Spring Green, Wisconsin
Thursday, March 9, 2023 | Vol. 4, No. 5 FREE, Single-Copy
Inside this edition
Ray Ring on the future of small villages
Editorial: Partisan budget rhetoric is tired
Local artist Jake’O releases album
Pages 2, 10
Page 3
Page 8
Celebrate spring’s arrival at Frank’s Hill
Winter has not yet relinquished the season’s cold grip on the landscape but the calendar says spring will arrive soon. The tradition of observing solstice and equinox events at a site in southern Richland County will continue with recognition of the vernal equinox amongst the ancient effigy mounds at Frank’s Hill near Muscoda. The Three Eagles Foundation will welcome people for the sunset on March 20, and sunrise on March 21, marking of the official
changing of the seasons. The east-west alignment of the mounds coincides with the due east-west alignment of the sunrise and sunset at the spring equinox. Spring begins at 4:24 p.m. on March 20, meaning the first sunset of spring will be that evening and the first sunrise of spring will be Tuesday morning. Representatives of the Foundation will be on Hill East for both events, weather permitting. Frank’s Hill will be open to the public for self-guided tours the weekend
of March 18 & 19. A short hike to the top of the hill that offers a stunning view of the lower Wisconsin River valley will be required. Guests should arrive by 6:30 a.m. for sunrise or 6:30 p.m. or earlier to observe the sunset. The site is located 2 miles west of Muscoda near the intersection of Hwy. 60 & Hwy. 193. Park well off the road on the shoulder and enter by the gate. Frank’s Hill is on the National Register of Historic Places. A group of unique effigy
mounds is situated on Hill East where the observances will occur. The mounds are thought to have been built a thousand or more years ago by the people of the Late Woodland Tradition, recognized by many as the ancestors of the modern Ho-Chunk Nation. To learn more about the equinox event or for directions, contact Dave Martin at 608739-4198 or Mark Cupp at 739-2179 or visit the Foundation’s website or Facebook page.
River Valley School District Endowment celebrates milestone, announces Legacy Society Jennifer Kraemer, River Valley School District Endowment RVMS Blackhawk Outdoor Sculpture – K/3 STEM Educational Enrichment – RV Broadcast Studio – Heart Zone Technology – Saving Nemo – School Compost Tumbler – Choose Kind Initiative — These 7 project titles, plus 33 others listed on the RVSD website at www.rvschools.org/community/ rvsde.cfm describe the important work done by the RVSD Endowment to help our teachers enhance the learning experiences of our students. The RVSDE Fund is an affiliate fund of the Madison Community Foundation (MCF). It is amazing that it’s been 10 years since a group of area citizens established the River Valley School District Endowment
to provide funding for creative and innovative programs, projects and experiences to benefit RV students. With the generous support and encouragement of the RV community, the Endowment has funded these initiatives totaling $65,000 (including Covid CARE grants), benefiting students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Thank you! We hope that you have enjoyed seeing the results of grants you helped provide; perhaps you have even received positive feedback from teachers or students. It’s very rewarding work, and we look forward to continuing for 10 more years and beyond. To help us help the faculty continue to strive for excellence in education, we hope that you will include the Endowment
in your philanthropic plans. There are several ways that you can help: - Checks payable to the RVSD Endowment may be mailed to: RVSD Endowment, 660 W. Daley St. Spring Green, WI 53588 - Donate on the School District website: www.rvschools.org/community/rvsde. cfm - Or mail directly to MCF 111 N. Fairchild Street, Suite 260 Madison, WI 53703 (please earmark your donation for the RVSD Endowment) - Contribute via credit card, go to: www. madisongives.org/RVSD As always, your gift to the RVSD Endowment is tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
Finally, in honor of our 10th anniversary, we are officially launching an Endowment Legacy Society, whereby generous donors designate a planned gift to the RVSDE in their estate plans. The gifts may be of any amount, and will be used by our board in the same manner as your current donations. If you would like to learn more about this planned option for supporting the RVSDE in the future, please visit the MCF web page at https://www.madisongives.org/giving/ gift-and-estate-planning or contact Jennifer Kraemer at jnkraemer@charter. net or 608-963-0801. We hope that you will consider joining us to ensure that the students of our district receive innovative and creative experiences in the future.
Celebrate the 'Luck of the Irish' with wit and whimsy to benefit Spring Green Community Center
The Spring Green Community Center will host an afternoon benefit concert of Irish Story with local word artist, Cecilia Farran, on Saturday, March 18 at 2 p.m. at the Community Center, 117 Washington Street, Spring Green. All ages are invited to sit back and enjoy the fun as Cecilia delves into Irish tradition and her expressive voice takes you to an ancient land of mystery, legend and everlasting beauty. There will be an ample bit of Irish humor, epic myth, whimsy, poetry and magic
thrown in. Of Irish descent and coming from a family of storytellers, she is no stranger to the music, mind and story of the Irish Celtic traditions. She is a many times traveler to Ireland, an Irish musician, one time performance step dancer, and founder of the Milwaukee Irish Fest Summer School now celebrating 37 years of a week long immersion in classes and workshops prior to the festival (irishfest.com). Cecilia stated, “This is an entertaining
way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day whether Irish or not, I am pleased to offer this program as a benefit to help support this valuable community facility. We’ll have a great time. i look forward to seeing you there.” Admission is free and all donations will go directly to support the center. It has been said “Cecilia is one heck of a storyteller.” She finds inspiration and solitude at Taralir, her woodland home near Spring Green.
Photo courtesy of the Arena Historians Cecilia Farran, performing the hilarious “Why Paddy’s Not at Work Today”.