Pictured above in the front row from left to right are Erica Timmers, Karlyn Stuertevant and Rachelle Veenstra. In the back row are Drew Johnson, Shaunna Veenendall, Kylee Momchilovich, Alice Stone, Ashley Robole, Danielle Mundt and Chris Shakal. Missing from the picture are Sam Basques and Emalie Tison.
The visuals arts classic regional was held at UW Stout. A total of ten teams from around the area competed. B-W High School had a twelve member team compete. This year’s theme was “Art and Social Issues.” The competition includes individual competition as well as team competition. Individuals from each team compete in one of twelve categories with a long range assignment (project created beforehand and judged the day of competition) and an on-site project. The on-site students competed in the following categories: Rachelle Veenstra and Drew Johnson in drawing; Sam Basques and Emalie Tison in painting; Kylee Momchilovich and Chris Shakal in sculpture; Erica Timmers and Karlyn Sturtevant in Ceramics; Shaunna Veenendall in printmaking; Ashley Robole in Digital Photography; Alice Stone in personal adornment; and Danielle Mundt in computer graphics.
This year seven individuals received first place finishes and advanced to state. The State qualifiers were Alice Stone, Long term personal adornment; Chris Shakal, short term sculpture; Ashley Robole, long term digital photography; Rachelle Veenstra, short term drawing; Drew Johnson, long and short term drawing; Danielle Mundt, computer graphics long term; and Sam Basques for her short term painting. State competition results were – First place - Alice Stone and Ashley Robole; second place - Drew Johnson and Sam Basques; third place – Chris Shakal, Rachelle Veenstra and Danielle Mundt.
“Qualifying for state as an individual is a really big deal. It’s comparative to state forensics, state band and state choir. First place individuals and first place teams from across the state compete at UW-Madison. This year at State there were sixty teams, the biggest competition yet. Each category had an average of thirty contestants. It’s getting to be very well known and the competition gets that much tougher. The energy and creativity at state is electric. Knowing that the students are competing against the best artists and best teams in the state gets the students charged up for the competition. The art work is amazing! It is so exciting because we’re starting to set a precedent. It will hopefully get students encouraged and excited about next year. This year’s team was a great group of students whom all have special qualities. Getting to work with these students on a daily basis keeps me challenged and energized. It’s one of the many reasons why I love my job! I am really proud of the students for their individual accomplishments and team accomplishments,” stated Mrs. Kamm, Baldwin-Woodville High School art teacher.
Two drowned in Polk County lake
Two men drowned last week in Lake Wapogasset in Polk County, according to the Polk County Sheriff. One of the men was a St. Croix County resident.
According to the Sheriff’s Department, Joshua Meline, 28, of Deer Park, and Travis Foss, 27, of rural Amery, both drowned in Lake Wapogasset, located west of Amery, after the boat they were in overturned.
The men drowned about 3:30 a.m. Thursday, May 7, according to the Sheriff’s Department. A woman in the boat that overturned, Casandra Meyers, 19, of Deer Park, was able to swim ashore and then reported the incident to authorites.
The bodies of the men were recovered by searchers about 10:30 a.m. Thursday. The Sheriff’s Department said the bodies were in 24 feet of water.
The incident remains under investigation by the Sheriff’s Department.
B-W Baccalaureate Service is Sunday, May 17
The Baldwin-Woodville class of 2009 invites members of the public to a Baccalaureate Service on Sunday, May 17. The service will begin at 6:00 p.m. It will be held in the Performing Arts Center at Baldwin-Woodville High School.
Syttende Mai in Woodville is May 14, 15 and 16
The first celebration of the spring will be this Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Woodville for the annual Syttende Mai celebration.
This year’s event features a multitude of activities starting Thursday.
Highlights of the festival will be the Grand Parade on Saturday starting at 12:30 p.m. and the Queen Pageant at Viking Middle School on Saturday starting at 7:00 p.m. The parade route is different this year. The starting point of the parade will be on the southwest side of town at the corner of County Road BB (the old road to Baldwin) and 250th St. The route will follow County Road BB into town, down Main Street to River Street and Lockwood St., ending north of Park View community Campus. Parade line-up will be along 250th St. , Southside Drive and Old County Road B.
The Stipes Shows Carnival will be operating all three days, as well as a number of food stands located throughout Woodville. A softball tournament will begin and continue through the weekend.
Dances will be held Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Live music by Round 2 will be at the Lion’s tent Thursday from 7 to 11 p.m. On Friday The Zebra Mussels will be at the tent from 9 until 1 a.m. And on Saturday John and Dave with Trigger Happy will be at the tent from 9 to 1 p.m.
Baldwin Area Chamber changes name
At the regular Baldwin Chamber Board meeting held in April, the Board of Directors unanimously voted to change the name of the organization to the Baldwin-Woodville Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau. This decision was not taken lightly. There were many meetings and discussions held about the benefits or issues that may arise with a name change.
When the Baldwin Area Chamber name was chosen, there were few if any chamber organizations in eastern St. Croix County. Since then, there is a new chamber organization in the Hammond/Roberts community and there are many existing chambers throughout the county. The Chamber Board felt it was a necessary change to include Woodville in the name, which will assist with the identity of the area, staying consistent with the name of the school district.
“The name change is a way for the public to recognize that the Baldwin-Woodville area has a lot to offer its community members and visitors,” said Chamber President Tracy Carlson.
The Chamber continues to support all the member businesses by being a leading provider of economic, community, and workforce development solutions for the Baldwin-Woodville region. The Chamber offers networking events for its members, facilitates the maintenance and volunteer base for the Windmill, sponsors a Chili Cook-off in the fall and provides other services to its members and the community throughout the year.
Visit the chamber on-line at www.Baldwin-WoodvilleChamber.org to find out more about this local organization.
From the Exchanges
Interesting News Items from
Surrounding Communities
RIVER FALLS JOURNAL: A Pierce County jury has awarded over $350,000 to a River Falls High School teacher who tripped over a jump rope rack after a motion sensor shut off hallway lights. In a verdict signed April 29, jurors determined $363,963 will fairly compensate physical education teacher Ryan D. Bishop and his wife for injuries he suffered in the high school Oct. 6, 2004. The jury found Westra Construction, Waupun, the general contractor for the school, was 57% negligent; B&B Electric, Eau Claire, was 28% negligent; and the high school was 15% negligent. Jurors determined Bishop was also negligent but said his negligence wasn’t a cause of the accident. The award was divided this way: $33,000 for past injuries; $175,000 for future injuries; $6,000 for past loss of earning capacity; $45,000 for future loss of earning capacity; $31,263 for past medical expenses; $67,500 for future medical care; and $6,200 to Bishop’s wife Renee for loss of companionship. In a pre-trial deposition, Bishop said he had been in a storage area west of the gym repairing hockey sticks when the lights went off. He said he made his way to the hall wall, feeling along it with his right hand, then hit something with his foot and stepped on the edge of a jump rope rack, twisted his foot and fell to the ground. He was diagnosed with torn cartilage in his knee and a herniated disc in his lower back.
HUDSON STAR OBSERVER: A fire early Thursday morning completely destroyed a house at 1105 St. Croix St. in Hudson, about a block east of Burton Field. All that remained Thursday morning was a pile of charred rubble. The structure was owned by local contractor Tim Bain who operates a business called “Solid T” which specializes in residential and commercial roofing, siding and remodeling. Also burned in the blaze was a truck used by Bain in his business and a Bobcat. The older style house was being remodeled by Bain and all the sheet rock had been removed. Once the blaze began, it spread quickly. The home was owned for many years by the late Edward and Ethel Lyksett. Bain said much of the major remodeling work has already been completed. “We had done a lot of reframing and most of the electrical was done,” Bain said. “We had put in new heating.” If there was any good news, it was that new cabinets and appliances had just been purchased, but not yet installed and were being stored off site. Bain planned to use the home as a rental and eventually make the structure available to his daughter. Bain also lost a variety of tools and a portable heater that were inside the structure when the fire began. Bundles of shingles for the home were also destroyed in the blaze. No cause of the fire has been determined.
BURNETT COUNTY SENTINEL: This year Luther Point is celebrating their 60th anniversary of campers. Luther Point has been around for a long time. In fact, the vision of the camp began in the 1930s with a dream by two men, Pastor Arvid Larson, Zion Lutheran Church, Trade Lake, Wisconsin, and Mr. Ed Dahlberg, the owner of the land which is now Luther Point. Lutheran congregations of the ELCA, UELC, and Augustana Synod were among the charter member congregations. Construction of the first cabins began in October, 1947 and the first campers attended in July, 1949. Luther Lodge, originally the faculty cabin, (now a year-round retreat center accommodating up to 20 people) was built in 1951. In 1956 the chapel was built and Zion Lutheran Church of Trade Lake donated their pipe organ to be placed in it. The acreage owned by the camp expanded when Ed Dahlberg donated forty acres of woods across County Road M. In the early years, counselors were strictly on a volunteer basis and the program took place only in the summer months. Campers paid a small fee and brought donated food in large cans.
PIERCE COUNTY HEARLD: A farming accident Friday morning killed a rural Ellsworth man. Around 8:20 a.m., the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department was notified of a tractor rollover at N5939 860th St. in the Town of Trimbelle, according to a press release. Upon arrival, authorities found Gailynn R. Poston, 60, had died due to injuries suffered in the accident. Investigation showed Poston was moving a round hay bale with his tractor before it overturned and trapped him underneath the tractor.
OSCEOLA SUN: Polk county’s first probable case of the H1N1 flu, also known as the swing flu and Influenza A, has forced the closing of Clayton schools for three days, through Wednesday (of last week). Officials would say only that the person suspected of having the flu is a school-age child in the Clayton school district, which has about 430 students. They would not reveal the child’s name, age or address. The child was not hospitalized and reportedly is recovering. “We have a probable case which means it has probably a 95 to 99 percent probability of being a confirmed case,” Polk county Public Health Department Director Gretchen Sampson said at a Monday afternoon press conference at the Polk County Government Center in Balsam Lake. Sampson and Clayton school district administrator Cathy Shimon said classes will resume on Thursday if no new cases crop up. Until then all school activities have been suspended while Shimon described as “a skeletal crew” disinfects the building complex. “We do typically disinfect on a scheduled bases…so they just stepped it up and were a little bit more concentrated in (some) particular areas,” Shimon said. The student is suspected of having caught the flu from relatives who recently traveled to Mexico, though Sampson revealed only that the relatives traveled to “a suspect country.”
