Spring Green, Wisconsin
Thursday, April 20, 2023 | Vol. 4, No. 7 FREE, Single-Copy
Inside this edition
Roarin 20s and Rocketman Pizza to close in Plain
Spring Green Musician in Residence announced
Richland County Column: Referendum and UW-Richland
Pages 1, 9
Pages 1, 9
Pages 2, 4
Roarin 20s, Rocketman Pizza in Plain announce closure, plans to relocate pizza business
Taylor Scott, Managing Editor Recently Mike Haight, co-owner of Lone Rock Bistro, Roarin 20s Dining and Social Club and Rocketman Pizza announced that Roarin 20s Dining and Social Club and Rocketman Pizza, both in Plain, would be closing April 22. However, Haight said this may not be the last we see of Rocketman Pizza. In a statement posted on social media, Haight said that the head chef of Roarin 20s, Dave Moreno, was leaving to pursue a lucrative job offer and that there is no one to replace him. "We wish him the best and want to thank him for all his hard work and friendship over the last two years," said Haight. Haight also said they looked into Rocketman Pizza remaining open as is, but the math showed that the one business alone couldn't support that size of facility, but promised they were looking to relocate Rocketman Pizza in the future. For now, Haight says efforts will be on refocuing on Lone Rock Bistro. Valley Sentinel reviewed Roarin 20s and Rocketman Pizza when they first opened, those reviews can be found on our website. We asked Haight some questions about his surprise announcement and the future of his businesses: Valley Sentinel: You said you hope to relocate and reopen Rocket Man in the future, what do you think that looks like? Mike Haight: The Rocketman Pizza
part of the program in Plain was I would say our greatest success. Rich who managed it and is responsible for all the high quality products the pizza side put out did an amazing job. Both of our opinions are that it's too good to just let it die. It was never the problem in Plain...the Rocket was just tied to the rail of the Titanic that was Roarin 20s. We are actively looking for a new spot to house Rocketman as a solo business with lower overhead. VS: Do you believe there will be a similar opportunity to bring back Roarin 20s in the future? MH: I'm sure there will be talk of that and possibly opportunities to do so but there is no way I will be doing that mission again. To me even though it was a beautiful project at times the challenges of staffing, food costs and seasonal fluctuations in business was for sure too much for these small communities in my opinion to have something that complex. That being said we are leaving it more or less intact and I expect there will be someone that will follow us into that space. We created something I consider very attractive visually and my hope is it gets utilized with greater success that we were able to achieve. VS: You said the reason for the closure was mostly based on losing your star chef - what, if anything, would you do differently if you could do it all over
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Photo contributed by Mike Haight Owner Mike Haight, center, sits with Rocketman Chef Rich Peterson, on left, and Roarin 20s Chef Dave Moreno, on right at Roarin 20s in Plain. Roarin 20s and Rocketman Pizza had both won several awards in last year's Best of the River Valley reader poll.
Spring Green Musician in Residency program unveils this year's artist The Spring Green Musician In Residence Board has selected Indianabased singer-songwriter Joshua Powell
as the 2023 Spring Green Musician in Residence. Joshua Powell crafts his self-described
"astral rock" music based on roots in the Midwest and Florida swamplands, informed by the culture and people he
has grown up with. Joshua and the band
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