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October 19_adsPasted2.indd 2
9/12/19 3:20 PM
E
CooperaN
COOPERATIVE
ws
News
Wisconsin
ENERGY Cooperative
contents October 2019
News
4
Letter from THE EDITOR
Welcome, Vernon Electric Cooperative readers!
10 13 15 28 30
6
News
BRIEFS
Magazine earns national honors.
A HEATED DEBATE
Science validates common sense.
DYNAMIC GRID
Co-ops manage grid threats.
MY CO-OP
Find out what’s happening at your local electric cooperative.
24
On the
COVER
Vernon County’s historic round barns delight.
20
Recipes
Put some pork on your fork.
27
Kids &
CRITTERS
Cute co-op kids get cozy with their critters.
8
College EDUCATION
Switch to a straight popular vote, and 10 states could be the only ones that matter. The other 40 become irrelevant because their combined populations are less than those of the 10.
CLASSIFIEDS
Buy, sell, and trade with readers from across Wisconsin.
EVENTS
Find your fall fun.
October 2019
WECN Oct19TOC.indd 1
3
9/17/19 11:32 AM
LETTER FROM
THE EDITOR Welcome Vernon Electric Cooperative Dana Kelroy, Editor
On behalf of the Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News staff, we’d like to welcome readers from Vernon Electric Cooperative back to the WECN family! As a member of your local electric cooperative, you are entitled to know and understand how your utility operates. After all, you are owner-members. Each month we are welcomed into more than 181,000 rural Wisconsin homes. You receive this publication because your co-op sees the value of including you as part of the unified voice of Wisconsin’s electric cooperatives. Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News is the most cost-effective way to share local co-op information (found on pages 15-18). It also offers in-depth news stories about legislative and regulatory issues that could affect your co-op and ultimately, your rates. You’ll also receive energy-efficiency articles, providing you with tips you can use to help lower your energy costs. Dig deeper, and you’ll find young member coverage, recipes, and exciting features about this great state and the communities in which we live, work, and play. Electric co-ops today face challenges on both the state and federal levels that have the potential to affect their members. It is the responsibility of all cooperatives to keep their members informed of such issues, and also to ensure that members’ voices are heard in the public policy arena. As co-ops have long known, big goals are best achieved by working together. Vernon Electric Cooperative now joins 18 other co-ops presenting strong, consistent, co-op advocacy through this magazine. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us. This is your magazine, and we’re happy to be working with you!
October 2019 Vol. 80 No. 4 The Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News (Formerly Wisconsin R.E.C. News) has been published monthly and distributed since July 1940 to members of Wisconsin’s non-profit, consumer-owned rural electric cooperatives. It is available to non-members for $10 per year or $28 for three years. Members pay $6.93 per year. Published by the Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association, 222 W. Washington Ave., Ste. 680, Madison, WI 53703. Steve Freese, president & CEO. USPS number: 688-480. Postmaster: please send address changes to Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News, 222 W. Washington Ave., Ste. 680, Madison, WI 53703. Periodicals postage paid at Baraboo, Wis. Send correspondence to Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News, 222 W. Washington Ave., Ste. 680, Madison, WI 53703. Phone (608) 467-4650. Web site: www.wecnmagazine.com. Co-op Members: Please send address changes to your local electric co-op. Contact information can be found on page 18. Steve Freese Dana Kelroy Mary Erickson David Hoopman Ann Bailey Geri Miller
Each month, 181,000 rural Wisconsin homes welcome this magazine into their households. Local co-op information can be found on pages 15-18 and is created by communications professionals at your local co-op. Those professionals recently gathered for a training session and worked in a stop at Wisconsin’s hallowed ground—Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
4
WECA president & CEO editor associate editor contributing writer graphic designer advertising consultant
For advertising opportunities please email ads@weca.coop. The appearance of advertising does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services advertised. We reserve the right to refuse advertisers. Please recycle
Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News
WECN October Editor2019.indd 1
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8/21/19 4:11 PM 9/4/19 3:11 PM
NEWS BRIEFS MAGAZINE EARNS NATIONAL AWARDS
For a second consecutive year, Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News has won double recognition in a competition designed to reward quality work in co-op journalism. The October 2018 article “Empowering Enterprise” and the April 2019 story “Good News is No News” each earned an Award of Merit this summer from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Statewide Editors Association. The October article described Central Wisconsin Electric Cooperative’s long-term success fostering economic development in the communities it serves. The April story contrasted negative public and media perceptions of environmental quality against the reality of several decade’s environmental improvement, exemplified by massive growth of U.S. energy production and consumption since 1970 even as pollutant emission volumes have plummeted. Last year, the magazine won in the Best Editorial category and the Best News Feature category. There are 32 statewide electric co-op magazines that are eligible to submit entries in the nationwide competition.
DISASTER DECLARATION OPENS RELIEF PIPELINE
Electric cooperatives facing high expenditures for system repair and reconstruction in the wake of damaging midsummer weather may be able to recover as much as 87 percent of eligible costs under a federal disaster declaration issued at the end of August. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced approval of disaster assistance funding for Wisconsin to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the widespread areas affected by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding that occurred over three days spanning July 18–20.
STATE OKAYS TRANSMISSION PROJECT
A unanimous Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) in late August approved the Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission project proposed jointly by the American Transmission Company, ITC Midwest, and Dairyland Power Cooperative. The approximately 102-mile, 345,000volt line between Dubuque, Iowa, and Middleton, Wisconsin, is said to be an essential link in facilitating delivery of an expected 25 gigawatts of renewable energy—mainly Great Plans wind—as well as alleviating grid congestion. 6
FEMA confirmed funding will be made available for repair or replacement of damaged facilities in Barron, Clark, Forest, La Crosse, Langlade, Menominee, Monroe, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Polk, Portage, Rusk, Shawano, Vernon, Waupaca, and Wood counties, and to the St. Croix Chippewa Indians and Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin. The federal government is to cover 75 percent of eligible recovery costs, with the remaining 25 percent divided evenly between the state’s Wisconsin Emergency Management agency and the local cooperatives.
The PSC’s approval imposed one major condition. The original plan called for building the new line side-by-side with existing, lesser transmission lines that are to remain in service, almost doubling the width of the current right-of-way. The commission ordered the new project to share a 150-foot right-of-way with the existing lines. Permit approvals are still needed from Iowa regulators and federal agencies. Assuming those are obtained, the new line is expected to be in service in 2023.
MORE TRANSMISSION TO COME?
With Wisconsin’s approval of the Cardinal-Hickory Creek project and a new transmission line between La Crosse and Madison energized last December, the multi-year buildout of major transmission lines across the upper Midwest might appear to be nearing completion. But renewable energy advocates say the grid won’t be adequate to support future wind and solar development, and the CapX2020 group including co-op, municipal, and investor-owned utilities is opening a review of potential transmission upgrades. CapX2020 is the consortium that built major new lines from the Dakotas, across Minnesota, and into Wisconsin during the past several years. Its study and report on potential new projects are expected early next year.
DRILLERS RESIST WASTE STORAGE
Proposed interim storage sites for spent nuclear power plant fuel are being opposed by oil producers who say they intend to operate adjacent to and underneath the two locations straddling the Texas-New Mexico state line. Companies based in Florida and Texas are in the midst of federal regulatory review of their plans for above-ground storage of high-level waste now held at or near power plant sites across the country. The proposals would provide an alternative to the nearly completed but mothballed Yucca Mountain permanent storage facility in Nevada, which is decades behind schedule. One of the two companies, Interim Storage Partners, has been operating a low-level waste facility for about seven years at the location of its proposed new facility in west Texas. Both proposed facilities are within the Permian Basin, the nation’s most productive oil field. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is expected to release its findings from an environmental study of the area next spring.
Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News
WECN Oct19Newsbriefs.indd 1
9/13/19 9:23 AM
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9/4/19 3:13 PM
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Steve Freese President and CEO
Switch to a straight popular vote, and we could easily find ourselves with California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington being the only states that matter. The other 40 become irrelevant because their combined populations are less than those of the listed 10.
8
A
s we close in on the 2020 presidential election I’m surprised by the groups and individuals advocating abandonment of the electoral mechanism designed with great care by the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention of 1787. At that time, direct election of the country’s leader was an idea unique to the United States. Convention delegates faced the opportunity—and the risk—of creating a system that needn’t satisfy any other nation’s requirements but pretty much had to succeed on the first try. There were lots of competing concerns among the delegates. Some were dead set against letting the people elect the president by popular vote. Some were concerned that allowing Congress to pick the president guaranteed the executive and legislative branches would engage in corruption. Others worried that the big states (back then, Virginia was the 800-pound gorilla in the room), would unduly influence policy to the detriment of the small states. Other delegates were concerned that free northern states should have more influence than slaveholding southern states, and vice-versa. From the debate over all these issues emerged the concept of a body of presidential electors apportioned by state. Each member of this Electoral College would have one vote, and the number of electors from each state would be the same as that state’s number of U.S. senators and congressional representatives. Awareness of this history and appreciation for the reasoning behind it have declined, and the arrangement has come under attack. In my lifetime we’ve seen three presidents elected without having won a majority of the nationwide popular vote. Thus it is now proposed to eliminate or bypass the Electoral
College and determine the winner by popular vote alone—an easy answer but one burdened with very large risks. Today, both in the primary and caucus season and during general election campaigns, presidential candidates spend substantial time in some of the least populous states because in the political calculus of winning nationwide, the Electoral College keeps them relevant. Switch to a straight popular vote, and we could easily find ourselves with California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington being the only states that matter, the other 40 being irrelevant because their combined populations are less than those of the listed 10. The likelihood of those 10 states all voting the same way is perhaps small, but there are subtler and potentially graver threats. The cities of New York and Los Angeles not only dominate their statewide elections; they are more populous than Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Dakota combined. Midwestern states could become meaningless in deciding every policy issue that affects them and the Heartland’s economy. East and West Coast cities would have the voting power to dictate agricultural and land-use policies minimally applicable to them but crucial to most of the country. Eighty-five percent of Americans living in areas served by electric cooperatives reside in the 40 states that would stand to become non-factors in national elections. In other words, good luck getting presidential candidates’ attention on issues affecting the cost and reliability of electricity in rural areas. The Electoral College ensures that all states matter. It compels candidates to address issues that are relevant in all parts of America. The constitutional convention managed to strike a balance that has prevented one or a few population centers from bulldozing the entire nation in choosing a president. Today’s polarized politics fuel the ugly desire to win at any cost and a take-noprisoners attitude toward people with differing views. Bad as that is, it will quickly become a lot worse if we throw overboard the 232-yearold compromise that makes it necessary for national candidates to show respect for voters in more than a handful of states.
Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News
WECN Oct19Steve.indd 1
9/13/19 9:29 AM
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DEBATE SCIENCE VALIDATES COMMON SENSE
P
urposefully isolated in Wisconsin’s Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, station 0423E2 of the U.S. Climate Reference Network (CRN) has measured air temperatures and assorted other conditions that characterize the local climate, continuously since 2005. Managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Necedah station and the rest of the state-of-the-art CRN pre-empt error with three independent temperature sensors per site and locations remote enough that for most of the coming century, no nearby human activity is likely to influence the measurements. Installation of the 114-station CRN was completed in 2008. NOAA says its purpose is to be able “with the highest degree of confidence” 50 years from now to answer the question, “How has the climate of the nation changed over the past 50 years?” But despite the CRN’s product being undoubtedly the highest-quality climatological data gathered by any such system on Earth, it’s not what makes up the official U.S. temperature record.
Why Not the Best? A scientific
paper published earlier this year validates concerns that motivated creation of the CRN, and yet there are defensible explanations for the nation’s temperature statistics not being based on CRN data that’s obviously the best available. In climatology, an observational record spanning 30 years is considered necessary to support any claim that a trend is afoot—as distinct from routine short-term variability—and the full Climate Reference Network has been up and running for only a little more than a decade. On the other hand, there are problems aplenty with the network of monitoring stations that do furnish the data used in compiling the official history of U.S. temperatures across the more than 120 years since the start of what are considered representative nationwide thermometer records. NOAA seeks to cope with these problems by “adjusting” data collected at the 1,219 monitoring stations across the contiguous United States that comprise the U.S. Historical Climatology Network (USHCN). The 1,219 stations were selected in the mid-1980s from an even larger
network, so while quality of measurement is presumably improved, there will inevitably be differences compared with data supplied by the earlier network. Moreover, the datasets have been revised at least three times from the 1990s through the first decade of this century. And those revised datasets themselves—to again use NOAA’s words—“contained adjustments to the monthly mean, maximum, minimum, and average temperature data that addressed potential changes in biases (inhomogeneities) in data from USHCN stations documented in *NCEI’s station history archives.” In plain language, the numbers processed to depict historical temperature trends are not necessarily the same ones written down at the moment in history when a volunteer observer checked a thermometer or, more recently, an automated system recorded the data. The “inhomogeneities” NOAA seeks to resolve include stations being relocated, changes in the time of day observations are made, and equipment changes, for instance an electronic sensor replacing a bulb thermometer. All these things can subtly influence the data, and NOAA
*The National Centers for Environmental Information, formerly the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC).
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does its best to compensate with revisions hoped to ensure continuity across changing circumstances. There’s been plenty to compensate for, as direct inspection of most of the USHCN sites revealed beginning a dozen years ago.
A System Found Wanting
Twelve years ago this month, Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News (WECN) published an article detailing substandard conditions at many USHCN sites. Widespread deficiencies raised pointed questions for a citizenry hearing talk of new taxes targeting energy use, and fundamental lifestyle changes said to be urgent because of an estimated increase in the worldwide average temperature totaling a bit less than one and a half degrees (Fahrenheit) over about 160 years. Doubts about the quality of temperature monitoring had already been raised without this magazine’s help. The October 2007 article quoted a then 10-year old United Nations report calling climate-monitoring capabilities “inadequate and deteriorating worldwide,” warning that absent remedial action, “the ability to characterize climate change and variations over the next 25 years will be even less than during the past quarter century.”
These faltering capacities were attributed partly to great numbers of weather stations in northern latitudes ceasing operations after 1990 as the Soviet Union dissolved itself. But what WECN was nearly the first to report, and at the time was the largest publication to report, was that much of the world’s best monitoring system, the USHCN, was in surprisingly poor condition. Weather stations were sited in close proximity to air-conditioner exhausts; on flat, dark-colored downtown rooftops; adjacent to and sometimes directly over asphalt pavement: conditions that expose temperature sensors to artificial heat sources or concentrated natural heat. Mixed with readings from hundreds of other stations to calculate a nationwide average, the effects of bad siting would be limited to tenths of degrees or less. But differences between years headlined as “the hottest ever” and years they’re said to displace are also limited to tenths of degrees or less.
Volunteers Pitch In Among the earliest to examine siting conditions of USHCN weather stations—something the federal government had never done—California meteorologist Anthony Watts in 2007 launched the “SurfaceStations Project,”
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revealing overwhelmingly slipshod compliance with NOAA’s published standards for ensuring accurate climatological data. That summer, Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News interviewed Watts. Still in its early stages, the SurfaceStations Project was turning up large numbers of weather stations ill-suited to contribute accuracy to the record. So abundant were badly sited stations, we asked if volunteer observers might be homing in on absurd examples; human nature being what it is, we asked, where’s the fun in reporting that something’s working as intended? Watts replied that the network’s overall quality couldn’t be fairly assessed until a broader sample was obtained. Over the months the sample grew and there was little change. Ultimately, more than 82 percent (1,007) of USHCN sites were photographically documented. Only 8 percent met NOAA’s standards for measuring temperature within an error range of 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees, Fahrenheit) or less. More than nine in 10 stations surveyed had an error margin greater than all the warming believed to have occurred since the mid-19th century.
NOAA Responds
NOAA backhandedly acknowledges the SurfaceStations Project by dismissing its findings. The agency cites a 2010 paper that compared trends from welland badly sited USHCN stations and recognized bias in unadjusted data but called it “consistent with previously documented changes associated with the widespread conversion to electronic sensors in the USHCN during the [preceding] 25 years.” NOAA also maintained the bias was “counterintuitive to photographic documentation of poor exposure,” arguing that instrument changes had artificially lowered the high temperatures. The agency also maintains the USHCN data tracks closely with that from the CRN.
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Image courtesy of the U.S. Climate Reference Network
However, a paper published this spring under NOAA’s auspices drew conclusions consistent with SurfaceStations Project findings and WECN’s reporting in 2007. “Impacts of Small-Scale Urban Encroachment on Air Temperature Observations” was published in May by the American Meteorological Society’s Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology. Its less-than-stupendous conclusion was that warming is exaggerated when monitoring equipment is exposed to artificial heat sources—a proposition nevertheless hotly contested by many climate researchers in its applicability to large network or global trends. Temperature sensors were placed at graduated distances from buildings and paved surfaces built for the experiment at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Observations from November 2012 through April 2014 were compared with observations from a Rhode Island CRN site with known urban encroachment, and a nearby site free of encroachment. The biggest effect at the experiment site was a narrowed difference between high and low temperatures over a given 24-hour period: the closer sensors were to the built environment, the higher were the
nighttime lows. Seemingly tiny—almost certainly less than any change humans can sense—the 0.7 to 0.86 degree (Fahrenheit) rise in overnight lows could be meaningful. Recent warming of global average temperatures, seen mainly during the late 20th century, is attributed primarily to milder overnight lows, with comparatively little observed warming of daytime highs. And the total increase of global temperatures since about 1850 is generally agreed to be about 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit. NOAA’s experiment suggests a notinconsequential share of this could reflect artificial urban influences.
“Look, Up in the Sky…” The 114 CRN stations that may someday supplant the USHCN aren’t the only data sources unaffected by hot pavement or air-conditioner exhausts. In September the University of Alabama-Huntsville (UAH), which interprets data from NASA satellites, reported the monthly global average temperature for August made that month the fourth warmest August (behind 1998, 2016, and 2017) in the satellite record that began in 1979. The UAH-identified global warming trend works out to 1.3 degrees per century.—Dave Hoopman
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THREE WAYS YOUR CO-OP
MANAGES PHYSICAL THREATS
TO THE GRID T
he threat of cybersecurity attacks on the electric grid gets a lot of attention these days, and regular readers will remember last month’s article looking at a wide variety of ways system reliability can be undone, ranging all the way from sheer happenstance to ill-advised public policy choices. Truth be told, physical damage disrupting power is far likelier to be caused by storms or critters getting into places where they shouldn’t be. There are many physical threats to our power delivery system that your electric cooperative works hard to manage on a daily basis. From weather events to criminal activity (a couple of examples not mentioned last month: copper theft and shooting at substations), it takes proactive commitment to consistently deliver reliable service. Even something as small as a squirrel can damage infrastructure and cause power outages. If the lights do go out, your co-op is ready to restore power as quickly as is safely possible. Here are three key
ways your co-op works to keep your power as reliable as it can be:
Being Part of the Community
One of the most valuable things about being served by an electric co-op is that you also have an ownership stake in the way the cooperative operates. Electric co-ops know their communities. Co-op employees live and work in the towns and neighborhoods they serve. As a member-owner, you know many of your co-op’s elected directors and employees. And, in turn, those directors and employees are personally acquainted with or are even found on the rosters of local fire departments, county boards, EMTs, and so on. Emergencies can happen at any time, and those relationships are important in both the urgent response to unplanned events and in preparing for more predictable events, such as winter storms or spring flooding. An example many readers will vividly remember is the statewide outbreak of severe storms between July 18 and 20. In August, as damage estimates were being finalized, Governor Evers applied to the federal government for disaster declarations (and the financial assistance they would enable) covering 18
The nation’s electric grid is incredibly resilient and can withstand many physical impacts, but it’s also a dynamic infrastructure that requires constant attention. Your electric cooperative is vigilant in ensuring grid protection in order to power your lives.
Wisconsin counties, many of them with an extensive electric co-op presence. Wisconsin’s cooperatives and a few from neighboring states responded to the challenge of getting the lights back on, and it was a truly heroic effort, so widespread was the damage: some half-million feet of conductor knocked down, approximately 700 power poles broken, and about 600 transformers in need of replacement, according to the governor’s request. In some areas several days were needed to restore power for everyone, even with 20 co-ops contributing crews and equipment for the mutual aid deployment. Some of those 20 had their own storm damage to repair before they could move on to assist others. But they came through because they’re all part of one large cooperative community, and cooperation among cooperatives is an essential principle of providing reliable electric service. October April 2019
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Planning, Preparing, and Practicing
There’s a well-known saying: The question is not if a crisis will occur, but when it will occur. What constitutes a crisis can mean different things to different co-op members, depending on the role electricity plays in their daily lives or businesses. Your electric co-op tests disaster and business continuity plans regularly and takes pride in being prepared at all times. Plans not only focus on how to prevent threats, but also how to respond and recover in the event of an incident. In the energy business, activities like vegetation management or pole inspections are routine and will certainly appear that way, but they’re also strategically planned and performed to proactively reduce power disruptions. Trees that are too close to power lines can cause major damage during a storm and may result in a lengthy outage. A memorable example—one in which no storm occurred—involved an Ohio investor-owned utility that paid insufficient attention to keeping its right-of-way cleared of vegetation. On a hot August day in 2003, one of its transmission lines heated up and sagged into tree branches allowed to grow too close. The system tripped off and caused cascading blackouts affecting eight U.S. states and part of Canada. Vegetation management probably leads to more controversy than just about anything else an electric co-op is likely to do. Chances are the co-op manager listening to a member complaint about tree-trimming practices is thinking about his determination not to be the one responsible for a repeat performance of the 2003 blackout.
TWO WAYS YOU CAN HELP
Report Suspicious Activity America’s electric co-ops ask their members to be mindful of unusual situations and to immediately report them to the cooperative or to local authorities. For example, if you see people who do not appear to be affiliated with the cooperative near a substation, that’s potentially significant and should be reported. If you see something that doesn’t seem right, it’s not overstepping your bounds to say something so it can be investigated.
Coordinating with Stakeholders
Your electric co-op places high importance on partnerships with fellow cooperatives, industry partners, and government agencies to mitigate the potential impacts of all types of threats to our systems. Electric cooperatives work closely with the rest of the electric industry, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Energy, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on matters of critical infrastructure protection. That includes sharing necessary information about potential threats and working together to avoid disruptions to the extent possible. Although the electric grid is incredibly resilient and can withstand many physical impacts, it’s also a dynamic infrastructure that requires constant attention. Your electric co-op is vigilant in ensuring grid protection from physical and cyber threats in order to safely, reliably, and affordably power your lives. —Erin Campbell with Dave Hoopman
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Check for Actual or Potential Damage Nowadays it’s become increasingly common to hear of individual Wisconsin electric cooperatives recording annual outage times averaging less than one hour per member, per year. The achievement is all the more remarkable considering how much of a typical co-op’s infrastructure is located in heavily wooded areas. But if you see that tree branches or other vegetation is growing too close to power lines or utility poles, you’ll be doing yourself and your fellow members a favor by contacting your co-op so the lines can be kept clear in order to continue providing the most reliable service possible.
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Chicago Doctor Shakes Up Hearing Aid Industry
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3 lbs boneless pork shoulder 2 Tbsp ketchup 2 Tbsp brown sugar, packed 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes, or more to taste 1-1/4 cups cider vinegar, divided 1-1/2 tsp salt, divided, or more to taste 1 red onion, quartered and thinly sliced 8 soft buns, split horizontally 8 oz cheddar cheese, coarsely shredded, about 2 cups 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature 4 oz diced or sliced pimentos, drained, about 1/2 cup Salt Pepper In a medium bowl, combine ketchup, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, 1/2 cup of the vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Pour vinegar mixture into a slow cooker and add pork. Cover and cook until pork is very tender, 6 to 8 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high, ideally turning the meat halfway through. Meanwhile, in a medium nonreactive bowl, combine remaining 3/4 cup of vinegar and remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, stirring to dissolve the salt. Stir in onion and set aside at room temperature, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to serve. For the pimento cheese: In the bowl of a food processor, combine cheddar cheese and cream cheese, pulsing to combine. Add pimentos and pulse to coarsely chop. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Transfer the cooked pork to a cutting board and let rest 10 to 15 minutes. Use two forks to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. Moisten/season with cooking juices, red pepper flakes, and salt, to taste. Drain onions, setting them aside and discarding the marinade. Spread the pimento cheese on the bottom halves of the rolls. Top with pork and onions and serve.
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Put some
P RK on your fork
Courtesy of National Pork Board and the Pork Checkoff. Des Moines, IA USA
Rain-or-Shine Pulled Pork and Pimento Cheese
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Sizzling Chili Pork Chops 6 boneless pork loin chops (4 oz each, about 1/2-inch thick) 2 Tbsp chili powder 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 1/4 tsp ground cumin 2 Tbsp canola oil
1/3 cup orange juice Water 2 Tbsp flour
Stir together chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and cumin in small bowl. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle chili mixture evenly on both sides of each pork chop, rubbing mixture into pork. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a cast iron or oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Place pork chops in hot oil to brown, turning once after 3 to 5 minutes. Add remaining tablespoon of oil if needed. Remove skillet from burner and place skillet in preheated oven. Bake pork chops 15 to 20 minutes or until internal temperature on a meat thermometer reads 145 degrees. Remove chops to serving platter. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes before slicing. Add water to orange juice to measure 3/4 cup. Return skillet to range top. Stir flour into pan drippings, scraping any brown bits from bottom of skillet. Gradually stir in combined orange juice and water, cooking over low heat until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and serve with pork chops. Serve with stone-ground grits, simmered greens, or fried corn.
Double Pork Party Sliders
Courtesy of National Pork Board and the Pork Checkoff. Des Moines, IA USA
4 pork loin chops (thin, boneless, 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick) 2 slices bacon
8 cocktail buns or 4 hamburger buns 2 Tbsp butter (softened) Salt
Black pepper 4 Tbsp steak sauce
Slice buns in half horizontally. If desired, toast or warm through. Spread cut sides of buns with butter. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat for 1 minute or until there is enough bacon fat released to coat the bottom of the pan, stirring occasionally. Push bacon to side of the skillet and add the chops. Sprinkle chops with salt and pepper. Cook chops for 3 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned and internal temperature on a thermometer reads between 145 degrees (medium rare) and 160 degrees (medium), turning once halfway through. Remove chops and bacon, draining bacon on paper towels and resting chops for a minimum of 3 minutes. If using cocktail buns, cut each chop in half so you have 8 pieces. Place chops in buns. Top chops with steak sauce and bacon strips. These bacon-infused sandwiches are ideal for tailgating and cocktail parties.
Cherry Cola Pork Ribs
2 racks pork spare ribs (St. Louis style, 2-1/2 pounds each) 4 tsp chili powder 2 tsp garlic salt 1-1/2 tsp chipotle chile, ground, divided 1/4 cup cherry cola, not diet 3/4 cup barbecue sauce, hickory-flavored Prepare a grill to medium heat (350 degrees)
Starting at the bony underside of the rack, slip a small thin knife under the membrane on the bones. Loosen about 1 inch of the membrane. Grab the loosened membrane with a paper towel and pull along the length of the rack to remove the membrane. (You may have to do this a couple of times until most of the membrane is removed.) If needed for space on the grill, cut each slab in half between ribs. In a small bowl, mix chili powder, garlic salt, and 1 teaspoon chipotle. While grill is heating, rub mixture all over ribs and let stand for 15 to 30 minutes. Pour 1/4 cup of cola into a bowl. Place ribs bone-side-down on grill over indirect heat. Cover and cook for 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 hours, brushing ribs with cola on both sides about every 20 minutes, until meat shrinks to expose bones by about 1/2-inch at ends. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine barbecue sauce with remaining 1/3 cup cola. On the stove, simmer over medium-low heat, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 3/4 cup. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon chipotle. Brush ribs with sauce and continue to cook 20 to 30 minutes, basting and turning often, until ribs are nicely glazed and tender. Let stand for 5 minutes on cutting board. Cut between bones and serve. October 2019
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RECIPE EXCHANGE Submit your favorite recipes to be featured on our reader recipe page. Email to dana@weca.coop. For bonus recipes, go to http://wecnmagazine.com/recipes/.
Beerocks
Mrs. Barbara Stoll, Neillsville FOR THE HAMBURGER FILLING:
1-1/2 lbs ground beef 1 cup shredded cabbage 1 envelope onion soup mix 3/4 cup sauerkraut, drained 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp ground pepper 3/4 cup water FOR THE DOUGH:
3/4 cup warm water 1 pkg active dry yeast 1/3 cup sugar 3/4 tsp salt 1 cup mashed potatoes 1 egg 1/3 cup salad oil 3-1/4 cups flour—do not sift Brown the meat and drain excess fat. Add the rest of the filling ingredients, cook and stir, uncovered, until liquid is absorbed. In a large mixing bowl, combine the water, sugar, yeast, and salt, and let stand until bubbly, about 5 minutes. Add mashed potatoes, egg, and oil; beat 2 minutes. Gradually add flour, stirring, until dough is stiff enough to knead. Place dough on floured surface and knead until smooth. Divide dough in half and roll each out to form 18-inch squares. Cut these in quarters. Place about 3/4 cup of meat filling on each square and fold dough over filling, pressing edges to seal. Place on greased cookie sheet, cover, and let rise 20 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees 15–20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot or cold.
Quick & Easy Wild Rice Soup Karen Perington, Hatfield
1 cup wild rice 2 cups chicken broth 1 bag Bear Creek Potato Soup 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup Cook wild rice in chicken broth until rice grains pop open. Prepare potato soup according to package directions. Combine all together—do not dilute cream of chicken soup. Enjoy! 22
Refrigerator Pickles
Linda Waldenberger, Holmen FOR TWO QUARTS:
3 medium cucumbers, sliced 1 onion, sliced 1 green pepper, sliced 1/4 cup salt Ice water 2 cups sugar 1/2 cup white vinegar 1/2 cup dark vinegar 1/2 tsp peppercorns 1 tsp celery seed 1 tsp parsley flakes Combine cucumber, onion, and green pepper slices in a bowl, add salt and ice water to cover. Let stand two hours, then drain. In a non-reactive saucepan (stainless or enamel, not raw aluminum), mix sugar, the vinegars, peppercorns, celery seed, and parsley flakes, and bring to a boil. Pour over cucumber mixture. Refrigerate. Keeps well. NOTE: to add color to recipe, use red onion and/or orange or red bell pepper.
Scalloped Potatoes Cristine Hiney, Mauston
QUANTITIES EQUIVALENT TO ONE POTATO PER SERVING:
Peel baking potatoes and cut into 1/4-inch slices 1 medium onion, diced Salt and pepper to season Flour to sprinkle between layers Soft butter Milk Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover the bottom of a baking dish with a single layer of potato slices. Scatter diced onion over the potatoes, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle lightly with flour, and dot with butter. Repeat until potatoes and onions are used up. Pour milk over until it reaches about one inch from the top of the dish. Bake, uncovered, until a fork easily pierces the potato slices. Milk will be boiling, so when done, let stand to set before serving. (For a one-dish meal, cubes of ham and cheese can be scattered between the potato layers.)
24-Hour Dill Pickles Pat Stroik, Wittenberg
Fresh cucumbers, enough to fill a 1-gallon jar 3 heads fresh dill 3 small onions, chopped 6 cloves garlic, peeled 1 qt water 1 pint vinegar 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup pickling salt In the bottom of a 1-gallon jar, place 1 head of dill, about 1/3 of the chopped onions, and 2 cloves garlic. Add cucumbers to fill jar halfway. Top with another head of dill, 1/3 of the chopped onions, and two more garlic cloves. Finish filling the jar with cucumbers and top with the remaining dill, onions, and garlic. To make brine, mix water, vinegar, sugar, and pickling salt, bring to a boil, cook 1 minute, and cool. Pour brine, hot or cold, over cucumbers to fill jar. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours, then refrigerate.
REQUESTS from our
READERS Carolyn from Hazel Green is looking for an “Ultimate Mac N Cheese” recipe. She doesn’t think it was baked. If you can help, have a request of your own, or would like to submit a recipe for publication, please write to Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News, What’s Cooking? 222 West Washington Ave., Suite 680, Madison, WI 53703-2719 or contact us via our website, www.wecnmagazine.com. Thanks!
Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News
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ROUND
ABOUT IN VERNON COUNTY
TAKE A DRIVE PAST THE AREA’S HISTORIC CIRCULAR BARNS
Y
ou could say that Vernon County has cornered the market on a unique subset of ag tourism, which is a bit ironic considering the distinguishing characteristic of that very subset is a distinct lack of corners. Located in the Driftless Area in the southwest corner of the state, Vernon County is home to more round barns than any other county in Wisconsin, and at least for a while likely had more round barns than any other county in the United States. That would include Fulton County, Indiana, the Round Barn Capital of the World. The years have taken their toll on the remaining historic structures in Vernon County, which has lessened the likelihood that it’s still in the running for the “most in country” honor, although the “most in state” standing is still secure. But no matter the rankings—Vernon County has a lot of round barns, and they add character and historical significance to the rural landscape. Visitors can take a self-guided auto tour to appreciate these symbols of the past following a map produced by local historians and available through the Vernon County Historical Society. Vernon Electric Cooperative members Kevin and Patsy Alderson—he a former history teacher and she an artist—have
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teamed up for a number of local history projects. They’re researchers, tour guides, public speakers, and co-authors of two books, including “Barns Without Corners.” This book shares the story behind each of the nine historic round barns remaining intact in the county and is illustrated with Patsy’s paintings as well as photographs of each structure. The book also comes with a map (see page 26) and location points to help guide interested visitors to the barns’ often-remote locations, with notes of public viewing areas, as all of the barns are privately owned and stand on private property. Two of these barns are registered on the National Register of Historic Places. Some are still in use, although mostly for storage; only one is still used to house cows.
What Goes Around…
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, round barns were a fairly common sight in the Midwest. They were considered ideal for dairy farming; in fact, the Aldersons’ research shows that a round barn was considered to be a sign of a progressive farm. The Aldersons say the primary advantages of round barns over rectangular structures included lower cost of construction; ease of feeding, with a centrally located silo surrounded
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WISCONSIN FAVORITES
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1. The Donahue-Fish barn was built in 1910 and is still part of a dairy operation although it no longer houses cows, and the central silo is no longer in use. A rectangular barn was added to the other side of the round portion in 1975, into which the cows were moved. A metal roof and metal siding were also added to help maintain the barn. 2. Inside, the barn more closely resembles its original state, with some of the original timbers still in place. 3 & 4. Built in 1906, the Harris-Kaplan barn is believed to be the oldest round barn in Vernon County. The restored barn is one of two round barns in the county that is on the National Register of Historic Places. Opposite page: Patsy and Kevin Alderson, authors of “Barns Without Corners,” stand near the 1915 Cunningham-Cina barn, the only tile round barn in the county.
by inward-facing stanchions; sturdiness against severe weather, with the circular shape providing much less wind resistance than flat exterior walls would; and a self-supporting roof and expansive haymow. Round barns reached their peak of popularity in Wisconsin between 1900 and 1920, which Kevin Alderson pointed out coincides with the state’s agricultural focus shifting from wheat farming to dairying. He said the proliferation of round barns in Vernon County especially can be traced to two factors. First, the county is close to the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where agriculture professor Franklin Hiram King was championing the round-barn design. Also, the area was home to noted barn builder Alga Shivers, who built or oversaw construction of at least 15 round barns in Vernon County.
Shivers’ own history is as unique as that of the barns he built. He was the son of a plantation slave who made his way from Tennessee to Vernon County, where he established himself as a progressive farmer. Shivers was a respected member of the area’s Cheyenne Valley Settlement, one of the earliest integrated communities in the country. He was a World War I veteran and a recognized community leader, but perhaps his most visible legacy is in the round barns he built. That some of Shivers’ barns are still standing today is testament to his skills as an architect and carpenter. Alderson said a Shivers barn is distinguished by the wood siding made from logs that were typically cut right at the farm on which the barn was built. His style of construction also embraced placing the silo in the middle, a characteristic unique to Wisconsin’s round barns.
Rounding Out The round-barn design began to fall out of favor in the 1920s as farming progressed. Rural electrification, which helped facilitate great advancements in farm operations and increased the quality of farm life overall, ironically contributed to the end of round barns, although Alderson said it’s only one factor. “They quit building round barns when they were no longer as convenient as linear barns for running the apparatuses like barn cleaners and milkers,” he said. “Square bales were a factor. Herd size was also a factor; farms were smaller back then. And round barns are harder to build onto.” Gradually, the number of round barns in the county—thought to be as many as 25 at one time—dwindled, with some being taken down and others falling victim to time, the elements, and a lack of resources for their costly upkeep. October 2019
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Coming Back Around Although no longer as functional as they once were, Vernon County’s round barns have long been appreciated for their historic value. The Aldersons’ research and book are the latest in an ongoing effort to catalog and preserve the county’s rich history of round barns, a project that began in 1993 with a chance phone call from a Fulton County official. A visitor to the Round Barn Museum in Indiana had commented to the curator there that Vernon County, Wisconsin, might actually have more round barns than Fulton County. That prompted a call to the president of the Vernon County Historical Society, the late June Zalewski Pedretti, for confirmation. June and her husband, Harry, searched the county’s backroads themselves, map in hand, to pinpoint locations for all the round barns they could find within county boundaries. They located 16 round barns and worked with the historical society to produce a pamphlet about them. Their efforts were documented in an April 1995 article in this publication. Later, an owner of one of the round barns joined forces with Zalewski Pedretti and Dr. Wava Haney of UW-Richland Center to expand the phamphlet into a booklet entitled “Round Barns of Vernon County, Wisconsin—A Circle Tour.” The Aldersons used that very booklet to guide them on their own
1. The Pepper-Schmidt barn is the only round barn in Vernon County that still houses cows. 2. The Miller-Sebranek barn has been renovated with a new support system and new flooring. It’s used for feed and storage. On the cover: The 1914 Apfel-Evenstad barn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The original wood shingles have been replaced with asphalt shingles, but little else has been altered from the barn’s original appearance.
tour. While exploring and studying the round barns, Patsy took photos of the structures that she used to create paintings, prints of which became popular sellers. As the supply of booklets ran out, the historical society reached out to the Aldersons to create a new book filled with additional information gathered from the couple’s research as well as Patsy’s paintings. You could say the Aldersons brought the whole project full circle.—Mary Erickson
Red numbers on the map above, courtesy of Kevin and Patsy Alderson, indicate locations of Vernon County’s round barns. (Note: A couple are sites where the barn is no longer standing.) For more information or to purchase a book, contact the Vernon County Historical Society, www.vernoncountyhistory.org or 608-637-7396, or contact the Aldersons at kpalderson@gmail.com.
While there may be only nine standing historic round barns left on the tour, there’s one more round barn standing in Vernon County today. The first round barn to be built in this area in about 100 years was recently constructed just a few miles west of Westby off Highway 61. Lyle Bernau built his round red barn himself over 600 hours of labor, finishing in 2015. The project is a tribute of sorts to his grandfather, who built a round barn at his farm in Whittmore, Iowa, in 1914. That barn, which burned down in 1982, triggered Bernau’s lifelong appreciation for round barns. He followed some of his grandfather’s steps in building his own, which he uses as a workshop and for storage. “When Grandpa built his barn, he traveled 3,000 miles looking at other round barns,” Bernau said. “So when I built this one we also went around 3,000 miles to look at round barns.” Bernau settled on a style of his own that combines characteristics of a typical Wisconsin round barn, with a silo in the center, with those more commonly found in the round barns of Indiana, such as an opening on opposite sides so machinery can be driven straight through. Although not officially on the auto tour, Bernau said on occasion people who spot the barn as they travel along the highway have stopped by and asked to take a look, and if he’s around he’s happy to oblige. 26
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YOUNG MEMBERS
Kids and Critters October 2019 1. Casey is the calf whisperer on his grandparents’ farm. Photo submitted by Megan Zoellick, a member of Taylor Electric. 2. New Yorkers Madelyn and Ellianna get the full Wisconsin experience. Photo submitted by Grandma Lisa Ripp, a member of Jackson Electric. 3.Stormie visits with Shasta, a shire-cross mare. Photo submitted by Rena Dums, a member of Taylor Electric.
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4. Will Princess Patience kiss the frog? Photo taken by 9-year-old Briella, submitted by Chad & Billie-Jo Brusveen, members of Adams-Columbia Electric.
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Send photos of kids with animals, along with a brief description, to WECN Magazine, 222 W. Washington Ave., Suite 680, Madison, WI 53703. Please include the name of your electric co-op. Photos will be returned. If in good-resolution, electronic format, photos may also be uploaded via wecnmagazine.com through the “Submit a photo” tab. By submitting, sender implies that he/ she has rights to and owns the image, and grants WECN permission to use the image. By submitting, the parent or legal guardian also authorizes us the right to publish the image.
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CLASSIFIEDS MISCELLANEOUS
COLLECTOR BUYING WAR SOUVENIRS: German, Japanese, U.S. weapons, medals, helmets, daggers, swords, military items. 715-213-4565. WANTED: DEER TAGS, BACK TAGS. Trapping, bear, hunting, and fishing licenses. Otter, bobcat, fisher tags. Any old traps. David Schober, W4234 Rock Creek Rd., Loyal, WI 54446. 715-255-9284. WANTED: PAYING CASH FOR WW-2 GERMAN, JAPANESE FLAGS, DAGGERS, SWORDS, GUNS. ETC. 715-340-1974. USED BILLBOARD VINYLS/TARPS: Sizes available: 14x48=$50, 10x36=$28.80, 10x30=$24. Expired billboard faces, hemmed. Shipping and tax not included in listed price. Vinyls can also be picked up at Jones Sign, 1711 Scheuring Road, De Pere, WI 54115. PLEASE CALL FOR AVAILABILITY PRIOR TO PICK UP 800-536-7446. GOT WOOD! NEW PORTABLE SAWMILLS. We sell Forestry Equipment for the hobbyist to the professional. Band Sawmills, Firewood Processors, Skidding Winches & more. A-F County Market an authorized Hudson Forest Equipment Dealer. Adams, WI 53910. Phone Joe or Rich 608-339-6703. SEPTIC PROBLEMS: Do you have standing water on your drain field? Have you been told you need a new expensive septic system? I have an alternative that works, also comes with a warranty (no digging). Call toll free 855-7976072 or email mmtagm@yahoo.com. RURAL LIFE HISTORY BOOK: Machine Shed Memories – a Chronicle of Rural Life in Wisconsin. Order at www.machineshedmemories.com. WILL GIVE AWAY: LOWERY Saturn organ, 2 keyboards, bench. Holcombe 715-595-4923. Leave message.
REAL ESTATE
VACATION RENTAL: 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom newly updated condo Gulf Shores, AL. Large pool, hot tub, tennis court, fitness center. Walk to golf course/clubhouse. 4.5 miles to beach. Centrally located to everything Gulf Shores has to offer. Nancy 715-292-4409.
PLANTS & SHRUBS
PREMIUM SPRUCE TREES 7-8 FOOT TALL when planted. Balled & burlapped and ready to plant. Perfect for a manicured yard or a natural fence or along a driveway. These are nicely shaped and full from all sides. $79.99 call 608-981-2169.
UPPER MICHIGAN. 1800’ of Lakeshore, 35 acres, pristine lake. Near trout streams, golf, casino, ski, snowmobile trails. Surrounded by Ottawa Forest. Very private. $297, 000. 715-495-2081 or 715-495-3244.
COVER SPRUCE TREES 8-10 FOOT TALL random sizes. Balled & burlapped and ready to plant. These trees are nice but they are not perfect. Great for wildlife or blocking a messy neighbor or even making a windbreak. $59.99 Call 608-981-2169.
VACATION RENTAL. Cape Coral, FL. Beautiful 3 bedroom home on gulf access canal. 10,000 lb boat lift. Weekly rental or more. Call Al. 608-295-7433.
FOR SALE: Bare root fruit and shade trees, small fruits, perennials and shrubs. For varieties visit sunriseraspberryfarm.com. Stevens Point, WI 54482. 715-572-5381.
MARQUETTE COUNTY, no motor Glacier Lake. Serene and beautiful, 3BR/2BA ranch home on cul-de-sac. Oversized 3-car garage. Great fishing. $275,000 Call or email Mary; 608 5864588 maburtch@maqs.net for appointment and further information.
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NATURES RETREAT! KALEPP RD—LaValle Wonewoc area—39.7 acres to Relax, Hunt or just Enjoy. Hop on the 400 Bike Trial across the road and enjoy what nature has to offer. Land has freshwater streams that run thru. Great Hunting Land with Hunting Shack! Call/Text Heidi @ Stark Company 608-235-1562 or hwaldner@starkhomes.com. HUNTER’S SPECIAL: Cabin $45,000. 5 miles south of Neillsville WI on the Black River. 608-233-6891. TAYLOR COUNTY, NEAR JUMP RIVER, great fishing and wildlife area. Selling 2BR/1BA home with 1092 sq. ft. basement, central air, 24x24 detached garage, 60x30 shop, shed, possible truck with plow, on 2.99 acres; $158,000. Call Wayne 507-316-8983 for pictures plus additional information.
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Classified ads reach more than 181,000 mailboxes. RATES: For non-members of Wisconsin rural electric co-ops: one insertion, $25 minimum (up to 20 words); additional words, $1.25 each. For members of Wisconsin rural electric co-ops: one insertion, $14 minimum (up to 20 words); additional words, $.70 each. Count name, address, and phone number as part of ad. Please include zip code. FOR PROOF OF MEMBERSHIP, please include your address label from your copy of the magazine. FREQUENCY DISCOUNTS: 2% discount for 3 months; 5% for 6 months; 10% for 12 months. DEADLINE: 1st of the month prior to the month in which the ad is to appear. All classified ads must be paid in advance. There is no agency discount on classifieds. Make check or money order payable to: WECA. Mail to: WECN, Attn. Dana Kelroy, 222 W. Washington Ave., Ste. 680, Madison, WI 53703. Ph: 608-467-4599. Email dana@weca.coop. We reserve the right to refuse ads.
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October 2019
WISCONSIN EVENTS 4 An Evening with Meri Dean & Friends— Menomonie. Mable Tainter Center for the Arts, 7:30–9 p.m. From jazz to olde Celtic, from rock to indie, etc. 4–6 Fresh Art Tour—Lake Pepin and Chippewa River Valleys. 10 a.m.–5 p.m. A self-guided journey to 19 of the finest studios and galleries. 4–6 Hidden Studios Art Tour—Almond. Hidden Studios, Fri. & Sat. 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sun. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. 7 working art studios on a self-guided driving tour. 5 Fall Bazaar—Holcombe. United Methodist Church, all day. Lunch, dessert, and gifts galore. 5 Apple Affair—Galesville. Fairgrounds, 7 a.m.–10:15 p.m. 10 ft. apple pie, music, food, craft/artisan show, petting zoo, kids’ activities, more. 608-582-2868. 5 Chili Fest—Nekoosa. Woodland Lutheran Church, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Chili served from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Quilts, crafts, bakery, rummage sale, horse buggy rides. Adults $7; Under 12 $3.50; 3 and under free. 5 Oktoberfest Car Show—Black River Falls. Jackson Co. Fairgrounds, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. Cars, trucks, motorcycles, tractors, classic RVs, bicycles, ATVs. Music, vendors, food, kids’ activities, medieval knight fights, camping, more. 5 Fall Festival—Poynette. MacKenzie Center, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Archery, compass skills, wildlife tours, fire building, hiking, music, more. $15/vehicle admission covers all activities. 608-635-8105. 6 Cranberry Festival—Stone Lake. 7 a.m.–10 p.m. Cranberry breakfast, baking contest, marsh tours, arts and crafts (300 vendors), pie social, more. 6 Fall Festival—De Forest. St. Olaf Catholic Church, 11 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Chicken & ham dinner, raffle, games, bake sale, crafts, silent auction. 608-846-5726. 6 Grilled Chicken Buffet—Chippewa Falls. Holy Ghost Parish, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m. with take-outs available until 12:30 p.m. 6 Octoberfest Dinner—Jim Falls. Sacred Heart Parish, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Raffle, bake sale, cake walk. Adults: $10; 12 and under: $5; Preschool free. 715-382-4422.
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6 St. Michael’s Fall Dinner—Jump River. Community Center, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Raffles, firewood, and country store. 9 Harvest Dinner—Jim Falls. United Methodist Church, 4:30–7 p.m. Adults: $10; Children (ages 5–12): $5.
19 Biron Cranberry Harvest Breakfast—Wisconsin Rapids. Biron Municipal Center, 8 a.m.–12 p.m. All you care to eat potato, regular, and cranberry pancakes. 19 Quilt Show—Edgerton. Middle School, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. More than 100 quilts.
11 Potato and Regular Pancake Supper and Bake Sale—Big Flats. Zion Lutheran Church, 4–7 p.m. Adults: $7; Under 12: $3; Under 5: Free. 608-564-2008.
19, 20 Fall Bazaar—Eau Claire. Lake Street UMC Church, Sat. 9 a.m.–2 p.m.; Sun. 8–11:30 a.m. Handcrafted items, bakery, more. Free entry. 715-832-6603.
12 Harvest of Talents Harvest Day—Ladysmith. First Church of Christ, 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Food, shops, live auction, car show, kids’ activities, more. 715-532-7093.
19 Fall Show “Americana”—Colfax. High School, 3–4 p.m. Women’s a cappella barbershop chorus.
12 Arts & Crafts Fair—Bloomer. Elementary School, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Free entry, donations accepted. 12 Oktoberfest “Sip & Shop” Craft/Vendor Tour— Boyceville. Tiffany Creek Elementary School, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Over crafters at school and two area craft shops on tour. 12 Fall Festival—Holmen. Lewis Valley Lutheran Church, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Antique/classic car & tractor show, wagon rides, flea market, lunch, misc. raffles. 12 Fall Fundraiser—Hayward. Flat Creek Lodge, 4:30–8:30 p.m. All you can eat spaghetti dinner. Raffles, door prizes, silent and live auctions. 715-634-3185. 13 Fall Polka Jam—Marshfield. Eagles Club, 12–5 p.m. Public welcome, free admission. 715-389-1232. 13 Harvest Dinner—Galloway. St. Joseph Church, 10:30 a.m.–2 p.m. Following 9 a.m. Polka Mass. Family Style Dinner featuring czarnina. Country store, raffles, Cherry Bowl. 715-454-6431. 13 Lutefisk and Meatball Dinner—Strum. Bruce Valley Church, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. 13 Polka Dance—Cadott. ZCBJ ‘Bohemian’ Hall, 1–5 p.m. $10/person. Light refreshments for sale. 715-271-4454. 18 Bird Migration Talk—Gays Mills. Community Commerce Building, 6–7:30 p.m. 19 Not-So-Spooky Halloween Hike—Fountain City. Merrick State Park, 12 a.m. Hike lighted trails, carve a pumpkin, make a craft, play games. All free.
19 Italian Dinner—Adams. A–F VFW Post 6279, 4–6 p.m. 20 An Evening with Garrison Keillor—Menomonie. Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts, 7:30–9:30 p.m. 23 Lutefisk & Swedish Meatball Supper— Greenwood. Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 4–8 p.m. 715-267-6142. 26 Fall/Holiday Craft & Vendor Show—Necedah. Area School, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. 608565-2256 Ext. 101. 26 Harvest Dinner—Brantwood. Community Center, 4–6:30 p.m. Bison Stew, homemade bread, and pie. 26 Neil Diamond Tribute—Menomonie. Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts, 7:30– 9 p.m.
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