FREE January 2019

of the River Valley VoiceCELEBRATING LIFE IN THE LOWER WISCONSIN AND SUGAR-PECATONICA RIVER BASINS

voiceoftherivervalley.com 1 2 Voice of the River Valley | January 2019 INSIDE VOICES THANK YOU, ADVERTISERS 4 Editors’ Note 12 Calendar of Events BUSINESS & CONSUMER SERVICES 18 Community Resources Angel & Angel, S.C. Attorneys, 23 Kaul Family Properties, 20 Mary the Tax, 20 VENTURE FORTH Neider & Boucher Attorneys, 20 Retirement Specialists, LLC, 24 Royal Bank, 20

DESIGN SERVICES & REAL ESTATE Poem Homes, 6

EDUCATION, CULTURE & OUTDOORS Camp Woodbrooke, 12 Driftless Area Land Conservancy, 10 Folklore Village, 15 Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums, 15 Sauk Prairie Conservation Alliance, 10 Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts, 6

ENTERTAINMENT Arthur’s Supper Club, 14 Crossroads Coffeehouse, 16 Folklore Village, 13 Gray Dog Deli, 24 Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums, 15 Spring Green General Store, 15

FARMS, FARM MARKETS & PLANTS Enos Farms, 14 Percussion Rock Alpaca Farm, 23 Spring Green Indoor Farmers Market, 6 Vandehoney, 16

FOOD & BEVERAGE Arcadia Books, 6 Arthur’s Supper Club, 14 Crossroads Coffeehouse, 16 Enos Farms Brunch & Cocktails, 12 Freddy Valentine’s Public House, 11 Gray Dog Deli, 16 The Shoppe at Herbs, Spices & More, 14 Spring Green General Store, 13 9 GALLERIES, STUDIOS & RETAILERS 9 Anti-Assault Activist to Speak Arcadia Books, 6 at MLK Observance This Month Linda Kelen, 10 Nina’s Department & Variety Store, 22 North Earth Gifts, 16 COLUMNS The Shoppe at Herbs Spices & More, 14 Spring Green General Store, 13 6 Between the Lines Wantoot, 20 BY KATHY STEFFEN White Rose Florist, 16 Wildwood Woodworks, 16 8 Living Well, Dying Well HEALTH, WELLNESS & BEAUTY BY MARK FRIEDEL-HUNT 5 High Barre, 15 5 Community Members Reclaim Iowa County Aikido, 14 10 Pedagogy Stew the Story of Tower Hill History L’Bri/Toasty Toes & Nails, 15 BY MARNIE DRESSER Lyrea Crawford, 16 North Earth Gifts, 16 11 Tracking Your Past Robin Ann Reid, Soul Coach, 22 BY DORIS GREEN Yoga in the Lowlands, 10 Upland Hills Health, 8 17 Garden Blitz HOME & AUTO ESSENTIALS BY PATRICE PELTIER Center Stove & Fireplace, 20 Driftless Electric, 20 19 Where the Land Meets the Sky Foggy Bottom Woodworks, LLC, 19 BY ETIENNE WHITE Specialty Auto, 19 Strang Heating and Electric, 20 21 Driftless Dark Skies BY JOHN HEASLEY

voiceoftherivervalley.com 3 WELCOME TO JANUARY

“The immediate function of curiosity is to learn, explore and immerse oneself in the activity that initially stimulated the deploy- ment of attentional resources.” —Todd Kashdan Volume 14 • Number 1 January 2019 hat better way to start off a new Voice of the River Valley is a monthly year than to savor the pleasure of independent arts and culture magazine Windulging one’s curiosity? With published by Wording LLC. each new year we take Since 2006, Voice of the River the opportunity — as Valley has been a guide to people Kathy Steffen does and events that inspire, inform and enrich life in the Lower Wisconsin and in her column on p. Sugar-Pecatonica River Basins of 6 — to ask, “Who Wisconsin’s Driftless Area. do I want to be?” To This all-volunteer publication be curious is about as is made possible by the creative good a thing to be as voices of our region and the generous any: Curious about support of area advertisers. For submission guidelines, advertising whether cultural activities really still happen and subscription options, and to submit in the winter. (The answer is yes; many! See events to the calendar, please visit our the Calendar of Events, p. 12.) Curious about website at voiceoftherivervalley.com.

the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. in our Paul Kuenn Each month, 4,000 copies of community. (See story, p. 7.) Curious about Voice of the River Valley are distributed how to view bald eagles during the winter to 190 locations in seven counties This depiction of shot tower activities was across southwestern Wisconsin. along the Wisconsin River. (Find the answer painted by Amy Bakken while she was on p. 7.) Curious about curiosity itself. (See working at Tower Hill State Park in 1994. Copyright © 2019 by Wording (See story, p. 5.) Tower Hill history connects LLC. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction Marnie Dresser’s column, p. 10.) in whole or in part without written Last fall, Paul Kuenn needed to satisfy the Wisconsin River to the mining of Mississippi Valley Type lead-zinc deposits permission is prohibited. his curiosity about the provenance of a that are indigenous to our nook of the P.O. Box 745 series of paintings depicting historic activi- Driftless Area. A mining trade school in Spring Green, WI 53588 Platteville made this region central to the ties at what is now Tower Hill State Park. In (608) 588-6251 pioneering of what would become Wisconsin. November, Paul wrote to us at Voice of the Platteville is bringing back the Miners Ball [email protected] River Valley to share his latest Tower Hill tradition on Jan. 19. (See invitation, p. 15). endeavors to update the display area and to ask for help finding the Amy Bakken whose membership campaign with magazine name is on the back of paintings depicting inserts (see story, p. 7). For many years we VOICE OF THE RIVER VALLEY shot tower activities. We connected Paul have welcomed similar inserts for the Spring Sara Lomasz Flesch with Bridget Roberts at the Spring Green Green Food Pantry locally in the River Val- editor & publisher Community Library and within a week ley area, and we are happy to support this Erik Flesch Bridget connected Paul with the artist whose worthy cause. This is one more way that we editor & design director name was on the back of the paintings. can connect with our community. Curiosity yields connections among our Wishing you a happy new year full of Mary Friedel-Hunt (2006-2012) communities. curious connections and happy reading, & Bill Hunt (2006-2010) founding publishers Members of Friends of the Lower Wisconsin Riverway were curious if Voice would help with their first-ever annual & facebook.com/voiceoftherivervalley

twitter.com/voiceriver ON THE COVER linkedin.com/voiceoftherivervalley anuary’s cover image was taken by Leslie Damaso, a music teacher, musician and an “intentional observer of the stuff that makes us feel human.” Leslie describes her image, which she took of Brewery Creek in Mineral Point, as “the ghost of winter melting into Nature, Culture & Events spring.” For more of Leslie’s astute observations, follow her on Instagram @decibelleslie Find the full calendar of events and sign up for and @lesliedamasomusic. To share art or photography for a future cover, contact us at our mailing list to stay in touch with the region. Visit voiceoftherivervalley.com. [email protected].

J4 Voice of the River Valley | January 2019 the Story History ReclaimingHill of Tower Courtesy of Paul Kuenn

Paul Kuenn, left, and Ellis Pfeifer, right, together with Paul’s wife, Jude, put in countless hours in the spring of 2018 cleaning and updating the shot tower exhibit at Tower Hill State Park. Along the way they had an enriching encounter with an artist whose work is on display.

By Paul & Jude Kuenn Ellis Pfeifer, who has always been willing once bustling village and the Unitarian fter completing the refurbishment to lend us a hand bringing life back to retreat Mr. Jones created on the park of the historical bread oven near this significant site, once populated as property, then known as the Tower Hill Asite 7 at Tower Hill State Park the second site of Helena. With help and Pleasure Company. in 2017 with my trusty permission from Ranger Pat Kraska and We did not plan on an April 25-inch SPRING sidekick, Jude (see the July Park Superintendent Kathy Gruentzel, we snowfall in Appleton, which only slightly GREEN 2016 issue of Voice of the planned to start in early April 2018 before the delayed the project. I was still able to get River Valley at www.voiceoftherivervalley. park opened for the season. We also knew some of the display wood cut in the garage. com), we set a new goal to clean up and better than to wait until warm weather when When we arrived April 20 there were still reorganize the shot tower exhibit. mosquitoes can ruin every saw cut. a few inches of snow in the woods. We Cleaning the partially enclosed Our goal was not just to update the had planned on backing up the steep paved display in the past was hopeless: It was exhibit, but also make it informational. path as far as the steps. After shoveling open to insects, Chimney Swift droppings This included details about Civil War and removing frozen leaves, we could only and bat guano. The previous year, veteran and humanitarian Jenkin Lloyd drive it halfway, so much more time was someone broke the Plexiglas and stole Jones (Frank Lloyd Wright’s uncle), who spent carrying lumber and tools up the hill the old mining pick axe. I was able to purchased the land in the early 1890s than working on the display the first day. replace that after watching Craigslist and and whose wife transferred it in 1922 to We removed six original paintings eBay for similar period tools. We wanted the state for preservation after his death on the shot tower walls, depicting steps the exhibit to be educational as well as in 1918. A historic plaque near site 10 in the process of making lead shot. On cheery, bright and welcoming to visitors. references the dismantled town of Helena, the back of each painting the name “Amy Since the shot tower was rebuilt in the land used as a route to findMa-ka- Bakken ’94” was hand written. When we 1977, the display had become quite dirty tai-me-she-kia-kiak (Black Hawk), near went into town for dinner that evening, and needed a facelift. We recruited local where he had crossed the Wisconsin photographer and past resident of the park River. More needed to be said about this TOWER HILL Continued p. 22

voiceoftherivervalley.com 5 BETWEEN THE LINES

here is no better time to reflect on your life and re-set your focus than the start of a new year. Something about it feels Tlike a fresh start — the slate is clean, yet there are lessons to bring forward. Reviewing your life can be quite illuminating and looking to the future will inspire you. Do a little reflection and planning and 2019 can be your best year yet. List last year’s highlights. The best things that happened. Set a timer for 10 minutes and record everything that comes to mind. What events did you enjoy most? List them. What are you most thankful for in the last year? Did you have any breakthrough moments? List some favorite time with friends. What happened that changed your thinking for the better? That enlightened you? What jazzed you? What did you do that made you proud? What did you create? When were your happiest days? What decisions did you make that made your life better? More fun? Kathy Steffen What, in the last year, brought you joy? What had a big impact on you and your life? And the little things — what from your daily life brought you joy? Expand. Next to each one write a little more about why you consider it a highlight. How it made you happy. Why it was important. What was difficult? In regard to family? Friends? Work? Yourself? What happened in the last year that makes you cringe when you think of it? Did you have any worries? Expand. For each ask yourself: Is it resolved? Were your worries founded or unnecessary? Look forward. What action can you take to find resolution or, at least, an easier way to live with it? To make it less painful to you (or someone else)? Can you turn what happened into a positive? Can you heal a rift? In yourself? With someone else? List last year’s achievements. What did you accomplish? With your family? Friends? In your life? At work? In your community? For yourself? What made you proud? What are you glad you did? What new skills did you learn? What did you discover about yourself? Look forward. What would you like to achieve this year? Why? (Naming your motivation will set your goal in your heart.) What can you build on from last year? What would it mean to you? To others? Who do you want to be? What goals would you like to accomplish? What priorities do you want to set for yourself? Where do you want to go/what do you want to see? What do you want to explore (external or internal)? What parts of yourself do you want to bring out into the light? What limitations can you let go of this year? What good habits would you like to build? What habits would you like to replace? What relationships do you want to strengthen? Who do you want to connect with this year? What is the best vision of yourself for 2019? Look at what you have written. You have goals, motivations, dreams, a plan to The River Valley’s build, and a chance to do things differently. All you need to do independent bookstore & café. now is go for it!

Kathy Steffen is an award-winning novelist and author of the readinutopia.com “Spirit of the River Series:” “First, There is a River,” “Jasper 102 E. Jefferson St., Spring Green Open every day Mountain,” and “Theater of Illusion.” She writes from her home 608.588.7638 & evening. in Spring Green she shares with her husband and cats. Find out first rate book selection u author events u gift certificates more at www.kathysteffen.com.

6 Voice of the River Valley | January 2019 Anti-Assault Plan for Bald Eagle Watching Days Sauk Prairie Bald Eagle with “Laughing With the Animals” at the River Voice to SAUK Watching Days is a two- Arts Center, 105 9th St., Prairie du Sac. David PRAIRIE day festival in and around Stokes, naturalist, humorist and educator, Join River the villages of Sauk City and Prairie du Sac will enthrall the audience through the use of celebrating bald eagles that come to the area. songs, stories, movement, riddles, live animals Valley MLK The Sauk Prairie geographical area is an ideal and animal artifacts. The fun and educational winter home for our national symbol because program will be enjoyed by young and young of the unique natural resources available that at heart. Observance provide the basics every raptor wants: food and Jan. 19 is packed full of Bald Eagle Nestic Morris, shelter. Because the Wisconsin River does not Watching Days activities at various locations SPRING 34-year-old outreach freeze, thanks to the Alliant Energy Hydroelec- throughout the villages: bald eagle watching GREEN coordinator for the tric Dam, and the protected roosts (bluffs and at key points within the Sauk Prairie area, Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual large, mature trees) along the river, bald eagles pancake breakfast, raffle tickets sales, bald Assault, will be guest speaker at the winter in Sauk Prairie for the abundant fishing eagle watching bus tours, kids activities, open annual River Valley observance of and the relative safety of the roosts in the bluffs. touring of the state’s largest private bird collec- Martin Luther King Day beginning On Jan. 18-19, the Ferry Bluff Eagle Coun- tion, live bird of prey show presented by Schlitz at 1 p.m. Jan. 26 in the library at cil, Sauk Prairie Area Chamber of Commerce, Audubon Nature Center, Eagle White wine Spring Green Elementary School, Tripp Heritage Museum and the Department tasting at the Wollersheim Winery & Distillery, 830 W. Daley St. of Natural Resources host this month’s fun and a special presentation by Ferry Bluff Eagle Morris is an activist in assist- and family-friendly event to celebrate bald Council called “The Eagles of Sauk Prairie.” ing voices from communities of eagles. All programs and events at the River More information and the full schedule is color to be heard Arts Center and Tripp Heritage Museum are available at www.ferrybluffeaglecouncil.org or regarding sexual free to the public. the Sauk Prairie Chamber of Commerce, www. assault. She leads At 7 p.m. Jan. 18, the festival kicks off saukprairie.com (800-683-2553). statewide training focused on the in- tersections of op- pression in black FLOW membership campaign women’s lives. As Nestic Morris co-director of the In this first month of 2019, the Friends remediation, invasive species reme- Wisconsin Women of Color Con- of the Lower Wisconsin Riverway diation and general river and habitat sortium, Morris strives to support group is mounting its first ever mem- health, to name a few. A State of the women of color advocates in the bership drive. FLOW is a registered Riverway Symposium has taken place sexual assault movement. 501(c)3 nonprofit member organiza- for the last several years and is open Morris grew up on Madison’s tion that works to protect and preserve to everyone. South Side, graduated from West all natural aspects of the lower Wisconsin -Our members volunteer with DNR High School and UW-Whitewater, Riverway while also enjoying, living and specialists to help remove invasive species and hails from a family whose roots recreating in its wild beauty. and restore natural areas to their natural states; in Madison date back three gen- While we have a very dedicated core they volunteer to work on the river for hours erations. A skilled public speaker, membership, and a significant set of social and days removing waste and junk that found group facilitator and trainer, Morris media followers, we have decided that an its way into river; and they walk creeks that said, as a community “… we have to increase in our dues-paying membership enter the river removing unnatural materials have uncomfortable conversations would enhance our ability to achieve our from watershed areas. and put tangible actions behind those conservation goals. But it’s not all work: Members of FLOW words. Otherwise we are just com- Our members volunteer on a wide spec- have regular gatherings on sand bars arriving munity ‘talkers’ and not ‘doers.’” trum of projects: by boat canoe or foot, playing guitars, singing The annual observance of Dr. -The “Kids Don’t Float” program, for or just being on the river. Our annual member- Martin Luther King’s birthday in example, is a partnership of the Wisconsin ship meeting is coming up Jan. 26 at Grandma Spring Green is organized by an ad Department of Natural Resources, FLOW, the Mary’s Café in Arena. hoc group of River Valley residents. Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board and A membership envelope has been insert- Coffee and birthday cake will be various area businesses to provide personal ed either into this or next month’s issue of this served. Free will donations are flotation devices at area boat landings. publication to help us reach our strategic goals welcomed to help pay for event ex- -FLOW has a Science Committee, mem- of information and education, advocacy and penses. For more information, con- bers of which are active or retired academic a well-informed membership. Please join us. tact David Giffey at (608) 753-2199. and/or DNR researchers. They develop and For more information, see http:// execute projects on water quality, pollution wisconsinriverfriends.org. voiceoftherivervalley.com 7 LIVING WELL, DYING WELL

appy New Year.” A lovely wish, one we share with loved ones and strangers alike because deep down “Hwe all want happiness. The wish is rather limited, however, in its scope and frequently said in a rote, unconscious and empty manner. It is a new year, and it is also winter here in the northern hemisphere. Winter and happiness are deeply connected. We here in Wisconsin know winter only too well. It is, of course, a time of cold, even frigid, days and nights; icy sidewalks and roads; numb fingers and toes; slush; and accidents as cars slip into ditches and each other. But there is more to winter than cold and snow. There is Mary Friedel-Hunt winter fun on skis, skates and toboggans. There is the beauty of snow-covered pines, sun glistening on the newly fallen snow and shining through iced branches. There is the quiet walk my husband, Bill, and I used to take on the night of the first quiet snow each year. The ice skates, beauty and quiet walks are a part of the happiness we all desire this year. But there is still more. Winter is an interior time. It is a quiet season. Trees and bears hibernate. Colorful flowers disappear. The world appears to be dead but deep down inside life is renewing itself. It is a time for us to do the same. Cold days are good opportunities for us humans to hibernate. There are fewer events to share and less light with winter’s shorter days. It is a dark time, a womb time. A time for rest, renewal and introspection. These days are opportunities to look at our lives, our values, our relationships, our spiritual needs, our priorities, our behavior, our hopes and dreams, our pain and grief and more. Pain is the path to growth, but it needs to felt. It cannot be buried for then we bury it alive and it haunts us. Winter provides time for this. Real New Year’s resolutions flow from these moments. In our too busy days we race around frantically often ignoring our souls. Our country has, in many ways, lost its soul in part due to our fast pace, which disallows an interior life. When the soul is ignored, creativity, hope, peace, spiritual growth and happiness disappear. Our souls, just like our bodies, need to be well fed. I look at most sickness as a signal from my soul. A signal that screams at me to slow down, be still, look inside, and there, there is where happiness is found. Winter hibernation provides sacred opportunities for soul renewal. Time to heal; time to be still enough to hear what our souls are telling us; what we really need to be happy. But if we never or seldom slow down to create daily times of solitude and silence, real happiness will escape us. Maybe forever. Why not make time this winter, more time, for silence, solitude and the hibernation that ultimately provides the joy we all seek?

Mary Friedel-Hunt MA LCSW is a clinical social worker, thanotol- ogist and certified bereavement counselor. She can be reached at [email protected]; P.O. Box 1036, Spring Green, WI 53588; or www.PersonalGrowthandGriefSupportCenter.com. Vincent Kavaloski’s “Parables and Ponderings” will return next month.

8 Voice of the River Valley | January 2019 Warm Up at RMF’s February Cabin Fever Reliever

Celebrate with Rural Musicians Forum’s rol- SPRING GREEN licking Cabin Fever Reliever featuring the Madison group The Honey Pies. The concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 2 at American Players Theatre’s indoor Touchstone Theatre. The Honey Pies first performed at the ninth annual Spring Green BeatleFest in September 2017. What was meant to be a one- time collaboration felt so comfortable that they set out to build on the experience and perform regularly. The trio’s ear-pleasing repertoire embraces folk, Americana, jazz and pop, and may have you out of your seat and dancing in the aisles. Tom Waselchuk has performed for more than 20 years in a free-swinging guitar duo with multi-instrumentalist Doug Brown. Doug has long been among the most in-demand freelance sidemen on the Madison music scene as well as being a band- The Honey Pies leader, composer and arranger. No stranger to the River Valley area, Arena native Jodi Jean Amble made a major splash in the Catch The Honey Pies — Matt Rodgers, Jodi Jean Amble, Tom Waselchuk and Doug Brown — at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 2 at American Chicago scene fronting her eponymous band — nominally jazz, Players Theatre’s Touchstone Theatre. Proceeds benefit Rural but equally at home with, pop, country and more. She now lives Musicians Forum programming in the River Valley. in Madison and is continuing to turn heads. Rounding out the quartet and a recent addition to the group is bassist and vocalist ets can be purchased from BrownPaperTickets.com or click the Matt Rodgers. link from the RMF website ruralmusiciansforum.org. Beer, wine Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Advance tick- and cider will be available for purchase at the concert.

Choose Art!/Art Out of the Closet in February The Spring Green Area Arts Coalition auction and suggest a fair market value. will once again hold their annual winter There is a tax benefit for the year of fundraiser at 1:30-4 p.m. Feb. 24, at the donation. Donations will be accepted at Wisconsin Riverside Resort, S13320 the General Store during business hours Shifflet Rd., Spring Green. until Feb. 17. This year’s event, titled Choose Art!/ Creative Canvases, 8-inch by 8-inch Art Out of the Closet, will retain the squares of original art created by area ever-popular silent auction and the much artists, as well as 3D Creative Art Pieces, anticipated Creative Canvas sale with some will be featured at the February fundraising new twists. In addition to making Creative event. To acquire a Creative Canvas or a Canvases, participating artists will also 3D Creative Art Piece, a $30 gift certificate have the option of creating 3D art pieces. can be purchased at Arcadia Books, the And entirely new this year, attendees will Spring Green General Store, Convivio, the be able to bid on art adventures. Examples Shoppe at Herbs, Spices & More, and at of art adventures include decorating a cake Nina’s Variety Store starting Jan. 5. Any with a pastry chef, taking a sketching hike certificates not sold in advance will be Creative Canvas by Nick Ringelstetter with a local artist, and crafting perfect available for purchase at the event for $35 cocktails with an expert mixologist. each. Holders of certificates may redeem adventures will close by 3:30. In support of this event, SGAAC is them for the Creative Canvases or the 3D Proceeds from the event support seeking donations of gently used art to sell Creative Art Pieces of their choice during the Spring Green Area Arts Coalition at its annual art silent auction. Donations the Feb. 24 event. Winners of the art sponsorship of art and cultural programs of professional quality art in good adventures will coordinate directly with that benefit communities in the River condition —paintings, sculptures, prints, the artist to schedule their time together. Valley. Monies raised help to meet match photography, jewelry, pottery, textiles, The event schedule will be as follows: requirements of an annual grant from the lithographs and glass are now being Doors will open at 1:30 p.m.; the drawing Wisconsin Arts Board. accepted at the Spring Green General for selections of Creative Canvases and For more information, contact Store, 137 S. Albany St. Forms at the site 3D Creative Art Pieces will begin at 3 SpringGreenAreaArtsCoalition@ will ask donors to describe the items for p.m.; bidding on the silent auction and art gmail.com.

voiceoftherivervalley.com 9 PEDAGOGY STEW

am becoming more and more curious about curiosity. Curiosity is one of the many traits related to creativity, and it I is the one I understand the least, in terms of where it comes from and how to build it up in folks who don’t have much to start with. I spent a lot of the past semester with “Work on new curiosity lecture” hovering on my to-do list. But my own curiosity took second place, repeatedly, to other compelling tasks until my friend Ryan Martin, an anger researcher/blogger/ podcaster/professor/ballroom dancer, began tweeting about an upcoming lecture on curiosity. (You can find the links he sent to several good articles on Twitter—he’s Ryan Martin @rycmart). My curiosity got piqued and my motivation fell in line because in addition to seeing a gap that needed filling in my Marnie Dresser class prep, I had to speak at a scholarship donor reception that week. So the lecture got written or at least started. I delivered what I labeled as “Curiosity: Part 1” the next week. And I spoke about curiosity to the wonderful people who donate money so students at the University of Wisconsin- Platteville Richland can afford school, and to the wonderful students who earn those scholarships. This quote about curiosity, from a scholarly article by Todd Kashdan and six other authors, seemed to me to be a great description of what scholarship students tend to do, what we hope all students eventually do (and really, what we all need to spend more time doing): “When people feel curious, they devote more attention to an activity, process information more deeply, remember information better, and are more likely to persist on tasks until goals are met … . The immediate function of curiosity is to learn, explore and immerse oneself in the activity that initially stimulated the deployment of attentional resources.” I know it reeks of academic jargon-speak, but I particularly like the phrase, “the deployment of attentional resources,” because I sometimes deploy my attentional resources in questionable ways. Where I grew up, in Southern Illinois, you could use “curious” as a synonym for “questionable” in that sentence. In that sense, “curiosity” has negative baggage. But it also has a bag of tricks. In another article that Ryan tweeted the link to, Tom Stafford, on the BBC online, said, “Curiosity is nature’s built-in exploration bonus. We’re evolved to leave the beaten track, to try things out, to get distracted and generally look like we’re wasting time. Maybe we are wasting time today, but the learning algorithms in our brain know that something we learnt by chance today will come in useful tomorrow.” I find that comforting. It’s no wonder I’m so attracted to curiosity, if it’s connected to getting distracted and appearing to waste time. Stafford finished his article with this: “As Kurt Vonnegut said, ‘We are here on Earth to fart around. Don’t let anybody tell you any different.’” Pardon me while I go deploy my attentional resources in curious ways.

Marnie Dresser is a poet, creativity researcher and English professor at the University of Wisconsin-Richland. She lives in Spring Green with her husband and son and contributes to this space on a rotating basis ideas about creativity and education.

10 Voice of the River Valley | January 2019 TRACKING YOUR PAST: Federal Land Patents

urious about the history of your land? The Bureau of acreage where we live, I found that one piece of our land was Land Management in the Department of the Interior part of a parcel purchased by Abner Nichols and a partner on Coffers a website, https://glorecords.blm.gov/default.aspx, Jan. 5, 1841. Another piece was part of a parcel bought by David that documents land patents. If you have the legal description W. Jones on the same date. These sales were handled by the of a parcel, you can often find the names of the individuals who federal land office in Mineral Point. originally purchased the land or who perhaps received it as a Were these men speculators? Farmers? Miners? soldier’s or veteran’s grant. An online search revealed that Jones was born in Wales in On the website, click on “Land Patents” in the left margin. 1815 and emigrated to Pennsylvania with his family. He moved Use the drop-down menus to enter your state and county. In the to Mineral Point in 1836 and worked in the land office. Jones “Land Description” box, enter the legal later became an attorney and served as Wisconsin’s secretary of description of your property from a state in the late 1850s. property tax statement or other land ownership record. (Hint: For “Township” Nichols appeared in several online references. His you would enter a numeral, for example, descendent, author and journalist John Nichols, dedicated one “8” followed by “North” or “South” of his books to his father, whose ancestor “Abner Nichols, the from the drop-down menu. For “Range” Cornish tin miner … came in 1824 to mine lead at Mineral you would enter another numeral, say, “3” Point.” Abner Nichols also fought in the Black Hawk War, was followed by “East” or “West” from the the proprietor of the Mansion House in Mineral Point, and Doris Green drop-down menu.) The section number served in the Wisconsin State Assembly. can also be found in your land records, as well as on a plat map. You never know. Your own land patent search may lead in Hit “Search Patents” for a list of land acquisitions. You unexpected directions. should see a list of federal land transactions, specifying the dates, buyers and specific property descriptions. Look for the Doris Green is the author of “Elsie’s Story: Chasing a Family property description that matches the one you are searching for, Mystery” and a new edition of “Wisconsin Underground: A such as “NE1/4SE1/4,” in other words, the northeast quarter of Guide to Cave, Mines, and Tunnels in and Around the Badger the southeast quarter of that section. State.” Both are available from http://henschelhausbooks.com. When I searched for information on the Iowa County Reach Doris via https://dorisgreenbooks.com.

voiceoftherivervalley.com 11 VOICE OF THE RIVER VALLEY CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Through March 17 Prairie du Sac JANUARY 2019 ONGOING Public Ice Skating sponsored by the Sauk Prairie Youth Hockey Association. 1 2 3 4 5 Through January Spring Green For calendar and rates, see http:// 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Meet the Maker: SGAAC Creative Canvases saukprairiehockey.com. Sauk Prairie Ice Rink, 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Preview, multimedia. Mon.-Thurs. 10 a.m.-7 1700 Tower St. p.m.; Fri. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sat. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Community Room, Spring Green Community Through April Platteville 27 28 29 30 31 Library, 230 E. Monroe St., (608) 588-2276, The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums. Self- springgreenlibrary.org. (See story, p. 9.) guided tours of exhibits on the natural history, For more events information, see the cultural history and science and industry of recurring community resources listings Through Jan. 8 Prairie du Sac Platteville and the Upper Mississippi Valley Art Exhibit: Sauk Prairie Advance Place- mining district of the southern Driftless by on p. 18 and voiceoftherivervalley.com/ ment High School, Middle School and Youth reservation. Guided tours of the underground events. To submit events, e-mail Artwork, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. on school days. River 1845 Bevans Mine also available by [email protected] Arts Center, 105 9th St., (608) 643-5215, www. appointment. The Mining & Rollo Jamison All events subject to change. riverartsinc.org. Museums, 405 E. Main St., (608) 348-3301, http://mining.jamison.museum. Jan. 2-March 30 Prairie du Sac 1 Baraboo Featured Artists: Charmaine Harbort (poly- Year-Round Dodgeville Mirror Lake State Park First Day Hike, 12-2 mer clay) & Susan Hale (oil paintings), 10 Adamah Clay Workshops. Educational p.m. Join an easy 2-mile hike through the park a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. River Arts on workshops for beginners through professional along the Echo Rock and Sandstone trails. Water, 590 Water St., (608) 643-5215, www. levels. Adamah Clay Studios of Bethel See the lake and the beautiful sandstone rock riverartsinc.org. Horizons, 4651 Cty Rd. ZZ, (608) 574- outcroppings that surround Mirror Lake. Bring 8100, [email protected], www. winter boots, snowshoes and hiking poles. Jan. 16-March 22 Prairie du Sac adamahartstudios.org. Meet at the beach picnic area. E10320 Fern Art Exhibits: Wisconsin Regional Art Pro- Dell Rd., (608) 254-2333, friendsofmirrorlake. gram (Gallery) and Creative Power: VSA, 8 Year-Round Mazomanie org. a.m.-8 p.m. on school days. River Arts Center, Yoga and Circus Classes. The Rumpus 105 9th St., (608) 643-5215, www.riverartsinc. Room, 15 Brodhead St., (608) 669-6403, 1 Baraboo org. therumpusroom.org. Devil’s Lake State Park First Day Hike, 3:30- 5:30 p.m. Dress warmly and hike on your own Weekends through Feb. 2 Dodgeville Year-Round Mazomanie or meet at Steinke Basin parking lot on Hwy Public Ice Skating sponsored by the Ice After-School Classes for Kids and Adult DL to hike the Johnson Moraine Trail (~2 miles Wolves Youth Hockey Association and Gatherings. SHEnanigans, 25 Brodhead St., round trip) beginning at 4 p.m. S5975 Park the City of Dodgeville. Open skate 6-9 p.m. (608) 212-9987, shenanigans4u.com. Rd., (608) 356-8301, SusanA.Johansen@ Saturdays through Feb. 2; and 2:30-5:30 p.m. wisconsin.gov. Sundays through Jan. 27. Free admission, Year-Round Mount Horeb $5 skate rental available. Ley Pavilion, Harris Driftless Historium, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 1 Dodgeville Park, 600 Bennett Rd. and Highway 18, www. Wednesday to Sunday. Mount Horeb Area 71st Festival of Christmas & Midwinter icewolveshockey.org. Historical Society history center. 100 S. 2nd Traditions Final Day. See full information, St., (608) 437-6486, mthorebhistory.org. including pricing, at https://folklorevillage.org/ Saturdays through Feb. 16 Sauk City festival-of-christmas-and-midwinter-traditions/. Eagle Watching Bus Tours, 10 a.m. Tours Year-Round Prairie du Sac Full- and part-time options available. Pre- run from Cedarberry Inn, 855 Phillips Blvd. and Art Workshops and Classes. River Arts on registration required. Folklore Village, 3210 Cty Highway 12. $5 per person, kids under 5 free. Water Gallery Studio, 590 Water St., (608) 643- Rd. BB, (608) 924-4000, folklorevillage.org. (Jan. 19 tours are free, first-come, first-served, 5215, www.riverartsinc.org. departing from Sauk Prairie High School, 105 3 Sauk City 9th St.) For reservations, call the Cedarberry Live Music: Shawn Schell, 7-9 p.m. Vintage Inn at 608-643-6625. For more information, see JANUARY Brewing Co. Sauk Prairie, 600 Water St., (608) www.ferrybluffeaglecouncil.org and story, p. 7. 370-8200, Facebook. 1 New Year’s Day

12 Voice of the River Valley | January 2019 4 Baraboo 8 Dodgeville the 10 nimble fingers of Wilder Deitz tickle the Author Talk: E. G. Nadeau, 7:30-9 p.m. Folklore Village Open Mic, 7-9 p.m. A ivories! Free. The Village Booksmith, 526 Oak Author of “The Cooperative Society,” issues traditional open mic format for all ages, from St., (608) 355-1001, www.villagebooksmith. a call to action and defends the hypothesis aspiring and accomplished musicians and com. that humans are on the threshold of a new poets to appreciative audience members. historical stage, characterized by cooperation, Join in this supportive, cooperative evening, 11 Mineral Point democracy, equitable resource distribution and which celebrates our local talent. MC’d by Live Music: John Moran, 7:30 p.m. Gray Dog a sustainable relationship with nature. Free. Mike Wolkomir with sound by Scott Stieber. Deli, 215 High St., (608) 987-4000, graydog- The Village Booksmith, 526 Oak St., (608) 355- Piano available. Donations greatly appreciated. deli.com. 1001, www.villagebooksmith.com. Coffee and tea provided. Feel free to bring a treat to share. Folklore Village, 3210 Cty. Hwy 11 Mineral Point 4 Spring Green BB, (608) 924-4000, www.folklorevillage.org. Live Music: Martin Sexton with Chris Trap- Friends of the Spring Green Community per, 7:30 p.m. Mineral Point Opera House, 139 Library 10-Minute Play Contest Deadline, 9 Mineral Point High St., (608) 987-3501, mineralpointopera- 5 p.m. Hand-deliver your play to the Spring Shake Rag Alley Winter Writer Reading house.org. Green Community Library or mail it by Jan. 4 Series: Matthew Guenette, 7 p.m. Meet the to FOL Play Contest, Spring Green Community 2017 Council for Wisconsin Writers Edna 11 Prairie du Sac Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green, WI Meudt Poetry Book Award winner and enjoy House Concert Series: Kerosene Kites, 7-9 53588. refreshments and literary conversation. Free. p.m. Americana musical stylings and endeav- Lind Pavilion, 411 Commerce St., (608) 987- ors from the minds of prolific songwriters Beth 5 Baraboo 3292, www.shakeragalley.com. Kille and Erik Kjelland. Free, $10 suggested Mirror Lake State Park Torch Lite Night donation at the door. River Arts on Water Gal- Hike, Snowshoe and Cross Country Ski 10 Baraboo lery, 590 Water St., www.riverartsinc.org. Event, 6 p.m. Two trails will be lit by torch Badger History Group Speakers’ Program: light: one for hikers and snowshoers, the other Verlyn Mueller, 7 p.m. Curator of the Museum 12 Arena groomed for cross country skiing. Gather after of Badger Army Ammunition will show and Arena VFW Post 9336 Steak/Chicken Fry, around campfires for hot chocolate and sweet tell the story of the construction of the Badger 5-8 p.m. Enjoy 8-oz. UW Provision steaks ($12) treats. Meet at the beach picnic area. E10320 Ordnance Works during World War II. Museum or 5-oz. Chicken breast ($8) with full salad Fern Dell Rd., (608) 254-2333, friendsofmir- of Badger Army Ammunition Exhibit Gallery, 1 bar and dessert table the second Saturday of rorlake.org. Badger Rd., (608) 448-2488, bhg-arch@tds. the month through May. Carryouts available. net. Proceeds benefit student scholarships, help for 5 Spring Green those in need and community projects. Arena Spring Green Indoor Farmers Market, 9 10 Lime Ridge VFW Post 9336, 514 Willow St., (608) 753- a.m.-noon. Spring Green Community Library, Live Music: Original Open Mic with Driftless 2225. 230 E. Monroe St. Jimmy, 6:30 p.m. sign up, 7 p.m. play. Come to 12 Dodgeville play or come to listen! Original blues, folk and Jane Farwell Night, 5:30-10 p.m. A special 6 Blue Mounds country music. Branding Iron Roadhouse, 132 Saturday Night Social honoring Folklore Blue Mound State Park Candlelight Ski/ S Main St., (608) 986-2807, Facebook. Village founder Jane Farwell. 5:30 p.m. potluck Hike/Snowshoe, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Ski a 1- or followed by dancing, live music, games and fun 2-mile candlelit, wooded loop or hike/snowshoe 10 Muscoda for the whole family! Folklore Village, 3210 Cty a separate 0.75-mile candlelit (leashed pets Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board Rd. BB, (608) 924-4000, www.folklorevillage. permitted). Guided hike with park naturalist at 6 Monthly Meeting, 5 p.m. Kratochwill Memorial org. and 7 p.m. Warm up with free hot drinks inside Building, 206 N. Wisconsin Ave., (608) 739- the heated shelter or purchase hot refresh- 3188, lwr.state.wi.us. 12 La Farge ments and baked goods. Enjoy the bonfire and Winter Festival at the Kickapoo Valley free marshmallows for roasting. Park admission 10 Sauk City Reserve, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Enjoy archery, ice required, trail passes waived for the evening. Live Music: Old Farm Dog, 7-9 p.m. Vintage cave hikes, wildlife and bird presentations, Sponsored by the Friends of Blue Mound State Brewing Co. Sauk Prairie, 600 Water St., (608) face painting, horse-drawn sleigh rides, Park. 4350 Mounds Park Rd., (608) 437-5711. 370-8200, Facebook. snowshoeing, dog sled race, dog weight pull, snow cave, fat tire bike demo, Snow Snake 8 Arena 11 Baraboo Competition, interactive snow sculpture, hiking Sit & Sip Soup, 4-8 p.m. Soups, salad, des- Live Music: Wilder Deitz, 7:30-9 p.m. with llamas, skijoring and more. La Farge serts, wine, beer, relaxation, fun. No reserva- Madison’s heppest cat returns to the bench for Lions Club hosts an annual chili and bread tions required. The Shoppe at Herbs, Spices & another night of solo piano. Originals, classics, More, 7352 Hwy 14, (608) 753-9000. jazz, fusion, improv, it’s all on the table when Continued p. 14

voiceoftherivervalley.com 13 3292, www.shakeragalley.com. Calendar Cont. from p. 13 17 Mineral Point contest for the public. Proceeds Pendarvis Speaker Series: from the event benefit the KVR The Continuing Search for Education Program. Kickapoo Fort Koshkonong, 6 p.m. Valley Reserve, S3661 State Hwy Archaeologist Paul Reckner 131, (608) 625-2960, http://kvr. discusses the mysteries of a state.wi.us. Black Hawk War-era fort. Since a search for the fort started in 1958, 12 Mineral Point and a more recent attempt with Poetry Workshopping Group, volunteer field crews over the last 2 p.m. First meeting of a new four years, a series of systematic monthly workshopping group excavation efforts have all failed to for local poets or aspiring poets. recover archaeological evidence Shake Rag Alley Center for the of the fort. Find out why, and enjoy Arts Cafe, 18 Shake Rag St., (608) an evening of historical riddles, 987-3282, www.shakeragalley. archaeological heartbreak, and com. new insights into old puzzles. Pendarvis Historic Site (Education 14 Arena Center), 114 Shake Rag St., Wildlife Forever Monthly ATV (608) 987-2122, pendarvis. Meeting, 7-8:30 p.m. All ATV-UTV wisconsinhistory.org. enthusiasts are welcome! We are accepting membership applications 17 Prairie du Sac and donations are always welcome “We Are Sauk Prairie” Lecture to support to signage for roads and Series: The Last Glaciation in trails. Traders Bar and Grill, 6174 South-Central Wisconsin, 6:30-8 Hwy 14. p.m. Dr. Eric Carson will discuss the ice of the Green Bay Lobe of 15 Arena the Laurentide Ice Sheet that last Sit & Sip Soup, 4-8 p.m. Soups, covered south-central Wisconsin. salad, desserts, wine, beer, Ruth Culver Community Library, relaxation, fun. No reservations 540 Water St., (608) 358-7120, required. The Shoppe at Herbs, www.saukprairievision.org. Spices & More, 7352 Hwy 14, (608) 753-9000. 17 Sauk City Live Music: 2 for the Road, 7-9 15 Sauk City p.m. Vintage Brewing Co. Sauk Author Talk: Terese Allen, 2 Prairie, 600 Water St., (608) 370- p.m. Co-author of “The Taste 8200, Facebook. of Wisconsin” presents on the different foods, flavors and 18 Baraboo foodways that make Wisconsin Toast of the Town Open Stage, unique. Free. Sauk City Public 7:30-9:30 p.m. Our mostly musical Library, 515 Water St. Open Stage returns with our multi- faceted gem of a host, Ron Frye. 15 Spring Green Come sing, strum, pick, bow, Winter Stargazing, 5-7 p.m. Join or blow your way to stardom, or tour guide and Voice of the River just relax with a warm beverage Valley columnist John Heasley of and enjoy the talent of others. Driftless Stargazing, LLC as he Free. The Village Booksmith, 526 leads you through an exploration Oak St., (608) 355-1001, www. of the night sky. You’ll enjoy hot villagebooksmith.com. chocolate and cookies while view- ing the moon, stars, clusters and 18 Mineral Point constellations of the winter sky. Live Music: Hypheria, 7:30 p.m. This event will be held primarily Gray Dog Deli, 215 High St., (608) outdoors, please dress according- 987-4000, graydogdeli.com. ly. In the event of cloudy or severe weather, the alternate date is Dec. 18 Prairie du Sac 12. Spring Green Community Art Opening: Charmaine Harbort Library, 230 E. Monroe St., (608) (polymer clay) & Susan Hale (oil 588-2276, springgreenlibrary.org. paintings), 5:30-7:30 p.m. Meet (See column, p. 21.) with the artists, see their new work and enjoy light hors d’oeuvres and 16 Mineral Point 10% off all gallery artwork. Artist Shake Rag Alley Winter Writer talk at 6 p.m. River Arts on Water Reading Series: Ed Werstein, Gallery, 590 Water St., (608) 643- 7 p.m. Meet the 2017 Council for 5215, www.riverartsinc.org. Wisconsin Writers Lorine Nie- decker Poetry Award winner and 18-19 Sauk Prairie enjoy refreshments and literary 32nd Annual Bald Eagle conversation. Free. Lind Pavilion, 411 Commerce St., (608) 987- Continued p. 15 14 Voice of the River Valley | January 2019 21 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Calendar Cont. from p. 14 22 Arena Watching Days. Indoor and Sit & Sip Soup, 4-8 p.m. Soups, outdoor opportunities to see salad, desserts, wine, beer, both immature and mature bald relaxation, fun. No reservations eagles and other raptors. For a required. The Shoppe at Herbs, full schedule of events, see www. Spices & More, 7352 Hwy 14, ferrybluffeaglecouncil.org. (See (608) 753-9000. story, p. 7.) 24 Sauk City 19 Barneveld Live Music: Say It Ain’t Soul, Full Moon Circle, 7-9 p.m. 7-9 p.m. Vintage Brewing Co. Selena Fox hosts a celebration Sauk Prairie, 600 Water St., (608) of the first full moon of 2019 with 370-8200, Facebook. divination for the new solar and calendar year. Free and open 25 Mineral Point to adults with registration at Live Music: Meeker & Maiden, www.circlesanctuary.org. Circle 7:30 p.m. Gray Dog Deli, 215 High Sanctuary, 5354 Meadowvale Rd., St., (608) 987-4000, graydogdeli. [email protected], (608) com. 924-2216. 25 Spring Green 19 Dodgeville Live Music: City Electric, 8 p.m. 20th Annual Governor Dodge Arthur’s Supper Club, E4885 State Park Candlelight Ski/Hike/ Hwy 14, (608) 588-2521, www. Snowshoe, 6-8:30 p.m. Ski, walk arthurssupperclub.com. or snowshoe a trail lit with glow- ing candlelight. Warm up by the 26 Arena bonfire after enjoying the trail. Hot FLOW Annual Membership beverages available. Weather and Meeting, 1 p.m. browse displays, snow conditions determine trail lo- 2 p.m. meeting including cation. Park stickers required and presentations of this year’s will be available for purchase at Riverway Champion Award to Ron the event. Please, no pets. Spon- Grasshoff and a Youth Leadership sored by the Friends of Governor Award to Lola Abu. Meal, cash Dodge. Meet at the Cox Hollow bar and dessert potluck. Grandma Beach Picnic Area inside the park, Mary’s Café, 175 Hwy 14, http:// 4175 Hwy 23 N., (608) 935-2315, wisconsinriverfriends.org. (See http://dnr.wi.gov/Calendar/Events/ story, p. 7.) Parks. 26 Mineral Point 19 Platteville Live Music: Dead Horses, 7:30 Miners Ball, 5-10 p.m. Enjoy p.m. Mineral Point Opera House, music by Ken Kilian, formal 139 High St., (608) 987-3501, dinner, cash bar, silent auction mineralpointoperahouse.org. and mining history displays featuring connections between the 26 Spring Green Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums Martin Luther King Jr. and the UW-Platteville. $100 per Observance, 1 p.m. Annual couple benefits the museums. River Valley observance of Dr. Ullsvik Hall’s Velzy Commons, King’s birthday. Free. River Valley UW-Platteville, http://mining. Elementary School library, 830 W. jamison.museum. Daley St. (See story, p. 7.)

19 Prairie du Sac 26-27 Mineral Point Social Saturday: Coloring & Pottery Open Studio, 9 a.m.-4 Coffee, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Stop in p.m. Spend a weekend working for freshly brewed John Joseph on your ceramics skills in the Coffee and enjoy some stress-re- Sardeson Pottery Studio with lieving adult coloring (or anything the assistance of potters Joelle else you’d like to bring) while you and Katie White. $100; registra- chat with friends. Free; all coloring tion required by Jan. 14. Shake supplies provided. Adult supervi- Rag Alley Center for the Arts, 18 sion required for children under Shake Rag St., (608) 987-3292, 12. River Arts on Water, 590 www.ShakeRagAlley.com. Water St., (608) 643-5215, www. riverartsinc.org. 27 Arena Pasta Night. Call for menu and 19 Spring Green hours. The Shoppe at Herbs, Spring Green Indoor Farm- Spices & More, 7352 Hwy 14, ers Market, 9 a.m.-noon. Spring (608) 753-9000. Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St. Continued p. 17 voiceoftherivervalley.com 15 16 Voice of the River Valley | January 2019 Calendar Cont. from p. 15 GARDEN BLITZ: Bliss Tempered by Reality 31 Sauk City Live Music: The Hoot Owl, 7-9 p.m. Vintage Brewing Co. Sauk Prairie, 600 Water St., (608) 370-8200, Facebook.

FEBRUARY 1 Mineral Point Live Music: Mackenzie Moore, 7:30 p.m. Gray Dog Deli, 215 High St., (608) 987-4000, graydogdeli.com.

2 Dodgeville Live Music: Healthy Hoedown, 6-9:30 p.m. Enjoy a fun-filled barn dance evening featuring live string-band music by the Yellow Bellied Sapsuckers. No Paul Zillgitt experience or special costume required. Families and beginners are always welcome! Bring a dish to pass for the know another word for of trees have shorter post-operative stays. potluck. 6 p.m. potluck; dancing starts ‘gardening,’” my 60+ year-old In Baltimore, researchers discovered a 10 at 7:15 p.m. Sponsored by Upland Hills baby brother told me recently. percent increase in the tree canopy resulted Health. Folklore Village, 3210 Cty Rd. “I Noel discovered gardening in the last 10 in a 12 percent decrease in crime. Asthma, BB, (608) 924-4000, www.folklorevillage. org. years. Now he enthusiastically plumbs obesity, depression, aggression and stress its intricacies in far greater detail than have all been found to respond positively to 2 Mineral Point generally interests me. I mentally did an a dose of Mother Nature. 2nd Annual Ice Lantern Festival. elder-sibling eye roll and tried to prepare I have a gardening friend, Annamaria Downtown Mineral Point, artsmp.org. for the rigorous discussion that was sure to Léon, who lives in one of the highest 2 Spring Green follow. crime neighborhoods in Chicago. A Live Music: RMF Cabin Fever Reliever “Gardening is just another word for force of nature herself, she is committed featuring The Honey Pies, 7:30 ‘grounding,’” he opined. Phew! No to transforming her community. She is p.m. $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Touchstone Theatre at American Players mental gymnastics required. I teaching kids and adults to grow Theatre, 5950 Golf Course Rd., www. knew exactly what he meant. food in vacant lots where drug ruralmusiciansforum.org. (See story, p. 9.) Gardening literally deals once took place, lining grounds us when we put a streets and public places with 4 Spring Green Winter Words: American Players shovel into the earth, kneel on trees, and mentoring young Theatre Presents “The Moors,” 7 the ground or press soil around people to become landscapers, p.m. APT’s Winter Words public play- plants. As we cultivate, plant, nurserymen and landscape reading series begins with a reading prune and weed, our too-busy designers. of Jen Silverman’s play based on the lives of the Bronte sisters. $20 general minds also start to reconnect Patrice Peltier The people in her admission tickets available Jan. 7 online with our essential selves and our neighborhood are responding. at americanplayers.org. Touchstone place in the natural world. When our hands They feel empowered by growing their Theatre, 5950 Golf Course Rd., (608) are in the earth, we become physically, own food, uplifted by the beauty they’re 588-7401, ext. 9270. emotionally and spiritually grounded. creating and united by the positive impact 10 Spring Green Noel and I — and everybody else who they’re making in their community. Live Music: Tea, Cookies and Tarot gardens — know that gardening is good for Community groups, agencies, churches and Readings, 1-3 p.m. Spring Green the soul. There’s also plenty of science to businesses are working together to build General Store, 137 S. Albany St., (608) 588-7070, www.springgreengeneralstore. prove it. on the momentum created by one gardener com. Spending time in nature — whether who knows what happens when people are gardening, fishing, hiking, biking, kayaking grounded to the earth. 14 Spring Green or any number of other activities — helps Writing this makes me long for the Valentine’s Day Dinner. Call for details. Spring Green General Store, 137 S. us in so many ways. Researchers at the spring day when my own garden will Albany St., (608) 588-7070, www. University of Michigan found that a awaken and I can, once again, be grounded springgreengeneralstore.com. 10-minute nature break boosted people’s there. Won’t that be blitz! performance on memory and attention tests 24 Spring Green Choose Art!/Art Out of the Closet, by 20 percent. Researchers at the University Patrice Peltier lives in Spring Green and 1-4:30 p.m. Spring Green Area Arts Co- of Illinois found children diagnosed with writes regularly for Wisconsin Gardening, alition annual fundraiser. Free. Proceeds attention deficit disorders concentrate better Chicagoland Gardening and The Landscape from the auction benefit the arts coali- and have a reduction in symptoms after Contractor magazines. Her work has tion’s grants program. Wisconsin River- side Resort, S13220 Shifflet Rd., www. spending time in nature. A Texas A&M appeared in Better Homes and Gardens and springgreenarts.org. (See story, p. 9.) study found hospital patients with views Midwest Living magazines. voiceoftherivervalley.com 17 RECURRING COMMUNITY RESOURCES Dodgeville JANUARY 2019 Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon, Narcotics 2nd Wednesday Dodgeville Anonymous Meetings, Dodgeville Serenity Club, 1 2 3 4 5 Heart Building 101, 10 a.m. A supportive group 401 N. Union, (608) 695-6662. Sunday: N.A. 4 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 for anyone with heart problems and their families. p.m., A.A. 6 p.m. Monday: A.A. 7 p.m. (closed). Cardiac Rehab department, Upland Hills Health, Tuesday: Al-Anon 7 p.m., N.A. 7 p.m. Wednesday: 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 800 Compassion Way, (608) 930-7160, http:// A.A. 12 p.m. (closed), A.A. 7 p.m. (women only). 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 uplandhillshealth.org. Thursday: A.A. 7 p.m. (closed). Friday: A.A. 12 p.m. 27 28 29 30 31 (closed), N.A. 7 p.m. (closed). Saturday: A.A. 7 p.m. 2nd/4th Wednesday Sauk City 6:8 Community Meals, 5-7 p.m. Free; childcare Sundays Clyde For more events information, see pp. 12- available. 821 Industry Dr., 68Kristine@gmail. Sunday Morning Meetings, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. All 17 and voiceoftherivervalley.com/events. com, www.makingservicepersonal.org. are welcome to join an hour of silent meditation, To submit events, e-mail a Quaker-style meeting, and an hour of sharing, [email protected] 3rd Wednesday Dodgeville songs and tea. First Sundays are potluck lunches. Dodgeville Public Library Adult Book Club, Clyde Community Center, 6281 State Road 130, All events subject to change. 6:30 p.m. 139 S. Iowa St., (608) 935-3728, www. (608) 532-6365. dodgevillelibrary.com. Group, 10:30 a.m.-noon. All caregivers welcome. 2nd Sunday Clyde Free. Iowa County Health & Human Services Thursdays Richland Center Clyde Jam, 2-5 p.m. Everyone’s welcome to Building, Room 1001, 303 W. Chapel St. For more Al-Anon support group for family and friends enjoy laid-back jamming whether you’re playing or information, contact (608) 930-9835. of alcoholics, 12 p.m., Peace United Methodist listening. Clyde Community Center, 6281 State Church, 265 N. Church St., use Union St. Rd. 130, (608) 583-4162. 1st/3rd Tuesday Sauk City entrance. Joyful Path Meditation Group, 7-8:10 p.m. In Last Sunday Rockbridge the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, each meeting Thursdays Sauk City Rockbridge Geology and History Hikes, 12 p.m. includes an introduction, guided sitting meditation, Women’s AA Group, 6:30 p.m. Free Meet at the Rockbridge Park near 17520 Hwy 80 recitation of the Five Mindfulness Trainings or a Congregation of Sauk County Community Hall, at noon for an hour-long hike through 500 million short talk, question and answer period and closing. 307 Polk St. years. Learn about rock formations, human history Park Hall, Free Congregation of Sauk City, 307 and future development of the park and surrounding Polk St., (608) 437-0520, www.joyfulpath.org. 2nd Thursday Dodgeville area. For more information, contact Marilyn at (608) SOS, Survivors of Suicide Support Group, 7-9 347-5473 or [email protected]. 2nd/4th Tuesday Richland Center p.m. Health & Human Services Building, 303 W. Rolling Hills Toastmasters (previously the Chapel St., [email protected]. 1st Monday Plain Toastmasters), 7-9 p.m. Members from PFLAG Mount Horeb Area, 6 p.m. Monthly Richland Center, Reedsburg, Spring Green, 3rd Thursday Sauk City speaker and support meeting. All are welcome. Avoca, Ithaca, Clyde, Viroqua, Arena and Memory Cafe, 9:30-11 a.m. The Alzheimer’s & Mt. Horeb American Legion Hall, 102 S. 3rd St., Gotham enjoy fun, fast-paced speech and Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin sponsors a social [email protected]. leadership activities. Richland Hospital, Pippin gathering place for persons with memory loss, 1, 333 E. 2nd St. For more information, contact mild cognitive impairment, early Alzheimer’s, or 2nd Monday Dodgeville [email protected]. other dementia, and their family and friends. Sauk Gilda’s Club Cancer Support Group, 2 p.m. A Prairie Community Center, Cafe Connections, 730 representative from Gilda’s Club provides support 2nd/4th Tuesday Sauk City Monroe St., (608) 742-9055, alzwisc.org. and information to people facing the challenges Conscious Communication Group, 7-8:30 of cancer. Upland Hills Health, 800 Compassion p.m. Learn to express yourself fully in ways that 4th Thursday Richland Center Way, (608) 930-8000, http://uplandhillshealth.org. are easily heard by the people you would like to Memory Cafe, 9:30-11:30 a.m. The Alzheimer’s connect with. Park Hall, Free Congregation of & Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin sponsors a 3rd Monday Richland Center Sauk City, 307 Polk St., (608) 437-0520, www. social gathering place for persons with memory Autism Support Group, 7-8:30 p.m. Country joyfulpath.org. loss, mild cognitive impairment, early Alzheimer’s, Kitchen/White House, (608) 588-2585, www. or other dementia, and their family and friends. angelautismnetwork.org. 3rd Tuesday Dodgeville Woodman Senior Center, 1050 N. Orange St., Dodgeville Area Compassionate Friends, 7 (608) 723-4288, alzwisc.org. Tuesdays Cross Plains p.m. Support group for anyone who has lost a Hikes with the Driftless Dames, 9:30-11:30 a.m. child of any age. Grace Lutheran Church, (608) Fridays Sauk City Weekly hike of a segment of the Ice Age Trail 935-2693. Reformers Unanimous, 7-9 p.m. Open to all and other local conservancy and park trails in the adults who struggle with an addiction or a “stubborn Gateway to the Driftless Area. Meet at 9:30 a.m., Wednesdays Dodgeville habit.” Calvary Baptist Church, 309 Water St., www. leave by 9:40 a.m. Approximate duration: 2 hours. Feeding Friends Community Meal, 5-6:30 p.m. rusaukprairie.com, (608) 448-9515. Crossroads Coffeehouse, 2020 Main St., (608) Free; all welcome. Dodgeville United Methodist 798-2080. Church, 327 N. Iowa St., (608) 935-5451. 1st Friday Spring Green Wisconsin Department of Workforce Tuesdays Muscoda Wednesdays Spring Green Development/Job Service, 9 a.m.-noon. Get one- Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting, 8 p.m., west Al-Anon Meetings, 10 a.m., Christ Lutheran on-one help applying for unemployment benefits, door at St. John’s School, 116 W. Beech St., (608) Church, 237 E. Daley St. resume writing, job search strategies, interview 929-4970. skills and more. Sign up for 30- or 60-minute 1st Wednesday Dodgeville appointments by calling (608) 588-2276. Spring Tuesdays Spring Green Memory Cafe, 1-2:30 p.m. The Alzheimer’s & Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St. Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings, 10 a.m. Scent- Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin sponsors a social free. Christ Lutheran Church, 237 E. Daley St. gathering place for persons with memory loss, mild 3rd Saturday Clyde cognitive impairment, early Alzheimer’s, or other Open Basketball, 7-9 p.m. All ages and abilities 1st Tuesday Dodgeville dementia, and their family and friends. Stonefield are welcome to come shoot baskets or play a pick- Aging and Disability Resource Center of Apartments Community Room, 407 E. Madison St., up game. Clyde Community Center, 6281 State Southwest Wisconsin Caregivers Support (608) 843-3402, alzwisc.org. Rd. 130, (608) 583-2911. 18 WHERE THE LAND MEETS THE SKY

arming in the dark is a delightful exercise in patience, faith and Throwing grain for chickens, you listen for the sharp patter of silliness. It is due in part to the wintry season, and in larger part the feed falling to know your scoop is above their tray. Missing means Fto having zero working lights in the barn. it falls silently onto the straw bedding underfoot. Throwing it and It begins with the two blown light bulbs in the barn that need hoping it hits is an exercise in faith. Missing and immediately letting replacing. Changing a light bulb in this instance is no easy matter. your mistake go is an exercise in self-forgiveness. Finding yourself First, there is forgetting that the lights don’t work until you are there inadvertently practicing small meditations on faith and forgiveness, flipping the switch. There’s the realization that nothing in the barn is alone in silence, first thing in the morning, is no bad thing. safe enough to climb upon, and there’s that nagging resistance to the Climbing and reaching for hay bales, grasping at where you idea of fetching your kitchen step-stool, because guess the two parallel lines of twine might be, automatically slipping “barn bacteria” and “kitchen clean” don’t sit your hands under them and grabbing them, without first having seen comfortably together in your mind. And them, is sheer magic. It feels like farmgirl instinct. And for someone so most days you stop here. But just in who grew up in London, there’s still a silly shiver of delight to be case your inner-procrastinator requires found in it. any reassurance, you can always play out Eyes now attuned to the darkness, you look outside and better the rest of the “remembering” scenario: appreciate the slow dawn rising. Beyond this light, the warm, yellow- remembering to take the old light bulbs to the glow of the farmhouse kitchen window beckons. When you return store, which involves remembering to take inside, the kettle will have boiled, you’ll be sipping tea and parenting Etienne White them in the car with you, remembering to children within minutes, which somehow feels like an entire world stop at the hardware store, and remembering to bring the bulbs into away. Because briefly, you belong most — right here. Breathing in the shop to see what kind you have. Then there’s purchasing them, patience and faith, exhaling silliness and delight. getting them home, up into the barn and now you’re right back at the step-stool conundrum. Etienne White lives where the land meets the sky on a farm in Iowa So instead you embrace the darkness, telling yourself you’re County where she raises grass-fed, Old English Babydoll sheep, as saving money. For emergencies, you have a little strap with a well as pastured chickens, a happy farm dog, a wily barn cat and her headlight you could wear, though you haven’t needed to yet. Working two spirited children. She runs a consulting business working at the in the dark, your intuition and guesswork guide you. Your eyes and intersection of sustainability and marketing, and is a sought-after brain rest, while your heart and gut do the thinking. speaker on sustainability in the United States and Europe.

voiceoftherivervalley.com 19 20 Voice of the River Valley | January 2019 DRIFTLESS DARK SKIES: In the Shadow of the Earth

n the evening of Jan. 20, moongazers in the Driftless eclipse watchers as the moon orbits out of Earth’s shadow and goes Region can be awed by a total lunar eclipse. That’s when through those weird phases. You’ll see the first brightening of the Oour moon passes through the shadow of the Earth and moon on the upper left limb and traveling across the face of the darkens in color to copper or rust or brown or gray. Unlike the total moon until the umbral phase ends at 12:50. The moon continues to solar eclipse that wowed us in August 2017 when the shadow of the brighten until 1:48 when it finally leaves the penumbral shadow of moon trekked across North America, you don’t need to travel to the Earth. If you’re too caffeinated to sleep by this time, you can experience totality. It will be visible everywhere enjoy the winter sky becoming familiar once more, Jupiter and in the western hemisphere at the same time. Venus rising together in the southeast around 4:15, the sun rising It’s a slow and meditative event. And around 7:27, and the moon setting around 7:51. totality lasts for over an hour instead of the 2019 is the Year of Apollo, when we celebrate the 50th two minutes of totality for the solar eclipse. anniversary of humans first leaving the Earth to walk on another I love the way both solar and lunar eclipses world. It’s fun to imagine ourselves viewing the eclipse from the take us out of the ordinary as the familiar Sea of Tranquility where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed shapes of sun and moon become weird. the Eagle during the mission of Apollo 11. From there, Earth is Enjoying a lunar eclipse is pretty easy. always in the same spot in the sky directly overhead and much John Heasley It’s January in the Driftless, so bundle up. bigger and brighter than the moon appears from Earth. We would Remember you don’t need to stay out the whole time. The pace is see it rotating once every day and going through the phases of leisurely, so you can go inside to warm up. The moon rises in the Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full, Waning northeast around 4:34 just as the sun sets in the southwest around Gibbous, Last Quarter, Waning Gibbous and New Earth every 4:56. The moon is closest to Earth on Jan. 21, so it may appear a month. Lunar eclipses occur when the moon appears full from little bigger and brighter in the sky. The Full Wolf Moon will be Earth and Earth appears new from the moon. Earth would be fairly high in the sky when it enters Earth’s penumbral shadow at challenging to see because it’s so dark and close to the sun. From 8:37. The effect is subtle. You won’t notice much at first, but by 9:10, the moon, we would be seeing a total solar eclipse as Earth begins you should start seeing some darkening of the moon beginning on to take bites out of the sun until it totally blocks it. During an hour its lower left limb. Take time to have a look at Mars in the southwest of totality, we could be awed by the sun’s wispy corona streaming before it sets by 11:11. The umbral phase begins at 9:34 as Earth’s out and a ring of fire surrounding the totally dark Earth. We’re shadow starts taking bigger and bigger “bites” out of the moon. watching all the sunrise and sunsets on Earth all at once as its This is where things start to get weird as we see the moon with atmosphere refracts the light. Maybe we would even see some of the unfamiliar phases and colors. If you can only see part of the eclipse, city lights of the Americas. We would notice the moonscape around head out around 10:30 as we move from partial to total eclipse. us change color from gray to copper and rust and maybe even Even if you’ve seen a lunar eclipse before, don’t miss this one. Like begins to resemble a Marscape. memorable plays at American Players Theatre, each performance is Lunar eclipses are somewhat rare, though not as rare as solar unique. eclipses. The last lunar eclipse we saw in the Driftless was last Totality lasts from 10:41 until 11:43 with maximum eclipse at year on Jan. 31, 2018. The next ones won’t be for another two years 11:12. This is when the moon is most colorful. It’s hard to predict when we will be treated to a tetrad of four lunar eclipses in May and what color we’ll see. Even though Earth is between sun and moon November of 2021 and 2022 much as we saw a tetrad of four lunar and totally covers the sun, our atmosphere refracts the sunlight and eclipses in March and September of 2014 and 2015. But don’t wait. some of it still reaches the moon. How much depends on clouds and This one starts at a fairly friendly time, the next day is a federal particles in our atmosphere. Our atmosphere scatters the blue light, holiday, and you never know when clouds might get in our way. but the reds and oranges pass through to eerily light up the moon. Carpe noctem: Seize the night! Be sure to watch as more and more stars emerge as the moonlight is dimmed and the sky darkens. Binoculars are a great way to watch John Heasley is an astronomy educator and stargazer who Earth’s shadow making its way across the surface of the moon. You enjoys connecting people with the cosmos. He volunteers with can also use them to check out the sparkling Beehive Cluster to the NASA/JPL as a Solar System Ambassador. For more information left of the moon about a dozen moon widths away and the twin stars about stargazing in southwestern Wisconsin, like Driftless Castor and Pollux in Gemini lined up above the moon. Stargazing LLC on Facebook and find out whenever there’s After totality, everything happens in reverse for the hardy something awesome happening in the skies above.

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V voiceoftherivervalley.com 21 TOWER HILL from p. 5 we asked many locals in Spring Green if they remembered the name. Most only recalled Bakkens Pond State Natural Area nearby. A Google search brought up at least 10 people with the same name. By day two the display with new lighting was in place, but with many extra hours yet to work, we gave up our tickets for a play in Madison to finish what we could in such perfect weather. I returned the next sunny and warm weekend with Ellis. Electrical work was brought up to code. Mice had made the breaker box a cozy home packed with flammable dry grass. Dangling wires were secured and all breakers identified. We finished installing the walls with more history: the mine shaft, town of Helena and Unitarian retreat, bread oven, and Amy’s paintings. As with the previous weekend, many folks were walking the trails of the closed park and most stopped in to see what we were up to. We welcomed their questions and spent quite a bit of time with them. Returnees were glad to see the change and new visitors welcomed the history. All were grateful for our donated time and shared research filling in gaps on the life and usage of the land. During the summer of 2018, a new video screen was installed. Viewers can watch the process of making lead shot at Tower Hill State Park when volunteers used to fire up and melt the lead, then drop it down the shaft into a large steel cauldron filled with water. In late October Superintendent Kathy and Ranger Pat asked to meet us at the Governor Dodge State Park office. We knew Kathy by email only, so meeting her was a highlight after a few years of correspondence. They presented Tower Hill (former Devil’s Lake superintendent) and probably Jude and me with a plaque of appreciation for the dedication and the finest boss I ever had. passion in preserving Tower Hill’s story. “I left for college in the fall of ’93 as an art major. Wayne knew of my art ability and aspirations, so he suggested I paint things for But the story doesn’t end there: We did find the artist! Bridget the LWR. I knew Wayne through the LWR crew” — Amy’s future Roberts at the Spring Green Community Library helped connect husband, Scott Thiede, was the first conservation warden assigned the dots between us. to the LWR — “and he commissioned work from me. I made many Her name is Amy (Bakken) Thiede and she had just maps and brochures for Tower Hill and the LWR.” graduated high school in 1993 when, she shared, she “scored” a When in 1994 the LWR crew wasn’t needed for surveying job as a survey specialist for the newly formed Lower Wisconsin the summer, Amy said she applied at Tower Hill and Wayne Riverway to observe and record how people were using the called to offer her a job doing: everything. “A small park meant Wisconsin River in the Sauk City area. that anything that came up, we did. We sold campsites, mowed, “That was the year of the massive flood,” Amy told me by cleared trails, cleaned bathrooms and massive amounts of bat e-mail. “Tower Hill and Devil’s Lake State Parks were closed poo out of the shelter. We held special events like demonstrating to many users. Wayne Schutte was the park superintendent of shot dropping, and I redid the paintings in the shot tower.”

22 Voice of the River Valley | January 2019 Photos courtesy of Paul Kuenn

When Tower Hill State Park opened mid-May for the 2018 season, visitors enjoyed this updated display, above, which features newly cleaned paintings of the shot tower, top left, that were done by Amy Bakken in 1994, whose signature on the back panels piqued Paul and Jude Kuenn’s curiosity and led to an enriching connection to their volunteer work at the park.

Amy says Wayne decided the old pencil line-drawings in We were so pleased to make contact with her. Twenty years-plus the display could be redone. “I believe I painted over the line- is a long time for a painting not to be cleaned. Had we not moved drawings, so those boards were the boards before my version. them as part of the shot tower exhibit renovation, the full story The renderings were faint and simple. My task was to redo them could not have been told. Cherish what we have! in a way that improved them, but stayed true to the originals. The portrait I painted was an acrylic wash, and faces are a Paul and Jude Kuenn live in Appleton and belong to Friends specialty of mine, so that is a pretty accurate rendering of what of Devil’s Lake, Rock Island, Point Beach, Potowatomi and I had originally. The finished paintings were available for one of Plum and Pilot Island state parks. They’d like to see a similar the open houses at which Wayne poured shot.” group for Tower Hill State Park. Perhaps it was the echoed inspiration from Amy through the Many thanks to Bridget Roberts for her contribution to this surrounding woods that Jude and I absorbed all these years later. story.

voiceoftherivervalley.com 23 24 Voice of the River Valley | January 2019