Crosse and then down along the Mississippi River to Prairie du Chien. After taking in the local flavor, they continued on, enjoying a nice drive on Highway 60 along the Wisconsin River and back to the Dells.

Scholten explained that the Dells-based, week-long tour of Wisconsin is this year's "national event" for Prowler Owners Association members. There are 5,000 members in the 5-year-old club from throughout the United States and Canada and each year they tour a different area. Past national events have been held in Austin, Texas, the Grand Canyon, Denver, Colo. and Toronto, Canada. Many regional events are also held each year.

Longstreth, who has helped plan many events, said that any Prowler owner is welcome to join and that more information about the Prowler Owners Association can be found on the website prowleronline.com.

"Many of our members have belonged to other automobile clubs and they say that they greatly enjoy the Prowler Owners Association because we have no president, no dues or fees and are an unstructured club," said Longstreth.

"We have made many friends."

Scholten, who helped design the sports car as part of Team Prowler at Daimler Chrysler, said that only 11,697 Prowlers were built between 1997 and 2002, when production ceased. Less than 100 "new" Prowlers remain available at dealerships. Scholten said that when it was introduced in 1997 the Prowler sold for $39,900. The price has since gone up to about $45,000.

Scholten said that the unique-looking Prowler was designed for cruising and has a 3.5-liter, 253 horsepower engine. However, many Prowler owners modify their vehicles by adding superchargers, special paint jobs, hardtops and a variety of other modifications, said Scholten, who noted that the Prowler Owners Association is dedicated to Prowler owners worldwide.