W A S H B U R N C O U N T Y
Register
Wednesday, April 30, 2014 Vol. 125, No. 37 • Shell Lake, Wis.
We e ke nd w atch
• Fashion show @ Spooner • Community garage sale @ Barronett • Canoe museum special event @ Spooner See calendar on page 6
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INSIDE
April 30, 2014
75¢
Earth Day education
Prom scenes Inside
Love at first sip Page 15
Area sports wrap-up Pages 16-17
BREAKERS
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SHELL LAKE — On Wednesday, May 7, the students of Shell Lake School District will be participating in what will hopefully become the first-annual Community Appreciation and Give Back Day. On that day all of the students at Shell Lake will be participating in service activities that will help the Shell Lake community in many different ways. The thinking behind the event is that the community, the adults, the businesses, and the local service organizations have supported the school so much over the years, that it is time to give something back. Examples of activities include: Spring cleaning at the park buildings, painting sewer runoff warnings at storm sewers, cleaning downtown, working on spring cleanup at many area churches, reading and playing card games at the senior centers in town, cleaning up around the school grounds, helping at the arts center, picking up garbage at the beach, painting picnic tables for the city, helping spring cleanup at the Theater in the Woods, and a host of other service-related activities. The day will start with a kickoff assembly of all students, from 4-year-olds to 18-year-old seniors. Students will then spend the balance of the morning doing the scheduled activities. At the end of the day they will gather at the high school for a slide show of the variety of activities that took place that morning. It is hoped that it will be a celebration of giving back. The plan is for this event to become an annual activity that will become part of the Laker Way culture here at Shell Lake. If there are any interested community members that would like to help out with the event, and become guest chaperons, please feel free to call the school at 715-468-7816 and talk to Phyllis or Jim Connell. It is hoped to include the community as much as possible for this event. In the event of rain, the activities will take place on the following Wednesday, May 14. — from Shell Lake Schools
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Debbie Kidder helps Ella Kidder plant flowers seeds during a special Earth Day celebration by Shell Lake 4K students. In addition to planting seeds, Kidder is helping to plant the knowledge and appreciation of life. Life begins with a single seed and grows into a beautiful plant. See more photos on page 2. - Photo by Larry Samson
Spooner Ice House closes “Overwhelming costs” cited by current owner of downtown facility Danielle Moe | Staff writer SPOONER - The news broke on social media. Spooner Ice House owner Lars Geary posted a statement on the business’s Facebook page announcing the Ice House was closing and their last day of business would be Sunday, April 27. The facility located on Main Street in Spooner is home to Jersey’s Sports Bar and Grill, the ice arena, banquet center and fitness center. All of those facilities are now closed. In a formal news release on Monday, April 28, Geary and his wife, Katie, explained that the building’s overwhelming utility costs and extreme need for energy-efficiency updates were more than the couple could afford. “Though we made many improvements and could make this building work given a little more time and finances, we just don’t have the financial backup to get us to that point,” wrote the Gearys. They acknowledged that Jersey’s Sports Bar and Grill was very successful, and
thanked their patrons and all 32 employees for their commitment and friendships. Lars and his wife, Katie, purchased what was formerly known as the Northwest Sports Complex in October of 2012 and have operated it as the Spooner Ice House ever since. Originally built in the late 1980s, the facility nearly closed its doors in 2012 when former owner William “Butch” Johnson announced his intention to close after 12 years of operation. “I came home and took on this project for one reason and that was to save the Spooner Rails hockey program and now I know it is much bigger than that. I will assure you we will continue to find a way to reopen. We are currently seeking an investor or a partner or a new owner if need be. We will continue to fight for this project as we care deeply for this community and its future. Thank you to all of our fans, friends and supporters, you have truly touched our lives,” wrote Geary. The upcoming women’s expo slated for Saturday, May 3, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., has been canceled, but will be rescheduled for sometime this summer at a different location. See statement by owners on page 4
T h e Reg i st e r i s a co o p e rat i ve - o w n e d news pa per