Sand Lake Wesleyan plans money class
Sand Lake Wesleyan Church will conduct Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University starting June 17.
Financial Peace University is a 13-week course in personal finance that focuses on a different topic each week including: how to save money, live on a budget, communicate about money, eliminate debt, choose a career that fits your strengths, find bargains and experience the joy of giving.
The class meets Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m. at the church, N5761 Sand Lake Road, Onalaska.
The course fee is $100 per familywhich includes all class materials, bonus books and CDs. People are encouraged to have their high school- and college-age children join in.
For more information or to register, call 784-5293.
Bridge of Life holds campfire services
A campfire worship service will be offered every Wednesday evening all summer long (May-September) by Bridge of Life Lutheran Church.
The informal worship service starts at 6:30 p.m. and the site is on the north side of Holmen on Highway 35 across from the Seven Bridges Bank. All are welcome.
Hiking trails and a wildflower prayer labyrinth are also available to use. There will be hot dogs to roast before worship and s’mores after worship.
Park benches are provided but people are welcome to bring their own camp chair if they prefer. In case of rain, the services will be moved indoors to the Holmen Square mall. Check the church Web site, www.bridgeoflife.us, for updates on location.
Boaters advised of algae study
This summer, boaters and anglers might notice a few foreign objects in some of the backwaters and near-shore areas of Navigation Pool 8 of the Upper Mississippi River.
Scientists will deploy small orange buoys supporting plastic containers of river water at several sites at various times this summer.
These containers are part of a research project by Fordham University and the U.S. Geological Survey in La Crosse, to better understand what promotes algal growth in the Upper Mississippi River.
Algae are an important food for many aquatic insects and fish, and plant nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus are needed for algae to grow. But excessive nutrient concentrations can lead to an over-abundance of algae, sometimes called an “algal bloom,” that can reduce oxygen levels in water as the algae die and decompose.
The clear plastic containers will hold river water at different nutrient concentrations. The containers might not be visible, so boaters might only see the orange buoys and flags.
For the experiments to work properly and provide the best results, containers must remain at the depth at which they are deployed. Boaters are asked not to disturb or handle any of the containers.
Help sought for June 4 bird survey
Mississippi Valley Conservancy is seeking volunteers for a woodland birding survey Thursday, June 4, on private land in the Gays Mills area.
The survey will look at a cluster of six properties adjacent to the state Department of Natural Resources’ Bell Center Unit. Hooded warblers and Acadian flycatchers have been seen in the area in the past.
A carpool caravan will leave La Crosse around 5 a.m., with plans to finish by 11 a.m. or noon.
E-mail ameyer@mississippivalleyconservancy.org for more details, including meeting point or directions to the site.
Clinic offers talk on relaxation
June’s holistic health talk at Franciscan Skemp’s Onalaska clinic, titled “Caring For Caregivers: Relaxation Techniques for Calming the Mind, Body and Spirit,” will be presented by cancer guide Marlene Runyon, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 4, in the lower level of the clinic at 191 Theater Road.
The evening’s program will teach some simple tools for relaxing mind, body and spirit. Participants will practice skills that help with coping and stress management. Participants will learn techniques for their own self-care, which may also be helpful for loved ones.
The presentation is free of charge and open to the public.
For more information, or to register, call 392-9717.
Singers wanted for gospel choir show
The Coulee Region Gospel Choir will start rehearsals for the sixth annual summer gospel extravaganza on June 7 at 4 p.m. at Sand Lake Wesleyan Church in Holmen. All singers are welcome to join at that time. The concert will be given on July 12 at SLWC.
The program is directed by Ruth Ann Granum, accompanied by Sylvia Groleau, Paul Leithold, Mike James and Jeff Touchinski.
Contact Granum at 526-2218 with questions. The fee for joining the choir is $8, which pays for sheet music.
Luren Singing Society to give concert June 4
The Luren Singing Society of Decorah, Iowa, will perform at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 612 Division St., in La Crosse, on Thursday, June 4, starting at 7 p.m.
The Luren Singing Society started 141 years ago and is the oldest Norwegian-American male chorus in continuous existence in the United States. The society has 70 singers, and sings about 30 concerts every year in churches and community centers in Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
There will be a free-will offering for the Luren Singers. After the concert, which is sponsored by the La Crosse Sons of Norway Wergeland Lodge, there will be a pie social in the fellowship room, with a free-will collection for the pie, ice cream and coffee.
Needle felting class set at UW-L
A UW-La Crosse class will help youths learn the art of needle felting. “Needle Felting: The Process of Taking Raw Dyed Wool and Creating Paintings or sculptures” runs from 2 to 4 p.m. Mondays, June 15 and 22, in Morris Hall.
Needle felting is the process of taking raw, dyed wool and creating paintings or sculptures using a barbed needle. Felting has been around for 2,500 years, but it was not until the 1980s that it was used as an art form.
This class designed for students in middle and high school will teach the art of needle felting. Even those with no art or craft experience can create pieces with needle felting. For those with sculpting experience, the craft can be used to make soft sculpture similar to clay technique.
To introduce participants to the craft, they will make and decorate a felt ball before going on to make either a doll or animal with a wire armature inside. Once the basic techniques of needle felting are learned, students can go on to make dolls, animals and more.
The instructor for the course is Jennifer Collins Ash, who holds a bachelor’s of fine arts from the School of Visual Art in New York. She is known for her mural contributions to the La Crosse Children’s Museum and Oktoberfest. Ash has exhibited portraits and needle felt sculptures at the Pump House Regional Art Center and area galleries.
Registration for the non-credit program is $35. There is an additional $15 supply fee for students needing wool and needles.
Pre-registration is required; space is limited. To register or for more information, contact Continuing Education at 785-6500 or www.uwlax.edu/conted.
WSU offers summer Dixieland workshop
The Winona State University Department of Music, in cooperation with the Upper Mississippi Jazz Society, will offer an all-day Dixieland jazz workshop for middle school and high school students July 10-11 at the WSU Performing Arts Center.
The workshop includes instruction in jazz improvisation and traditional jazz style along with a performance at the 22nd annual Lake Winona Jazz Festival on July 11.
All instrumentalists are welcome.
Students are housed in WSU residence halls (double occupancy) and receive three meals.
The cost is $75 per student. Students not needing housing may attend for $65. Scholarships are available.
A $35 non-refundable deposit is due by June 26. The remaining balance is due at check-in on July 10.
The program is directed by WSU music professor Rich MacDonald.
Instructors for the workshop include: Chip Schreader, clarinet and saxophone; Gary Urness, trumpet; George Von Arx, trombone; Tim Gleason, tuba; Eric Heukeshoven, piano; and Rich MacDonald, drums.
For more information or to register, call (507) 474-3900 or download a registration form at www.winona.edu/music.
Young artists sought for art festival
Young artists from schools across the Driftless Area are invited to enter their work for the “KidsArt” Gallery, a part of the Driftless Area Art Festival scheduled for Sept. 19-20.
Teachers have been invited to encourage participation and have until June 1 to indicate interest. Art works will be collected in early September.
For more information and pictures from the 2008 KidsArt Gallery, log onto driftlessareaartfestival.com and click on KidsArt.
‘Three Boomer Broads’ return to stage
In March 2009, storytellers extraordinaire, Sara Slayton, Terry Visger, and Lynn Wing brought the sights, sounds, and stories of the 1950s and ’60s to life on the Pump House stage with their hilarious and memorable show “Three Boomer Broads: Remembering While We Still Can.”
For two nights, the trio entertained packed houses with 90 minutes of humorous, sometimes poignant, always refreshingly honest accounts of what it was like to grow up in a society that was experiencing its own volatile growing pains.
The ‘Three Boomer Broads’ are returning to the Pump House Regional Arts Center in La Crosse with encore performances June 12-13 starting at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased through the Pump House box office. Prices are $12 in advance or $15 day of show. All tickets are general admission.
For tickets or more information, call 785-1434 or e-mail arts&entertainment@thepumphouse.org.
Switchback to perform at Pump House
Roots rock duo Switchback will close out the 2008-09 Pump House concert series with a show June 6. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. The concert starts at 7:30.
Switchback’s 2005 release, “Bolinree,” was their third traditional Celtic album. Produced by Texas legend Lloyd Maines, it was the first recording to truly reflect the band’s unique interpretation of original and time-honored Irish music, a perspective formed by the lifelong experiences of their ancestral roots from this side of the Atlantic.
For more information contact the Pump House at arts&entertainment@thepumphouse.org or 785-1434.
Retired teachers to meet for lunch
The La Crosse Area Retired Educators will meet for lunch at 11:30 a.m. Monday, June 1, at River Jack’s Restaurant in La Crosse.
Everyone who has retired from Wisconsin public schools is invited. Lunch will be followed by a short meeting and speaker Annette Owens, WREA District 3 director.
Cost of the meal is $9.50. For reservations, call Karen Broadhead at 788-2485.
Healthcare power of attorney resources available now online
Gundersen Lutheran patients are now able to access, through MyCare, their own power of attorney for healthcare documents in their medical record. This new feature of MyCare will allow patients to:
Determine if their power of attorney for healthcare has been scanned into their medical record;
Read any such document to determine if it is still up-to-date;
Download their document as a pdf file so they have an electronic copy for their own files or to share as an attachment with other persons;
Find answers to frequently asked questions about advance care planning;
Read and download the Making Choices information booklet and planning guide;
Download a blank power of attorney form;
See contact information if they need assistance with advance care planning.
MyCare is an online tool for patients to view their own medical records, schedule appointments and communicate with their provider.
For help in creating a power of attorney healthcare document or more information, call 775-1347.
Science/tech/math day camp offered
Students who will be in grades 7-9 in the fall and have an interest in science, technology, engineering or math careers are invited to take part in the 4-H Gateway Academy.
Participants in the day camp, which is sponsored by La Crosse County 4-H and the La Crosse School District, will use leading-edge technologies to learn about robotics, aeronautics and computer design. They will also participate in a field trip to a local manufacturing company, learn about high school courses in engineering and work with other La Crosse County youths on engineering and team building activities.
The Gateway Academy runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 22-26 at La Crosse Central High School.
Cost is $15, a small fraction of the more than $300 cost of projects, food and instruction. Space is limited so early registration is encouraged.
For more information or to enroll, contact La Crosse County UW-Extension at 785-9593 or lacrossecounty4h@co.la-crosse.wi.us
There is also a Gateway Academy brochure with signup details online at http://lacrosse.uwex.edu/4h.
Digger’s Hotline season is back
Whether it’s landscaping improvements, installing a fence, building a deck or planting a tree, no project is too big or small to place a call before digging to the Digger’s Hotline, 1-800-242-8511 or 811.
Calls from anywhere in the country are routed to local One Call Centers and to the affected utility companies. Utility companies send a professional locator out within three working days to mark lines free of charge. After knowing approximate locations of utility lines, safe digging can begin.
Utility line depths can vary. Digging without calling has the potential to disrupt service to an entire neighborhood. It could also result in fines and repair costs. One call gets underground utility lines marked for free and prevents undesired consequences.
For details, visit www.diggershotline.com or call 800-242-8511 or 811.
Work starts on Black River trails
Renovation of all-terrain vehicle trails at the Black River State Forest began recently, with small segments of trail to be closed weekdays during the project.
The plan is to upgrade one wetland crossing a week with the affected section of trail ready to ride again by the weekend. The first area to be affected is the 2.2 miles of trail between Highway 54 and Bartos Road. Once these six crossings have been improved, work will begin on the eight crossings to the south between 54 and the state forest border.
ATV trails in the state forest are part of a 230-mile regional trail system in Jackson and Clark counties.
After Labor Day, phase two will begin with work on remaining crossings just south of Highway 54 followed by the six crossings between East Seventh Street and Cranberry Drive.
ATV trails are open from May 15 through Oct. 15 and from Dec. 15 through March 15. Weekly trail condition reports are available online at www.dnr.state.wi.us/forestry/StateForests/SF-BlackRiver/. During construction updated maps showing the section of trail closed will be on the Web site.
The plan is to upgrade one wetland crossing a week with the affected section of trail ready to ride again by the weekend. The first area to be affected is the 2.2 miles of trail between Highway 54 and Bartos Road. Once these six crossings have been improved, work will begin on the eight crossings to the south between 54 and the state forest border.
ATV trails in the state forest are part of a 230-mile regional trail system in Jackson and Clark counties.
After Labor Day, phase two will begin with work on remaining crossings just south of Highway 54 followed by the six crossings between East Seventh Street and Cranberry Drive.
Weather radio touted as good idea
Gov. Jim Doyle declared May 13 as NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards Awareness Day, part of a campaign to encourage Wisconsin residents to keep ahead of severe weather by tuning in to a 24-hour source of weather forecasts, watches, warnings and non-weather emergency information.
The information is provided by the National Weather Service and its parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Weather radios are known as “smoke detectors for severe weather and hazardous conditions.” An NOAA weather radio with an alarm and battery back-up is one of the best ways to protect your family, officials say, especially at night when the alarm feature can wake you up during severe weather and give you and your family time to seek appropriate shelter.
If there is no severe weather then your weather radio can be switched to a silent, stand-by mode.
Weather radios come in many sizes, with a variety of functions and costs. They can be purchased at most electronic stores. Most weather radio receivers are either battery-operated portables or AC-powered desktop models with battery backup.
Many receivers have digital technology called Specific Area Message Encoding that allows users to program their radios to alarm only for hazardous conditions that affect their county.The NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards network started in 1972 and is the sole government-operated radio system to provide direct warnings for conditions that pose a threat to lives and property. There are 33 stations that broadcast weather and hazards info to Wisconsin residents, and more than 1,000 stations nationwide.
Weather radios come in many sizes, with a variety of functions and costs. They can be purchased at most electronic stores. Most weather radio receivers are either battery-operated portables or AC-powered desktop models with battery backup.
Many receivers have digital technology called Specific Area Message Encoding that allows users to program their radios to alarm only for hazardous conditions that affect their county.
UW-L plans Twin Cities art trip
UW-La Crosse Continuing Education will sponsor a “Day of Art Fun in Minneapolis,” which will include shopping for art supplies and a trip to the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
Travelers will board the bus at 6:30 a.m. Saturday, June 27, and arrive back in La Crosse later that evening.
The first stop will be “Wet Paint” in St. Paul to shop for art supplies. From there, travelers head to the Minneapolis Institute of Art for the afternoon.
To conclude the trip, a stop at IKEA for shopping and dinner are planned before heading back to La Crosse. Linda Steine, associate outreach specialist for UW-L Continuing Education in the Arts, will host the trip.
Cost of the trip is $45. To register or for more information, call UW-L Continuing Education at 785-6506 or log onto www.uwlax.edu/conted.
Entries sought for Interstate Fair
The La Crosse County Agricultural Society is seeking entries for the 2009 La Crosse Interstate Fair, which will be held July 15-19 at the fairgrounds in West Salem. All entries for the 2009 fair must be submitted to the
La Crosse County University Extension office by 5 p.m. June 4.
The 2009 Exhibitor Guide and Premium List, including entry forms, are available at the extension office in the County Administrative Center, 400 N. Fourth St., Room 3140, La Crosse, as well as the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce, and many bank and lending institutions around the county.
For the first time, the Exhibitor Guide is available on the Web at www.
lacrosseinterstatefair.com/home; click on “Exhibitor Handbook.”
Entry fees are $2 per person for Junior Fair Exhibitors, and $3 per person for Open Class Exhibitors.
For more information about the 2009 La Crosse Interstate Fair, call the
La Crosse County Extension office at 785-9593.
Survey about Internet use
U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wisconsin, urges residents of the 3rd Congressional District to complete a statewide Public Service Commission survey to ensure stimulus funds for broadband Internet access are delivered to western Wisconsin.
The survey can be found at: http://psc.wi.gov/apps35/eSurvey/Broadband/WIbroadband.aspx. Residents can also call Gary Evenson at (608) 266-6744 to give responses via phone.
Many residents of rural areas are limited to slow, dial-up Internet access, prohibiting them from efficiently accessing online resources. Many who telecommute or require the Internet for business purposes are struggling with the restricted connection, especially as more services become available solely online.
Vets scholarships available
Ten $1,000 scholarships are available to Wisconsin veterans attending University of Wisconsin System campuses during the 2009-10 academic year.
The Donald P. Weber Veterans Memorial Scholarship is available to Wisconsin residents enrolled full time as an undergraduate or graduate student at a UW school. Recipients must be a veteran of the U.S. armed forces and in good
academic standing. Potential recipients also will be required to give a short summary about themselves, their career plans and why they should receive the award. Financial need will be considered.
The deadline to submit applications
is May 15. For more information, go to www.foundation.uwlax.edu/
applications/WeberVeteransScholarship.pdf.
To submit your information for a public service announcement, e-mail it to wsm.news@lee.net
.
Advertisement 
