Elkader’s connections to the Turkey River – including school classes, recreation, aesthetics, business ventures, and a project to improve waste-water treatment – have earned the Clayton County community of 1,400 the “Iowa River Town of the Year” award from Iowa Rivers Revival.
City councilman Roger Buchholz received the award on behalf of the city at the Iowa Rivers Revival annual conference and banquet in Iowa Falls on April 5. Motor Mill Foundation members John Nikolai, Jeanette Muller, and Betty Buchholz also attended the conference to give a program on Motor Mill.
Iowa Rivers Revival is a river advocacy group that promotes river access and water trails, tourism, water quality, education and safety, river clean-ups, and conservation. Their mission is to help Iowans restore, protect, and enjoy our rivers. The River Town of the Year award is meant “to celebrate the many vibrant river communities across Iowa that are reclaiming riverfronts as anchors for economic development, recreation, and ecological practices. “
Elkader’s application was submitted by Gary Siegwarth, manager of the Big Springs Trout Hatchery, Larry Stone, a member of the Clayton County Conservation Board and Motor Mill Foundation, and Claire Wright, of the Elkader Cultural and Entertainment District committee.
Unlike in some communities, the application said, Elkader does not take its river connection for granted. “The Turkey River serves as a center piece for nearly every aspect of Elkader’s residents.”
Consider Central Community school, which sits on a hill overlooking the river: students see the river every day and play on playgrounds and athletic fields adjacent to it. Fifth graders take a special river and stream ecology class. High school environmental science classes focus on various aspects of the river. One highlight of the DARE program is tubing on the Turkey.
On Main Street, several businesses look out over the river. The library’s large windows facing the Turkey attract river-watchers, as well as bookworms. The river laps at the walls of the Riverside Cooperage Mill “N” Retreat bed and breakfast, a 150-year-old grist and sawmill. The city park, two museums, and the historic Elkader Opera House overlook the Turkey.
City clerk Jennifer Cowsert said the community has committed to a two-year, $5 million upgrade of Elkader’s waste water treatment facility that will result in discharge even cleaner than required by state and federal rules.
Businesses promote a Turkey River theme. The city has earned “Main Street” awards, and has been recognized as a Cultural and Entertainment District. A monthly program called “Rhythms on the River” also brings free live music to the banks of the river for visitors and residents to enjoy.
The application also cited the many recreational opportunities tied to the river, including the Pony Hollow Trail, the river walk, Turkey River Park, and the annual Redhorse Fisheree. Hundreds of canoeists, kayakers, tubers, anglers, hunters, and trappers also use the Turkey.
Brian Bruening and Frederique Boudouani, who operate Schera’s Restaurant and Bar, welcome patrons to a patio perched above the riverbank. When dining on the deck, or listening to an occasional concert there, one can feel the power of the Turkey River, they said. “It gives a sense of peace and communion with nature in the middle of our small town.”
In a letter submitted with the River Town of the Year application, the men praised their newly adopted community:
Perhaps the most decisive reason why we moved to Elkader is that there is a high quality of life here created by people who care about their town and their natural resources. The Turkey River is an acknowledged asset of our community and a major factor in making Elkader a truly wonderful place to live. The river is the heart of our community: we protect it, interact with it, live with it, share it, and love it.