June 10-12 2002

June 12, 2002

The Prairie du Chien Board of Education voted unanimously Monday night to approve the 2002-2003 Prairie du Chien School District calendar.
The district had asked for a waiver in order to start the school year earlier than Sept. 3. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has recently granted the waiver, clearing the way for the board to approve the new calendar.
According to the new calendar, new teachers will report to work Aug. 19. The rest of the teachers will begin Aug. 20-21 and the student body will begin classes Aug. 22. The school year will end for students on May 30.
The board also voted unanimously to hire three new teachers to the Prairie du Chien District. Danielle Penney was hired as the new elementary art teacher. Tanya Kopp will be a new fourth-grade teacher and Tabitha Mills will be a new high school math teacher.
During his superintendent's report, District Administrator Jim O'Meara mentioned that the board may consider a professional dress code for teachers in the future.
B.A. Kennedy Principal Kathryn Roe gave a presentation, which showed that the percentage of district students in fourth, eighth and 10th grades who achieved at the proficient or advanced level increased slightly for most subjects as compared to students taking standardized tests two years ago.
After some discussion, board members said they would like to meet with Roe and other interested personnel in order to take more time to discuss the test scores and statistics in depth in order to help come up with ways in which the district can further improve its students' test scores.
PdC public schools to begin Aug. 22
The 27th Annual Prairie du Chien Rendezvous will take participants and visitors on a step back in time Father's Day weekend, June 14-16. Everyone will be able to experience the culture that founded and dominated the Prairie du Chien area in the early 1800s.
The Rendezvous attracts hundreds of participants and thousands of visitors every year for three days of pre-1840s reenactment. The camp, located on St. Feriole Island, is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Participants relive and reenact the fur trading rendezvous that took place on the Villa Louis grounds more than 200 years ago. People came from throughout the continent to trade with each other and the Native Americans.
This event is one of the largest trade rendezvous in the Midwest.
Visitors can watch demonstrations of nineteenth century arts such as blacksmithing, pottery and weaving. Competitions for registered participants include a black powder rifle shoot (9 a.m. Saturday) knife and hawk throw (1p.m. Saturday) and a primitive bow shoot (4 p.m. Saturday). Spectators are welcome.
There will be Native American Dancers and a Native American Flute player, Tommy Wildcat, performing throughout the day (10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) on Friday and Saturday.
The Prairie du Chien Jaycees will have their buffalo burger stand open Thursday through Sunday starting at 10 a.m.
There will also be hundreds of vendors at the annual flea market and food court at the south end of St. Feriole Island Thursday through Sunday.

June 10, 2002

2002 Prairie du Chien street projects approved
During regular June meeting of the Prairie du Chien Common Council, the following street projects were approved:
Paving: Est. Cost
.11th Street (Campion Blvd. to Marquette Road $18,813
.Illinois Street (Cass St. to Iowa St.) $8,868
.Illinois Street (Iowa St. to Wisconsin St.) $7,139
.Cedar Street (Michigan St. to alley-east) $5,029
.Lockwood Street (Main St. to RR) $3,270
.Buchanan Street (Taylor St. to dead-end) $5,050
.Prairie Street (Cedar St. to McLeod St.) $8,535
TOTAL $56,704

1 1/2" Overlayment:
.City Hall parking lot $6,423
.Brunson St. (325 ft. west to city limits) $2,352
.Alley (behind Eagle's Club -
200 block of South Beaumont Road) $835
.Fowler Street (1st St. to Beaumont Road) $2,088
.Brunson Street (1st St. to Beaumont Road) $2,088
.Broadway Street (1st St. to Beaumont Road) $2,088
.Prairie Street (Perry St. to dead-end - 211 ft. south) $1,062
.Miller Street (Michigan St. to alley-east) $1,555
.East Brunson Street (E. city limit) $5,730*
*(to be divided between the 5 property owners)
TOTAL $18,491

Sealcoating:
.Blackhawk Ave. (Main St. to Marquette Road) $9,044
.Blackhawk Ave.
(Marquette Road to city limits - Hwy 27) $8,355
.Campion Blvd. (1st Street to Beaumont Road) $531
.Wacouta Ave. (Blackhawk Ave. to Haydn St.) $2,259
.Wells Street (Marquette Road to 18th St.) $6,400
.Dousman Street (Wells St. to Taylor St.) $3,520
.Buchanan Street (Webster St. to Wisconsin St.) $4,160
TOTAL $34,269

Miscellaneous:
.Marquette Road Storm Sewer $13,750
.Patching of manholes-thermal bond system $1,800
TOTAL $15,550

GRAND TOTAL $125,014

Their hobby affords adventure, makes cents
Ever thought of finding a long-lost buried treasure and running your fingers through the mounds of old gold coins worth millions?
Well, a Prairie du Chien couple has been doing just that, although on a somewhat smaller scale, for the past 33 years.
Phil and Doris Barrette, 609 N. Wacouta Ave., began their hobby of metal detecting in 1969 and began selling metal detectors in 1970.
"It's a good hobby that can pay for itself if you pursue it," said Phil, who over the years has found numerous rings, necklaces and other jewelry, contemporary and historical coins, bullets, belt buckles from the War of 1812, Civil War era artifacts, numerous small antiques and many other items of value or historical interest.
"It's a lot of fun. You never know what you're going to find. Everything you find is interesting," said Phil, who noted that all of the items he has collected over the years are kept in a safe deposit box in a bank.
Any good treasure hunter will tell you that X never marks the spot. The beep of a metal detector certainly does mark the spot, however.
The beep, or hum as it were, has certainly led Phil and Doris to many a treasure, and over the years they have found more than 60,000 coins.
While most of the time the items found are relatively small in size and within the top eight inches of soil, the chance to "hit the big one" is always there. A friend of the Barrette's once found five milk cans full of silver coins buried about eight feet below a property in Milwaukee.
Phil says he always returns the jewelry he finds to its rightful owner whenever possible.
Every item is a piece of the history of the area, and is a great motivator for research, Phil says.
In addition to finding coins, jewelry and other treasures, Phil has often been called out to area farms in order to find lost farm equipment parts, septic tank lids or property stakes.
An insurance company once paid the Barrettes to find a huge diamond ring that a woman had lost. Doris promptly found the ring on the woman's gravel driveway.
The Barrette's also help law enforcement from time to time, searching for such items as tools that were used by burglars to break into a building or residence.
After 33 years of treasure hunting and retailing, Phil has become an authority on metal detectors, and is always willing to help others get started and to offer tips and tricks of the trade.
Phil sells all the major brands, including White, Fisher, Garrett and Minelab. Metal detectors are priced from about $100 to $1,200 for coin machines and on up to $3,200 for gold prospecting machines.
For a beginner on a budget, Phil says a metal detector in the $200 range will have all the features to get them started and keep them going.
The detectors are lightweight (about 3 pounds) and easy to hold, maneuver and adjust. You can set the signal range for what you are looking for, which can be invaluable when searching for a specific lost item or in adjusting to the varying mineral content of soil in different geographical locations.
Some detectors are programmable with LCD read out. They can tell you the denomination of a coin, whether it is silver, copper, zinc or nickel. The detector can also show how deep the object is buried and whether it is a coin or a piece of junk like a pull tab or a bottle cap. With a little experience, you will be able to tell by the signal if the penny was minted before 1982 (copper) or after 1982 (zinc).
The overall length of the detector can be adjusted to fit a person of any height and the angle of the search coil to the ground can also be adjusted.
After a rain is a good time to treasure hunt, said Phil, because coins in the ground form a "halo" around themselves, which increases their conductivity.
Phil says that a good place to start hunting is in the water along a beach. The detectors can be used in up to about 2.5 feet of water and Phil says he has found many a lost ring at the water's edge. Special waterproof detectors can be used in up to 200 feet.
Metal detectors even work through human flesh, so if you suspect your child has swallowed a valuable object, this too shall pass.
Other good places to search include old churches, old farms, old schools and picnic grounds. Phil recommended that treasure seekers use an old plat map to help find good search areas He said that you should always ask permission, always find out about local ordinances and always conduct yourself ethically.
If you are thinking of treasure hunting in Prairie du Chien, there is a city ordinance prohibiting the use of metal detectors on St. Feriole Island.
Along with selling regular metal detectors, Phil and Doris have sold and donated body search-type wand detectors and walk-through detectors to law enforcement agencies, and, in one case to a night club in Illinois.
In 1999, the Barrette's attended Garrett Academy in Texas, where they learned how to train law enforcement personnel in the use of security-type detectors.
Phil and Doris also enjoy attending treasure hunt events throughout the Midwest. Tokens are buried in a field and treasure hunters from throughout the United States and Canada comb the area for the tokens, which when found are turned in for various prizes. Treasure hunters of all ages are on hand to enjoy each other's company and to share tips and ideas.
The Barrette's used to conduct treasure hunts on St. Feriole Island, which drew upwards to 230 people from near and far. The hunt was voted the most improved in the nation.
Phil and Doris will be hosting a metal detector open house at their residence on June 21, 22 and 23 from 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
They will also be set up at the upcoming Rendezvous on St. Feriole Island June 14, 15 and 16.
Doris also said that she and Phil will be marketing metal detectors on a full-time basis this summer and that interested persons should call for an appointment. Barrette Sales and Service has been a metal detector dealer since 1970.

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