Given the opportunity, the celebration of community can extend beyond our village boundaries. Crawford County Celebrates will join together several communities for a county-wide celebration on the weekend of September 14, 15, and 16.

Held in conjunction with the Driftless Area Art Festival, Crawford County Celebrates encompasses seven companion events spanning three days and seven communities. In addition to the fine arts and regional music on display at the Driftless Area Art Festival in Soldiers Grove, Crawford County Celebrates offers each community an opportunity to showcase their local events and unique ways to have fun.

It all adds up to a weekend with plenty of things to see and do that will pique your interests and match your schedule. Crawford County Celebrates was designed to present travelers with more reasons to visit Crawford County, but will also offer residents a reason to celebrate their local heritage, home-town pride, and a sense of community that spans the county.

Prairie du Chien's Fort Crawford Museum will once again play host to Cannons and Redcoats, a popular living history reenactment of frontier life in Prairie du Chien during the War of 1812 when it was under British rule. Sponsored by Century 21 Sutton Realty, the event will feature programming for school children on Friday and for the general public on Saturday.

Prairie du Chien Downtown Revitalization will sponsor the Cannons and Redcoats parade at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The old fashioned parade„which will begin at Blackhawk and Main, travel south down Beaumont, and end at the Fort Crawford Museum„will feature Redcoats re-enactors, Big River Long Rifles, high school marching bands, and local horse riders. Downtown businesses will hold retail promotions in their stores and display quilts in their windows throughout the weekend.

Wauzeka will stage the second-annual Craft Fair and Farmer's Market, sponsored by the Kickapoo Valley Association. A street dance has been added to the mix on Saturday evening, with music by GMC. The Craft Fair and Farmer's Market will begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday and feature a Phetteplace inlaid gemstone display. Larry Phetteplace will be on hand to discuss the work of his late father, Joseph, the noted lapidarian artist. Exhibitors will be displaying and selling their creations; including crafters of jewelry, wood crafts, baskets, and other crafts; as well as producers of specialty foods, organic produce, and baked goods.

The Ferryville Vision and Promotion Board will sponsor an expanded version of Market in the Park, the community event that takes place each weekend at Sugar Creek Park throughout the summer and fall. The Saturday event will feature Amish crafts such as small furniture, throw rugs, toys, and other items; as well as baked goods, home made preserves, garden plants, and a flea market. Music will be provided by Ken Megal.

Seneca will celebrate its Sesquicentennial in grand fashion with an Antique Tractor Pull and several fun events for residents and visitors alike. Sponsored by the Inn at Lonesome Hollow and AAA Awards, Seneca's 150th birthday party will kick off with a pancake breakfast on Saturday morning, followed by a pie and ice cream social, scarecrow competition, beanbag tournament, quilt show, town-wide rummages sale, strolling musicians, historic picture gallery, food tent, and beer stand.

The Economic Development Association of Gays Mills will sponsor a Silent Sport Event for walkers, bicyclists, and canoeists on Saturday. Participants can enjoy a walk or bike ride along the Kickapoo River, with the option of combining their excursion with a canoe trip. After registering at Lions Park, registrants can choose from a beginner route of 4.8 miles; an intermediate route of 7.5 miles; or an experienced route of 19 miles; all located along scenic routes that parallel the river.

The Greater De Soto Kruzzz and Poker Run, sponsored by the VFW, will encourage participants to earn a poker hand and a chance at a cash prize by visiting five events, all while touring the splendid Crawford County landscape. Contestants can receive a stamp at each companion event before returning to De Soto for their poker hand and a VFW steak fry on Saturday evening. The De Soto Lion's Club will start the day serving lunch at Cotton Wood Park from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The weekend is of course anchored by the Driftless Area Art Festival in Soldiers Grove. Seventy-seven artists will gather on Saturday and Sunday in Beauford T. Anderson Memorial Park on the Kickapoo River, including painters, potters, woodworkers, weavers, sculptors, textiles, jewelry, and kids art. Five bands will be playing bluegrass, string, and jazz music throughout both days, alongside purveyors of regional foods.

Crawford County Celebrates is sponsored by the Crawford County Tourism Council of Community Development Alternatives, Inc, a non-profit organization based in Prairie du Chien. For further information about event times and places, go to the Crawford County Tourism website at crawfordcountywi.com, or call toll-free 866-452-7967.

A reduction in the number of city polling places, a presentation by Prairie du Chien High School principal Andy Banasik about plans to curb some of the extra-curricular vandalism relating to homecoming this year and an ordinance approving the use of neighborhood electric vehicles were among the items discussed at the Prairie du Chien Common Council last night.

Following a discussion, council approved a plan to reduce the number of polling places in the city from six to four. The four polling places will be:

First Ward: Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1515 S. 15th Street

Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Wards: Prairie du Chien City Hall, 214 E. Blackhawk Ave.

Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Wards: National Guard Armory, 601 N. Marquette Road

Ninth Ward: United Methodist Church, 625 S. Dousman Street.

Under the new plan, the 2nd District is moved from the Fort Crawford Museum to City Hall; the 5th District is moved from the Blackhawk Apartments to the Armory. Other districts would remain in their present location. A list of districts and wards is available on the city's website and at City Hall.

City Administrator Gordon Gallagher said the city will have the same number of pieces of equipment, and the extra voting machines would be taken to the two consolidated polling places.

Mayor Cheryl Mader said she believed that Faith in Action would be providing transportation for those who needed it. Mader added that it has been difficult to find election workers, and the workers could be used more efficiently this way.

Council member Frank Pintz said the survey which was used to determine voter interest in the consolidation, conducted at the city's last election, represented a small group of voters, and he would prefer to wait until the spring election and survey a larger group of people before deciding.

The plan was approved on a 9-3 vote.

Prairie du Chien High School Principal Andy Banasik reported to council of plans to curb some of the vandalism which occurred during last year's homecoming celebration.

Among the incidents last year were a girl tied to tree with plastic wrap and unable to free herself, feminine hygiene products filled with urine and catsup and tossed at people and reports of shots being fired at people.

Banasik showed council members a picture of items confiscated from the backs of pickups and urged them to pass an ordinance forbidding riding in the back of pickup trucks. That, he said, should help.

Asked what consequences the school imposes on students who participate in these activities, Banasik said penalties within the school can range from exclusion from athletics to suspension or expulsion. He said they have also worked with the police on some issues.

Following passage of a new ordinance, city residents can now legally cruise the city's streets in Neighborhood Electric Vehicles. They may be operated on all city streets and alleys with a posted speed limit of 35 miles per hour or less. Drivers must have a valid driver's license. The city license fee will be the same as the fee for mopeds. The ordinance, with a definition of a neighborhood electric vehicle, will be available at City Hall and will be posted on the city's website.

In other business, council:

´Approved parts one and two of a three-phase proposal to renovate Hoffman Hall. Phase I would be accomplished by Nov. 1 and would include a thorough analysis of the building and a prioritizing of projects at a cost of $12,600. Phase II, at a cost not to exceed $13,000, would include schematic building plans and developing phasing schedules and budget estimates, and would be completed by Dec. 31. Costs would be covered by funds in the Hoffman Hall budget.

´Approved a resolution authorizing Ayers Associates to submit a proposal for an Environmental Protection Agency grant. The city has twice before applied and did not receive one. The grant would enable the city to do environmental assessments on sites considered for redevelopment. Ayers will prepare the request at no cost to the city.

´Authorized Ayers Associates to submit grant applications for the former Quality Wood Treating site. Although the city has received previous grant money for the site, they can request an additional $130,000 that can be used at the end of the project for additional site monitoring after the remediation is complete. Gallagher said the odds are good the city will get the grant since the project is a good example of redeveloping a contaminated site. One business has already relocated and another is looking at purchasing a significant portion of the site. Ayers Associates charges a fee of $1,500 for developing the proposal.

´Passed a resolution commending Brad Steiner for his service as interim fire chief. Steiner served as interim chief from April 13 until August 5.

´Approved construction of an 18 by 36 foot storage building at St. Feriole Island Ball Park with the stipulation that the existing building be brought into compliance with city fire codes. The building was donated and will be constructed with volunteer labor.

By Sandy Vold

Big changes are coming to Prairie du Chien in the next few years. Next spring, reconstruction of the downtown streetscape will begin. In 2010, the Hwy 18 bypass will be constructed, and in 2011 and 2012, reconstruction of Marquette Road is scheduled.

By the time it is all completed, there will probably not be a man, woman or child in the city who has not been inconvenienced to some degree by all the construction. But Mayor Cheryl Mader believes that when it is completed, the entire population of the city will benefit as well.

"It will be the beginning of a trying time: the start of five years of road construction and 20 million dollars of investment in our streets. People at the state level obviously see that Prairie du Chien is worth the investment."

Mader sees the changes as very valuable ones for the city. She said, "When I think of Prairie du Chien, I think of a community that really looks for value, not fanciness. We work hard for our money and we want to be sure it's going to be spent in such a way that we derive value from it."

Mader said it all goes back to the Comprehensive Plan adopted for the city in 2005. Over 1,200 surveys were sent out to residents, seeking input on their vision for the city during the next 20 years.

Some of the vision statements adopted and included in the vision plan are:

´Young adults see Prairie du Chien as a place of opportunity where they can find a job in their chosen profession.

´Business owners see Prairie du Chien as a community committed to stable economic growth.

´Employees have opportunities for job training and advancement.

´Visitors find the city visually appealing. They visit the city time and again and financially support a strong and growing tourism sector.

´City residents see the downtown as the heart of the community and support local businesses.

Mader believes that the changes over the next few years will go a long way toward turning these visions into reality.

"In our vision we're starting to make downtown the heart of our community once again," she said. Noting that the Main Street Program for downtown has only been in existence for three years, she added, "It's said by people who know about these things that our program is way ahead of schedule."

Mader believes a strong downtown is an essential piece of attracting new business. Once people start seeing the city as an exciting and interesting place to be, businesses will want to locate here. "In five years, people asking about starting a business here will say this is a community that cares," she said.

The gateway to the community, Mader believes, is Blackhawk and Marquette, and between the downtown streetscape project and the improvements to Marquette, she said, the changes to that corner should be "important and significant."

Mader sees the combination of the bypass, which will divert considerable truck traffic from Marquette Road, and the planned improvements to Marquette Road itself opening the way for Marquette Road to become a desirable commercial district "When the truck traffic is gone, it will be a much friendlier place to shop," she said. "Now it feels like a freeway. I see a lot of businesses wanting to invest in Marquette Road."

Mader is especially excited about the prospect of attracting new business. "It's important that our young people don't feel they need to leave the city to get a good job," she said. She wants the city to be able to offer people what she refers to as the 'gold standard'„a job, a house, and health insurance.

The recent business expansions and relocations are, to her, a signal that a significant economic growth is beginning. She cites Wolf Machine as one example. It is a growing business in a new space and can offer good jobs to young people. Rivertown Ironworks is moving from rental quarter to a new building and expects to grow from 10 or so employees to 20 or more. "To me, that's exciting," she said, "That's what will bring people here." In addition, a tool and die maker is planning to locate in Prairie du Chien, which would help other businesses in that it would be a local source for materials. "It's a model for successful economic development," Mader said, "to look at what businesses need and bring these services to them."

The city and county, she said, are working together with a task force trying to figure out how to build the economy in the entire county. Efforts have been made to bring businesses and schools together to make sure that the students who graduate from area high schools have the skills businesses need.

Mader summed up her statements by saying, "There's a real awareness that we want to grow, to give our citizens what they want, but we don't want to lose sight of who we are or the things that make Prairie du Chien a good city. So far, we're succeeding."