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Verona Press The
Thursday, September 19, 2019 • Vol. 55, No. 18 • Verona, WI • Hometown USA • ConnectVerona.com • $1.25
613 WEST VERONA AVENUE • VERONA, WI 53593
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County Hwy. M project
Lanes change for final phase On the Web
KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group
Photo by Kimberly Wethal
Janet Zintel plays the violin during a Verona Area Community Orchestra rehearsal on Wednesday, Sept. 4, at the Verona Area High School.
‘A good mix’
Verona Area Community Orchestra fills a musical gap KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group
An Epic employee, an English teacher and a retired Department of Natural Resources writer walk into the orchestra room at Verona Area High School. This isn’t a setup of a joke – it’s a description of just a few of the members in the newly created Verona Area Community Orchestra. “It’s a good mix,” Leyla Sayner, one of three conductors for the Verona Area Community Orchestra, said.
It’s been in the works for a few years, Sayner told the Press a few weeks into the group’s existence in August. She said she and several others had been talking about starting a group in Verona for three or four years. Verona has a community band, Sayner said, which has been successful in serving as an outlet for people who play wind and percussion instruments. But it’s been lacking a non-auditioned group for people who play string instruments. Because all three of the conductors
are teachers, Sayner (who taught music education for 38 years) said bringing the group together took a little longer as a result of their time constraints. “We saw a clear need in the county for a real community orchestra,” she said. “One that’s a non-auditioned group where people could self-select and have a once a week musical experience for a couple of hours.” The group practices Wednesdays in the Verona Area High School orchestra
Turn to Orchestra/Page 14
Expect lane changes on County Hwy. M and a new underpass starting Sunday morning. The reconfiguration will allow southbound lanes to be paved, according to information from the City of Madison, which is overseeing the project. Crews are scheduled to switch the project from Phase 3 to Phase 4 in the evening hours of Saturday, Sept. 21, into the early morning hours of Sunday, Sept. 22. Once those lanes are paved, both sides of the road will be open. Only the outer lanes on each side will be available for travel, allowing median work to be completed.
To see more information about the project, visit:
cityofmadison.com/ engineering
At that point, travelers on County Hwy. PD going west will need to use the off ramp and underpass at the intersection of M and PD, an email from City of Verona public works director Theran Jacobson told the Press in an email. Drivers who are turning off M onto PD going westbound will be allowed to use the intersection above the underpass, according
Turn to Hwy. M/Page 3
Cheering for the underdog First Bike for Opportunity raises $18K for scholarships KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group
Six weeks ago, Kristin and Brian Kellerman weren’t planning a cycling fundraiser. Yet, on Saturday, Sept. 14, they were holding the first Bike for Opportunity at Verona Community Park – and it became a healing experience for them,
Kristin told the Press. The Kellermans’ son, Will, was a student athlete at Verona Area High School and donned the number “34” on the basketball team. Will always cheered for the underdog, she said. He died in November 2017 in a rollover car accident not long after his 21st birthday. “When you lose somebody and you don’t have a cause to work for – especially as a mom, we put our whole lives into our
Turn to Bike/Page 13
Third annual Verona Fall Fest set for Sept. 27 MACKENZIE KRUMME
weather is cooler. The mosquitoes are dying and the colors are beautiful,” Solie, whose favorite season is What: Verona Fall Fest fall, said. When: 4-10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27 For the event’s first year, Where: Hometown U.S.A. Festival Park, 111 Lincoln St. the chamber planned for about 200-500 people and Info: visitveronawi.com wound up drawing 2,000. This year, it’s well stocked director Le Jordan wanted ago, the Chamber created with plenty of food carts a Verona celebration during the fall festival. and activities to cater to all each season of the year, “What is not to love? It is Verona autumn lovers. chamber member Molly sweater weather, apples and Turn to Fest/Page 13 Solie said, so three years pumpkins, spices and the
If You Go
Unified Newspaper Group
To celebrate fall colors, pumpkins, apples and spices, the Verona Area Chamber of Commerce is holding its third annual Verona Fall Fest. The outdoor event is set for 4-10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27 at Hometown U.S.A. Festival Park, 111 Lincoln St. Chamber executive
Photo by Kimberly Wethal
Cyclists pedal through the parking lot at the start of their 17 mile bike ride during the first Ride for Opportunity event Saturday, Sept. 14, at Verona Community Park.
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