Community

The Wolf River Dementia and Caregiver Network plans to host a Memory Cafe from 1-3 p.m. April 17 at the Hillside Assembly of God Church in Gillett, in conjunction with the 2018 Spring Caregiver Conference. Those with mild memory issues, mild cognitive issues, dementia and their caregivers are welcome to join free activities, which will include painting, gardening and fishing.

Caregivers have the option to attend a seminar and learn more about available community resources or participate in activities of the Memory Cafe. Those interested in making new friends, gaining support and learning about new resources should contact Kayla Lemorande at the Aging Disability Resource Center at 715-526-4710 by Tuesday.

Greetings, Morgan! If you have news to share, you can contact me at megan.stranz@gmail.com.

Some final finishing touches are being put into place in the new town hall building, which really has turned out to be an outstanding facility. With the new town hall project basically complete, the town board accepted the resignation of town clerk Char Borghese at the March 12 town board meeting.

Char had served in that position for the past seven years and three months and was an integral part of the entire town hall construction project. When her resignation was accepted, Char happily shared that this is her second opportunity to retire, and she will continue to be an active community member.

Hilarious situations, snappy dialogue and a hit-parade of Hollywood standards make “Singin’ in the Rain” the perfect entertainment for any fan of movie musicals. The iconic musical, famous for its lively tap dancing and singing, will be performed March 16-18 and 23-25 in Abrams.

“The audience will enjoy the songs and the singing,” said director Debra Jolly. “The songs are very catchy, and our singers are amazing. They will also see good dancers. Some have studied dance for many years, and some are new to dance but are working hard to polish the steps and styles.”

This show has a mix of song and dance styles, from a sassy tap dance in “All I Do is Dream of You” to the lovely ballad “You Were Meant for Me” to the “Broadway Melody/Gotta Dance” which moves from old-fashioned tap to a jazzy duet to a chorus of dancing and singing.

The script also includes several silent movie clips. Creating these clips was a new experience for the production crew.

Friends of the Oconto Falls Fire Department plan to hold their annual fundraising dinner from 4:30-7:30 p.m. March 17 at the fire station, 500 Cherry Ave., Oconto Falls.

The event includes dinner, desserts, refreshments and bucket raffles. The cost is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors 60-plus and $5 for ages 5-12.

Proceeds from past spaghetti dinners have helped the department purchase such items as thermal imaging cameras, rescue boat and trailer and a Genesis hydraulic rescue cutter and spreader.

CHS Larsen Cooperative is gathering donations of money, food and crops to help fight hunger. As part of CHS Harvest for Hunger food and fund drive, the cooperative will accept contributions through March 20 at its locations in Oconto Falls, New London, Readfield, Center Valley, Weyauwega and Larsen; they will then deliver all collections to our local food pantries.

“Hunger is a reality for more than 40 million people in America, including 13.1 million children. Every dollar we raise through CHS Harvest for Hunger can purchase six pounds of food through our food banks,” said Todd Reif, general manager. “That’s making a real difference for those in need.”

Spring Garden Conference 2018 registrations are now being accepted by the Northern Lights Master Gardeners Association. This event, now in its 23rd year, will take place at the University of Wisconsin-Marinette campus on March 24.

The keynote speaker is Megan Cain, founder of The Creative Vegetable Gardener and the Flavorful Life Garden Club, who is an educator, author and speaker. Cain has a love of gardening and shares what works and what doesn’t with youth, homeowners and attendees at various speaker forums.

This conference will provide a wide range of educational sessions covering topics such as vegetable gardening, seasonal garden beds — including miniature, native, willows and perennial — and practical sessions for low-input lawn care, soil considerations, fruit tree pruning and basics before purchasing an apple tree for your yard. Several hands-on workshops are also offered.

Abrams Spotlight Productions hosted an After 5 event for members of the Oconto and Oconto Falls chambers of commerce to showcase the community theater’s new look and its performers’ talents.

The Feb. 15 event included live musical performances, food and refreshments, as well as the unveiling of the theater’s 2018 season and its new seating. Abrams Spotlight Productions Inc. replaced the theater’s church pews with more comfortable and versatile chairs, thanks to an $11,535 grant from the Leon H. and Clymene M. Bond Foundation.

“Abrams Spotlight Productions couldn’t think of a better way to kick off the 2018 season than by bringing together the local communities and having time to socialize and enjoy live entertainment,” said Bill Koehne, president of the ASPI board. “Thanks to the Bond Foundation, we now have comfortable chairs, which make the theater experience that much better for the audience.”

Sportsmen and women are invited to an event dedicated to raising money for walleye habitat improvement, fishing education and youth fishing.

The Green Bay Walleyes for Tomorrow annual fundraising banquet is March 9 at the Stadium View, 1963 Holmgren Way, Green Bay. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the raffles and silent auction begin, followed by dinner at 6 p.m. The Friday night fish fry buffet will feature baked and deep-fried cod, chicken and all the fixings.

Door prizes will be awarded to everyone who attends, and many lucky winners will go home with fishing excursions, guns, fishing rods, wildlife prints and more.

“Walleyes for Tomorrow has no paid employees, and 100 percent of everything raised is spent locally,” said Bill Koehne of Abrams, chairman of the Green Bay chapter.

I’ve been watching one of our favorite birds, the black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) at our feeders. These little balls of energy always seem to lift one’s spirits with their bright colors, high energy and curiosity.

They have a distinctive black cap and bib; their body is light in color, and their wings are black with white edges. It’s easy to remember their name, as it is reflected in their chick-a-dee-dee call, which interestingly is an alarm call. The more “dees” in the call, the greater the alarm they are communicating to not only their flock mates, but to other bird species that associate with them. So hanging out with chickadees has a real, and maybe even lifesaving, benefit!

Hello, Morgan residents! Thanks for being interested in small-town news.

I toured the new town hall during the open house on Jan. 6 and was very impressed with the new facility. The roughly 4,100-square-foot town hall features a large gathering room with tables and chairs available to seat about 100 people, with an adjacent spacious kitchen.

The kitchen has a pass-through counter to the large gathering room and features an abundance of counter space and outlets. There is also a smaller meeting room for monthly town meetings, designated office space, modern restrooms and plenty of storage. The parking area is freshly blacktopped, and the building is ADA compliant.

The new hall would be a comfortable location to host your next event, and hall rental can be arranged by contacting any town board member.

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