Monday, June 29, 2015

Over-Fifty Club


They came from Texas and Colorado, from Washington and Illinois, from Minnesota and Iowa and from all over Wisconsin.  They came to celebrate Wild Rose High School as they are members of the Over-50 Club, which means they graduated from Wild Rose High 50 or more years ago. This year some 250 people attended the gathering at the Wild Rose Elementary School, which is about a third as many people who live in Wild Rose (about 725).  The honored classes were 1935, 1945, 1955 and 1965.

 We learned something about how things were in 1965.  We were deep into the Viet Nam War, median family income was $6,900, a first class stamp was five cents, gasoline cost 32 cents a gallon a new car cost $2,650.00 and new homes ,on average, sold for $13,600.00.  New TV shows were Hogan’s Heroes, Green Acres, I Spy, and Get Smart.

We honored long-time District Administrator, Claude Olson who is retiring.  We welcomed Craig Hayes, new District Administrator.  Erica Carlson, Wild Rose High music student and first place winner in the state completion entertained us with her wonderful rendition of “Send in the Clowns,” and with a Saxophone solo.

We also honored those  graduates who have died the previous year. Marilyn Hansen Apps and Mary Brownlow Werth were in charge of this part of the program.

Maryann Brewer Erdman (class of 1960), chairs the planning committee and she and the committee did a wonderful job of helping 250 oldsters have a most enjoyable time.

To end the program, we all stood and sang a rousing rendition of “We’re loyal to you Wild Rose High , . . .we know you’re the best . . . of all schools East and West . . . .” 

THE OLD TIMER SAYS:  Reunions allow us to connect to an earlier time—and renew acquaintances, sometimes from decades ago.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:
 My one-day writing course on “Writing From Your Life,” is scheduled for Saturday, October 17 at the Clearing in Door County.  Go to http://theclearing.org/current/classes_workshop_description.php?id=26  for detailed information.

BOOK OF THE WEEK
The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley (1978).  A wonderful nature writer, with several books to his credit, in The Star Thrower Eiseley wrote, “It is commonplace of all religious thought, even the most primitive, that the man seeking visions and insight must go apart from his fellows and live for a time in the wilderness.”

UPCOMING EVENTS:
July 16, 6:30. Heritage Village at Big Creek, Sturgeon Bay, Remembering Farm Life from an Earlier Day

September 3, Noon.  Old World Wisconsin, Wisconsin Agriculture: A History (New book)

September 3, 7 p.m. Books and Company bookstore,  Oconomowoc,  Whispers and Shadows.

September 12, West Madison Agriculture Research Station, Wisconsin 
Agriculture: A History.  Time to be announced.

September 17, 11:-a.m.  St. Luke’s Church, Middleton, WI   Stories  From the Land

September 19 , Stonefield Village, Cassville.  Whispers and Shadows.

September 23, Patterson Memorial Library, Wild Rose. Wisconsin Agriculture: A History.

September 26, 10:30 -2:00, Dregni’s, Westby, Book signing.

October 7, 6:30 p.m. Reedsburg Library, Whispers and Shadows

October 10, Heartland Forum, Chicago.

October 11, Old World Wisconsin

October 15, Prairie du Sac Library, Whispers and Shadows

October 17, 9-4 Teaching writing workshop at The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI

October 17, 4:30-6:00 p.m. The Clearing.  Book signing, Whispers and Shadows, Wisconsin Agriculture: A History.

October 29, Brown County Library.  Premier of TV Documentary,” The Land With Jerry Apps. “ Book signing, Whispers and Shadows.

November 5, 7:00 p.m. Baraboo Library, Whispers and Shadows.

November 7, Edgerton Book Festival, The Land (TV documentary) and Whispers and Shadows

November 14, 9:30 -11:30 a.m. Sheboygan County Historical Research Center.  Wisconsin Agriculture: A History.

November 15, 9:15 Midvale Lutheran Church, The Land (TV documentary)  plus discussion of Whispers and Shadows.

November 18, Preview of TV Documentary, “The Land With Jerry Apps” Wild Rose High School Auditorium.  Whispers and Shadows book signing. (Time to be announced)



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