Valley Sentinel - 03-07-2024 by Valley Sentinel

Editorial Note Regarding Upcoming Election:

March 7 was the last edition for which Valley Sentinel accepted letters to the editor of a political nature regarding the April 2, 2024 Spring & Presidential Preference Election that would require rebuttal. The deadline to have those letters was March 4. After this edition, letters which need no obvious rebuttal (such as stating why you’re voting for a particular candidate and why, but not impugning opposing candidates) shall be accepted for the March 21 edition before the election, until March 18.

For more information regarding the April 2, 2024 Spring & Presidential Preference Election, visit elections.wi.gov. For more information regarding your polling location and what will appear on your ballot, visit myvote.wi.gov.

OPINION/EDITORIAL

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor,

This is nuts! Barbara Lawton twice elected lieutenant governor, volunteer on many committees and councils and champion of women’s rights was declared by Republi-

Dear Editor,

This morning from one to three I lay in bed looking at the stars and thinking about Perry Como singing the song in 1957, “Catch a Falling Star.” It was a catchy little nursery rhyme, a poem about doing something that is impossible to do.

“Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket

Never let it fade away

Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket

Save it for a rainy day.”

The original words for this song were written by John Donne (1572-1931) an

On the cover

“Art Installation on Helena Lake, or A Crime Against the Environment” (2024) Photo by Taylor Scott, Image trace cover illustration by Julianna Williams

With lots of irons in the ﬁre, newspaper awards and conferences to attend, new projects launching and trying to ﬁnd ways (and resources) to grow and do more (what you see here each edition is so little of what we'd like to do and cover), some editions are going to be weird and small. This is one of those editions.

So, it's only ﬁtting we include something local and weird on the cover that made regional news.

Early last week a boat was discovered, abandoned, drifting and sinking by a local DNR warden on Helena Lake (Goofy's Slough, etc. before the somewhat recent formal branding complete with fancy sign) in the Town of Arena.

The boat was towed back, removed and put on display for the better part of the week, before being properly disposed of, reports the DNR.

Was it a prank? An elaborate art installation? A crime dumped there to avoid salvage fees? Why it was abandoned there, we may never know. But the DNR believes they have the culprit and aren't seeking any more information. We don't do crime stories here.

So perhaps that's where the story ends. Stay weird, I guess?

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

can senators, including Senator Marklein, unﬁt to serve on the UW Hospitals and Clinic Authority Board. Lawton and three others, two women and one man, were appointed by Governor Earl.

English poet, scholar, and religious verse. He was noted for the saying, “no man is an island” and “we are all a piece of the continent.” Donne was raised Roman Catholic and attended, but never graduated from the University of Oxford and Cambridge. It seems graduation was not extended to him because he refused to swear an oath to the Protestant Queen.

Donne’s original writing of “Catch a falling star” was ﬁlled with a series of impossible teaching from catching a falling star, to placing it in your pocket, and it was all a fool’s errand. Donne’s poem was in part about a tongue in cheek pitfall in chasing fame.

There is an old superstition about

Dear Editor,

Hello! I am a third-grade student in Northern Virginia, and my class is learning about the United States. Each third-grader has been assigned a speciﬁc state, and I have received your state! I am very excited to learn more about the great state of Wisconsin and wish to represent you well in my ﬁnal State Fair project in the month of May.

I am writing to ask you to please publish the letter below in your Letter to the Editor section of your newspaper. It will enhance my learning if I can get the perspective of actual people who live in and love their state!

Thank you for your kind consideration in helping me with my project!

Sincerely,

Milena

It's interesting to note that the man appointed to the hospitals’ board by the governor was conﬁrmed and the three women were voted down.

State Senator Chris Larson stated, “To

“wishing upon a falling star.” The trouble I see with following a falling star is that they meander around in all directions, being made of dust and rocks, are short lived and eventually burn up in the earth’s atmosphere.

It appears to me that we are no longer following the North Star, the Big Dipper rather we are scurrying after meteor showers, and we are scrambling for the meaning of life in some pretty empty places. These meteor showers occur daily and we Americans, Democrats and Republicans, Black and White are scrambling about like “cats on a hot tin roof.”

There are many falling stars that tell us of our plight, consumerism, mili-

Dear People of the Great State of Wisconsin,

Hello! I am a third-grade student in Northern Virginia. Our class is learning about the United States, and I will be teaching our school about the state of Wisconsin. In May, I will create a display for our State Fair that I hope will make you proud.

Although I have gathered facts about your state from books and websites, I think that I can receive the best information from the people who live there. This is why I am writing to you. I am hoping that you would be willing to send me some items to help me learn more about the best things in your state. You might consider sending items such as postcards, pictures, souvenirs, this newspaper article, or any other unique items that would be useful or show your state’s pride. Here are a few questions:

• Why do you live in your state?/

DONATION DRIVE

Recently we received word from our press that costs for materials have risen over 19% in the past few months and that our printing cost will go up accordingly.

If we charged $1 for each copy of Valley Sentinel, just half of the copies that are picked up each week would entirely cover our printing costs — however, we are committed to remaining a free

publication with an accessible, hybrid model that allows anyone that wants to read local news to have access to it. We do not believe ﬁnancial ability should be a barrier to reading local news. We may be a free paper, but unfortunately it’s not free to print papers. Valley Sentinel will stay a free and truly independent and accessible paper. Please frequent our local businesses and let them

me that seems not just partisan but pretty damn sexist.”

William Cary Rockbridge, Wisconsin

tarism build up, materialism, racism, sexism, hatred. NRA, worship of sporting events, and our rise in Nazi groups.

Instead of chasing after “fallen stars,” we need to get back to the basics of why we were placed here in the ﬁrst place; caring for the land, being a good neighbor to all and obeying the natural laws of life.

We each need to discover our own North star, something that is reliable, true, constant and life giving. When we discover this source of hope we will all be better oﬀ.

Dennis Siebert Sylvan Township, Wisconsin

What ﬁrst brought your family there?

• How do you make money?/What is your job?

• What does your state look like?

• What do people do for fun?

• What animals live there?

• What traditional food/recipes does your state have?

• What type of music is native to your state?

• Do you have a state athletic team?

• What geographic features are unique to your state?

I will need to gather all of my information by the second week of May. You can mail items to the address below. I really appreciate your help!

Sincerely,

Milena

Miss Campbell’s Class

The Langley School 1411 Balls Hill Road McLean, Virginia 22101

know you read Valley Sentinel each week.

What does independent news mean to us? It means NOT inﬂuenced by corporations or government, NO big corporate backers, NO corporate umbrella organizations, NO big money investors. Just a handful of people with a dream to build community.

Valley Sentinel is all-volunteer, independently owned and operated by its editors and is a majority woman-owned business. Community fueled and community focused. We only succeed if the community succeeds.

For more about Valley Sentinel and our model, visit us at valleysentinelnews.com/about

It's interesting. We have never updated this graphic, because we haven't yet needed to. The printing costs have only gone up, not down (blame the cost of newsprint paper and the closure of regional paper mills). We've certainly appreciated the tongue-in-cheek single dollar bills sent to us, as well as all the other support. When we say we can't do this without you, we truly mean it. Our community is everything and we aspire to do so much more within these pages in the future. As we study the model for the future of local journalism while trying to figure out how to keep the press printing, it's become more and more clear that decreasing accessibility—charging for the paper, implementing a paywall, clogging up our site with national ads—is not the answer. Readers choose our newspaper intentionally, because of its intentionality, because of its calendar, because of hundreds of other reasons across thousands of readers. In the industry, people make a big deal about the value of "opt-in readership" (that people choose to intentionally opt-in, pick up and read something. It doesn't do much good if you're reaching everyone, whether they want it or not, but not really engaging with anyone.) We think the value of our readers is inherent, and we hope our value is as well. So we're going to continue on, no matter how difficult. We simply ask for your help, if able. We need your support to continue. We also ask, what would you find valuable that would help you become a recurring supporter of our little publication? Sitting in quarterly on Editorial Board meetings? Being part of an Advisory Board that helps dream of where we go from here? Maybe it's as simple as a t-shirt and a thank you? Please let us know, because while we work for free, printing the paper isn't and we need your help. Shoot us an email at: editor@valleysentinelnews.com or reach us at PO Box 144, Spring Green, WI 53588.

If you are able

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Thursday, marCH 7, 2024 Page 2 Commentary/Opinion

OPINION/EDITORIAL

Public Education — Part 12: More on Standardized Tests

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...

Writing this series has been a trip back in time, I’m getting reacquainted with some old friends from my years in the education literature. One of those folks was W. James Popham, Emeritus Professor in the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. His scholarship and leadership in regional and national organizations that promote educational evaluation is without parallel. His 2005 manuscript, Standardized Testing Fails the Exam, begins with the header, “If enough educators – and noneducators – realize there are serious ﬂaws in how we evaluate our schools, maybe we can stop this absurdity.”

Well, that’s putting it bluntly, but he has lots of company.

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Another old literature friend, Grant Wiggins, Ed.D. from Harvard University and founder of Authentic Education put it this way, “Educators confusion over uses of standardized tests is akin to mistaking pulse rate for the total eﬀect of a health regimen.” (Phi Delta Kappan, May 1989)

Recently we received word from our press that costs for materials have risen over 19% in the past few months and that our printing cost will go up accordingly.

I mentioned Alﬁe Kohn in the last

If we charged $1 for each copy of Valley Sentinel, just half of the copies that are picked up each week would entirely cover our printing costs — however, we are committed to remaining a free

PO Box 144

Spring Green, Wisconsin 53588 USA (608) 588-6694 editor@valleysentinelnews.com valleysentinelnews.com

EDITORIAL

Editor-in-Chief Nicole Aimone

Managing Editor Taylor Scott

Legal Editor

Gary Ernest Grass, esq.

Editorial Policy

column, in his article in Education Week (Sept. 27, 2000) Standardized Testing and Its Victims, he wrote, “Standardized testing has swelled and mutated, like a creature in one of those old horror movies, to the point that it now threatens to swallow our schools whole.”

Except for the statement by Prof. Koretz in 2017 (Part 10) after excoriating standardized tests, where he admitted that “Standardized tests, if properly used, are a valuable and in some instances irreplaceable tool,” I can’t ﬁnd anyone who has anything positive to say about standardized testing. Note that the above quotes span twenty-eight years, attacks on standardized testing are not new.

This is not to say, however, that standardized tests have not served a very valuable purpose for some reformers.

And that brings me back to Diane Ravitch (Part 9). In her first book, published in 2010 she talks about standardized testing and its influence on reformers. In her second book published in 2013 she refers to those advocating change not as reformers but as corporate reformers. In her latest book, published in 2020, she labels those who have been the most significant drivers of educational changes not as reformers at all, but as disruptors. That is a disturbing evolution, but one she justifies through careful documentation.

In her first book in the series, The Death and Life of the Great American School System, she counts herself among the reformers until 2007 when a reorganization of her office made her face her skepticism about the efficacy of the reforms that rely so heavily on standardized testing. She finished that book with “By our current methods, we may be training (not educating) a generation of children who are repelled by learning, thinking that it means only drudgery, worksheets, test preparation, and test-taking.” (pg. 231)

who responded to a workshop where the district was providing curriculum that included all the materials needed to teach a hands-on/minds on science curriculum with this: “I went home last night thinking about not having to purchase my own materials to teach this curriculum. I stopped to add up all the materials I had purchased for my classroom over my 30 year career

- $100,000.” If you think this is out of the ordinary, talk to a few veteran elementary teachers and you will ﬁnd that it is not. But these veteran teachers are retiring and too many of those who are replacing them have been trained to teach to the test rather than teach the student. I’m not going to criticize those teachers, many are doing a fantastic job, and many others are doing their best. I am, however, more than willing to criticize those who are training them and in too many cases pressuring them to teach to the tests rather than educating them about how children learn and therefore, how they should teach for the maximum beneﬁt of their students.

to use that supposed failure to maintain that public education is failing our children and insist that the only solution is privatization of the whole enterprise.

And that brings us to The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools, the subtitle of Ravitch’s 2013 book, and her third book in this series Slaying Goliath: The Passionate Resistance to Privatization and the Fight to Save America’s Public Schools (2020).

But delving into that will have to wait. I need to end this column on a positive note from Derek W. Black’s, Schoolhouse Burning

“Yet not all is doom and gloom. There is reason to be optimistic about the future of public education. Just as history oﬀers a warning sign, it also tells us that we have been here before. There is truly nothing new under the sun. Many of the challenges confronting public education and democracy are variants of the ones we faced generations ago. (p. 30).

Let’s hope that Professor Black is correct,

I also have to admit that there are professional evaluation folks constantly working on tests to try to make them a better measure of the things we value.

So, while past versions have done us no favors, current and future versions may do better. In the meantime, however, a lot of damage has been done, and that needs to be explored.

Beverly is a retired professor. She lives in a remodeled farmhouse and tends 40 acres of woodland in Richland County. When not in the woods she spends her time reading, writing and enjoying the beauty of the Driftless Area. Beverly may be contacted at bpestel@msn.com.

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Meanwhile, ﬁve days a week students arrive at schools and teachers enter their classrooms where many teachers teach and children learn. Dedicated and experienced teachers who understand and appreciate the diﬀerence between training and educating carry on in spite of the pressures and push against those policies that do more harm than good for their students. These are teachers like the 30-year veteran 4th grade teacher

So where did all this emphasis on accountability based on standardized testing come from? Originally there was a movement to determine how much students were learning, and that is legitimate. But that morphed into something very diﬀerent with No Child Left Behind in 2001 when reformers and politicians decided that those tests could be used not just to evaluate students but also the teachers who taught them and the schools they attended. It didn’t matter that the tests were not designed to do that. Neither did it matter that no evidence existed that the tests actually were a valid measure of what happened exclusively in the classroom rather than being a mix of classroom experiences together with all the baggage that students bring into school with them. Which brings me back to the quote by Diane Ravitch I highlighted in the last column, “Today, critics use data from international assessments to generate a crisis mentality, not to improve public schools but to undermine public conﬁdence in them.”

know you read Valley Sentinel each week. What does independent news mean to us? It means NOT inﬂuenced by corporations or government, NO big corporate backers, NO corporate umbrella organizations, NO big money investors. Just a handful of people with a dream to build community. Valley Sentinel is all-volunteer, independently owned and operated by its editors and is a majority woman-owned business. Community fueled and community focused. We only succeed if the community succeeds.

There are those, some well-intentioned, some through ignorance, some through hubris, who used the test scores to assign failing grades to teachers and schools. That opened the door to others

For more about Valley Sentinel and our model, visit us at valleysentinelnews.com/about

Graphic Design

Julianna Williams

Democracy, Society & Edu. Columnist

On certain topics in areas of great community interest, the editors of the Valley Sentinel may take positions they believe best represent and serve the interests of the community. Any opinions or positions taken by the editorial board are separate and distinct in labeling and substance from the community journalism that appears in the rest of the publication and does not aﬀect the integri- ty and impartiality of our reporting.

Letter to the Editor Policy

Letters submitted for consideration are subject to fact-checking and editing for space and clarity. Submissions must have a compelling local community interest. Letters to the editor must ﬁt within a 500-word limit, and include name, city and phone number. Phone numbers are for oﬃce use only and will not be published. Letters of a political nature, without chance of rebuttal, will not be published the week before an election.

Column Policy

Editors may feature opinion columns written by public figures, members of the public or other publication staff. Columns reflect the opinions of the individual contributors and do not represent positions of the publication. Guest columns of an anticipated length more than 500 words should seek prior editor authorization.

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Recently we received word from our press that costs for materials have risen over 19% in the past few months and that our printing cost will go up accordingly.

If we charged $1 for each copy of Valley Sentinel, just half of the copies that are picked up each week would entirely cover our printing costs — however, we are committed to remaining a free

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From time to time the editorial board may select letters to the editor of a particular compelling community interest where a public ﬁgure or accountable public action is the recipient of criticism and allow, in the same issue, the subject of the criticism chance for rebuttal, with expounded independent input. The format shall be point, counterpoint and expert analysis. This community discussion shall serve as a moderated dialogue that presents multiple views of important community topics.

publication with that wants to read ﬁnancial ability We may be a papers. Valley Sentinel accessible paper.

Thursday, marCH 7, 2024 Page 3 Commentary/OpInIon

Editorial

Lit

Alex Prochaska

Beverly Pestel Literary Contributor Michael Broh

Intern

Spring Green, WI 53588 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.

Valley Sentinel is an independent, editor-owned, all-volunteer, free bi-weekly news publication, available on newsstands in the area. Covering Arena, Lone Rock, Plain, Spring Green and the surrounding areas in Sauk, Iowa and Richland counties. Est. 2020 igne conﬂatum “Forged in Fire” Valley Sentinel is published in Spring Green, Wisconsin every other Thursday by Lower Wisconsin River Valley Sentinel, LLC. ISSN 2694-541X (print) — ISSN 2694-5401 (online) Member, Wisconsin Newspaper Association Best of Division E (2022) REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS IN THIS EDITION Full and up-to-date policies available at: www.valleysentinelnews.com BETTER NEWSPAPER CONTEST AWARD WINNER BETTER NEWSPAPER CONTEST AWARD WINNER 2022 AWARD WINNER 2022 AWARD WINNER WISCONSIN NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION 2022

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2022

Beverly Pestel

Thursday, March 7

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 March 7 - March 21

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

SESSION FULL: WORKSHOP — Explore the World of Watercolor 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com . Watercolor classes designed for beginner and advanced beginner artists wishing to explore and improve their watercolor painting techniques. This class is full.

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.

Tech Drop-In 2:00 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.org Whether you're grappling with setting up email accounts, navigating social media platforms, or troubleshooting software issues, knowledgeable volunteers or library staﬀ will be on hand to lend a helping hand. Author Talk: Christine Hawkinson 5:30 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.org Join us for a talk and book signing with Christine Hawkinson, author of 50 Years in the Bleachers - What modern sports parents can learn from a Title IX pioneer and blog, Lessons from the Driveway.

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, March 9

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.

Knitting Help Drop-In 10:00 AM . Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Stop by the Library to ask knitting questions. Mary-Margaret has been knitter for more than 40 years. She enjoys designing and making knitwear and the many friendships she has made through the art of knitting. She lives with her husband and dog where they raise alpaca.

WORKSHOP: Cake Decorating 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM, 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM Homecoming, 242 N. Lexington Street, Spring Green savortherivervalley.org This two-part class will be led by Alyssa Janco, the owner and head baker at Nectar Bakery. Each of the cake decorating classes is available individually, but if you purchase both classes you will receive a discount. You will take home the cake that you decorate during class. There will be water and a small snack provided. Registration ends March 3.

LIVE MUSIC: Bluegrass Jam 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM . Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St., Spring Green 608-5880-707, karin@springgreengeneralstore.com, SpringGreenGeneralStore.com Free event. All ages welcome! Bluegrass Jams will be held on the second Saturday of each month. While the weather permits they'll be held on our back deck. Bring your instrument and play along or come to listen; all are welcome.

2nd Annual Euchre Tournament 2:00 PM Arena VFW Hall 514 Willow Street, Arena

For more info look up Arena VFW on Facebook $20 per person Beer and soda for sale. Come support your local snowmobile club!

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.

LIVE MUSIC: Wisconsin Singers — When Opposites Attract 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM River Valley High School, 660 Varsity Blvd, Spring Green wisconsinsingers.com Seniors / Students $10 Adults $15 The new original 90-minute show, performed by unpaid full-time UW students collectively studying more than 24 majors, features captivating vocals, stunning choreography, and the electrifying 10-piece Wisconsin Singers student band. Doors open at 6:30.

LIVE MUSIC: Violet Palms // badcandy 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jeﬀerson St., Spring Green slowpokelounge.com Support local music with a Suggested Donation at the door of $5-10 Join us for an amazing night with Violet Palms, and special guests: badcandy. Violet Palms combines early 2000s nostalgia and modern inﬂuences to create tight, direct rock music that is honest, occasionally goofy, and - because they can't help themselves. with badcandy. The local Chicago “post-garage-rock” band have been slowly releasing track after track, each containing the same vitriol as someone who is fed up with having their heart broken.

Monday, March 11

River Valley Film Club Presents... 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green slowpokelounge.com Join us one Sunday per month as we screen a movie selected by the River Valley Film Club. We’ll get started at 6:00, so come early for a drink and stay after to talk about the film. This month’s screening falls the day after the Oscars, so the RVFC will be presenting an early-career film from one of this year’s nominees. Rated R for language and some mild violence. And for twisting your brain into a pretzel.

Tuesday, March 12

Movies, Munchies and More — Line Dancing 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com A free class for all skill levels. No experience needed. From popular classics to latest favorites. Take it one step at a time! Discover why people everywhere love line dancing!

SESSION FULL: Moving Senior Bodies 4:00 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com 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.

Tuesday,March 12 cont.

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 Make some space to move, breathe and grow a little. All are welcome. Classes will be adapted for the group that attends. More info and registration details online.

Wednesday, March 13

Basic Skills for Garment Construction, Alterations, and Mends 3:30 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com

Do you have a sewing machine that you haven’t used for years because the last thing you made didn’t ﬁt, and the whole experience was too frustrating? Or maybe the machine is just confusing and you don’t know how to adjust it or thread it properly. Or maybe you would like to make or ﬁx some clothes for yourself but have never tried sewing at all. These classes will provide you with some tips and practice to learn or improve your sewing skills.

Project Yellow Art Show 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center, 6306 WI-23, Spring Green wyomingvalleyschool.org 2nd Annual Project Yellow Art Show --The mission of Project Yellow is to expand awareness of the capabilities and creative talents of students with disabilities by providing an avenue to showcase their artwork.

Paint Workshop at Arthur’s Supper Club 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM Arthur’s Supper Club, E4885 US-14, Spring Green arthurssupperclub.com . Get creative with your family & friends at the Paint Workshop. Sherry from Inspired Creations will lead the class with step by step instruction and provide all supplies needed to create the project of your choice. Feel free to come hungry and order dinner & drinks while you paint. No experience necessary. Must purchase your tickets in advance on Ticket Leap. Space is limited so sign up today!

Thursday, March 14

Yoga with Rural Remedy 8:15 AM - 9:30 AM Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center, 6306 WI-23 Trunk, Spring Green ruralremedy.com Make some space to move, breathe and grow a little. All are welcome. Classes will be adapted for the group that attends. More info and registration details online.

Move & Groove 10:00 AM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Shake those sillies out! Giggle and Jam! We'll have the music on, the rattles and rhythm sticks ready and lots of active games and dances to prove that cabin fever is behind us!

SESSION FULL: WORKSHOP — Explore the World of Watercolor 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Watercolor classes designed for beginner and advanced beginner artists wishing to explore and improve their watercolor painting techniques. The classes will be held Thursdays, February 15-April 4 from 1-4pm. This class is full.

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.

Tech Help 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Lone Rock Community Library, 234 N Broadway St, Lone Rock lonerocklibrary.wordpress.com rvbroadband.org/techhelp Come on in with any devices or technology you need help with! No appoiontment necessary.

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.

Saturday, March 16

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: Pete Henry 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St., Spring Green 608-5880-707 Peter Henry Fisk, b. 1985, is an American singer and instrumentalist. A performer since age 9, Pete has been recognized for his skills on guitar in several styles, including early music, folk, jazz, and blues.

CANCELLED: Pasta Making Class II 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Homecoming, 242 N. Lexington Street, Spring Green savortherivervalley.org This pasta making class has been cancelled.

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.

St. Luke Gala 5:30 PM Wisconsin Riverside, S13200 Shiﬄet Rd, Spring Green pastorate6.org or 608-546-2963 St Luke's 7th Annual Gala is a casual night of food, drinks, music, and live & silent auctions. 5:30 Doors & Silent Auction Open. 6:00 Appetizers, Cocktails, Music. 6:30 Cupcake Sale. 7:15 Pie Auction. 7:30 Silent Auction Closes. 8:00 Live Auctions. 9:00 Cashier’s Table Open, Drawing for Solo Smokeless Fire Pit, Drawing for Ooni Pizza Oven, Mystery Basket Raﬄe. Heavy appetizers and 2 drink tickets are included with your purchase of a ticket.

Sunday, March 17

Yoga with Rural Remedy 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Radiant Spirit Retreats Yoga, S7163 County Rd G, Hill Point ruralremedy.com Make some space to move, breathe and grow a little. All are welcome. Classes will be adapted for the group that attends. More info and registration details online.

Thursday, marCH 7, 2024 Community Page 4

very (maybe?) V

Events for March 7 - March 21

Sunday, March 17

LIVE MUSIC: Acoustic Jam 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St., Spring Green 608-5880-707 All are welcome- come to play, or come to listen. Kitchen open until 2 pm

Spring Has Sprung Cookie Decorating Class 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM Grandma Mary's Cafe, 175 U. S. Highway 14, Arena For more info look up Royally Sweet Cookies on Facebook Let’s explore the Garden in our Spring Fun Sugar Cookie Decorating Classlearn all about sugar cookie decorating! In this 2 hour class, we'll cover the basics; do some piping practice with Royal Icing, talk about the best ways to decorate sugar cookies, and cover the general concepts around dough and icing!

Hoppin' Into Easter Cookie Decorating Class 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM Grandma Mary's Cafe, 175 U. S. Highway 14, Arena For more info look up Royally Sweet Cookies on Facebook . Find some sugar-covered Easter Eggs in our Jumpin’ Into Easter Sugar Cookie Decorating Class - learn all about sugar cookie decorating! In this 2 hour class, we'll cover the basics; do some piping practice with Royal Icing, talk about the best ways to decorate sugar cookies, and cover the general concepts around dough and icing!

LIVE MUSIC: LIVE at Arthur’s 5:00 PM Arthur’s Supper Club, E4885 US-14, Spring Green arthurssupperclub.com Come on out to enjoy music and get your green on!!

Monday, March 18

Family Game Night 5:00 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com . We'll bring out a wide variety of games and snacks- you add the fun!

A Night of Words 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jeﬀerson St., Spring Green slowpokelounge.com An open mic. Friends sharing words. Watch. Listen. Speak. Share. Maybe you have a favorite poem, or passage from a book you’d like to share. Or maybe you write your own and are ready to share it with the rest of us. Maybe you just want to tell a story. Or maybe you just want to listen. It’s all good. Let’s hang out and share words together. Poetry. Stories. Original work and old favorites. This and that. A Night of Words.

Tuesday, March 19

Movies, Munchies and More — Customs and Culture of Japan 1:00 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Come to the library to enjoy a movie and a treat. Joe Fahey will be back with a presentation, "Customs and Culture of Japan." Life in Japan can be very foreign to those of us living in the west. Joe Fahey spent a year in Japan and is well versed in its culture. In this presentation he will share the customs that guide everyday life, ranging from social rules to food and sports.

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.

Wednesday, March 20

All Ages Storytime 10:30 AM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Throughout the month of March we'll be sharing books, songs and activities. All ages welcome. Is your child active, noisy or "ﬁdgety"? No worries! It's okay if your kiddo needs to wiggle and giggle to enjoy their time at story hour! We'll have two themes in March! The 13th will feature Frogs and Toads in anticipation of River Valley Players' upcoming production of "A Year with Frog and Toad." The last weeks of the month our theme with be Rabbits.

Wisconsin Honey Queen 3:00 PM . Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green . springgreenlibrary.org . This program will start with the Annual Meeting of the Friends of the Library at 2:30pm. Starting at 3pm, Join us for a program about honeybees and beekeeping in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Honey Producers Association is proud to announce that Sadie Goettl of Berlin, Wisconsin was selected as the 2024 Wisconsin Honey Queen. Sadie is the daughter of Tammy and Tony Goettl. A graduate of Berlin High School, Sadie is a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studying Agricultural Business Management and Communications Arts, with certiﬁcates in Public Policy and integrated liberal studies. Follow Queen Sadie’s activities on Facebook at Wisconsin Honey Queen Program.

Arcadia Book Club discusses "Martyr!" by Kaveh Akbar 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM This is a zoom book club meeting readinutopia.com A newly sober, orphaned son of Iranian immigrants, guided by the voices of artists, poets, and kings, embarks on a remarkable search for a family secret that leads him to a terminally ill painter living out her ﬁnal days in the Brooklyn Museum. Electrifying, funny, and wholly original, Martyr! heralds the arrival of an essential new voice in contemporary ﬁction.

Thursday, March 21

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

SESSION FULL: WORKSHOP — Explore the World of Watercolor 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com This class is full.

Family Fun Night! 5:00 PM Plain Kraemer Library, 910 Main St., Plain kraemerlibrary.org . Join us for Family Fun Nights at the Library! Each month we will have a fun themed activity for families to drop in to do. Join us for pizza and a movie! Families can sign up at the front desk or call 608-546-4201. Kids under 6 must be with an adult.

Silent Book Club at Convivio 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM Convivio, 122 N Lexington St, Spring Green readinutopia.com Join us for our first pop-up Silent Book Club hosted by Convivio! Bring your own book and reunite with fellow Arcadians while the store is closed. We'll gather to visit, get a drink, and chat about what we’re all reading for the first 30 minutes. Then quiet reading time for 1 hour. And finally we'll have wrap-up time for visiting (or more reading) at the end. Space is limited. Please call the store at 608-588-7638 to register.

CIVICS & SERVICES

CIVICS & SERVICES CALENDAR

This calendar is a place listing (for free) the typical meeting dates for area governmental bodies, and Please email us with these meetings, or use the form on our Community Calendar page — let's build community together: editor@valleysentinelnews.com

March 11:

Wildlife Forever ATV Club 6:30 PM Arena VFW, 514 Willow St, Arena For more info look up Wildlife Forever ATV Club on Facebook

March 12:

Village of Lone Rock Board Meeting 7:00 PM villageoﬂonerock.com Village Hall, 314 E Forest St, Lone Rock See full agenda online

March 13:

Plain Village Board Meeting 6:30 PM 510 Main Street, Plain villageofplain.com

Village of Spring Green Board Meeting 7:00 PM In person and virtual event 154 N. Lexington Street, Spring Green vi.springgreen.wi.gov

March 14: Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board Meeting 5:00 PM LWSRB Conference Room, 202 N. Wisconsin Avenue, Muscoda or via Zoom . lwr.state.wi.us . The Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board will conduct a regular monthly business meeting. Information will be posted on the LWSRB website regarding the connection to the meeting. A portion of the meeting is reserved for public comment and, as always, the public is cordially invited to attend. For further information regarding the March 14th Riverway Board meeting, contact Mark Cupp, Executive Director, at (608) 739-3188 or 1-800-221-3792 or stop by the oﬃce at 202 N. Wisconsin Avenue, Muscoda.

March 18:

Arena Historians Meeting 1:30 PM Grandma Mary's (Brisbane Hall), 175 US Hwy 14, Arena "Changes in the Classroom" will be our featured topic, with Loren Glasbrenner, River Valley School District Administrator, as our quest speaker. We will also share the story of the "lowa County Champion Leprechaun." The meeting is free to the general public.

March 19:

MEETING: Library Board Meeting 5:00 PM Commmunity Room, Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St. Spring Green springgreenlibrary.org The Library Board of Trustees meets each month, typically on the ﬁrst or second Monday, at 5 PM. Changes to this schedule are posted at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. The meetings are open to the public.

March 21:

Community Information Presentations Regarding April 2 River Valley School District Referendums 5:00 PM River Valley Middle School - LMC, 660 Daley St, Spring Green rvschools.org.org/district/referendum-2024.cfm

March 29:

Arena Community Blood Drive 12:30 PM - 5:30 PM Arena Fire/EMS Station, 111 David Circle, Arena Sponsored by Fire and EMS to schedule an appointment, Contact Arena EMS at 608-753-2335 or email arenaems84@gmail.com Appointments Preferred.

WHAT’S HANGINg ?

ongoing art exhibitions

Spring Green Community Library Art Exhibitions . Spring Green Community Library, 230 E Monroe St, Spring Green Throughout February. Monday-Thursday: 10 AM - 7 PM Friday: 10 AM - 5 PM Saturday: 9 AM - 1 PM

March exhibits feature Woodcut Prints by Marlys Greenhalgh in the Community Room Gallery and Intertwined Basketry by Mary Luckhardt Klemm in the Glass Case Gallery.

Both exhibits are available for viewing during regular library hours. Please ask for the key to the Community Room at the circulation desk(when it is otherwise not in use).

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.

In Brief

Public Meeting Scheduled for US 14 Improvement Project

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) will hold a public meeting to discuss improvements to US 14 in Sauk County, from the Richland County line to the Wisconsin River in Sauk County. The meeting is scheduled for March 19, 2024, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Spring Green Community Library (230 E Monroe Street, Spring Green).

Proposed enhancements include resurfacing US 14, replacing guardrails, and two intersection improvements at US 14/WIS 23 south and US 14/Rainbow Road. Traﬃc signals will be placed at US 14/WIS 23 intersection and a roundabout will be placed at the US 14/Rainbow Road intersection. Construction is set for 2027.

For more information, contact WisDOT Project Manager Greg Brecka at (608) 516-6524 or gregory.brecka@dot.wi.gov. Written comments can be mailed to 2101 Wright Street, Madison WI 53704.

Thursday, marCH 7, 2024 Page 5 Community

calendar

losing sight of how much impact even the smallest variable can have.

On the one hand, I really enjoy playing around with the detailed stuff, trying to see where tiniest interference can bring about the longest impact. On the other, as soon as I succeed with some detail, I see the billions of details that I have not interfered with and become overwhelmed with the impossibility of it all. Or worse, make some tiny change that I can't imagine would have an impact anywhere, and it has such a huge effect that I spend years cleaning it up.

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.

What is Lexington & Jeﬀerson?

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. We are beginning to actively seek to publish an

annual literary journal. If interested, please reach out.

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

so much. He tried to tell me the whole story, but even his memory was spotty and jerked, jumping from one reality to the next, never sure which truth was real.

Still, there seems to be a sort of inertia that drives all these details together. When I am able to just relax and watch the rivers flow, I'm usually filled with confidence. Confidence that there is a greater force at work. The problem comes when I catch myself worrying about the effect of each electron in each droplet of water upon the flow of one of these rivers.

Lexington & Jefferson

Vanity Page: A Selection of Prose

Life is a dream. This much we know.

LITERARY + ARTS & CULTURE SECTION

Perhaps the story of my father and I, of Epimetheus Halfstep, a man who never lived, begins more properly in another part of the archive Words dotted with fear hiding around corners from the rest. A carefully worded story meant to shed light and evade at the same time. Confessions.

Epimetheus Halfstep, dreamwalker, life therapist, met himself in a dream. When he returned home, nothing was quite the same. Each day a new dream. Each day a new waking life. He had hopes, he had wishes, but he had no plan. He should have.

Dreamwalker

Still, I am learning to relax. See the forest for the trees, so to speak. The number of electrons may be overwhelming, but it is the mass of them, the patterns, that matter.

By Michael Broh

Part 1

I do feel I am getting better at this.

Continued from February 22 edition of Valley Sentinel 6

— Michael Broh

Confessions that, like Epimetheus Halfstep himself, never existed.

From what I understand, my father had no access to his formal records, including the confessions. Formal records that, in any case, no longer exist. Yet, he remembered them. He remembered them, and I saw his memory. The bits and pieces that survived, anyway. They are incomplete at best. One sided conversations where his words were no doubt coded to keep himself out of prison. Or worse. Yet, they do help form a picture, fill out a story, missing pieces.

so much. He tried to tell me the whole story, but even his memory was spotty and jerked, jumping from one reality to the next, never sure which truth was real.

Confessions that, like Epimetheus Halfstep himself, never existed.

You see, my father, Epimetheus Halfstep, was a criminal. And Epimetheus Halfstep got caught.

He wasn't clear about how he got caught. Only that he got caught. That one evening he reported for duty, only to find a couple of suits from Internal Investigations waiting for him. They had with them the complete collection of his reports from the last six years, as well as other data of their own. They instructed him to accompany them to their office where they might ask him a few questions.

You see, my father, Epimetheus Halfstep, was a criminal.

UPCOMING MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES WITH VALLEY SENTINEL

Special Section EASTER BRUNCH

And Epimetheus Halfstep got caught.

— ADVERTISING SPOTS —

My father’s early journal entries are fairly consistent. The entries written before my own story began. Before what he called the anomaly. Later, the journal is all over the place and missing 7

All of the local Easter Brunches and happenings that are being advertised all in one place so readers can plan out how to celebrate Easter weekend.

Is your business doing a special Easter Brunch, egg hunt or celebrating Easter in a special way? Showcase it in this special advertising section.

$400 full page, $200 half page, $100 quarter page, $50 eighth page, $25 sixteenth page – Limited availability. $25 flat ad design fee if needed. Inquire about online and social ad opportunities.

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Featured Business/Promotional Articles Advertising Spots Event Listings

DATE OUT: March 21 SPACE DEADLINE: EOB March 15

AD COPY DEADLINE: EOD March 15

Readers & Businesses :

Know of Easter Egg Hunts or other activities being held in the Valley? Let us know: editor@valleysentinelnews.com

Other Advertising Alerts: May 16, 2024: TBD Wedding special section (Presented by Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center) | May 2, 2024: Mother’s Day Brunch ad section section

FROG AND TOAD

BOOK AND LYRICS BY WILLIAM REALE BASED ON THE BOOKS BY ARNOLD LOBEL

MUSIC DIRECTION BY TONY CAVAGNETTO

March16 at 7:00

March 22 at 7:00

March 23 at 7:00

THE GARD THEATRE SPRING GREEN, WI

TICKETS AND INFOMATION AT RIVERVALLEYPLAYERS.ORG Adults $15 |

Thursday, marCH 7, 2024 Community Page 6

Children

is presented through special arrangement with All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.

Under 12 $10

ways able to get the job done. But there is so much clean up. I

keep

The Sauk County Gardener

Bad Bugs, Bad Bugs, Whatcha Gonna Do?

Jeannie Manis, Wisconsin Certiﬁed Master Gardener

“Insects are my secret fear. That's what terriﬁes me more than anything - insects.”

— Michael O'Donoghue

This warm weather gives us an opportunity to get outside and enjoy the weather. It’s also a great time to inspect your various trees and shrubs for bad bugs’ egg masses – those of the spongy moth and the viburnum leaf beetle. These two insects are a couple bad bugs to be on the watch for this upcoming growing season and to hopefully help minimize the eﬀects of them in your landscape and neighboring areas.

The spongy moth is one that many of us are probably familiar with – previously named the gypsy moth. It’s been around for quite a while and for years the spongy moth (Lymantria dispar) caterpillars have defoliated thousands of acres of hardwood forests, yard trees and other urban trees throughout Wisconsin. It is an invasive species that was introduced

to the United States for research as a possible source for silk production over a hundred years ago. In your yard, you’ll want your trees if you have any of these preferred host trees: aspen, birch, crabapple, hawthorn, linden, mountain ash, oak, and willow. Most evergreens and some deciduous trees (dogwood, honey locust, silver and red maple, tulip tree, and green and white ash) are typically resistant. The caterpillars eat the tree leaves and if the damage is severe enough or the tree is completely defoliated, it will weaken over time. Most of the time, the tree will produce new leaves later in the growing season around July. Management of this insect is hard out in the woods, but you can do your part by looking for the egg masses on your own trees at this time of the year. The spongy moth likes to lay its eggs on a variety of surfaces besides trees – sides of buildings, lawn furniture, mailbox, rocks – you get the picture. Once you’ve found egg masses, there are two ways to deal with them between December

The Beneﬁts of Community Gardens

Jeannie Manis Wisconsin Certiﬁed Master Gardener

“I envision a day when every city and town has front and back yards, community gardens and growing spaces, nurtured into life by neighbors who are no longer strangers, but friends who delight in the edible rewards oﬀered from a garden they discovered together.”

— Greg Peterson

For many of us, the concept of community gardens is not new. In the United States, the history of community gardens can be traced back to the 1890s. During that time there was an economic recession and community gardens popped up in vacant lots. The ﬁrst one municipally sponsored urban gardening program was started in the Detroit, Michigan area. At that time, those gardens provided food and income for the unemployed.

Today, community gardens continue to serve an important role in our area. For the low cost of a garden plot, it’s a place for people to plant a garden because they don’t have space at their home or apartment. For others, a community garden allows them to grow vegetables

Lowery Creek Watershed Initiative announces 2024 Evenings Aﬁeld, events

March 28 – 4:00-6:00pm

that they can’t grow at their own home because the growing conditions are not right. Here are just a few more beneﬁts of community gardens:

Improves food security – A plot in a community garden can help a family have more reliable access to heathy, nutritious food and lower overall food expenses.

Increases consumption of fresh, nutritious food – People are more likely to eat more fruits and vegetables if they grew them themselves.

Provides opportunities for donating to food banks and pantries – Excess product from community gardens is welcomed, providing even more people with access to fresh food to supplement their diet.

Promotes healthier lifestyles –Gardening requires people to get outside, soak up some Vitamin D, and simply be active. Anyone who gardens know it’s not a passive hobby.

Oﬀers a variety of educational opportunities – People have opportunities to learn about gardening from their own experiences and from

In Brief

Mike Degen & Gigi La Budde

July 11 – 6:00-8:00pm

Lowery Creek Watershed Community Open House

Elderﬂower Retreat, Savanna Institute’s Hillside Farm

Hosted by all LCWI partners

April 26 – 1:00-4:00pm

Workshop: Managing Beavers in Driftless Streams

Savanna Institute South Farm

Phil Peterson, Justin Haglund, Mike Degen, Jacob Ruid

Evenings Aﬁeld –

May 2 – 6:00-8:00pm

Frogs & Toads: A Chorus of Peepers Cates Family Farm

Mike Mossman & Lisa Hartman

June 6 – 6:00-8:00pm

Controlling Invasive Plants

Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center

and March. You can scrape or spray them. If you scrap them, be careful not to damage the bark of the tree. Scrap them into a container and cover them with soapy water for two days; then throw them away in the trash. Don’t scrape them onto the ground or try to crush them as they will likely survive and hatch in the spring. If the weather is over 40 degrees Fahrenheit, you can spray egg masses with horticultural oil labeled for spongy moth. The oil kills the eggs and helps reduce the spongy moth population. If you have a lot of egg masses, add a little food color so you can see where you sprayed. To learn more, visit https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/ spongymothinwisconsin/.

The viburnum leaf beetle is another invasive insect species to be on the lookout for in your yard, especially if you have these viburnums: arrowwood, European cranberrybush, or the American cranberrybush. These three are favorites of the viburnum leaf beetle. This bad insect has been spotted in 12 Wisconsin

their gardening neighbors. It also is a great way to interact with people who may come from diﬀerent social and cultural backgrounds.

Helps relieve stress and anxiety –Gardening allows a person to relax and connect with nature, oﬀering an escape from stress. I know weeding is not everyone’s favorite, but when I’m having a stressful day, there is nothing like a good session of weeding to work out my frustrations.

Helps improve self-esteem – A person’s self-esteem improves immensely when they see they can grow their own food.

Oﬀers social networking and community cohesion – When a person works sideby-side with another gardener in a community garden, they can’t help but interact with each other and connect with each other.

If you’re looking for a chance to grow your own food and enjoy many of these community garden beneﬁts, here are three community gardens that you can consider renting a plot from:

Baraboo Community Gardens, 921 2nd Ave., Baraboo, WI – managed by the City

counties, including nearby Dane County. If you have a viburnum shrub, you should inspect the branches for egg-laying sites October through spring. (you can see egg-laying site photos here: https://hort. extension.wisc.edu/articles/viburnumleaf-beetle/). Prune and destroy any twigs and/or branches you ﬁnd to reduce their numbers. You can also spray the eggs with horticultural oil when outdoor temps are above 40 degrees Fahrenheit AND prior to bud break. This will greatly reduce egg hatching. If you’re looking to add a viburnum to your landscape, look for resistant ones such as the doubleﬁle, Judd, or Koreanspice viburnum.

There is still time to register for “Let’s Get Green & Growing” Spring workshop on Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Rio, Wisconsin. Presented by the Master Gardeners Volunteers of Columbia County, there are 24 interactive morning & afternoon breakout sessions to choose from and it’s only $20 to attend. Visit http://tinyurl.com/LGGG-Register to register.

of Baraboo. Applications can be accepted starting April 1, 2024. (There are inground plots and raised beds to choose from.)

Prairie du Sac Community Garden, 995 Broadway St., Prairie du Sac, WI – managed by SCMGA. Application deadline is March 15, 2024. (This one has a waiting list.)

Reedsburg Community Garden, 300 Alexander Ave, Reedsburg, WI – managed by SCMGA. Application deadline is April 1, 2024. (These are all 5 x 20’ raised bed plots.)

For more information about renting a plot, send an email to saukctymg@gmail. com or post a message on the SCMGA’s facebook page - Sauk County Master Gardeners Association.

This week’s article is 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.

In Brief

Spring Green Community Gardens announces 2024 plot availability

Prescribed Burning: The Importance of Managing with Fire Cates Family Farm Jeb Barzen

August 22 – 6:00-8:00pm

Boosting Biodiversity on Farms: Edges, Agroforestry, and More Twin Crix Farm

Patrick Michaels & Dick Cates

September 26 – 5:00-7:00pm

Planting Prairies: Seeds, Sites, and Sowing Degen-Ziegler property

Mike Degen & Meg Ziegler

October 17 – 6:00-8:00pm

Preserving and Enjoying Dark Skies Location TBD

John Heasley

More information: driftlessconservancy.org/lowery-creekwatershed

The River Valley Area Community Gardens has garden plots available for 2024. 10’ x 10’ plots rent for $20/season. 10’ x 20’ plots are $40/season and 20’ x 20’ plots are $60/season. The fee includes straw mulch, use of our rototiller and other tools, manure/compost, organic fer-tilizer, water to each plot section and hoses.

Print registration forms are available in the INFO BOX at the Gardens located in the 900 block of North Westmor, Spring Green (behind Ring Brothers Classic Auto). Forms may also be requested via email at info@rvacg.org , by texting 608-588-6040 or through the RVASG Facebook page or website rvacg.org. All are welcome.

Thursday, marCH 7, 2024 Page 7 Outdoors & Recreation CLASSIFIEDS Interested in regenerative agriculture? Savanna Institute is hiring two full-time positions at our Spring Green Campus: Farm Administration and Business Development Coordinator – $48-52k/yr + beneﬁts Equipment Operations and Maintenance Specialist – $48-52k/yr + beneﬁts To learn more and apply visit www.savannainstitute.org/jobs Deadline: March 18th

An Outdoorsman’s Journal

Mark Walters, Columnist

Hello friends,

Just when I think my job could not be any more fun, it is. This week’s column is all over the map as there is a lot to say and not space to say it. On February 16th, I arrived at The Waters Pier and Pub which is the official headquarters for what I think may be the coolest fisheree in the state. Over the course of 2 days there would five bands playing on Friday and seven on Saturday on the shores of the Wisconsin River at Stevens Point. On Saturday there is a just tip ups, no electronics, northern pike contest.

On Friday I would be joined by Austin Syvertson who is a very good friend of my daughter Selinas. Austin attended UWSP and was a pitcher on the Pointers baseball team. On Saturday, I would be joined by my long time buddy Doug Cibulka and his daughter Megan who just graduated from the University of Dubuque with a degree as a physician’s assistant.

Saturday, February 17th

High 38°, Low 5°

picture with the pike on a yard stick found out that a 33 had already been caught. To add to the crazy part of our day a fella that was fishing about 200-yards from our camp walks over to visit and pretty soon he has a flag. I walked over with him and got my camera ready to take a picture of the fish coming out of the hole. First crazy thing, he is spooled, second my friend has a very large fish on, third, his auger battery was dead and so he had chopped a hole to fish out of, fourth his hole was at best 5-inches, fifth my pal had a great attitude during what would be a 15 minute experience, sixth, we all get a clear look at the monster from the deep and it was atleast 20 pounds and just hanging below the hole. Lastly, an attempt was made to pull his “without a doubt contest winner” out of the water and his braided line breaks. I have to give this guy credit, even after his line went limp, he still had a great attitude.

You could say that there was frost on the pumpkin this morning. Austin and I slept in my Eskimo “Outbreak” ice shack and all liquids, but our minnows froze. The fishing part of Pike Jam starts at 9 and goes until 5, the music runs from 11 until dark. This entire event is festive in nature with hardcore, but casual fisherpeople coming from far and wide and the mood is electric as every band is really good and the biggest northern pike takes all the money. Last year a young college student fishing next to our gang won the contest with a 32-inch gator and last night Brock (who won last year) and four of his buddies camped on the ice in our area and refused to go to sleep.

The Cibulka’s arrived, we entered in the contest and right away Austin caught a 15.5 inch walleye, then I caught a 22.5 inch gator and after sending in a

An hour later, I get a flag and it is fight on, my gator is big but not like what my neighbor lost. I catch it and it is 35-inches, giving it a solid chance of winning a contest that still has 6 hours left in it. The fish is let go after photos and the four of us start a pretty good “we got a big one party.” Throughout the day we had visitors and everyone was in a celebratory mood.

At 5 we pulled our tip ups and headed in to listen to the last band and find out if the 35 was big enough to win the day. Holy moly was I ever in a super good mood when my good friend Alex Dalnodar, the man who created and runs Tip-Up Pike Jam told me I had taken first place and the winnings netted me a $1000. As you can well imagine with Doug, Megan and I sleeping on the ice, we had a pretty serious, “we won” party.

Alex is a fulltime musician in the band Dig Deep and they are going on tour yet this winter. Next year’s Tip-Up Pike Jam will be on February 14th and 15th, check it out on Facebook and attend this EXTREMELY COOL EVENT! Sunset

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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!

Outdoors & Recreation Thursday, marCH 7, 2024 Page 8 “The good stuﬀ .”

Photo contributed by Mark Walters This northern pike was the biggest one caught in Tip-Up Pike Jam which was held on the Wisconsin river at Stevens Point at Waters Pier and Pub. Good Times at Tip-Up Pike Jam Photo contributed by Mark Walters Mark Walters being awarded the “winnings” at Tip-Up Pike Jam by his good friend Alex Dalnodar who is the host of this incredible event.

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Photo contributed by Mark Walters There was live music on Friday and Saturday at Tip-Up Pike Jam and the crowd had a blast.