October 10, 2007

Area's attractions draw increasing number of tourists Council

This is the time of year that has Patti Wacker, coordinator for the Prairie du Chien Tourism Council, smiling broadly. As of yesterday, all 329 motel rooms in the City of Prairie du Chien were booked for the coming weekend, and outlying motels were filling up quickly. On busy fall weekends that isn't unusual.

Last weekend, said Michael Douglass, site director of Villa Louis and a tourism council member, he talked to a man who started in Prairie du Chien looking for a motel room, and finally found an opening in Boscobel.

Although in the last few years there's been a growth in off-season tourism as well, the big season, said Douglass, starts with Rendezvous weekend and continues through the fall.

Wacker thinks the floods in southwest Wisconsin kept some tourists away. She had several calls asking how bad the flood was, and when she explained that Prairie du Chien was not affected, she wasn't sure the callers believed her. Nevertheless, tourism has shown a steady increase, and the tourism council has done a great deal to ensure that.

The council is actually a committee of the Chamber of Commerce, and its mission is to promote the entire member area as a tourism destination. The majority of the tourism business is for the Prairie du Chien-McGregor-Marquette area, Wacker said, but coverages stretches in about a 40-mile radius.

They have participated in two Discover Wisconsin episodes and have placed 40 or more ads a year in the surrounding area and as far away as the Twin Cities and Chicago. They have sponsored several headliner events of their own, and also coordinate with events such as the Carriage Classic, Rendezvous and Blues Fest which have their own independent advertising budgets.

"One of the key words in marketing is partnership," said Douglass, and the council works with other groups such as Prairie du Chien Revitalization, Inc. (PDRI) and the Crawford County tourism group in planning and coordinating events.

Wacker believes one of the big factors is the council's toll-free telephone number. Many people, she explained, want to talk to someone rather than leave an email message.

Prairie du Chien and the surrounding area have many attractions which draw tourists. The scenery is spectacular; many annual events such as Rendezvous, Carriage Classic and the Blues Fest bring people into the area. Birding, said Douglass, is increasingly popular, and the Mississippi River is one of the great flyways of the world.

Activities designed to increase tourism, Douglass said, are good in that they increase options for residents as well. The challenge, he believes, will be to increase those options while preserving values: "There's a rural flavor here, an element of small town America that people find enchanting and lovely. We want to be prosperous, but we don't want to lose that. The growth has to be natural and incremental, and be done in a way that is good for the city."

One of the areas of growth in recent years is motorcycle business. "Many of those people," said Douglass, "are in their 40s and 50s and like to stay in motels with extra amenities. They love our paved, windy roads."

Although tourism will drop off after Nov. 1, there are still a number of offseason events that bring visitors to the city, and some of the larger motels are offering family packages to keep people interested during the offseason.

The key to tourist growth, the council believes, is to explore new ideas. Douglass said he was surprised at the number of people who attended the city's first jet ski races on a rainy weekend in August. One of the things the council is also looking into is small retreat-type immersion experiences for people in special interest areas.

In looking toward the future, they hope to continue, and perhaps expand, some of the riverboat activities. Another goal is to rebuild the group tour market. They used to host Delta Queen tours for many years. When the company changed hands the tours were dropped.

Perhaps the biggest goal, and one that won't be realized overnight, is a conference facility that will hold 500 people The name of the city is out there, said Wacker, and she has had many calls from people looking for a conference site. "There is definitely a need," she said.

Besides Wacker and Douglass, other tourism council members are Tom Nelson, Willy and Nellie's Place; Brian Hefty, Wyalusing State Park; Robert Moses, PdC Area Chamber of Commerce; Jennifer Kaber, Kaber's Restaurant and Spirits; Jeff Strnad, Prairie Motel; Chris Meyer, AmericInn Lodge and Suites; Ddee Ljubic, Windsor Place Inn.

PdC Board vows not to raise tax rate if referendum passes

The Prairie du Chien School Board discussed the Oct. 30 referendum again at its regular meeting Monday night.

The referendum discussion reinforced the board's vow to not raise the tax rate over the current rate for the two years of the referendum cycle. Even with the looming possibility that there will be no state budget passed by the middle of October, the district can buffer the effect on the taxpayer for this year, said District Administrator Drew Johnson.

The referendum questions are straight forward, two questions regard facilities repairs and updates and the third is about refinancing current debt.

School board members stated that anyone with questions about the referendum can contact board members or District Administrator Johnson. There is a Power Point presentation available with a sound narrative on the school website. In addition, Johnson will present to any community group that would like to learn more about the referendum.

"The state legislators are dropping the ball," said Johnson. "But, the school has to continue operations with or without a state budget. It is extremely frustrating that deadline upon deadline passes without the legislators moving a budget bill toward passage. Schools statewide have no idea what version of the budget will pass. However, our local planning is proceeding based upon a worst-case scenario of working off last year's aid amounts. Many schools will have no choice other than to pass this decreased aid along in increases to property taxpayers. The Prairie du Chien Board of Education will not, as they will buffer the levy rate at last year's amount with the assumption that sometime in the next 12 months, the legislature will be embarrassed into finalizing the two-year budget."

In other business, the board postponed until December taking action on whether to continue with boys and girls soccer in the 2008-2009 school year. At the December board meeting, Soccer Coach Jim Rohde will give a presentation that will outline how the first boys season went and an outlook for the girls spring season. An informal discussion by board members was positive toward maintaining the program.

In further business, the board:

´Instructed the district to charge "for profit" entities for use of the school facilities as appropriate. The school board encourages use of the facilities, but to be consistent, a request for free usage of the school facilities was denied in a vote following the closed session.

´Accepted the resignation of Matt Mezera as ninth grade boys basketball coach.

´Hired Kris Oehler as high school gymnastics coach for the 2007-2008 season.

´Added Matt McCumber, Julieta Dubel, Joshua Conley, Anna Seamans and John Hosemann to the 2007-2008 sub teacher list.

´Approved a request by Mark Pedretti to attend an overnight field trip to the FFA Convention.

October 8, 2007

Luck turns its back on Wauzeka woman

Sometimes doing everything you can just isn't enough.

That's what Barb Atkins of Wauzeka has discovered this year as she has dealt with the sudden death of her mother, a job layoff, a move, a new job, a diagnosis of cancer two weeks before she became eligible for company insurance, and the inability to return, as of yet, to full time work.

It all started when Atkins, who is originally from Cashton, moved to Dubuque in January when her mother suffered an aneurysm. Her mother, 'my best friend," said Atkins, died, but Atkins stayed there and found a job. She was, however, soon laid off, so she moved to Wauzeka to stay with her daughter and found a job at Prairie Industries in Prairie du Chien.

That was in March, and things looked pretty good. She moved into her own apartment and bought a car to replace one that was no longer reliable.

Atkins would have been eligible in June for insurance coverage through work, but in May she visited a dermatologist to check out some spots on her hand and nose. The dermatologist immediately ordered a chest x-ray, and by the end of May it was confirmed that she had lung cancer.

Atkins was a smoker, but had suffered no symptoms that would point to lung cancer. 'I wasn't short of breath or anything," she said. The doctor told her the spots on her hands were 'feeding off the cancer."

She had surgery at Franciscan Skemp Hospital in La Crosse July 5. Three fourths of one lung was removed, as well as a rib and her lymph nodes. No one told her that any one thing had caused the cancer, but she supposes that her 45 years of smoking was the cause. She quit as soon as she learned of the cancer and now says she finds the smell of smoke obnoxious. 'I didn't notice it before," she commented.

The Doctors told her they caught the cancer in its first stages. 'I had an angel on my shoulder that day," she said, referring to her visit to the dermatologist.

Atkins has returned to work four hours a day at Prairie Industries. 'They've been good to me," she said, 'they didn't have to keep my job open." She would like to go back to full time work, but at present can't imagine she'll have the stamina to do it. Still, she says, one of the doctors told her it would take a year to recover, and it's only been a little over three months.

She still isn't eligible for insurance because her cancer is now a pre-existing condition. She applied, but did not qualify for disability. At the age of 60, she is two years away from social security eligibility. She has had to let her car be repossessed, but is thankful to a nurse, Emily, at Franciscan Skemp in La Crosse. The nurse was asking $200 for her old car, but gave it to Atkins when she learned of her situation. 'There are good people out there," Atkins commented.

The hospital itself came up with $59,000 toward her medical bills out of a special fund from donations. Atkins hasn't seen her total bill, but has no idea how she can pay it. With her part time earnings, she can buy groceries (she does qualify for food stamps) and pay her rent and car expenses. She worries that she will have to file for bankruptcy.

Atkins admits that she sometimes gets depressed: 'You try and you try and you try and you just keep getting knocked down."

Still, she knows and appreciates that many people have helped her. She concluded: 'I have God in my life, and He provides for you."

Domestic Violence Month will be observed with a celebration of progress

'Domestic violence is a grim business and sometimes we get discouraged, but there's also a lot to celebrate," said Randi Harris, Domestic Abuse Prevention Coordinator in Crawford County, in explaining why the emphasis of this year's observance of Domestic Violence Month is an all-out celebration.

The observance, a dessert party titled 'Chocolate, Champagne and Coffee," is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 11, 6:30 p.m. at The Barn in Prairie du Chien.

Diane Evans of Family Advocates in Platteville will be the guest speaker. Among the many items included in a silent auction will be gift baskets, carpet cleaning, a night in a cabin and handmade chocolates. Music is provided by Lori Frailey and coffee by Simply. A candlelight vigil will follow, with participants lighting a candle for each victim of domestic violence in Wisconsin in 2005.

That total, announced Oct. 5, is 46„40 victims and six perpetrators who killed themselves after killing someone else. None of those victims came from Crawford County, but four were from adjoining counties.

The event is sponsored by the Crawford County Domestic Task Force, and proceeds from the event will benefit the Crawford County Domestic Abuse Program.

Harris noted that the movement against domestic violence in Wisconsin began almost 30 years ago. The state's Coalition Against Domestic Violence will celebrate its 30th anniversary this summer.

'Considering that the movement started out with a few survivors sitting around someone's kitchen table deciding they would help other victims of abuse, this has come a long way," Harris said. She noted there are now better laws, more shelters, greater awareness and trained law enforcement personnel.

The candlelight vigil acknowledges the victims who were not saved, said Harris, but the rest of the celebration is for the thousands, if not millions of survivors who left abusive situations and have been able to recraft their lives.

The celebration on Thursday will also kick off a year-long program called 'Walk a Mile in Her Shoes," designed to create empathy for abuse victims. 'Few of us who haven't been in abusive relationships can understand what it's like to be so afraid you don't dare leave„or so cut off from financial assets that you know you'll be penniless when you walk out the door."

Abuse, Harris said, usually starts out mildly. The abusive partner may object to the victim's friends or family. Then it may escalate to subtle put-downs, then other forms of verbal abuse. The next step is usually mild physical abuse such as pushing or shoving which may be followed by more violent abuse.

She emphasized that physical abuse is only one part of domestic abuse. 'There's a whole pattern, she explained of verbal and mental abuse that wears people down and makes them wonder of the deserve it (the physical abuse). Abuses, she noted, can be very charming. That's how they establish relationships with people they can later come to dominate.

The task force is collecting shoes to be decorated as works of art and auctioned off next October as a fundraiser. Some of the shoes already completed, such as the pair pictured, will be on display Thursday evening.

Anyone interested in decorating a shoe, or a pair of shoes, to donate to the task force is encouraged to call Harris at 326-1616. The task force will collect shoes throughout the year. The shoes do not have to be wearable.

Gays Mills Flood Pictures g Soldiers Grove Flood Pictures g Steuben flood pictures on this link

October 10, 2007

October 8, 2007