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July 14, 2004

Several candidates file for Crawford County offices
Now that the official deadline of July 13 has passed, there are several candidates running for partisan offices in Crawford County. Incumbent Republican Janet Geisler of Eastman will square off against Democrat Luanne Neumann of Prairie du Chien for the office of County Clerk in the November general election. There are four candidates for County Treasurer. Incumbent Democrat Martin Sprosty of Prairie du Chien, Democrat Kenneth Meyer of Prairie du Chien, Republican Faye Johnson of Prairie du Chien and Republican Gary Heisz of Eastman. The field will be narrowed to the top Republican and the top Democrat following the Sept. 14 primary election. The Sept. 14 primary will also affect the race for County Coroner, which pits newcomers Camille Smith of Seneca and Joseph Morovits of Eastman. Smith and Morovits are both Democrats. Current Coroner Debra Ahrens has filed non-candidacy papers. Incumbent Cheryl Olson of Eastman is running unopposed for the position of Register of Deeds as is incumbent Clerk of Courts Donna Steiner of Prairie du Chien.

McGregor woman makes art from the heart
Jenny Gordon of McGregor designs stained glass pictures using images that are near and dear to the hearts of those she designs for. Her ideas come from the people in her life. Jenny's art reflects the sharing nature of her life and work as she has created stained glass pictures for those she knows and loves: a dragonfly for a friend, a pumpkin for a neighbor, a rooster for her mother and a horse for her daughter. The images are chosen because these are "favorite things" of the people around her. She says it all started with a dream and a box of glass from her neighbor Adeline. Frustrated with her lack of skill in detailed drawing Jenny dreamt one night that she would have to do her art piece by piece. Shortly after, she met up with a local stained glass artist Marilyn Burke who convinced her to use the glass she was given. Jenny immediately fell in love with the craft. Jenny has been developing her stained glass the last few years, and her repertoire is expanding beyond personal works she has created for family and friends, into a style using natural themes. When she isn't working on stained glass she can be found writing or spending time with her daughter, Jessica. Jenny lives in McGregor and works at the McGregor Public Library and at the Holiday Shores Motel.

Roles reversed when kids save mother
Usually, it's the parents looking after the kids. But on Sunday night, the roles were reversed in the Ball household when Sherrie, the mother, had an allergic reaction that required a swift response by her kids that probably saved her life. The incident started when Sherrie simply ate a few grapes. However, she developed a reaction that started with an itchy mouth and rapidly escalated to her throat beginning to swell shut. Most everything went numb, she couldn't swallow and had almost completely stopped breathing. Not wanting her kids to see her in this state, she left the room for a few seconds but began to pass out. That's when her kids stepped in to the rescue. Taylor, 10, called 911 and calmly told them their address and the situation. Alyssa, 12, and Landan, 11, then waited outside for the ambulance. In the meantime, Taylor stayed with his mother, rubbing her back and calming her in spite of his fear. "We were all crying," Taylor said. "It was scary." The ambulance and police officers arrived after what probably seemed like hours to Sherrie and the children. Officer Kyle Teynor agreed that the actions of the kids deserves the highest praise. "I just told the kids that they did everything right," Teynor said. "They used 911 the right way and possibly saved their Mom's life." "Sometimes as adults we underestimate a child's ability to perform under stress," Sherrie said. "But courage doesn't come from age nor experience. It comes from the heart." After Sherrie left in the ambulance, officer Terry Sprosty drove the kids to the hospital, where Sherrie stayed just a couple hours to make sure her airway stayed clear. "The only fun part was the cop car ride," Taylor said. Taylor even cleaned up the mess after it was over, and needless to say, the remaining grapes got thrown away. Sherrie is allergic to fresh fruit, but had never had a reaction even close to that. There were only a few after-effects on Monday for her, including a sore throat and a little bit of swelling in the mouth. She is now equipped with "Epi-pins" to be injected in case it should happen again. Another factor that was overcome was the fact that the family is relatively new to the area, so being on unfamiliar grounds put them at a further disadvantage with not as many people to call. Sherrie isn't sure what she would have done had her kids not been home. "I suppose I would have ran out to the road," she said. In hindsight, Sherrie said she waited too long to get help. But with thanks to her kids' bravery, it made that a moot point. "I think all my kids did a great job and I am proud and grateful," Sherrie said. "They saved my life." Sherrie Ball with three of her life-saving, courageous kids: Alyssa, Landan and Taylor.

H.S. Librarian resigns, options to be discussed
Broadcast of board meetings may be on horizon
The Prairie du Chien Board of Education accepted two resignations at its regular meeting Monday night. High School Spanish teacher Marquita Gilman resigned as did High School Library Support Specialist Jenny Smith. Smith's impending resignation had been discussed heavily at last month's board meeting, as several teachers addressed the board concerning the importance of librarians. Following the acceptance of Smith's resignation Monday night, Superintendent Jim O'Meara said that he would like to get together with Bluff View Media Specialist Nancy Trautsch to discuss the pros and cons of all of the options involving the possible replacement or non-replacement of Smith. O'Meara and Trautsch may have a recommendation for the board at the special executive session scheduled for Thursday night. In other business: O'Meara told the board that the first broadcast of a school board meeting might happen on Sept. 13, pending action by the Prairie du Chien City Council. Should the council give approval, the regularly scheduled school board meetings will be held at City Hall. * The board awarded the milk bid to Swiss Valley, the fuel bid to Krachey's BP and the property insurance bid to EMC Insurance. All three companies have been serving the school district in recent years. * The board approved a one-time raise of $2,500 for the district's two head custodians. In accordance with the new Federal Labor Standard Act, which will become effective in August, the head custodians are now considered salaried employees and will no longer receive overtime pay.

Watch history unfold this weekend at battle reenactment
Booming cannons and muskets will signal the beginning of "War of 1812 in Wisconsin: The Battle of Prairie du Chien;" as it unfolds at the Villa Louis in Prairie du Chien Saturday and Sunday, July 17-18. The true-to-life event will take place on the very ground where it actually occurred - the only War of 1812 battle ever fought on Wisconsin soil. War of 1812 living history re-enactors will converge on Prairie du Chien to set up American and British-Canadian encampments. In between battles they will demonstrate infantry and artillery drills, rum rations, musket shooting, gun cleaning, camp cookery and other details of early 19th century camp life. At 2:30 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, major events of the two-and-a-half-day battle will be condensed into a narrated battle re-enactment highlighted with cannon fire and pyrotechnic special effects. Admission is charged, with special family rates and grounds-only tickets available. Villa Louis is daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information contact Villa Louis, 608-326-2721, or visit the Villa Louis Web site at www.wisconsinhistory.org/villa/.

July 12, 2004

Longtime Crawford County warden retires
Conservation Warden Dennis Kirschbaum has been a familiar presence, protecting the resources of Crawford County's woods, streams and rivers for the past 27 years. As of July 10, however, his role in the outdoors has changed. "It's been a really good career. I have no regrets," said Kirschbaum, who retired following a day's work this past Saturday. Kirschbaum has obviously enjoyed his career, which has spanned 30 years as a fulltime warden and deputy warden. "You really have to like this job in order to stay with it," he said. "It's such a varied and multifaceted job. Each day is different. When you get up in the morning, you're never quite sure what you might get into." Indeed, Kirschbaum has been involved in numerous interesting, humorous or downright dangerous incidents over the years. Kirschbaum recalled an incident a number of years ago in which a man was shot in the backside during a night time, drive-by shooting in Prairie du Chien. A Crawford County Sheriff's Deputy and Kirschbaum were en route to the scene when Kirschbaum noticed a pickup truck driving nearby with its lights off. Kirschbaum turned around, caught up to the suspect's truck and made the arrest at gunpoint. Another time, following a murder in Lynxville, Kirschbaum and a state trooper made the arrest in Grant County. During a sudden blizzard on Nov. 1, 1991, Kirschbaum was involved in the rescue of five duck hunters who had become stranded out on the Mississippi River near Lansing. The blizzard has been compared to the infamous blizzard of Armistice Day 1941, in which several duck hunters died. In driving snow, wind, whiteout conditions and severely dropping temperatures, Kirschbaum, along with Jim and John Boardman of DeSoto, ventured out in a large commercial fishing boat and rescued two hunters. Those two hunters then alerted Kirschbaum to a group of three hunters that had also been stranded. All five hunters were very glad to see Kirschbaum on that particular day. "Their boats had been slushed and frozen in just that quick," Kirschbaum said. During another incident, Kirschbaum was out on surveillance after hearing reports of a man who was illegally dumping toxic material in a field. Kirschbaum's vehicle was hidden and Kirschbaum was standing next to the road with binoculars when he spotted a truck with a septic-type tank coming towards him. Kirschbaum got down behind some bushes and the truck pulled up, stopped and began dumping its load right there in the ditch. "He was sure surprised when I popped up," Kirschbaum said with a grin. In June of 2004, Kirschbaum was among 32 Wisconsin wardens and deputy wardens receiving a lifesaving or valor award during the 125th anniversary of the state warden force. Kirschbaum was dining with friends on Dec. 31, 2003, at a Prairie du Chien restaurant when he was alerted to a patron who was choking. Kirschbaum applied the Heimlich maneuver, causing the removal of the obstruction. On June 22, 2002, wardens Marty Stone, Robert Bloyer and Kirschbaum responded to a boat accident with injuries near the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers. A personal watercraft had collided at high speed with a motorboat. Stone and Bloyer were able to locate the operator of the personal watercraft, load him into the warden boat and transport him to an ambulance. Kirschbaum got into the water with the passenger of the personal watercraft, stabilized her and assessed her injuries. He then assisted Mar-Mac Rescue and Fire personnel with loading her into their boat. Although the operator of the personal watercraft died, the passenger survived. Kirschbaum said that she is doing well following several surgeries. Kirschbaum said that through education and common sense, many injuries can be prevented. Over the years, he has submitted regular articles to area newspapers concerning safety and has conducted a weekly radio show at WPRE in Prairie du Chien in order to help educate the public. "The ultimate goal is for everyone to have a good time and to have a safe time," he said. "There has been a remarkable change in the activity out there with the increase in the number of boaters and users over the years. The educational effort cuts down on accidents." Now that he is retired, Kirschbaum said that he will continue his volunteer educational efforts. "It's a really important part of what I do," he said about the ATV, snowmobile, boating and hunter safety programs. "We have a good bunch of instructors." In retirement, Kirschbaum said he will catch up on hunting and fishing as well as continue with his volunteer work at LaRiviere Park. He will also continue to help maintain several wild prairies throughout Crawford County. Kirschbaum said that several technological innovations over the past several years have aided in his duties in patrolling the 500 square miles of Crawford County. When he started in the mid-1970s, Kirschbaum said that wardens were each issued a Rambler by the state. The Ramblers were equipped with a state radio in order to communicate with the State Patrol. Now, Kirschbaum drives a four-wheel-drive pickup truck loaded with equipment such as a high-tech radio system, scopes, a computer, cell phones, night vision goggles, a range finder and a global positioning system. All of the equipment has aided in investigations. Kirschbaum said that while the technology keeps improving, cooperation with other agencies and cooperation from county residents is more important. He pointed out that conservation wardens often rely upon tips from citizens and often work in conjunction with other agencies in order to solve cases or put a stop to illegal activities, such as the shining and poaching of deer or the selling of bear claws and other animal parts. Having grown up in Cassville, Kirschbaum is a lifelong outdoorsman. "Ever since I was a kid, I've always had a deep interest in the outdoors," he said. Some of Kirschbaum's early outdoor activities have included helping with cleanup efforts following the record-setting flood of 1965 and helping with the banding of ducks and the cleaning up of sandbars. After gaining experience in law enforcement as an MP in the U.S. Army for three years, Kirschbaum became a deputy warden in April of 1974 and also worked for Fish Management in Dodgeville. Kirschbaum became a fulltime warden in January of 1976 and had a temporary assignment in Stoddard for one year. He came to Prairie du Chien in July of 1977 and was assigned to cover Crawford County. In giving advice to anyone interested in becoming a warden, Kirschbaum said, "You have to have a great desire for the job. If I didn't really like it, I wouldn't be in it." Kirschbaum also encouraged prospective wardens to get as much education as they can. "If you go into it, you really have got to realize that it's more than a job," he said. "You're on call 24-7. It's basically a way of life." When Kirschbaum began as a warden he initially looked at it as a job that he would be in for 30 years. Now those 30 years have come to an end. "I'll miss the job and I'll miss the people but it's time to move on," he said. "It's time for a change." One of the people that Kirschbaum said he will miss working with is deputy warden Gary Sprosty, who retired on June 29. Sprosty, who was the deputy warden since 1978, also retired from the Crawford County Sheriff's Department last year. Mike Cross, a warden from Jefferson, will now be assigned to Crawford County and will follow Kirschbaum, who has been a fixture as the warden for Crawford County for nearly three decades.

Meet the Northeast Iowa Shriners Clowns
You've seen them in area parades, you've laughed at their antics, and, you have likely heard of a Shriners Hospital - but what are the Shriners Clowns all about? Neal Perry of McGregor is happy to share information about the Northeast Iowa Shriners Motor Clowns, an organization of which he is a member. "First off, it's important to know that all Shriners are Masons," says Neal. Although many believe the Masons to be a secretive organization, Neal says the organization is a fraternity which helps each person to be the best they can be through study, ritual and association with fellow Masons. The Masons originated as an organization consisting of the masons who built cathedrals. Every Shriner is first a Mason; however, in many parts of North America, Masonry does not solicit members. In these areas, no one is asked to join. A man must seek admission of his own free will. Any man who is interested can talk to a current member in his area. Once a man is a fully accepted "Blue Lodge'' Mason after he has received the first three degrees, he can belong to many other organizations which have their roots in Masonry, such as the Shrine. There are approximately 610,000 Shrine members in North American, belonging to 191 Shrine Temples, or chapters, throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Republic of Panama. Their official philanthropy is the Shriner Hospitals. Shriners Hospitals have a threefold purpose: The treatment needed to save children's lives and restore their bodies to the highest level of usefulness; To conduct research into orthopedic and burn care; and To educate and train medical professionals in the treatment of orthopedic disabilities and burn injuries. Shriners Hospitals for Children, a 22-hospital pediatric healthcare system, provides excellent, no-cost medical care to children with orthopedic problems or burn injuries. Funding for the hospitals come from gifts, bequests, income from the endowment fund, fund-raising events and the annual assessment paid by every Shriner. Of course, most people are familiar with the Shriners Clowns, and where some of the money for the hospitals' annual operating budget of more than $420 million is from. (Another local fundraiser they hold is the Vidalia onion sales.) Businesses, and occasionally individuals or other organizations, sponsor the Shriners clowns for parades and events. Neal says, "Those who want us to entertain know what we are about and are most generous." They don't solicit funds, but they always accept donations. Different Shriners Temples have different themes for their clown groups such as pennyfarthings, unicycles or scooters. The Northeast Iowa Shriners have "three-wheel-carts" also known as motor cars. Two of their members, Bud Miller, of Elkader, and Lee Vosholl, of Wadena, custom build the cars. Members purchase the cars at their own expense and when they no longer wish to participate in parade they sell their cars for what they paid. The approximately 20 members of the Northeast Iowa Shriners Motor Clowns volunteer countless hours of their own time ‹ from creating their costumes to participating in 15 to 20 parades each year throughout Northeast Iowa as well as venturing into Minnesota and Wisconsin. Sometimes they even participate in two parades in the same day. "It does take a lot of dedication," says Neal. "We put on a lot of miles." Why go though all this effort? For Neal, the answer is easy. "I was fortunate enough to have a successful business career and this is an opportunity for me to give something back. I, and my wife, have had the opportunity to visit Shriners Hospitals and see the incredible improvements which can be made for kids. Plus, the Shriners gives you the opportunity to keep in close contact with some of the best people you will ever want to know."
The orthopedic Shriners Hospitals for Children help children with problems of the bones, joints or muscles from any cause - birth defect, injury, etc. Three of the orthopedic hospitals also provide rehabilitative care for children with spinal cord injuries. The Shriners Burns Institutes help children who have been seriously burned, or children needing reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation as a result of burn injuries. Shriners Orthopedic Hospitals closest to our area include Chicago, Minneapolis and Montreal. There is also a burn institute in Cincinnati. "The facilities are state-of-the-art and beautifully equipped," says Neal. The Shriners are always on the lookout for children who can be helped by their hospitals. There is no criteria to meet ‹ once the organization learns of a child in need, they will meet with them for an evaluation. If their condition can be helped by care at a Shriners Hospital, they are accepted. "From that point on there is no cost to the child or their family," says Neal. Anyone who knows of a child who may be helped by the services offered at Shriners Hospitals can contact any Shriners member, including Neal Perry at (563)873-3978. He adds, "It still surprises me on how many times someone will come up and say ŒI was a Shriners child.' It is a very good feeling."

Learn more about Ferryville online
The website www.ferryville. com was created due to the urging of current village president Remi Moore to have a vehicle to let others know a little bit about the village. Donald Yaeger of Ferryville had the same idea in mind and decided accept the challenge of obtaining the Ferryville domain, finding a hosting site, then create and build and maintain the site. The site contains various sections, including: an article written by local resident Ethel Lerum which gives some history of the village; "Community Communication" offers information of value to local residents of items such as the date of the next village board meeting and where to obtain burn permits; a section listing local and area businesses; an explanation of the municipal court; Market in the Park; a listing of village officials; various photos; and there is even a section with photos about the local Out House Race. The internet does indeed reach out. Yaeger has already had correspondence with compliments about the Ferryville site from a resident from Sweden who had been through our area. "They asked for more pictures of the area to be posted so more could enjoy and share the beauty of the area," said Yaeger.