Valley Sentinel - 10-03-2024 by Valley Sentinel

River Valley School Board approves resignations, transfers and business manager returns

At its Sept. 4 special meeting, the River Valley School District Board of Education considered the resignation of teacher Ashley Kriesky and business manager Pat Mahoney, and extended an oﬀer for the vacant business manager position. At the Sept. 12 regular board meeting, the district recognized Dr. Masaru Furukawa for the district community spotlight as well as received a health update, heard a report regarding staﬀ morale and climate, and hired a business manager.

September 4 Special Meeting

The board considered and accepted the resignation of Ashley Kriesky, who had been hired in June for the position of business education teacher. The board also voted to waive Kriesky’s $3,000

liquidated damages fee, with all in favor.

Liquidated damages fees are typically applied to teachers or other staﬀ members if they resign from their contract prior to expiration, as to recoup the cost of ﬁnding a replacement.

The board also considered and accepted the resignation of Pat Mahoney from the position of the district’s business manager. Mahoney was recently hired into the position in June, said in his resignation email to the district stated “The business manager position is a very challenging one. Especially when you are brand new to it.”

The board amended the motion to accept the resignation to waive the $1,800 liquidated damages fee.

Mahoney also had stated in his email

that after Krieski’s resignation, that he believed it would be best if he took up the vacancy for the Business education teacher. The board voted unanimously in favor of the transfer of Mahoney to the business education position. With 11 years prior experience and a Masters of Science in business education, Mahoney was hired on with a yearly salary of $66,000.

The board proceeded to enter a closed session for discussion of the business manager position, including compensation package. After reconvening in open session, the board moved to oﬀer the position to Brian Krey, who had previously been the district’s business manager prior to Mahoney. The motion carried with all members in favor.

September 12 Special Meeting

‘We have to listen to them’: Democrats reach out to rural voters in newly drawn districts

Christy Updike, a farmer and full-time health care professional from Plain, Wisconsin, said she’s been avoiding the television and news this election cycle — she doesn’t necessarily trust the information being shared this way. She said she’d rather hear from candidates directly.

One of Updike’s top concerns is bringing more resources to rural communities, especially mental health support.

Updike also works with the Farmer Angel Network, an organization dedicated to suicide prevention and mental health for rural communities in Wisconsin. She said that she is open to hearing from candidates across the political spectrum.

“I am not straight down ever. I look at individual people and if they happen to be a politician already, I look at their history,” Updike said.

Community Spotlight and Health Update

The board recognized Dr. Masaru Furukawa of the River Valley Medical Center for this months community spotlight. The board in June had voted to reappoint Furukawa as the district’s medical advisor.

Furukawa also briefed the school board on health related topics. He noted 110 cases of pink eye, which the nurses responded to by scheduling hand washing lessons for October and helping to ensure better hygiene in the classrooms. The Early Learning Center is also doing hearing and vision testing through the month of October. Furukawa also noted from a sports medicine standpoint

With Wisconsin’s new, more competitive legislative maps changing the dynamics of state-level races this year, rural voters like Updike will play a decisive role in shaping the state Legislature. Democrats, seeking to pick up additional seats in the state Assembly and Senate, are looking to win them over in November by meeting voters where they are.

Wisconsin’s 14th Senate District sits north of Madison, covering parts of Dane, Columbia, Sauk and Richland counties, including the cities of Deforest, Reedsburg, Baraboo, Lodi, Columbus, Portage, Richland Center and Wisconsin Dells. It is one of Democrats’ top targets this year as they look to lay the groundwork for ﬂipping the state Senate in future election cycles.

Democrat Sarah Keyeski, a political

continued on page 4

Wisconsin Examiner: Analyzing new districts

Huge Community Calendar: Fall events, Farm/Art DTour & more

Double header: Pestel ends, starts columns

Luukas Palm-Leis, Reporter

Photo by Baylor Spears, Wisconsin Examiner Democratic candidate Sarah Keyeski, a mental health professional from Lodi, answering questions at a forum hosted by Main Street Alliance, the Wisconsin Farmers Union and Wisconsin Early Education. Her opponent, Sen. Joan Ballweg didn’t attend. Organizers set up a vacant chair in the Yahara River Learning Center classroom next to Keyeski.

Baylor Spears, Wisconsin Examiner

The (not so) Plain and Simple Correspondent: Against Killing Children

Katie Green, Columnist

In the October issue of “The Christian Century” magazine, guest contributor Wendell Berry wrote a passionate essay entitled “Against Killing Children”. Who isn't against killing children, you ask? Turns out that his is not a shared value. As Berry said, “We have become a society of people who cannot prevent our own children from being killed in their classrooms – and who do not much mind the killing of other people's children by weapons of war.” He points out that we of a certain vintage used to be threatened by the “natural” hazards of being young, inexperienced and potentially injured by roaming about with an amount of independence largely unknown now, but we never were afraid of being shot at in school. Anyway, this was true for me and my brothers when we were kids. We were allowed to take huge risks by our trusting (and sometimes nervous) parents.

Now guns are everywhere and the proﬁt motive is strong in keeping it that way. The National Riﬂe Assn. goes ballistic, as it were, if anyone questions their interpretation of the Second Amendment to the Constitution. The Sept. 22 issue of “The New York Times” shows back-

to-school items that are being sold as ballistic armor. Bulletproof backpacks, hoodies ($450), three-ring binders, hand-held shields, bullet-proof desks,

even pencil pouches ($185) that can deﬂect bullets. Some items run as high as $850. Thousands of these items are being sold to parents trying however they can to keep their children safe. Classroom safety experts say there is no evidence that these expensive products actually work or have been tested properly, however.

Berry references the situation in Gaza

Project 2025: The Conservative Promise — Part 11: Agenda 47

Beverly Pestel, Columnist

As you can see, I’m still not done with Project 2025 yet - sorry. If you were hoping to get something more uplifting in this column, I do have this to oﬀer…

The message from the Democratic ticket nationally is one of joy, hope, and freedom. In Kamala Harris’ address to the UAW (not telecast in its entirety except by Lawrence O’Donnell), she said: “We just want fairness. We want dignity for all people. We want to recognize the right all people have to freedom and liberty, to make choices, especially those that are about heart and home.”

And I have to say it – I was blown away by the reception that Hillary and Elizabeth Warren received at the Democratic National Convention. I’m tempted to expound on the events of the convention, but I wouldn’t know where to stop. I watched all four nights on C-Span to avoid the commentators and

are

For more information on the history of the River Valley School Fair, check out this online exclusive from Jim Massey that originally appeared in Wisconsin Agriculturist: Scan the QR code at left, or go to: valleysentinelnews.com.

absorb the atmosphere. OK, conventions are rah-rah events designed to rouse up the base – well, it worked for me. But I need to go back to Joe… How many times have we heard Joe say: “Folks, we just have to remember who we are. We are the United States of America, and there is nothing — nothing — beyond our capacity if we do it together, so let’s get it done.”

And that bring me to the now predictable parroting by Trump. Agenda 47, the name of the 2024 Republican Platform, begins this way: “The American

and other war zones as proof of devaluing other people's children, as just collateral damage when the extremist bullies tangle. But how, he asks, if we devalue other people's children, do we not devalue our own? He points out the travesty of believing that our huge nuclear arsenal makes us safe. Who are we kidding? If a nuclear war is triggered by any one of the nations eagerly beefing up their stockpile of bombs, the entire earth as we know it will go up in flames. Our children are smart. They know this and fear the future. They fear not just open warfare and classroom violence, but the environmental disaster already upon us. No wonder many turn to drugs, drop out of society, commit suicide. In this country violations of child labor laws still happen and there is pressure from lobbyists to lower the age kids can work. In corporate America, profit takes precedence over keeping children safe from dangerous occupations such as in meat packing plants. Many kids want to work, earn money and prove their worth, but they must be protected from danger as much as possible. They also want to be educated, either formally or by studying a trade. The latest newsletter from State Senator Jeff Smith tells of the failures of

Civil Discourse — Part 1: Civil Discourse?

Beverly Pestel, Columnist

continued on page 5

I embarked on a foray into what turned out to be treacherous territory a few months back. I joined a local Facebook group because I thought I wanted to know what local folks were talking about. When folks on the site I was monitoring began gleefully talking about being banned from the “other site” and suggested that I was on the wrong site and should “get the hell oﬀ” this one, I discovered that there were two closely labeled sites that are quite diﬀerent. To be fair there are contentious comments on both sites, and I haven’t been without blame

our State legislature to bring relief to rural schools to compensate them for the expense of teaching children with special needs, or to expand insurance to make sure all our children are given medical attention when needed. The Republican party in particular will not allow Governor Ever's budget to contain these humanitarian items that would mean so much to families with children..

Wendell Berry is a Christian, a farmer and writer living in Kentucky who in part patterns his life on the Old Order Amish, who greet each new “improvement” by asking, “What will this do to our community?” As he says, both Christians and Jews believe they are made in God's image, and surely The Creator /The Great Spirit would wish us to do better by our children and our world, one state, one nation at a time. Why not Wisconsin, now? It could do wonders for our human community regardless of whether or not you are religious.

Katie, who most previously 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.

in contributing to some of it – to my shame. One site, however, goes way beyond the bounds of civil discourse. If I dare to post something or make a comment that is antithetical to the predominant position of this group, the response is immediate and often very unﬂattering. I’ve been called stupid, dumb, uneducated, ignorant, illiterate, a moron, a retard, a LYING LIAR (Yes, always in caps), a pedophile, a f*cking b*tch, a snapper head, a crazy cat lady, and an empty post (Huh?), I’m sure I’ve left some out. I was also accused of “being Hippocratic.” And it just keeps coming. I misspelled ubiquitous on a comment and got this back in response: “You cannot compete with me intellectually… you’re ignorant, apparently stupid and certainly a LYING LIAR! Crawl back under your rock…Please don’t reproduce. You would be

continued on page 5

“Homecoming King and Queen” (2024) Photo, by Karen Scott

The River Valley School District in Spring Green held its Homecoming the week of September 23, with the Homecoming parade and River Valley School Fair held September 27.

Pictured

Homecoming King and Queen, Chayse Gilbertson and Jazmine Gauger, riding in a red convertible during the parade.

Katie Green

On the cover

Beverly Pestel

OPINION/EDITORIAL

Editor's Column: And we're back!

Taylor Scott, Managing Editor

We wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for their patience and understanding as we took a month oﬀ from publishing to tackle some projects and try (and fail) to get caught up on admin and invoicing.

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Our publication schedule for the rest of the year looks like this:

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REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS IN THIS EDITION

Your Right to Know: Sauk nursing home sale shows

On Tuesday, Sept. 17, the Sauk County Board voted to spend $40,500 to buy a sheriﬀ’s department vehicle to replace one totaled in a July incident. The resolution printed on the agenda included details of the incident, the car dealer and a ﬁscal note explaining that the money would come from insurance accounts.

This display of transparency happened one week to the day after the same county board approved contracts to sell the county-owned nursing home to a private entity. That agenda stated the board would meet in closed session to discuss the sale. It did not name the buyer or include the sale price. While the buyer was disclosed in the 45-minute public discussion following the closed session, the sale price was not. The $5.1 million price was revealed the following day in an attachment to a press release. There was no ﬁscal note on the agenda.

A note might have explained why the county accepted an oﬀer $3.4 million less than the $8.5 million sought when it ﬁrst marketed the nursing home, which has 48 residents. Nor did the county explain why the price was so much less than the $19

why transparency matters

million value for which the county insures the nursing home. All these numbers are from records I obtained.

The December 2023 resolution that started the process included as a condition:

“The potential buyer shall demonstrate a history of 5-star care ratings in the senior health care industry.” That was the county nursing home’s rating at the time.

Medicare’s star system for rating nursing homes is based on regular inspections and

citation history. Five-star is much above average, 4-star is above average, 3-star is average, 2-star is below average and 1-star is much below average. The buyer, Aria, operates three nursing homes in the north Milwaukee suburbs that currently have one- and two-star ratings.

The ﬁve-star condition was interpreted by most as meaning that the county would seek a private buyer with a history of highquality care similar to that provided by the county nursing home, which had a 5-star rating in December 2023. That was the county’s oﬃcial public position concerning the sale, up until Sept. 10, when the board voted to approve the sale to Aria. In the Sept. 10 motion that passed, all of the conditions in the December resolution were superseded by the sale contract.

Between December and September, the board held two closed-session meetings. The only information that came out of those meetings was that the county had chosen to negotiate with a single interested buyer, whose name was kept secret, though it leaked out in late July. A petition drive collected 1,300 signatures opposing the nursing home sale that were presented to the county.

Know Your Legal Rights: Empowering your vote — Wisconsin’s transparency laws

Election season is here, and we are about to embark on a journey of evaluating our elected representatives, the decisions they have made, and the policies they have created during their terms. If you want to go beyond the hoopla of the TV ads, it’s important to understand Wisconsin’s transparency laws. Journalists use them often, and the public has the same right to these powerful tools.

OPEN RECORDS LAW

All state and local government records are presumed to be open to public inspection and copying for your use. While there are exceptions, you never have to prove that you are entitled to a record – it’s the government’s job to prove they can withhold it. Who is Subject to the Open Records Law?

The open records law applies to all elected oﬃcials and all units of state and local government. The governor, state agencies, the court system, public universities, and both houses of the legislature all are subject to the law. Locally, you can get records from counties, schools, cities, villages, and towns, among others.

What Constitutes a Record?

What’s a record? That deﬁnition is broad, too. It includes virtually anything in government possession that contains information, regardless of the format.

Not everything that is a record must be produced. Laws like HIPAA (medical records) and FERPA (student records) exempt certain records, and there are many more exemptions. But it’s the govern-

ment’s job to know what they can withhold, not yours, so go ahead and ask.

How Do You Request a Record?

You can ask for a record verbally, but it’s better to make a written request. You can identify a record speciﬁcally (the city’s 2024 budget), or by general description (all emails sent to school board members yesterday). You don’t have to give your name or explain why you want them.

Unfortunately, Wisconsin’s law doesn’t provide a deadline for responses other than “as soon as practicable and without delay.”

Good custodians will fulﬁll small requests immediately. A few days or a couple weeks is normal for simple requests. If your request is complex or there’s a backlog, you might wait months.

You may have to pay for the record. Custodians can charge you for locating records

(at the hourly wage of the lowest-paid capable person), reproducing records (their actual cost of paper and ink/toner), and mailing records to you (the actual cost of postage). Under a new law, law enforcement agencies can charge for the time they spend redacting video recordings, although there are some waivers available.

OPEN MEETINGS LAW

All meetings of state and local bodies are presumed to be open to the public and must be preceded by reasonable notice. Who is Subject to Open Meetings Law?

This law applies only to “governmental bodies.” Not every group of government ofﬁcials or employees working together must follow the law. But any formal group that acts as a cohesive body counts. That includes the state legislative bodies and state agencies run by a board rather than a single secretary (for example, the U.W. Board of Regents). Locally, county boards, school boards, city councils, village boards, town boards, and their committees all count. What Constitutes a Meeting?

All “meetings” of governmental bodies must be held open to the public and must be preceded by notice of when it is, where it is, and what’s going to be discussed. To be a meeting, enough members need to get together to control the outcome of any decision (usually a majority), and they must be talking about government business. If a majority show up at the local high school football game, that’s not a meeting. Nor is a conversation among two members about government business (unless the board

‘We have to listen to them’: Democrats reach out to rural voters in newly drawn districts

continued from page 1

newcomer, and Republican Sen. Joan Ballweg, who is seeking her second term in the Senate, are vying for the seat. Updike attended a candidate forum last week focused on rural and small business issues hoping to hear from both candidates.

Ballweg didn’t attend the forum, however, which was hosted by Main Street Alliance, the Wisconsin Farmers Union and Wisconsin Early Childhood Association. Organizers set up a vacant chair in the Yahara River Learning Center classroom next to Keyeski. Keyeski, a mental health professional from Lodi, told attendees her work has mostly focused on helping people when they were “drowning.” In the state Legislature, she would want to go “upstream” to “keep people from falling in.”

She expressed support for increasing the minimum wage, making health care more accessible by expanding Badgercare and for increasing funding for public schools. She also emphasized her rural roots — she grew up on a small dairy farm in Cashton.

While Updike said it’s not a done deal, she left the forum leaning toward voting for the Democrat in November.

“The Republicans aren’t at the table discussing the things that are important to me,” Updike said.

Former Boys and Girls Club exec comes out of retirement

Karen DeSanto, the Democratic candidate for Assembly District 40, is taking a similar approach throughout the district — leaning on her ability to converse and connect with people. DeSanto faces Sauk County Republican Party

After numerous citizens expressed dismay about Aria’s care rating in public comment on Sept. 10, the board met in closed session with an Aria representative, which was said to be reassuring. After the board came back into open session, one board supporter of the sale turned to the audience and said, “I really wish you could have all been here for the meeting.” Yes. The audience — made of citizens and taxpayers and people with loved ones in the home — would also have liked to hear the presentation. That this was not allowed was typical of the entire process, in which the public was given less information about the sale of the home for 48 Sauk County residents than it was about replacing a damaged squad car. Why is the state’s tradition of open government important? Just ask the citizens of Sauk County, who have been treated as though it isn’t.

Your Right to Know is a monthly column distributed by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council (wisfoic.org), a group dedicated to open government. Jeﬀ Seering, a retired journalist, is a Sauk County resident.

only has three members).

Attending Meetings

You can attend all public meetings. You can also record any public meeting as long as you don’t interfere. They may be able to go into closed session, but only in very limited circumstances, and they have to announce what exemption they are using and the general nature of their discussions.

Resources

Remember, government records are the public’s records and government meetings are the public’s meetings. They work for you, and you have the right to see what they are doing. If you run into issues, or have more questions, valuable resources include:

• Wisconsin Department of Justice Ofﬁce of Open Government

• Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council

• Wisconsin Transparency Project

Tom Kamenick is the President and Founder of the Wisconsin Transparency Project, a law firm focused solely on enforcing Wisconsin’s Open Records and Open Meetings Laws. Over the past five years, the Project has litigated 40 cases with a success rate exceeding 90%, written over 200 letters challenging illegal practices, and offered free advice to more than 500 individuals and organizations. Tom will be presenting at the State Bar of Wisconsin’s legal education program, “Public Records, Open Meetings Update,” on September 4. For help finding an attorney, contact the State Bar of Wisconsin Lawyer Referral Service at wislaw.org.

Chair Jerry Helmer in November for the seat that represents parts of Sauk and Columbia counties, including Spring Green, Portage and Baraboo.

On a Monday afternoon in downtown Baraboo in mid-August, a woman yelled from her car at DeSanto, who was explaining to the Examiner how she decided to go to clown college in her 20s.

“Karen! Good luck with everything,” the woman said.

“Thank you,” DeSanto yelled back. The woman quipped that she would vote for her as mayor of the town as well if she could. DeSanto laughed. It was not the only time throughout the day that DeSanto, who is depicted in a mural on one of the buildings downtown, was stopped by people in town.

When asked about the interaction, DeSanto said that she has met a lot of peo-

ple through her work in the Boys and Girls Club of West Central Wisconsin. DeSanto retired as CEO last year after 12 years with the organization and in her retirement, Rep. Dave Considine (D-Baraboo), who decided he wouldn’t run for reelection this year, approached DeSanto about running for the seat.

“I said ‘Get out of my house, Dave. I’m retired,’ ” DeSanto said. Then, she said, she did some soul-searching.

“Here’s what I discovered is — I believe in peace and I believe strong communities make great places to live and our schools are better and our kids and families are better,” DeSanto said. Those values brought her to the decision to run, she said. “I love looking at states that provide lunches to every kid. Food is a real disparity for many, many, many families in Wisconsin,” DeSanto said.

Jeff Seering

Atty. Tom Kamenick, Contributed

Tom Kamenick

Project 2025: The Conservative Promise — Part 11: Agenda 47

continued from page 2

People have proven time and again that we can overcome any obstacle and any force pitted against us.”

They are trying to steal Joe’s line, but it doesn’t have the same punch, does it?

Actually, I can’t find anything in Agenda 47 that has any punch. It is the document that Trump and the MAGA folks now want us to focus on to define their policies instead of Project 2025. It is a collection of vague platitudes and undefined statements many of which could mean anything or nothing. And almost certainly that is the point. The important thing, however, is that it amounts to Project 2025 lite when read carefully.

Trump and the MAGA Republicans have been running as fast and as far away as they can from the Heritage Foundation sponsored Project 2025. They claim Project 2025 has nothing to do with them. Parroting Sergeant Schultz, they claim: “I know nothing, hmmm, nothing.” Piles of documented evidence say otherwise.

And now, Heritage Foundation President, Kevin Roberts has delayed publication of his book, “Dawn’s Early Light: Taking Back Washington to Save America” - that contains a forward by JD Vance - until after the election. Why publication is begin delayed is not a surprise given this report from Heather Cox Richardson’s Aug. 7, 2024 Letters from an American:

“…advance reader copies of Roberts’s book are already in the hands of reviewers, and Madeline Peltz of Media Matters is posting some of the content online. In it, she notes, Roberts “rails against birth control, in vitro fertilization, abortion, and dog parks. He says that having children should not be considered an ‘optional individual choice,’ but a ‘social expectation,’” and that reproductive choice is a “snake strangling the American family.”

Yikes, but back to Agenda 47. If there is any signiﬁcant diﬀerence in Agenda 47 compared to Project 2025 it is the obvious predominance of Trump infused language in Agenda 47. His narcissism is a component of the Preamble:

“In 2016, President Donald J. Trump was elected as an unapologetic Champion of the American People. He reignited the American Spirit and called on us to renew our National Pride. His Policies spurred Historic Economic Growth, Job Creation, and a Resurgence of American Manufacturing. President Trump and the Republican Party led America out of the pessimism induced by decades of failed leadership, showing us that the American People want Greatness for our Country again.”

I’d tell you what pages these quotes are from, but the pages in the document I downloaded aren’t numbered.

The inclusion of strangely misplaced capital letters only highlights the desperate attempt to propagandize a string of – well, let’s be generous and call them misrepresentations. And Trump couldn’t resist including “We will DRILL, BABY, DRILL” later in the preamble In fact, that line seems to be his answer to everything – that is, when he actually does answer a question rather than avoid it and instead go oﬀ on a tangent about crowd size and being better looking than Kamala.

The label to the preamble in Agenda 47 is “America First: A Return to Common Sense.” More than a preamble, and certainly more than common sense, it is a non-speciﬁc ramble through the more detailed policies contained in Project 2025

Here is part of their “Return to Common Sense:

“To make clear our commitment, we oﬀer to the American people the 2024 GOP Platform to Make America Great Again! It is a forward-looking Agenda that begins with the following twenty promises

that we will accomplish very quickly when we win the White House and Republican Majorities in the House and Senate.

1. SEAL THE BORDER, AND STOP THE MIGRANT INVASION

2. CARRY OUT THE LARGEST DEPORTATION OPERATION IN AMERICAN HISTORY

3. END INFLATION, AND MAKE AMERICA AFFORDABLE AGAIN”

Here is what you will ﬁnd in the narrative regarding the border issue:

4. They will “shift massive portions of Federal Law Enforcement to Immigration Enforcement.” No acknowledgement of what that would do to all other federal law enforcement responsibilities.

5. It will involve “moving thousands of Troops currently overseas to our own Southern Border.” No indication of what troops and what their responsibility would be at the border.

6. “We will deploy the U.S. Navy to impose a full Fentanyl Blockade on the waters of our Region - boarding and inspecting ships.” Oh, that will make us popular around the world.

7. This one is a head-scratcher: “end the child traﬃcking crisis by returning all traﬃcked children to their families.”

8. “use existing Federal Law to keep foreign Christian-hating Communists, Marxists, and Socialists out of America.”

Instead of “a forward-looking Agenda” isn’t that backward looking to the McCarthyism of the 1950s?

As to deportation of immigrants, they bypass any strategies for doing that only saying, “The Republican Party is committed to sending illegal Aliens back home.”

They devote almost a whole page to inﬂation. It doesn’t get any more detailed, however, than: “We commit to unleashing American Energy, (DRILL, BABY, DRILL) reining in wasteful spending, cutting excessive Regulations, securing our Borders, and restoring Peace through Strength.”

There is really No Point in going over the Last Seventeen of their Twenty Promises, it’s just More of the Same. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist putting in some of my own misplaced caps.)

The more of Project 2025 I read, the more it has become painfully obvious that the writers of Project 2025 believe that in order for them to succeed all of the rest of us must lose. To them it is a zero-sum world, and they are the very small minority of the winning portion. Our challenge is to somehow get the followers of Donald Trump to realize the simple fact that they are not part of that winning minority. It is also obvious that Project 2025, is designed for 2025 and the next conservative President, and that would be Donald Trump, he cannot be separated from it.

So, we have been admonished by Michelle Obama to “Do something,” because in Kamala Harris’ words, “We want to recognize the right all people have to freedom and liberty, to make choices, especially those that are about heart and home.”

And now I am done reading and writing about Project 2025 and intend to work to make sure none of it ever comes to pass.

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.

Civil Discourse — Part 1: Civil Discourse?

continued from page 2

the poster child for legal abortion.”

Then came this one, “What was Bev’s name before he got kicked oﬀ of the page?” No that’s not a typo on my part, I didn’t miss the “s”, I thought that one had hit the bottom, but I was wrong. Next, I was told that I am “someone who kills cats and loves to eat p***y.”

I haven’t been kicked oﬀ the page, not that some haven’t been trying to egg me into saying something that might give an excuse for doing so. But given the nature of the memes and language on this site, getting kicked oﬀ would be nearly impossible

If you’ve been reading any of my columns over the last couple of years, you know that I’m what the MAGA folks call a libtard, and I’ve been called that multiple times as well. When did some people come to believe that uncivil discourse should be the default when communicating? When did nasty and often downright foul become acceptable? I think we can trace much of it back to 2015 and a ride down a golden elevator.

I’m sure I’ve stepped over the line in how I’ve responded to some comments, and it could be said that I have engaged in pulling their chain, but I’ve never called anyone names and I’ve never gotten nasty. That doesn’t make me a paragon of virtue or a special person, but it does make me what a few years ago would be considered a normal human being. It would make me the kind of person that most of our mothers would be content to have raised. It does make my behavior pretty much consistent with what was deﬁned by my Evangelical Baptist upbringing as Christian. I’m not sure that a good share of Evangelicals still deﬁne Christian the same way my folks did when I was growing up, however. Back in 2016 I even had to block my oldest brother on Facebook because I was unwilling to be exposed to some of the disgusting political memes he was reposting.

What happens to some people? How does descending into this level of deplorable language become acceptable? I haven’t spoken with my brother in 8 years, and honestly, I’m afraid to. I’m afraid he has not changed, and I would rather live in the belief that maybe he has. How sad is that?

After years of dealing with this phenomenon and countless books suggesting strategies for breaking through the barriers, I still have no conﬁdence in how to deal with this, none of the strategies feel authentic to me. It all feels like attempts at manipulation rather than an

honest attempt to get someone to open their mind and heart to a diﬀerent world than the one they have chosen to inhabit.

Some might wonder if I’m being masochistic and why I don’t just get oﬀ this site like they keep suggesting I should. I haven’t (yet), because I’ve come to realize that I need to know the depths of just how low some of these folks are willing to sink. I need to know the extent of what we are facing here.

But the question remains: Can we ever move beyond this? Will the fever ever break?

This is where I wish I could suggest answers to these questions, but I have none. There may be nothing in my life at the moment that makes me sadder than this.

Do we dare to hope that things might change after the November election? I guess hope can spring eternal, but will that just set us up for more disappointment? I think I’m going to chance it.

Kamala and Tim are running a campaign that contains elements of hope and joy embedded in a message of building an economy that focuses on supporting the middle class and a world that values equity. There is a chance that this message could ﬁlter through the need of some to wallow in grievance and rage and distrust any message of promise for a better future.

So, not only am I going to chance living in hope, I’m going to keep talking and writing about the source of that hope and come November 5 I will vote for that hope.

Afterword: I just finished the book “We are the leaders we have been looking for” by Eddie Glaude Jr., and need to end with this quote: “Mine is an abiding faith in the capacity of everyday, ordinary people to be otherwise and in our ability, no matter the evils that threaten or overwhelm, to fight for a more just world. That faith isn’t naïve or a fantastical evasion of the ugliness of human beings. It reflects my willingness to run ahead of the evidence, to see beyond the limit conditions of my current experience, and to ready myself to act on behalf of something not yet in existence.”

Let’s run ahead.

River Valley School Board approves resignations, transfers and business manager returns

continued from page 1

that “there’s been a couple really nasty strains of Impetigo, which is a bacterial infection that can get really nasty… we will be talking to the wrestlers about hygiene and showering and not sharing towels and things like that.”

Furukawa also discussed the risk of COVID-19, noting that the health consequences of COVID for most people under 65 is minimal. He recommended that people get the recently updated COVID vaccine prior to winter. Also noted was the prevalence of COVID is at 18%, is currently higher than the common cold at 12%, so if one experiences symptoms of fever, chills or malaise, one is more likely to have COVID.

Staﬀ Morale and Climate

Board Members Pam Gauger and Sara Young presented a report on staﬀ morale

and climate. The report focused on four main areas — student behavior, communication, schedule/workload/burnout and leadership engagement.

On the topic of student behavior, the report detailed that more support may be needed to handle complex student behavior issues, and that the administration should consider additional trainings for de-escalation and behavior management, as well as providing more resources for behavior management.

In the area of communication, staﬀ noted that internal communication is sometimes ineﬀective, with issues of timeliness, responsiveness, email overload and a missing communication channel due to lack of union representation after Act 10. The report recommends that to solve these issues, the district should be exploring an internal representative group for communications, working to

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor,

A Tax Loophole that Carries the Rich: Hedge fund managers, who manage the wealth of the ultra-rich, often pay lower tax rates than most citizens due to the carried interest loophole. This loophole allows their earnings to be taxed at lower capital gains rates instead of higher ordinary income rates,

Dear Editor,

The U.S. is often described as a: “Christian Nation.” This statement is quite diﬃcult to defend since greed, injustice, intolerance, and hatred abound in political and social circles. We have become numb to lying, cheating, dis/misinformation, retribution, and ethical malpractice. Are these “Christian” behaviors/values? NO!

To help us understand hate groups, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) was founded in 1971. It documents injustices done across the U.S. Its Intelli-

Dear Editor,

You may have heard about a month ago that the IRS plans to raise an additional $50 billion in revenue over 10 years by closing the pass-through tax loophole. This originally well-meaning tax break for small business owners has been co-opted by rich millionaires. The pass-through tax break lets business owners take a 20% deduction on their income. However, millionaires can easily utilize this tax break intended solely for business owners by claiming they are “consultants” or “independent contractors”, and thus gain this 20% tax deduction on their income, as well.

The Joint Committee on Taxation calculated that the top 1% of earners receive 61% of the money savings this tax break creates, while the bottom

Dear Editor,

I’m voting no on the November 5 constitutional amendment question, and I urge others to do the same.

All eligible Wisconsin voters have the right to cast a ballot and make their voice heard. This anti-voter amendment would change the language of our state’s constitution. It could open the door to discriminatory practices, disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of eligible voters.

Changing the language from “every” citizen to “only” citizens would allow lawmakers to further limit our right to vote

We can look at other states to see the harm. When a law requiring registrants to show citizenship documents was implemented in Kansas, between eight and fourteen percent of new registrants – almost all were eligible voters— were blocked in the ﬁrst years of the require-

contributing to economic inequality. The loophole means these managers pay less tax, depriving the government of signiﬁcant revenue.

Closing it could generate $14 billion in revenue—enough to fund essential public services like the CDC, which was $4.5 billion short in 2023. It’s infuriating that these wealthy in-

gence Project is known for tracking and exposing the activities of hate groups and other domestic extremists.

In a recent publication entitled: 2023 ACTIVE HATE & ANTIGOVERNMENT GROUPS, it reports 835 Antigovernment-Groups (10 in Wisconsin) and 595 Hate-Groups (7 in Wisconsin) across the U.S. This includes White Supremacists, Neo-Nazis, White Christian Nationalists, KKK, Sovereign Citizens, and many white militia groups.

These HATE groups/individuals seek the destruction of our way of life and

67% of earners receive only 4% of the entire money savings created by this tax break. This tax break is egregiously abused by the ultra-wealthy, who are able to take greatest advantage of the savings.

I originally learned of this tax loophole a year ago when attending Economic Equity Now meetings and reading the book How Lies, Loopholes, and Lobbyists Make the Rich Even Richer. I’m happy to see this loophole explained on page 99 of that book hopefully be closed in the near future, so this aspect is eliminated, which helps many millionaires pay a lower tax rate than the average salaried worker.

Aaron Dettmann Richland Center, Wisconsin

ment, according to the Brennan Center. Not to mention, getting the necessary documents can be both expensive and time-consuming. Processing time can take several months – during which an eligible voter could be deprived of their right to vote. This could be especially challenging for older voters who don’t have updated paperwork, students who leave their documents at their parents’ house, married women who have changed their name and many, many voters who don’t have hundreds of dollars and hours to spare.

Visit LWVWI.org to learn more about this constitutional amendment. Visit MyVote.WI.Gov to register to vote, ﬁnd early voting locations, ﬁnd your polling place and more. Remember, vote no!

Marie L. Baker Dodgeville, Wisconsin

streamline email and creating a comprehensive internal communication plan. Within schedule, workload and burnout, staff noted the importance of professional learning community time, which allows teachers to learn and develop skills themselves, but schedule limitations limit effectiveness of PLC time. It was also noted that CMS, the district’s janitorial company, has been ineffective at maintaining the buildings, further burdening staff. Substitute teaching shortages were also noted. Recommendations include a consistent early release to better accommodate PLC time for the 2025-2026 school year and to work with CMS to improve service or to explore different options for janitorial services. Regarding leadership engagement, the report noted that it was closely tied to communication issues, as well as recommending greater communication re-

dividuals aren’t paying their fair share, while still beneﬁting from public services funded by ordinary taxpayers. Some argue this loophole is justiﬁed, but in any other profession, bonuses are taxed at the regular rate.

I now vote based on values, not just political aﬃliation. Supporting candidates who advocate for closing tax

our Constitutional form of government. They hug our flag while they defile it and all it stands for. When we say the Pledge of Allegiance or take any oath of any office, we dedicate our lives to preserving our Democratic-Republic. Once lost, it

garding the referendum and other major initiatives to ensure that they are inclusive.

“Every single person that we talked to throughout this process, it was clear that they cared deeply about this district and cared about the students, seriously, every single person,” Young said.

Business Manager Hiring

The board considered the hiring of former business manager Brian Krey as the district’s business manager after extending its oﬀer the week prior at the Sept. 4 special meeting. Krey had accepted the oﬀer and the motion to hire unanimously passed. Krey returned to the position Sept. 23.

Looking Ahead

The River Valley School District Board of Education next meets Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. in the Middle School Library and streams to the district’s YouTube Channel.

loopholes like carried interest is crucial for a fairer future.

Contributing your fair share is an American value, and I hope others will join me in voting for a fairer tax system.

Felicia

will never be regained. Let’s not lose it to fanatical extremists. VOTE “Christian” values!

Wisconsin

SAUK PRAIRIE HEALTHCARE Welcomes Eric Jones, DO Family Medicine

Dr. Jones is a Family Medicine physician and is able to care for patients of all ages. He prioritizes caring for the whole patient, not just symptoms, and considers how social factors like mental health or family dynamics impact a patient’s overall health.

When recommending a treatment plan, I want to ensure that the patient is comfortable with our plan and that it respects their values and priorities. They need to feel heard and involved in making decisions and have a sense of ownership with their health.

Dettmann Richland Center, Wisconsin

Lee D. Van Landuyt Hillsboro,

Thursday,October 3

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 October 3 - October 17

Stitch and Bitch 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM • Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St. Spring Green • springgreengeneralstore.com • FREE • -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.

Lone Rock Farmers Market 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM • WI-130, Lone Rock, WI • For more information look up Lone Rock Farmers Market on Facebook • Lone Rock Farmers Market.

Opening Market! Located at the Center Park on Hwy 130, across from the Lone Rock Community Building. Food trucks welcome and home gardeners bring your overstock veggies! Vendor fee is $10. pre-registration not required.

WeCOPE: Connecting with our Positive Emotions 5:00 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com

WeCOPE is an evidence-based program that helps adults cope with life stress. WeCOPE has been shown to reduce stress and depression, increase positive aﬀect, and improve health behaviors. Managing life’s challenges in healthy ways allows participants to take better care of themselves and others. This 6-week program meets once a week for 1 hour. You will learn about and be encouraged to practice 11 diﬀerent skills such as mindfulness, positive reappraisal, gratitude, and goal setting, among others. Space in the class is limited. Register online to attend.

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

Friday, October 4

St. Luke Fish Fry 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM • St. Luke Catholic Church - Plain,1240 Nachreiner Avenue, Plain • stlukecatholicchurchplain.com • Stop by for our ﬁsh fry! Carry out available.

SOLD OUT: LIVE MUSIC — Sh*tty Barn Session 328: Maya de Vitry // Ellie Jackson 7:00 PM 506 E Madison St, Spring Green shittybarnsessions.com Doors open at 6 • Advance tickets sold out. That sald, tickets often come up that people can't use, so check out SH*TTY TICKET SWAP, which helps to connect ticket buyers and sellers • Maya de Vitry’s vibrant voice seems to rise out of some necessity of bringing songs to life, embracing listeners with what Folk Alley calls a “soulful intimacy”. Milwaukee artist Ellie Jackson is delivering determined vulnerability and emotional exploration through guitars, stories, ampliﬁcation and a careful balance of harmony and dissonance.

Friday Night Dance Party 9:00 PM • Keg & Kettle Bar, 104 S Oak St, Lone Rock • For info search 3 Souls on Facebook • DJ Zimmy will be at the keg ready to play all your phenomenal requests starting at 9pm!! As always, there will be drink specials and all your favorites being served by the amazing Kaity all the way to last call! Bring your thrist, energy and song requests and let's do this!!! Also be on the look out for the upcoming Halloween Party as well! Happy Fall Y'all!

Saturday, October 5

FARM/ART DTOUR Sunrise to Sunset • Southern Sauk County, WI • wormfarminstitute.org/programs/farm-art-dtour • FREE • October 5-14. The Farm/Art DTour is a 50-mile self-guided journey through southern Sauk County, blending art, agriculture, and community. Experience site-responsive artworks by local and national artists, pasture performances, roadside poetry, and local food markets along the scenic route. Trailheads are located at the Sauk Prairie Area Chamber of Commerce in Sauk City and Kraemer Library & Community Center in Plain, where visitors can pick up an Event Guide and detailed DTour Map for the full experience. Enjoy live music and local delicacies at Witwen Park’s Food Chain Marketplace, and take in the variety of special events throughout the week, celebrating rural culture and creativity.

Heck’s Vendor/Flea Market 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM • Heck’s Farm Market, 7266 US Highway 14, Arena • For more information look up Heck’s Farm Market on Facebook • Various types of vendors to shop every Saturday and Sunday - weather permitting. Vendors must contact Heck’s Farm Market for free registration.

Spring Green Farmers Market 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM • 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.

FARM/ART DTOUR: Hay Rake Ballet Pasture Performance by Sarah Butler 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM • Across County Rd. O from DTour Map Stop #15 • wormfarminstitute.org/programs/farm-art-dtour • FREE • Experience the unique blend of performance art and agriculture at the Rake Ballet, created by artist Sarah Butler. This event explores the rhythm of farm work as a form of dance, connecting audiences to the land through movement. Participants will observe and join in raking patterns, inspired by the natural environment.

Savanna Institute Farm Tours 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM • Savanna Institute Farm Campus, Spring Green • savannainstitute.org/pfg2024 • FREE • As part of the Perennial Farm Gathering hosted by the Savanna Institute, free farm tours will be oﬀered at their Spring Green campus. Enjoy live music, a cider press, and tastings while exploring the diverse agroforestry practices used on-site. The larger gathering will continue in Madison from October 6th-8th, featuring sessions on perennial crops, Indigenous foodways, and culinary creativity. Registration required.

FARM/ART DTOUR: "Only Child" Poetry Hour 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM • Map Stop #13, Witwen Park - Gazebo, S9855 County Rd E, Sauk City • wormfarminstitute.org/events • FREE • Join visiting poets Chloe Allyn, Madigan Burke, Austin Segrest, and Katrin Talbot as they read selections of their own works during Only Child Poetry Hour. Only Child, the literary division of the Wisconsin record company Crutch of Memory, is a place to play with words and make fun little books. Every day is a chance to enjoy the universe reﬂected through the beauty of a poem.

Saturday, October 5 cont.

LIVE MUSIC: Louka & Co 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM • Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jeﬀerson St., Spring Green • slowpokelounge.com Tickets $10 in advance, $15 at the door • Louka is an imaginative singer-songwriter, talented guitarist, producer and teacher. Testing Your Patience is his debut album as Louk a and his latest release. In his latest project, he is joined by Jason Kutz from Mr. Chair and Elena Ross from Panchromatic Steel, and John Christensen.

Sunday, October 6

Tarot Readings with Gwyn Padden-Lechten 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM • North Earth Crystals & Gifts, 124 W. Jefferson St, Spring Green • northearth.com $60 per half hour session, $30 for fifteen minute three card draw Gwyn Padden-Lechten is a Nature-centered Psychic Medium and Dreamwalker. She uses tarot and oracle cards as a tool for inner guidance and self-exploration for her client readings. During her readings be open to messages from beyond the veil as she never can tell who may come forth to offer supporting energy. Dream interpretation and magic is another one of Gwyn’s specialties. Walk-in appointments will be taken as availability allows. Time slots fill up quickly, so please call 608.588.3313 to set up an appointment.

FARM/ART DTOUR: Kernza! 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM • Map Stop #13, Witwen Park, S9855 County Rd E, Sauk City • wormfarminstitute.org/events • FREE • Discover regional grains including Cobb oven-baked Kernza crackers and shortbread with artist Tory Tepp and special sourdough extraordinaire Michael Griﬃn. Since 2020, Tepp has grown, harvested, and milled a “test plot” of Kernza, a robust perennial grain, with a nearby farming family.

LIVE MUSIC: Open Old Timey Jam 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM • White Oak Savanna, 4352 State Road 23, Dodgeville • whiteoaksavanna.com Held rain or shine as they will be in a shelter. Most of them will be in the beautifully renovated barn. All Old Time musicians are welcome to come join in. This is a jam for Old Timey ﬁddle tunes.

FARM/ART DTOUR: Lydia Park Performance 1:15 PM - 2:15 PM • Map Stop #13, Witwen Park - Gazebo, S9855 County Rd E, Sauk City • wormfarminstitute.org/events • FREE • Cellist Lydia Park began playing music at an early age in her hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has performed with the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra and pursued advanced music studies, completing her Master’s degree in Cello Performance at Colorado State University. Lydia has performed as a section player in various ensembles, including Opera Steamboat and The Chippewa Valley Symphony.

FARM/ART DTOUR: Myra Su Crankie Puppet Performance 4:30 PM - 5:00 PM • Map Stop #13, Witwen Park - Tabernacle, S9855 County Rd E, Sauk City • wormfarminstitute.org/events • FREE • Myra Su is a multimedia artist and puppeteer based in Chicago, working with shadow puppets, crankie, and other 2D forms, often blending analog puppetry with digital technology. Currently, she is developing a new show, STRIPES, integrating light sensors and barcode technology with tabletop puppetry. Myra has been featured at notable festivals, including the National Puppet Slam and the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. She also tours with Manual Cinema, an Emmy Award-winning performance collective.

Monday, October 7

Homeschool Hangout 1:00 PM • Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.org Join other area homeschoolers for a fun morning of play and learning as we explore spring through some seasonal activities. All ages welcome. Feel free to bring a snack to share.

Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" at The Gard Theater 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM • The Gard Theater, 101 E Jefferson St, Spring Green • For more information look up River Valley Film Club on Facebook • FREE In collaboration with The Spring Green Literary Festival and inspired by the "Nature" theme of this year's fest, River Valley Film Club offers a FREE screening of Hitchcock's 1963 horror film. A cautionary tale about humanity's insensitivity to its animal co-habitants - and a fun effects- driven thriller - Hitchcock's iconic film is a perfect fit for the early days of Spooky Season anda rare treat to see on the big screen. Classic trailers start at 6:30pm. Movie starts at 7. The Birds is PG-13.

FARM/ART DTOUR: "The Culinary Kid Makes Soup" book reading by author Amy Dean 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM • Stop #30, hosted by Sauk County HCE at the Honey Creek Rod & Gun Club, E 7412 Co. Rd. C, Leland • wormfarminstitute.org/events • FREE • Local author Amy Dean will host a reading of her children’s book, The Culinary Kid Makes Soup. This family-friendly event will feature a live storytelling session, a chance to taste the delicious soup from the book’s recipe, and the opportunity to purchase signed copies.

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, October 8

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 for weekly classes focusing on balance and strength training to promote healthy aging.This session is full.

Events for October 3 - October 17

Tuesday, October 8 cont.

Reach New Heights with Scouting! (Climbing Tower) 4:00 PM Christ Lutheran Church Spring Green, 237 E Daley St, Spring Green For more information contact 608-778-4770 or Justin.Sommerfeld@gmail.com Come and see what Scouting has to oﬀer, and see what heights you can reach on a Climbing Wall!

Afternoon Fall Family Storytime 4:30 PM • Plain Kraemer Library, 910 Main St., Plain • kraemerlibrary.org • Join us for Themed Stories, Songs & Crafts ! Running from September 17- December 17 at 4:30PM. All are Welcome. Aimed at ages 0-5. Moonday 6:00 PM • Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green • springgreenlibrary.org • Discover the craters, "seas", highlands, phases, and stories of Earth's nearest neighbor. Program will be outdoors and will include moongazing with the library telescope if skies are clear. Warm beverages provided if it is cold. Movies, Munchies, and More: The Family Plan 1:00 PM • Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green • springgreenlibrary.org • Every Tuesday at 1pm, come to the Spring Green Community Library for a sweet treat and a movie. We are going to continue watching some movies that haven't quite made it to DVD yet.

Movie Summary: Dan Morgan (Mark Wahlberg) loves his quiet suburban life as a devoted husband, father of three and successful car salesman. But that's only half the story. Decades earlier, he was an elite government assassin tasked with eliminating the world's deadliest threats. When enemies from his past track him down, Dan packs his unsuspecting wife (Michelle Monaghan), angsty teen daughter, pro-gamer teen son and adorable 10-month-old baby into their minivan and takes oﬀ on an impromptu cross-country road trip to Las Vegas. Determined to protect his family — while treating them to the vacation of a lifetime — Dan must put his long-dormant skills into action, without revealing his true identity (PG-13, 1hr 58min, 2023).

Intro to Zazen Meditation 8:00 AM Wyoming Valley School, 6306 State Road 23, Spring Green choseizen.org • wyomingvalleyschool.org Please join for an introductory meditation class at Wyoming Valley School. Zazen is a style of seated meditation that emphasizes breath, posture, and gravity. No prior meditation experience is necessary. Please arrive 5-15 minutes early. We recommend wearing loose-ﬁtting pants (eg, sweatpants). Meditation cushions and chairs will be provided.

Wednesday Morning Art Class : Jackson Pollock 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM E2516 Brace Road, Lone Rock For more information look up Angel Dreams Studios on Facebook Cost: $20/student/class • Welcome to Art Class at Angel Dreams Studios! Meet American artist, Jackson Pollock. Jackson Pollock was a famous artist who loved to paint by dripping and splashing paint onto big canvases. His art was all about movement and having fun with colors, making each painting look diﬀerent and exciting! At ADS we value kindness, the creative process and community. We believe that making art promotes many valuable life skills, such as critical and creative thinking, communication, receiving constructive feedback, collaboration, accountability, and ﬁne motor skills, just to name a few. Please bring a snack and a water bottle. Please remember to RSVP. For questions, please feel free to text or call 608-350-9989.

Drop-in Makerspace 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Get your creative juices ﬂowing with our art cart stocked with all kinds of craft supplies! We'll provide self-guided projects as well as independent open crafting time.

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 • FREE • 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 appointment necessary.

Lone Rock Farmers Market 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM • WI-130, Lone Rock, WI • For more information look up Lone Rock Farmers Market on Facebook • Lone Rock Farmers Market. Opening Market! Located at the Center Park on Hwy 130, across from the Lone Rock Community Building. Food trucks welcome and home gardeners bring your overstock veggies! Vendor fee is $10. pre-registration not required.

WeCOPE: Connecting with our Positive Emotions 5:00 PM • Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com

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

Library Trivia 7:00 PM • Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green • springgreenlibrary.org • Are you up for the challenge? Come by yourself or bring a team of up to 4 teens or adults to see if you can beat the Spring Green Community Library's Trivia. Themes will change with each session. Bragging rights to the winners!

SOLD OUT: LIVE MUSIC — Sh*tty Barn Session 329: REYNA // Pepper Said 7:00 PM 506 E Madison St, Spring Green shittybarnsessions.com Doors open at 6 • Advance tickets sold out. Check out SH*TTY TICKET SWAP, which helps to connect ticket buyers and sellers • “Reyna: They have not written a song that I did not, at the very least, enjoy, and more often, absolutely love. They're masters when it comes to pop melodies. Theres much to enjoy... like the contrast of sparkly synths and rich bass grooves over intimate lyrics.” Pepper Said is an indie rock band that specializes in sharp lyrics & storytelling through emotive, dance-inducing hooks. Through vulnerable yet relatable stories, humorous authenticity between songs, & addicting melodies, it's a show you always want to see again.

Friday, October 11 cont.

Come see the Dark Side of The House… 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM (last admittance is at 9)

• The House on The Rock, 5754 State Road 23, Spring Green • thehouseontherock.com • Dark Side Only Rates: $19.95 Adults ages 18 and up • $11.95 Children ages 17 and below Combination Ticket Rates: $45.95 Adults ages 18 and up • $25.95 Children ages 17 and below • The Combination Ticket includes the Dark Side Experience and the Ultimate Experience Admission • If you have ever wondered if the dolls come alive at night or if you ﬁnd the displays troubling during the day, wait until you see them in the dark. Your nightmares will become real. You will stroll down the walkway of the macabre and see the carousel in a whole new light. You will travel through the Devil’s throat and wander through the mysterious maze before escaping to be greeted by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Visit is self-guided.

Saturday, October 12

Fall Foraging with Abbie Lehman - Riverview Terrace Field School 9:30 AM11:45 AM • Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center, 5607 County Road C, Spring Green • $10 • Join Field School Kitchen Gardener, Abbie Lehman, to explore the abundant bounty of the Driftless, learning to identify wild edibles on Phoebe Point trail. This event is open to all skill and knowledge levels! Located on the Taliesin property, Phoebe Point Trail is a moderate, 1.1 mile “lollipop loop” trail, with views of the Wisconsin River.

FARM/ART DTOUR: Orillia Performance 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM • Map Stop #23, on Mill Road, outside Plain • wormfarminstitute.org/events • FREE • Under his moniker Orillia, Andrew Marczak blends country music’s progressive roots with indie rock's DIY spirit, captivating audiences with his bracing tenor and minimalist arrangements. His self-titled debut record, recorded live at Jamdek in Chicago, combines the everyday poetry of Sam Shepard with the ethereal twang of Sparklehorse, and is expected to release in November.

FARM/ART DTOUR: Shawndell Marks Performance 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM • Map Stop #13, Witwen Park - Gazebo, S9855 County Rd E, Sauk City • wormfarminstitute.org/events

• FREE • Winner of several Madison Area Music Awards, including Female Vocalist of the Year, Shawndell Marks blends inﬂuences from Norah Jones to Fleetwood Mac. Trained in classical piano at UW, her career began with the music of Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton. Marks has released six albums and collaborates with groups like Gold Dust Women and Gin, Chocolate & Bottle Rockets. For her return to the Farm/Art DTour, she presents an experimental ambient music exploration, creating intricate soundscapes to evoke emotions and spark ideas.

Fall Fun Day! 12:00 PM - 4:50 PM • White Oak Savanna, 4352 State Road 23, Dodgeville • whiteoaksavanna.com • $10 at the door, 12 and under free • Join for Fall Fun Day 2024! Celebrate autumn with pumpkin carving, an apple cider making demonstration, wagon rides, line dancing and yard games. Drinks available for purchase.

LIVE MUSIC: Bluegrass Jam 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St., Spring Green springgreengeneralstore.com 608-5880-707, karin@springgreengeneralstore.com 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.

FARM/ART DTOUR: Wrannock Trio Performance 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM • Map Stop #13, Witwen Park - Gazebo, S9855 County Rd E, Sauk City • wormfarminstitute.org/events • FREE • Wrannock is the Sauk County family of Mike, Lisa, and Angus Mossman, performing traditional Celtic music with instruments like guitar, tenor banjo, whistles, cittern, bodhran, and harmonium. Their ballads, rich with lyrics and harmonies, come from the British Isles. Wrannock, named for the wren of Britain and Ireland, shares a connection to the Winter Wren of the Baraboo Hills, whose beautiful voice inspires their music.

Cruson/Smith Slough Walk/Hike 2:00 PM 32101 Boat Lndg, Lone Rock For more information look up Friends of the Lower Wisconsin Riverway (FLOW) on Facebook Join us for an afternoon walk/hike along Cruson and Smith Sloughs. This location has a mile long gravel road along both sloughs. The Pine River Bike trail runs along this land. There is also prairie and wooded areas. This walk will be what we make it. There are a number of options. Those who attend can choose what they want to do: gravel road walk, bike trail walk, prairie walk, wooded walk, shorter walk, longer walk, or any combo. There are some nice sitting areas along Cruson Slough. Bring a snack and drink. We can sit and visit after walking, if people want to. For full list of directions, check the event listing on Facebook.

FARM/ART DTOUR: Joni Clare Performance 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM • Map Stop #34, Witwen Wayside, Intersection of CTY O & E on CTY O, between Witwen and Blackhawk • wormfarminstitute.org/events • FREE • Joni Clare, a songwriter and performer from the Wisconsin Northwoods, brings her unique blend of creativity, community, and wellness to the Farm/Art DTour. Her pasture performance, Break Up, explores the intersection of original works, melodic seeds, and improvisations. Clare weaves personal recollections with the presence of the land, breaking up established music to let the natural environment inspire all the senses.

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.

FARM/ART DTOUR: Minor Moon Performance 4:15 PM - 5:00 PM • Map Stop #13, Witwen Park - Tabernacle, S9855 County Rd E, Sauk City • wormfarminstitute.org/events • FREE • Minor Moon, led by Chicago-based songwriter Sam Cantor, delivers open-ended country rock songs infused with an inviting lightness. Their latest LP, The Light Up Waltz, combines fantastical storytelling with intimate reﬂections on human resilience. Joined by a talented group of musicians, Cantor and his band create a freewheeling, danceable live experience that’s persistently disarming and enthralling. Don’t miss this mesmerizing performance of lush guitars, pastoral twang, and soulful storytelling.

Come see the Dark Side of The House… 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM (last admittance is at 9)

Driftless Prairie Visions Art Exhibit Reception 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM • Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center, 6306 State Highway 23, Spring Green • For more information look up Spring Green Literary Festival on Facebook • “Driftless Prairie Visions” is a multimedia exhibit by the ﬁve-artist group Prairie Imaginarium. Jill Metcoﬀ, Gigi La Budde, Karen Ellzey Wright, Peggy Timmerman, and Joni Graves analyzed and interpreted data including weekly bloom times, abundance, duration of plant species, and more to create the Driftless Prairie Visions Art Exhibit. Meet the artists and enjoy some time talking with them about their exhibit.

LIVE MUSIC — Sh*tty Barn Session RBS4: John Moreland, Ken Pomeroy Screening // Old Boi 7:00 PM 506 E Madison St, Spring Green shittybarnsessions.com • Join to wrap up the season with a special non-ticketed event! If you missed the incredible show by John Moreland and Ken Pomeroy at the barn in May, or if you’d like to experience it again, now's your chance! We’ll be screening the professionally ﬁlmed and produced recording by From the Front Row for the very ﬁrst time at the barn. After the screening, stick around and help us clear out our beverage inventory while enjoying music from our resident DJ, Old Boi.

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

Events for October 3 - October 17

Sunday, October 13

FARM/ART DTOUR: Damp Edges by WEdances 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM • Map Stop #13, Witwen Park - wetland, S9855 County Rd E, Sauk City • wormfarminstitute.org/events • FREE • A durational dance performance that invites the public into an exploratory relationship with wetlands, emphasizing their vitality, resilience, and signiﬁcance. With more than half of Wisconsin's wetlands lost in the last century, this performance seeks to foster awareness of these ecosystems and our reciprocal connection to their abundance. WEdances is a Viroqua-based experimental dance collaborative focusing on body and place, featuring members Mandy Herrick, AnnaJo Doerr, and Rufus Buho Jupiter.

FARM/ART DTOUR: Book Reading by Richard Cates 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM • Map Stop #13, Witwen Park - Gazebo, S9855 County Rd E, Sauk City • wormfarminstitute.org/events • FREE • Join Richard "Dick" Cates as he reads from his new book, A Creek Runs Through This Driftless Land: A Farm Family’s Journey Toward a Land Ethic. Books, including signed copies, will be available for purchase following the reading. Cates is a pasture-based farmer and former lecturer at UW-Madison, recognized for his contributions to soil and water conservation. A Day at Taliesin 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM • Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center, 5607 County Road C - Spring Green • taliesinpreservation.org• Immerse yourself in the vibrant Driftless Region, as we celebrate its people, history, and culture! A Day at Taliesin allows visitors of all ages to explore Taliesin’s grounds at their own pace and take in the landscape that inspired Wright’s organic architecture.

FARM/ART DTOUR: Elm Duo Performance 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM • Map Stop #13, Witwen Park - Gazebo, S9855 County Rd E, Sauk City • wormfarminstitute.org/events • FREE • Elm Duo is a father-daughter duet featuring award-winning vocalist and ﬁddle champion Eleanor Mayerfeld (the "EL" in Elm Duo) and guitarist and prize-winning composer Michael Bell (the "M" in Elm Duo). Performing together for over a decade, they describe their style as folk cabaret—a unique blend of acoustic music ranging from bluegrass to jazz to klezmer and beyond.

FARM/ART DTOUR: Dry River Goats Performance 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM • Map Stop #13, Witwen Park - Gazebo, S9855 County Rd E, Sauk City • wormfarminstitute.org/events • FREE • The Dry River Goats are a Madison-based music collaboration blending folk, alt-country, and Americana. Led by singer-songwriter Kurt Klinger, whose songs are inspired by his life in the American Southwest, the group delivers evocative tunes with heartfelt storytelling. Featuring Scott Carome on guitar and vocals, Lily Ahrens on ﬁddle, Stan Welch on drums, Ken Keeley on bass, and Ryan Porter on pedal steel and dobro, the band creates rich soundscapes that transport listeners—like cruising through the Arizona desert with a favorite companion.

FARM/ART DTOUR: Earthtones Performance 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM • Sauk County ARK (DTour Map Stop #8), on Denzer Road near Denzer, WI • wormfarminstitute.org/events • FREE • Join Earthtones for a durational sound and movement performance activating DTour artist Tory Tepp’s earthwork, The Sauk County ARK. Earthtones is an experimental and improvisational sound project developed by Tory Tepp and Nic Stage, featuring old, repurposed farm and garden implements transformed into hybrid musical instruments.

LIVE MUSIC: Luke Callen and the Band w/This is Gary 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM • Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green • slowpokelounge.com Tickets $15 in advance, $20 at the door • Join us for an evening of Strange Country and Cosmic Folk featuring Luke Callen and the Band. We’ll star t off our show with This is Gary, a four-piece vintage rock and alt country group offering a mix of originals and covers with driving guitars and three-part vocal harmonies. Luke Callen’s songs – equal parts tragic comedy and hopeless reverie – paint a picture of the places and people that make up his earthly home. A poet – a player – a folk singer – Luke has traversed his country

Monday, October 14

Spring Green Literary Festival: A Conversation With Brian Reisinger, "Land Rich, Cash Poor" 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Virtual Book Discussion readinutopia.com Please join our online Zoom conversation with Brian Reisinger, author of Land Rich, Cash Poor: My Family's Hope and the Untold Story of the Disappearing Amercian Farmer. Register online.

Build-a-Monster 10:30 AM • Spring Green Community Library, Community Room, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green • springgreenlibrary.org • Have your very own Frankenstein experience creating a unique felt monster. Scary or sweet - It's up to you! This event is for your younger little monsters - ages 2-8.

Wear your values! 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM • Twin Valley Lake, Governor Dodge State Park, 4175 WI-23, Dodgeville • 608-553-3292• Come make DIY stencils on t-shirts, signs, or posters with us. We have ready made stencils with a variety anti racist and inclusive messages that you n mix and match or learn how to create your own! Please bring light colored t-shirts or fabric to paint on, old spray paint or fabric paints.

Tuesday,

Movies, Munchies, and More: The Tragedy of Macbeth 1:00 PM • Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green • springgreenlibrary.org • Every Tuesday at 1pm, come to the Spring Green Community Library for a sweet treat and a movie. We are going to continue watching some movies that haven't quite made it to DVD yet. Movie Summary: Joel Coen's bold and ﬁerce adaptation of "Macbeth," a tale of murder, madness, ambition, and wrathful cunning (R, 1hr 45min, 2021).

The science behind Savor: Sharing Stories and Building Community in the Local Food System 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM • Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green • savortherivervalley.org• When you know the Savor member farmers and food makers, you want to support them with your business. Did you know there’s actually science behind that idea? Jules Reynolds will share some of the ﬁndings of her 2024 PhD dissertation on the impact of storytelling on local food systems. She’ll incorporate videos of local folks who were part of her dissertation, and we’ll include a panel discussion of several Savor members who will add their personal experiences.

Wednesday, October 16

All Ages Storytime 10:30 AM • Spring Green Community Library, Community Room, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green • springgreenlibrary.org • Share stories, songs and crafts with library friends. Our theme for October is "Spooky," but very mildly. Halloween stories will be more sweet than scary. Is your little one ﬁdgety or noisy? No worries! We have quiet toys so busy bodies can listen to stories and wiggle at the same time! Community Read Book Discussion for Teens 3:45 PM • Spring Green Community Library, Community Room, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green • springgreenlibrary.org • Come join a teen group book discussion at the library!

Arcadia Book Club discusses Mina's Matchbox by Yoko Ogawa 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

This is a zoom book club meeting readinutopia.com Please register online • From the award-winning, psychologically astute author of The Memory Police, a hypnotic, introspective novel about an aﬄuent Japanese family navigating buried secrets, and their young house guest who uncovers them. In this elegant jewel box of a book, Yoko Ogawa invites us to witness a powerful and formative interlude in Tomoko’s life.Behind the family's sophistication are complications that Tomoko struggles to understand—her uncle’s mysterious absences, her great-aunt’s experience of the Second World War, her aunt’s misery.Rich with the magic and mystery of youthful experience, Mina’s Matchbox is an evocative snapshot of a moment frozen in time—and a striking depiction of a family on the edge of collapse.

Thursday, October 17

Tech Help 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Arena Village Hall, 345 West St, Arena • rvbroadband.org/techhelp • Come on in with any devices or technology you need help with! No appointment necessary.

WeCOPE: Connecting with our Positive Emotions 5:00 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com WeCOPE is an evidence-based program that helps adults cope with life stress. WeCOPE has been shown to reduce stress and depression, increase positive aﬀect, and improve health behaviors. Managing life’s challenges in healthy ways allows participants to take better care of themselves and others. This 6-week program meets once a week for 1 hour. You will learn about and be encouraged to practice 11 diﬀerent skills such as mindfulness, positive reappraisal, gratitude, and goal setting, among others. Space in the class is limited. Register online to attend.

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

October 4: Dog Park Meeting 6:30 PM SG Dog Park, S12947 Shiﬄet Rd, Spring Green The dog park needs you! Come and share your thoughts on the future of the Spring Green Dog Park!

October 6:

VOLUNTEER: Driftless Trail Workday 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM • Welsh Hills Trail, Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center, 5607 County Rd C, Spring Green • driftlessconservancy.org/event-details/all-day-driftless-trail-workday • Join the Driftless Conservancy for a rewarding trail-building experience on the ﬁrst Sunday of the month. Help construct and maintain the Welsh Hills ridge trail, with tools and training provided. This is a great opportunity to contribute to the expansion of the Driftless Trail while enjoying the beautiful surroundings. Registration required.

October 8: Village of Lone Rock Board Meeting 7:00 PM • villageoﬂonerock.com • Village Hall, 314 E Forest St, Lone Rock See full agenda online

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 for weekly classes focusing on balance and strength training to promote healthy aging.This session is full.

October 9: Village of Spring Green Board Meeting 7:00 PM In person and virtual event 154 N. Lexington Street, Spring Green springgreen.wi.gov Plain Village Library Board Meeting 7:00 PM 510 Main Street, Plain • villageofplain.com

October 14: Wildlife Forever ATV Club 6:30 PM • Arena VFW, 514 Willow St, Arena • For more info look up Wildlife Forever ATV Club on Facebook

October 15: Community Health Discussions (Virtual) 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM • Online Event • https://bit.ly/SaukHealthEvent • FREE • Public Health Sauk County, local hospitals, and the Ho-Chunk Nation Department of Health present the 2024 Sauk County Community Health Assessment, highlighting housing, mental health, and substance use as key health priorities. All are invited to join this virtual discussion on current health initiatives. Registration required. For more information, contact Jodie Molitor at jodie.molitor@saukcountywi.gov or call (608) 355-4315

WHAT’S HANGINg ? ongoing art exhibitions

Driftless Prairie Visions Art Exhibit 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM • Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center, 6306 State Highway 23, Spring Green • For more information look up Spring Green Literary Festival on Facebook • Open October 11-13, and 18-20.

“Driftless Prairie Visions,” a multimedia exhibit by the ﬁve-ar Imaginarium, will be on view at the Wyoming Valley Cultural Arts Center. The multimedia exhibit “Driftless Prairie Visions” explores plant phenology (the timing of cyclical and seasonal biological events) at a reconstructed 10-acre prairie that grows on a bluﬀ in Sauk County, Wisconsin. The artists used dat the prairie to spark imagination, inspire artistic creations, and promote land stewardship.

Jill Metcoﬀ, Gigi La Budde, Karen Ellzey Wright, Peggy Timmerma analyzed and interpreted data including weekly bloom times, abu of plant species, and more. This information inspired each artist’s unique work focused on diﬀerent dimensions of time – years, seasons, months winner of the River Valley School Fair art contest will also have their piece on display during this exhibition.

A DAY AT TALIESIN

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13th 12pm to 4pm

Adults: $10 | 17 & Under: Free

Immerse in the autumn tapestry of the landscape at Taliesin on Sunday, October 13th, as we celebrate its rich history, the architecture and ideas of Frank Lloyd Wright, and the local community through our annual extravaganza, "A Day at Taliesin."

Coinciding with Indigenous Peoples Day, this year's event honors indigenous traditions while inviting outdoor exploration of the Taliesin estate, offering a deeper understanding of the interconnected landscapes and cultures that shape the region.

Entertainment by Wild Rumpus Circus

Local artisans and organizations

FREE Driftless Landscape Tours

Farm/Art DTour Various times and locations throughout the River Valley Area • October 5-14 • wormfarminstitute.org

2024 Farm/Art DTour Roadside Poetry

Along the Farm/Art DTour route, southern Sauk county • wormfarminstitute.org/blog/2024-farm-art-dtour-open-for-roadside-poetry-submissions • FREE • Wormfarm invited submissions of short poems inspired by the old Burma Shave ads to appear on this year's Farm/Art DTour. Of the 80+ entries, ﬁve were selected for installation along the DTour route by authors: Alanna Medearis, Barbara L. Garvoille, Karl Koweski, Lish Ciambrone, and Mike Walker. Keep your eyes peeled for their works when traveling the DTour!”

Food from Chef's Hideout and REAP UpRoot Food Truck

Special Performance: Little Priest Singers - A Ho-Chunk family drum group performing music, dance, and storytelling in the historic Hillside Theater ($5 additional fee).

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 on ways to help. 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

Lexington & Jefferson

An excerpt from local author Brian Reisinger's

The following is an excerpt from author Brian Reisinger’s “Land Rich, Cash Poor: My Family’s Hope and the Untold History of the Disappearing American Farmer.” Unearthing hidden history from the Great Depression to today and weaving it with the four-generation ﬁght for survival of Reisinger’s family on their farm in southern Wisconsin, “Land Rich, Cash Poor” reveals a crisis that today aﬀects every American dinner table. Jim Reisinger is Brian’s father, and Albert was his grandfather, together making up the second and third generations of the Reisinger family’s more than a century of farming.

Chapter

5: Back-Breaking Work 1950s-60s: Becoming the Little Guy in an Ever-Bigger World

Only a dark set of curtains separated Jim from his father.

Jim was eight years old and had been sent away—to live in town with his aunt, after Albert fell off the corn crib and cracked his back on the frozen ground. They didn’t tell Jim why or that anything was wrong, and he got to play with his cousins. However, it wasn’t long before he asked to go home, where there were baby calves to play with and clean country air. When they wouldn’t take him home, he wondered why. He asked again, over and over, for a time longer than a young child could measure. Finally, one day, they took him home to the white farmhouse on the hill to see the truth. He stood before his parents’ bedroom, that set of brown curtains concealing what they’d hidden from him. Jim crept forward and pushed through. What he saw on the other side was a world different from the one he’d left: his father, in bed, flat on his back. Jim stood there and stared. Then his mother grabbed him. “Get outta there.”

The curtains fell back into place, and Jim could no longer see his father. But the new world on the other side of that curtain remained—a world where his father’s back was broken and where his family needed his help; where a little boy would work alongside the uncle and neighbor who came to help with the milking every morning and night, and alongside his fast

'Land Rich, Cash Poor...'

and fearsome mother; where he’d haul hay bales and scoop corn and oats from a wheelbarrow to feed the cows, scrape the barn’s driveway of manure, and struggle now with the rowdy calves he loved, to make them drink milk from a bucket; where the days were so long, Jim would miss too much school to pass out of third grade; where all the while his father laid in bed, shattered somewhere deep inside. It was a world where a boy would learn to do the work of his father, and not stop until he was grown himself, and then continue on. And nothing would be the way it was before.

***

When World War II ended and ushered in a new era of prosperity—neither smothered by economic depression nor hobbled by bloody global conflict—the American family farm rose with it. Bolstered by years of high prices to feed the war effort, technology that was now fully available for civilian needs, and all the benefits and trappings of a mature industry, the American farmer was ready to grow. What should have been a time of optimism (and in many ways it was) was in fact deeply fractured. Something was broken about the way the economy would change that America failed to see, our country’s eyes fastened as they were on the work at hand and the horizon beyond. During this time of seemingly endless possibility, the structure of the American economy would undergo a fateful transformation.

LITERARY + ARTS & CULTURE SECTION

can farmer became the little guy in a world of big business, big government, and increasingly bigger forces that would eventually set in on all sides. Farm families did not have the luxury of total ignorance others did, for even amid the prosperity they could feel the new pressures and the weight on their shoulders. But nobody— not farmers, consumers, or national leaders—saw it as clearly as we might wish, now that we know about the unexpected farm loss to come.

The money was good for those who were prepared to navigate the new era. Following the end of World War II, the emergence of the new humming economy—combined with the run-up to the briefer Korean War— created a rapid economic expansion in America, from the late 1940s to the early 1950s. The 1950s remained relatively strong, then gave way to the longest expansion in history during the 1960s. Despite bumps along the way, farmers across the country often found good prices for their crops and products, and the value of farmers’ holdings were skyrocketing. In 1950 the cash value of farms in America sur- passed $75.5 billion, a 63 percent increase from ﬁve years earlier— the largest increase in thirty years, ﬁnally putting farm values above where they were before the agricultural depression of the 1920s.

Wisconsin exempliﬁed what had become America’s ideal of the family farm, with

farms there more likely to be owned by the families operating them and to remain midsized even as they became more prosperous. Farmers’ productivity was also on the rise, thanks to economic opportunity, technological advancement, and improving eﬃciency of farm operations. That productivity was destined for a decades-long surge that would deﬁne the American farmer, beginning in the late 1940s and stretching into the next century. This era should have been a thing of beauty. But the problems with America’s surging prosperity—the result of those internal cracks beneath the surface—were coming fast. …

Note: Sources for this excerpt, cited as endnotes in the book, included: Stephen K. McNees, “A Brief Overview of Post–World War II Expansions,” in History of the U.S. Economy Since World War II ed. Harold G. Vatter and John F. Walker (New York: M.E. Sharpe, 1996); US Census of Agriculture, 1850–1950; William F. Thompson, Continuity and Change, 1940–1960, vol. 6 of The History of Wisconsin (Madison: (State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1988); and the Economic Research Service, “Productivity Growth in U.S. Agriculture.”

Brian Reisinger is an award-winning writer and farm boy who grew up working with his father from the time he could walk. “Land Rich Cash Poor” is available in bookstores as of August 20, and online at Amazon, as well as Audible, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound via Bookshop. org, with more information available at brian-reisinger.com. Reisinger serves as President and Chief Content Oﬃcer of Wisconsin-based strategic communications ﬁrm Platform Communications, and splits his time between northern California near his wife’s family, and his family’s farm in southern Wisconsin.

The new middle-class status of family farms would prove fragile—subject to the market power of larger players across many industries, and the whims of government under both political parties. Consequently, family farms would be put on an irreparably diﬀerent path: The Ameri-

Brian Reisinger

Farm/Art DTour Roadside Poetry Honorable Mentions

Wormfarm invited submissions of short poems inspired by the old Burma Shave ads to appear on this year's Farm/Art DTour, Oct. 5-14, throughout southern Sauk county.

More information at: wormfarminstitute.org/programs/ farm-art-dtour

Locals and familiar names are among both the winners and honorable mentions.

Below are the honorable mentions:

Driftless Grace: Light Night

Grace Vosen, Contributor

A few evenings ago, I was taking a walk and pondering the dual subject of endings and beginnings in life. My thoughts had just started to turn dark (and lean toward the “endings” side of things) when I looked up and noticed the nighthawks. Not to be confused with the Edward Hopper painting, a nighthawk is a medium-sized bird known for its sharp call and dizzying flight pattern. In our area, nighthawks form huge flocks to migrate southward at the end of August. It was one of these flocks that I saw feasting on insects above my walking route. Each patch of clear blue sky yielded more birds in constant movement.

I’ve only been blessed with this sight once before, at a prairie remnant farther up the Wisconsin River. I was leading a volunteer event that was brought to an abrupt end by a jet-black thundercloud. A wall of nighthawks ﬂed the approaching storm, backlit by the sunset. It was pure magic. I don’t know enough about the species to seek out these ﬂocks, and there were no photos taken that night. I had given up

hope of ever seeing the nighthawks again. But here they were, just seven years later. As it happens, both times were related to a cause that’s dear to me. The job that saw me hosting an event back then, and the job that was one of the “endings” on my

mind, were with the same organization.

Conservationists often talk about phenology, the observation of natural phenomena that occur throughout the year. For example, when the middle of May rolls around, I know it’s time to start

Two Crows Theatre Company announces winter season

A Winter Season Preview Party to raise funds for Two Crows Theatre Company, a nonproﬁt professional theatre based in Spring Green was recently held. Two plays are planned for this winter, beginning in January, with the possibility of a third still to be determined. Nate Burger, American Players Theatre core company actor, and Dee Dee Batteast, actor starring initially in this season’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom by August Wilson, will showcase bits of the plays planned for this winter at Slowpoke Lounge and Cabaret and the Touchstone Theatre.

Family

Ben Feiner will provide music for the evening. The community is invited. The theatre opened last winter after being forced to close in 2020 due to the pandemic. It produced one play in February, The Thin Place by Lucas Hnath, at the Touchstone Theatre on the American Players Theatre campus, followed in March by a New Play Workshop which developed a musical, Dear Writer/Dear Actress by Robert R Doyle and Marcus Truschinski, co-artistic directors of Two Crows Theatre. The workshop involved professional actors and musicians. After

In Brief

Medicine Physician Dr. Eric Jones Joins River Valley Clinic

River Valley Clinic has announced that Dr. Eric Jones, DO, will be joining its team as a Family Medicine physician, expanding access to primary care for residents in the area. Dr. Jones will begin seeing patients in October.

Dr. Jones, who provides care for patients of all ages, emphasizes the importance of treating the whole patient and considers social factors like mental health and family dynamics in his approach to care. "My biggest priority is being open and respectful with patients and creating an environment where they feel comfortable asking questions regardless of how small an issue might seem," said Dr. Jones.

Appointments with Dr. Jones can be scheduled by calling River Valley Clinic at 608-588-2502.

For more information about Sauk Prairie Healthcare, visit saukprairiehealthcare.org.

looking for chimney swifts at my favorite viewing spot. When the leaves start falling on walnut trees, I know that the summer is nearly over. And as I turn the calendar from August to September in the years to come, I’ll be thinking of nighthawks. These seasons return again and again no matter what else is beginning or ending in my life.

I originally thought of this story as an example of a crazy coincidence — something that united my past and my present. After all, both of my nighthawk sightings happened on the same date (August 30). Now, though, I realize it’s simply a story of ﬁnding beauty in a less-than-ideal moment. We can all try to do this with the people and places around us. It helps us rise above a situation to see what’s really important. In this case, I looked up, and I was not disappointed.

Grace Vosen is a writer and conservation educator living in Spring Green. She blogs about both the human and nonhuman communities of our region at DriftlessGrace.com.

a week of work, the play was reviewed by invited guests at Wyoming Valley School Arts and Cultural Center. A full production will be presented in the future. Two Crows Theatre Company is dedicated to delivering contemporary and relevant works in a deliberately intimate setting, bringing world class plays to Spring Green in the winter months. To show support for the theatre’s eﬀorts, donation cards will be available to ﬁll out for return by mail or at the event. Go to twocrowstheatrecompany.org for tickets and more information.

Sauk County Moves to CodeRED for Emergency Alerts

Sauk County Emergency Management has announced a transition from NIXLE to CodeRED for emergency messaging, eﬀective October 2024. Residents are encouraged to register for CodeRED to continue receiving emergency alerts.

The move comes as Sauk County seeks to address challenges with emergency messaging and improve support for critical communications. CodeRED will focus on priority-based alerts related to personal safety.

To sign up for CodeRED, visit accountportal.onsolve.net/SaukCountyAlerts or text "SAUKALERT" to 24639. Including an address during registration helps reduce unwanted alerts and ensures more precise communication.

For more information, contact Sauk County Emergency Management at 608-355-3200 or saukema@saukcountywi.gov.

Grace Vosen

Reﬂections from Lost Horizon Farm — Wildlife on the Farm (Part 4)

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 1980-2000, join Barb as she rises with the herd.

Wildlife on the Farm

Birds (con.)

Still summer nights would bring the voices of Whippoorwills, Screech Owls, and Barred and Horned Owls. It was not unusual in the morning to ﬁnd an owl feather somewhere around the farmyard. The top of the power pole by the machine shed was a favorite feeding perch for owls. Evidence of a night's kill could sometimes be found beneath it amidst the chrysanthemum, cone ﬂower and poppy plants.

Red-tailed Hawks nested somewhere in the woods across the road from the barn. In the spring, we would watch the adult raptors’ soaring courtship flights, and in mid- summer we would hear the food begging calls of their young. I vividly remember seeing a Red-tailed Hawk fly around the silo, reach out with its yellowy, scaled talons and grab a pigeon (also known as a Rock Dove) perched on the silo’s rounded roof. With its prey dangling from its talons, the raptor flew across the highway and perched. My last vision of this kill was the sight of pigeon feathers floating down from the hunter’s perch as the bird plucked its meal. Mr. Farmer had spoken about a Redtailed Hawk he had witnessed killing one of the neighbor's domestic Pekin ducks and then really struggle to carry off its heavy prey item.

American Kestrels (formerly called Sparrow Hawks) raised their young in the nest box we had placed on a power pole overlooking the hay ﬁeld south of the barn and later in the nesting box beside the old tile silo. Being in such high places, both boxes had been put in place by men working on a cherry picker. The ﬁeld site placement had been done by an accommodating power company worker, and the silo site by one of the men hired to reroof

Learn

The more you know about local farmers and food producers, the more likely you are to support them with your business. There’s actually science behind that. You can learn more about it when Jules Reynolds shares some of the ﬁndings of her 2024 PhD dissertation on the impact of storytelling on local food systems. This free event on Tuesday, October 15, from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Spring Green Community Library, 230 East Monroe Street in Spring Green, is part of the Wisconsin Science Festival’s theme of agriculture. The program is a collaboration by the library, the Morrill Lecture Series and Savor the River Valley.

the barn. It was amazing to see the diﬀerent ﬂight paths the Kestrel adults would take to the silo site so as to avoid easy detection of their nesting place.

Sharp-shinned Hawks were resident too. In the wintertime, these raptors would prey on birds frequenting our bird feeders. A favorite winter kill species was the Dark-eyed Junco. In the summertime, Sharpies could be observed in their deftly maneuvered flights through the open machine sheds pursuing small birds like House Sparrows or as a flash of brown/gray as they flew through heavily foliated branches on the hunt.

Migrating Canadian and Snow Geese were always welcome passersby and harbingers of spring. One foggy spring morning, about a dozen Tundra Swans ﬂew overhead so close to the earth that a person could actually hear the movement of the wind through their feathers and their soft murmurings to one another! Sandhill Cranes would appear toward the end of February to stake out nesting territory, and their calls would be heard throughout the summer and into the fall. As they staged for the fall migration, the cranes would land on the farms' ﬁelds to feed and dance and call. Kettles of Broad-winged Hawks would migrate over the farm as well. Turkey Vultures often roosted in a big oak tree on the ridge east of the barn. When the light was just right, a person could easily see their naked red heads. Bald Eagles were seen year round. It was not uncommon to see them feeding on deer carcasses during the winter. Historically, varied pairings of Bald Eagles have occupied a nest of gigantic proportion along a stretch of the

River south of the state

Little Green Herons nested in the pine trees behind one of the farm’s machine sheds. It was fun to see the mature birds bringing fish and frogs from the Wisconsin River to feed their young. The young would grope tree limbs and hop clumsily about until they were fully feathered. It was amazing how cryptic they could be when they were very still on their first perches. Wood Ducks would fly to and from the river on the way to their tree nesting holes. We never did locate an actual Woodie nest, but we did find a dead Wood Duck chick in our front yard one time. Another time Mr.

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.

stories of local food producers as part of Wisconsin Science Festival be showcased in this program. Panelists Stacey Feiner of My Fine Homestead, Andy Hatch of Uplands Cheese, Steven Shoemaker of Steadfast Acres and Bob Wills of Cedar Grove Cheese will share their experiences and insights.

Dr. Reynolds’ presentation will include short videos made as part of the project that showcase Cates Family Farm, Meadowlark Farm and Mill and Tortilleria Zepeda.

across the country and internationally. She is particularly interested in how community-university collaborations can better serve place-based change and food system transformation and looks forward to continuing this work in Wisconsin in the future. In her spare time, Dr. Reynolds enjoys biking Wisconsin’s trail systems, reading, watercolors, and adventuring with her dog Blueberry.

Dr. Reynolds’ dissertation looks at the Brix Project, a 4-year collaboration with local producers and Brix Cider. Local farmers and food producers will

Dr. Reynolds is currently Program Coordinator for The Soil Health Alliance for Research and Engagement (SHARE). She recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a joint PhD in Geography and Environmental Studies. Her community-based dissertation research built on a decade of experience working with farming communities and local food systems

The Morrill Lecture Series is a sponsored project of River Valley Commons. Started in honor of Joshua Morrill, the lecture series gives people the opportunity to learn about the world and themselves. During 2024, the Morrill Lecture Series has focused on the connecting power of stories.

Savor the River Valley is a grass-roots initiative of 40+ local farmers, food makers, food retailers and restaurants to

support and promote small local farmers and food businesses.

More information is available on all these websites: www.morrilllectures. org, www.savortherivervalley.org, www.springgreenlibrary.org and wisconsinsciencefest.org.

Barb Garvoille, Columnist

Barb Garvoille

Wisconsin

highway not far from Lost Horizon Farm.

Photo contributed by Barb Garvoille A Barred Owl feather was an exciting find and proof of this bird’s flight path over the farm. Farmer watched as a hen Wood Duck led her brood through underbrush on their way to the river. That was no doubt a daunting task for the female and her flightless young.

Patti Peltier, Contributed

Photo contributed by Barb Garvoille A Sandhill Crane walks amidst the corn.

Photo contributed by Barb Garvoille

The Red-tailed Hawk was a resident raptor commonly seen hunting the farm’s ﬁelds for prey items like mice or rabbits.

Photo contributed by Barb Garvoille

A Turkey Vulture is drying its wings on the top of the Rochester silo.

Photo contributed by Barb Garvoille

A female American Kestrel surveys her nesting box on the west side of the barn.

Jules Reynolds

Wandering the Driftless

Driftless Riverine Monsters

Once the calendar page is turned from August to September, most of us that treasure outdoor experiences switch gears from ﬁshing to hunting. Fishing boats are cleaned, parked and made ready for the coming winter, while shotguns and bowhunting gear are readied for action. After following that schedule for most of my life, I have discovered I have been missing out on some priceless outdoor fun. September is time to pursue a unique trophy in the driftless area: the Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens).

The Wisconsin River that winds through our portion of the Badger State is home to a good population of these prehistoric fish. They offer the toughest and longest fight that any fish in the the waters of Wisconsin can muster. The musky is a trophy fish famous for its ability to fight and take to the air before being brought to the net. A sturgeon will often take to the air when hooked, will fight longer than a musky and will not fit in a landing net!

The hook and line sturgeon season opens on the first Saturday of September and continues through the end of the month. A Wisconsin fishing license is all that is required to fish for sturgeon. You must have a sturgeon tag if you wish to keep one and that fish must be over 60 inches in length. The practice of CPR (Catch, Photograph and Release) is strongly recommended.

Sturgeon grow fairly rapidly when young, but their growth rate slows as they age. Males reach sexual maturity at 8-19 years old. Females are able to spawn once they reach 24 -26 years of age and a length of about 55 inches. Once mature, females will spawn only once every four years. Sturgeon may live for up to 150 years.

The fossil record shows that the sturgeon species has been on Earth for 150 million years. This means that they co-existed with dinosaurs. They resemble sharks but are not closely related. They have no teeth and use a tube-like mouth to feed on the bottom of lakes and streams they inhabit. Their skin is covered with bony plates, characteristic of ancient ﬁsh species.

It did not take me long to convince friends Scott and Lori Puls to join me for the opening day of the 2024 sturgeon season. We launched the boat prior to sunrise and anchored in the strong current of the lower Wisconsin River. We were armed with three medium-heavy rods attached to musky-type bait casting reels that were spooled with 30 lb. test monofilament line. Terminal tackle was a 2 oz. slip sinker and a 3/0 hook covered with night crawlers. This would be Scott and Lori’s first attempt at sturgeon fishing.

We immediately began catching ﬁsh. Unfortunately, they were small catﬁsh and

sheepshead, not the fish we were hoping for. Several moves, many worms and non-target fish later, I set the hook on what felt like a good fish. I passed the rod to Lori, who did a great job in reeling in a small, 24 inch lake sturgeon. The right fish, but smaller than we had hoped for. The five year old fish was armed with sharp spines that will eventually dull as it ages. We did the CPR routine with fish being returned to the water.

Lunches and snacks having been consumed by noon, we were feeling a bit disappointed when the rod at the rear of the boat bent over sharply. I grabbed it and set the hook on what was definitely a sturgeon. I passed the rod to Lori. She fought the fish for a while and passed the rod to Scott, as I motored to shallow water to give us an advantage in the fight. After a 40 minute fight

and a couple of failed attempts, I was finally able to grab the fish ahead of the tail and hoist it into the boat. A round of high fives erupted. The fish measured 52 ½ inches. A fish that size is over 20 years old and not even mature, if it is a female. We all thanked the fish for a great fight and wished it well as it was released back to the river.

The sturgeon population remained the same. The “sturgeon enthusiast” population increased by two!

John Cler is a retired High School Science Teacher and Principal residing in Richland Center. He is an avid hunter, trapper, ﬁsher and nature nut. He currently chairs the Richland County Deer Advisory Council and the Richland County Delegation of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress.

John Cler, Columnist

Photo contributed by John Cler

The author (L), Scott Puls (C) and Lori Puls(R) with a Lake Sturgeon caught recently in the Wisconsin River.

The Sauk County Gardener

Caring for Chrysanthemums

“A chrysanthemum by any other name would be easier to spell.”

— William J. Johnston

I always try to get my fall decorating done around the first weekend in September and I always include Chrysanthemums. Every year, I get them from my favorite farmers market vendor in Baraboo or I visit his family’s nursery to find the colors and varieties that suit my fancy. I really try to limit myself to just a couple, but they are so pretty that it’s really hard to decide. My plan this year was to only buy four for my front porch. I ended up with ten. I was able to justify it because not only do they come in so many colors, but I can also transplant them into my garden and, with a little extra pampering their first winter, I’ll most likely get them to survive their first winter and then they’re relatively low maintenance from then on.

Caring for mums is relatively easy if you

take the time to select the right ones. Look for ones that have deep green foliage that is not wilted and lots of buds. Check the soil, it should be moist. Once you have them at home, you’ll want to transplant them as soon as you can into a larger pot or into the ground. This will give them more soil and more room for their roots to spread out.

Planting in a pot: Spread out the root ball and place the mum in its new pot that maintains the depth the mum was initially grown in. Leave about an inch at the top of the ﬂowerpot to hold water and use one with drainage holes. According to my favorite nursery guy, if you keep your mums in a pot, water them until the water runs out the bottom of the pot. Mums like moist but not soaking wet soil. It’s best to water them every morning if you can. They will bloom longer if they have morning sun and partial afternoon shade.

Planting in the ground: Once again, spread out the root ball and maintain the

Ground Cherries and Tomatillos - Nightshade Plants

“We sow the seed of deadly nightshade and wish it to bear lilies and roses!.”

— Gottfried Von Strassburg

For years I have been growing plants in the Solanaceae family – tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, tomatillos, and ground cherries. What you might not know is that Atropa belladonna, aka deadly nightshade, is also part of the Solanaceae family of ﬂowering plants. Belladonna was originally used to redden Venetian women’s skin for a blush-like appearance. It was also used to dilate women’s pupils. From there it became the poison of choice for assassins and criminals. Macbeth, the King of Scotland, Emperor Augustus of Rome, and Emperor Claudius of Rome were all killed by the use of deadly nightshade. Today, people no longer fear plants from the Solanaceae family – especially those more common ones such as tomatoes, potatoes, and even eggplants. But how many of you are familiar with tomatillos or ground cherries? Although they are members of the nightshade family, they

are diﬀerent in a number of ways.

I have grown both over the years and have found them very easy to grow. In fact, once you’ve planted tomatillos or ground cherries, you will most likely have many volunteer plants for years to come. Both are easy to start from seed; similar to starting tomatoes and grow easily in a sunny garden location. Although they are similar looking, bearing a slight resemblance to a tomato when they are green, ground cherries (aka “husk” tomatoes) are typically smaller. The ground cherry ripens in late summer/early fall and its fruit is ripe when the husk dries up and drops off and the fruit itself turns yellow or orange. Please keep in mind all parts of the plant, except the ripe fruit, is toxic. Unripe cherries have the highest level of toxins so make sure to only eat them when they are fully ripe. Ground cherries have a unique taste – they have a sweet-tart flavor that is somewhat like pineapple with a slight back flavor or tomato. This unique flavor makes them a great ingredient for numerous recipes. They can be used as a decorative garnish in desserts, added to

Wandering the Driftless (Con.)

and congratulations followed.

A shout from the front of the boat interrupted my routine of readying my panfish rod for action. “Fish On! Get the net. This is not a bluegill!” Jerry Lynch had hooked a good fish on his first cast at Dutch Hollow Lake. A brief scramble resulted in a nice bass netted by Tom Aranow, who occupied the center seat in the boat. A round of high fives

The three of us had made the short trip to Dutch Hollow in hopes of catching some of the nice panfish that inhabit the lake. While Tom and I had fished together there on a few occasions, Jerry had never wet a line in the lake before. He was obviously impressed from the start. The rest of the trip resulted in a lots of panfish brought aboard, with a good number making the cut to be added to the cooler.

Wisconsin is blessed with thousands of lakes, thanks to the last glacier that passed over most of the state and melted about 12,000 years ago. The Driftless Area, however, has few natural lakes, as it was not glaciated during the last glacial advance. Those we do have are mostly man-made lakes, produced by placing a dam across a ﬂowing stream. Dutch Hollow Lake is among these.

The Branigar Corporation began construction of a dam across Dutch Hollow Creek during 1970, following the purchase of the surrounding farmland. This company had completed a similar project several years earlier that resulted in the construction of Lake Redstone, several miles to the east. Dutch Hollow Lake eventually ﬁlled to a depth of 40 feet and an area of 210 acres. The water supplied by the creek is supplemented by two large capacity wells that pump water into the lake when needed.

The lake is long and narrow with several narrow “arms” spreading oﬀ of the main lake body. The arms are all marked with “slow,

original plant depth. When you plant outdoors, you want to give your mum at least 18 inches so its roots have room to stretch out. After you’ve planted your mum, water at the ground level, below the foliage. If you water the ﬂowers and leaves, your mum may get fungi. After a week, water frequently so that your mum gets a minimum of an inch of water per week. To keep it blooming, deadhead by removing wilted blooms and dead leaves and stems. This will help extend their blooming. If it turns cold, you can mulch around their base about 3 to 4 inches deep. Your mum should bloom until hard frost.

Extending their bloom: To keep them blooming, placing them in partial shade really helps extend their healthy look. They do wonderful on covered porches and areas that get morning sun. Don’t let them dry out. If they are in a pot, water them daily. But remember, they don’t like saturated soil so water around the edges of the pots or the

a fruit salad, or even dipped in chocolate. Many people make jams or chutneys with them as well. If you have a recipe that calls for green tomatoes, ground cherries can be used as a substitute.

Tomatillos, commonly known as the Mexican husk tomato, are small, bright green fruits that have a thin papery husk. At this point, I no longer plant tomatillos even though I like to use them to make salsa verde or just to roast them for quick use. If you want to grow them in your garden, you’ll need to plant at least two plants to ensure pollination. Tomatillos have a slightly tart, tangy, citrus flavor with a hint of sweetness as they get riper. They also have a papery husk covering them. They are ripe when the fruit is firm and fills the papery husk. The color should be bright green or purple (depending on the variety you grow.) They are overripe if they are yellow, and fruit becomes soft. Oftentimes they drop off the plant before they are ripe. They can be collected and stored in their husks until they are fully ripe. (This is why many times I end up with volunteer plants

no wake” bouys, allowing fishermen to find quiet spots to fish, even on busy weekends. Most of the lake has shorelines that drop to deep water fairly quickly. Lake bottom maps are not available, providing a challenge requiring some time spent exploring the lake. There are two boat landings on Dutch Hollow Lake that are maintained by Sauk County. The LaValle landing is near the dam off of Dutch Hollow Road and is the most popular of the pair. The Woodland landing is on the far, shallow, end of the lake off of Strawbridge Road. It tends to be a bit weedy in early summer, but is a great place to launch a boat, with less traffic. Sauk County charges $5 per day for their parks and launches. Annual stickers are $25, or two for $40. Sauk County annual passes are also valid at Lake Redstone and White Mound lake.

Having spent some time snorkeling and spearﬁshing in Dutch Hollow Lake, I can attest to the health and diversity of its ﬁshery. There are many large bass, bluegills and crappies to pursue. Walleyes and northern pike are can also be found in good numbers. Pike between 25 and 35 inches must be released, however.

plant as best you can. Here’s a fun fact to try next summer. You can get your mum to bloom out of season. They bloom when the days (available sunlight) gets shorter. Take your potted mum and place it in a location where the sunlight is reduced, and this will trigger it to bloom.

Overwintering: Once we’ve had a hard frost, prune the mums you planted in the ground back to about 3-4 inches above the ground and mulch around the rest of the plant. Leave the branches intact. Wait until spring to prune all the old stems. With this little bit of extra care, many times they will return next spring. I like to put my shredded leaves on my garden beds, and this has helped my mums’ survival rates signiﬁcantly. If you were unable to get your plants into the ground, you can bring them indoors for the winter. Simply cut them back and they will produce new leaves over the winter indoors. Then transplant them into the garden in the spring.

the next year.) To eat or prepare them, simply remove the husk, wash oﬀ the sticky residue, and eat or cook the fruit whole or chopped up. No peeling, coring or seeding is required. Tomatillos are used in a variety of dishes, particularly in Latin American cuisine. They can be roasted and added to sauces and salsa for use on enchiladas or tamales. Sauté and use them as a topping for tacos or serve as a tangy side dish. You can also add them to various soups (pozole verde), stews, and meat dishes. If you love Latin American cuisine and/or are looking for a couple new vegetables to add to next year’s garden, consider trying these members of the nightshade family.

Mark your calendar and join the Sauk County Master Gardeners at their next monthly meeting where Lisa Johnson, Dane County Horticulturist, will discuss “Gardening with Climate Change in Mind: Trends, Challenges, and Adaptive Strategies.” The meeting is Thursday, October 10 at 6 pm in Room B-30 of the West Square Building, 505 Broadway, Baraboo. The meeting is free and open to the public.

John Cler, Columnist

Dutch Hollow Lake: A Driftless Gem

Photo contributed by John Cler Jerry Lynch with the ﬁrst ﬁsh he hooked in Dutch Hollow Lake, a nice largemouth bass.

Jeannie Manis, Wisconsin Certiﬁed Master Gardener

Jeannie Manis Wisconsin Certiﬁed Master Gardener

Photo contributed by John Cler

The clear water of Dutch Hollow Lake make for brilliant colors on some ﬁsh, like the sunﬁsh pictured.

An Outdoorsman’s Journal

Mark Walters, Columnist

Hello friends,

This week’s column is going to go a mile a minute as there is a ton to write about. I generally hunt the northern Wisconsin duck opener on the Turtle Flambeau Flowage. I missed it due to the fact that my nephew Trent Schuster happened to get married to a very nice lady named Amanda Wendt. Run Amanda run!

Instead I headed north with the pups, my War Eagle and my canoe on Monday and though I knew the shooting would be minimal I was very excited for the trip and now had something else that I could blame on Trent.

Monday, September 23rd

High 74°, Low 42°

Here is the plan, launch canoe and War Eagle, travel with very happy pups to duck paradise, hunt, sleep in War Eagle Hotel, and repeat process for 2 more days. Folks I was on a roll and when I got home would only have one day before I headed southwest

for the southern Wisconsin opener on the Mississippi River. So, I anchor the War Eagle and load the canoe for the afternoon expedition and am a bit concerned that I have yet to see a duck, “thanks Trent.”

I paddle to no man’s land, there are zero waterfowl but I am doing “forced nothing” which I really need to do. After 2 hours I am buzzed by a flock of teal and miss, this would be my only experience until after shooting hours. Ten minutes after shooting hours were over, I watched a hundred million mallards buzz me. Waterfowl really seem to learn when you cannot shoot at them.

Back at the War Eagle Hotel I lit a propane lantern and really enjoyed the evening. About 10:00 I rolled out a tarp, put my sleeping bag in it and tried to sleep.

Tuesday, September 24th

High 76°, Low 40°

Sleeping did not work out so well. There were multiple problems such as I was on the floor of my boat and it was too short to lay length wise, there was a very heavy due and my sleeping bag sucked up moisture at a steady rate and both

pups demanded the best spot on the floor which was the top of my head.

So I am up and adam, 2 hours before daylight, paddle to duck paradise and am a little concerned that I am not flushing any of the millions of mallards that I saw last night. I was so careful that I didn’t even turn on my headlamp.

Daylight arrives, I do not see a single duck, “thanks Trent.” Two hours after daylight a goose flies over and I foolishly think it is out of range, it wasn’t. An hour later I saw a lone goose, it was at least a half mile away. I can honestly say that because I am so horrible at calling geese that I have not tried in 15 years. I give my best attempt and the bird does a 180 and heads my way, then it turns around and leaves the zone. I decide to try again, give a honk, it does a 180, comes in with its wings set and I dumped it. Two hours later I dropped another and all was well.

If you see Trent Schuster, punch him in the shoulder and tell him his Uncle Mark sent that his way! Sunset

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Follow along the adventures of Mark Walters, an outdoor adventure columnist who currently writes for around 60 newspapers, and began writing his column in 1989. It includes hunting, fishing, lots of canoeing and backpacking. Enjoy!

At midday I tried a snooze, but it did not work, I decide to go exploring by canoe. I find a 4-inch musky that has just died, and it has a small walleye in its mouth that I am sure was too big to digest and once again it was proven that gluttony can kill. I also observed that the water is down about 16 inches from normal and every muskrat den is above the water line. That is not good if you are a muskrat.

With 3 hours of daylight left I picked a pretty spot to sit and put out my decoys. I had one round of shooting and that was at a wood duck.

It seemed to have been tickled and sailed a good 300-yards and out of site. When shooting hours were over the pups and I went looking for it and by-God, Ruby found it.

Sleeping was the same as the previous night and the following morning I did not get a shot.

Photo contributed by Mark Walters

The War Eagle Hotel was not as comfy as it looks.

Fall Waterfowl Hunt on the Turtle Flambeau Flowage

Photo contributed by Mark Walters This 4 inch musky literally bit off more than it could chew and the walleye that it had in its mouth was the cause of its death.

Photo contributed by Mark Walters This was a happy moment!