4th Annual Taste of Fennimore Huge Success
The 4th Annual Taste of Fennimore was deemed a huge success. An estimated 450 people strolled through the Silent Woman with a steady crowd throughout the afternoon visiting the 26 vendors.
As part of their ticket each person received a ballot to vote on their top three categories along with tickets for four chamber member bars taking part in the bar tour.
Top winners for 2017 include: People’s Choice Awards – Best Eatery – Castle Rock Inn who served pulled beef, pulled pork and chicken noodle soup; the food is from their catering menu. There were two new categories added this year including Regional Favorite Beverage that went to Old School Brewing Company a father and son-in-law duo, Rod White and Tyler Haverland which was founded in 2009 in rural Platteville. The Regional Favorite Food category award was taken home by Beth Nelson owner of Creative Appeal Sweet Shoppe who offered an assortment of flavored mini cupcakes. Beth added the sweet shoppe to her retail business two years ago.
Another new addition to the Taste was a display and video of the Fennimore community pool project. The “Taste” committee members put a challenge out that they would match up to $500 any donations made the day of the taste! A total of $750 dollars was collected; add the challenge of $500 that makes a total of $1,250 raised toward the pool. That amount will also be
doubled by the “Challenge” match which bring the total for the day to $2,500. Way to go Fennimore community!
Bars Participating in Taste Bar Tour
The taste committee also offered $50 of Fennimore Bucks to each of the four chamber member bars as an after Taste Bar Tour. Following the chamber’s board meeting on March 6 names were drawn those include: BD’s Eagles Nest – Brent Bussan of Livingston, Fennimore Bowling Alley – Terry Schildgen, Second Shot – Jim Zart and The Cottonwood – Sheila Linneman.
Thanks to Taste Committee
I would like to recognize the Taste committee members who worked for many months in planning and coordinating the 4th Annual Taste of Fennimore, they include: Brad Bodenbender/American Bank, Joy Bussan/Carr Valley Cheese, Tina Frye/Tina’s BarkN Beauties, Samantha Goss/LuLaRoe, Ryan Rands/Midwest Builders, Ben Wood/Wood Law Office, Nick Wilz/Peoples State Bank with assistance from Linda Parrish/Promotions Coordinator.
The committee would also like to recognize BD’s Safe Ride for working with us to provide safe travel home. Thanks to Barb Romberg Photography for serving as the official photographer for the Taste of Fennimore. Afternoon music was provided by Adam Bartels and was sponsored by the Taste committee. Sending out a thank you to The Castle Rock Inn for sponsoring the band Burning Bridges who provided music following the Taste.
Master Gardeners Presentation and Classes
During the recent Taste of Fennimore Sugar and Spice Bulk Foods/Hummingbird Greenhouse, 12101 Hwy 61 announced they will work with the Grant County Master Gardeners to host several workshops. Some are free and some have a fee to participate. Classes are held at 10 a.m. unless stated differently.
- April 22 – Air plant – what they are and how to decorate with them;
- April 29 Make a Fairy Garden Children & Adults (fee);
- May 13 Kids plant a bowl of flowers with gift card for Mom (fee);
- May 20 Square Foot Gardening – information on now to garden in a small area;
- May 27 Pollinations Presentation what to plant to attract pollinators to your backyard.
- June 3 Tea Time – plant a tea cup fairy garden for Adults (fee);
- June 10 How to make a Succulent Frame presentation;
- June 17 Eat your Weeds – which weeds are safe for eating.
All classes require registration, please call 608-822-7733 for more details..
Kiwanis Pancake Supper March 20
Back by popular demand the Kiwanis Pancake Supper will be held Monday, March 20 with serving from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Fennimore Legion Hall. Tickets for the all you can eat meal are available from any Kiwanis member or at the door.
Fun Fest Bar Olympics April 8
Fun Fest will be June 2 & June 3. Fun Fest committee members are busy finalizing plans for Fennimore’s largest community festivals. They will hold a fundraising event on Saturday, April 8 starting at 10 a.m. The bar Olympics begins at Hickory Grove Golf Course and will end at BD’s Eagles Nest where live entertainment will be featured. Olympic activities includes bowling, pool, giant Jenga and more.
The cost for each 3 person team is $100; cash prizes will awarded to the top teams. Teams must register in advance, a limited amount of teams are available so register soon. Call Jess at 608-778-2625 for entry forms and more details no later than March 31.
Free Leadership Workshops offered at Southwest Tech
Have you previously been promoted to a leadership position and are asking yourself, “now what?” Or have you been in a leadership role for a while but are not happy with the results you are getting?
Southwest Tech is offering some free leadership workshops which will provide insights to improve your leadership skills. The introductory workshop will explore the following topics: Why leaders fail, traits and characteristics of effective leaders, skills that limit you and skills that advance your career, leadership skil gap analysis, appropriate use of power in the leadership role and opportunities to grow your leadership skills.
These free workshops will be offered on the Southwest Tech campus March 14 at two convenient times in room 493. The morning session will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a light breakfast and networking followed by the workshop from 9 to 11 am. The second session will be held early evening starting at 4:30 with hors d’oeuvres and networking, followed by a workshop from 5 to 7 pm. Pre-registration is required at least one week in advance by email bis@swtc.edu or call 608-822-2360. The workshop is a great introduction to Three Levels of Leadership training which is scheduled to begin in April.
Southwest Tech Job Fair March 29
Southwest Tech’s Spring Job Fair will be held Wednesday, March 29 between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The job fair will be held in the Lenz Conference center on the Southwest Tech campus.
The job fair is open to the public, there is no charge to attend. For a complete list of employers visit www.swtc.edu/jobfair or call 608-822-2333 The inclement weather date is Wed April 5, 2017
Fennimore Chamber Plans to Host Flea Market
The Fennimore Area Chamber of Commerce would like to announce they will host a Flea Market on Friday evening June 2 and Saturday, June 3 in conjunction with Fun Fest.
Ashley Walker, Chamber Board member and Flea Market committee chair is currently accepting registrations. Vendors offering flea market items, antiques/collectibles, handmade craft items and direct sales distributors are all welcome. Items not allowed include garage sale items such as clothing or appliances. Space is limited and is filled on a first come basis. For more information contact Walker at Peoples State Bank or by calling 608-822-3248.
Chamber Membership Meeting – April 6, 2017
The Fennimore Area Chamber of Commerce would like to invite Fennimore business owners to their membership meeting scheduled for Thursday, April 6 at The Cottonwood. A noon luncheon will be held. The guest speaker for the meeting will be James Schneider, Interim Community Resource Development Agent, who works out of the Youth and Agriculture Center in Lancaster Wisconsin. The topic is “Getting Things Done… Yes You Can – Yes You Did; Schneider will touch on the more than two decades of community goal setting and actual goals achieved in the Fennimore community.
The menu is pulled pork sandwich, soup and salad bar and beverage; the cost is $8.50 per meal. Meals may be paid for at the door however reservations are needed by Monday, April 3 by contacting the Promotions Coordinator by phone 822-3599 or email promo@fennimore.com
Southwest Tech 50th Anniversary Celebration
From a cornfield to a campus in 1967 Southwest Tech has been a huge part of Fennimore. Rather than a big one-day celebration, the college has decided to celebrate throughout the year. I’ve offered to share some of my article to help share news about their activities and opportunities as follows.
Southwest Tech is celebrating 50 years of providing education and training opportunities responsive to students, employers and communities. One of the goals of the anniversary is to show appreciation and give back to the communities in the Southwest Tech district. In an effort to do just that, a group of 26 faculty and staff members including spouses supported the Montfort bowling tournament at Tower Junction on Saturday, September 25th. Pete Hoffman, Ag Power and Equipment instructor and the organizer of the bowling tournament said in an e-mail to staff the following Monday, “I want to send along a thank you from the Livingston Fire Department and 1st Responders that conducted the daily raffles this weekend as a fund raiser for them. Your generosity went to help another great group of individuals in our neighboring community serve their community.” The next community service event the faculty and staff plan to take part in is Prairie du Chien’s St. Patrick’s Day parade on Saturday, March 11, where they plan to walk the parade route promoting the college and upcoming events.
The campus is excited to announce the headliner of the Homecoming Celebration Concert. Listen in to WGLR on Wednesday morning, April 5th for the announcement and mark your calendar and plan to attend Southwest Tech’s Homecoming and Concert on Saturday, September 23.
Grant Regional Sponsors Joint Replacement Seminar
Have you been living with joint pain and it’s keeping you from the life you want to live? It might be time for something new. Learn, from Dr. Brad Binsfeld how joint replacement at Grant Regional Health Center is better than ever.
Dr. Binsfeld will explain all the options – from physical therapy, to medications, to lifestyle changes – and discuss the latest techniques and treatments for solving joint pain. Joint replacement may be right for you. Join Dr. Binsfeld to learn more during a seminar scheduled to be held at Southwest Tech on Tuesday, March 21 starting at 6 p.m. The seminar will be held in room 493 on the Southwest Tech campus. A complimentary meal will be provided. Please register today by calling 608-723-3223 or visit grantregional.com/ortho
Boscobel Area Hospital and Clinics Foundation Announces Plans for 1st Annual Legacy Event
Plans are now announced for BAHC’s 1st Annual Legacy Event. The event will be held at The Castle Rock Inn, rural Fennimore, on Thursday April 20. Cocktails and Social hour begins at 5 p.m. with a 6 p.m. the Dinner Buffet and program begins, the cost is $50 per person. Seating is limited, please RSVP to Eric Swan 608-375-6300 or elswan@gundersenhealth.org Checks should be made payable to Boscobel Area Hospital and Clinics Foundation and mailed to 205 Parker Street, Boscobel WI 53805.
During the event you will hear from patients, Gundersen Boscobel Leadership, community and key note speaker Jeff Glassrenner, a Boscobel native, who turned a traumatic farming accident into an opportunity to persevere to accomplish tremendous achievements. Reservations are needed by April 7.
Thinking of starting a business? Resources are available.
Have you always dreamed of starting a business but just didn’t know where to get started? There are several resources out there that stand willing to help lead you through the process from business idea to business plan, finding the perfect location for the business and formulating start up cost, setting a price for your product or services and all of the behind the scene details leading up to opening your doors for business.
Brock Waterman, Business Consultant with the Small Business Development Center (SBDC ) works with those thinking of starting a business, current business owner(s) that are considering adding a new product or service to their current operation or businesses interested in growing their business.
The Southwest Wisconsin – Small Business Development Center (SBDC), is a part of UW-Extension, is a statewide network supporting entrepreneurs and business owners through no-cost, confidential consulting. Your first step is to sign up online. It is a quick and easy form. Once it is submitted Waterman receives an email with your information and then he can start to help you with the assistance you require. After registration Waterman will have the SBDC Business AnswerLine call you to help with the questions below and more. To get started simply go online to this weblink http://tinyurl.com/SWWISBDC Brock Waterman’s contact info is 608-574-1757 (Cell) brock.waterman@uwex.edu www.wisconsinsbdc.org/swwi
www.facebook.com/swwisbdc www.twitter.com/swwisbdc @swwisbdc
Another resource is WWBIC (WI Women’s Business Iniative) Julie Emslie serves this area as the Outreach/Small Business Consultant in SW Wisconsin. WWBIC has been serving both men and women for the past 30 years. They work closely with entrepreneurs on business education, lending and coaching. As chamber Vice President, Sheila Ruchti, states “when a bank says no, talk to WWBIC.” Julie Emslie’s contact information is Julie.emslie@wwbic.com or 608-632-8041.
Current business owners are also reminded if you need business assistance the SBDC can help! Call the free business answers line (1-800-940-7232). This free service is available Monday through Friday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. I have used this answer line for a wide array of information, they offer a wealth of information and if they don’t know the answer they will find it and contact you in a timely manner.
