The first Earth Day was April 22nd, 1970, and it was the beginning of the modern environmental movement. The passage of the landmark Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and many other groundbreaking environmental laws soon followed. Twenty years later, Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world, but you don't have to participate globally -- there are many ways to do it locally this Saturday, April 22nd! In Newburg, there's the Earth Day Service Fest at Riveredge from 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. From preparing and planting cool garden beds in our children’s organic garden to conducing grounds clean-up and invasive species removal to trail maintenance, this fest will provide you an opportunity to get your hands dirty while keeping our sanctuary green. There’s awesome opportunities for groups, families, and individuals of all ages to get involved and make a difference. The day is free and as a special thank you, all volunteers will receive a free lunch at noon and a picnic style festival starting at 11:30am. Everyone is invited to make a nesting bag for birds, experience a composting demonstration, and play in the great outdoors. Our friends from the Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts will be joining us to lead everyone in their very own creation of a tin-can planter! In Mequon, you can celebrate Earth Day at the Mequon Nature Preserve from 1-3 p.m. This is a free event for families and people of all ages. Kohl’s Wild Theater will perform Aldo Leopold and the Sand County Ghost, and guests can also participate in seed plantings and crafts. Please RSVP to this free event with Amy: amyw@mequonnaturepreserve.org or call 262-242-8055. Also in Mequon, the Unitarian Church North is hosting an Earth Day Family Festival from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. The Festival is free and all are welcome. The event activities will be both in the church and, weather permitting, on its naturally landscaped grounds. The church is located at 13800 N. Port Washington Rd., Mequon, in a building that replicates the Clausing barns built in the area in the late 1800s. The Festival includes children’s nature activities, live folk music, demonstrations by holistic caregivers, fresh organic juices and foods, and numerous 15-minute presentations on homeopathy, mediation, sound healing, and more. Port Washington has a Community Clean Up in honor of Earth Day, from 8 a.m. - noon. Kickoff will start at 8:00am in Veterans’ Memorial Park. Call the Parks & Rec Office if you or a group you’re part of is interested in helping and would like more information. 262-284-5881. "Goodies" will be provided for those who help out, such as a water bottle, snack, free day at Pirates' Hollow Waterpark, and possibly a free pass to the Milwaukee Zoo! Also in Port, the Port Washington High School PiraTech Team will host a Community Recycling from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Donations of building materials, tools, and home furnishings will go to Habitat for Humanity, while used bikes will go to DreamBike. Electronics and Appliances (some requiring a fee), as well as Textiles and Scrap Metal will also be accepted. The Milwaukee Riverkeeper has their 22nd Annual Spring River Cleanup from 9- noon in locations all over southeastern Wisconsin, including Lime Kiln Park in Grafton. Milwaukee Riverkeeper provides the gloves, trash bags, and amazing FREE T-SHIRTS, and you provide the hands and energy to pick up the interesting and sometimes bizarre trash that finds its way into our beautiful river system. Afterwards, come to the Trash Bash, a free celebration in partnership with Rock the Green at Estabrook Park, Picnic Area #8. Music, food, and fun await volunteers! Happy Earth Day, Oz!
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Spring has sprung, and Easter is right around the corner, and that means egg hunts, brunch, and chocolate bunnies! Here's what's in store for Ozaukee this Easter: On Saturday, April 8th, Grafton kids in preschool through third grade can bring their baskets and join the Egg Hunt at Centennial Park. Pictures with the Easter Bunny will available between 12:30 and 1, and the hunt will begin at 1 p.m. Port Washington has their annual Hippity Hoppity Easter Egg Hunt and Easter Bonnet Contest (even pets can get dressed up!) on Saturday, April 8th. Kids ages 2-9 should go to the Possibility Playground at 10 a.m. Photos can be taken with the Easter Bunny at the park, and families can enjoy live music by Shana Harvey. Then, "hop" to downtown Port, where many of the local businesses will be handing out additional treats between 11 and 1 p.m. Kids in Belgium who are 10 or younger can meet at Heritage Park for an Easter Egg Hunt at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 15th for their hunt. Riveredge Nature Center in Newburg has three different hunts the same day, 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m., for their special Family Easter Egg Hunt. This is a candy-free hunt and prizes will be awarded to all participants. After the hunt, discover the wonders of Wisconsin’s egg-laying animals and color eggs using natural dyes. This event will appeal to the whole family. For everyone’s enjoyment, group sizes for the hunts will be kept small, children will be divided according to age, and bag limits will be set. Pre-registration required ($7/non-member child & $5/member child). Easter Brunch is a popular option, which means reservations are usually required. There are many places to choose from in Port Washington: Twisted Willow, Port Hotel, Newport Shores, and Tellos are the standards, and newbie General Wooster's is testing the waters this year. Nearby in Saukville, the Firehouse Restaurant will have their Easter Brunch. In Grafton, Atlas BBQ is trying out their very first Easter Brunch, while Fire Ridge is holding up their tradition. In Mequon, Joey Gerard's is a good bet. In Cedarburg, Galioto's Twelve 21 has your Easter Brunch covered. If you're in need of Easter Candy, get it local! Amy's Candy Kitchen and Ashley's Confectionary in Cedarburg have great selections. Sweet Trio in Grafton and The Chocolate Chisel in Port have plenty of chocolate bunnies to go around, as well. Happy Easter from Ozaukee Living Local! Cedarburg Friends of the Library (CFoL), along with the Cedarburg Public Library (CPL), and Cedarburg Fire Department (CFD), have come together to launch the Cedarburg Reads 2017 community-wide reading-and-discussion program. DeWayna Cherrington, CFoL President; Robert Vasholtz, CFD Fire Chief; and Linda Prischalla, CPL Head Librarian, are inviting all citizens to participate in meeting your neighbor one conversation at a time by reading the same book: Population 485, by Wisconsin author Michael Perry. “We considered many books for this year's Cedarburg Reads program,” says CFoL President DeWayna Cherrington, “but we couldn’t pass up on the charm, humor, and sense of place that we found in Population 485. We know that our neighbors will enjoy reading it just as much as we did, and will find much to talk about in its slices of small- town life.” In life, we can go for days at a time without connecting with others outside of our circle; by reading the same book, we hope to enrich everyone’s life. Local residents are invited to join Cedarburg Reads Population: 485, and attend group book discussions to “meet your neighbors one conversation at a time.” Throughout the month of March, local businesses and organizations will host book discussions throughout the community that will be moderated by CFoL members and volunteers. Community members are invited to host their own private discussions and post pictures with the hashtag #CedarburgReads to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. A calendar of discussions will be available at the CPL, CFoL page on the CPL website, and the CFoL Facebook page. "There is something powerful in the shared experience of reading the same book,” says CPL Head Librarian Linda Prischalla. “Discussions are an important — though often overlooked — part of reading. These community conversations create points of connection, which form the context for richer relationships and the ability to understand each other’s view points better.” On Thursday, March 16, author Michael Perry will make a special appearance in Cedarburg for two special events. The first event will be a private meet-and-greet for members of the CFoL. Shortly after, the author will appear at the Cedarburg Cultural Center to talk about the book and small-town life. Of all his experiences, Perry says the single most meaningful thing he has ever done is serving 12 years beside his neighbors on the New Auburn Area Fire Department. CFD Fire Chief Vasholtz agrees with the author, saying, “We serve the community, but we are also made up of the community. Every volunteer in the CFD joins out of love and commitment for our friends, our neighbors, and our relatives. In turn, the fire department is a second family for many of us — a family of community.” ABOUT THE BOOK After a twelve-year absence, a real-life prodigal son returns to his hometown — New Auburn, Wisconsin, population: 485 — and joins the volunteer fire and rescue department. In this memoir, writer Michael Perry sets out “to meet my neighbors at the invitation of the fire siren.” The emergencies are real, the settings are surreal, and with each foray into the boondocks, we piece together the history of a people and a place. By turns fiery and funny, violent and gentle, Population: 485 is the true account of a search for rootedness in a place from the past. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Michael Perry is a New York Times bestselling author, humorist, and radio show host from New Auburn, Wisconsin. Perry's bestselling memoirs include Population 485, Truck: A Love Story, Coop, and Visiting Tom. He lives with his wife and two daughters in rural Wisconsin, where he serves on the local volunteer fire and rescue service and is an intermittent pig farmer. Additional information about Michael Perry can be found online at www.sneezingcow.com. . ABOUT CEDARBURG READS Cedarburg Reads is a community-wide program with the singular goal of helping Cedarburg residents in meeting your neighbors one conversation at a time. Designed to bring people together through the reading and discussion of a common book, programs like this one have been implemented throughout the country to create a shared experience of civic unity through the reading of literature. ABOUT CEDARBURG FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY The Cedarburg Reads program is sponsored by the Cedarburg Friends of the Library, a vibrant, active group of citizens who are dedicated to supporting the Cedarburg Public Library (CPL) through fundraising, volunteer support, and community events. The Friends organize several major book sales, including the library’s permanent Book Nook installation, southeastern Wisconsin’s largest used-book sale (the Summer Book Sale), and the Winter Fiction Sale. These sales raise funds for enhancements and programs including the 3D printer, the CPL website, the children’s summer reading program, additional bestseller novels, genealogy materials, Great Decisions programs, and more. More information about the Friends can be found online at http://www.cedarburglibrary.org/connect/cedarburg-friends-of-the-library/ or http://bit.ly/CedarburgFoL . By Kathy Lanser The much anticipated Cedarburg History Museum will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday, Feb. 18, as it opens its doors to the public at 10 a.m. Located in the heart of historic downtown Cedarburg at N58 W6194 Columbia Road, the Museum is the culmination of the efforts of the Cedarburg Cultural Center, The Cedarburg Landmark Preservation Society, local benefactors, and donor collections. “The new history museum will be a key destination for tourists and local residents to entertain, educate and engage people interested in the history of our community,” said Sarah Titus, curator of the CHM. “Not only will visitors see historic photographs and artifacts, but they will also experience history by hearing the stories of our ancestors through interactive technology.” The beloved General Store Museum has been re-located to the CHM and will be one of four main galleries. There will also be a working ice cream parlor and penny candy store, as well as a rotating exhibit gallery that will display objects from a number of local collections, as well as a gallery to showcase the celebrated Harold Dobberpuhl and Edward Rappold photography collections. A highlight of the historic photography gallery is the large interactive touch screen which allows visitors to travel back in time to enjoy the experiences of Cedarburgers past and present. Two additional interactive screens are located throughout the museum. The grand opening coincides with Cedarburg’s 43rd Annual Winter Festival on Saturday Feb. 18 and Sunday Feb. 19. This year is a “Mardi Gras” theme, complete with an ice carving contest, hay rides, a parade, Chili Cook-Off, pancake breakfast, music, refreshments, and much more. The Cedarburg History Museum, curated and managed by the Cedarburg Cultural Center, is free and open to the public Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, please visit: https://www.Facebook.com/TheCedarburgHistoryMuseum or call (262) 375-3676 The CHM is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) Center to showcase the history of Ozaukee County. All galleries and restrooms are wheelchair accessible. Open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sundays Noon to 4 p.m. Ozaukee County is the place to be for the holidays! From Thanksgiving through the New Year, there are festive events happening everywhere you turn. Here's the complete listing:
Saturday, November 26th 37th Annual Grafton Christmas Parade at 11 a.m. Village of Fredonia Tree Lighting, beginning at 6 p.m. Monday, November 28th Cedarburg Tree Lighting beginning at 5:30 p.m. Friday, December 2nd Thiensville's Tree Lighting, beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday, December 3rd Christmas on the Corner in Port Washington, beginning at 3 p.m. St. Nicholas Day Celebration in Belgium, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, December 4th Mequon Winter Wonderland, beginning at 4 p.m. Saukville Tree Lighting, beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday, December 10th Christmas Parade in Belgium, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, December 17th Take your kids for a ride on the Polar Express, beginning at 8:45 a.m. Don't forget the full listing of Cedarburg's holiday events here. Happy Holidays! There's nothing quite so magical as the holidays in downtown Cedarburg. On Fridays, when the downtown is decked out in luminaries and sleigh bells jingle on the horse drawn carriage, courtesy of the Cedarburg Merchants Organization, it's hard to imagine a better place to be. Fridays are also Festive Friday Eves from 5-9 p.m. at the Cedar Creek Settlement, when the shops stay open late, and activities and offerings abound with a different theme each week. Complimentary Cider & Cookies are offered each Friday, or sample Cedar Creek Winery’s award-winning wines! On Friday, November 18th, the Festivity begins with “Feliz Navidad.” Celebrate the Christmas season with a Latin flavor! Enjoy Live Music. Food Sampling, Holiday Crafts, Storytelling, and more. Friday, November 25 is "Home for the Holidays," when guests can enjoy Thanksgiving weekend with visiting friends and family. Free Make It & Take It projects, Live Music with Sinatra-style singer Ed Franks, and Easy Entertaining Tips for the Holidays. The first weekend in December is "The Settlement Showcase," which begins on Friday, December 2nd, from 10 a.m. - 9 p.m; continues on Saturday, December 3rd from 10 a.m .- 6 p.m.; and goes through Sunday, December 4th, from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Featuring beautiful handmade and artisan objects of desire, and live music Friday with Joey LaVie. Festivals of Cedarburg also has other events planned during this weekend that you don't want to miss, such as free tours of historic Kuhefuss House, a Holiday Craft & Gift Sale with the Cedarburg Senior Center, The Little Show at the Cedarburg Cultural Center, and the Holiday Art Fair Show & Sale in the Community Gym. Friday, December 9th is the annual “Santa's Workshop." Visit with Santa Claus in his winter wonderland! Live music featuring “Songs of the Season” by everyone's favorite elf, David H.B. Drake, and children’s holiday ornament craft and cookie decorating make this a great evening for families. Finally, Friday, December 16th is “A Taste of Christmas." This is a night for grown-ups to leisurely shop in a festive atmosphere. Complimentary munchies and wine tasting, live holiday music with pianist/singer Kathy Fry, and the strolling Sweet Adeline quartet, Swizzle Chix, along with the Cedarburg High School Carolers are sure to put you in a festive mood. Festivals of Cedarburg brings a variety of events over the season with A Cedarburg Christmas, including a visit to Santa's Workshop! Plan to stay in shape for the holidays? Don't miss Santa's Dash Away 5K on December 10th, and then enjoy McMann & Tate's return to the Cultural Center's stage to tickle yourholiday funny bone. After 16 years of holiday skit shows, the resident comedy troupe is putting a new spin on poking fun at this special time of year by presenting one of their popular improv shows. When you get tired of shopping, the Rivoli, Cedarburg's beautifully restored movie theater, features a Holiday Film Festival from December 9th through the 23rd, with films such as Polar Express, White Christmas, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, A Christmas Story, and It's A Wonderful Life, among others. You can't beat the ticket prices, or the nostalgic feel of a quieter time. Happy Holidays! Launched in 2015, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s “Gifts to the Community” program aims to provide special opportunities for citizens to connect with the area's positive characteristics. This year, in partnership with the Fund for Lake Michigan, area residents are being offered a special day of free admission to four signature destinations on our region’s shoreline, including two in Ozaukee County: the Port Exploreum and the 1860 Light Station. On Saturday, October 15th, both the Port Exploreum and the 1860 Light Station will be open to visitors for free, as well as the Betty Brinn Children's Museum, Discovery World, and the Milwaukee Art Museum, all in downtown Milwaukee. Visitors to Port Washington will also find the Farmers Market happening downtown from 8 a.m. -12:30 p.m., and the tall ship Denis Sullivan will be in the harbor for special "Haunted Sullivan" sails. As part of the Port Washington Historical Society, the 1860 Light Station and Port Exploreum vividly tell the stories of Port Washington from its earliest days to the present. The Light Station, located just east of the historic St. Mary’s Church, has been restored to reflect the life of a Light Keeper in the late 1800s. It will be open from 11 a.m - 4 p.m. The Port Exploreum, located in downtown Port, is a history and maritime museum that uses the latest technologies to interactively tell the stories of Port Washington and Lake Michigan. There are many hands on activities for kids, and the Exploreum's latest exhibit, "Nothing But Nets," which chronicles the history and social impact of commercial fishing on the Port Washington area. The Port Exploreum is open from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. For more information about the 2016 Gifts to the Community free access day, including destination information and program notes, visit greatermilwaukeefoundation.org/gifts. About the Greater Milwaukee Foundation For more than a century, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation has helped individuals, families and organizations realize their philanthropic goals and make a difference in the community, during their lifetimes and for future generations. The Foundation consists of more than 1,200 individual charitable funds, each created by donors to serve the charitable causes of their choice. The Foundation also deploys both human and financial resources to address the most critical needs of the community and ensure the vitality of the region. Established in 1915, the Foundation was one of the first community foundations in the world and is now among the largest. About Fund for Lake Michigan The Fund for Lake Michigan, a donor advised fund of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, was established in 2011 as part of an agreement between We Energies, Madison Gas and Electric, WPPI Energy, Clean Wisconsin and Sierra Club to safeguard the lake and improve water quality in the region. The Fund has awarded more than $15 million in grants over the past five years to restore habitat, improve beaches, clean up rivers and streams, and revitalize waterfronts in the Milwaukee Area. Each year, the National Fire Protection Association picks a new theme for Fire Prevention Week in October, and this year it's smoke alarms. Many of the Fire Departments in Ozaukee are hosting events this Saturday, October 8th and Sunday, October 9th, to get the message out to people in the community. Open House is on Saturday at the Belgium Fire Department, and runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will feature the TMJ4 Stormchaser Vehicle, fire truck rides, an extrication demo, Flight for Life, refreshments, raffles, and handouts. The Port Washington Fire Department will host an Open House from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and a Pancake/Egg Breakfast from 9 to noon on Sunday. The breakfast is $7/person, and children 5 and under are free. Equipment demonstrations, fire engine rides, blood pressure checks, hands-only CPR training, and the chance to see downtown Port from the ladder truck, if you're brave enough, will all be a part of the event. The Waubeka Fire Department's Open House goes from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, and features hands-on fire extinguisher training, exciting fire and rescue demos, a scavenger hunt for kids, door prizes, refreshments, Flash the Fire Dog, and the chance to win a 50" LED TV. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, the Grafton Fire Department will hold their Open House. Kids can stop in for a wooden nickle, and get their chance to win a ride to school in a fire truck! Visitors will find live stove fires, jaws of life demos, and sprinkler demos, along with Jer Bear the Clown, the Grafton Police Squad, the Grafton Fire Bell Club, and the Home Depot DIY Project. This past spring, Saukville Library Director, Jen Gerber, and friends of the Oscar Grady Library, came together to republish a long-lost book by one of its residents, Bill Harrington, who was dubbed "The Poet of Saukville" by the Ozaukee Press, upon Harrington's death on April 1st, 1949.
The book, entitled Whistle Stop Poems, was written under the name Harrington Williams, and published in 1947 by the Ozaukee Press, where Harrington worked as a Sports Editor, just two years before Harrington died of a sickness he acquired while serving in the Navy in 1921. On Saturday, September 24th, at 2:30, the Oscar Grady Public Library invites the public to a poetry reading from Whistle Stop Poems at the Ozaukee County Pioneer Village in Saukville. Attendees are encouraged to listen to poems, or even to grab the mic and read one themselves. Light refreshments will be provided. Copies of the book will be available for purchase for $10, with proceeds of the book sale to benefit Saukville’s Oscar Grady Public Library programming. Born in Milwaukee in 1903, Harrington was the son or Mr. and Mrs. Peter Harrington of Saukville. He attended Marquette University, but quit his studies to join the U.S. Navy in 1921, where he served in the South West Pacific. It was while he was doing rescue work during the great Japanese earthquake of 1923 that he was stricken with apoplexy, and was discharged from the service in 1925. After a long period of hospitalization in Veteran's hospitals, he returned to Saukville and began a career as a sports writer for the Ozaukee Press. Pioneer Village is located at 4880 County Rd I in Saukville. For more information, visit http://www.oscargradylibrary.org. The good book says, "To every thing there is a season." In Cedarburg, to every season there is a festival, and Fall means it's time for Wine & Harvest. On Saturday, September 17th and Sunday, September 18th, Washington Avenue in downtown Cedarburg will close to traffic and fill up with artists, food, music, and fun of all kinds.
Cedarburg's own Cedar Creek Winery inspired this food and art oriented celebration 44 years ago, and it has grown in popularity each year. Visitors will find a Farmers Market, hundreds of artisan products for sale, a pumpkin carver, sheep shearing, street performers, hay rides, live music from the likes of Frog Water, Will Pfrang, Stereotype, the Rhythm Kings, and the Whiskeybelles, and all kinds of activities and competitions for all ages. One of the most popular competitions at the festival is the annual Grape Stomp, a hilarious and action-packed event for both adults and children, which takes place outside the Winery on both days of the festival. The Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off is a hit, which also includes watermelons and gourds. Many of the downtown businesses offer raffles, sales, and activities during the festival. Tours of the historic Kuhefuss House Museum are available, and the Cedarburg Art Museum's Beer Garden will be open. Bounce houses and a barrel train, as well as other activities for children, will be located at Cedar Creek Park. Outside of downtown, the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts will also have their latest exhibit, Quilt Nihon: Treasures from Japan. The 44th Annual Wine & Harvest Festival runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit the Festivals of Cedarburg website: http://www.cedarburgfestival.org/, or their Facebook page. |
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