PEOPLE
Senior Card Group
The Senior Citizens card group met on Oct. 24 for weekly card playing at the Athens Area Fire and Ambulance Hall.
Two games of Sheepshead were played. Henry Faber won first place and Tom Ellenbecker came in second in the first game. Butch Boris won first and Andy Hoef came in second in the second game.
Low score was Norbert Lake. Newcomers are encouraged to come play Sheepshead every Thursday from 12:30-3:30 p.m. at the Athens fire hall.
Family Story Time
Bring your entire family to story time at the Athens Branch Library. Children of all ages and their parents or caregivers are invited to this 30-minute program. Library staff will read books, sing songs, and offer other literature-based activities. Family Story Times will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. every Wednesday in November.
Mini-Makers
Stop by the Athens Branch Library anytime during open hours Nov. 4-9 to explore process art. Process art is child-led and focuses on creation instead of following specific directions. Each branch will have a different project each month so that children and caregivers have an opportunity to unleash their creativity while meeting other community members.
The event is free, all supplies are provided, no registration required. Call 715-257-7292 for more info.
Trail Association
The Athens Area Trail Association met on Sept. 29, with the meeting called to order at 7:02 p.m.
The treasurer’s report and the secretary’s report were both read with no additions or corrections.
Th insurance discussion that was tabled at the summer meeting was discussed. Glen has been working with Forward to find other options. The group is looking to add directors and officers insurance on top of general liability. Secura is an option that would be cheaper.
Glen will find if it covers event coverage for participants. Motion made by Leutschwager and seconded by Stange to use Secura at a combined price of $950 total, if it includes event coverage. Motion passed unanimously.
Treasurer Bonnie wanted permission to use bill pay through Athens Area Credit Union. Notifications will be sent to include Steve Brewster when payments are made for verification. A secondary check will be log-in information provided to other officers. Motion made by Luetschwager and seconded by Nowicki to approve using bill pay. Motion passed unanimously.
Athens Fair 5K discussed. Nearly 300 runners participated this year. All went well, many compliments.
Upcoming projects to be highlighted on Facebook. Discussions about financial needs to be made public, as well as trying to get a drone to do a fly-over of trail running along CTH M. Bonnie will try and coordinate the drone footage.
Donations and grants were discussed regarding the 2025 trail extension from the well driveway along the west high school property to the driveway on the east side of the school property. AATA will put $2,500 toward this. Multiple other grant and donation requests will be coordinated with local entities.
A bike friendly gate will be needed for this project. Members discussed using the road right-ofway along some private property to extend the trail to West Limits Road. Steve and Glen will engage in discussions with the landowner. The trail will be all gravel, not a sidewalk, with no winter grooming or maintenance needed.
A trail maintenance/usage agreement for the village and the school district was discussed. Steve will present ideas to both of those entities and report back.
Winter prep - All is set for winter. Snowmobile needs no maintenance due to no usage last winter.
The candlelight walk was discussed. Dates chosen would be either Feb. 1 or 8, pending the fire department dinner/raffle. When the date is finalized, discussions will be held with Boy and Girl Scouts about taking part.
Ice-skating - A decision was made not to light the skate area by Erbach Shelter. Steve will follow up with the village about putting different lights on the east side of the shelter that may light the area better for winter usage.
Athens Chamber of Commerce will be having the Gobble Wobble again on Thanksgiving morning. Watch for details on their Facebook page for more information.
Wayfinding signs - A “you are here” star was missing on a sign. It either fell off or was removed. Steve and Glen will be installing the rest of the signs before fall and will be gluing the stars on when installed. One large trailhead sign for South Park will be installed in the spring due to potential logging in the area. Steve and Glen will place the sign in the park in a temporary spot in the meantime.
Old colored arrows from previous mapping/wayfinding projects will be removed.
The next meeting will be early January for candelight planning.
EDGAR
Family Story Time
Children of all ages and their parents and caregivers are invited to the Edgar Branch Library on the first and third Tuesday of November for Family Story Time. Enjoy learning with all of your children through stories, songs and other literature- based activities in this 30minute program. Family Story Times are scheduled from 11 to 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 5 and 19.
Medicare 101
Adults can learn Medicare basics on Wednesday, Nov. 6, from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Edgar Branch Library. This presentation, led by a local life and health insurance agent, will include the difference between Medicare parts, what steps you should take when you turn 65, and time for answering any questions you may have about Medicare. Like all library programs, this one is non-commercial in nature and for informational purposes only. The event is free; no registration required. For more info, call 715352-2155.
Stuffed Animal Sleepover
Kids are invited to bring their stuffed animals to the Edgar Branch Library for a stuffed animal sleepover from Nov. 11 to 12. The stuffed friends will spend the night at the library (probably getting into some mischief) and photos of the sleepover festivities will be emailed to guardians. Stuffies can be dropped off between 1 and 6 p.m. on Nov. 11 and picked up the next day, Nov. 12, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. The event is free, no registration required. Call 715352-3155 for more information.
See PEOPLE/ page 5 People
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College note
Carol Hiebl, who is studying communication at UW-Whitewater, has received the Chancellor’s Scholarship.
Book club
The Edgar Book Club will meet on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at noon to discuss “The Golden Spoon” by Jessa Maxwell. During her annual televised baking competition on her Vermont estate, celebrated baker Betsy Martin, hailed as “America’s Grandmother,” finds murder in the mix when a body is discovered and everyone is a suspect. For more information call 715-352-3155.
MARATHON
Krautkramer birth
A son, Kolby Jay, was born to Monica and Brent Krautkramer, Marathon, on October 24, 2024, at Aspirus Hospital in Wausau. He weighed seven pounds, nine ounces and was 20 inches long.
College note
The following have graduated from UWMadison: Mackenzie Longdo earned a master of science degree in clinical nutrition and Cameron Schilling earned a bachelor of science degree in consumer behavior and marketplace studies.
Family Story Time
Children of all ages and their parents or caregivers are invited to the Marathon City Branch Library on Thursdays, Nov. 14 and 21, from 10:30 to 11 a.m. for Family Story Time. For 30 to 45 minutes, library staff will read books, sing songs, and offer other literature- based activities.
Mini-Makers
Stop by the Marathon City Branch Library anytime from 1 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6, to explore process art. Process art is child-led and focuses on creation instead of following specific directions. Each branch will have a different project each month so that children and caregivers have an opportunity to unleash their creativity while meeting other community members.
The event is free, all supplies are provided, no registration required. Call 715443-2775 for more info.
Meet a firefighter
Members of the Marathon City Volunteer Fire Department will drop in to the Marathon Branch Library on Thursday, Nov. 7, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., to read a story, talk about how to stay safe and even lead a tour of a real fire truck. Participants will also listen to a few more stories, sing some songs and make a cute fire truck craft.
Fall Craft Week
Children of all ages are invited to the Marathon City Branch Library to create a variety of fall-themed crafts. Stop by anytime the branch is open Oct. 28 through Nov. 2. The event is free, all supplies will be provided and no registration is required. Call 715-443-2775 for more info.
Family Story Time
Children of all ages and their parents or caregivers are invited to the Marathon City Branch Library every Thursday in October, from 10:30 to 11 a.m., for Family Story Time. For 30 to 45 minutes, library staff will read books, sing songs, and offer other literature- based activities.
Book club
The Marathon City Book Club will meet on Monday, Nov. 11 at 5:45 p.m. to discuss “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” by Caitlin Doughty. The blogger behind the popular Web series “Ask a Mortician” describes her experiences working at a crematory, turning morbid curiosity into her life’s work. Call 715-443-2775 for more information.
STRATFORD
Family Story Time
Bring your entire family to story time at the Stratford Branch Library. Children of all ages and their parents or caregivers are invited to this 30-minute program. Library staff will read books, sing songs, and offer other literature-based activities. Family Story Times will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 13 and 20.
How does this sound?
Children and their families are invited to the Stratford Library Branch on Monday, Nov. 18, from 10:30 to11:30 a.m. for a Play & Learn program A staff member from Children’s Wisconsin/Marshfield Family Resource Center will be leading a session on listening skills and teaching little ones how to make an echo device. The event is free; no registration required. Call 715-687-4420 for more info.
MARATHON COUNTY
MAREA
The Oct. 21 meeting of the Marshfield Retired Educators Association (MAREA) was called to order by President Doreen Schultz.
Sally Lucas was installed as president and Gary Beastrom as vice president.
John Richman was introduced as the speaker. Richman talked about the PFAs testing done in the Marshfield area and how the water management department is involved with that testing and all the various required tests for safe water consumption. He included information on the number of wells serving the Marshfield community and the removal of lead pipes still in some households. He also indicated that the biggest source of PFAs are stain-resistant fabrics, non-stick pans using Teflon, and even the inside of microwave popcorn bags, to name a few.
The question and answer period covered options to keep your water safe, which includes the use of water filters at home and the disposal of waste materials appropriately, i.e. not pouring waste oil down drains.
The business meeting consisted of reports from the committees. The Education Committee reported on the upcoming American Education Week, Nov. 18 to 22. Activities discussed include radio ads, bank marquees, and any other way to acknowledge the contributions of educators and school staff. The Legislation Committee reminded members to make sure to vote on Nov. 5.
The members who attended the state convention in Lac du Flambeau reported. There were many speakers including Brian Collin, the Wisconsin 2024 Teacher of the Year and Representative to the National Teacher of the Year Program. He has used strong community connections to build a sense of belonging and inclusion for his students. Other presenters covered topics from pensions to legislation to higher education trends.
Several members attended the Tri-County Educators meeting at IGYS in Withee earlier this month. They shared their observations with the structure and activities of that group. Of interest was an every-other-month business meeting and speaker schedule.
The next meeting for MAREA will be Nov. 18 at The Country Aire Restaurant with Ruth Weiler speaking about the role of ambulance and fire volunteers in small communities. For more information about MAREA or about attending a meeting, email Sally Lucas at sally.lucas@yahoo.com.
