 Fresh produce from Winterspring Farm in Newburg at the Port Washington Winter Market, which returns in person at Inventors Brewpub on Saturday, November 6th, 2021.  By Mary Boyle Once upon a time, most of the fresh food available for purchase at the grocery store or market was produced locally; the systems simply did not exist to transport fresh food economically, so fresh produce was mainly limited to what could be grown nearby. In Wisconsin, with our long, cold winters, this meant that farmers had to know how to extend the growing season, as well as how to store produce properly so that it could be utilized until spring finally arrived. What couldn’t survive fresh was preserved in a variety of ways, either by individuals, the farmers or, as time went on, companies that specialized in canning food. This was why, when my mother was a child in the 1950’s, getting an orange in the toe of your stocking on St. Nick’s at the beginning of a Wisconsin winter was a treasured treat. Were we able to beam ourselves back fifty years to a local grocery store, most of us would be shocked at how little choices were available for fresh produce, especially in the dead of winter. The availability of cheap oil gradually changed our local food systems into a global one. More vehicles needed good roads, which went on to replace the trains that were once the only way for food to travel long distances (and only food that could survive the trip). Eventually, even airplanes became an economical option and, with speed like that, we can now find fresh raspberries and tomatoes grown in Mexico or South America in vast produce aisles in the middle of February in Wisconsin. The convenience and availability are so commonplace, we are no longer aware of what a luxury it is…or what the real costs are, not just in the quality of the food, which is often picked long before ripeness, so it travels well (or is even bred to be sturdier for travel), nor in the environmental cost caused by more vehicles on the roads and planes in the air burning more fossil fuels, but also in the gradual loss of local food systems. The need for redeveloping a year-round market for local food has become more obvious as we witness the disruption in the supply chain caused by the pandemic: the farther our food and other products must travel, the more likely it is that the supply will be disrupted; a community that solely relies on food produced outside its borders will not fare well should those outside systems be disturbed, be it from a pandemic, natural disaster or some other event we haven’t happened upon, yet. Furthermore, we have already seen how the price of oil affects the cost of goods that must travel long distances to reach us; this isn’t really an issue when the product isn’t something we actually require, such as the latest smart phone or a particular brand of shoes, but it is not impossible to imagine a time when food that must be transported could become too costly for a part of the population. Ozaukee and the surrounding area is blessed to have a number of long-running and popular outdoor Farmers Markets between June and October, offering the opportunity to purchase food and other goods straight from the producer, which benefits the consumer because they’re able to know exactly where and how the food is produced, and benefits the producer because it allows them to get more profit for their goods than they can by selling it wholesale to grocery stores, restaurants or other wholesale buyers outside of the community the food is grown in. The end of October has, in the past, meant the end of the local food season; but now, as demand for local food grows, indoor Farmers Market opportunities have also grown which, in turn, encourages producers to use methods to extend their season and goods, such as using cold frames and hoop houses, or preserving their harvest by freezing, canning, or dehydrating. For several years, PortFish, Ltd., a local aquaponics outfit in Port Washington, ran the indoor Port Washington Winter Market out of the local Congregational Church, which was then taken over by Jennifer Sapiro and went on to be sponsored by Port Washington Main Street in 2018. During the 2017/18 season, they began to alternate the market between the American Legion/Inventors Brewpub and the church and quickly learned that the new venue was a huge hit; the Winter Market has been happening there ever since, though it has been outdoors when possible, or order online and purchase pickup when it wasn’t, over the pandemic. Finally, the Winter Market will return in person on Saturday, November 6th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and continue for two Saturdays every month through March. The Winter Market is no longer the only local food game in Port, however; the DreamPort Harvest Market, a new venture by Dream Apple Farm (read the story here), will be open every Saturday from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. through December 18th, then they plan to open as a retail store in April, giving even more opportunities to purchase local food throughout the entire season. There are also several options for buying direct from the farmer on the farm in Ozaukee County. In Cedarburg, Witte’s Vegetable Farm Store will remain open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday until the Saturday before Thanksgiving, while Appleland Farm Market in Fredonia will be open daily through November and Friday through Sunday for the first two weekends of December. Barthel’s Fruit Farm in Mequon will be open daily from 9-5 through Thanksgiving, with their bakery open Friday through Sunday and November 24th (you can order your pies for Thanksgiving directly from them!). Another local food option that became available thanks to the pandemic is the Ozaukee Area REKO Ring. Founded by Venessa Quiñones in April of 2020, the REKO Ring allows local food producers to put their offerings into Facebook posts on the group's site where members can then place their orders. Pick ups are on Thursdays from 6-7 p.m. in Grafton in the former Shopko parking lot and the final pick up for the year is December 16th. Now is also a great time to consider buying a CSA share (or, consider giving one as a gift for Christmas!). CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, which is when a person buys a share of the harvest before it is grown or produced so that the farmer has the funds upfront to begin planting, as well as a guaranteed customer. Appleland Farm Market and Willoway Farm (which also offers a fresh flower CSA) in Fredonia, Winterspring Farm (formerly Wellspring) in Newburg and Rare Earth Farm in Belgium are all excellent places to support. Convenience and availability are hard to ignore, of course, so we are extremely lucky to have two dedicated, year-round grocery stores that are committed to local food in Oz, which is the next best thing to buying direct from the farmer: the cooperative Outpost Natural Foods in Mequon and Slow Pokes Local Foods in Grafton. Kathleen McGlone, who opened Slow Pokes in 2006, has been dedicated to not only supporting local food systems, but to helping people with food intolerances, particularly gluten sensitivities. After 15 years in business, Kathleen is looking for the right person to take over her venture; if you’re interested in being Ozaukee’s next local food champion, get in touch with Kathleen. Ozaukee Living Local was born out of the local food movement in Ozaukee County to promote local growers and to connect the community with them; we continue to take this part of our mission very seriously. Did we miss someone? Let us know! Most importantly, please commit to buying as much local food as possible, as well as buying other products that are locally made. The money you spend on local food and goods stays local and contributes to the building and strengthening of our local economy – a process called relocalization – which makes our community more resilient, more connected, and less susceptible to the highs and lows of the global market. This is a mission we can all get behind.
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  By Sara Dahmen Fall is by far and large one of the most anticipated seasons in my household. From September through November, pumpkins dominate most surfaces (to the point of annoyance) and I use all my willpower to convince Mother Nature to stay in the autumn part of the yearly wheel for another day—just one more week of colorful leaves, crispness, and cozy walks. While Mother Nature continues to give us these lovely Fall days, one of the most delightful ways to celebrate is to eat heartier meals and soups, as well as harvest and use the natural world around us in the form of herbal remedies (most of which will be stored for winter usage). As this is the season of Halloween, I suppose I should expose myself straight away as a practicing greenwitch who spends far too much time reading books about plants. So, first let’s nourish our bodies with food! SWEET PEPPER CHILI This is a hearty meal that makes enough for 2 people to have a bowl every night for at least 3 nights. You can make it heartier still by adding in baked, chopped chicken breasts or small diced pieces of baked beef (brisket or roast would be best). 4 yellow onions – chopped 2 yellow peppers – coarsely chopped 2 red peppers – coarsely chopped 3-4 heads of garlic – minced (*garlic is an herb of Samhain – be sure to plant some cloves in your garden now for a spring crop!) 3 Tbsp ground cumin 3 Tbsp ground chili powder 2 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper ½ tsp cayenne powder ½ tsp red pepper flakes 2 cans whole peeled plum tomatoes (or any canned tomatoes you have on hand) Put onions and ½ cup of water in a large pot. Heat until the onions are transparent – add water as needed so they don’t burn to the bottom of the pot. Once cooked, add in the garlic, red and yellow peppers, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, cayenne, and red pepper flakes. Cook together on medium heat until the peppers are semi-soft. Add in the whole peeled plum tomatoes – I actually squeeze each one over the pot before adding it. Pour in any remaining juice from the cans. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. (Add in the meat at this point and heat through.) Serve very warm. You can garnish with shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions, and corn chips! CHOKECHERRY TEA & TINCTURE My children, husband and I spend the spring planting certain bushes in the hope of a Fall harvest, or scoping out what parts of our summer bike rides have useful plants for a later trip back to grab berries or leaves. I’ll pause a bike ride to yank chamomile out of the side of the road for a later transplant (with excellent results) or to harvest jewelweed from a ditch for the garden (with abysmal results) to help with summer bug bites and nettle. For this tea, we planted four chokecherry bushes on the property. They are a native species, so that gets extra points. I discovered chokecherries on one of my trips to South Dakota and, every time I go back, I stock up because it’s easy to find out there, but now I’ll be harvesting my own! I’ve also learned that chokecherries became a huge staple in Poland, and they are now the major exporter of them (which makes things come full circle, as I am very Polish). Chokecherry is a bush the Native Americans use for a bit of everything: the bark to stop diarrhea; the berries to treat canker sores; the leaves to ease rheumatism or to heal the common cold. The last reason is why I spent the past two years especially looking for chokecherries. In this time of Covid-19, having an herb that can stop a cold and keep the immune system healthy sounds pretty darn important. If you forage them, or simply go buy dried chokecherry leaves, you can make your own home medicines a few ways: Berry Tincture (for canker sores or overall health) You need to boil the fruit off the seeds, as the seeds contain a cyanide compound. They say that if you let the berries dry on the vine, the drying in the sun gets rid of the cyanide and allows for digestion of the full berry (the seeds are full of oil and protein) the way the Native Americans used to eat them, but we probably don’t want to take chances; so, boil the berries (dried or fresh) with water (2:1 ratio – 2 parts water to 1 part berries) until the fruit pulp falls from the seeds. Strain out the seeds and discard, preserving the juice. Combine the juice and any pulp/skins with brandy or vodka with a 1:1 ratio into a mason jar with a lid and let it sit for at least 1 month or longer. Strain again, preserving the liquid, and use ½ - 1 tsp daily (it’s great in other teas!) for overall immunity or for arthritis pain. A great source for the berries: https://organicwayllc.com/products/chokeberries-fruit Chokecherry Tea (for respiratory illness and cold relief) Find and dry leaves while still green by hanging them upside down to dry over the course of several weeks or months, depending on the humidity in the air. Once dried, smash them in a mortar and store in an airtight container. You’d use this as regular loose leaf tea for arthritis or as needed for the common cold. If you want to simply purchase the tea, I buy it from here when I run out: https://huckleberryhaven.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=765  About the Author
Sara Dahmen is a coppersmith, award-winning author and novelist, and entrepreneur. Her expertise is of vintage and modern cookware; she manufactures pure metal kitchenware in her Port Washington, Wisconsin garage for her company, House Copper & Cookware. All of her current designs are based on American traditions and wares and are sourced in the USA. When unable to recreate traditional elements, she uses only small family owned and operated makers or Armed Forces veterans to help with the production of her cookware pieces. Her work also includes refurbishing and restoring old and damaged copper using vintage tools. Learn more about Sara at: https://www.saradahmen.com/  By Mary Boyle Candy and Halloween go together like popcorn and salt, but it wasn't always that way. In the 1970's, parents seemed to suddenly come to the conclusion that factory packaged and sealed candy was the safest treat to hand out, instead of the homemade goodies that had been the norm since Trick-or-Treating became a tradition in the United States in the 1930's and 40's. Over time, candy has been linked strongly to other holiday traditions, such as in stockings on St. Nick's, Advent Calendars, and Easter baskets. Each of those holidays has candy that we associate with it; for instance, candy corn belongs to Halloween, while jelly beans and Peeps belong to Easter. Then, in a brilliant stroke of marketing genius, those candy makers created red, white and green candy corn and jelly beans, as well as snowmen-shaped Peeps! Honestly, is nothing sacred? Halloween is now considered the kick-off to the holiday season, but we could just as easily call it the candy season. Over the years, I have discovered that candy is a topic that people often feel quite strongly about. Being in the position I am in, as a writer, I feel compelled to share my own feelings about candy as a sort of social experiment to see if my views fall in line with local cultural standards. Now, keep in mind that I do not consider chocolates like candy bars or peanut butter cups candy, unless they are in the form of something like an M&M. So, without further ado, I shall reveal my list of the Top Ten Worst Candy Ever Invented, beginning with number 10, which is bad, and counting down to number 1, which is, in my humble opinion, absolutely vile.  10. Milk Duds Normally I like the combination of chocolate and caramel, but these tough little balls of chocolate coated caramel never fail to get stuck in teeth, not to mention that chewing them takes way too much effort. Just thinking about getting through even a little Halloween box of them makes me tired. That being said, if it was the only treat in the house, I would eat them if I was feeling desperate enough, which is why they come in at number 10.  9. Candy Raisins I cannot, for the life of me, understand where they get the raisin in a candy raisin—they're more like a combination of beeswax and rubber. Their ability to stick to teeth is more potent than even the Milk Duds, but they don't even have a great flavor to make it worth the trouble. I wouldn't bother.  8. Candy Buttons Not only are these nothing but blobs of colored sugar on some paper, the paper always gets stuck on the buttons when you tear them off, and then you're eating paper and colored sugar. How could this possibly have stuck around this long?  7. Candy Necklaces If the little candies on these necklaces don't break your teeth while you're trying to bite them off, it's a miracle. When you do manage to bite one off, they don't even taste good! You can't possibly eat it all in one go, so you've got saliva all over the other ones which then creates a sugar/saliva mix that gets on your clothing, not to mention what ends up sticking to the necklace, itself. Absolutely revolting.  6. Smarties Lollipops Okay, Smarties are bad enough—I always felt like I was eating Children's Tylenol—but these lollipops are like eating a chunk of mildly sweetened chalk, people. When I was a child, you could buy one of these for a nickel at the Cedarburg Pool concession stand or you could buy a Now & Later, which is like a stale, hardened Starburst, but I would never, ever spend my nickel on this trash. Never.  5. Necco Wafers Right, so you already know how I feel about Smarties, and Necco Wafers are pretty much just giant, flatter Smarties in the same way that bologna is just a giant hot dog that has been sliced thinly. The texture is just all wrong, here, almost as if the chalk of the Smarties has been combined with cardboard. This is not something that should be consumed.  4. Tootsie Rolls Tootsie Rolls are the ultimate parade candy—do you know why? For one thing, they're insanely cheap, but also because nobody minds that they are likely going to be thrown out after rolling around in the dirt and puddles because most people wouldn't eat them even if they hadn't been on the ground. I mean, are they chocolate? Root beer flavored? I really am not sure, but I do know one thing: they are not worth the calories.  3. Candy Corn Does anyone really eat candy corn? I don't think so. I think we just use it as a Halloween decoration on cupcakes, cakes and crafts that aren't meant to even be edible, just as candy corn isn't meant to be edible. Sure, the pumpkin shaped ones look cute on a dirt cake with Milano cookie gravestones, but nobody actually eats them, do they?  2. Wax Bottles I'll never forget when my Dad brought these home to us kids—I couldn't even stand to bite all the way through the wax! I had to tear it the rest of the way off to get the few drops of colored liquid inside, which still managed to be flavored of wax. Why not just eat a candle with a few drops of sugar syrup? These things are seriously revolting.  1. Circus Peanuts One of my earliest memories is going to the Red Owl in Cedarburg with my mother and spying a bag of Circus Peanuts. I had to have them. I begged. I pleaded. My mother said, "You're not going to like them!" "HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT I LIKE?!!" I wailed. I won...sort of. You see, I'll never forget the smug look on her face when she opened the bag at home and gave me a Circus Peanut. I'll never forget what it felt like to put it into my mouth and begin to take a bite. I never finished biting through the Circus Peanut, people; I just took it out of my mouth and handed it back to my mother in absolute defeat and disgust. I was probably 4 or 5 years old and I have never had a Circus Peanut again. I assure you, I never will.  There is no doubt that the Milwaukee River is important to Ozaukee County. Named for the big City of Milwaukee, the 104 mile long Milwaukee River begins in Fond du Lac County and runs south until it meets first the Menomonee River and then the Kinnickinnic River, just before it empties into Lake Michigan underneath the Hoan Bridge. Besides Port Washington and Belgium, every community in Ozaukee County has been shaped by the Milwaukee River, as even Cedar Creek in Cedarburg is a tributary, but perhaps none are as important as the Village of Saukville. Long before Wisconsin became a Sate, there were two major trails used by Native American tribes which became known as the Old Decorah Road and the Old Green Bay Road (The fascinating history of where the name Decorah comes from can be found in this document). The Old Decorah Road runs east to west and, today, is known as Highway 33, while the Old Green Bay Road ran north to south between Green Bay and Chicago. These two ancient trails intersected near a unique bend in the Milwaukee River, known today as Peninsula Park in Saukville, and this intersection was known as "the crossroads." It was a place where both Native Americans and Wisconsin's earliest European settlers gathered, particularly during the Fur Trade Era, when the network of lakes and rivers were the highways of the day. Between 1991 and 2006, the Saukville Historical Society celebrated the history of this important place at an event called the Crossroads Rendezvous. In 2018, with fresh organizers and historical reenactors, Mary Boyle and Sara Dahmen, at the helm, the event made a triumphant return to Peninsula Park after over a decade, and then again in 2019, with a strong focus on the Fur Trade Era in Wisconsin and the importance of the Crossroads to Saukville, Ozaukee County, and the State of Wisconsin. The organizers also worked in a collaboration with Riveredge Nature Center, whose Community Rivers Program has been working hard to bring the community together to help improve the health and quality of the Milwaukee River. "The Community Rivers Program is the link between what we're doing to teach people about the past and to connect it directly to the present," said Mary Boyle, Crossroads Co-Organizer. "Our School Day, which is always the Friday of our event, is one of the only ones I've ever attended that had non-reenactors participating in this way, but we thought it was a perfect fit and a great opportunity to collaborate with other local non-profits, which is really important to us." Unfortunately, the pandemic put a stop to the return of the Crossroads Rendezvous in both 2020 and 2021, as it did to so many other events, but the organizers did not want it to be gone for so long that people thought it was forgotten so, in lieu of the large event, a smaller one was created that would help bring awareness to what the Saukville Historical Society and Riveredge Nature Center brings to the community, as well as what the Crossroads Rendezvous and the Community Rivers Program is all about, called River History Day. Coming up on Saturday, October 16th from 10-3 at the Crossroads Museum (the home of the Saukville Historical Society), River History Day will offer a small taste of what these organizations have to offer, including:
Participants will also have a chance to submit ideas for a future mural to be painted on the newer addition to the Crossroads Museum which will showcase a timeline of Saukville's history. Organizers hope that, besides being a fun and family-friendly event, members of the community will be inspired to get involved. "The members [of the Saukville Historical Society] have been at this a long time, and we need new people to keep it going," said SHS President Anne Kertscher. "So many people don't even realize we're here and what we bring to the community, but hopefully this will be a great way to introduce ourselves. Consider this your invitation!" The Crossroads Museum is located at 200 N. Mill St. in Saukville. There is ample street parking, as well as public parking at nearby Grady Park and Saukville Elementary School. River History Day is made possible by a Tourism Grant awarded by the Saukville Chamber of Commerce. For more information, please contact Mary Boyle at info@Crossroads Rendezvous.org. Two local doctors who ventured into an organic apple orchard are now working to create a retail space for locally and sustainably grown food. The Callahans bought the Cordera Apple for Dream Apple Farm, a new apple for 2020, when it was just a test apple with a number. By Mary Boyle Peggy Callahan always liked growing things, but her home in the woods of Mequon gave her few opportunities. That, and her busy career as a physician and being the mother of three boys. Someday, though, she was going to find a place where she could grow all the things she wanted in just the way she wanted to. Peggy and her husband Ed, an ER doctor, began their search for land in 2008, but it wasn't until 2012 that they came across the former Schneidish farm, located just outside of Port Washington's city limits. The crumbling, burnt out old fieldstone and cream city brick farmhouse was a favorite place for locals to take pictures, as well as (unfortunately) to dump their trash. "It took us two years just to clean out the property," Peggy said. "The basement was filled to the top with mattresses and televisions." The name for the farm and what to grow came easily enough. "Fall is my favorite time of year and the apple tree is iconic for Fall," Peggy explained. The Callahans had an interest in growing organic and sustainably, and there are very few organic apple orchards in the State. Thus, Dream Apple Farm was born. In 2014, the Callahans planted the first 160 trees as a test orchard. Nearly every tree was destroyed by deer. They call that year the "lost year." In 2016, they built a deer-proof fence around the property and in 2017 they built the barn, which houses a commercial kitchen and plenty of space for workshops and educational opportunities they envisioned in the future, In the meantime, they were also preparing the land: adding compost, planting cover crops, and more. In 2018, the main orchard of 1100 trees was planted, which have now seen their third leaf. Raising apples organically is a constant battle with nature, and certification takes three years of careful documentation, but the Callahans felt the Organic Certifications (they are both USDA and Real Organic certified) were important. "People throw the word 'organic' around very loosely," Ed explained. Peggy agreed. "We start from the ground up; the soil is the most important thing." Beyond apples, the Callahans also grow raspberries, rhubarb, and have started a very small number of pear and peach trees, all grown organically. All the work, thus far, has been done by just the two of them, because they are so particular about their farm. Ed said that many of their friends want to come and pick the apples, but that's the easy part. "Pick-your-own" operations lose 20-30% of their product, an amount that their small farm cannot afford to lose. Imperfect apples can be made into value-added products such as apple butter, dried apple rings, or cider. Ground apples are rounded up immediately, to prevent bugs from making a home in the trees, and fed to pigs raised at Burkel Family Farm or Bossy Cow Farm — two local farms who have a similar outlook on raising food as the Callahans. As they worked on their own project, the Callahans realized that inviting the public into their carefully worked farm was not a good way to sell their products, yet attending farmers markets wasn't quite enough, either. Not only that, they wanted to help other local growers who were trying to do what they are doing: raising food and animals in a healthy and sustainable way. "It's very hard to survive on a small family farm," Ed said. "Wholesale is a fraction of what you would get retail, and we want to get the farmer as close to retail as possible." So, when the former Baltica Tea Room in downtown Port Washington went up for sale in December of 2020, the Callahans purchased it to develop a farm store where they could sell their products, but so could other local farms. Their hope is to rent out the commercial kitchen as a way for small growers to make their own value-added products, which they can then sell in the shop. In a nod to their farm, they have dubbed the space Dream Port Harvest Market. To test the market, the Callahans have held several pop-up markets in the space, in concert with the Port Washington Farmers Market. While the pop-ups have been more like an indoor farmers market, they hope to transition into a full-fledged retail space in the very near future. The Dream Port Harvest Market will be open during the Fall Street Festival in Port Washington on Saturday, October 9th, and again on Saturday, October 23rd from 9-2. While this year has been a bad one for apples (it is estimated that most orchards in Wisconsin lost between 50-100% of their crop), the Callahans will have cider, dried apple rings, plenty of their apple butter, and more. "Organic doesn't get a consistent product — it's hard," Ed explained. "Education is a really big part of what we're doing — we have a larger mission in [Dream Port Harvest Market] and we're looking to connect with other people who want to know where their food comes from and how it is grown. We are very fortunate in this area to have so many farms — we want to support them." To learn more about Dream Apple Farm, go to: www.dreamapplefarm.com/  Halloween comes but once a year, and it's the perfect opportunity to be someone (or something) else, for a change. Then there's the free candy, of course. Ozaukee has all kinds of fun Halloween happenings for all ages — here's the lineup! Cedarburg Scary Bloody Mary Walk Saturday, October 23rd from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Enjoy Bloody Marys while supporting the Cedarburg Friends of Parks & Recreation! Five sponsor bars compete for the title of Best Bloody Mary 2021, while participants compete for Best Costume. Participants vote for Best Bloody and Best Costume to determine the winners. Gothic History Tours October 22, 23 and 29 The Gothic History Tour proudly brings you those Fabulous Frightening Fifties! This 90-minute walking tour is volunteer-led and benefits the non-profit Cedarburg Cultural Center. Fall Festival & Trunk-or-Treat Saturday, October 23rd from 2-4 p.m. at First Immanuel in Cedarburg. Free and open to the community, join in family fun of games, trunk-or-treat, get a pumpkin, a costume parade, a magician, and other activities! Harry Potter Film Festival October 29-November 11 The Rivoli Theatre will feature multiple showings of all eight original movies in the Harry Potter film franchise. Watch for additional ways local businesses are turning downtown Cedarburg into a mini Hogsmeade Village with costume contests, selfie stops, food & drink specials, Potter-themed window decor, and more! Pumpkin Walk Sunday, October 31st from 5-9 p.m. The Pumpkin walk is truly Halloween fun for the whole family. Jack-o-lanterns line Washington Ave., and many of the main street businesses offer treats and specials for those who wander through. Mequon Traditions on the Green Halloween Costume Contest & Live Music Sunday, October 31st from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Join Gathering on the Green for some Halloween fun at the Mequon Public Market! Grafton Fall into Grafton Friday & Saturday, October 8th & 9th This two-day event starts with a beer garden and live music on Friday night in the Paramount Plaza Stage. Bring your decorated jack-o-lanterns to light up the Paramount Plaza and enter in the Pumpkin Decorating Contest! Then, come back on Saturday for the second year of Puttin' Around Downtown Grafton, a kids zone with a petting zoo, pony rides, bounce houses, face painting and more! Don't forget to decorate and prepare a pumpkin to enter in the Bank Five Nine Pumpkin Derby! Saukville The Haunt at The Village This year, The Haunt moves from the Fairgrounds to Pioneer Village. Fridays and Saturdays, October 15-30, this fundraiser for the 4-H is still the place to go if you're looking for a scary Halloween experience! Saukville Scare 5K Run/Walk Saturday, October 16th at Grady Park in Saukville, this family-friendly Halloween-themed event benefits the Saukville Elementary School free breakfast program. Trails & Treats Friday and Saturday, October 22nd and 23rd from 4:30-6:30 or 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Riveredge A non-spooky night of fall family fun as you hike a mile loop of our trails and visit education stations featuring some costumed woodland creatures along the way! While there, these new friends will entertain and educate you about their habits and habitats, and give you some candy-free treats while they're at it! Port Washington Fall Street Festival Saturday, October 9th from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. The rescheduled annual Community Street Festival meets the Harvest Market! Live music, Farmers Market and so much more! Fall Fest at Java Dock Saturday, October 9th from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. On top of all of our great menu items, we will be selling hot cider, fall-themed coffee drinks, and adult beverages to enjoy while you paint pumpkins, decorate cookies, and listen to some awesome live tunes. Doggy Costume Parade & Contest Thursday, October 21st from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Who doesn't love a parade of dogs? Especially dogs dressed in costumes! The parade starts at 5:30 at the Heart of the Harbor and the contest will take place there after. No need to register your dog. Just come on down with a well-dressed pup to enter! Huntin' for Pumpkins Friday, October 22, 5-7 p.m. Kids will get a chance to hunt for the perfect pumpkin in Upper Lake Park and one lucky child who finds the great golden pumpkin will receive a special treat! There will also be a spooky maze, photos from VIP, hot cider, a spooky story walk present by W.J. Niederkorn Library, and more! Pre-Registration is required. Teen Halloween Saturday, October 23rd from 5-9 p.m. at the Rec Center. Join in for a night filled with spooky fun! There will be games, dancing, concessions, and more. Costumes are encouraged and the best dressed will win a prize! Free to attend for ages 13-17. Port Washington Ghost Walk Fridays and Saturdays, October 22 & 23 and 29 & 30 Celebrate your Halloween Season in a most unique fashion and join in for the popular Port Washington Ghost Walk plus an actual Ghost Hunt! This popular event sells out fast! Downtown Trick-or-Treating in Port Saturday, October 30th from 1-3 p.m.. Wear your best costume and visit businesses downtown! Belgium Boo at Buehler Farms Saturday, October 30th from 8-11:30 p.m. Join Buechler Farms for an Adults Only Costume Party, featuring Live Music by Fire On High, prize for the best costume, a photo booth, snacks, 50/50 Raffle and more! Trick-or-Treating in Oz
  Kimberly Laberge as Emily Webb and Ben Johnson as George Webb in the West Bend Theatre Company's production of OUR TOWN. By Mary Boyle Our area of the world is blessed to have a number of community theatre companies in very close proximity, and West Bend Theatre Company is one of them. Founded in 2010 by Nancy Storrs, the company is known for their annual production of A Christmas Carol, which will return after a pandemic-induced hiatus, this season, but have also produced two other shows each season. In their first post-pandemic season, the company, said Storrs, "wanted to do shows that have meaning and power, just in case you don't remember what is awesome about life." For their first production, they chose the American, Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, OUR TOWN. Written by Thornton Wilder in 1938, Our Town is a three act, bare bones play about a small town in New Hampshire called Grover's Corners at the turn of the 20th Century. The play focuses on two families, the Gibbs and the Webbs, and their teenage children, George and Emily, who fall in love. The play is Americana at its finest; a seemingly simple look at the lives of seemingly average people in a seemingly simple time. And yet, the story could not be any more profound or timeless, and is most certainly a story people need to hear now more than ever. Jim Johnson, who makes his directorial debut at the WBTC, had the honor of playing Editor Webb in a production of the play at Sheboygan Theatre Company several years back, and now has the honor of directing his son, Ben Johnson, who will be playing George Gibbs. He directs a cast of 20, which is quite large, even for this play, but he had so many great auditions that he wanted to make sure he found a spot for everyone. In an unusual twist, Johnson breaks from canon and has not only cast the omniscient Stage Manager as a woman, but he has split the role in two, casting Elizabeth Plotka-Heinen as a younger and feminine Stage Manager, as well as Don Pountain (who will reprise his role as Ebenezer Scrooge in WBTC's upcoming production of A Christmas Carol) as the classic figure those familiar with the play would expect in the role. The theater space for the production is also unique. The intimate West Bend Masonic Center has seating on both sides of the "stage," with no traditional stage left or right exits, making the staging quite of any production somewhat challenging. Luckily, the cast and crew are quite familiar with the space and they have used the layout to their advantage. The star of this production is absolutely Kimberly Laberge, as Emily Webb, a theatre student at UWM who has worked in all aspects of theatre with multiple companies in the area. This is quite fitting, as it is the Emily who brings the audience to their knees as she takes them on a journey into death and what we might learn when we look back upon our lives: Oh, earth, you're too wonderful for anybody to realize you! Do human beings ever realize life while they live it? — Every, every minute? Other cast members include Eleanor Wells as Rebecca Gibbs, Angie Rodenkirch as Mrs. Gibbs, Robb Bessey as Doc Gibbs, Naomi Tiefel as Mrs. Webb, Mike Shelby as Editor Webb, Devin Gehrke as Howie Newsome, Don Held as Constable Warren, Kaitlin Kroplidlowski as Professor Willard and Mrs. Soames, Sothaviney Pheng as Simon Stimson, Jennifer Dysert as Mrs. Carter and Mrs. Slocum, Pam Drake as Miss Corcoran, Karley Birenbaum as Si Crowel, and Cody Provencher as Wally Webb, along with Nina Pfeng, Olivia Terwiler, Tatiana Patrick, and Andrew Tiefel. OUR TOWN runs October 8-10 and 15-17 at the West Bend Masonic Lodge, located at 301 N. University Drive. Tickets for the performance are $21, with proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity of Washington and Dodge Counties, and are available to purchase online at www.westbendtheatreco.com/ About West Bend Theatre Company West Bend Theatre Company is a nonprofit community theater company in West Bend, Wisconsin, presenting live theater, camps, workshops and special events. For more than 10 years, the WBTC has annually produced Charles Dickens’ classic story “A Christmas Carol.” In 2017, the WBTC achieved nonprofit status; since then, they have produced other theatre favorites, including “South Pacific,” “The Importance of Being Earnest” and “Love, Loss and What I Wore.”   One of the Saukville Food Pantry's Aquaponics Towers from Fork Farms provides fresh greens year-round to clients. Mary Boyle
Mark Geirach's office at the Saukville Community Food Pantry is piled with packages of diapers and other dry goods; in fact, every nook and cranny that can be used in the basement of the Parkside Community United Church of Christ is filled, but the goods are constantly in motion. "Every day we're open, 30 to 40 people each leave here with a grocery cart full — and I mean full — of food," Mark said. While it may appear that the place is well-stocked, the shelves, refrigerators and freezers of the "shopping area" are nearly bare after just one day of shoppers, and then must be restocked. "We've done real well with a small space, but we're at the limit. We need to find a new location to operate and grow." Mark has been the Executive Director of the Pantry since they opened as a 501 (c) 3 in January of 2012. Before that time, a pantry was run by the former Immaculate Conception church in Saukville, but the members that ran it were running down and needed help. Members from Parkside, like Mark, helped to take over the project, but knew that in order to really be able to get the help needed, it would have to run independent from the churches. In the beginning, they started with some card tables piled with food; today, the Saukville Community Food Pantry serves over 475 families per month across all of Ozaukee County. "There's more of a need than people realize in Ozaukee," Mark explained. "[Family Promise is] building a homeless shelter and people think we don't have homeless in Ozaukee County, but we do. You don't see the need here like you do in larger metropolitan areas; you don't see them under bridges or in alleys because they're couch surfing or sleeping in their cars." Providing fresh food is a challenge the Pantry takes seriously. Thanks to a grant, the Pantry was able to get two aquaponic towers from Wisconsin-based Fork Farms, which provide fresh lettuce year-round, right from the Pantry. The towers are largely overseen by members of the Ozaukee Master Gardeners, which is just one of the ways the Pantry connects and collaborates with other community groups. Offering toiletries and other personal hygiene items is also important. "You can buy cases of soda with your Food Share card, but you can't buy toilet paper — there's something wrong with that system," said Mark. "Junk food is cheaper, but it costs more money somewhere else down the line in medical costs. The more we can provide good food, the better." The Saukville Community Food Pantry offers more than just food from their shelves: they will once again offer a free meal every other Saturday for people in need, beginning Saturday, October 2nd, which had been put on hold due to the pandemic. The Pantry also runs mobile pantries in Grady Park, next door to the Pantry, from April through October in concert with Feeding America; does a Back to School Fair every Fall where they recently provided school supplies to 365 kids; and, runs a Backpack Food program for kids in the Port Washington-Saukville School District elementary schools and middle school who qualify for free or reduced lunches to sign up for food to take home to their families for the weekend. "We work with any group whose goal is keeping people fed," Mark said. "We would love the opportunity to expand our programs into other school districts, but we're just lacking in space." Building a campaign for a new space is next on the Pantry's list. Luckily, they we're able to connect with a program at UWM that connects architectural students with a real-world project. This year, the students will do studies for the location of a new facility, then move onto conceptual drawings and recommendations for program expansions. Building new is one option, but the Pantry is open to all possibilities that might give them the 8,000 to 10,000 square feet they need, and while they're hoping to stay based in Saukville, even that is subject to change for the right location. With any luck, the Pantry will be awarded grant money to help with this new venture. Most people know to help the Saukville Community Food Pantry by donating food and personal hygiene supplies (a list of needed supplies can be found on their website), but it is difficult to cover the real expenses of operating the Pantry, from staff salaries to rent, insurance and their truck, because grant money rarely covers those types of costs. One way people can help is to use Amazon Smile when they make purchases on Amazon and to choose the Pantry as the beneficiary, or just donate directly by clicking on the "Donate Now" button at the top of their website. However, a really fun way to help the Pantry is coming up on Saturday, October 9th from 3-9 p.m. at Grady Park in Saukville: the Food Truck Frenzy! Hit up a variety of local food trucks while listening to live music from Sam Grady & Steve Vogt and Shut The Front Door. Of course, volunteers are always needed and welcome to join in on the Saukville Food Pantry's mission. "We started with a motto from Mother Teresa: 'If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one,'" Mark said. "We went on to feed hundreds of people, so that grew into 'Fresh Food, Fresh Hope.' We've done real well in a small space; imagine what we could do if we are given the opportunity to grow." Learn more about the Saukville Community Food Pantry and how you can help by visiting their website: saukvillefoodpantry.org/  Fall is here, and that means it's time to get your pumpkins and apples! Luckily, finding a humble pumpkin patch, or a sweet-smelling orchard in Oz is not too difficult a task. One of the best ways is to let the farmers come to you at one of the area's Farmers Markets: Port Washington on Saturday, Saukville on Sunday and Thiensville on Tuesday. Of course, if you're looking for a farm to visit, we have those, too: Cedarburg Creek Farm has just about every pumpkin hunting experience you could hope for: a kid's straw bale, a corn maze, and much more fall fun, close to home. Add in no admission fees and FREE Hay Wagon Rides, and they are THE place for affordable family fun. Cedar Creek Farm is located at 649 Hwy. 60 in Cedarburg. Appleland in Fredonia has apples, of course, and a stunning variety of them, at that, but they also have pumpkins to pick or already picked, and an assortment of jams, bakery, caramel apples, cider, and more in their market store. Free wagon rides on the weekends. Appleland is located at 4177 Highway 57 in Fredonia. Buechler Farms offers a fun family fall experience on the weekends in October, beginning October 2nd with their Fall Festival from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.! The farm is located at 587 South Royal Ave in Belgium. Join them in the evening of their Fall Festival on Saturday, October 2nd, beginning at 7:30, for live music with Road Trip ($8 cover charge) or their Packer Tailgate party on October 24th. Regular pumpkin season will continue every weekend in October. Creekside Valley Farm opens for their season on Friday, September 17th, with a pumpkin patch, hay maze, petting zoo, fall decor, pedal tractors, and more. Find them at 13101 N Wauwatosa in Mequon, open daily from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Nieman Markets, located at 14335 N. Wauwatosa Rd. in Mequon, has apple picking, a corn maze, pumpkins, a petting zoo, a market, and more. Barthel's Fruit Farm is synonymous with apple picking. Located at 12246 N Farmdale Rd. in Mequon, the barn has plenty of already picked pumpkins and gourds, or you can go to the field to pick your own. Barthel's apples are also available at Outpost in Mequon. Open 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily, Barthel's offers homemade bakery as well as a Beer Garden (weather permitting) from noon-6 Fridays through Sundays. If you're willing to venture a bit out of Oz, there are a few places worth the trip: Spieker's Pumpkin Farm in Random Lake features a massive corn maze, hay rides, and an incredible variety of pumpkins and gourds, as well as a petting zoo, and more. Find it at N1181 Hwy. 57 in Random Lake. Meadowbrook Pumpkin Farm and Market in West Bend has quite the exotic petting zoo, and a haunted corn field, a totally unstaged and hair-raising adventure through 8 plus creepy houses and 3/4 miles of narrow trails in tall, dense corn, on narrow confined trails. Not exactly family fun with young children, but possibly a great outing with your teenagers or adult friends. Find Meadowbrook at 2970 Mile View Road in West Bend. Happy picking!!  Treasures of Oz, a part of the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust, is partnering with Gathering Waters and offering visitors a self-guided tour of nearly 1200 acres of Ozaukee Washington Land Trust properties in Ozaukee County. Access to these places is available free to everyone for walking, hiking, bird watching, meditation and photography because all are beneficiaries of that Trust. On the tour, visitors will learn what a land trust is and why they are a key part of Wisconsin recreation and sustainable lands. The 2021 Eco-Tour is a self-guided tour of the 15 preserves that are either under ownership or easement with the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust. Participants download a passport and event directions at treasuresofoz.org. Passport stops are verified by finding KEY WORDS that are posted on event signs at the kiosks or near the entrances of each property. Passports are mailed in or sent in electronically. Every key word found counts for a raffle ticket and a drawing is held after the event. Prizes are usually dining certificates for Ozaukee County restaurants. Special passports are available for kids. They will need to locate a Gnome with a Poem at each site to answer their raffle questions. The Gnomes are located near the same kiosks and entrances with the event signs...but gnomes are small and often hide. The last 2 days of the event include an Estate Sale at Forest Beach Migratory Preserve, where everything in the clubhouse will be sold to begin the process of taking the building down. The clubhouse has been a special place as part of the Port Washington Country Club and later the Squires Golf Course. Countless area residents held weddings and special events, came for dinners, came for golf and enjoyed beverages at the upper bar and the iconic bar in “The Trap” on the lower level. Land Trust Days is the time of the year when Wisconsin Land Trusts encourage residents to see what land trusts do for the state and their neighborhood in particular. It is sponsored by Gathering Waters, a highly valued resource for land trusts in Wisconsin. It provides, advice, support and services that individual land trusts, many of whom are all volunteer, just can’t do easily on their own. Gathering Waters is headquartered in Madison and is essential in working with the state government in supporting land trusts, which are major players, often unknown and unrecognized, for Wisconsin tourism, resources and working lands. Events run from September 13th through the 18th, 2021. For more information, go to: https://treasuresofoz.org/ |
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