A Few Eerie Things to Do in Southeastern Wisconsin October 2008

Here is just a very small sampling of events going on

in the Southeastern area of Wisconsin.

YMCA Haunted House

This year's theme is

"How Fast Can You Run"

Where:

YMCA

725 Lake Avenue

Racine, Wisconsin

When:

Friday, October 24, 2008 and Saturday, October 25, 2008

Time:

6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m..

To sign up or for more infromation,

call Nette at 1-262-635-3841.

Volunteers are still needed as of this blog.

Volunteers must meet at the YMCA for rehearsals on October 22 and 23, 2008.

http://www.ymcaracine.org/

********************************

Eco-Halloween Hike

at

Richard Bong State Recreation Area

26313 Burlington Road

Kansasville, Wisconsin

The "Night Noises" hike

will be on

Saturday, October 25, 2008.

This is a family friendly event

***NON SCARY***

games, crafts, skits and campfires

for the whole family.

Arrive anytime between

6:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

to sign up for a hike which takes place every 30 minutes.

Dress for the weather...outside in October in Wisconsin brrrrrrr.

Meet at Shelter #1.

Any questions please

call 1-262-878-5600

or

go to the website

http://www.bongnaturalistassociation.org/

*******************************

The Choral Arts Society of Southeastern Wisconsin

will premiere

an original poem with

Nosferatu

The original 1922 silent film

at

the DeKoven Center

600 21st Street

Racine, Wisconsin

in the Great Hall

Composed and arranged by

Karel Suchy

choral singing, speaking, and both acoustic and electronic instruments

When:

Friday, October 31, 2008

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Time:

Friday

8:00 p.m.

Saturday

3:00 p.m.

and

7:00 p.m.

Cost:

Adults $15.00

Seniors $12.00

Students $ 5.00

Refreshments are available for additional purchase.

They are requesting people wear a costume,

but it does NOT seem to be mandatory.

Any questions please call

Julia at 1-262-553-9062

http://www.dekovencenter.org/

International Literacy Day

Celebrate International Literacy Day at the Racine Downtown Farmer's Market.

When:

Saturday, 13 September 2008

Time:

8:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.

Where:

Farmer's Market

on the corner of State Street and Erie Street,

downtown Racine, Wisconsin

What is for sale:

International Bake Goods

Entrance cost:

Free

Baked goods:

Varies---prices will be on items

There will be 24 flags representing the countries

that are represented in the

Racine Literacy Council's Adult Tutoring Program.

For more information please call 1-262-632-9495

To learn more about what the

Racine Literacy Council

does or to volunteer please click on the link below.

http://www.racineliteracy.com/

Wind Point Lighthouse Tour 7 September 2008

The Windpoint Lighthouse in Windpoint, Wisconsin (Northern Racine) is going to be open to tour.

The Windpoint Lighthouse is 108 feet tall and has 144 steps to climb to the top.

The Windpoint Lighthouse and its museum are only 4 days during the summer.

When:

Sunday, 7 September 2008

Time:

10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.

For information call:

1-800-272-2463

or

1-262-639-202

To learn more about the Windpoint Lighthouse click on the link below.

http://www.windpointwi.us/

The Fonz in Bronz in Milwaukee, Wisconsin 19 August 2008

Anyone who has ever seen

"Happy Days"

knows it took place in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

probably.

There is a life size bronze statue of

The Fonz

by

Gerald Sawyer

(who is from Wisconsin)

that will have the dedication on

19 August 2008.

The Fonz himself,

Mr. Henry Winkler,

will be there for the dedication

along with other cast members

and possibly

director/producer

Garry Marshall

and producer

Bob Boyett.

There will be other things around town involving the cast members who could make it.

Please click on the link below

if you would like to know

the details of the statue, dedication service, and any other information.

http://promo.onmilwaukee.com/bronzethefonz/

As someone who absolutely drove my mother crazy

begging to watch the show every week

and is now enjoying it on MEtv

all over again

I say thank you Milwaukee for doing this,

thank you cast and crew for giving us many years of enjoyment

(I will forgive the jump the shark episode...wink wink).

Multiple Sclerosis--Wisconsin & National Links Included

I recently found out that a friend of mine's daughter has

Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

What is multiple sclerosis?

Multiple sclerosis (MS)

is a disease that attacks the central nervous system.

The central nervous system includes

the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves.

What are some of the symptoms?

They can vary from

mild to severe

and are upredictable from person to person.

Common Symptoms in most people but not everyone.

Fatigue
Numbness
Walking (Gait), Balance, & Coordination Problems
Bladder Dysfunction
Bowel Dysfunction
Vision Problems
Dizziness and Vertigo
Sexual Dysfunction
Pain
Cognitive Function
Emotional Changes
Depression
Spasticity

Less Common Symptoms in some people.

Speech Disorders
Swallowing Problems

Headache

Hearing Loss

Seizures
Tremor
Respiration / Breathing Problems
Itching

To learn more, how to help, where to go click on the link below.

National MS Society

home link

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/index.aspx

National MS Society

Wisconsin link

http://wig.nationalmssociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=WIG_homepage

Remember the Typewriter???

For those of you

**ha ha ha**

that do not know what a typewriter is

(kiddies probably)

it is an early form of using a keyboard to type papers, letters, et cetera.

Christopher Latham Sholes , Carlos Glidden and Samuel Soulé,

invented the first practical typewriting machine in 1866 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

There are a few websites

that do a really great job of explaining how the typewriter came into existence.

http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bltypewriter.htm

http://inventors.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.mit.edu:8001/people/jcb/Dvorak/history.html

http://inventors.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.officemuseum.com/typewriters.htm

http://inventors.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://home.earthlink.net/%7Edcrehr/firsttw.html

http://inventors.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.maxmon.com/1829ad.htm

Micros on the Monument--Microcars Downtown Racine 26 July 2008

Like small cars???

Well check out

Micros on the Monument

Saturday, 26 July 2008.

10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Free Admission

There will also be a

People's Choice Award

given to the most popular car on display.

So do not forget to vote while admiring these microcars

Microcars are as less than 11 feet long

and/or having a 1000cc or less engine displacement.

The microcars could have 3 or 4 wheels.

Microcars dates back to the 1950's and 1960's.

The cars were mainly built out of need for smaller cars

following WWII in Europe.

Europe did not have enough

money or materials

to build bigger cars

so they built the microcars.

Clubs and associations exist for microcars worldwide.

There is even a museum for the microcars

in

Madison, Georgia

The Bruce Weiner Micro Car Museum

http://microcarmuseum.com/

The link for the history of the microcar from the museum.

http://microcarmuseum.com/info.html

To find out more contact

Downtown Racine Corp. at

http://www.racinedowntown.com/

or call

1-262-634-6002

or

Garbo

http://garbomotors.dealerconnection.com/?lang=en

or call

1-262-497-8610

While in

downtown Racine, Wisconsin

why not visit

Italian Fest

which is going on the same weekend!!!

Do not forget to look for the decorated spheres Downtown.

There's an adorable baby dragon coming out of an egg on 6th Street.

There are many

fine restaurants and shops

Downtown Racine

to visit while you are here.

For Civil War Buffs--New Civil War Museum in Kenosha, Wisconsin--link included

The museum is now open,

but part of it is still under construction.

The museum has permanent and temporary exhibits,

features state of the art museum technology,

life size dioramas, and so much more.

If you are a member you get in free.

If you are not a member

you pay $5.00 for adults

and students and children under 17 get in free.

The museum also has free parking.

This is a really great deal.

When times are tough and you have children

it is especially nice to find something to do that is actually affordable.

I can not wait to visit the museum.

Kenosha Civil War Museum main link.

http://www.kenosha.org/civilwar/index.html

The visitors link.

http://www.kenosha.org/civilwar/visitors.html

Salmon-A-Rama Has New Name...Big Fish Bash July 12-20, 2008

The BIG fishing contest for Racine

starts Saturday, 12 July 2008

and

ends Sunday, 20 July 2008.

This used to be called Salmon-A-Rama

and now it is called Big Fish Bash.

I think most people will still call it Salmon-A-Rama

either out of habit or because they can not remember the new name.

The new name is definitely appropriate since people catch fish other than salmon. I never could figure out why the contest had the name it did.

To find out times, prices, how to enter, and more click on this link.

http://salmonarama.com/

There are two additional contests for anglers

in addition to the regular fishing contest.

The link to find out more is below.

http://www.bigfishbash.com/two_on_a_boat.html

Last year over 1,500 people entered the contest from 18 states.

That is very nice.

If you have never gone here it is actually kind of fun

even if you do not fish like me. LOL

There is food, music, and it can be exciting

if you happen to be there when someone comes in with a huge fish.

Fantasia Cancelled for Summerfest Friday, 27 June 2008

The Milwaukee news said tonight that

Fantasia

(an American Idol winner for those who do not know who she is)

cacelled her concert at Summerfest for tomorrow night.

The news at airtime did not know why she cancelled.

Hopefully it is not for anything too serious.

I know a lot of people paid good money for tickets

and hopefully you can get a refund or something.

The news did not say anything about that.

I did go to the Summerfest website

and to Fanatasia's website,

but there was nothing about

the cancellation

or what to do about tickets

at this writing.

The Summerfest link:

http://www.summerfest.com/flash/

Fantasia's website link:

http://www.fantasiabarrinoofficial.com/

Farmer's Market (Racine, Wisconsin)

Many people who live here know about

the Farmer's Market held Saturdays downtown in Racine

and the one on Tuesdays and Fridays at Regency Mall,

but I wonder how many people know about

the Southside Farmer's Market held Tuesdays and Fridays in West Racine?

Ok, I am sure there are quite a few who do, but I just learned about it today.

Southside Farmer's Market

West Racine

Southwest corner of

Washington Avenue

(Highway 20 for the out of towners)

and West Boulevard

8 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

I love Farmer's Markets.

I like knowing that the food is local and who I am buying from.

I just wish they were year round here.

I will try to check this one out real soon for everyone and report back in.

If you have visited any

farmer's markets in this area

please please

let me know in the comments or e-mail.

I would like to let people know where they are and how they are.

Also, there are many farms in the area that sell directly to the public.

You can check them out in the yellow pages and many have websites.

Thanks

Racine Public Library Foreign Film Series Summer 2008

The Racine Public Library

will be hosting

two (2)

foreign films

at the

following location:

JavaVino

424 Main Street

Racine, Wisconsin

5 p.m.

Admission is

FREE

These films are

NOT FOR CHILDREN UNDER 17 !!!!

Film 1:

"A Peck on the Cheek"

from India

12 July 2008

To know about this movie

click on this link to it

from IMDB (Internet Movie Database)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0312859/

Film 2:

"Her Name is Sabine"

from France

9 August 2008

To learn more about this movie

click on this link

from IMDB (Internet Movie Database)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1031928/

Link to the Racine Public Library

http://www.racinelib.lib.wi.us/

Link to My JavaVino

This will show some of the "happenings" going on there.

http://www.myjavavino.com/

To learn more about JavaVino click on this link.

http://myjavavino.com/about/

Show map of 424 Main St, Racine, WI 53403

Underground Railroad for Wisconsin links

I got to wondering

about the

Underground Railroad

here in Wisconsin.

I knew Racine was on the route

and wondered if there was any information

for people interested in learning more.

Duh!!!

Right with the internet of course there is.

I found this really good site called

History Alive!

This is a site that anyone can go to,

but it has wonderful tools for teachers.

Please check them out.

http://www.teachingwithstories.com/

http://www.teachingwithstories.com/teachers/map.htm

This is a link for the

Wisconsin Historical Society

They not only have information on the Underground Railroad,

but for all types of historical facts for the state of Wisconsin.

http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/topics/undergroundrr/

Aboard the Underground Railroad

The Milton House located in,

well where else,

Milton, Wisconsin

and was constructed by Joseph Goodrich.

Joseph Goodrich was an

Underground Railroad conductor

and a pioneer in Wisconsin.

To learn the complete history of

The Milton House

and Joseph Goodrich

click on the link below.

http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/underground/wi1.htm

The Racine Heritage Museum

is helping with

research, documentation, identification, and dissemination

of information with the following organizations:

The Links Incorporated

National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program

http://www.racineheritagemuseum.org/ugrr.html

Friend Lori from Wisconsin Is Selling Handmade Items (link included)

I figured since Lori and I

are from Wisconsin

this qualifies as

"Anything Wisconsin".

LOL

My friend Lori is selling

on her blog

Cute and Shabby For Sale

(link below).

Die cuts for scrapbooking,

ornaments, etc.

I will be adding items

from my family

in my various blogs also.

I might even start a new one just to sell items.

If you are looking for

handmade or refurbished ornaments & decorations,

scrapbooking items please check out Lori's blog.

http://loriann-cuteandshabbyforsale.blogspot.com/

The 2 links below are for the same thing:

The first one is the one off of Google and

the second one is where the first one takes you to.

2007-2009 STP Urban Program Approved Projects List

http://www.dot.state.wi.us/localgov/highways/docs/stpu0709.pdf

This link is for work zones and detour information for the whole state of Wisconsin.

http://www.dot.state.wi.us/travel/road/workzones.htm

I am still searching for a site that will give details

on exactly what the city is doing,

the cost et cetera,

but I am having trouble finding one.

If anyone comes across one please leave in comments or

let me know and

I will add a link in another posting.

I have been mainly posting

the local road construction on

one of my other blogs, Mary's World.

I thought if anyone is coming to Wisconsin

a link to road constructions and

detours might be appreciated.

Thanks.

Link to Wisconline.com

I am always looking for new links to help people, myself included.

I came across this one that from the looks of it

has everything you could possibly want in a website on tourism.

I only looked at a few items,

because there really is soooooo much there

that it would probably take hours to thoroughly read everything.

The headline on their site says it all:

What's Happening in Wisconsin.

Here is a sampling of some of the items you can look up:

museums

camping

youth camps

art galleries

shopping

bicycle tours

nightlife

birdwatching hotspots

almanacs

bicycle routes

lighthouses

historical sites

natural forests

hiking trails

orchards pick your own

public gardens

state parks and forests

train rides/museums

waterfalls

sports

canoe and kayak rivers

2008 festivals and fairs

casinos

and so much more

To find out more click on the link below.

http://www.wisconline.com/attractions/

John Dillinger Gun On Display In Racine Police Station

It has been big news between Chicago and Milwaukee about Johnny Depp filming a movie about John Dillinger. That got me wondering if one of the guns (a Thompson submachine gun) that John Dillinger used was still on display here in Racine. It is and it is currently at the Racine Police Station. It had been on loan to the Racine Art Museum which stands on the site that the bank (American Bank and Trust) that Dillinger robbed once stood.

Dillinger and his ganged robbed the American Bank and Trust on November 20, 1933 and took $28,000 according to The Journal Times.

Of course for some very insane and stupid reason the movie Johnny Depp is NOT going to film that robbery even though it would make a good scene (according to the headline on the original article the bank president was kidknapped and tied to a tree). So, what have our local politicians done to try and bring revenue into this city???

A major Hollywood movie being filmed about the FBI's very first declared public enemy with what would be a very interesting scene and from what I can tell from different blogs and websites none of our politicians have even tried to get the movie here.

To read the full story please click on The Journal Times link below.

http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2008/03/11/local_news/doc47d7194e954f1476197651.txt

This is a link to a copy of the original newspaper article about the robbery.
http://theweylands.com/racinebankroberry.html

I figured since I mentioned the Racine Art Museum a link would be nice.
http://www.ramart.org/ram/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

One of the blogs that explains in more details about the movie and why it is not coming to Racine link is below.
http://news.racinepost.com/2008/02/dillinger-movie-skips-scene-of-crime.html

Like Mustard?? Check out Mount Horeb, Wisconsin

Mount Horeb, Wisconsin is the troll capital of the world. :D

http://www.trollway.com/

I personally have been to Mount Horeb and it is a charming little town. Look for the trolls all over the town (live trolls too). I did go into some of the shops. The people are friendly and do not make a person feel like they are intruding on them. Believe me that a lot of places make a person feel like they would rather you not be there.

I bought a gnome shaped cookie cutter in one store and a very pretty ceramic tile. I have that hanging up in my bedroom. It has a Dutch design on it. The shops are small and have much to search for. There is bound to be something for everyone.

They also have a mustard museum--no kidding!! :) You can even buy mustard from them.

Unfortunately I did not have time to visit the museum. :( I wanted to but we had to get back home. Maybe on my next trip. I thought it would be interesting to see all the different mustards they have.

They boast they have over 4,900 jars, bottles, and tubes from all 50 states and more than 60 countries. That is a lot of mustard.

To find out directions, times, they have links to mustard festivals and winners, to view You Tube mustard videos, and to even buy mustard from them click on the link below.
http://www.mustardweb.com/

Contact information:

Barry Levenson, Curator
Patty Levenson, Director of Marketing

P. O. Box 468100
West Main Street
Mount Horeb, WI 53572

1-800-438-6878

customerservice@mustardmuseum.com

National Mustard Day is the first Saturday in August. That I did not know.

The Golden Rondelle Theater--SC Johnson

The Golden Rondelle was originally designed by Lippincott and Margulies as the SC Johnson Pavilion at the New York World's Fair in 1964-65.

At the Fair, the Golden Rondelle had a soaring superstructure of 90-foot high columns that arched inward to form a partial canopy over the rest of the building.

The film "To Be Alive!" was the main attraction to people, not the building itself. During the two six-month seasons of the fair more than 5 million people saw the film.

"To Be Alive!" won several awards including a citation from the New York Film Critics and an Oscar from the National Academy of Motion Pictures for best documentary short subject in 1966.

After the Fair, the theater was brought to Racine. It reopened in summer of 1967 with only the "saucer" part of the building attached to a new building at one of the Johnson Wax properties. The building that it is attached to was designed by Taliesen Associate Architects of Frank Lloyd Wright fame.

To learn the complete history and details of the building just click on the link below.
http://www.racinecounty.com/golden/about.htm

SC Johnson: The Golden Rondelle Theater
To get information on tours, times, directions, etc. click on this link.
http://www.racinecounty.com/golden/

Link to Wisconsin Fairs, Festivals, & Other Attractions

If you are coming to Wisconsin for a visit this year and want to know what kind of fairs and festivals there are check out this site. It has listings for the entire state.

Psst.....This is great for people who live here too!!!! Ha Ha Ha Sorry, I could not help myself.

Seriously though this site also has listings for/to find,
accommodations,
shopping,
amusement parks,
casinos,
greyhound racing,
clubs/taverns,
drive-in movie theaters (yes they do still exist),
science and nature centers,
spas,
zoos,
spectator sports,
water parks and pools,
and tours.

http://www.travelwisconsin.com/Fairs_and_Festivals.aspx

I am also including a few links to festivals that many people here and elsewhere might or might not have heard of.

Juneteenth Jazz

http://www.juneteenthjazz.com/

University of Eau Claire 41st Jazz Festival

http://www.uwec.edu/mus-the/JazzFestival/schedule.htm

Oktoberfest in New Glarus, Wisconsin

(A personal note here--I have been in New Glarus several times and it is a beautiful small town with a German feel. I have not been to Oktoberfest though. This is one of my favorite small towns in Wisconsin.)

New Glarus also holds a Heidi fest every year. So, if you are a Heidi fan think about the festival.

Also, they hold a Wilhelm Tell Festival.

http://www.swisstown.com/oktoberfest.shtml

Summerfest

http://www.summerfest.com/flash/

A Brief History of Wisconsin

I had planned on actually giving information about the origin and meaning of the name Wisconsin, but there seems to be conflicting information about that subject. The link below goes more in depth about that.

http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/

Some other information though:

There are more than 10,000 books with history about Wisconsin--Wow!!! That is a lot of books and I confess I had no idea there were that many books with history about my birth state.

This state was "born" after the last ice age about 13,000 years ago. People have always lived on the land here. Some were the Menominee and the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) and still preserve ancient narratives that place both groups of people here before the written history. There have also been finds from several other peoples around the state.

Wisconsin became the 30th state on May 29, 1848.

The Wisconsin Historical Society is a fantastic place to learn more about the history of the 30th state in the union. Once there you can find out where the museums, special events around the state, etc. are.

There is a tab for teachers and students, genealogy, photos, shopping, government buildings, and so many other tabs that I am not going to list them all.

I wish I had a computer when I was doing all my school projects in high school lol. This truly is a very informative site.

House On the Rock in Spring Green, WI

If you have not heard of this place and are coming to Wisconsin you should really check it out. This is a very unique place created by Alex Jordan. There are many rooms each with a different theme. I will list a few further down. It also has an amazing garden with statues and there is lodging near by and many other places to visit within driving distance. Alex Jordan had worked with Frank Lloyd Wright at one point.

The house began being built in the 1940's on top of Deer Shelter Rock about 60 feet tall (according to Wikipedia). I can not do it justice in my description, but the links below does have more information if you would like to check them out. They also have pictures to look at.

Some of the rooms at the house are:

"The Streets of Yesterday"---This is a recreation of an early twentieth century street with shop windows, etc.

"The Heritage of the Sea"---mmm.... This is a nautical theme with a 200 foot sea monster...

"The Music of Yesterday"---This houses a large collection of automated music machines, the world's largest working carousel (the carousel has 269 animals!!), and more.

There is also a dollhouse room, toys, banks, etc. and more being built and added to.

This is not to say that this place does not have problems. It can give a person the creeps, it is probably dusty in places, but there is something for just about everyone here. Check out the various websites and see if it interests you and if it does not then check to see what else is around the area.

Some suggestions: The Wisconsin Dells (the boat trips are my favorite to see the beautiful rock formations), there is a winery close by the Wisconsin Dells (but I have not been there yet), there are state parks, camping, fishing, small towns with some interesting summer festivals, Baraboo, Wisconsin has Circus World which can be fun for the children, and so so much more in that part of the state.


http://www.springgreen.com/

http://www.travelwisconsin.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_on_the_Rock

http://www.pbase.com/ysic/the_house_on_the_rock

http://www.thehouseontherock.com/HOTR_AttractionMain.htm

http://wisdells.com/

http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/circusworld/

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/parks/

Like Malted Milk or Shakes???

Many people have tried malted milk or malted shakes, but do you know who invented it?
Two brothers James and William Horlick from England developed it. James Horlick who was a pharmacist in London came up with a nutritional wheat and malt based supplement for infants. He was not getting anywhere in London and his brother William was here in Racine and he decided to move here. They formed their own company in 1873 here in Racine, Wisconsin. They trademarked the name "malted milk" in 1887.

When I was a child it was easy to get the malted flavor in tablets (kind of like candy) in jars. I do not know exactly when the stores around here stopped selling them, but I did a little research and did find a few sites that have them for sale.

http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/jump.jsp?itemID=11881&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C5%2C39%2C174&KickerID=95&KICKER&searchid=inceptor


http://www.candydirect.com/search.php?keywords=horlick


http://www.oryans.com/homamitama.html


http://www.retrocandyonline.com/horlicks-malted-milk-tablets.html

If you would like the rest of the story click on the link below.

http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/museum/exhibits/horlicks/

Some other sites you might find interesting dealing with the two brothers, company, and/or malt in general.

http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=2463&term_type_id=1&term_type_text=People&letter=H

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horlicks

http://www.racinehistory.com/timeline.htm

http://www.practicallyedible.com/edible.nsf/encyclopaedia!openframeset&frame=Right&Src=/edible.nsf/pages/horlicks!opendocument