Valley Sentinel - 01-25-2024

Spring Green, Wisconsin

Thursday, January 25, 2024 | Vol. 5, No. 2 FREE, Single-Copy

Inside this edition

Two Crows Theatre announces return, play

Legal Editor: School Board ‘self-eval’ in closed session?

New column: Driftless Dark Skies—Our skies in review

Pages 1, 9

Page 2

Page 5

Two Crows Theatre Company—seeking to bring joy—heralds a return to the Spring Green community, announces play Amberly Mae-Cooper, Contributor For Co-Artistic Directors, Robert R. Doyle and Marcus Truschinski celebrating the re-commissioning of the Two Crows Theatre Company’s into the community also marks a decade of friendship.

The vitality and passion of Doyle and Truschinski has set the stage for the resurrection of the Two Crows Theatre Company in Spring Green — after it was forced to close in the unexpected wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

For Doyle, the words —Two Crows — reflect powerfully in his well of treasured memories.

“Growing up as the youngest of three boys with an incredibly hard-working single mom (who I still consider my best friend, at 35 years old), I was often helping my grandma, who looked after me a lot of the time, run errands in her 1990 Chrysler sedan. While driving around, if we saw crows on the side of the road, she’d count them. I got to know this old nursery rhyme,” recollects Doyle: “One for sorrow Two for joy Three for a baby Four for a boy Five for silver Six for gold Seven for a secret never to be told Eight for Heaven Nine for Hell And ten for the Devil himself.”

“When I initially started the company; I went through pages and pages of potential names that just wouldn’t work with the brand of storytelling we were looking to do. And because, to this day, if I see a crow on the side

Photo by Jack Whaley Rob Doyle and Marcus Truschinski are the co-artistic directors of Two Crows Theatre Company in Spring Green. of the road, I have to look back for the second for ‘joy’ (Thanks Nana), it hit me. I was driving to work and I saw two crows and said out loud ‘one for sorrow, two for joy,’” said Doyle.

The storytelling which Doyle is referring to works to mimic both classic comedy and tragedy masks.

“Our company logo has one crow with its head bowed in dismay and another crow squawking as if in excitement.

Two Crows… for joy,” said Doyle.

Ten years ago, Doyle, a Long Island, New York native, moved here for a “six-month contract” with the American Players Theatre and never left. Fellow American Players Theatre

actor Marcus Truschinski was the first person that Doyle met in the area.

Truschinski and Doyle began the foundational friendship that now solidly helms the Two Crows Theatre Company. Both men have continued to act and have devoted themselves to other creative endeavors in the Spring Green community and beyond.

Two Crows Theatre Company seeks to use their collaborative efforts to cultivate theater with an era of intimate performances.

“Marcus has always been an incredible friend and he has always been an incredibly hard worker,” said Doyle. “He keeps me honest and keeps

me on my toes.”

The passionate artistic directing partnership of Doyle and Trushchinski is apparent in their mutual respect for one another and shared dedication to the creative ventures before them.

“I think Rob and I work well together.

Working together has strengthened our friendship,” said Trushchinski.

“Rob is a very good listener and a very hard worker. We both believe in this project.”

For a long time both Truschinski and Doyle had concerns about the future of their theater company and, like many others, had many questions of what was to come during the pandemic.

They had no choice but to close the doors of the Two Crows Theatre Company.

“People kept asking and approaching us about Two Crows coming back. We felt like it was almost our duty to bring it back,” said Truschinski.

The pair was approached not only by theater patrons, but also artists, actors and directors asking for the company’s return to the stage — the duo felt it was an important asset to the community and chose to strike the match again.

“We are ready to continue to deliver intimate stories in a deliberately intimate setting. We’re doing it for the community. The intimate theater experience allows people to feel whatever they need to feel… while they are watching a really relevant story,” said Doyle. “We really want to tell really moving stories.”

With a seating capacity of 201 people, the Touchstone Theatre on APT’s grounds will be the intimate setting for the Two Crows Theatre Company’s

continued on page 9

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Commentary/Opinion

Thursday, JaNuary 25, 2024

OPINION/EDITORIAL

The (not so) Plain and Simple Correspondent: Interminable January Katie Green, Columnist In the play As You Like It, Shakespeare wrote “Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky.../ Though thou the waters warp/ Thy sting is not so sharp/As friend remembered not.” We certainly have had our share of freezing, freezing bitter sky of late and I shall be glad to emerge from my cocoon to walk again safely on the streets without fear of falling or developing frostbite. And as I look at the birthday book I keep to remind me of the births of loved ones, nearly all the January birthday folk who have meant so much to me in my long life have crossed the divide to await my coming (if you believe some version of this.) But so long as I live they are remembered and live on in me. Our children call us Momsicle and Popsicle this time of year, since we are no longer well upholstered and are frequently chilled.

January is a depressing time of year for many with winter SAD. In the Middle ages, people with melancholy dispositions were advised to avoid fried meats and salty foods. Venison was believed to engender melancholy.

Bambi was certainly melancholy to be slaughtered.

Bambi and cold aside, part of what disturbs my rest at night are thoughts of the thousands of people dying in conflicts

around the world. In Palestine most of the civilian deaths are of women and children, sacrificed to hardness of heart and revenge. They are what Ralph Nader called “pitiless abstractions” – a term he coined to describe the excuses made by

Katie Green corporate executives to allow dangerous products on the market which they know could cause deaths and injuries but, to them, the unknown persons were simply abstractions. Even my beloved Senator Baldwin backs the relentless campaign of Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel to wipe out Hamas regardless the cost. I don't know the victims' names but they are on my list of the unforgotten now. As

are the homeless dying of hypothermia here at home under bitter skies. And the drug addicts who cannot be treated in time. Some states even oppose on-thestreet life-saving measures for addicts, someone's sons or daughters. Meanwhile, the drug company executives, aware of the harm their products cause, go free.

Unscrupulous employers still evade OSHA regulations for worker safety.

People are still deprived of health insurance by crooked insurers. Efforts to prevent people from voting continue apace. The Russians target hospitals and refugee camps in their bombing raids in Ukraine. The waters of our humanity have been warped into ice so thick I wonder if it ever will melt.You can ice fish on its surface.

My unbeloved Senator Johnson just voted against the government bailout bill which only funds government agencies for a few months, but, to give him his due, he explained his vote by saying he wanted a bill that would ban such shortterm shenanigans and simply fund the government at the previous year's level until such time as Congress could get its act together and pass a budget annually.

Well, he can't be wrong ALL the time.

Balancing this ugly picture are small acts of kindness that restore my faith in humanity. This morning a friend offered

to take my partner and me to catch an early bus to Chicago to board Amtrak for our late winter trip West. She even offered to clean out her truck beforehand!

In the irrelevant factoid dept., on this date in 1516, King Francis I of France visited a small island close to Marseilles, where he saw an Indian rhinoceros, a gift to the Pope from the King of Portugal.

The beast never reached Rome, however, as the ship was wrecked. Most Europeans were unaware of such an animal before this. The master engraver, Albrecht Durer, took a stab at depicting it, from descriptions he was given, although he never saw it in the flesh. A bit fanciful but close. I myself have had the privilege of seeing a rhino in a zoo. Only a mother could love. And another example of the existential sadness of having to preserve the last of endangered species in pens in climates like ours where all that armor is little comfort. Only the polar bears and people with better circulation than mine appreciate January in Wisconsin.

Katie, who until recently lived in Plain, has been writing for fun and profit since childhood. Self-described as opinionated, she writes in the interests of a more loving, better-functioning world for all. She may be reached at katiewgreen@icloud.com.

Legal Musings: River Valley School Board 'self-evaluation' is a weird thing to close a meeting for Gary Ernest Grass, esq., Legal Editor I received an inquiry regarding a meeting notice for a special meeting of the River Valley School Board. The RVSB meeting was called in order to conduct something the notice called a “self-evaluation.” The evaluation is to be held in closed session pursuant to one of statutory exceptions from the rule that all public business must ordinarily be conducted in open session.

This is interesting. The statute cited allows a government body to close meetings to consider evaluations of "any public employee over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility." I guess one could argue over whether "selfevaluation" is a real evaluation at all, but more importantly, the statute covers individuals, not collectives, so this wouldn't fly for evaluating the board as a whole, but maybe only for board members taken individually. Maybe that's what they mean, but maybe not.

Also, "exercising responsibility"

On the cover

“Snowy Path” (2024) Photo by Jolean Louis

Jolean Louis took this view around Spring Green during the early January snowstorm.

Submit your artwork or photography for cover consideration: editor@valleysentinelnews.com

probably has a specific meaning here.

Everyone exercises responsibility over themselves, in a sense, but since the statute regards employees, responsibility probably means things like hiring, firing, and supervision of work. If the board members are subject to removal by the board as opposed to simply by

Gary Ernest Grass, esq. voter or legal action, that probably counts, but "exercising responsibility" probably would not include general use of governmental powers not specifically related to employment. In that very broad sense, a governmental body exercises some responsibility over the entire public. I imagine one could say that an elected official is responsible to the voters and no governmental body is their jurisdictional overseer, so evaluation of elected officials simply would not come under this statute.

A primary purpose of the exemptions in the open meetings statute is to reduce the chilling effect that public scrutiny might have on open and honest discussions needed to properly perform some kinds of public actions. It is an idea underlying the whole statute that public scrutiny is generally good, but there is also, paradoxically, a feeling that officials will not make certain kinds of decisions well if they are too closely watched, that they won’t feel comfortable brainstorming or sharing contrarian ideas while engaged in deliberations.

The purpose of a statute doesn't automatically limit the scope of its application, but would contribute as a guide to determining the intent of the

legislature if there were any ambiguity as to interpreting and applying the statute. It’s hard to know whether this interest would be served here without knowing what a self-evaluation of the board by the board actually entails.

One could argue that even if the closure would otherwise be legal, the notice is defective because it doesn't make clear what a board self-evaluation is. The notice requirement is intended in part to provide enough information to be able to determine whether the closure would be legal. I don't think this one does. But then maybe I’m just the only one who doesn’t understand what a selfevaluation is?

Section 19.81(2) provides: "... all meetings of all state and local governmental bodies shall be…open to all citizens at all times unless otherwise expressly provided by law." If there is substantial question as to whether closure is permitted under a given

exemption, the meeting should be held in open session. 74 Op. Att'y Gen. 70, 73 (1985) Gary Ernest Grass, esq. graduated magna cum laude from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2003.

Gary has previously served as editor for news publications, hosts a radio show and was on law review in law school, winning several awards for scholarship and writing. Gary’s special assets include a creative and original mind able to find new arguments and approaches overlooked by other attorneys. Gary's special handicaps include depression, under whose past difficulties Gary has constructively turned into advocacy for the underdog and open government in the public interest. Opinions expressed of a legal nature do not constitute legal advice.

Gary is an attorney, he is not your attorney.

Commentary/OpInIon

Thursday, JaNuary 25, 2024 Page 3

OPINION/EDITORIAL

Public Education — Part 9: Just Promise and Hope Beverly Pestel, Columnist The right to an education at the government’s expense may be one of the most important rights given to us by the Founding Fathers. It was a while in coming and, arguably, it has never lived up to their aspirations. Following the progression and development of public education, however, allows us to understand where we’ve been, and where we may be going. More importantly, analyzing it carefully may be critical to ensuring a prosperous future for all of us. So, here we go...

The problem is, Alvin may not have ever said this, there is no specific documentation of it. In his book, Future Shock, however, he does quote Herbert Gerjuoy, who said: “Tomorrow’s illiterate will not be the man who can’t read; he will be the man who has not learned how to learn.” (pg.

414)

E T I U

Q T NO

Beverly Pestel Now we move into the more modern history of changes in public education, and – to be perfectly honest – it’s a mess. A mess created sometimes by well-meaning souls and sometimes by – well, people with a lot of money but not a lot of educational experience, and sometimes by those with priorities that had nothing to do with quality education.

Besides kitten videos, one of the things I enjoy most about my Facebook feed are the occasional quotes posted by different groups that make me think.

This one came from Citizens Connect.

I don’t know why they appeared on my feed, but they say they are “working to fix our politics” – oh, okay. The quote is from Alvin Toffler. I don’t know who Alvin is. Is he a serious source worth listening to? Turns out he is a writer and futurist and was an associate editor of Fortune magazine – also okay, so here’s the quote: “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

You just shouldn’t take those memes on the internet at face value. I saw another example of this problem recently, but that’s another story…

Anyway, about the same time I read this meme, I noticed a book on our bookshelf. Bill must have bought it years ago. The title is The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education by Diane Ravitch. I know that name, have run across it before, but she had escaped my memory. I opened the book, and now I am captivated by it. This book was published in 2010 and was initiated when she had to clean out and then reorganize her office when she had it painted. The amount of learning, unlearning, and relearning she did as a result of this project is remarkable. I cannot express any of the positions she admits to in the opening chapter any better than she, so I am going to give her space in this column in her own words.

Diane Ravitch was Assistant Secretary and counselor to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education in the George H. W. Bush administration.

She currently is a Research Professor of Education at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. (Our State Superintendent of Public Instruction recently posted a picture of the two of them at a conference.) Ravitch writes…

“I was aware that I had understand the often-competing undergone a wrenching perspectives of those who only want the transformation in my best education for our children? And perspective on school reform. maybe, just as importantly, can we get Where once I had been hopeful, insight into those who push reforms, even enthusiastic about the not directed by concern for the children, potential benefits of testing, but for some other personal goal? accountability, choice, and I have reached the point in this series markets. I now found myself where we need to look at the procedures experiencing profound doubt that became common in the public about these same ideas. I schools and the ideology and policies was trying to sort through that were instrumental in implementing the evidence about what was them. If I have to take a hiatus from this working and what was not. I series to “learn, unlearn, and relearn” was trying to understand why and “see my way through the blinding I was increasingly skeptical assumptions of ideology and politics, about these reforms. I was including my own” in order to continue trying to see my way through with integrity, please bear with me. the blinding assumptions of So many questions, and as of yet, no ideology and politics, including clear answers. I was embedded in the my own…Why did I now doubt educational research literature for over ideas I once had advocated?...

20 years, but that was 15 years ago, so I Doubt and skepticism are signs have some catching up to do. of rationality. When we are I was planning on doing a lot of reading too certain of our opinions, we in my happy place, accompanied by run the risk of ignoring any a large latte and good cookie, but my evidence that conflicts with our happy place is closing for three months views. It is doubt that shows we for renovations. I’m going to be on the are still thinking, still willing hunt for a new place to sip my latte, to reexamine hardened beliefs read, and occasionally visit with others. when confronted with new facts Then I need to spend some time in my and new evidence…” quiet place, walking my woods, trying … “I too had drunk deeply to digest what I have read. These are of the elixir that promised good places, places where my mind a quick fix to intractable is stretched and hopefully expanded problems….They promised to to encompass a more thorough and end bureaucracy, to ensure fundamental understanding of one of that poor children were not the most important aspects essential neglected, to empower poor to the continuation of our liberal parents, to enable poor children democracy. to escape failing schools, and I told you in Part 1 that I didn’t know to close the achievement gap where this series was going to go but I between rich and poor, black was expecting an interesting journey. I and white. Testing would shine haven’t been disappointed, and I hope a spotlight on low-performing you are hanging in there with me. schools, and choice would I’m sure there is good news to be found, create opportunities for poor things to give us hope for a prosperous kids to leave for better schools. future for public education and our All of this seemed to make sense, children, but I already know that the but there was little evidence, story is going to have some nasty turns. just promise and hope. …But I also know that the end of the story will over time, I was persuaded by be up to us. accumulating evidence that the latest reforms were not likely Beverly is a retired professor. She livesNEWSPAPE BETTER to live up to the promise. The in a remodeled farmhouse and tends 40 CONTEST AWAR more I saw, the more I lost the acres of woodland in Richland County. faith…”

When not in the woods she spends her So begins her book. How can one not reading, writing W I S C Otime NSIN N E W S PA P E R A Sand S O C enjoying IAT I O N Fthe O U N D AT I O N be captured by such raw intellectual beauty of the Driftless Area. Beverly honesty and the compulsion to may be contacted at bpestel@msn.com.

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REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS IN THIS EDITION EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Graphic Design Literary Contributor Agriculture Columnist Nicole Aimone Julianna Williams Mary Lanita Schulz Barb Garvoille Managing Editor Democracy, Society & Edu. Columnist Taylor Scott Beverly Pestel Contributor Editorial Intern Legal Editor Community Columnist Amberly Mae-Cooper Alex Prochaska Gary Ernest Grass, esq.

Katie Green Have graphic design experience or interested in meetings, events or writing and becoming a community contributor? Let us know. Thank you to all of our contributors for believing in our community.

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Commentary/OpInIon

Thursday, JaNuary 25, 2024

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, So? Considering Senator Marklein’s response to a cartoon: From the perspective of Richland area people, UW-Richland looked like a cultural gem, a community gathering place, an intellectual beating heart. People see lives enriched, interests discovered, careers established, struggles, successes, smiles, social and intellectual growth of individuals, human and economic benefits to the area.

From the perspective of UW and legislative people in Madison, UW-Richland looks like a balance sheet, it seems.

I wish Senator Marklein understood that what happened to UW-Richland could happen to someone like him if he faced relentless budget cuts like those he supported.

Join me on a fictional journey leading to the disappearance of the district of a generic state senator, Senator X. One day Senator X reports to work and is told he now serves his current district-plus two other districts, a cost-saving

measure. His staff is reduced to three. He is VERY fortunate. Senators and staffs who previously served his now-two-additional districts had their positions eliminated. They take with them institutional knowledge, personal relationships and connections with community leaders.

Senator X’s district has been Regionalized.

He and his skeletal staff aim to work in each district at least once a week, triple duties, while learning the two new districts, managing the standard workload, and developing a creative future.

Meanwhile, in Madison, campaign and service staff are cut, taking with them local knowledge, connections, relationships. Remaining staff zip away to second jobs, as they can no longer pay their bills with half-time salary and lower paygrade assignments.

A few months in, Senator X’s staff leave for new jobs, tired of working 20 hours every weekend in addition to long weekday commutes to all three districts. Replacement hires flounder, finding no one

Dear Editor, I heard a remarkable statement recently by Jason Stanley, Professor of Philosophy at Yale University. He said that the United States was not a true democracy until after the 1965 Civil Rights Act. Wow, how can that be? On reflection, that does make sense to me. Originally, only white males who owned land (which meant rich) were eligible to vote. The right to vote was only gradually expanded to include all citizens 18 years of age and older.

However, it took the 1965 Civil Rights Act to ensure the right to vote.

Our Declaration of Independence states “…Governments...deriv[e] their just powers from the consent of the governed…” It took us nearly 200 years to approach the fullness of “all of the governed,” and until all are included and protected in their ability to vote, it can be arguably said that we are not a true democracy.

We currently have two political parties, both maintaining that democracy is at

risk. But which of those two parties is talking about the true democracy we have moved toward or the semidemocracy that existed before 1965?

Which party is trying to make it more difficult if not impossible for all the governed to have a voice at the ballot box?

Which party is in the business of defining those who have a different skin color, a different gender identity, or a different religion as “others” and somehow unworthy of equal rights under the law?

Which party in Wisconsin has been intent on dividing voters into districts so that their vote becomes diluted and of little to no effect?

On the other hand, which party seems intent on preserving the democratic principle of individual rights regardless of race, sex, class, religion, or degree of wealth?

Which party recognizes the reality of our diversity and our collective strength as a nation based on our

Dear Editor, In 1968 we were fortunate to take a trip to Europe for five weeks following the advice from the book, “Europe on five dollars a day.”

Besides visiting many museums, taking a ride to the top of Mount Pilatus, a gondola ride in Venice, etc., one of my favorite sites was the colosseum in Rome.

The Colosseum is an elliptical amphitheater, the largest in the world, the scene of thousands of hand-to-hand combats between gladiators, between men and animals and mock naval engagements.

The Colosseum was built in 72 A.D. and opened in 80 A.D. The structure was built by Jewish slaves like the building of our White House. The battlefield contained 36 trap doors for special effects with a seating capacity of 50,000. There was even an awning installed to protect the spectators.

The whole atmosphere reminds me of the NFL playoffs. There will be the overpaid gladiators battling it out till the end with thousands of screaming, sometimes drunken fans yelling at the top of their lungs for their favorite gladiator.

For the last several weeks television has been announcing their new season arrivals, and they all ended with the same disclaimer, “AFTER THE SUPERBOWL.” What have we come to? So much of our lives are centered around sports,

personalities in People Magazine and clamoring for a glimpse of Taylor Swift at some Kansas City Chiefs game.

Intertwined between all this football drama between the gladiators on the field and the screaming fans in their seats is gambling and how the NFL can get more of our money. Yes, I watch the games from my couch, making not a sound and doing research for my next essay.

Surfing through my iPad searching for when the games were to be played and at what station I was bombarded with the temptation to “BET NOW FOR $5 and get a $158 Bonus Bet now.”

Besides all the betting surrounding our sports today is the racket being played on us on how to watch the game. Unless we join Direct TV, FUBO TV, Peacock, Sling or Hulu the game will not be available to us.

WHAT A RACKET. JUST FOLLOW THE MONEY AND SEE WHO IS WINNING OUT. Maybe someday we’ll fill the stadium with people eagerly watching a painter move her brush, or a poet writing another sonnet, or a teacher working with a class on social science, or a nurse skillfully dealing with a dying patient or a theologian skillfully interpreting a Biblical text with the latest in tools.

Just a thought. Most of the screaming fans are White and most of the gladiators are Black.

Dennis Siebert Sylvan Township, Wisconsin

with institutional knowledge to train them.

Meanwhile, Senator X zips about his districts, does the best he can in Madison, while community people complain.

No one shows up at farm breakfasts, County Board or Rotary meetings, listening sessions aren’t happening. Weekly newsletters go to monthly, then quarterly, then semi-annually. Constituent services are by web form only.

In the lead-up to his last election, no one canvassed, no mailings went out, no events were held, a few months before the election there was one social media post that didn’t mention the election.

Senator X got 56 votes. Senator X reports to work and is told that his services are no longer needed.

His district is being Branched.

It will now be managed by a legislative clerk new to the district though loyal to Main Place, who will also serve another, also unfamiliar, district. Senator X departs, taking his institutional knowledge, personal relationships and connections

with community leaders. The district’s budget is absorbed by Main Place. New guy is trying to figure out what to do in two, three if you count Main, places. And he darned well better get the OK from Main before he does anything.

Time passes. The district’s mailing list is outdated, essentially useless. His district’s once robust website is a few pages via a button on the Main site. Offices of the district’s most productive programs are closed because of new budget cuts.

Longtime district residents wonder if their district is still there. New residents have never heard of it.

One day, Clerk reports to work and is told he is no longer needed. The district will be made part of Main because, clearly, no one is gives a hoot about the district anymore.

Ask Senator X to explain why he failed.

Ask Senator X why his district died. Or was it . . . murdered?

acceptance of diverse voices?

Those currently being excluded or threatened with exclusion from “the consent of the governed” may not include you – yet. But once anyone is denied their rights under the Constitution, the rights of everyone are at risk. It may be some time before they get to you, but assuming that you will never be a target may be a very poor bet. In chess, the pawns, the players with the least power, are the first to go, but eventually all players are endangered by the most powerful on the board.

If you are not white, male, and rich

you are at risk of losing your rights at the hands of those who want to return to a “democracy” they define as “great” because only white, male, rich guys made the rules then.

Which democracy we end up with, that which respects all of the governed or only those who are rich and powerful, is currently in our hands. For now, most have the right and accessibility to vote. As we see the pawns beginning to fall, however, we need to start worrying about when we will be next.

Dorothy Thompson Richland Center, Wisconsin

Beverly Pestel Rockbridge, Wisconsin

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Outdoors & Rec/GOVeRnMent

Thursday, JaNuary 25, 2024 Page 5

Driftless Dark Skies: Wow! Looking back on the skies of 2023, ahead towards 2024 John Heasley, Contributed

I love the custom of our astronomy club to begin our gatherings with a question.

It’s a way to create space to hear from each of our crewmates about the skywatching they have been doing. I was especially fond of the question our host asked at our winter solstice meeting: What made you say ‘Wow!’ this past year looking up? It was a good reminder of the importance of awe as we stargaze. I had a tough time settling on just one experience, so I picked three as I looked back on 2023 and ahead to 2024.

March 23 and April 23, we had amazing displays as the lights streamed and danced and pulsed across the sky for hours. I was so grateful to be able to watch them in good company as friends ventured out into the night to be awed. We can’t predict much in advance when they might appear in 2024, but there is an increased chance of seeing auroras as solar activity intensifies in the next few years.

Photo by John Heasley

Photo by Pat Ladwig

Photo by Rob Steffen Spring Aurora. So much has to align to see the northern lights. You need a coronal mass ejection or coronal hole facing Earth ejecting charged particles.

That solar wind has to arrive with sufficient force and polarity during the night when there are no clouds to block the view. They are very challenging to predict, and so many times I waited outside for northern lights that never appeared. But twice this spring, on

from dusk to dawn, some just a faint whisper and one a fireball that lit up the landscape as we were wowed together.

2024 may be just as wonderful. The Perseids are predicted to peak the night of August 11 (Sunday). Twilight ends around 10pm and the Crescent Moon sets around 11pm. Here’s hoping for clear skies and a merry crew.

Summer Meteors. We can see “shooting stars” most every night, but there are a few times each year when we can expect a meteor shower as Earth passes through the dust left behind by comets. One reliable shower happens in August when we see the Perseids.

Everything aligned in 2023: August 12 was on a weekend, the skies were clear, and there was no moonlight brightening the sky. I am especially grateful to a friend who shared her dark sky site in rural Richland County and worked so hard to make sure no lights ruined our night vision. There were dozens of meteors

Autumn Eclipse. Alignments of Sun, Moon, and Earth are much more predictable than northern lights and meteor showers. We knew centuries ago that a partial eclipse would be visible in the Driftless Area on October 14, 2023 when the Moon would cover 45% of the Sun from 10:33 am to 1:17 pm. Sadly, the weather forecasts showed cloudy skies as we got closer to the event. I mostly resigned myself that I probably wouldn’t see this one, but also remembered other events that I missed because I decided it was too cloudy. There is always a chance. And that’s what happened. As I was working in the kitchen, I saw the sky brightening a

bit and headed out to see that the Sun was visible now and again through the clouds and that it was possible to be awed for a few minutes by the Moon passing in front of it. There is another partial solar eclipse coming up in the Driftless Area on April 8, 2024 when the Moon covers 85% of the Sun from 12:50 pm- 3:18 pm. A partial solar eclipse is a wonderful experience, but I encourage skywatchers to be awed by a total solar eclipse at least once in a lifetime. You only have to journey as far as Missouri or Illinois or Indiana this spring to stand in the shadow of the Moon as the sky darkens in the afternoon, the Sun vanishes for a few minutes, and the corona appears. If you are waiting for a total solar eclipse to come to the Driftless Area, save September 14, 2099 on your calendar.

Here’s hoping that Sun, Earth, Moon, clouds, solar wind, meteors, and corona all align for you to be wowed in 2024!

John Heasley is an astronomy educator and stargazer who enjoys connecting people with the cosmos. He volunteers with NASA/JPL as a Solar System Ambassador , with the International Dark-Sky Association as an Advocate, and the International Astronomical Union as a Dark Sky Ambassador. For more information about stargazing in southwest WI, like Driftless Stargazing LLC on Facebook and find out whenever there’s something awesome happening in the skies.

Fiscal Facts: Wisconsin’s State and Local Tax Burden Remains Near Historic Low Wisconsin Policy Forum After falling in 2022 to its lowest level in more than a half century, the share of Wisconsinites’ incomes that they paid in state and local taxes effectively held steady last year.

This ratio, the state and local tax burden, rose slightly in 2023 to 10.0%, up from 9.96% the year prior. State and local tax collections rose slowly in the 2023 state fiscal year, but growth in state residents’ income also slowed, leaving little change in Wisconsinites’ ability to pay their tax bills.

Each year the Wisconsin Policy Forum examines every local and state tax paid, from the state bingo tax ($177,000 in 2023) to gross local property taxes ($12.51 billion). To these fiscal year 2023 figures, we compare state personal income data from the prior calendar year, in this case 2022, to calculate tax burdens.

Local tax collections rose by 3.2% in 2023, more than the increase of 2.0% in the previous year but still in

line with those in 2020 and 2021 and less than the rate of inflation over this period. Meanwhile as the economy decelerated, personal income levels rose just 2.0% in calendar year 2022.

As a result, the local tax burden rose very slightly to 3.30%, up from 3.26% in 2022.

The key local funding source for most local services in Wisconsin, gross property taxes, rose 2.4% to $12.51 billion in 2023. In recent years, state limits on the amount by which local governments can increase their property tax levy – as well as limits on school district revenues, including property taxes -- have slowed this rate of increase. As a result, local property tax collections do not always follow broader economic trends, and in each of the last few years, property tax collection increases have not kept up with inflation.

After substantial increases in recent years, the growth in state tax collections cooled last year. Total

state tax revenues rose 2.1%, to $24.27 billion in 2023, which was a slowdown from the preceding two years. The state tax burden in 2023 stayed exactly the same at 6.70%.

Individual income tax collections in Wisconsin rose 2.2% in 2023 to $9.41 billion. Corporate income tax revenues declined by 7.1% to $2.75 billion in 2023, marking the first year since 2018 in which they fell. State sales tax collections in 2023 grew by 6.8% to $7.46 billion. This is the third straight year in which sales tax revenues grew by more than 6% after not doing so even one time since 2000.

The long-term trend is that state and local tax burdens have decreased in Wisconsin over the last 50 years.

For each of the last nine years, state and local taxes have comprised less than 11% of personal income, which was not true of any other year in our records going back to 1970.

Over the past several decades,

Wisconsin has substantially reduced the amount of taxes it collects as a share of the income of state residents.

To some degree, the goals of reducing the tax burden and maintaining or increasing public services are in conflict with one another for policymakers and voters, particularly when the economy slows.

Ultimately, that tension may make it more difficult to continue lowering the state and local tax burden without some combination of service reductions, increased efficiency through service sharing or consolidation, or greater economic growth that boosts incomes.

This information is a service of the Wisconsin Policy Forum, the state’s leading resource for nonpartisan state and local government research and civic education.

Learn more at wispolicyforum.org.

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Community

Thursday, JaNuary 25, 2024

COmmunitycalendar

The Community Calendar is curated and designed by Julianna Williams. Events are subject to change, always check ahead for up-to-date information on any events you are interested in.

Events for January 25 - February 10 Thursday, January 25 Yoga with Rural Remedy 8:15 AM - 9:30 AM . Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center, 6306 WI-23 Trunk, Spring Green . ruralremedy.com . More information and registration details online.

Storytime 10:30 AM . Lone Rock Community Library, 234 N Broadway St, Lone Rock . lonerocklibrary.wordpress.com . Join us every Thursday for storytime!

Stitch and Bitch 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM . Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St. Spring Green . springgreengeneralstore.com . The Spring Green General Store’s Stitch and Bitch handwork group meets Thursday afternoons weekly. All are welcome.

Knit Night at Nina’s 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM . Nina’s Department Store, 143 E. Jefferson St. Spring Green . ninasdepartmentstore.com . Every Thursday from 6 to 8 pm. All knitters and crocheters are welcome. Store closed after 5:30 pm.

Bingo at Arthur’s Supper Club 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM . Arthur’s Supper Club, E4885 US-14, Spring Green . arthurssupperclub.com . FREE . 18+ . Every Thursday evening until May Arthur’s plays 7 games of Bingo. Bingo is FREE, food and beverages available.

Prizes for the winner of each game, donated by area businesses.

Friday, January 26 Friday Night Art 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM . Angel Dreams Studios, W2516 Brace Road, Lone Rock . For more info look up Angel Dreams Studios on Facebpok or contact (608) 350-9989 . Looking for something fun to do on a Friday night? Let us help you!! Bring a friend! Bring a date! Bring a snack and something to drink! We have many projects to choose from. See fb for project ideas & pricing. RSVP by messenger, call or text.

Karaoke 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM . Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green . slowpokelounge.com . Join us the fourth Friday of every month for a night of Karaoke at Slowpoke. Janna Johnson hosts this night for the community to come together in song.

Take a chance and come up on stage, or just cheer on your friends. We’ll get star ted around 8:00, and go until last call. That could be as early as 10:00 or as late as 2:00am.

It all depends on you! No cover, but tips for our host are always welcome.

Saturday, January 27 Spring Green Winter Farmers Market 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM . S230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green . Spring Green Farmers Market Is a year-round outdoor market offering seasonal produce, local meats, baked goods and many other wonderful items. Held outside the Spring Green Community Public Library every Saturday morning.

LIVE MUSIC: John Haarbauer Birthday Celebration 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM . Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St., Spring Green . 608-5880-707 . It's John's Birthday and he wants to sing for you! Come and wish him well!

Open Euchre 5:00 PM . Arena VFW Hall 514 Willow Street, Arena . For more info look up Arena VFW on Facebook . $5 . BBQ, Chips and Pork & Beans available for purchase.

No partner needed.

Euchre Card Party Night at the Branding Iron Roadhouse 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM .

Branding Iron Roadhouse, 132 S Main St, Hill Point . All Skill Levels Welcome! Single Player! You do not need a partner - we rotate players through out! $10 entry fee with 100% payback. Chili! Cold Beer! Good Drinks! Great Friends! What else do you need on a Winter Night?!?! Due to popular request we have added two more nights in January & February for a total of FIVE Card Party Nights!!

LIVE MUSIC: Michael Gay // Sarah Morris 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM . Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green . slowpokelounge.com . Michael Gay is a Minneapolis-based country folk storyteller. Starting off as a drummer and finding his way to guitar, he was inspired by the singer-songwriters of his dad’s generation--Willie Nelson, John Prine and Jerry Jeff Walker. And starting our show is Sarah Morris. Sarah’s endearingly honest, expertly penned songs encourage audiences to pull away from the big picture and get caught up in the magic of our everyday minutia, the rainy day ache in her sunlit voice granting us permission to escape into stories at once hauntingly familiar and uniquely her own. $10 in advance/$15 at the door.

Sunday, January 28 Yoga with Rural Remedy 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM . Radiant Spirit Retreats Yoga, S7163 County Rd G, Hill Point . ruralremedy.com . More information and registration details online.

WORKSHOP: Pasta Making Class I 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM . Homecoming, 242 N. Lexington St, Spring Green . savortherivervalley.org . Reunion Chef Chance Spivey will teach students to use local and organic ingredients including flour from Meadowlark Organics and local eggs. Participants will learn the basics of making pasta by hand with and have the opportunity to roll and cut pasta using a variety of techniques. They will have an opportunity to sample delicious pasta prepared by Homecoming staff and take home their own pasta creations along with a recipe card. Wine and beer will be available for purchase. $60 per participant. Minimum class is 16; maximum is 20.

Register online.

Euchre 6:00 PM . Dave's On Main, 1170 Main St, Plain . For more info look up Dave’s on Main on Facebook . Join us every Sunday for Euchre!

LIVE MUSIC / THEATER: Two Crows Theatre Company Fundraiser 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM . Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green . slowpokelounge.com . Two Crows Theatre Company is Back! Join co-artistic directors Rob Doyle and Marcus Truschinski for the Two Crows Launch Party Fundraiser. Live music, drama, a sneak peek of next season and so much more! One night only! Doors open at 6:30 pm, event at 7! Tickets $15 in advance or at the door.

Monday, January 29 Winter Puzzle Competition 4:00 PM . Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green . springgreenlibrary.com . Celebrate National Puzzle Day at the Library with a jigsaw puzzle competition! We are looking for at least 4 teams of no more than 4 people (limit of 2 adults per team). 2 adults could also participate as a team. Teams will puzzle for 2 hours total with a 15-minute break between. We will have refreshments during the break. Prizes will be given for 1st place. Registration is required to participate; space is limited. Registration deadline: Wed., January 24th.

Tuesday, January 30 Movies, Munchies and More — Don't Look Up 1:00 PM . Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green . springgreenlibrary.com . Come to the library for a cup of coffee, a sweet treat, a movie. Movie Summary: Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence), an astronomy grad student, and her professor Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) make an astounding discovery of a comet orbiting within the solar system.

The problem: it's on a direct collision course with Earth. The other problem? No one really seems to care. With the help of Dr. Oglethorpe (Rob Morgan), Kate and Randall embark on a media tour that takes them from the office of an indifferent President Orlean (Meryl Streep) and her sycophantic son and Chief of Staff, Jason (Jonah Hill), to the airwaves of The Daily Rip, an upbeat morning show hosted by Brie (Cate Blanchett) and Jack (Tyler Perry). With only six months until the comet makes impact -- what will it take to get the world to just look up?! (R, 2hr 18 min, 2021).

SESSION FULL: Moving Senior Bodies 4:00 PM . Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green . springgreenlibrary.com . Join Upland Hills Health professionals Rosie Morrey, APNP, and Jennifer Day, COTA, for weekly classes focusing on balance and strength training to promote healthy aging.This session is full. We are planning on doing more sessions, so please check back after the summer.

Winter Afternoon Storytime 4:30 PM - 5:15 PM . Plain Kraemer Library, 910 Main St., Plain . kraemerlibrary.org . Story time includes stories and songs followed by a fun themed craft and activity.

Yoga with Rural Remedy 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM . Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center, 6306 WI-23 Trunk, Spring Green . ruralremedy.com . More information and registration details online.

Wednesday, January 31 All Ages Storytime 10:30 AM . Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green . springgreenlibrary.com . Bring the whole family to the library for a morning of song, stories, movement, and fun!

Bingo 6:00 PM . Dave's On Main, 1170 Main St, Plain . For more info look up Dave’s on Main on Facebook . A cozy restaurant where you are welcome to have a drink. Join us every Wednesday for Bingo!

Thursday, February 1 Yoga with Rural Remedy 8:15 AM - 9:30 AM . Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center, 6306 WI-23 Trunk, Spring Green . ruralremedy.com . More information and registration details online.

Storytime 10:30 AM . Lone Rock Community Library, 234 N Broadway St, Lone Rock . lonerocklibrary.wordpress.com . Join us every Thursday for storytime!

LIVE MUSIC: Janet Schiff 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM . Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St., Spring Green . 608-5880-707 . Janet Schiff is a cellist and composer from a Milwaukee based chamber rock duo. Janet will be performing solo on 2/3/24, but that means something like 20 cellos at one time with the help of electronic technology.

Stitch and Bitch 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM . Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St. Spring Green . springgreengeneralstore.com . The Spring Green General Store’s Stitch and Bitch handwork group meets Thursday afternoons weekly. All are welcome.

Bingo at Arthur’s Supper Club 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM . Arthur’s Supper Club, E4885 US-14, Spring Green . arthurssupperclub.com . FREE . 18+ . Every Thursday evening until May Arthur’s plays 7 games of Bingo. Bingo is FREE, food and beverages available.

Prizes for the winner of each game, donated by area businesses.

Knit Night at Nina’s 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM . Nina’s Department Store, 143 E. Jefferson St. Spring Green . ninasdepartmentstore.com . Every Thursday from 6 to 8 pm. All knitters and crocheters are welcome. Store closed after 5:30 pm.

Saturday, February 3 Spring Green Winter Farmers Market 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM . S230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green . Spring Green Farmers Market Is a year-round outdoor market offering seasonal produce, local meats, baked goods and many other wonderful items. Held outside the Spring Green Community Public Library every Saturday morning.

WORKSHOP — Cake Science: Chocolate 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM . Homecoming, 242 N. Lexington St, Spring Green . savortherivervalley.org . This class is the second in a series of 4 classes offered this Winter from Janco. This class will focus on Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Ganache-inspired Buttercream and is especially suited for those who want to learn the “why” behind cake baking. Step-by-step cake and buttercream preparation will be demonstrated, and you will have the opportunity to ask questions. You will prepare your very own chocolate cake to enjoy at home. There will be water and a small snack provided. $60 per participant. Minimum class is 8; maximum is 16. Register online.

Winter Afternoon Storytime 4:30 PM - 5:15 PM . Plain Kraemer Library, 910 Main St., Plain . kraemerlibrary.org . Story time includes stories and songs followed by a fun themed craft and activity.

LIVE MUSIC: Arlen 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM . Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green . slowpokelounge.com . Last February this band got together, and with immediate chemistry, the vulnerable early stages of song-crafting were easy, and the new group found enjoyment in the freedom to express themselves in an environment where no idea was a bad idea. As one would expect, the vocals are strong, the harmonies close-knit and the songwriting poignant. $10 in advance/$15 at the door.

Sunday, February 4 Yoga with Rural Remedy 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM . Radiant Spirit Retreats Yoga, S7163 County Rd G, Hill Point . ruralremedy.com . More info and registration details online.

Euchre 6:00 PM . Dave's On Main, 1170 Main St, Plain . For more info look up Dave’s on Main on Facebook . Join us every Sunday for Euchre!

Monday, February 5 Homeschool Hangout 1:00 PM . Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green . springgreenlibrary.com . Join other area homeschooling families as we celebrate Valentine's Day with themed games and crafts. Please consider bringing a valentine treat to share.

very V

r

Community

Thursday, JaNuary 25, 2024

Events for January 25 - February 10 Monday, February 5 cont.

Lego Builders 4:00 PM- 5:00 PM . Plain Kraemer Library, 910 Main St., Plain . kraemerlibrary.org . Join us for Lego Builders Club each month for a fun challenge or to free build your own masterpiece! Open to all ages. Children under 6 must have adult at program. We will be meeting in the library's community room.

Trivia Night 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM . Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green . slowpokelounge.com . Join us for a night of Trivia! Kyle Adams will host as we put teams together for a contest of trivia. Come for the prizes, stay for the fun! First Question at 7:00 - and it should last about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Tuesday, February 6 Movies, Munchies and More — The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society 1:00 PM . Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green . springgreenlibrary.com . Come to the library for a cup of coffee, a sweet treat, a movie.

Movie Summary: In 1946 a London-based writer begins exchanging letters with residents on the island of Guernsey, which was German-occupied during WWII. Feeling compelled to visit the island, she starts to get a picture of what it was like during the occupation. (NR, 2hr 4min, 2018) SESSION FULL: Moving Senior Bodies 4:00 PM . Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green . springgreenlibrary.com . This session is full. We are planning on doing more sessions, so please check back after the summer.

Page 7

WHAT’S HANGINg ? ongoing art exhibitions

Spring Green Community Library Art Exhibitions . Spring Green Community Library, 230 E Monroe St, Spring Green . Throughout January. Monday-Thursday: 10 AM - 7 PM . Friday: 10 AM - 5 PM . Saturday: 9 AM - 1 PM Jennifer Mally is the Executive Director and founder of GFI, a local nonprofit organization that works in developing countries worldwide. About GFI, Jennifer explains, “We partner with impoverished communities in need of clean water and teach them to produce ceramic water filters. A ceramic water filter will provide drinking water for a family of four. We also offer economic empowerment workshops where we teach women skills to start small businesses. We teach them to sew, make bar soap, skin cream, handmade paper, and other items to sell at their local markets. We also offer basic accounting and bookkeeping skills to help the women become successful." This informative display is available for viewing during regular library hours.

Winter Afternoon Storytime 4:30 PM - 5:15 PM . Plain Kraemer Library, 910 Main St., Plain . kraemerlibrary.org . Story time includes stories and songs followed by a fun themed craft and activity.

Yoga with Rural Remedy 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM . Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center, 6306 WI-23 Trunk, Spring Green . ruralremedy.com . More information and registration details online.

Wednesday, February 7 All Ages Storytime 10:30 AM . Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green . springgreenlibrary.com . Bring the whole family to the library for a morning of song, stories, movement, and fun!

Valentine's Card Making 3:30 PM . Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green . springgreenlibrary.com . Get creative and surprise someone special with a one-of-a-kind card made by their favorite crafter: YOU! We'll provide lots of supplies, and some ideas to get you started.

WORKSHOP: Love for Art 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM . Arthur’s Supper Club, E4885 US-14, Spring Green . For more info look up Inspired Creations on Facebook . Love for Art is a Workshop by Inspired Creations. Come join us and grab a friend or two. Many choices to choose from. No experience needed. Must purchase your tickets in advance on Ticket Leap. Space is limited so order your tickets today!

Thursday, February 8 Yoga with Rural Remedy 8:15 AM - 9:30 AM . Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center, 6306 WI-23 Trunk, Spring Green . ruralremedy.com . More information and registration details online.

Storytime 10:30 AM . Lone Rock Community Library, 234 N Broadway St, Lone Rock . lonerocklibrary.wordpress.com . Join us every Thursday for storytime!

Stitch and Bitch 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM . Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St. Spring Green . springgreengeneralstore.com . The Spring Green General Store’s Stitch and Bitch handwork group meets Thursday afternoons weekly. All are welcome.

Bingo at Arthur’s Supper Club 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM . Arthur’s Supper Club, E4885 US-14, Spring Green . arthurssupperclub.com . FREE . 18+ . Every Thursday evening until May Arthur’s plays 7 games of Bingo. Bingo is FREE, food and beverages available.

Prizes for the winner of each game, donated by area businesses.

Knit Night at Nina’s 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM . Nina’s Department Store, 143 E. Jefferson St. Spring Green . ninasdepartmentstore.com . Every Thursday from 6 to 8 pm. All knitters and crocheters are welcome. Store closed after 5:30 pm.

Saturday, February 10

Jennifer Mally ‘s informative display Stacey Feiner is exhibiting her paintings in the Community Room Gallery at the Spring Green Community Library in January. She says of herself, “Born and raised in the Wilson Creek valley just north of Spring Green, I knew at a young age I was a farmer. I also knew I was drawn to painting. I realize now the influence our family traditions of attending Spring Green’s Arts & Crafts Fairs and APT plays, along with more hands-on experience, have had on me. Through my painting, I’m learning to accept myself and others in all our fallible humanness. That, in and of itself, is what’s beautiful. And the most important art of all." Her work can be viewed at anytime during regular library hours when the Community Room is not already in use. Please ask for the room key at the circulation desk.

SOLD OUT: The Art and Science of Sourdough Baking 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM . Meadowlark Organics, 3630 Ridgevue Road, Ridgeway . savortherivervalley.org . Participants will learn what sourdough is, how to create and maintain a starter, what to do with discards, and other basic sourdough info; scoring and baking, initial mix and first fold, seeds, forage loaf, soakers, rye, and more.

Arena VFW Steak Feed 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM . Arena VFW Hall 514 Willow Street, Arena .

For more info look up Ewing-Olson VFW Post 9336 on Facebook . $15.00 Steak (done the way you like) $8.00- 8 ounce chicken breast. 608-753-2225 for carryout.

CIVICS CIVICS &&SERVICES SERVICES C A L E N DA R

This calendar is a place listing (for free) the typical meeting dates for area governmental bodies,

Please email us with these meetings, or use the form on our Community Calendar page — and let's build community together: editor@valleysentinelnews.com January 28: MEETING: RVP Annual Meeting 3:00 PM . Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green . River Valley Players (RVP) Annual Meeting welcomes new members.

Snacks and desserts will be served. The bar will be open. Come help us launch rehearsals for the Tony Award-winning musical A Year with Frog and Toad, our spring musical, and plan for the year ahead.

February 6: MEETING: Plain LIONS Meeting 7:00 PM . 510 Main Street, Plain . villageofplain.com .

February 22: Farmland Preservation Listening Session 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM . Kraemer Library & Community Center, 910 Main St., Plain . co.sauk.wi.us . Sauk County is launching a planning process for the update of the Sauk County Farmland Preservation Plan which outlines strategies and policies which designate how the County participates in the Farmland Preservation Program. The Wisconsin Farmland Preservation Program (FPP) is designed to help local governments and landowners preserve agricultural land, minimize conflicting land uses, and promote soil and water conservation. Owners of farmland who participate in the program receive an income tax credit incentive.

The County will be hosting listening sessions to collect input that will be utilized in the preparation of the Sauk County Farmland Preservation Plan. Attendees will have the opportunity to comment on topics related to the future of agriculture in Sauk County including farm succession, the Farmland Preservation Program, rural development, and programs and services needed to support and protect productive and profitable farms and communities. Please contact Brain Simmert at 608-355-4834 or email brian.simmert@saukcountywi.gov with any questions on the field day.

Stacey Feiner’s paintings

The Community Calendar is curated and designed by Julianna Williams.

Events are subject to change, always check ahead for up-to-date information on any events you are interested in.

“The good stuff.”

Page 8

Community/arts & cULtUre

Thursday, JaNuary 25, 2024

What is Lexington & Jefferson?

Some time ago, we announced the soft launch of a semi-regular to regular literary section we've been inspired by other literary compilations to call Lexington & Jefferson.

As the pivotal intersection of our community, we envision this as a place that celebrates the cross-section of arts in our greater community.

We envision it as a place of curated and submitted prose, poetry and more that showcase the talents of our community.

Each edition we receive submissions of artwork, poetry, prose and other musings that we have trouble placing in the paper on their own and often have to simply hold or regrettably turn down.

We hope this becomes a welcome place for them.

This space will grow and change, as all things do, and we welcome talented individuals, organizations, authors, experts and artists to help curate this section - perhaps we'll compile and publish an annual

Lexington & Jefferson

literary journal, who knows?

We may also use this space for arts & culture news and submitted musings that don't quite fit within the bounds of a traditional column, profile or letter to the editor.

Get involved: If you're interested in submitting, curating or have ideas, please do not hesitate at all to submit them to us at: editor@valleysentinelnews.com

LITERARY + ARTS & CULTURE SECTION

Musings from the End of the Rainbow

Take a journey with me to the end of the Rainbow. I grew up at the end of Rainbow Road, a beautiful and magical place in a River Valley, just outside of a town called Spring Green. Following are stories and reflections of a simpler time.....

An Ant? An Aunt?

An Ant? An Aunt?

when my sisteraJudy gave birth to mom’s first grandchild, my first nephew, at the ripe old I remember standing in my dad’s bathroom bawling, notMonths justlater, a sob but kind of cry that encompasses age of six, it was the beginning of the end of my innocence. A succession followed of what would be your entire being, where your stomach clenches and cramps then finallybyreleases as your twenty-sixand total nieces and nephews the time I was thirteen.

It waswholethen that I firmly and staunchly decided not only did I not enjoy being an Aunt I would never ever in any way shape or form become a A few years earlier, we had “graduated” from a home with only and an OUTHOUSE to one having body shakes, then another another andTHREE another as mother! tears fall, cascading, tumbling down your cheeks.

I remember standing in my dad’s bathroom bawling, not just a sob but a kind of cry that encompasses your entire being, where your stomach clenches and cramps and then finally releases as your wholebody shakes, then another and another and another as tears fall, cascading, tumbling down your cheeks. bathrooms. Mom ingeniously worked in: A “Girls’” bathroom, A “Dads’/Boys’” bathroom, and “Moms’” bathroom. It was her one luxury, eight girls shared a bathroom, the boys and dad shared another, and mom had one labeled just hers. To this day, it is still referred to as “Mom’s bathroom.”

This was a time before disposable diapers and although none were my kids apparently it was an Aunt’s

A few years earlier, we had “graduated” from a home with onlytoan onethere having THREE responsibility rinseOUTHOUSE all the cloth diapers,to of which was an exorbitant amount. I remember spending whole days kneeling by the toilet in my mother’s bathroom. Barehanded, taking one nasty, That though, isbathrooms. not what this story isMom about: It isingeniously about a day that wasworked so traumatic to self that bathroom, A “Dads’/Boys’” bathroom, and “Moms’” in:myAyoung “Girls’” soiled, stenchy, diaper at a time, dunking it in the bowl, going up and down, down and up in the everit is seared into my memory. swirling tank of brown chunky water, wringing them out, flushing the toilet, again going up and down, bathroom. It was her one luxury, eight girls shared a bathroom, the boys and dad shared another, and down and up, wringing and placing the newly rinsed diaper in the “clean pail” and then reaching for As I was saying, I remember standing in my dad’s bathroom wailing, not just a sniffle but a full-on another diaper filled with??? convulsion of mom angst and panic. had one labeled just hers. To this day, it is still referred to as “Mom’s bathroom.”

One may wonder, “Why was I, at six, in Dads’ bathroom?” You see dad kept snacks, way on top of the cabinet above his sink. Angel food candy, a variety of chocolates, a doughnut or two, orange circus peanuts, it was a virtual Willy Wonka’s candy factory up there. If I put the toilet seat down, climbed up, put one foot on the nearby sink, used my hands to pull myself up, I was just tall enough to feel around for a hidden treat while balancing on my tip toes.

Rinse, Wring, Flush, Repeat.

Sunday dinners, or any family gathering,to it was my duty to entertain could be five, ten, That though, is not what this story is about: It is about aHolidays, day that was so traumatic my young selfwhat that upwards of fifteen kids between the ages of two and seven. “Mothers fruit basket upset” was my go-to it is seared into my memory. game. I would coral them all into the living room, have them sit on chairs, whisper a fruit name in their ear, and yell “Mothers fruit basket upset!!!” Whereas they all would run to switch seats (a version of musical chairs).

As I was saying, I remember standing in my dad’s bathroom wailing, not just a sniffle but a full-on Here I am years later and true to my decision, I’ve had no child passing like an oversized football through of angst and panic. my privates. Disposable diapers have long ago been invented much to the chagrin of our landfills and Again, there I convulsion was standing in my dad’s bathroom bellowing in sorrow and fear. My small stomach Although, hunting for snacks, not what this story is about: It is about life, family and leaving one’s childhood behind.

quivered as it heaved in and out. My whole body trembled as tears welled in my eyes and began streaming down my flushed cheeks, finding their way, settling in a growing puddle at my bare feet.

phones or tablets have numbed our kids into their own entertainment trance.

I married a guy who dad came askept a package deal with three kids.on I entered later, after the diaper One may wonder, “Why was I, at six, in Dads’ bathroom?”

You see snacks, way toptheir oflives the phase, during the phase of braces, first loves, broken hearts, driver’s licenses and even some nighttime sicknesses. cabinet above his sink. Angel food candy, a variety of chocolates, a doughnut or two, orange circus My tormentors didn’t relent. Both my bother Tom and my sister Donata stood on either side of me never have beingtoilet an Aunt yet I’ve readily and happily stepped into the role and LOVE repeating those words over anditover.

First,a they just told me matter-of-factly but once they realized my peanuts, was virtual Willy Wonka’s candy factory upI may there.

If Iembraced put the seat down, climbed up, being a “Bonus” mom to three amazing kids who have since blossomed into three incredible adults. confusion, they doubled down, towering over me as they kept repeating; tauntingly singing the words put one foot on the nearby sink, used my hands to pull We myself up, I was just tall enough to feel around with joy: grow and we learn in life not just in our “formative years” but with every moment that passes.

“You’re going for to be an you’re going to bewhile an Aunt.” balancing on my tip toes. a Aunt; hidden treat Dad is long gone; I still look up above the sink for stray chocolates.

I couldn’t catch my breath as I kept gasping out the words, “NO.. NO.. NO.. I don’t want to…..”

“But I don’t want to be an Ant.” I kept repeating and repeating.

I wish I could let “Little Lanita” know; Ants aren’t that bad and it’s rude to destroy their homes!

Although, hunting for snacks, not what this story is about: It is about life, family and leaving one’s Also: I am itching for the day I’m a Grandma even if; Cloth diapers make a comeback.

Outside, in thechildhood backyard, there were tons of anthills by the old basketball hoop. As the boys would toss behind.

My stomach tightening, tears falling down my beet red cheeks…. “No.. No.. No!!!”

the ball around and I would wait for a turn that, seemingly never arrived, I would spend my time flattening the main anthills with my bare toes and then frantically brushing off the ants as they would scurry up my tiny legs to perceived safety.

Again, there I was standing in my dad’s bathroom bellowing in sorrow and fear. My small stomach

My young, confused mind shuttered thought ofin being one ofout. those little creatures. quivered as itat the heaved and Myblack whole body trembled as tears welled in my eyes and began

streaming down my flushed cheeks, finding their—way, settling in a growing puddle at my bare feet.

Schulz Mary Lanita I couldn’t catch my breath as I kept gasping out the words, “NO.. NO.. NO.. I don’t want to…..”

My tormentors didn’t relent. Both my bother Tom and my sister Donata stood on either side of me repeating those words over and over. First, they just told me matter-of-factly but once they realized my confusion, they doubled down, towering over me as they kept repeating; tauntingly singing the words with joy: “You’re going to be an Aunt; you’re going to be an Aunt.”

“But I don’t want to be an Ant.” I kept repeating and repeating.

My stomach tightening, tears falling down my beet red cheeks…. “No.. No.. No!!!”

Outside, in the backyard, there were tons of anthills by the old basketball hoop. As the boys would toss the ball around and I would wait for a turn that, seemingly never arrived, I would spend my time flattening the main anthills with my bare toes and then frantically brushing off the ants as they would scurry up my tiny legs to perceived safety.

My young, confused mind shuttered at the thought of being one of those little black creatures.

Community/arts & cULtUre In Brief Call for Artists: 2024 Farm/Art DTour in Sauk County The Wormfarm Institute invites artists to apply for the commission of original, siteresponsive artworks for the 2024 Farm/ Art DTour, scheduled from October 5 to October 14. This self-guided, 50-mile drive through Sauk County's working farmland showcases large-scale temporary art installations, interpretive signage, pasture performances, roadside poetry, local food, and more. The DTour explores the unique landscape of the Driftless Region and the traditional homeland of the Ho-Chunk Nation and other Indigenous peoples.

Artists, whether formally trained or selftaught, are encouraged to propose siteresponsive works that engage with the landscape, farmers, landowners, and rural communities. The opportunity provides a chance to contribute to a well-established project with a reputation for innovation.

Selected artists will receive stipends ranging from $5,000 to $10,000, retaining ownership of their work.

To apply, submit proposals by February 12, 2024, at 11:59 pm CST. For more information and the application process, visit wormfarminstitute.org/dtour-rfp-24.

Thursday, JaNuary 25, 2024 Page 9

Two Crows Theatre Company—seeking to bring joy—heralds a return to the Spring Green community, announces play continued from page 1 performances.

The previous productions were all held within the Slowpoke Lounge and Cabaret in downtown Spring Green.

The initial plan to return and perform there changed largely due to a busy music and performance schedule at the Slowpoke Lounge. The Touchstone Theatre will enable greater ability to implement different technical aspects.

Doyle and Truschinski have hopes to not only keep theater and community alive in the coldest months of Wisconsin’s long winters but they also aspire to provide a place for emerging playwrights through Two Crows Theatre and they have announced, The New Play Workshop.

The New Play Workshop will provide an opportunity for playwrights to develop their works and then read and perform them publicly for critique and review. Andy Trushchinski will lead the New Play Workshop as manager of the project. The company hopes to debut this project in the upcoming spring.

Marcus Truschinski has made Spring Green his home since the beginning of

his career at APT; with his wife, fellow APT actor and artistic collaborator, Tracy Arnold along with their son Gus. Doyle has warmly embraced Spring Green since the beginning of his career at APT, happily residing in the artistic community since; the beloved community that both Truschinski and Doyle hope to make lasting and memorable marks within.

“Spring Green means home to me,” said Truschinski. “In all senses of the word; my artistic home, my literal home, and the place where I feel most at home. The community has taken me in as one of their own. Spring Green being home is the reason Two Crows is coming back.”

The fundraiser

Two Crows is also hosting a fundraising launch party Jan. 28 at The Slowpoke Lounge and Cabaret in Spring Green. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and entertainment begins at 7 p.m.

The event will be full of live music and play readings. Tickets for the event will be available in advance for $15 or available at the door if the event is not sold out. Donations will be accepted throughout the event.

Music will be provided by Ben Feiner from the band the Violet Palms.

Doyle will perform a song from his new musical Dear Writer/Dear Actress.

Truschinski will lead the program.

Excerpts from the play will be read. It will be an evening to remember.

The play

The company’s 2024 season kicks off Feb. 29 with the showing of “The Thin Place” by Lucas Hnath, directed

by Jake Penner. The play is about life, death and the afterlife; with the title of the play making reference to the delicate separation between life, death, and what is beyond.

“Some have called this play a thriller, or even a ghost story. It’s built to be unsubstantial but intensely impactful,” says the theatre company in the play’s description.

The cast will include Samantha Newcomb as Hilda, Mhari Sandoval as Linda, Elizabeth Reese as Sylvia and Doyle as Jerry.

The show will run Feb. 29 to March 10 at the Touchstone Theatre.

For more information and tickets, visit www.twocrowstheatrecompany. org.

Public input sought for future of Bloomfield Prairie in Iowa County Iowa County has initiated a new planning process for the Bloomfield Prairie and Farmland property, encompassing approximately 630 acres around the former Bloomfield Nursing Home. Currently leased for agricultural and prairie purposes, the area is open to non-motorized recreational activities. The county is seeking public input on the future development of this significant space.

Public listening sessions are scheduled for Wednesday, January 24th, at 6 pm, and Tuesday, January 30th, at 2 pm and 6 pm. The sessions will take place at the Dodgeville Health and Human Services building, 303 W. Chapel Street. For those unable to attend in person, a short online survey is available at tinyurl.com/muhc2rkt, allowing residents to share their thoughts on the Bloomfield Prairie's future.

Richland Hospital expands Urgent Care services with new providers The Richland Hospital and Clinics recently announced the expansion of its urgent care services, now open seven days a week, following the addition of another full-time provider. The hospital reported experiencing a record number of patients over the Christmas weekend, emphasizing the critical need for expanded urgent care services.

Urgent care services at The Richland Hospital in Richland Center are available Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday – Sunday from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Walk-ins are welcome, and no appointment is necessary. Additionally, holiday hours are from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

For other local urgent care options, Upland Hills Health in Dodgeville provides services on weeknights from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and weekends and holidays from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sauk Prairie Hospital in Prairie du Sac is open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., with no appointment needed.

Photo by Eric Schabla Kelsey Brennan, left, plays a graduate student in Two Crows Theatre Company's 2020 production "The How and the Why," also starring Brenda DeVita, on right. The Two Crows Theatre Company logo inlaid at top left.

4PeteSake

4PeteSake is accepting applications for potential 2024 Spring Funding recipients Visit 4petesake.com for more information or to download an application.

Applications may also be obtained by writing to P.O. Box 577, Spring Green, WI 53588

Applications must be received by March 8, 2024

Page 10 Thursday, JaNuary 25, 2024

Commentary/AGrIcuLture

Reflections from Lost Horizon Farm — The Unusual, The Unexpected and The Funny (Part 5) Barb Garvoille, Columnist Each edition, retired dairy farmer Barb Garvoille brings her musings on dairy farm life from her own years of experience on Lost Horizon Farm with her late husband Vince “Mr. Farmer” Garvoille.

This mooving memoir focuses on 19802000, join Barb as she rises with the herd.

Easy Moving We learned a simple trick when we wanted to move cattle in our heifer building from one pen to another. That was to place an empty paper feed sack in the pen to which you wanted the cattle to move. The cattle would be eaten up from nose to tail switch with curiosity, and one by one would move themselves. Once in the desired place, a person could simply close the gate and pick up the empty bag which by that time would be soggy from the cows' nosing or mouthing it.

The Hay Hook and the Tire A person grasped the handle of a metal hay hook and used the tool to hook small square bales of hay and move them. Mr. Farmer and I had unloaded a wagon full of hay, and, being uncomfortable using a hay hook, I had hung mine on the side of the hay wagon and forgotten all about it.

Mr. Farmer pulled the hay wagon down the farm road and into the field where it had remained parked awaiting the next hay harvest.

Some days later, a livestock trucker was leaving Lost Horizon Farm with a cull cow.

I had watched the trucker leave the farm and turn onto the tarmac, but then the pickup truck and cattle trailer had abruptly stopped on the county road. Wondering what was going on, I walked up to the shoulder of the roadway. Much to my chagrin, there was a hay hook embedded in the flattened tire of the pickup truck. Other farm traffic, tractors and our own pickup truck, had been up and down the same stretch of farm road, but this trucker must have driven over just the right spot and "found" the forgotten hay hook that had bounced off the hay wagon days before.

The Ever Changing Look to the Barn’s Screen Door During the summertime, an inner screened door to the barn was used. It was so light to pull open compared to the heavier solid wooden door used during the colder months of the year. The screen was a popular resting destination for Cecropia, Eacles, and Luna moths, crane flies, lacewings, June beetles, Walking Sticks, and other assorted insect species.

Keeping a good screen in the door was tough. For some reason, the barn cats liked to climb up the screen and hang on the door. Young pigeons that fell from their nests in the old Brazil tile silo and down into the feed room would take flight in the

Barb Garvoille barn and slam into the screen. Queenie, our Border Collie, left a little stretched area on the screen in the place where she had repeatedly pushed on it with her nose to get the door open. Peaches, the Golden Retriever, held the record for most screen destruction. A big clap of thunder had so frightened her that she had run out of the barn right through the screen door to escape to wherever she thought was a safer place. At another time, her tail plume had connected with the electric fence, and she had been shocked. She had run from the barnyard, into the barn, along the walkway and right through the closed screen door again to hide herself in the machine shed.

When our youngest daughter was preschool age, she found and took an orange paintstick, a fluorescent cow marker that looked like a fat wax pencil.

With it she had created some screen art and then signed her name, Alyson with a backwards s, underneath her drawings.

The barn’s screen door showcased this unique artistic flair until, with time, the artwork weathered away.

Photo contributed by Barb Garvoille The Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) was one of the most beautiful moth species seen on Lost Horizon Farm.

He came to the house and put on the kind of hat that has mosquito netting all around it. Then he put on a turtleneck sweater, his winter coveralls, and a stocking hat over the netting hat. He armed himself with a hand-held sprayer full of diesel fuel, climbed into the hay wagon, and began throwing bales off the wagon and onto the ground. As yellow jackets flew out, he downed them with liquid from the sprayer. It was of little consequence that the hay was getting misted with diesel fuel; it had been already classified as bedding material. More and more bales and yellow jackets dropped off onto the ground, until Mr. Farmer found the wafer-like nest of the yellow jackets. The circular nest had

multiple layers to it, and its cells were filled with larval yellow jackets. Covered as he was, Mr. Farmer did not suffer one sting. We often wondered whether anyone passing by on the county roadway had noticed and wondered about the farmer dressed for winter in the summer.

Barb has called Lost Horizon Farm, just north of Spring Green, her home for the past 44 years. She is fond of all creatures (including snakes). Her joy stems from being able to be outdoors every day observing and treasuring the plant and animal life on her small piece of this planet. She loved milking cows and is proud to have been a dairy farmer.

Dressed For Winter in the Summer Some hay that had been rained on repeatedly and become no good for feed, eventually dried and was then baled into square bales for bedding. The loaded hay wagon had been parked in the machine shed awaiting a time when we could unload it. That hay load became one of those farm jobs that is put off and put off and then postponed for far too long. When we finally decided to unload the wagon, Mr. Farmer noticed a lot of angry yellow jackets when he moved the wagon out of the machine shed and up to the hay elevator in front of the barn. Because great numbers of these stinging insects kept flying out of the wagon, Mr. Farmer decided there must be a sizable nest in the hay.

THANK YOU, Lee Howery!

Photo contributed by Barb Garvoille Hay hooks are enemies of tires!

Photo contributed by Barb Garvoille Built in 1917, this Brazil tile silo originally had a roof constructed of cedar shakes.

20 Years of Service

Outdoors & Recreation/AG

The Sauk County Gardener Seed Selection Jeannie Manis, Wisconsin Certified Master Gardener “Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”

— Robert Louis Stevenson January is a great time to start planning your garden. The seed catalogs start arriving in the mail, providing an awesome way to spend a snowy afternoon – pouring over seed catalogs, ear-marking favorites and potential new ones to add to your repertoire of garden plants. Before getting lured in by all of those amazing pictures and purchasing seeds you don't need or can’t grow, you need to step back a moment and do a little homework.

The first step to garden planning is to identify what you would like to grow in your garden, be it flowers or vegetables, or both. I did this step over the holidays.

I simply created a list of things I always plant and add to the list anything new for the year. This year’s list included Anise hyssop seed that my husband wants me to grow as it is particularly attractive to bees (as we maintain four bee hives.) I also ordered Buckwheat seed for a cover

Winter Sowing Jeannie Manis, Wisconsin Certified Master Gardener “Like the seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring.”

— Khalil Gibran As I write this column, it’s -10 degrees outside and I’m thinking about what I can start growing for my next summer’s gardens. Even though everything outside is covered in two feet of snow, I still want to start planting some of my seeds, especially those that benefit from a cold period before germination. Winter sowing offers me the opportunity to get a head start on my gardens and potentially get a lot of plants for the price of a seed packet.

Winter sowing is the use of “little greenhouses” to start seeds that need stratification or scarification in order to germinate. Stratification is a process of treating seeds to mimic natural conditions they would experience in the soil over the winter (ie. chilling). It helps seed break dormancy and start the germination process. Scarification is the process of weakening or cracking the seed’s hard shell.

For winter sowing, you’re going to

Thursday, JaNuary 25, 2024 Page 11

crop; this is my “something new to plant” for the new year.

After you’ve created your growing list, assess which flowers and vegetables are best directly sown into the garden.

Other seeds work best by being started indoors and later transplanted into the garden. For those flowers and vegetables that should be started indoors, you need to decide whether you’re going to start them yourself or purchase smaller plants to transplant into your garden. For example, I will start my tomatoes from seed as there are some varieties that I want in particular and may be difficult to find later this spring. If my tomatoes fail, I know I can still go to the Sauk County Master Gardeners Association’s tomato plant sale on May 18 and find most of the ones that I want plus a few others that I just have to try. They always have a large range of heirlooms and favorite hybrids to choose from and the plants are always large and very healthy. However, I haven’t been able to reliably start broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and some herbs from seed so I plan to purchase those starter plants from my favorite nursery. No need to buy seeds

for those.

Once you’ve determined what you want to start from seed, the next step is to assess what seeds you already have. This is where I fail many times. However, this year I pulled out my bin of seeds and assessed what I already had. Not only should you determine what seed you already have, but also take a look at the “Packed for” date. Last year’s seed packets should have something that reads like “Packed for 23, Sell by 12/23”. Many seeds will be viable for at least a couple years (except those that have been pelletized for easy sowing – they are really only good for one year.)

To find out how long seeds are typically viable, you can search for “seed viability chart” and a whole list of articles will come up. However, here’s a short list of common vegetable seed viability ranges shared by Lisa Johnson, Dane County’s Horticulture Educator: Onions - 1 year; corn & peppers - 2 years; beans, carrots, peas - 3 years; beets, pumpkins, squash, tomatoes, watermelon - 4 years; and broccoli, cabbage, cucumber, lettuces, cantaloupes, radish, spinach - 5 years.

Before you toss out your old seed, perform a viability test on them. Here are the basic steps: Take 10 seeds and put them on a damp paper towel. Roll the paper towel into a loose cylinder, put it in an almost sealed plastic bag, and place it in a warm location. Note how quickly the seeds should germinate. After the expected germination time, open up the bag, carefully unroll the paper towel, and count how many seeds germinated.

Seven out of ten seeds germinated means a 70% germination rate. I have some older seed that I’ll test and anything 50% or above, I will most likely still plant, just a little heavier than recommended.

For more details on performing a viability test, visit dane.extension.wisc. edu/2023/02/17/12915/.

Once you’ve completed these first initial garden planning steps, you can go ahead and start ordering some of those amazing seeds that promise the best harvest or the most beautiful blooms ever! In my case, I may just have to order 2024’s All-American Selections winner – Broccoli ‘Purple Magic’ seeds if I can find them. I mean, who doesn’t love the idea of purple broccoli?

need clean plastic milk jugs or other containers that will hold about 4 inches of soil and allow sunlight in.

You’ll also need potting soil, a sharp knife or scissors, clear packing or duct tape, a marker or pen that won’t fade in sunlight, and seeds.

For your seeds, look for ones that mention self-sow, direct-sow early or pre-chill. Many of your perennial flower seeds fit these requirements.

Consider planting: dianthus, phlox, poppies, foxglove, speedwell, blanket flower, and delphinium. Native plants are great choices as well: coneflower, black-eyed or brown-eyed Susan, blazing star/gayfeather, butterfly weed, milkweed, tickseed, bee balm, and lupine. There are also some cool season annuals that you can start this way as well: Mexican sunflower, cosmos, Canterbury bells, cornflower, larkspur, China aster, calendula, pansy, sweet peas, and snapdragon. You can also start some cool season edibles using this technique. Some that I plan to start this way are bok choy, lettuce, spinach, and kale. If I have extra milk jugs, I may try some broccoli and cabbage even though I don’t really have

great luck with these. You can also start some herbs this way such as oregano, marjoram, thyme, chives, and parsley.

Once you have all your supplies, you’re ready to get started. Using a clean milk jug or two-liter bottle, measure up from the bottom about 5-6 inches. At that point, cut the container almost in half, leaving the top hinged or attached to the bottom. Make drain holes in the bottom of the container and discard the cap. Fill the bottom of the container with about 4 inches of well-draining potting soil. Then plant your seeds, following the directions on the seed packet. Water gently, close the container’s top and tape it shut so it doesn’t accidentally blow open. Label the container and then place it in a sunny outside location in your garden or on your deck where it will be exposed to the snow and rain but protected from the wind and animals. Then, just let the containers get snowed and rained on until it starts to get warmer outside.

Once it starts to get warmer, start checking your containers for germination; adding more ventilation holes if needed. You may need to water them as well as you don’t want them

to dry out. Eventually, you will take the container top off during the day, so your seedlings don’t get too warm.

Keep in mind you will have to cover some of the less hardy ones at night until the danger of frost has passed.

Once the plants reach the top of the container, you can transplant them into larger pots or even directly into the garden.

To learn more about winter sowing, bring a clean plastic milk jug and attend Sauk County Master Gardeners Association’s meeting on Thursday, February 8 at 6 pm in the West Square Building, Room B-24, Baraboo.

Becky Gutzman, Columbia County Master Gardener, will be presenting “Extending the Garden Season: Winter Sowing.” This meeting is free and open to the public.

This article was written by Jeannie Manis, a Wisconsin Certified Sauk County Master Gardener Volunteer.

If you have any gardening questions, please contact the Extension Sauk County by emailing to trripp@wisc.edu or calling the University of Wisconsin Madison Division of Extension Sauk County office at 608-355-3250.

Sauk County: Farmland Preservation Listening Sessions announced, Plain among locations Cassandra Fowler, Sauk County Land Resources Dept.

Sauk County is launching a planning process for the update of the Sauk County Farmland Preservation Plan which outlines strategies and policies which designate how the County participates in the Farmland Preservation Program.

The Wisconsin Farmland Preservation Program (FPP) is designed to help local governments and landowners preserve agricultural land, minimize conflicting land uses, and promote soil and water conservation. Owners of farmland who participate in the program receive an income tax credit incentive.

The County will be hosting listening sessions to collect input that will be utilized in the preparation of the Sauk County Farmland Preservation Plan.

Attendees will have the opportunity to comment on topics related to the future of agriculture in Sauk County including farm succession, the Farmland Preservation Program, rural development, and programs and

services needed to support and protect productive and profitable farms and communities.

Listening Sessions • February 8, 2024, 3:00pm – 6:00pm: Village of Rock Springs Community Center, 251 Railroad St, Rock Spring, WI 53961 • February 15, 2024, 3:00pm – 6:00pm: La Valle Town Hall, 314 State Hwy 33/58, La Valle, WI 53941 • February 22, 2024, 3:00pm – 6:00pm: Kraemer Library & Community Center, 910 Main St., Plain, WI 53577 Please contact Brain Simmert at 608355-4834 or email brian.simmert@ saukcountywi.gov with any questions on the field day.

These events are free and open to the public. Any person who has a qualifying disability that requires the program materials of an event to be in an accessible location or format should

contact Sauk County Land Resources and Environment Department (608) 355-3245 between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. and at least 1 week in advance of the event so that reasonable arrangements can be made to accommodate each request. For more information on these events and or the farmland preservation plan, please visit our website at https://www.co.sauk. wi.us/landconservation/farmlandpreservation-program.

In Brief

Sauk Extension offering Farm & Tractor Safety Certification course Sauk County Extension is now accepting registrations for a Farm & Tractor Safety Certification course, open to individuals aged 12 and above. The six-week certification classes will take place every Tuesday evening from 4:30 PM to 8:30 PM at the West Square Building, 505 Broadway, Baraboo, starting February 6 and concluding on March 12, with the final driving test on March 1.

For those between the ages of 12 and 18, tractor certification is mandatory to operate a tractor off the farm, excluding immediate road crossings. Certification is also required for driving on the grounds of the Steam & Gas Show. Attendance at all classes is essential, with a total of 24 hours of education and training being a certification requirement.

Registration is available online at go.wisc. edu/by5600. For additional details, contact the Sauk County Extension Office at 608-3553250. The course fee is $20 per person.

Page 12 Thursday, JaNuary 25, 2024

Outdoors & Recreation

An Outdoorsman’s Journal Mark Walters, Columnist

A Very Good Time in the Canoe at Port Washington

Hello friends, This week’s column gives you a bit of reality about my way of earning a living and is also a pretty cool adventure.

Thursday, January 11th High 34°, Low 27° The lead up to this experience is important. First, I heard good stories about fishermen catching brown trout in the harbor at Port Washington as well on Lake Michigan itself. Second, my 17-foot Aluma Craft aluminum canoe has a 6 inch tear in its belly that I have been attempting to fix the last few days with my canoe actually in my living room. Third, I am addicted to canoe fishing and do not remember ever paddling a canoe on Lake Michigan in January. Fourth, I had planned on staying 2 days but a monster snowstorm with major wind would knock this plan down to one day. Fifth, I looked on the internet and saw that there were 2 sport shops in Port Washington and that is where I planned on getting the right spoons and crankbaits to paddle troll with.

On my actual drive I would come to reality with the approaching storm and after arriving in Port Washington realize that both shops were apparently closed for the winter.

I went to one of those big box stores

hoping to find something that looked like a shad as I had been reading that the brown trout were feeding on shad.

The closest I could come was a spoon made by Dreamweaver and it was called the Silver Alewife. I bought 2 as well as a half dozen crankbaits. I have to admit I did not have a ton of daylight after rigging my canoe with three rod holders mounted on a 2x6, no electronics, and whole bunch of I can do this attitude.

I rigged one of the Dreaweavers on a spinning rod that would be straight back and put a crankbait on my left and right rods which had planer boards. I left the landing at 1:30 and was really excited. I had paddled maybe 2 minutes and the Dreamweaver setup started going bonkers telling me it was fish on.

Folks I have to tell you, catching heavy torpedoes in a canoe is close to insane, my trophy started jumping and I could see it was big. A half dozen times I got it close to the net and then it would just take off and be out of sight. I have to admit, I was on my knees, riding out the fight and this fish was stronger than my left wrist. In the end I caught what I would say was a 14-pound brown trout and I felt like a super hero.

Now things started going in a bad direction for me! My trophy kind of got caught in one of my other lines. I figured I would just cut the line and retie it. A big oops as I cut my line and

Photo contributed by Mark Walters The end of a positive experience in the canoe at Port Washington.

Photo contributed by Mark Walters This was not an easy picture to take but I sure was in a good mood after catching this brown trout out of my canoe at Port Washington.

the Dreamweaver fell overboard and to the bottom of Lake Michigan. No problem, I have another. I tied that one and I was in a great mood and started paddling out to sea. When I paddled past the lighthouse the wind caught me and started pushing me at a rapid rate to the state of Michigan. This situation was so ugly that I made the decision that if I got a fish on, I would cut my line. Next plan was, stay in the harbor and follow the hundreds of mergansers which are a fish-eating duck and hopefully brown trout would be by the ducks. Well, I have to tell you, I got snagged a lot and this was a time consuming problem.

After about an hour I had a hit on the Dreamweaver, but it was gone as soon as it happened. I lost several cranks and then just like that it was fish on with my Dreamweaver and once again I felt like I was a superhero as the big brown was jumping and clearing 4 feet with each jump. Unfortunately, bad luck came my way, my line went limp and the brown kept jumping. I think the rocks had done some damage and I was now without a

Dreamweaver. Not a hit was had on any other lures. I fished until O Dark Thirty, had one heck of a time getting my 62-year-old body out of the canoe and I was in an awesome mood.

On this day I learned how to catch browns on the big pond in January.

If I ever gave ya a tip, remember the spoon I wrote about!

Sunset Follow along the adventures of Mark Walters, a syndicated outdoor adventure columnist who lives in Necedah, Wisconsin. He began writing his column, An Outdoorsman’s Journal, in 1989.

It includes hunting, fishing, lots of canoeing and backpacking. He currently writes for around 60 newspapers. He hopes you enjoy reading about his adventures!

Want to read more?

Check out previous weeks’ columns at www.outdoorsmansjournal.com

Photo contributed by Mark Walters The fillets from this brown trout were smoked and the eggs were saved.

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