Valley Sentinel - 10-05-2023

Spring Green, Wisconsin FREE , Single-Copy

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OP/EDs: National Newspaper Week

Pages 2, 3, 4, 9

Enclosed

Lone Rock unveils new ambulance, area EMS say they're in need of volunteers

The Village of Lone Rock recently bought a new ambulance that emergency medical service volunteers say was sorely-needed. The ambulance, purchased in August for $218,058.50, will serve not just Lone Rock, but assist with mutual aid in the surrounding townships of Buena Vista, Clyde, Ithaca and potentially beyond. Volunteers said despite boasting a new vehicle, Lone Rock EMS continues to be in need of volunteers.

“Our old ambulance [was] 22 years old,” said Steven Morgenson, vice president of Lone Rock EMS and a trustee on Lone Rock’s village board. “[The old ambulance was] approaching the 100,000 mile mark. At that age things start to go wrong. We've had some electrical problems, some mechanical problems.”

Pat Werner, a Lone Rock emergency medical technician (and the author’s grandfather), stressed the urgency of the new purchase.

“We needed an ambulance, because if we would not have one they would either [have to] come from Spring Green, or Richland Center,” said Werner. “It all comes down to the time it takes to get a patient to the hospital.”

Werner gave the example of a stroke

Thursday, October 5, 2023 | Vol. 4, No. 18

patient.

“You should have them to a hospital within one hour, so they can get a shot to help coagulate their brain.”

Morgenson said the new ambulance is owned by the Village of Lone Rock, which bought it and lends it to the Lone Rock Rescue Unit—a separate, selfgoverning entity. But funding did not come entirely from the Village.

Morgenson said that Buena Vista and Clyde townships contributed towards

One Driftless Trail segment open, two others to open soon

Driftless Area Land Conservancy is excited to open two new segments of the Driftless Trail this fall, part of what will eventually be a 50+ mile pedestrianonly, public access trail through the northeastern quarter of Iowa County. This trail will offer a “quiet trail” experience deep into the hills and valleys of this landscape we all love, only 3% of which is public land.

Community Calendar: Live music, farmers markets and more

Pages 6, 7

“Everywhere in Wisconsin [has an EMT] shortage,” said Werner. “EMTs, on the whole, are getting older, and most of them are retired. There's new ones coming, but not fast enough anymore.”

Currently, Werner says Lone Rock has five EMTs and three emergency medical responders—they are all volunteers, and five are retired.

Werner said that if anybody wants to become an EMR or EMT, they can apply to Southwest Wisconsin Technical College. Classes are typically at night, and located in Richland Center, Fennimore or Dodgeville, depending on which has the most students. Werner says people can also volunteer as ambulance drivers after taking a one-day emergency vehicle operator course.

the ambulance as well. Chairman of the Town of Buena Vista Floyd Bartow said Buena Vista appropriates funds in their annual budget towards EMS. Most recently, Bartow said this September $5,000 was given to Lone Rock EMS and $2,000 to the Ithaca First Responders group.

The details of local government can cause headaches, but there is another pain that area EMS suffers from: lack of volunteers.

“It's hard to get people to commit to this,” said Morgenson. “If people would like to get involved they can contact our Service Director Brandy Doch or myself.” Doch’s email is brandy11.ariss@gmail. com, and Morgenson’s is rocky61.sm@ gmail.com.

Even with limited manpower, Lone Rock is putting their new ambulance to fast use. EMS volunteers had to delay being interviewed for this story because they were responding to an emergency

continued on page 9

A year ago, the Conservancy opened the Weaver Road Segment of the Driftless Trail, just north of Governor Dodge State Park. The one-mile trail starts at a high point with long distance vistas and descends into a valley with a pine relict on one side and rocky outcrops on the other. It offers a lot of variety in one short hike, and is particularly beautiful in the

continued on page 9

Alex Prochaska, Editorial Intern

Photo by Alex Prochaska

Lone Rock's new ambulance, soapy and shiny from being washed at the station.

Barb Barzen, Driftless Area Land Conservancy

Photo by Barb Barzen The view from Phoebe Point on the Driftless Trail.

OPINION/EDITORIAL

The (not so) Plain and Simple Correspondent: There's A Fungus Among Us

Katie Green, Columnist

September was very busy. Not only was it Literacy Month and Hispanic Heritage Month, I am now informed by unimpeachable sources that it is also National Mushroom Month. I've certainly missed a few lesser holidays than this one on the way to celebrating fungi. Dead Poets Month? (Shakespeare would give thumbs up.) The Totaled Vehicle Month?

(sponsored by the American Towing Assn.) The Broken Large Appliances Month? (Best Buy's favorite). Tennis Elbow Month? (A post-Wimbleton event.) The Celebration of Multiple Marriages –5 or More – Month? (Brigham Young, Elizabeth Taylor, Tommy Manville and several other superannuated billionaires approved of that one.) It makes you dizzy to learn how many subjects someone wants us to honor for innocent or commercial reasons. Some are more appealing than others.

Regarding mushrooms, we happen to like mushrooms in our family with one exception; one of my beloved sons objects to the rubbery texture. I have been known to mince them up very fine and sneak them into spicy meatloaves unbeknownst to him out of maternal cussedness. On a birthday call to a friend the other day, our chat turned to mushrooms. She is an avid forager and every year on her birthday she goes out looking for Lion's mane mushrooms in the woods. As always, she was successful, but said it was smaller than usual because of the drought. I wondered aloud how the Lion's manes at the markets that carry expensive oddments are so large, drought or no drought, and she said they are produced by commercial growers who monitor moisture content of the sawdust they are grown in and it is possible to tour such facilities. You must be careful not

On the cover

to breathe in too many spores, however, as that can make you sick, she warned. She has been the one I turn to when I find wild fungi and need someone to do a positive identification for me. Most recently I found a tree trunk sporting a saddle or pheasant back mushroom and my photo told her immediately what it was. It was edible. The same trunk grew a second one in the same spot later on. The second generation was as chewy as squid or overcooked scallops (my specialty.) She declined to be interviewed by name for this column.

Another avid but amateur mushroom hunter, Michael Whaley of rural Spring Green, is also reluctant to be an acknowledged resource, for obvious reasons. In fact, “Don't quote me!” is his motto. You must proceed at your own risk. Some fungi are edible, others can make you very sick or even kill you, like the amanita family. These pretty, red or brown spotted fungi have hallucinogenic properties, as well, and are used by shamans the world over. Michael usually only recommends, cautiously, “the foolproof four” – morels, puffballs, shaggy mane or lawyer's wig, and lion's mane. The saddle or pheasant's back mushroom I found recently is also edible and probably could be safely added to the list, he said. All are best if eaten when they are young. The shaggy manes are interesting in that as they age they turn from scaly white cones with brownish shadings and a dark skirt atop a slender stalk and then deliquesce – i.e. liquify into a black puddle.

It is indeed necessary to be careful in gathering wild mushrooms. In doing research for one of my California history

books I learned that a father and daughter in my hometown nearly died from ingesting a toxic variety. We all know what happened to Babar's father when he ate the wrong sort of mushroom – he turned green and keeled over. (Babar's mother was killed by hunters, leaving him an orphan who would have been in a terrible pickle if it weren't for the Kind Old Lady who adopted him. There has been periodic controversy about the Babar series in the political correctness world, saying that French colonialism, sexism, elitism, stereotyping of Africans, and other sins pervade the books, proving once again that humans can squabble over virtually anything, even children's books, some of which do transgress the feelings of others.)

Within an hour of the conversation with my friend, an email came to me from a food site I sometimes consult for recipes, informing me of the importance of observing National Mushroom Month and included some recipes within the range of my culinary skills. Soups, tarts, etc. Well, then, the stars were aligning. It was meant to be written of. Since the rains, edible wild mushrooms such as Chicken of the Woods and puffballs are proliferating. If you have a damp woods to prowl in, now is the time to look. Since it is nearly the end of the mushroom season for this year, you haven't much time to play roulette with wild fungi until next spring. With such gorgeous displays of turning leaves, even if you don't find mushrooms your time outdoors is well spent for the next few weeks

If you'll remember, Garrison Keillor tickled our funnybone for years on Prairie Home Companion talking about

the tank car loads of cream of mushroom soup routed by rail to the Midwest to use in casseroles that also heavily featured potato chips and frozen peas. Actually, cream of mushroom soup, made from scratch, is pretty darn good. I used to have a recipe from the late Frances Nemtin of Taliesin, but can't lay my fingers on it.

Mushroom barley soup is also excellent. By the by, I used to slice mushrooms up raw in salads but then read that it is better to eat them cooked, for safety reasons. Other agents, for example bacteria, may contaminate the mushrooms and cause illness (however, even if cooked or dried, contaminants may not be neutralized.) It is also wise to take only a taste of whatever you gather wild, then wait and see if you react adversely before eating more. About 90% of people eat wild mushrooms successfully, especially in Europe, which has an ancient history of harvesting them and a vaster educated public. Michael learned about this first in Poland.

Having dutifully rung all the warning bells, in case you might want to try something new during National Mushroom Month, I'll leave you with my friend's meatloaf recipe, the one I tricked my son with, because it is unusual. Tie on your apron and start mincing.

Bobbi's Oriental Style Meatloaf

Saute in olive oil: 1/2 lb mushrooms chopped very fine

Mix:

• ½ c oats

• 1 ½ lb lean ground beef

• ½ med. onion, finely chopped

• 2 cloves garlic

• 2 T grated fresh ginger

• ½ t mineral salt

• 2 T teriyaki sauce or low sodium tamari

• 1 egg

Add mushrooms to meat mixture, stir well.

Bake@ 350 in loaf pan

• ½ hr covered w/foil

• ½ hr uncovered.

Bon appetit!

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

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

“Golden glowing beauty” (2023) Photo by Amanda Thomas

From the photographer: "This photo was taken at sunrise from the backyard of my house here in Spring Green, on Monday, October 2nd. The sun, rising from behind the distant driftless hills, is reflecting off the low sitting fog, creating a soybean field full of golden glowing beauty."

—Amanda Thomas

Katie Green

Photo by Katie Green

The saddle or pheasant back mushroom Katie Green found and ate.

OPINION/EDITORIAL

NATIONAL NEWSPAPER WEEK: Americans depend on newspapers to stay informed about their communities

Nearly 220 million American adults turn to their local newspapers regularly for news and information they need to stay informed, feel more connected to their neighbors and improve their lives and communities.

That readership number is based on a recent national study by independent research firm Coda Ventures for the America’s Newspapers organization.

We sometimes take the work of journalists for granted, but those who work at newspapers are filling an important role in the health of our communities and country.

Everyone, even nonreaders, benefits from the work of journalists. News coverage has led to improvements in food safety, decreases in traffic and plane fatalities, better care for veterans and nursing home patients, support for victims of natural disasters, and exposure of all sorts of wrongdoing.

I have long loved this quotation by Frank Batten Sr., a media visionary and former chairman of Landmark Communications, who said about journalists and newspapers: “Our calling was never more important. We have the capacity to inform, to enlighten, to awaken and to inspire. We have the opportunity to enrich the lives of thousands of people every day.”

term for those various forms, but now news is delivered through websites, social media, electronic editions, email alerts and newsletters, in addition to the traditional printed paper.

Those delivery methods have changed significantly in recent years. But one thing remains constant: Americans depend on the trusted news coverage provided by newspapers.

The study by Coda Ventures, based on surveys of 5,000 people, revealed that respondents ranked local newspapers and their websites as the most accurate sources of original news reporting. The results also listed the top five reasons Americans seek out local news – to stay informed, feel connected in the community, decide where they stand on local issues, find places and things to do, and talk to other people about community news.

to access news, though they also like news websites and email alerts. People in the 40 to 74 age group ranked news websites as their top choice, followed by email alerts and the printed newspaper. Those 75 and older prefer the print edition but also like news websites and email alerts.

Based on the frequent reports of struggles within the news business, many people might be surprised to learn that newspapers and their digital offerings reach so many readers. Those struggles, primarily financial, are real and affect many media companies, not just newspapers. But the new ways of delivering news allow newspapers to reach even larger audiences.

Frank Batten might not have anticipated the widespread use of the internet and social media when he first made his comments in the 1980s, but his words remain true today.

Most likely, the number of readers is higher. Many people who say they receive news on their phone or from social media instead of newspapers fail to understand that the sources for those stories are often journalists at U.S. newspapers.

Across the United States, journalists and other newspaper employees are serving their communities and democracy every day by informing, enlightening, awakening and inspiring millions of readers.

The news they provide is accessed in many forms. Many people still use the word newspaper as the all-encompassing

Survey respondents consistently said they prefer newspapers in print and digital formats over TV, radio and social media as their main source for news and information important to them.

They like the fact that newspapers use different ways to deliver their news stories to various audiences. The survey showed that people who are 39 and younger listed social media as the No. 1 way they prefer

EDITORIAL

Newspapers and their dedicated employees continue to inform, enlighten, awaken and inspire – enriching their communities and the lives of millions of people who benefit from their work every day.

Benjy Hamm is the Director of the Institute for Rural Journalism at the University of Kentucky.

Town of Spring Green tried to hold an illegal special meeting, they did the right thing and canceled when educated

Valley Sentinel received notice of a 7:00 p.m. Oct. 2 special meeting of the Town of Spring Green Board at 6:57 p.m. Sunday Oct. 1.

Just barely twenty-four hours' notice as required by statute, right? Not quite. When calculating the twenty-four hour notice period, Wis. Stat. § 990.001(4) (a) requires that Sundays and legal holidays shall be excluded.

Thus, the Attorney General has stated in the Wisconsin Open Meetings Law Compliance Guide that "posting notice of a Monday meeting on the preceding Sunday is, therefore, inadequate..." Legally, we received less than twenty hours' notice as news media who have requested notice under statute, and if we didn't receive proper notice then the public likely didn't either.

We brought this to the attention of Town of Spring Green Chair Nate Robson, who promptly informed us

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EDITORIAL

Editor-in-Chief Nicole Aimone

Managing Editor

Taylor Scott

Legal Editor

Gary Ernest Grass, esq.

Editorial Policy

Monday morning that the meeting had been canceled.

Which is exactly what should happen.

Not every potential infraction of Wisconsin open meetings law and Wisconsin public records law is malicious, usually it's a matter of simply not knowing and then being educated and learning from the mistake.

It's National Newspaper Week (Oct. 1-7) and this is a perfect example of the relationship between newspaper as a watchdog and local government that should exist.

They didn't hold the meeting, they didn't double down.

They didn't act like Lone Rock did last year and double down after ignoring statute, ignoring a public records request and continuing to hold illegal meetings. Issues that have consequences under statute and are ongoing and nearing their conclusion—hopefully.

To be fair, Lone Rock has implemented a great new website that allows the public to sign up for meeting notices and there haven't been any problems in over nine months.

For the Town of Spring Green, this appears to have been a genuine mistake. And now everyone's better off for learning about it and from it.

This is the type relationship that should exist, the watchdog is watching and called something to the municipality's attention. They look into it, realize that it was incorrect. And they rectify it and do the legal thing—and that deserves to be applauded.

We urge the Town of Spring Green to go the extra mile as well and pass an ordinance that formalizes the process of calling and holding a special meeting of the board, to avoid any related issues in the future. This is an issue Town of Spring Green Clerk Vicki Terpstra told

Valley Sentinel she recognizes as well and encourages the same.

This National Newspaper Week it's important to recognize how important everyone's role is and that we're not just watching out for malicious infractions, education is important as well and honest mistakes happen.

It's a collaborative effort, not one part-time clerk, one town chair or one civically responsible citizen should be expected to have a complete and full understanding of Wisconsin's sunshine and transparency laws. And that's why it takes literally a village... —or in this case, a town.

Deadlines: The display and classified advertising dead- line is Monday at noon for that week. If you would like our design team to design the ad then please allow extra time for the creative process and proofing.

Graphic Design

Julianna Williams

Democracy & Society Columnist

Beverly Pestel

Community Columnist

Katie Green

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

Community Contributor

Amberly Mae-Cooper

Literary Contributor

Mary Lanita Schulz

Editorial Intern

Alex Prochaska

Letter to the Editor Policy

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

Agriculture Columnist

Barb Garvoille

Literary Contributor

Amanda Thomas

Column Policy

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

Community Discussion Policy

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

Benjy Hamm, Institute for Rural Journalism

Benjy Hamm

OPINION/EDITORIAL

Public Education — Part 3: The Education of the Founding Fathers

Beverly Pestel, Columnist

I’ve had a quote by Charles Scribner, Jr. taped to my wall for several years: “Reading is a means of thinking with another person’s mind; it forces you to stretch your own.”

…and I’m getting stretched here. As I research public education, one reference leads me to another, to another, to another. Finding the through-line that allows me to get a sense of our Founding Fathers education and how that eventually led us to free public education without getting pulled into fascinating sidetrails is becoming a challenge. Kind of fun, though.

One piece that has surprised me is that I expected to find that the Founding Fathers were significantly influenced by ancient Greek history and philosophy – but no. The Greeks were not ignored, but the Roman influence was much greater, education in the colonies focused heavily on several authors who chronicled the Roman Republic and, specifically, its decline. The historian Bernard Baylin maintains regarding the Founding Fathers, “What gripped their minds, what they know in detail, and what formed their view of the whole of the ancient world was the political history of Rome.”

Which brings us back to the play Cato, mentioned in my last column as being a favorite in colonial times. Cato was a Roman senator who resisted the tyranny of Julius

Caesar. Historically, he was praised for his honesty and incorruptibility. At the end of the play, and in real life, he commits suicide rather than submit to Caesar. The influence of this play is reflected in Patrick Henry’s statement, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” and Nathan Hale’s “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” Both quotes are close references to lines in the play. That leaves me with one commanding thought – the Founding Fathers put a great deal of emphasis on learning and understanding history in order to form a more secure future for the colonies. Using this history as a base, their minds were going to be stretched in multiple ways as they sought a “more perfect union.” A plan to join thirteen colonies into one union was not formed out of whole cloth, it was woven together using a solid and thorough education on the formation and decline of the most famous republic in history. (An appreciation and focus on learning from history - something tells me we will come back to this before we are done here.)

As members of affluent families, the Founding Fathers’ education came from tutors or small fee-based schools. The private colleges they attended were tiny enclaves of learning with just a few students and a handful of faculty. They were the early versions of William & Mary, Harvard, Yale, Princeton

and Columbia. At this point, the interesting fact is where many of the young tutors and faculty came from, most of whom were only slightly older than their students. Many of them were graduates of Scottish universities. Now, off I go to Wikipedia to learn about the Scottish universities of the 1700s– but only to those entries that are replete with scholarly notes and reference – I have to be careful about getting reliable sources of information, right?

The Scottish tutors and faculty had been educated in a new skeptical, probing way of thinking that put an emphasis on questioning some of the accepted certainties of established thinking. Their approach to education has been described as "a philosophy of education that empowers individuals with broad knowledge and transferable skills, and a strong sense of values, ethics, and civic engagement ... characterized by challenging encounters with important issues, and more a way of studying than a specific course or field of study." (Association of American Colleges and Universities)

So, this is who the Founding Fathers became. Men filled with a knowledge and appreciation of history, empowered with questioning minds, and challenged to use a sense of values and civic engagement to create a new nation. Did they live up to the promise of all of that? Of course not, who could?

Your Right To Know: Protect the press against bogus lawsuits

Bill Lueders, Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council

In mid-August, in my role as a press advocate, I received a call from the owner of a small, vibrant, online community newspaper who was worried about publishing a story that reflected poorly on a local business. The paper had checked and rechecked its facts, and gave the business repeated opportunities to comment. But still, the newspaper owner was afraid of being sued.

I urged the owner to publish, despite the risk; the article did run, thankfully without legal repercussions. But the risk is real: During this very same week, the New York Times reported on a small digital newspaper in Wisconsin driven to the brink of bankruptcy by a lawsuit filed by a local businessman who is now a state senator.

The newspaper, the Wausau Pilot & Review, reported that the businessman, Cory Tomczyk, “was widely overheard” using a vulgar slur to

refer to a 13-year-old boy at a county board meeting in August 2021. Tomczyk denied doing so, and sued for defamation. Three people swore they heard him use the slur at the meeting, which he admitted to using on other occasions. He was elected to the state Senate last fall.

In April, Marathon County Circuit Court Judge Scott M. Corbett ruled strongly in the paper’s favor. He concluded that Tomczyk, a former school board member, was a public figure and thus needed to prove the outlet knew what it reported was false or else acted with reckless disregard for whether or not it was true. But, in fact, Corbett wrote, “it is not possible to find that the defendants had serious doubts” about the article’s veracity.

Tomczyk has appealed, forcing the Pilot & Review to incur additional expense that it cannot recover, even if it prevails again. Shereen Siewert, the newspaper’s founder and editor, has placed the lawsuit’s costs at

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor, Fall is 2024 budget setting season for Richland County government. In my 5 years serving on the Richland County Board I voted against all five annual budgets due in part to a lack of transparency.

With a new County Administrator, the people have an opportunity to ask for a budget document that is easy to understand. Current State of Wisconsin requirements for publishing an annual budget summary are unhelpful. For example, one of the State required categories is "Health and Human (or Social) Services." The State requires this to include both the Health and Human Services De-

Dear Editor, UW-Richland has ceased to exist. The damage is done. The students are gone. The buildings are empty shells. The injury to our community in terms of its economic and educational viability cannot be healed. The pain inflicted on this community cannot be dulled. But Rep. Kurtz and Sen. Marklein think they can make it all go away, can make it all better. They think they can shift all the blame to UW-Platteville and the UW System by claiming that the announcement of the closing of in-person instruction at UW-Richland was “shocking” while they acknowledge that the “campus will no longer be used for academic

partment and our nursing home, Pine Valley Community Village. Because of the similarity between this category name and one of the department names, most people are misled to believe the entire "Health and Human/Social Services" amount goes to the Health and Human Services Department.

What is sorely needed is an annual budget that lists each department, including their total expenditures, total revenues, and the portion of revenues expected to come from local property taxes. Currently the budget uses only fund numbers. One department may have 10 fund numbers, and the only people who understand which fund numbers go to

purposes.”

There was nothing shocking about this announcement, it was the inevitable result of years of budget cuts made by Kurtz and Marklein and their Republican colleagues in the legislature. But now these two legislators think they can repair the damage done – not to this community – but to their reelection prospects.

They are proposing “Campus Community Transition Grants” to those communities where they have destroyed, or are in the process of destroying, educational opportunities for our children and our future Wisconsin workforce. The disingenuous, hypocritical,

nearly $200,000, more than the four-person newsroom’s annual budget.

A Go Fund Me page and other donations have raised about $140,000 to keep the Pilot & Review afloat — or a-flying, as the case may be. “It’s an enormous relief,” Siewert told me, “but it’s also sickening when I think about where that money could be going instead of legal fees.”

Groups including the Wisconsin Newspaper Association and national Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press have pledged assistance, and two law firms have agreed to do pro bono work, although the paper is keeping its own attorneys. Tomczyk’s first brief is due in early October and Siewert expects “a long road ahead” as the case drags on well into 2024.

State Sen. Melissa Agard, D-Madison, and Rep. Jimmy Anderson, D-Fitchburg, have introduced anti-SLAPP legislation (the acronym stands for strategic lawsuits against public participation), similar to laws on the books in 31 other states.

which department are usually each respective department head and the County Clerk. I've attached the Jefferson County budget, which is a good example of a budget that clearly states each department's annual allocation.

Most expenses at the county are related to staffing, with wages and benefits typically being the largest cost for each department.

Wisconsin Statute 59.22 gives the County Board the authority to establish the number of employees in each department. Yet there is no written record within the Richland County annual budget that shows how many employees are proposed for each department, and if that amount has changed from the prior bud-

and self-serving nature of this announcement is sickening.

Local students can no longer obtain an advanced education in Richland County, but that is only the beginning. The announcement by Kurtz and Marklein continues. “…the first Campus Community Transition Grant [will] be awarded to Richland County, but provides additional funds to assist other counties that may have a branch campus close in the future.” This statement makes it very clear that the Republican legislature intends to continue budget cuts designed to result in the closure of even more educational opportunities for the coming generations of Wisconsin children.

Where they succeeded and where they failed in fulfilling the potential of this education is a topic that I’m sure is as long and as twisted as the Mississippi River. I’m willing to praise them for the good they did, but at the same time not excuse them for failing to live up to their rhetoric of liberty and justice for all.

For now, however, what we do know is that they valued an education full of history that deserved to be analyzed and evaluated thoughtfully and critically as they dealt with important civic issues. They obviously saw it as foundational not just to form a nation, but to form a nation that could long endure.

Men with a sense of history, a propensity to think critically, and possessing a sense of ethics and civic engagement set about to form our nation. Side Note: I can’t help but wonder if a better job may have been done if women had been included.

And with this framework established, I think I am ready to move on to the nuts and bolts of the emergence of the American version of public education.

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.

The Wisconsin bills, SB 414 and AB 423, would let judges dismiss frivolous lawsuits and make those who bring them pay the defendants’ legal fees.

Siewert calls the proposed legislation “long overdue in Wisconsin and especially crucial for independent journalists and organizations.” Its sponsors, so far all Democrats, have asked for a hearing, but observers see that as unlikely, given that the precipitating action concerns a GOP lawmaker. (Tomczyk has rebuffed requests for comment, including one for this piece.) That is short-sighted and foolhardy. Local news outlets serve an invaluable function and deserve protection against those who seek to shut them up. In 2010, the legislature put politics aside and passed a bipartisan shield law to protect journalists from revealing their sources. It should do so again to protect media outlets from being sued into oblivion — no matter who is doing the suing.

get year. I've attached an employee by department chart from Kewaunee County, which is a good example of how to be transparent with the number of employees in each department. The people of Richland County deserve a transparent budget. We cannot have fair debates about levels of taxation and services without basic budget information. Please contact your County Board member and encourage them to ask the County Administrator to present a budget that is easy to understand.

Shaun Murphy-Lopez Hillsboro, Wisconsin

Instead of investing in our Wisconsin children and giving them the opportunities to train for and fill needed workforce needs, instead of investing in our children’s future, the legislature’s plan is to import out-of-state workers into the state using tax cuts to entice them.

How is that good for Wisconsin? How is that good for our future? How is that good for our kids?

How long do we put up with this? How much more damage to our future can we tolerate?

Beverly Pestel Rockbridge, Wisconsin

CHRIS HARDIE'S 'BACK HOME' COLUMN

The slow turn of summer to fall

Chris Hardie, Columnist

The turn of summer into fall isn’t an overnight makeover but more like the gradual creation of an autumnal artist. It starts subtle with splotches of yellows,

Then suddenly you notice one day that the hills are ablaze with color, there's frost on the windshield and summer is over. Fall crept in without you knowing.

Fall is a season of such beauty but it also brings me a little sadness. Spring brings hope after a cold winter. Summer are those plans of hope put into action -- new gardens, outdoor projects, long days of sunlight and feeling strong.

oranges and reds dotting the green canvas. Tall green corn stalks begin to brown and stoop. Orange pumpkins emerge from withering vines. Morning fog hangs in the coulees. The days grow shorter. Jackets emerge.

The shorter days and cooler temperatures remind me that I'm growing older. Unfinished tasks wait for another year as my list was bigger than my ambition. The summer that seemed to last forever when I was young passed by like a blink of the eye. While our temperatures this year still give us a taste of summer, nature knows what’s coming. The barn swallows -- our annual seasonal avian tourists that fend off the mosquitoes -- have been gone for a couple of weeks. The old dairy barn -- their favorite nesting place that echoes with chirping all summer -- is quiet.

The wooly bear caterpillars are moving

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LOOKING FOR INTERNS AND COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTORS

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Interested? Send us your area(s) of interest and a resume to: editor@valleysentinelnews.com

Internship will be unpaid, interns will be required to sign a FSLA-compliant internship agreement. If credit is available from intern’s educational institution for participation in an internship, we are glad to work with you to meet any requirements for receiving credit.

(OUR EDITOR IS GETTING TIRED OF LAYING OUT THE PAGES AND SAYS ITS NOT IN HIS JOB DESCRIPTION)

Want to help build community? Know a college student that’s looking for a summer or fall internship for academic credit or to gain experience? Already attending village board or school board meetings and want to record or report on them? Want to engage with arts & culture, ag, businesses and other topics important to our community? Want to take scenic walks or drives delivering papers to subscribers and businesses?

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We have the infrastructure set up for most of these areas, we're just in need of manpower from passionate community members.

There are so many more things we want to do and are always up for new ideas. This is YOUR paper, we are what the community makes us.

YOU!

about, although I have yet to examine the amount of black on them. Folklore says the longer the black bands, the colder, snowier and more severe winter we will have. I’ll worry about winter another time.

Hummingbirds still appear at our feeder, although these are likely travelers heading south.

We have yet to be nipped by frost, although it will be coming soon. We're enjoying the late-season tomatoes and soon will be harvesting what promises to be a record squash crop, along with a few pumpkins that will welcome visitors at our doorstep.

It seems like the apple crop is a bit lighter this year, but I'm holding out on the harvest, hoping that my son and grandson – my cider-making partners – will show up for a fun day of pressing.

I also will relish the beauty of fall and be thankful for the creator of such a diverse and colorful world. It's a reminder that change is a constant part of our world.

But the thoughts of work undone and

regrets remembered had me a little down one morning last week. Dawn was slowly creeping into the valley and I was outside for a morning chore.

It was faint at first, so I stopped to listen, just to be sure.

Much to my surprise, I heard the call of a whippoorwill.

"Whip-poor-will, whip-poor-will."

The call that conjures warm summer nights floated across the valley. Whippoorwills also are migratory and spend their winters in Mexico and Central America.

But one still remained. Perhaps it too was sad to see summer fade away and was saying goodbye.

Chris Hardie spent more than 30 years as a reporter, editor and publisher. He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and won dozens of state and national journalism awards. He is a former president of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. Contact him at chardie1963@gmail.com.

Chris Hardie

Photo contributed by Chris Hardie Fog rolls over trees and fields in the Driftless as fall arrives.

Photo contributed by Chris Hardie An apple on a tree, Hardie says the apple season seems to be light this year.

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 5 - October 19

Thursday, October 5

Storytime 10:30 AM Lone Rock Community Library, 234 N Broadway St, Lone Rock

Join us every Thursday for storytime!

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

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

Friday, October 6

School Fair 8:30 AM River Valley Middle School Gym, 660 Daley St, Spring Green rvschools.org The School Fair will be opening at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, October 6, with the gymnasium exhibits (in the River Valley Middle School gymnasium) along with various livestock exhibits showing behind the middle school. The livestock auction will start at 12 p.m. near the School Fair Pavilion (behind the middle school).

Homecoming Parade 3:00 PM Downtown Spring Green rvschoolsorg Come out to celebrate this years Homecoming!

River Valley School District Endowment Tailgate Party After the Homecoming Parade Post House Garden, 119 E Jefferson Street Spring Green Spring Green We look forward to welcoming all Blackhawk fans to celebrate with us at our Annual Tailgate following the RV Homecoming parade. Janna and the Junkyard Dawgs from 4 to 6 PM. Both Chef’s Hideout and Good Fellaz Pizza will have food available for purchase. Beverages will be available for purchase from the Endowment. The Gard Theatre will open early to sell popcorn, candy and pop, and will have a movie available for children.Please stop by to see the exciting things happening in our school district, to buy 50/50 raffle tickets and make a donation to help our next decade of grant making.

St. John’s 2nd Annual Tailgate Party After the Homecoming Parade . St. Johns Church Parking Lot, 129 Daley St, Spring Green stjohnsspringgreen.com Come out and celebrate while we provide brats, hotdogs, burgers, chips, and beverages! Feel free to bring along some fun outdoor games for the kids!

Saturday, October 7

Lone Rock Market 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM . Under the Lone Rock Water Tower, 358 S Oak Street, Lone Rock For more information, look up Lone Rock Market on Facebook We will be hosting a variety of Farmer's Market and Craft Vendors at our Weekly Community Market Mid-May Through Mid-October. Any items you would like to see at future markets or if you are a Vendor that would like to participate in our future market please message or contact for more information 608-604-3537.

CAR SHOW: Lone Rock Show & Shine 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM Firemans Park, S Pine St, Lone Rock Look up Lone Rock Show & Shine on Facebook for more info 17 Different car categories, 7 different mini games. Come out an enjoy the day with other local car lovers!

Art Workshop: Artful Mending with Ren LaDassor 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM . Homecoming, 242 N. Lexington, Spring Green ruralremedy.com In our Artful Mending workshop, we will practice three techniques of mending: Sashiko (mending embroidery), and patching.We’ll provide participants with the tools.No sewing skills required.

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.

Mindfulness: Discussion and Practice (Zoom Only) 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM Virtual Event springgreenlibrary.com Our meetings will include discussions and short mindfulness exercises/practices. We will explore sitting, standing, lying down and moving mindfulness experiences. Find the zoom link online.

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

Fall Candle Light Hike 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM 4175 WI-23, Dodgeville friendsofgovernordodge.org . Park admission fee is waived in celebration of Governor Dodge State Park’s 75th Anniversary! Meet at Cox Hollow Concession area for a 1.25 mile hike followed by a campfire and s’mores.

LIVE MUSIC: Soggy Prairie 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green slowpokelounge.com Tickets $10 in advance/$15 at the door Soggy Prairie has the five-piece instrumentation of a traditional bluegrass band, but don’t call them traditional. With a mix of bluegrass standards, modern takes on country and Americana, and original music, Soggy Prairie puts on a show that demonstrates the versatility and broad appeal of string music.

Sunday, October 8

Fall Yoga 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Radiant Spirit Retreats Yoga, S7163 County Rd G, Hill Point ruralremedy.com Suggested payment: $20 / drop-in session. Payment is appreciated but you are always welcome to come no matter your financial situation. Register online.

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

Monday, October 9

Lone Rock Market 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Under the Lone Rock Water Tower, 358 S Oak Street, Lone Rock For more information, look up Lone Rock Market on Facebook or call 608-604-3537 . We will be hosting a variety of Farmer's Market and Craft Vendors at our Weekly Community Market Mid-May Through Mid-October.

Lego Builders 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM . Plain Kraemer Library and Community Center, 910 Main St, Plain kraemerlibrary.org Do you love Lego's? Join us throughout the summer as we highlight different kinds of Legos . Each meeting will have a different challenge to complete. Free building will also be encouraged.

Tuesday,October 10

Movies, Munchies and More — October Sky 1:00 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Come to the library for a cup of coffee, a sweet treat, a movie. Movie Synopsis: John Hickam (Chris Cooper) is a West Virginia coal miner who loves his job and expects his sons, Jim (Scott Miles) and Homer (Jake Gyllenhaal), to follow in his footsteps. But Jim gets a football scholarship, and Homer becomes interested in rocket science after seeing Sputnik 1 crossing the sky. John disapproves of his son's new mania, but Homer begins building rockets with the help of friends and a sympathetic teacher (Laura Dern). Rocketry, he hopes, will prove his ticket to a better life. (PG, 1h 48m, 1999).

Moving Senior Bodies 4:00 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Join Upland Hills Health professionals Rosie Morrey, APNP, and Jennifer Day, COTA, for weekly classes focusing on balance and strength training to promote healthy aging. Some benefits of strength training include: slowing down the loss of muscle; increasing bone density; improving balance and coordination, which will decrease fall risks; boost energy level; and increase mental sharpness. For the classes, please bring your own weights, wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes. You will also need to bring water. Register online.

Pumpkin Painting with Shiloh 6:00 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Get prepared for the spooky season this year by coming to the Library to paint a pumpkin in the company of Shiloh, a Turkey Vulture. Learn a bit more about Shiloh as well as listen to a festive story or two while working on your pumpkin. Please register for this event, so we know how many pumpkins to have.

Wednesday, October 11

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

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

Author Event: Carolyn Dallmann 7:00 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Join us at the Library for a conversation with Carolyn Dallmann about her memoir, "North Freedom." Several topics were on her mind as she worked on her 50th high school reunion. She especially enjoyed connecting with grade school classmates at the event. Conversations triggered memories of childhood: her family, the farm, the village and people that lived there. North Freedom is a collection of over 60 interrelated, nonfiction stories blending a variety of characters, activities and events on the landscape of the village and the farm.

SOLD OUT – LIVE MUSIC: Shitty Barn Session 304: Margo Cilker // Christy Hays

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 For the last seven years, Margo Cilker, the Eastern Oregon songwriter, has split her time between the road and various outposts across the world, from Enterprise, OR to the Basque Country of Spain. Christy Hays has been a professional touring songwriter for 15 years playing nationally and internationally. She has spent 12 years in Austin, TX as a working musician. She now lives in Butte, MT where she runs a non profit called Working Quiet and a writers in residence program called Dear Butte.

Thursday, October 12

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

Pasture Walk 10:30 AM Seven Seeds Farm, 5079 County Road Z, Spring Green uplandwatershedgroup.com Topics include silvopasture, rotational grazing, drought resistance for pastures and more.

Stitch and Bitch 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St. Spring Green springgreengeneralstore.com The Spring Green General Store’s Stitch and Bitch handwork group meets Thursday afternoons weekly. All are welcome. Knit Night at Nina’s 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Nina’s Department Store, 143 E. Jefferson St. Spring Green ninasdepartmentstore.com Every Thursday from 6 to 8 pm. All knitters and crocheters are welcome. Store closed after 5:30 pm.

Friday, October 13

Book Sale 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Plain Kraemer Library and Community Center, 910 Main St, Plain kraemerlibrary.org Fill a new tote bag with books & puzzles for $5.

LIVE MUSIC: Shitty Barn Session RS2: Violet Palms // OldBoi 7:00 PM 506 E Madison St, Spring Green shittybarnsessions.com Doors open at 6 This is a non-ticketed event with any donations going to the bands (suggested $10-$15) We are closing out our season with a party! We'll start the night with Violet Palms and will close the evening with a dance party featuring Spring Green DJ, OldBoi. Please leave your chairs at home. It is "Friday the 13th" so spooky costumes are encouraged.

Saturday, October 14

Lone Rock Market 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM Under the Lone Rock Water Tower, 358 S Oak Street, Lone Rock For more information, look up Lone Rock Market on Facebook We will be hosting a variety of Farmer's Market and Craft Vendors at our Weekly Community Market Mid-May Through Mid-October. Any items you would like to see at future markets or if you are a Vendor that would like to participate in our future market please message or contact for more information 608-604-3537.

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. Preorders are recommended. Visit our Facebook or Instagram page or email SGFarmersMarket@gmail.com for a list of participating vendors and their contact into.

Pies, Pages & Puzzles 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Plain Kraemer Library and Community Center, 910 Main St, Plain kraemerlibrary.org Homemade pies for sale for $10 each. Fill a new tote bag with books & puzzles for $5.

Whispers of Autumn: Fall in two poems (or, why fall is the best season or the worst)

Fall is here once again. The warmth and vitality of summer are fading daily. The perennial

Maybe you’ll find the answer in one of these poems.

All Lovely Things

By Conrad Potter Aiken

All lovely things will have an ending, All lovely things will fade and die, And youth, that’s now so bravely spending,

Will beg a penny by and by.

Fine ladies soon are all forgotten, And goldenrod is dust when dead, The sweetest flesh and flowers are rotten And cobwebs tent the brightest head. Come back, true love! Sweet youth, return!

But time goes on, and will, unheeding, Though hands will reach, and eyes will yearn, And the wild days set true hearts bleeding.

Come back, true love! Sweet youth, remain!

But goldenrod and daisies wither,

And over them blows autumn rain, They pass, they pass, and know not whither.

Autumn.

By Margaret Steele Anderson

Tainted with death? Ah then, the taint is sweet!

As if God took the essences of life And burned them in a brazier at his feet, The smoke of them ascending rich and rife

To please his nostrils! What if man be loath

To your deep bosom, and would have the Spring His bride forever! He who made you both Knoweth your beauty for as fair a thing; Like that of one who long hath been a wife. And mothered men! As piercing as a knife, And rich beyond all mortal imaging!

30th Annual Fall Art Tour Returns This October

Be part of one of Wisconsin’s oldest and most celebrated rural art tour during the 30th annual Fall Art Tour - October 20, 21 & 22, 2023.

The Fall Art Tour invites you into the private studios of accomplished artisans living and creating artwork in Mineral Point, Spring Green, Dodgeville, and Baraboo.

Enjoy the vibrant colors of autumn on this free, self-guided tour of 48 one-of-akind studios tucked into the rolling hills of southwest Wisconsin. No two studios are alike, nor are breathtaking views you’ll find as you meander through the gorgeous Driftless region.

During the tour, artists demonstrate their techniques, share their inspiration, and provide behind-the-scenes access into their studios. Visitors will see firsthand how each artist creates their work and have the opportunity to ask questions.

Watch painters bring life to an empty

canvas and potters transform a piece of clay right before your eyes. Enjoy jewelers, sculptors, furniture makers, quilters, photographers, and many more.

The Fall Art Tour is a celebration of talent and diversity, showcasing a wide range of styles, media, and subjects.

Expect to see traditional, contemporary, and experimental pieces along the way. Original artwork is available for purchase in every price range.

Whether you’re a seasoned art collector or simply looking to enjoy a beautiful and artistically inspiring weekend, the 30th annual Fall Art Tour is not to be missed. We look forward to sharing this memorable weekend with you.

Celebrate incredible art and gorgeous autumn colors during the Fall Art Tour. October 20, 21 & 22, 2023. 10am-6pm all three days.

For more information including in-depth details on each artist and a full tour map, please visit fallarttour.com

D r a w i n g

L o c a l B u s i n e s s e s * L i v e M u s i c

G r e a t F o o d * D r i n k s * P r i z e s * B i k e R i d e a n d R u n / W a l k

B u c k e t R a f f l e * 5 0 / 5 0 R a f f l e * M e a t R a f f l e

B o u n c e H o u s e * P u m p

Jolean Louis

Curated by Alex Prochaska, Editorial Intern

Claire Johnston, Fall Art Tour Communications Director

Drought, Heat, fall color concerns—We ASKED AN EXPERT: Fall Leaves Are Still On!

A local forester with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources assures the Spring Green area that tree leaves will be colorful and pleasing this fall, despite the long drought conditions the we’ve been experiencing.

“Expect [leaf colors] to be at their peak in early to mid-October,” says Brad Hutnik, a forest ecologist and silviculturist with the DNR. “Leaves are already changing, depending on species and where they are located.”

Wondering if the weather conditions have been optimal for the best fall colors?

“In general, a warm wet spring, reasonable summer weather, and warm sunny fall days with nippy nights should give us the best colors,” said Hutnik. The Spring Green area has seen a mixed bag of weather and is currently in a drought.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor—a joint effort that includes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Department

of Agriculture—as of Sept. 28, the entire River Valley area was experiencing Severe Drought, an intensity of D2. Just outside the area in northwest Richland County it’s even drier, with Extreme Drought and an intensity of D3 (the second most severe rating).

“Drought can impact a leaf’s natural aging process, speeding it up which can lead to an early onset of color change,” said Hutnik. “It can also lead to early leaf drop.”

Even with such dry weather, the fiery hues of fall leaves are not necessarily forecast to dull and brown too quickly.

In fact, Hutnik says they may even get brighter—knock on wood.

“The drought-stress local trees have had to live with will make some more vibrant and others less so,” Hutnik said.

“It’s hard to say any year’s fall colors are modest, as even in the worst [drought] years they are dramatic.”

Hutnik’s favorite tree and fall colors?

“In general, I love white oaks as they are truly a giving tree,” said Hutnik. “In the fall though, nothing beats a red or sugar maple.”

Hutnik has been a forester since 1996 and a silviculturist since 2012. So, how does one grow like a sturdy tree to become an expert on forests—and their fall colors?

gave him a path to branch off to and plant his feet.

“I became a forester after reading A Sand County Almanac,” Hutnick said. Aldo Leopold’s Almanac is based on Sauk County, and has become one of the biggest influences on conservation, forestry and ecology movements worldwide.

“I tried to read it early in high school but I couldn’t get past some of the early chapters, ‘…the skunk dragging his belly in the snow,’ etc. When I read it in college it really made an impact on me,” said Hutnick.

While not everyone is called to be a forester, it is never too late for homebodies to turn over a new leaf and venture into the outdoors.

“Don’t miss fall, it’s one of the best times to be outside!” Hutnick said.

Growing up, Hutnick says he was stumped about what career he should pursue. Money doesn’t grow on trees, after all, so he had to pick something and stick with it. Luckily, Sauk County

Looking for fall color reports from the experts? The Wisconsin Department of Tourism has out together a handy interactive guide at: TravelWisconsin.com/fall-color-report

Wisconsin Department of natural resources: The Science of Fall Leaf Colors

Leaf color comes from pigments. Pigments are natural substances produced by leaf cells. The three pigments that color leaves are: chlorophyll (green); carotenoid (yellow, orange and brown); and anthocyanin (red).

Chlorophyll is the most important of the three. Without the chlorophyll in leaves, trees wouldn’t be able to use sunlight to produce food.

Carotenoids create bright yellows and oranges in familiar fruits and vegetables. Corn, carrots, and bananas are just a few of the many plants colored by carotenoids.

Anthocyanins add the color red to plants, including cranberries, red apples, cherries, strawberries and others.

Chlorophylls and carotenoids are in leaf cells all the time during the growing season. But the chlorophyll covers the carotenoid - that’s why summer leaves are green, not yellow or orange. Most anthocyanins are produced only in autumn, and only under certain conditions. Not all trees can make anthocyanin.

HOW LEAVES CHANGE COLOR

As the Earth makes its 365-day journey around the sun, some parts of the planet will get fewer hours of sunlight at certain times of the year. In those regions, the days become shorter and the nights get longer. The temperature slowly drops. Autumn comes and then winter.

Trees respond to the decreasing amount of sunlight by producing less and less chlorophyll. Eventually, a tree stops producing chlorophyll. When that happens, the carotenoid already in the leaves can finally show through. The leaves become a bright rainbow of glowing yellows, sparkling oranges and warm browns. What about red leaves? Read on.

DO LEAVES CHANGE BECAUSE OF WEATHER?

Perhaps you’ve noticed that in some years, the red fall colors seem brighter and more spectacular than in other years. The temperature and cloud cover can make a big difference in a tree’s red colors from year to year. When a number of warm, sun-

ny autumn days and cool but not freezing nights come one after the other, it’s going to be a good year for reds. In the daytime, the leaves can produce lots of sugar, but the cool night temperatures prevent the sugar sap from flowing through the leaf veins and down into the branches and trunk. Anthocyanins to the rescue! Researchers have found out that anthocyanins are produced as a form of protection. They allow the plant to recover nutrients in the leaves before they fall off. This helps make sure that the tree will be ready for the next growing season. Anthocyanins give leaves their bright, brilliant shades of red, purple and crimson.

The yellow, gold and orange colors cre-

Tower Hill State Park

ated by carotenoid remain fairly constant from year to year. That’s because carotenoids are always present in leaves and the amount does not change in response to the weather.

The amount of rain in a year also affects autumn leaf color. A severe drought can delay the arrival of fall colors by a few weeks. A warm, wet period during fall will lower the intensity, or brightness, of autumn colors. A severe frost will kill the leaves, turning them brown and causing them to drop early. The best autumn colors come when there’s been:

—a warm, wet spring;

—a summer that’s not too hot or dry; and

—a fall with plenty of warm sunny days

Fall Colors

and cool nights.

YOU CAN TELL A TREE FROM ITS COLORS

You can use the fall leaf color to help identify different tree species. Look for these leaf colors on the trees in your neighborhood:

Oaks: red, brown or russet

Hickories: golden bronze

Dogwood: purple-red

Birch: bright yellow

Poplar: golden yellow

Maple trees show a whole range of colors:

—Sugar maple: orange-red

—Black maple: glowing yellow

—Red maple: bright scarlet

WHY LEAVES FALL

A tree’s roots, branches and twigs can endure freezing temperatures, but most leaves are not so tough. On a broadleaf tree like a maple or a birch, the tender, thin leaves -- made up of cells filled with water sap -- will freeze in winter. Any plant tissue unable to live through the winter must be sealed off and shed to ensure the tree’s survival. As sunlight decreases in autumn, the veins that carry sap into and out of a leaf gradually close. A layer of cells, called the separation layer, forms at the base of the leaf stem. When this layer is complete, the leaf is separated from the tissue that connected it to the branch, and it falls. Oak leaves are the exception. The separation layer never fully detaches the dead oak leaves, and they remain on the tree through winter.

Natural Bridge State Park

Evergreen trees -- pines, spruces, cedars and firs -- don’t lose their leaves, or needles, in winter. The needles are covered with a heavy wax coating and the fluids inside the cells contain substances that resist freezing. Evergreen leaves can live for several years before they fall and are replaced by new growth.

On the ground, fallen leaves are broken down by bacteria, fungi, earthworms and other organisms. The decomposed leaves restock the soil with nutrients and become part of the spongy humus layer on the forest floor that absorbs and holds rainfall.

Alex Prochaska, Editorial Intern

Welsh Hills Trail (Taliesin)

Brad Hutnik

PECKS, PECKS & HECKS: THE STANDING FALL FARM MARKET TRADITION IN THE VALLEY

As fall bursts its golden glow through the Valley, the change of the season marks a passage of time, but three key fall destinations—area farm market Heck’s, Peck’s and Peck’s—hold deep roots in the community as they continue helping to preserve autumnal traditions of the years past and warm memories for time to come.

With the start of refreshingly crisp mellow mornings, warm days and cooler evenings, fall fun is all around us.

Heck’s Farm Market

Heck’s Farm Market and Gift Shop (7266 US Highway 14, Arena) embraces all things fall. The long entrance to the property takes you to an inviting scene of displays of all sizes, colors and shapes of pumpkins, hardy mums in bright colors, fresh produce, bird baths and other garden decorative items makes it easy to wander leisurely searching for the perfect fall decorations for your home.

Heck’s Farm Market is owned and operated by Gary Heck and his wife Cheryl Heck. Gary’s parents owned the farm prior to him and his wife. The Hecks originally had a dairy farm. “Oh, I was milking cows at age twelve…” said Gary, in remembrance. “Then, I went into the service. I was in the Army and in Germany for two years. When I got back, my parents needed my help, so I came here and I have been here ever since.”

The Hecks continued with the dairy farm, and slowly transitioned to only farming vine crops, like melons, pumpkins, squash, sweet corn and tomatoes.

They continue to sell a vast array of pumpkins. Gary hopes to have three or four thousand this season. Look for a great display of pumpkins—a display situated in the land in front of the market which has always helped draw people in.

Heck’s sells fresh produce including onions, potatoes, garlic, peppers, different apple varieties, squash, tomatoes, assorted baked goods and Amish candies, jams, jellies, honey, syrup, summer sausage, cheeses and local apple cider.

The scent of apple cider donuts fills the air in the market and gift shop. They are made fresh daily in-house.

“We like to make them fresh every day in the fall,” said Cheryl. “We make caramel apples fresh daily too. It is really nice that we are able to make them here fresh for people.”

The Hecks have had many people who remember coming out when they were little and continue visiting through the years, bringing third generation customers. The Heck’s Farm Market is beloved by locals who have known them for many years. Gary moved to the area in third grade and his wife Cheryl was born and raised in Plain.

“We love the area, we love the people. We have been here for so long now,” said Cheryl happily.

When fall comes to an end, the Hecks prepare for Christmas. They sell Christmas trees; mostly Frasier’s and Balsam Fir trees, and a variety of wreaths and porch pots, filled with decorative twigs, berries and a holiday bow.

For now, the fall festive season at Heck’s will provide an abundance of bright colored pumpkins and crisp fall air shopping outside and warm cozy shopping within; fresh apple cider donuts, homemade donuts, carmel apples and more.

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: Heck’s Farm Market

HOURS: 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: 7266 Hwy 14, Arena WI 53503

CONTACT: (608) 753-2474

Peck’s Farm Market East

Just down the road, another set-in-stone local establishment shines with fall merriment and opportunities for autumn adventures— Peck’s Farm Market East (6445 Hwy 14, Arena) has a bountiful array of harvest products and amusement to enjoy.

With multiple ways to enter and ample parking space Peck’s East has colorful hardy mums, squash, watermelons, pumpkins of all kinds; Cinderella pumpkins, ornamental corn and more to greet you.

Richard Peck, who calls himself Dick, reigns from the legacy of Peck’s with his son Nathan and grandson Mason. On the great wall within the Market building is the lineage of Peck’s Farm Market East which Dick, jovially proclaimed with a solid wave of his arm. George Peck being the first Peck Patriarch (Dick’s great grandfather), Leon Peck was his grandfather, Fred Peck is his father who turned 89 this last July (his mother also turned 88 this July), Richard (himself) who happily greets customers old and new with stories and continues to do, “the only thing, we have all… ever done.”

Running the farm and all of Peck’s East with his wife Tammy, their son Nathan and his eleven-year-old grandson Mason. Nathan also runs the Madison and Mount Horeb Peck’s Farm Market kiosks. Tammy decorates and makes the autumn festive decorations happen as part of her many contributions to the Farm Market. Dick helps take care of the farm. Dick tells stories about when he was very young and drove the tractor to pick melons. “We have squash, miniature and large ornamental corn,

pumpkins of every size and a gourd that will please everybody,” said Dick, in a jolly tone. The store sells a variety of fresh baked goods— apple cider donuts, cookies and pies—Amish candies, bags of apples, maple syrup, honey, fresh produce; including sweet corn, potatoes, onions, tomatoes and a variety of local Wisconsin fare.

Additionally, the market boasts a large farm with family-friendly activities and attractions. The farm is home to white-tailed deer, spotted fallow deer, rocky mountain deer, bison, llamas, ducks, pheasants, peacocks, rabbits, chickens, a donkey and goats galore. With lots to explore, Peck’s East holds a large play area for children and feeding the animals, picnic tables and train rides for all.

“We have train rides for all ages. We even get asked about bringing dogs and we are happy to have them. The train rides are great,” said Dick, with a smile. “We get a lot of tourists and we really like that. We also get a lot of people driving this way and just see us and decide to stop in. We have our locals who have been coming forever. We are glad to be here and have lots of things for people to do here.”

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: Peck’s Farm Market East HOURS: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., everyday through October.

WHERE: 6445 Hwy 14, Arena WI 53503 CONTACT: (608) 588-7177, www. pecksfarmeast.com

Peck’s Farm Market West

Down the road, passing through many trees and fields is Peck’s Farm Market West.

Peck’s Farm Market West also holds several entry points on the sprawling property. With harvest orange pumpkins, gourds, squash and other fall produce, Peck’s West embraces fall fully. Brad Peck and his wife, Debra, own and manage the farm and market.

“Early on, they had an apple orchard, melons and honey,” said Brad, whose father was local, Fred Peck — the father to both current Peck’s East and West owners.

Brad, fourth generation owner, said he still has some of the original honey house extractors that they used on the farm very early on.

Brad went on to recall working on the farm at a young age.

“Back then you picked sweet corn by hand. I can remember doing that since I was maybe seven or eight years old. That was how they did it back then, I was also driving a tractor being close to that age too.”

Peck’s West has a display on the back wall showing the farm from many years ago and then another next to it, from more recent years showing the farm originally and the growth from the photographs side by side and framed showing the legacy of Peck’s West. Brad’s son, Michael, creates and sells large sculptures and yard art on the property. Colorful pieces and creations greet you as you enter into the market driveways and the artwork is also placed around the property. His son Michael, helps full time on the farm and market, also running the Peck’s West stand in Sauk. Brad and his wife Debra are glad to have the help of all three of their children in the long-held family business.

“I enjoy the variety of all the work here. We do a lot on the farm and are always busy,” Brad explained.

Peck's Farm Market West has been providing fresh produce for so many years that many people visit and it’s become a part of a tradition for them. The time-honored tradition has continued and the Pecks remain busy with locals and visitors to the area alike.

“We had a gentleman come in, his parents used to bring him when he was a kid and now, he brought his grandkids here. So, we have had fourth generation visitors,” said Brad, fourth generation owner himself, with a smile. In addition to sculptures and the traditional fall goodies, the market has offerings of jams, jellies and a variety of local products — BBQ sauce from Dodgeville, locally sourced maple syrup and honey, local baked goods; including fudge and Amish candies and a vast variety of local popcorn. The market also offers apple cider and apple cider donuts, local cheese curds, and meat offerings including roasts, steaks and soup bones, summer sausage from Straka Meats in Plain. Additionally, the market offers produce.

“We have great fall colors. In the fall we get quite a bit of traffic from Iowa,” explained Brad, “We have lots of pumpkins and we do train rides on the weekend. We have the farm area to walk around on and the petting zoo.”

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: Peck’s Farm Market West

HOURS: 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. Everyday WHERE: 3217 Hwy 14 Spring Green, WI 53588

CONTACT: (608) 583-4977

Venturing through the River Valley area amidst the changing fall foliage and through the warm shades of autumn to some of its timelessly unique destinations makes for wonderful times with friends and loved ones or an interesting day of peace and solitude. These markets would all be a great fall destination as you venture through the area for fun fall moments.

Amberly Mae Cooper, Contributor

Photo by Amberly Mae-Cooper

The front of Peck's Farm Market East, with the stands full of fall harvest produce.

Photo by Amberly Mae-Cooper Fresh apple cider donuts and carmel apples at Heck's Farm Market in Arena.

Photo by Amberly Mae-Cooper

The front of Peck's Farm Market West, with the stands full of fall harvest produce.

Fall Bucket List

Fall Bucket List

Bucket List

Pick the best pumpkin at Hecks, Pecks or a local stand!

o have the ultimate, local flannel and spooky season experience!

Pick the best pumpkin at Hecks, Pecks or a local stand!

est pumpkin at Hecks, Pecks or a local stand!

Grab a cozy fall drink from Arcadia Books/The Paper Crane, Convivio or Butternut Road Coffee Truck!

Grab a cozy fall drink from Arcadia Books/The Paper Crane, Convivio or Butternut Road Coffee Truck!

Stop in to Nina's Department Store for a new flannel!

y fall drink from Arcadia Books/The Paper nvivio or Butternut Road Coffee Truck!

Stop in to Nina's Department Store for a new flannel!

Nina's Department Store for a new flannel!

Visit the spooky haunted houses or corn maze at Pecks East for a scare!

Visit the spooky haunted houses or corn maze at Pecks East for a scare!

Go for a drive or hike to see fall colors!

pooky haunted houses or corn maze at t for a scare!

Go for a drive or hike to see fall colors!

ive or hike to see fall colors!

Grab some caramel apples and other freshly picked goodies from Oakwood Fruit Farm!

Grab some caramel apples and other freshly picked goodies from Oakwood Fruit Farm!

Bundle up and support the River Valley Blackhawks at a home game!

caramel apples and other freshly picked om Oakwood Fruit Farm!

Bundle up and support the River Valley Blackhawks at a home game!

Explore the Spring Green Farmers Market!

and support the River Valley Blackhawks ame!

Explore the Spring Green Farmers Market!

e Spring Green Farmers Market!

Visit Wander Provisions to pick up an autumnal picnic and enjoy it at the Post House Garden or on your hike!

Visit Wander Provisions to pick up an autumnal picnic and enjoy it at the Post House Garden or on your hike!

der Provisions to pick up an autumnal enjoy it at the Post House Garden or on

Community

Events for October 5 - October 19

Saturday, October 14 cont.

Plain’s Strassenfest Bike Ride and Walk 10:00 AM Plain villageofplain.com

Please join us for the Strassenfest Bike Ride and Walk benefiting the Farmer Angel Network that supports mental health for area farmers and their families! Walkers (5K) will meet at the Kraemer Brother’s parking lot (925 Park Ave., Plain, WI). Bikers (29K) will meet at the Plain Park parking lot (925 Parkview Ave., Plain, WI). $20/participant (14 and under must be accompanied by an adult). Registration required, Walk-up registration on day of race is also accepted but does not guarantee race t-shirt. Snacks, water, and raffle chances for all attendees!

Strassenfest 11:00 AM Business District: Alma Avenue, Plain villageofplain.com

11–2 Alpine Brass, 2–5 Janna and the Junkyard Dawgs, 3:30 Prize Drawing. Local Businesses, Live Music, Great Food,Drinks, Prizes, Bike Ride and Run/Walk, Bucket Raffle, 50/50 Raffle, Meat Raffle. Bounce House, and Pumpkin Decorating.

Knitting Help Drop-in 11:00 AM . Community Room, Spring Green Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com . Mary-Margaret has been knitter for more than 40 years. She enjoys designing and making knitwear and the many friendships she has made through the art of knitting.

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

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

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

LIVE MUSIC: Father Sky 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green slowpokelounge.com Tickets $10 in advance/$15 at the door Father Sky is heart-song music for the investigative human being. All original compositions by pianist/vocalist/composer Anthony Deutsch, the music is poetic in nature, while teasing at the wildly free attitude of improvisation, especially in the live setting. These original lyric-songs encompass the realms of beauty and reflection - ever changing, ever growing, owing to that which we may all relate to.

Sunday, October 15

Fall Yoga 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Radiant Spirit Retreats Yoga, S7163 County Rd G, Hill Point ruralremedy.com Suggested payment: $20 / drop-in session. Payment is appreciated but you are always welcome to come no matter your financial situation. Register online.

LIVE MUSIC: Acoustic Jam 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St., Spring Green 608-5880-707 All are welcome- come to play, or come to listen. Kitchen open until 2 pm

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

Monday, October 16

Lone Rock Market 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Under the Lone Rock Water Tower, 358 S Oak Street, Lone Rock For more information, look up Lone Rock Market on Facebook We will be hosting a variety of Farmer's Market and Craft Vendors at our Weekly Community Market Mid-May Through Mid-October. Any items you would like to see at future markets or if you are a Vendor that would like to participate in our future market please message or contact for more information 608-604-3537.

Arena Historians Monthly Meeting 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Grandma

Mary's (Brisbane Hall), 175 US Hwy 14, Arena For more information, look up Arena Historians on Facebook Our guest speaker Steve Roberts, will be giving a rope-making demonstration. We will also share the story of the Arena Ladies Softball Team and have a follow up about last month's meeting on school days.

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

Tuesday, October 17

Movies, Munchies and More — Get Out 1:00 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Come to the library for a cup of coffee, a sweet treat, a movie. Movie Synopsis: Now that Chris and his girlfriend, Rose, have reached the meet-the-parents milestone of dating, she invites him for a weekend getaway with Missy and Dean. At first, Chris reads the family's overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter's interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries leads him to a truth that he never could have imagined. (R, 1h 44m, 2017).

Moving Senior Bodies 4:00 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Join Upland Hills Health professionals Rosie Morrey, APNP, and Jennifer Day, COTA, for weekly classes focusing on balance and strength training to promote healthy aging. Some benefits of strength training include: slowing down the loss of muscle; increasing bone density; improving balance and coordination, which will decrease fall risks; boost energy level; and increase mental sharpness. For the classes, please bring your own weights, wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes. You will also need to bring water. Register online.

Sustainability and the Coming Decade 6:30 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com . We face a transition from the way things used to be to the ways things are. With any change comes opportunities. How do those opportunities present themselves in small towns? Professor (Emeritus) Tom Eggert will talk about the movement toward a more sustainable world and the

Wednesday, October 18

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

Arcadia Book Club discusses "Persepolis" by Marjane Satrapi 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM This is a zoom book club meeting readinutopia.com In recognition of Banned Books week in October, we have chosen "Persepolis" by Marjane Satrapi. This groundbreaking graphic novel has appeared on the banned or challenged book list for the last decade. This is the autobiographical story of a young Iranian girl and her struggle to survive the Islamic Revolution.

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

Snorytime 6:30 PM Spring Green Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Put on your pjs, grab your stuffed animals, and come to the library for bedtime stories, calming music, and more! All ages welcome.

Thursday, October 19

Storytime 10:30 AM Lone Rock Community Library, 234 N Broadway St, Lone Rock

Join us every Thursday for storytime!

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

Thursday, October 19 cont.

Tech Help Drop-in 2:00 PM Community Room, Spring Green Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Stop by the Library with whatever piece of technology is causing you grief. Together, we will figure out the solution.

Sauk County Pasture Walks — Roger Bindl's Farm: Grazing Cover Crops 5:00 PM S10620 Weidner Rd., SpringGreen co.sauk.wi.us Learn how to use cover crops to extend your grazing season. Winter feeding is the #1 expense for raising livestock. Reducing winter feeding days by using cover crops is a practical way of lowering this expense.

Family Fun Night 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM Plain Kraemer Library and Community Center, 910 Main St, Plain kraemerlibrary.org Join us for Family Fun at the library. Each month we will have a exciting activity for your family to drop-in Thursday nights to take part in. this week: Pumpkin Painting!

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

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 7: Trail Building Workshop 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM Phoebe Point Trailhead, 5481 County Rd C, Spring Green driftlessconservancy.org If you are interested in volunteering to help build or maintain trails OR you have trails on your land that need attention, join us for this trail building workshop!

Seed Collection @ Ferry Bluff 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Ferry Bluff, E9974 WI-60 Trunk, Sauk City, jared.urban@wisconsin.gov wisconsinriverfriends.org Meet at the Ferry Bluff parking lot. We’ll collect a variety of species in the area around Cactus Bluff. Learn a little plant ID and gather native seeds to increase habitat for pollinators and other native species. All seed collected will be used in restored areas at nearby Hugo’s and Ferry Bluffs. See the beneficial impacts of a late season prescribed burn and some fall colors too!

Friends of the Library Book Collection 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Commmunity Room, Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St. Spring Green springgreenlibrary.org The Friends of the Spring Green Community Library will accept donations of gently used books for resale on Saturday. Donations of no more than four boxes are preferred. Proceeds from book sales help support library programs and other amenities. Damaged books, encyclopedias, textbooks, and instruction manuals are not accepted, and the Friends reserve the right to limit the quantity of items accepted and/or refuse donations that do not meet library needs.

October 9:

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

MEETING: 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 10:

VOLUNTEER: Stream Monitoring 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM South Farm, 6172 County Road Z, Spring Green savannainstitute.org We’ll be monitoring two stream sites. No experience required; training will be provided. Please dress appropriately for outdoor work (weather appropriate, tall grass, muddy conditions). Tall rubber boots or waders are useful but not strictly required. Be prepared to walk a quarter mile through grass and uneven terrain. Please bring plenty of water and a snack. Plan on about two hours of sampling.

MEETING: Lone Rock Village Board Meeting 7:00 PM Village Office, 314 E Forest St, Lone Rock

October 11:

MEETING: Village of Spring Green Board Meeting 7:00 PM . 154 N. Lexington Street, Spring Green Virtual and In-Person vi.springgreen.wi.gov

MEETING: Plain Village Board Meeting 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM 510 Main Street, Plain villageofplain.com

October 12:

MEETING: River Valley School Board Meeting 7:00 PM River Valley Middle School Library, 660 Daley St, Spring Green

WHAT’S HANGINg ? ongoing art exhibitions

American Players Theatre Presents: Art in the Woods . American Players Theatre, 5950 Golf Course Rd, Spring Green Open through October 8 Free, no tickets required . APT has always been a place where art and nature are inextricably linked. This exhibition features works from seven artists, placed throughout the picnic area, designed to weave into and amplify the natural surroundings. We hope you take full advantage of this special event. These woods are a canvas, and this is the newest masterpiece. Art that evokes conversation, intertwines with our landscape, and sparks your imagination.

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 - perhaps we'll compile and publish an annual

Lexington & Jefferson

Musings from the End of the Rainbow

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

The Dinner Table

Noise, Confusion, Chaos, Laughter, and Love. Dinner time at the farmhouse may have varied as to the time we sat down but it never varied in the fact that we ALWAYS sat down together.

Dad, at the Head of the table, Mom, directly across from him on the other end. Lulu and I sat with our backs to the big picture window that overlooked the garden, she to my left, due to being lefthanded and I not wanting constant elbowing as we ate.

Tom, and Bob, across from us. Sadly though, I can’t place on which side Donata sat. At one time, all eleven kids were at home, until, one by one, they moved out. The large wooden table, stained from years of hot casserole dishes, and sweating milk glasses had its solid heavy leaves removed and slid beneath; its scalloped corners pushed in, collapsing it to accommodate our family’s new size. This is where my memories of dinnertime center: Around the Final Five. The land provided our family with a bountiful harvest throughout the year:

Our meals: “Farm to Table” long before farm to table became a thing.

We would have salad once the tiny Bibb Lettuce matured, or the Water Cress, picked. Carrots, Radishes, Green Onions, all with their heads buried in the dirt, were yanked directly from their hiding spots, whisked inside, and washed up ten minutes before dinner time.

The dressing, always the same: Vinegar with heaping spoonsful of white sugar stirred in. Asparagus came from a long fertile patch, growing across the road at the top of the lane that led to the slough. We would gather and hunt for the stalks hiding amongst the long grasses. Slightly steamed and sprinkled with a bit of salt and pepper, it was a welcome addition as one of the first vegetables of the season.

Assorted Berries, bursting with sweetness, ripened thru out the summer: Raspberries, Strawberries, Cherries, and Blackcaps sprinkled on top of plain vanilla ice cream. Mom’s warm gooey Apple Crisp and Cinnamon Spiced Zucchini Cake were favorite fall desserts topped with sweet, whipped cream, fresh from the milk house.

Strawberry Rhubarb and Apple Pies would be an all-day production. Tender and flaky lard crust rolled out and crimped into the awaiting tins. Hulling, peeling, slicing, and chopping; The kitchens countertops overflowing with many deliciously tempting overstuffed pies to be frozen for wintertime treats.

Fresh Sweet Corn made its appearance in the fall, dripping with butter and salt. The harvest’s overabundance would be parboiled, scraped off the ears and frozen in big bags; we all would grapple for the discarded cobbs, greedily gnawing off what little remnants of corn remained attached. Bowls upon bowls of Snap Peas and Green Beans, a sad attempt at growing Broccoli, Potatoes with the smell of fresh dirt still rising from them, and unfortunately more Cucumbers than I care to remember.

Days would be spent canning jars of pickles using fresh Dill that grew in sprawling bunches at the front of the garden. By years’ end the shelves in our dark cool cellar were lined with Dill pickles, Sweet Watermelon pickles, Grape juice, Jellies, Jams, Sauerkraut, Tomato Sauce, Potatoes and Onions.

Spaghetti sauce simmered for the entire day, made with rich tomato sauce derived from the many baskets of Tomatoes plucked straight off the vine. Softball sized Onions and hearty Green Peppers were chopped and added along with

fresh picked Basil into the large steaming pot. The smell of Italy wafted throughout our very German household on those days.

Grape juice, jams and jellies were made from the highly producing grapevine that grew on the east end of our clothesline right outside of that big picture window. By late summer it would take over the entire line causing it to droop in the middle, weakened from the weight of hundreds of dark purple plump Grapes.

A fresh pitcher of thick and frothy Milk took center stage during every meal. Ladled right out of the bulk tank and carefully carried across the road. Holding the pitcher tightly across my chest I would tip-toe in my bare feet watching, with every step, as the rocking motion of the milk swished back and forth, bringing it dangerously close to spilling over. The glasses, placed in front of each chair, were filled to the brim with that rich white nectar. There is no truer milk mustache than the one that comes from a glass of whole milk with the heavy cream still clinging to the top layer.

The barnyard provided plenty of meat for the family’s dinner table: Bacon, Pot Roast, Swiss Steak, Pork Cutlets, Pork Chops, and…. Chicken: That we kids were tasked to help clean.

I remember being at the back utility sink with Lulu as the freshly “relieved of their heads” chickens were brought in. Mom would place a large pail of steaming hot water on the floor for us to dunk them in. Our tiny fingers covered with the wet feathers as we would chuckle and elbow each other laughing and joking spending hours cleaning off every last little pinfeather. There definitely was a “disconnect” between what we were doing and the Fried Chicken or the steaming bowls of Chicken and Dumplings served in the days that followed.

Luckily for our family, Dad also worked at Oscar Mayer. One Friday a month the employees would get their pick of excess products. Dad would arrive home with a huge box; each individual item wrapped in white butcher paper. It was a thrill to watch as he pulled them out, Mom unwrapping each, as we looked on.

The pimento loaf would have us all letting out a sad sigh, but the ring bologna?? That would garner giggles of excitement for the family’s favorite meal: Ring Bologna, Mashed Potatoes, and Beans…. Whatever made up the night’s meal, we learned at a very young age how to help prepare the farm’s riches. Donata, Lulu and I would bring the bowls filled with steaming vegetables and potatoes to the table before sitting. The boys, all washed up from being outside doing chores, their hands permanently stained from a hard day’s work, would take their prospective seats. Dad, wearing his favorite black and grey sweater, a faint smell of stale coffee and cigarettes permeating from it, was always served first. Mom, dutifully carrying over the platter holding the meals’ main course, waited until everyone else was fed before sitting down to dish herself a plate.

There was no TV, no Cell phones, no Magazines, no Distractions.

There was Grace: There was Laughter: There was a Scramble for the last spoonful of potatoes: Although with one look from Mom, the winner would pick up the bowl with both hands and offer it to Dad. I never thought in terms of Rich or Poor, never envied what others had that I did not, In fact, quite the opposite: I always felt…… Rich with Family, Fulfilled by the Bounty of the Land, and Warmed by the Chaos of The Dinner Table

in seasons between and days counting b a c k w a r d d r a w k c a b

five four three two one time this one time in September

I remember the smell of the rain freshly falling worms crawling from the soil

once again

literary journal, who knows?

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

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

LITERARY SECTION

Poetic Wonderer

as if escaping from a many year's time of a memoried rhyme could lose you as if wriggling away from those eyes of yesterday would save you darkness sings while i hum along distance may have moved you but I will never forget the words of your death song

— Mary Lanita Schulz

Lone Rock unveils new ambulance, area EMS say they're in need of volunteers

continued from page 1

call. The night before, they had their first ever call with the new ambulance, which was giving mutual aid to Richland Center, whose ambulance was busy at the time.

Those sorts of calls are par for the course, says Werner.

“Seems like it takes a certain person to volunteer to be—you know—an EMT,” said Werner.

While the EMS service directors of Arena and Spring Green didn’t reply to requests about the state of their EMS, Tracey Brent of Plain had her own message for the community.

Brent said Plain wasn’t looking at any large upcoming equipment purchases currently, but said they’re always looking for volunteers. She also said there are other ways for the community to help out the essential service.

“There are many ways [to] get involved without becoming an EMR/EMT/RN,” said Brent. “We hold fundraising events and welcome [those interested in] donating their time. Many people do our spaghetti supper in both the spring and the fall. Anyone interested in helping is welcome to reach out to me.”

Brent can be reached at 608-570-0550 or plainamb@plainfire.org.

Driftless Trail updates as segments to open soon

fall.

continued from page 1

The Knobs Road Segment, north of Ridgeway, is now in the “trial run” phase through October and will likely open to the public in December. This 2.7-mile trail can stretch to a four-mile loop by walking Knobs Road in between the trail ends. It traverses a farm that raises grassfed beef. Hikers will pass through an old orchard, woods, prairies, a wide valley where cows are rotationally grazed, and a mile-long ridge with impressive views and perennial crops. This is another trail packed with variety.

Last year, the Conservancy and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation agreed to co-brand the Phoebe Point and Welsh Hills trails on the Taliesin property as part of the Driftless Trail. Natural landscapes were integral to Mr. Wright’s designs, and from both of these trails, you get sweeping views of the landscape that, in his words, “picks you up in its arms and so gently, almost lovingly, cradles you.”

The one-mile Phoebe Point Trail will be opened later this fall. It traverses a slope where prairie and savanna restoration is in progress, then follows a ridge with views up and down the Wisconsin River

and across much of the Lowery Creek watershed, including the Welsh Hills. A trail cutting across the Welsh Hills has been open to the public for several years.

It links the Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center with the Unity Chapel and paved DOT trail along Highway 23 to make a two-mile loop.

By the end of 2025, the Conservancy hopes to complete the Driftless Trail from Tower Hill State Park to Unity Chapel, including a stretch along the Welsh Hills ridge. From there, the trail will head south through the Lowery Creek corridor to Pleasant Ridge and beyond.

As our area’s land trust, the Driftless Area Land Conservancy is creating this trail to educate people about nature and land management, create a long conservation corridor, build community, and connect people to this amazing landscape. Generous landowners who believe in this idea are making this possible by hosting the trail on their property, and volunteers are helping on multiple fronts.

Find the Weaver Road Segment trail guide and track the status of other segments at the Driftless Trail web page: driftlessconservancy.org/driftless-trail.

Photo by Alex Prochaska

An inside view of Lone Rock's new ambulance, ready for service.

87% of newspaper readers feel they have a responsibility to help shape the future of their communities.

Photo by Barb Barzen

Volunteers work on the Phoebe Point segment of the Driftless Trail.

Reflections from Lost Horizon Farm — Salesmen Will Call

Each edition, retired dairy farmer Barb Garvoille brings her musings on dairy farm life from her own years of experience on Lost Horizon Farm with her late husband Vince “Mr. Farmer” Garvoille. This mooving memoir focuses on 19802000, join Barb as she rises with the herd.

Salesmen would stop by the farm with regularity. A very poor reception conditioned most seasoned salesmen to avoid stops during extraordinarily busy times like spring planting or fall harvest. Almost always male, a salesman had to be personable and armed with an initial compliment: “Nice place you got.” or “Beautiful herd,” or some other remark to engender the potential customer’s good feeling.

The appearance of what we farmers called “the Kentucky gate boys” became a harbinger of spring. The Kentuckians would drive in with a rig bearing all sizes of cattle gates and calf panels. Kentucky gates were considerably cheaper than the name brand ones at farm stores, and each independent operator would swear his gates were guaranteed never to break. That was true of the gate frame but somewhat of a stretch of the truth on places where there were welds.

Glowing descriptors emphasized in a sales pitch, especially for bigger ticket items, were generally summarized by the salesperson concluding that whatever the item was, it would be so good that it would “pay for itself.” Some salesmen drove box trucks that were akin to a mobile store stocked with tempting items on its shelves: some practical, some just introduced, and some solely designed for the impulse buyer. Seed dealers shared the specifications and yield data on hybrids, and their notebooks carried an array of glossy photographs of newly developed corn, soybean, sorghum, alfalfa or grass plants. The artificial insemination cooperatives sent representatives that gave out yearly bull guides. These featured carefully posed professional photos of studs and statistics on calving. (A farmer was likely to select a sire with great calving ease projections for first-calf heifers.)

Rewards for patronage were always

interesting. They ran quite the gamut of goodies! You could count on a pair of potholders from the rendering companies.

A large dead animal on the farm would prompt a call and detailed message to an 800 number. A log chain would be secured

around the deceased's legs, and the animal dragged to an easily accessible location with a tractor or skid steer. There it would lie in repose until the death truck arrived to winch it up into its cavernous interior. In those days, the pick up and removal was free, and the farmer could count on a gifted pair of potholders. These were either imprinted with the company's name and a message to “call again” (At the time that was the last thing a person wanted to do!), or decorated with a cartoonish image of a distressed cow bellowing out the 800 number.

Seed dealers could be counted on for a cap or stocking hat with the represented company's logo. Other gifts might include: pocket notebooks with pens, pocket knives, thermometers, beverage openers, cookbooks, cutting boards, gloves and even jackets. At Christmastime, a calendar might arrive so you could look at machinery, idyllic farm scenes, or handsome bulls for the entire year ahead.

Chances were good that if an unfamiliar vehicle pulled in the driveway, it was a salesman. Sales people were generally circumspect about the vehicles they drove. Anything too fancy was avoided. Farmers might figure that the person driving a high end automobile really didn't need their business or their money.

Talk was a big part of a salesman's job. Territories were large, and days were long.

A friend of ours complained about her feed salesman husband. After talking to clients or potential ones throughout each day, he would be very quiet at the supper table. At day's end, he was just plain talked out.

Mr. Farmer enjoyed visiting with anyone who stopped by the farm. (Family lore portrayed Mr. Farmer's Dad, also named Vincent, in the same light. The joke was that he would visit with anything--even a dead deer by the side of the road!) The subject of conversation might veer far afield from seed, feed, sires, or machinery. Mr. Farmer was just interested in what others might have to say.

One of our favorite neighbors had little time for any salesperson. He had an uncanny ability to spot a salesman pulling

into his driveway, and generally before the person had a chance to even exit his vehicle, this neighbor would lift his right arm and motion as if he was preparing to release a lasso. After a few circular motions, his index finger would pop out and point to his driveway's exit to the county highway. Few salesmen misunderstood this clear unspoken message.

Barb has called Lost Horizon Farm, just north of Spring Green, her home for the past 43 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.

Barb Garvoille, Columnist

Barb Garvoille

Photo contributed by Barb Garvoille Canisters like this one were highly coveted and well used in the farm kitchen.

Photo contributed by Barb Garvoille A thermometer was a useful gift from a seed company.

Photo contributed by Barb Garvoille Pocket-sized booklets contained statistical information and blank pages for a farmer ’s notations.

The Sauk County Gardener

Bringing Houseplants Indoors for the Winter

Jeannie Manis, Wisconsin Certified Master Gardener

“Bugs lurk in corners and congregate at boundaries.”

— Bpris Beizer

I have a couple of nice little citrus trees that typically vacation each summer out on my back deck or front porch. Some of my other houseplants also find their way out onto my deck for the summer. When it starts to get cold and there’s a chance of frost, I bring them back indoors for the winter. However, before I bring them back in, it’s really important for me to inspect these plants to avoid bringing unwanted pests into my home. Typically, this means insect pests but one year my daughter brought her houseplants back indoors along with a hitchhiking tree frog. Her family could hear the little frog but couldn’t find him for weeks. Once he was found, he was put outside but it sure

was frustrating for a while. If you have houseplants that vacation on the back deck, it’s best to avoid bringing in various pests prior to coming back indoors for the season. There are a number of things you can do to help ensure your plants are pest-free.

First of all, try to give yourself plenty of time to do a thorough inspection. You’re looking for aphids, mealybugs, whiteflies, spider mites, and other various pests. Inspect the stems, tops and bottoms of leaves, and even the soil.

I was considering bringing in one of my “Pot-o-peno” Jalapeno peppers, but I noticed they have quite a bit of honeydew on them and that’s a sign of aphids, so they may not make the cut. If you find any insect pests, you need to deal with them and possibly even repot them. Next give your plants a bath or a shower. If they are small, you can soak

What Causes Wisconsin’s Spectacular Autumn Color?

Jeannie Manis, Wisconsin Certified Master Gardener

“Autumn!

—

As many of you may have noticed, the autumn colors are starting to really shine. My three-year-old grandson even said to me the other day “Nana, the trees are so pretty!” Of course, I’m thrilled he is starting to notice these things in nature.

I must admit though I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the brilliance of this year’s color, especially after our very dry summer.

For the longest time, I must admit I thought we had to get a hard frost or a drastic change in the weather in order to get our beautiful fall color. Surprisingly enough, it’s not a change in the weather, but a change in the amount of sunlight that makes our leaves start to turn color.

After the first day of fall, the days start to get shorter and that’s nature's way of signaling to trees and other deciduous plants that it’s time to stop gathering nutrients and go into dormancy. With shorter days, the chlorophyll in the leaves is unable to absorb as much sunlight as they were able during the summer. At the same time, the cells between the leaf stem and the twig start to seal up, making it difficult for the leaves to get the needed nutrients. This causes the chlorophyll to break down and the green color to fade.

As the green color fades, it allows the other colors like the yellows, oranges, and reds to really start to show. We are quite fortunate to live in an area that has an abundance of deciduous trees and shrubs that have vivid autumn color –maples, poplars, birch, oak, and sumac to name a few. When I visited Alaska at the

WIS 130/133 Lone Rock bridges construction updates

RIVER NAVIGATION UPDATE:

The south river channel is CLOSED to boat traffic again at the barge crossing as of Monday, October 2nd.

The north channel will remain OPEN going forward under the newly placed bridge girders.

NORTH BRIDGE UPDATE:

The first 8 girders (2 spans of 4) were delivered last week.

The schedule for the remaining 24 girders (6 spans) - delivery every morning this week Monday 10/2 thru Friday 10/6 with final delivery planned for Monday, October 9th (pending

your plants in a tub of water with mild dishwashing soap. This can help kill any pests living in the soil. If they are too big, this step may have to be skipped. Using a hose, spray the foliage to remove as much outdoor dust as you can. Next, wash the top and underside of the leaves with a mix of water and mild dishwashing soap and then rinse. Finally, wash the outside of the pot as pests like to hang out there as well.

If you have time, remove your plants from their pots to visually inspect the soil and the root ball. You may find insects, root rot, or even a root bound plant. If it is root bound, you’ll need to repot it in a larger container.

Once you’ve completed your visual inspection and bath, it’s time to start moving your plants indoors. This should be done slowly to avoid shocking your plants. Even if you have a wonderful,

beginning of September, they were just beginning to see some of their fall color and although it was quite pretty, in my opinion, it’s nowhere near as brilliantly beautiful as our Wisconsin autumns. The yellow color comes from carotenoids, which are present in the leaves all summer and do not show themselves until the chlorophyll fades. The red is from anthocyanin and is actually freshly produced as fall sets in. Sunny days will help produce more anthocyanin, making the reds even more brilliant. The browns come from leftover tannins once all the nutrients are reabsorbed by the tree.

Besides the decreasing sunlight, weather temps, rain, and soil moisture will impact the brilliance of the fall color. In general, the best weather conditions for spectacular fall color are plenty of rain during the growing season, followed by

weather and other variables).

Crews to start deck form work later this week.

SOUTH BRIDGE UPDATE: South Abutment - all concrete poured and backfilling operations in progress. Pier cofferdam installation upcoming

south-facing window, it’s still a dramatic change in available light, temperature, and even climate. Start by bringing them in at night, then back out during the day. Then leave them in a day, take them back outside, then back in for a couple days, and so on. If you can minimize shocking your plants, they will stay healthier. If possible, segregate your vacationing houseplants from your other indoor plants during this acclimation period. This gives you one more chance to see if you brought in insect pests before they get to your other plants.

Take time now to deal with insect pests before you bring them in and avoid spreading pests to all your other household plants. It’s much easier to deal with a few insects while they are still outdoors versus a full-blown infestation of all your plants when it’s 5 degrees below.

an autumn with drier conditions, cooler, yet frost free nights and sunny days with gradually decreasing temperatures. This will make for the most vibrant colors, especially red leaves. Our drought conditions this past summer may cause our leaves to fall early without reaching their full color. However, our recent rains may have helped a bit. At this point, the only thing that will really change our leaf color is a hard frost, which will lead to an early leaf drop and halt any further color production.

Take some time to appreciate our spectacular Wisconsin fall (albeit too short) with its brilliantly colored leaves. If you’re looking for places to see the best color, check out https://www. travelwisconsin.com/fall-color-report. Enjoy the color now because it won’t be long, and you’ll have to be raking up those leaves.

this Fall.

WIS 133 CLOSURE UPDATE:

On-going operations: rock bluff excavation, roadway grading, retaining wall construction, culvert pipe installation. Upcoming: concrete anchor slabs.

The greatest show of all times!”

Mehmet Murat ildan

Barry Larson, HNTB Corporation

Photo contributed by Barry Larson Drone photo taken on 9/27 of the first 4 girders set in place for the north bridge.

Photo contributed by Barry Larson Drone photo taken 9/27 of WIS 133 rock bluff excavation progress.

An Outdoorsman’s Journal

Mark Walters, Columnist

Hello friends,

For several years I have been enjoying myself immensely while hunting ducks for the northern Wisconsin opener on the backwaters of the Flambeau Flowage and living out of my boat and my canoe.

This year’s companions would be my golden retrievers Ruby and her pup Red.

Friday, September 22nd

High 66°, Low 53°

This trip started out in a very stressful way 48 hours ago when my pup Red, who has never left the property without her mother Ruby (and that has not happened in a long time), kind of vanished. Wednesday night I was working on my pond, which in reality is the logistical moving of a lot of sand and this project that started in May has now sucked up over 300 hours of hard but inspiring work.

My home is surrounded by forest and Red is always exploring, but back within seconds when I call her name. Wednesday afternoon she did not come back, or that evening, and the next morning she still was not home. I was worried and bummed about her missing an excellent opportunity for some duck hunting training.

I put the word out and looked and called her name a lot, Thursday evening I was throwing sand with a shovel when I thought I heard

a whimper in the forest. I looked as hard as I could and found my pup, she had dug a hole underneath a 22-foot Gruman canoe that I plan on rebuilding someday, and the hole had collapsed and she was stuck, but I got her out.

So anyways, this was kind of a trip of doom as the forecast was for solid rain the entire adventure. I did not care as I knew I would whack ducks, train dogs, and spend time in an area that I first explored when I was 9 years old.

I had just enough daylight to trail my canoe behind my boat to paradise, check out my duck hunting spot, and then do the crazy thing of setting up to sleep in my boat. In this case that meant putting up a cot, a sleeping bag on top and a tarp over my body. For some odd reason Ruby was not feeling well and kept eating grass like a steer and with her head close to mine as well as Reds, she was belching almost constantly. There was steady rain and a flock of 10,589 mosquitoes liked it underneath my tarp as well.

Saturday, September 23rd

High 65°, Low 58°

I was out of my cot at 3:30 and off to duck paradise which in this case means slogging through the mud to a marsh and watching the world and in this case, it was dark, raining and it was neat to watch as other hunters slowly but steadily arrived, but everyone had plenty of space.

My goals on this trip were to train the pup as last year when she was 6 months old, she received very little training,

my girlfriend Michelle Chiaro had just passed away and I was not a hunting dog trainer after that.

So, night becomes day, some hunters are getting lots of shooting, some not so much. I am foolishly passing on everything but drake wood duck and greenheads. Long after daylight I changed my mind, dropped a hen wood duck. Ruby was sound asleep and did not see the duck fall, some instinct in her told her where it was, she swam a good 50-yards from my canoe, grabbed the duck and came back to me.

I put in many hours in the rain, paddled back to my boat at dark with 2 drakes and a hen wood duck and remade the same setup that I had the night before for sleeping. The rain and mosquitoes were steady and that was when I came to the conclusion that this adventure was a never-ending day.

The next morning, I was well adjusted to my world, it rained and then it would stop and though my pups were not perfect Ruby and Red found three ducks of which 2 never would have been found.

Red did an outstanding job of finding one which had somehow got well into a root ball of a tree and without her nose, never would have been found.

When I got back to the landing, I loaded up my “kind of new 2017 GMC” and I was stupid tired until the Packers came back on the Saints and as usual, everything in life worked out.

Sunset

Follow along the adventures of Mark Walters, a syndicated outdoor adventure columnist who lives in Necedah, Wisconsin. He began writing his column, An Outdoorsman’s Journal, in 1989. It includes hunting, fishing, lots of canoeing and backpacking. He currently writes for around 60 newspapers. He hopes you enjoy reading about his adventures!

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Photo contributed by Mark Walters

The life of a duck dog can include a lot of time in the water.

Turtle Flambeau/ The Longest Day

Photo contributed by Mark Walters Duck hunters headed back to the landing after a rain soaked hunt.

Photo contributed by Mark Walters This is the canoe that Red got herself stuck underneath.