Scene Newspaper - Appleton/Fox Cities - February 2015 by Scene Newspaper

SCENE

APPLETON • FOX CITIES EDITION | WWW.SCENENEWSPAPER.COM | FEBRUARY 2015

VOLUNTARY 75¢

L2 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

ENTERTAINMENT // THE SPANISH INQUSITION

N.E.W. Music Moves and Grows BY GEORGE HALAS Loyal Inquisitors may recall previous references to jazz-fusion band KWT4 and the group’s strong debut album, Band Box. There may have been some mention of how well the band played live… The group is moving forward as guitarist and Appleton native Scott Dercks joins saxophonist Tom Washatka, bassist Kevin Wells and drummer Tony Taylor as the newly re-christened KWT Featuring Tom Washatka. Dercks, who recently moved back to the area after 20 years working as a professional musician in Minneapolis, previously played with Washatka in the highly regarded group Nearvana. He will have an immediate effect on the live sound. “The energy Scott brings is infectious, contagious,” Wells said. “He brings a new perspective to what we do. The sound should evolve rather quickly. His energy and his approach will reflect on all of us.” “Anytime you have an infusion of new material, it creates excitement,” Taylor added. “It allows me to express myself in different ways, and, as musicians, we’re always looking for new ways to express ourselves.” “Scott has a different energy and a

KWT Featuring Tom Washatka: left to right: Scott Dercks, Kevin Wells, Tom Washatka, Tony Taylor different approach to the instrument,” Washatka said. “His sound complements the new material we’re learning. This is the sound I envisioned.” “What I’d like to do,” he added, “is to keep moving towards an original book. I’m encouraging everybody to bring stuff–– even if it’s just a groove or an idea––and we’ll develop it collectively.” “I’ve always liked the idea of collaborative efforts and having a strong framework in which to work and grow,” Dercks said. “Everyone gets a feeling of ownership. It’s not an individual’s effort, it’s the band’s effort.” The process already had a test drive with “Attaboy,” a Washatka composition that became the first cut on Band Box and a highlyrequested staple of the live shows. “I’m not sure w e’re p l a y i n g

it the way Tom envisioned,” Wells said, laughing. “Everyone added something,”Washatka noted, “and it is evolving again as Scott is putting his signature on it.” “I’m looking forward to getting involved in the music and the arrangements as well as bringing in some ideas,” Taylor said. “We all want to contribute more artistically.” Dercks has “at least a hundred” original compositions that he is excited about getting the ‘band” treatment. “I want to play music that is more sophisticated, higher energy, more contemporary,” he said. “I love old style jazz, but I want to play funkier, groovier stuff that people can dance to if they want and listen to if they want. Something for mind, something for the body. This band will challenge everyone.” “I hope people will come out and hear (the new music),” he added. “The area has gotten much more cosmopolitan over the last 20 years but the music has not.” For Dercks, this is setting up to be an ideal situation. “This is exactly the kind of music that

I want to play with exactly the players I want to play with,’ he said. “This is a semi-established band––we’re not starting from scratch––so the opportunities to play festivals and tour are much closer than they would be with a band just starting out.” The quartet makes it live debut at Becket’s in Oshkosh on Friday, February 13––no cover. “Scott will be a good fit, I think, for what they want to achieve,” said former KWT4 guitarist Tom Theabo, who is moving on to new projects of his own. “In addition to Janet Planet, I’ll be playing in a trio with (drummer) Mike Malone, (bassist) Andy Lincoln Sachen or John Gibson.” “Right now, it’s The Mike Malone Trio,” Malone said, “but these guys are so good––we’re trying to think of a name that characterizes all three of us.” The musical community in the Fox Valley is one very good drummer richer with Malone back in town. Originally from the area, he dropped out of UW – Eau Claire to tour with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, went back and graduated, then toured Europe with Ray Brown, Jr. He’s back for the foreseeable future.

February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | L3

APPLETON • FOX CITIES EDITION SCENE STAFF

Publisher James Moran • 920.418.1777 jmoran@scenenewspaper.com Associate Publisher Norma Jean Fochs • 715.254.6324 njfochs@scenenewspaper.com

APPLETON Editor Will Stahl • 920.277.7189 wstahl@scenenewspaper.com Ad Directors Mareen Andrejeski 920.522.2381 • mo@scenenewspaper.com Graphic Designer Jeff Hillis jhillis@scenenewspaper.com CENTRAL WISCONSIN Editor Merry Dudley • 715.498.1946 mdudley@scenenewspaper.com Ad Director Norma Jean Fochs • 715.254.6324 njfochs@scenenewspaper.com Graphic Designer Rosalind Kealiher • 715.513.0112 rkealiher@scenenewspaper.com

CONTENTS

Editor Michael Casper • 920.344.0036 mcasper@scenenewspaper.com

Graphic Designer Ericka Kramer-Baker • 920.602.2297 ebaker@scenenewspaper.com GREEN BAY Sales Theresa Naud • 920.366.4468 tnaud@scenenewspaper.com Graphic Designer Kelly Anderson kanderson@scenenewspaper.com OSHKOSH Ad Director Dan McCord mccord.dan@gmail.com Graphic Designer Dale DeVries dalejdevries@yahoo.com

CONTRIBUTORS Nick Olig James Page Will Stahl Barb Sauer Blaine Schultz Jane Spietz Scherryl Antoniadis Marty in the Morning Peg Lautenschlager Ron La Point Rohn Bishop Tony Palmer Robert E. Meyer

Penny BarnardSchaber Michael Mentzer Ryan Koenigs Dick Nikolai Donna Vanbuecken Tricia Derge Kimberly Fisher Renee DuFore Russell Steve Lonsway Davies Wakefield George Halas John Price-Kabhir

R8 Habitat for Humanity of

COVER STORY R16 Shen Yun

FOND DU LAC

Ad Director Greg Doyle • 920.251.8944 gregdtdoyle@yahoo.com

R16 Oshkosh

R34 Rohn’s Rants R36 Women in Management

R10 Nick Olig

FINE ARTS R2 Art Meets Heart & Takes Flight

ENTERTAINMENT L3 N.E.W. Music Moves and Grows L5 Return of The Church Basement Ladies L7

Marquis Hill CD Review

John Stano and Tom Schwark

Live From Japan

R4 World Ice and Snow Sailing Championship

INC.

PO Box 227 • Chilton, WI 53014 • 920-849-4551

L4 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

GREEN CHOICES

R14 Dobie Maxwell

A Lawsuit with a Message

R16 Shen Yun R18 Concert Watch

FOOD & DRINK

R20 Disney on Ice Presents

R38 A Vineyard on my Table

Treasure Trove R22 Gordon Lightfoot

R40 Tricia’s Table R42 Flannel John’s Tailgating

R24 Near Water Concert Series

Grub & Couch Potato

Cookbook

NEWS & VIEWS

R44 Brewmaster

R46 From The Wine Cave

In Penny’s Words

L10 The Buddist Advisor R26 The Ledge

EVENT CALENDARS

R30 Media Rants

R47 Live Music

R32 The View from the Left-Field

L11 Lawrence University

Seats

Calumet

PRESS

R12 Grey Rock at Heidel House

L12 The Big Events

Advertising deadline for March is February 20 at 5 p.m. Submit ads to ads@scenenewspaper.com. The SCENE is published monthly by Calumet Press, Inc. The SCENE provides news and commentary on politics, current events, arts and entertainment, and daily living. We retain sole ownership of all nonsyndicated editorial work and staff-produced advertisements contained herein. No duplication is allowed without permission from Calumet Press, Inc. 2015.

ENTERTAINMENT // LIVE AT THE GRAND

Live at the Grand: Return of The Church Basement Ladies BY WILL STAHL During the fifties and sixties, I grew up in a small town Lutheran church in northern Illinois. As I was vaguely aware, a group of ladies, my mother sometimes being one, were at the center of all major church events involving food, which would have included most major church events. It would never have occurred to my juvenile male mind that anything really was going on in there aside from cooking and cleanup, certainly not material for comedy and drama. Two women who came of age under similar circumstances knew differently and Janet Martin and Suzann Nelson wrote a book called Growing Up Lutheran that revealed the narrative possibilities inherent in a group of women who work together year after year and decade after decade as the warm heart of the church. To find out how this seemingly mundane material could provide the basis for five very successful musical comedies, I had separate phone interviews with Curt Wollan, show producer, and Greta Grosch who performed in the first version and wrote the scripts for the last four. Curt Wollan has been involved since the beginning. “My mother was a big church basement lady,” he said. “It was her friends, her country club.” The project was first discussed in 2000 after the book came out and proceeded haltingly until 2005 when the married team of Jim Stowell and Janet Zeuhlke finished the first script. After The Church Basement Ladies opened at the Plymouth Playhouse in Minneapolis, it ran for two and a half years with up to 12 shows a week. “Attendance averaged 102% over that run,” Wollan said. “It had to be double-casted because actors can only do eight shows a week.” You are doing well if people will stand to see your show, I’d say. That first show toured the country with William Christopher (MASH’s Father Mulcahy) in the role of the pastor. In all five shows, the characters are the same, the four church ladies and the pastor. About this latest iteration, The Last

Potluck Supper, Wollan said, “We will be all over Wisconsin. We always do well in Wisconsin.” In addition to Oshkosh, the show will play in Madison, Sheboygan, Green Bay, and Eau Claire. Greta Grosch acted in that first production of The Church Basement Ladies,

taking the role of Mavis, the good-natured farm wife who loves farming and is a willing worker but sometimes a little klutzy. Grosch had a most unusual childhood, growing up with Lutheran missionary parents. Her earliest years were spent in Ethiopia and after some time in Des Moines, Iowa, she graduated from an international high school in Papua New Guinea. She left there to study theater in college. “I never thought I could make a living at that. I always thought I’d have to get a real job.” Somehow that never quite happened

Though she had 20 years of acting experience and 10 years of writing comedy sketches, it was only while doing the Basement show that Grosch realized she could tap her own experiences for comedy material. Her parents had grown up on Minnesota farms and she drew on their stories and stories from the writers of the source book to create the next four episodes: Second Helping; A Mighty Fortress Is Our Basement; a Christmas show, Away in the Basement, and the current show, The Last Potluck Supper. “Most of the scripts are based on true stories,” Wollan told me, “and sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, as you know.” The Last Potluck Supper was inspired by the story, told in a documentary film, of a small Minnesota rural church that can no longer sustain itself as the congregation has

been decimated by the farm crisis of the late seventies. In the Basement Ladies’ church, on its one-hundredth anniversary, the church has votes to dissolve. The play looks back over the years since the church’s founding. Some flashback scenes feature the actors playing their characters’ ancestors at the

time of the founding of the church. Other flashback scenes harken back to scenes in earlier plays, depicting the continuation or result of what happened in those scenes. But both Grosch and Wollan assured me that you needn’t have seen the previous shows to appreciate the current one. “If people have seen one of the other shows,” Grosch said, “they can enjoy this one as it tells the story of their favorite characters. It’s like a sitcom, characterdriven.” But each show is written to be enjoyed individually. This is a play series that has inspired tremendous loyalty and resonance. “Once people recognized me from the show,” Grosch said, “strangers would stop me to tell stories.” Some of them she has been able to incorporate into scripts. I asked Wollan if he saw any future sequels. “At this point,” he said, “this is the last. But when I say that to people they get mad.” A sequel would have to go back in time, but that’s not really a problem as the series has already gone from 1969, to ’56, ’58, ’60, and finally to ’79. Wollan said he likes to listen to people talking as they emerge from the show, comparing characters in the show to people they know. All of us know these women, no matter what background we come from. They were our mothers, our aunts, our mothers’ friends. Younger people certainly can recognize some people they know in these characters and learn about a time that is mostly gone. “Bring the family,” he said. “It especially pleases groups of women, red hats, other senior groups. They remember when church basement ladies did the food for funerals. No one has time these days; when you go to a funeral now, it’s catered.” The Last Potluck Supper will play at the Grand Opera House in Oshkosh on Tuesday, March 3 at 2 PM and 7 PM.

February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | L5

GREEN CHOICES // SEEING GREEN

A Lawsuit with a Message BY WILL STAHL Last week two parallel news stories caught my attention. The more widely disseminated reported that 2014 was the warmest year globally since temperatures have been measured by instruments and recorded. In the United States, that means since 1880. The other story was of Governor Walker and his new attorney general Brad Schimel joining a lawsuit against the EPA for new regulations mandating a reduction in carbon emissions. Walker’s rationale, expressed during his State of the State speech, was that these new regulations would cost too much and hurt Wisconsin manufacturers. On cue, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce stood up on its hind legs and bleated its agreement. They took this action as the global warming denial hoax is slowly fading, as confirming evidence accumulates and cherry picking stray bits that seem contradictory is no longer credible. Just the other day the US Senate voted to accept the reality that the Earth’s climate is warming and it’s not a hoax, though they stopped short of acknowledging that human activities are responsible. Even Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) co-sponsored the first bill, but on the second he said, “The hoax is that there are some people so arrogant to think they can change climate. Man cannot change climate.” Well, one step at a time. Evidence that the Earth’s overall climate is warming has become an avalanche burying denialist arguments. The notion that the climate stopped warming in the nineties and is now cooling is simply flatout untrue. Nine of the ten warmest years in recorded history have been since 2000, and the outlier is 1998. That year was so hot that deniers used it as the start point for a trend line that ends in 2012. Glanced at, such a chart makes it appear that not much warming has occurred since 1998, but a line drawn from 1990-2014 shows a steep increase. It is true that global warming, as measured in surface temperatures, did not increase quite as much as some scientists had predicted, but careful measurement

showed more heat than previously thought had accumulated in the deep oceans. The temperature data usually cited are based on temperatures measured right at the surface of the land and sea. But the vast majority––over 90%––of the heat energy absorbed by the Earth is stored in the vast heat sink of the the oceans that cover about three-fourths of our planet. As I’ve written before in these pages, the “warming” in global warming has not and will not cause the weather to heat uniformly around the world. Heat is the energy that drives our weather, specifically, that heat contained in the oceans. The more energy, the more powerful and chaotic the weather: heat waves, cold snaps, heavy snow, torrential rain and severe drought are all signatures of global warming. You will hear denalists sneer that climate-change activists had to change “global warming” to “climate change” because most people weren’t seeing anything that looked like warming. This has been a point of discussion among the activist community since the constellation of phenomena that are the causes and effects of the Earth’s accumulating heat energy cannot be explained on a bumper sticker. Yes, the climate is changing, and yes, “warming” is driving that, and yes, humankind’s emitted greenhouse gases are the primary cause, but the relationship among them is complex and to a large degree unpredictable. Wisconsin residents could be forgiven a level of skepticism about global warming while living through the winter of 201314. It was exceptionally cold here and very snowy. Two things about that: One is that the eastern United States was the only piece of the inhabited Earth to experience colder-than-normal tem-

L6 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

peratures. California and Alaska had their warmest years ever, California blowing away its previous record year by about six degrees Fahrenheit. Anchorage, Alaska, had its first winter on record without a single day below zero. Siberia, Europe and Australia were all hotter than usual. The other is that the sheer intensity of last winter’s weather seems to be linked to the changes in the oceans and the Arctic and their interacting effects on the jet stream. The much-discussed “polar vortex” is a normal circumpolar wind flow, allowed south by changes in the jet stream. All of this has been occurring in the absence of any natural cause. No El Nino, normally a warmer, appeared this past year. The Sun is at solar minimum, sending us about the least amount of energy it ever does. The Earth on its axis has not wobbled to the position that should bring the greatest warmth. How climate change will ultimately present in Wisconsin is a very open question. I have heard projections by a couple of UW climate scientists that by the end of this century, Wisconsin will have summers like present-day Arkansas and winters like Iowa. Models predict that our precipitation events would be big but erratic with dry periods between. But we are a mid-continental region, our weather unmoderated by a nearby ocean, and though that means we will not have to deal with any rising sea-levels, midcontinental regions such as Siberia and the Midwest get hammered with weather from both ends, the poles and the tropics. The effect of revving up this already extreme weather with a continuing infusion of extra ocean heat cannot be accurately foreseen. We don’t have the temperature stabilizing

effects of a seacoast, but we will feel the effects of changes in the oceans far away. One more time, this is how it works: The sun radiates energy to the Earth, which is picked up by the atmosphere and the waters. Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, trap the energy that would have earlier radiated back to space. Much of the heat retained by the atmosphere is absorbed into the heat sink of the ocean. The warmer ocean supplies more moisture to some weather systems and the extra energy drives wind to power all of them. Nothing mystical about it, all chemistry and physics. The mystery is in how this adrenalin charge of energy will affect the complex system that is our weather The effects are playing out all over the world. “Global warming” is not a religion or a cult or a hoax; it is what is happening. Most of the Senators know that, and if all those who knew it had voted to confirm the belief that human activity is affecting climate, the measure would have passed easily. Some simply knew their base voters would not have stood for a yes vote. Those are the voters Scott Walker is relying on as he makes his legal move against the EPA. They are decent people who treasure their way of life or at least cannot imagine another. He is playing to their deep fears that a post-fossil fuel economy would be austere and closely supervised. He is, for all his talk of reform, the guardian of the status quo for those who believe him. Those who fund him expect just that. When Walker says the new regulations will cost money and jobs, he is saying what conservatives have always said in these situations. The changes have never been as bad as predicted. In the sixteenth year of the twenty-first century, a real leader can’t act as if nothing matters but the amount of money fossil fuel-based corporations make. But Scott Walker wants to be president, and to have any chance he needs their money. And to get it he is going to have to keep approving of pipelines and mines and disapproving of regulations and laws that interfere with those developments. It’s worked for him so far.

ENTERTAINMENT // CIRCLE A CAFÉ

John Stano and Tom Schwark at Circle A Café BY BLAINE SCHULTZ The Circle A Café could be one of many indistinct neighborhood taverns that populate Milwaukee. But over the last decade or so it has become one of the city’s finest minor listening rooms/rock clubs. Open Friday through Sunday, live music runs from 8-10 PM when a DJ takes over. The half-dozen television sets are all tuned to static––the B52s would be proud. In fact, their record just might be on the jukebox, stocked as it is with vintage 45s. The walls are covered with flyers that seem to be much happier than in their previous lives on telephone poles in Berkeley, California, and Milwaukee. Tonight the acoustic duo of John Stano

and Tom Schwark hold court on guitar and mandolin. Stano has released a pair of singer/songwriter CDs (he is also an accomplished poet). You might recognize Schwark from the many bands he has played with over the decades: Frogwater, The Bluegrass All Stars, The Milwaukee Mandolin Orchestra, Les Martin and the Country Drifters, The Reedy Buzzards, and Grass, Food & Lodging. Pretty much anytime you see Schwark’s name it is worth the price of admission. On Sunday, January 18 the small Riverwest club found listeners shaking off the Seattle blues, licking their Green Bay Packer wounds and settling in for an intimate night of Stano and Schwark’s blend of folk, blues, country and old-timey sounds.

Drawing from Stano’s original material and a wealth of covers the duo settled in and played for two sets. Stano’s “From a Rusty Cadillac” was featured on NPR’s “Car Talk” and nods to Dylan, complete with peeling vinyl roof and three curb feelers. Not unlike John Prine, Stano’s songs tell stories. He also gave away his age introducing “Other People’s Blues” referencing dropping the needle on LPs to learn his heroes’ licks. One of them was legendary fingerpicker Mississippi John Hurt––the duo covered his “Payday” as well as Tom Paxton’s “Did You Hear John Hurt?” Schwark’s high lonesome vocals and trilling mandolin on “Rank Stranger” and “Wayfaring Stranger” effortlessly demon-

strate he knows just the right atmospheric touch to add to a song. To change things up, Stano switched over to cigar-box guitar for some slide playing. But perhaps his greatest achievement was blowing harmonca to the horn section parts on the Band’s “Ophelia.” What else? During the break between sets my conversation with Schwark is interrupted as a listener thanks him and says good night. As he walks out the door Schwark says, “That was T-Bone Walker’s nephew.”

MARQUIS HILL CD Review Modern Flows Vol. 1 BY GEORGE HALAS Marquis Hill’s musical prowess began to garner more recognition after winning such competitions as the International Trumpet Guild jazz competition (2012) and most recently the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trumpet Competition (2014), widely regarded as the most prestigious in its field. Hill previously recorded three albums: New Gospel (Skiptone 2011), Sounds of the City (Skiptone 2012) and The Poet (Skiptone 2013). On his fourth recording, Modern Flows Vol. 1 (Skiptone 2014), Hill demonstrates that not only are those trumpet awards more than well-deserved but that his skills as a composer and arranger occupy the same rarified air. One of the first steps in recording any great album is getting great players and Hill has chosen wisely. Saxophonist Christopher McBride is technically and stylistically complementary to Hill; his solos are both inventive and breath-taking

while their shared passages are often the highlight of the compositions. Drummer-percussionist Makaya McCraven has an extensive toolkit that includes moments of power and technical brilliance combined with a nuanced melodic feel and creative flourishes. He teams with bass player Joshua Ramos to form a rhythm section that effortlessly and engagingly handles everything Hill throws at them. Ramos plays virtuoso-quality solos that have an unusual and satisfying melodic component that integrates superbly with Hill’s compositions. Vibraphonist Justin Thomas adds interesting, stimulating and engaging dimensions to the music. When Hill and/ or McBride have the lead, he adds unique context while cruising effortlessly with McCraven and Ramos. There are a number of highlight moments throughout the recording where Hill and McBride step aside and let Thomas expand and express. Meagen McNeal appears as a vocalist on a couple of tracks while Tumelo Khoza

and Keith Winford get “Spoken Word” credits. If your first reaction to “spoken word” was “rap” and you don’t like rap, do not be deterred – think “poetry” or “literate, intelligent, poignant, understandable prose that is not only thought-provoking but sets the context for the album” in the opening cut, Modern Flows Intro. It is followed by Black Harvest, an up tempo ensemble piece that features tight playing by Hill and McBride while Thomas sets things up and then handles most of the solo work; a passage with just Thomas and McCraven is particularly engaging. McCraven and Ramos set the tone and then drive a scintillating tempo on White Shadow that provides a superb backdrop for a number of outstanding solos including Ramos pushing his bass to the forefront. The horn arrangements are soothing and comfortable with a dash of energy. The Essence continues the easy, soothing groove as Thomas adds sonic flourishes to the attractive melody that is delivered by some smooth Hill-McBride chemistry.

The very positive spoken message of Love My Life gives way to an uplifting ensemble arrangement. McNeal and Thomas are featured in equal amounts on the front end of I Remember Summer before McBride contributes the kind of sax solo you want to hear during the summer. McNeal returns with sweet, soft vocals that have a Brazilian flavor. Hill features himself with excellent results on the up tempo When We Were Kings then follows with King Legend layering melodies and solos with literate, thought-provoking and percussive spoken word. Flow, another showcase for Thomas’ considerable talents and creativity with more superb work from Hill, precedes the final cut, Legend Outro. The net effect of listening to this album is positive and pleasing – and yes, these guys are just as good live.

February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | L7

ENTERTAINMENT // LIVE FROM JAPAN

Game of the Month: Super Mario Bros. 3 BY JAMES PAGE theplayerspage@yahoo.com Developer: Nintendo ESRB: N/A Release Date: 02/12/1990 System: Nintendo Entertainment System Rating: Graphics: 3.5 out of 4.0 Game Play: 3.5 out of 4.0 Personal: 2.0 out of 2.0 Total Score: 9.0 out of 10.0 Player’s Page: Super Mario Bros. 3 The previous story is old and well known: The princess of a peaceful land is kidnapped and two heroes must rescue her from the clutches of an evil king who wishes to keep her for himself. Since the last game, Mario and Luigi have brought peace and stability back to the Mushroom Kingdom after successfully rescuing Princess Toadstool from Bowser. However, peace in the Mushroom World never seems to last for long. Shortly after Mario, Luigi, and Princess Toadstool return to the Mushroom Kingdom, the heroes learn that Bowser has picked himself up after his defeat and launched an invasion of seven different kingdoms of the Mushroom World. The invasion forces are led by Bowser’s seven children, the Koopalings, with each one heading the invasion of a different kingdom. Princess Toadstool knows only Mario and Luigi can overcome the forces of Bowser, so she sends them out to thwart Bowser’s evil offspring. The battle plan for each kingdom is the same: fight through various enemies to reach the castle where they will board an airship to defeat a Koopaling and retrieve the kingdom’s magic wand, which will free the ruler from an evil spell. The plan may sound simple but the road becomes more difficult with each success and freeing all seven king-

doms will require great amounts of skill, coordination, patience, and luck. While Mario and Luigi are distracted by the liberation of the seven kingdoms, Bowser decides to take advantage of the situation by striking an undefended Mushroom Kingdom and once again kidnapping Princess Toadstool. Once they have freed all seven kingdoms, Mario and Luigi learn of the assault on the Mushroom Kingdom and decide to launch an attack on Bowser’s realm. When they set foot in Bowser’s Dark Land, Mario and Luigi proceed to dismantle his war machine by stopping his tanks, sinking his navy, and grounding his airships. After crushing Bowser’s battalions, Mario and Luigi reach the gates of his castle ready for a final showdown to rescue Princess Toadstool and decide the fate of the Mushroom Kingdom.

L8 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

Released in February of 1990, Super Mario Bros. 3 is one of the most recognizable games in the long running Mario series. Super Mario Bros. 3 deviated from the original and introduced a number of elements, which have become iconic parts of the series and are present in many of the games released since. The improved graphics, sound, and game-play elements made the game one of the most popular on the Nintendo Entertainment System, and this popularity has continued throughout the years, resulting in versions of the game being available on many of Nintendo’s subsequent systems and virtual consoles. The many releases of the game have helped to make Super Mario Bros. 3 one of best selling games in Nintendo’s history. Super Mario Bros. 3 is a traditional platform game which requires a player to complete a stage as quickly as possible while defeating enemies, gathering power–ups, and collecting coins. Most of the stages require the player to move from left to right, but some move vertically, and others add a level of difficulty by having the left side of the screen encroach on the player, creating a new element of urgency to quickly complete the stage. The original Super Mario Bros. offered the player three power–ups to choose from, but Super Mario Bros. 3 increased the selection to eight and gave the player inventory slots in which to store the numerous items. The game also offers the player the opportunity to gain extra lives by collecting coins, matching card received from completing stages, and from memory and luck based mini–games.

Super Mario Bros. 3 introduced the concept of worlds to the Mario franchise, each with its own unique world map, themes, items, and enemies. The world map is similar to a game board with icons representing stages, item houses, fortresses, and castles and allows for players to move their characters around the map with the possibility of skipping certain stages either with the assistance of a special item or by simply avoiding them on the map. Along with the world map, the game introduced the concept of themed worlds. A themed world has a common trait present in all the stages of the world such as water in the Water Land world, sand and desert themes in the Desert Land world, and pipes in the Pipe Land world. However, the game developers realized that eight themed worlds could tend to make for a long play, and they introduced the idea of warp whistles, which would allow a player to skip multiple worlds. Super Mario Bros. 3 is a perfect example of how an old game can still bring hours of fun to anyone who plays it. The graphics may not be as nice or clean as newer installments of the series but the game play is solid and the level of difficulty provides a nice challenge. This February help to celebrate the silver anniversary of the game originally released in a gold box and play a copy of Super Mario Bros. 3. The nostalgia of playing the old classic will help to make for a fun- filled day. Remember, like all games if you play them just to have fun, there will never be a bad game.

February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R1

FINE ARTS // ART MEETS HEART

Art Meets Heart & Takes Flight BY DONNA FISCHER It isn’t easy to keep drawing people to a fundraiser year after year. Even when the funds go to support a popular and lively entity like The Art Garage, it can still be a daunting task to stir people up and motivate them. The creative minds behind The Art Garage met that challenge this year with a fanciful idea. Now in its fifth year, the Art Meets Heart fundraiser requires local artists and art lovers to take a ten – inch airplane and decorate it for incorporation into a larger sculpture. Sandy Melroy, a chairperson for the fundraiser, says the change was needed. “This year we decided to change it up a little bit because art should stay lively and exciting and not stagnant,” states Melroy. “We have had four incredible years of participation by the community in Art Meets Heart. People love creating something and then seeing their piece of art, weaving that into a larger piece of piece of work. So this year, instead of a heart created by hundreds of canvases, we have a community 3-D sculpture created with 300 airplanes, made out of aluminum that the community has basically painted, or embellished, or decorated.” The public unveiling will take place at Austin Straubel International Airport later in February, remaining there throughout 2015. “It’s a nod to the place where we are displaying

it. We certainly appreciate Austin Straubel Airport for having this art initiative on their turf, so to speak. If the administrative staff and our public officials would not see the value of art in the community, we would not be there.” Melroy points out that there is more to each airplane in the sculpture than what is visible on the surface. This is where the heart in “Art Meets Heart” comes in. “This is a cross – section of the community that shows that art is available to everybody at all ages and all experience levels. So

what we ask people to do, we give them a blank canvas, or a blank airplane, and we say, ‘create something and give it back to us. We need you to write down why you did it and what you did. That is called your artist statement.’ When people turn their artist statement in and you read what they had done and why they had done it, that component is extremely powerful. It describes more than people ever realize when they’re looking at a physical piece of art. It’s not the art people create, it’s the reason people create art that makes this project so important. It shows you a deeper level of themselves and they used

R2 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

art to express it. It is very powerful to read their stories of why they do what they do.” Every artist statement will be available for public viewing near the exhibit. Unlike some projects, Melroy says this sculpture is especially challenging in that it doesn’t come with instructions. “This is the largest thing we’ve tackled yet. Like a lot of art projects, you create it as you go. We’re still creating the final design. There isn’t a book for this. It’s really exciting, but it’s scary too.” Art often flourishes when someone works alone and in relative peace and quiet, but this project is flourishing because of the teamwork between local businesses and The Art Garage. “We’ve been very well supported by many businesses around town. Van’s Heating & Cooling actually created the airplanes and part of the sculpture that will be on the floor. They have been an incredible business partner. And Cineviz is making a documentary video for us. They’re going to show the story of how this year’s Art Meets Heart project has happened.” Melroy stresses the lasting value the arts bring to a community. “Art is a level playing field. It allows everybody at every level of economics to participate in a very creative environment that encourages growth and mental health as well as physical health. The Packers are phenomenal in bringing tourism to Green Bay, but the arts can help grow that interest.” Having a public location like an airport for a community art piece to display is key to keeping art relevant for residents. “I give thanks to the airport administration for seeing the value of connecting into the town. They’re not just there to provide a place for planes to land.

They’re there to secure the image of Green Bay.” Melroy also points out that Art Meets Heart will help The Art Garage continue its practice of bringing visitors in at no charge. “If

you go in to almost any gallery or museum across the nation you probably will have to pay a door fee. We don’t want to do that.” To help make Art Meets Heart a success this year, consider getting a ticket for the unveiling ceremony at Austin Straubel International Airport on February 26. Log onto TheArtGarage. org for more information.

February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R3

ENTERTAINMENT // WORLD ICE AND SNOW SAILING

World Ice and Snow Sailing Championship and Sturgeon Stampede on Winnebago BY MICHAEL CASPER E l i t e kiteboarding athletes from a ro u n d t h e world will gather on the shores of Lake Winnebago, February 9-14 in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin to compete in the World Ice and Snow Sailing Championship (WISSA). This will be the 35th Annual Championship and is the longest running international racing venue in the history of windsurfing, hand held sleds and kites. Last year the competition was held in Russia. “We are extremely proud and honored to have been selected as the site for WISSA 2015,” said Craig Molitor, President/CEO of the Fond du Lac Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We, along with our cohosts – the Winnebago Association of Kiteboarders (WAK) and Wind Power Windsurfing Kiting Center, have been working on this for over a year and will be ready to welcome these athletes and spectators to our community. This celebrates our time honored sport of sturgeon spearing and recognizes that Fond du Lac and Lake Winnebago are a winter playground.” Dan Deuster is the President of WAK. “February 9th the competitors will begin testing their rigs for the lake’s condition,” he said “and we’ll have a practice race. That night the Fond du Lac Yacht Club was kind enough to open its doors for our opening reception. Then Tuesday through Saturday it’s race, race, race!” There will be all versions of competition; kite, wing, sail, course, speed drags, and free-style each day. Thus far registrants are from Canada, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine and the US. “Team Sweden is comprised of both

men and women racers,” Dan said “they are a team of six who race in this world competition every year.” How did Lake Winnebago and the Sturgeon Stampede catch the interest of this world wide organization? “For the past few years,” Dan explains “several of their board members, one from Canada, one from New Hampshire, and one from Latvia have been coming to the Sturgeon Stampede, either competing or just observing, and they were impressed with

what we’ve organized over time. You know, these athletes come from all over the world, and they don’t come for a party or a festival...they’re here to compete and race.” But while the athletes are focused on the competition, there will be an abundance of fun for all to experience with the 26th Annual Sturgeon Stampede, a winter outdoor festival, Thursday, February 12 through Sunday, February 15. “The entire week of competition and fun all takes place about a half mile off shore,” Dan said “and you can drive onto the lake at Sunset Grill and Bar, or Clarence’s Harbor.” Volunteers are needed to assist these

R4 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

activities throughout the week on land and off the shores of Roosevelt Park on Lake Winnebago. Jobs include assistance with the set up of the opening and closing receptions, assistance at the races, judging, registration, shuttle drivers, food & beverage servers at the food tent on the ice, runners, and facility maintenance. Volunteers

will be given food and beverage tickets during their shifts. To learn more about these volunteer positions contact the WISSA Volunteer Coordinator, Lori Bohn at 920-373-7557 or lbohn@christineann.net “We have team riders from Ozone and Naish – two huge Kite companies in our sport,” said Kevin Gratton, WISSA 2015 Race Director and owner of Wind Power Wind Surfing Kiting Center. “Our conditions on the lake off the shore of Roosevelt Park are great for the event and we anticipate good winds for the competition. In addition to Ozone and Naish Vendor Sponsors include Attitude Sports, Hiberna Boards brought to us by Fish Lake Iceboards, Kitewing LLC, Slingshot and Xensr. The vendors will have booths in our tent on the ice and many of them will offer demonstrations.” “Friday night the band D-Willy and the Souvenirs will play,” Dan said “and we’ll crown our Sturgeon Queen which is a competition open to any and all, the only requirement is having an open mind (laugh).” Continue on Page R6

OU” this Valentine’s D Y E V O L I “ ay! S ay

Jewelers.com

“Let Our Location Be Your Savings”

603 Wisconsin Avenue • North Fond du Lac • (920)922-6259 February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R5

ENTERTAINMENT // WORLD ICE AND SNOW SAILING

Continued from Page R4 Ed Schneider is Deuster’s business partner in Do-It-All Sports, and Vice President of WAK. “When the Stampede began years ago, wind propulsion wasn’t part of it,” Ed said. “It actually began as a mountain bike race from Gladstone Beach to the Lakeside Park lighthouse, and back. Eventually it all morphed into a windsurf and kite event. Having worked on this for nearly a year in conjunction with the Fond du Lac Visitor’s and Convention Bureau who has been a great partner, we won the bid to host and we’re excited about all of it!” The traditional bonfire and fireworks will take place after dusk on Friday, February 13. “There’s nothing like a fireworks show on the lake,” Dan said “the way the sky lights up and reflects off the snow and ice, if you’ve never seen something like it, I urge you to come out...it’s spectacular! And Saturday and Sunday are our family-days with broom-ball and ice bowling, tetherball, bag toss, ice skating, food, there’ll be an ice-bar...you can try kite boarding. Fun for all.” Saturday will be the final day of competition. “It will be a meld of WISSA and the Stampede,” Dan said “It’s a short day of racing which may wrap up around 2pm, but it will be followed by the ‘big-air’ kite jumping competition. We’ll be trying to jump as high as we can. We’ll have XENSR sensors which measure glide path, height, and hang time.” Other new events for Saturday morning will be a “Spear the Fatty” Bike Race and “Bootie Adventure Obstacle Run” organized by DuTriRun. For a complete schedule go to wissa2015.com and for more information contact Gloria West at gloria@dutrirun. com. Media Partners for the event are Action Reporter Media and WTCX and Sunny 97-7 radio. The Host Hotel is the Retlaw Plaza Hotel. The main sponsor of the event is Altmeyer Electric. Partners include: Best Buy, Do-It-All Sports Arena, Flyway Sign and Graphics, Fondy”s Sports Park, Fred’s Fastrac Sales, Kreuziger Drainage LLC, Red Bull, Miller Coors, Joe Stoppleworth, Sunset on the Water Grill & Bar, and Trademark Construction. Friends of WISSA2015 are Denis and Company, Dale Jenkins, Festival Foods, Fond du Lac Police Department, Fond du Lac Yacht Club, MW Tighe Roofing and the Spice Crate. For information about sponsorship contact Dan Deuster at info@wakkiteboarding.com or call 920-960-9676. Media inquiries should be directed to WISSA Event Manager, Mary Denis at 800-937-9123x114 or mdenis@fdl.com. Fond du Lac, Wisconsin is located one and a half hours north of Milwaukee at the foot of Lake Winnebago. The Fond du Lac Convention & Visitors Bureau is the destination marketing organization that promotes Fond du Lac area as an overnight destination for groups, businesses, and the leisure visitors, thereby enhancing the local economy. For more information go to fdl.com or call 920-923-3010.

R6 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

Surgery by the Best!

Gerald Clarke, MD

Stephen Dudley, MD

Lorne Schlecht, MD

No Drop Cataract Surgery 1-800-20happy If you’ve been thinking about having LASIKnow is the perfect time!

$1350/eye OptiVision

Eye Care

1-800-20happy February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R7

ENTERTAINMENT // HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

Habitat for Humanity of Oshkosh

Will Host Art Benefit In the midst of winter, it may be difficult to find inspiration in one’s surroundings. Habitat for Humanity of Oshkosh provides just the right opportunity for creative transportation with its 5th annual “Home is where the heART is” benefit. The event will use the power of art and entertainment to support the Habitat mission to build homes, community and hope.

The benefit will take place on Saturday, February 21st at LaSure’s Banquet Hall, Oshkosh. Participants will enjoy a dinner, auction of art and gift baskets and live musical entertainment. Many of Oshkosh’s best artists have donated pieces of their work to be auctioned to the highest bidder, with proceeds going to support the Habitat mission to build homes and improve lives in the Oshkosh area. Last year, “Home is where the heART is” drew 200 attendees and the participation of 21 local artists and 45 local businesses. The event also served as a “year in review” opportunity to display the impact of Habitat Oshkosh in our community.

The work of many of the artists that will be featured at this year’s event will be shown at the Oshkosh Gallery Walk on February 7th, 2015 from 6pm to 9pm. The Oshkosh Gallery Walk is held on the first Saturday of each month starting in January. Tickets sell for $50 per person or $375 for a table of eight and can be purchased by calling Heather at Habitat Oshkosh at (920) 235-3535 or visiting habitatoshkosh.org. This year, tickets are free for artists plus one guest. To learn more, please visit facebook.com/hiwthioshkosh or habitatoshkosh.org. Habitat for Humanity of Oshkosh, Inc. is a local affiliate of Habitat for

Humanity International, which serves families in Oshkosh. Habitat is an ecumenical Christian housing ministry that seeks to put God’s love into action by bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope. For more information or to volunteer, please call (920) 235-3535 for Habitat and (920) 230-3535 for the Habitat ReStore or visit habitatoshkosh. org. For fun updates and projects, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

R8 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

Winterfest

PARTY!

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH

LIVE MUSIC 7pm - NO COVER

R E T S B O L nner Di Lobster Tail

THE MADPOLECATS SPONSORED BY:

2590 Winchester Rd Neenah, WI 54956

Red Mashed Potatoes & Clam Chowder $20 per person

ECKLUND TRUCKING February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R9

ENTERTAINMENT // NICK OLIG

Church of Zeppelin BY NICK OLIG I’m not an atheist in the traditional sense, but I’m an atheist when it comes to Christian Rock. Those two words just don’t fit together. They oppose each other, like Dubstep Unplugged and Amish Casino. As far as art forms go, Christian Rock is more painful than extreme body piercing. Now, before it seems like I’m updating my resume for admittance into hell, I should note that I’m biased on the matter. I live entirely too close to a progressive church, and so I am subjected against my will to Christian Rock in my own residence. Every Sunday morning, disagreeable music seeps through my floorboards, walls, and windows. My bed becomes engulfed in a plodding death march of drums, and instruments too stricken with guilt to express joy, and redundant, gravelly testaments about everything from God to the Supreme Being to Our Heavenly Father. Furthermore, I’ll gladly admit that some faith-based music has merit. Oddly enough, a few summers ago, I lived in a place beside a church on the north side of Chicago. When that choir’s renditions of “Amazing Grace” and “This Little Light of Mine” carried into my bedroom, my emotions were stirred. I became less of a grouch. The choir’s tone was one of perseverance, of overcoming our struggles to find love and hope all around us, and they sang with galvanizing soul. Christian Rock has soul, too, I guess, but it’s the soul of an adult who demands to be scolded after tripping down a flight of stairs and accidentally blurting out the “s-word.” On a philosophical level, Christian Rock is confusing. If God is truly, perfectly virtuous, wouldn’t that make Him supremely HUMBLE, too? After all, the word of God preaches humility, not arrogance. (“Blessed are the meek,” yes?) If God doesn’t endorse egotism, why would He demand that we all constantly stroke His divine ego? He wouldn’t require an entire genre of music that’s entirely obsessed with commending Him all the time. My

understanding of God is that He’d probably be content with a simple “thanks” and an occasional tribute of “Amazing Grace” on holidays. If I’m wrong about that, and God is the most adamant supporter of Christian Rock in the universe, I’m in trouble, sure, but we’d all be in trouble, the members of Third Day included. God as a Christian Rock aficionado could actually be terrifying. It’s got to be impossible for mankind to match God’s ability to criticize, or to compete with his love of Himself. What if God, the Christian Rock fanatic, and an infallible one at that, voiced his displeasure

to the players at Life Fest in their dreams? “Terry! Thou hast disappointed me.” “Wha? Whatever do you mean, Lord?” “Sigh. Your debut recording, Infinite Praise, was a double album, but your latest album, Never-ending Worship, was only one disc. That’s two full hours of telling Me how awesome I am down to a measly 45 minutes of telling Me how awesome I am. What, do you suddenly love Me less?! Did I get a lot less awesome between the years of 2012 and 2014? Because that is the impression I get from your erroneously titled Never-ending Worship.” “Oh, what have we done?” Terry cries. “Lord, I speak for the entirety of Rage Against the Pagans when I beg for your forgiveness. You see, there was pressure from the record company to make the album divinely concise...” “Silence!” God bellows. “I decree that you begin work immediately on a TRIPLE album! And until the deed is finished to my approval, I shall torment you by giving you nightmares about gay hippies.” “Nooooo!” Terry howls with righteous

R10 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

despair. Amen. With that horrific scene gone from our lives forever, I’d like to reiterate that I’m not opposed to faith or religious music entirely, but I do sincerely wish the church in my whereabouts stepped up their game tunefully. The solution calls for some sacrilege, perhaps, but my alternative to Christian Rock in church would still uphold causes such as offering food drives for the hungry, free counseling for troubled souls, and a spirit of togetherness. My prospective church would mostly be different due to its preference for secular music and harmless hints at “false idols.” This idyllic place of worship would at least be a better representation of Rock—if not the Christian part. If not me, somebody needs to found a Church of Zeppelin. A few pillars of the Church of Zeppelin are as follows: No mass on Sundays. We know better than to try competing with the NFL. That’s basically like the programmers of a TV Land rerun of Murder She Wrote expecting to get higher ratings than the Super Bowl. It’s ridiculous! And we don’t have early morning masses, either, since the music of Led Zeppelin clearly favors the night. The Church’s masses are held once a month. We don’t want to overdo it! We live in an insanely busy world with overfilling dates in our calendars. The Church of Zeppelin would therefore congregate at 8 pm on the first Tuesday of every month. We’re not going to be sticklers about attendance. Parishioners who find themselves stuck in an ongoing communication breakdown with the Church of Zeppelin are welcome to return on any given first Tuesday of the month to cleverly admit, “It’s been a long time since I rock and rolled.” Opening sermons could begin with the cryptic words, “Many times I’ve wondered how much there is to know...” Brief remarks would be made by the preacher, whom we refer to as the Hed Zeppelin Honcho, who would quote insightful scripture such as, “I’m telling you now, the greatest thing you ever could do now, is trade a smile with someone that’s blue now.” After that, the congregation would pretty much just mingle and visit nicely

with one another while rocking out to Led Zeppelin for 45 minutes. There is no penalty for leaving early, but if doing so causes you to miss seeing a group of smartly dressed beautiful ladies swaying in unison as they sing along to “Fool in the Rain,” it’s your loss, pal. No topical guidelines are imposed while socializing and enjoying Zeppelin, but if you’d care to discuss the songs and legacy of perhaps the best band ever, you’re welcome to do that. Consider “Your Time Is Gonna Come.” Is it about a scandalous lover or Jesus? I don’t know, discuss! For an even longer conversation that could easily verge on endless, ponder “What Is and What Should Never Be.” Even if you’ve got claptrap theories about Robert Plant being the reincarnation of Bilbo Baggins, feel free to ramble on. Now, to be entirely forthcoming, I’m too lazy and easily distracted to found the Church of Zeppelin. There’s got to be a lot of paperwork and financing involved in an enterprise like that, so count me out. But somewhere in Wisconsin, or wherever in the world this gets read, maybe I could act as the muse for a living loving maid whose dazed and confused state of mind becomes enlightened by the potential of the Church of Zeppelin. Yes, there are two paths she can go by (one that dismisses this story as nonsense and the other that gives it some thought) but in the long run, there’s still time to change the road she’s on. I can almost see her pretty face now, biting her lip and nodding reflectively, then searching for rental properties online, making a phone call or two, and opening her checkbook... And she’s buying a stairway to heaven. Nick Olig is a freelance writer of sardonic musings, and has written two books,compilations of his work which are available on-line.

February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R11

ENTERTAINMENT // Heidel House

Grey Rock at Heidel House Resort Rolls Out Winter Menu The new menu includes wild game, gluten-free items and seasonal salads to bring a variety of fresh winter comfort food to enjoy lakeside. Heidel House Resort’s award-winning restaurant, Grey Rock, has unveiled a new winter menu that includes full-size steaks, seasonal salads, fresh seafood and glutenfree options. The Heidel House Resort’s culinary team, which includes Executive Chef Craig Summers, Lead Cook Amanda Fendryk and Sous Chef Brian Shaw, created Grey Rock’s winter menu using local farm fresh ingredients that appeal to a variety of tastes and appetites. “Our new traditional winter menu includes a variety of comfort foods we

crave during the cold months,” said Craig Summers, executive chef at Heidel House Resort. “A combination of appetizing salads, Wisconsin-favorite entrées and warm sides make this winter menu one worth exploring, and offers something for everyone to enjoy.” Guests at Grey Rock can expect freshto-order steaks from Chicago and homemade raviolis from Madison, Wis. According to Summers, local purveyors are used whenever possible for produce and other ingredients. The Grey Rock winter menu includes a

wild game special every night. Guests can also look forward to features such as bison tenderloin tacos and bison flank steak. Additionally, the Heidel House culinary team will provide seasonal salads that will change weekly to include fresh ingredients and flavors of the season. Grey Rock guests with food allergies or those looking for healthier options will find what they need on the new winter menu as well. The restaurant is introducing gluten-free items which are clearly identified on the menu with a “GF” icon. These appetizers, salads and entrees include shrimp cocktail, bison tacos, winter pear and apple salad, Grey Rock wedge salad, North Atlantic sea scallops, Skuna Bay salmon, roasted chicken, roasted acorn

squash, seasonal vegetarian pasta and a variety of sides. Grey Rock, known for fine dining on Green Lake, has received the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence every year since 2002. Current hours are 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, though this varies seasonally. For $5 martinis and complimentary appetizers, guests are invited to attend Grey Rock Happy Hour Thursdays and Fridays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. For more information, please call 920.294.3344 or visit www.heidelhouse.

R12 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

com. View Grey Rock menu. Heidel House Resort & Spa is managed by Marcus Hotels & Resorts. For the latest news and updates from Marcus Hotels & Resorts, please visit http://media. marcushotels.com. About Heidel House Resort & Spa Since welcoming its first guests on a snowy New Year’s Eve in 1945, Heidel House Resort & Spa has become a yearround Midwestern destination offering both summer and winter activities. Nestled on 20 wooded acres along the shores of Wisconsin’s deepest inland lake, this fullservice resort offers numerous amenities including 180 guest rooms, 18,000 square feet of meeting space, lakeside dining at Grey Rock restaurant and luxurious spa services at the award-winning Evensong Spa. Selected as the 2014 Best Honeymoon Location in Wisconsin by Wisconsin Bride magazine, Heidel House is a favorite destination for weddings and social gatherings, in addition to offering a scenic setting for business and leisure travelers alike. For more information, please visit www.heidelhouse.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About Marcus Hotels & Resorts Marcus Hotels & Resorts, a division of The Marcus Corporation, owns and/ or manages 20 hotels, resorts and other properties in 11 states. A force in the hospitality industry, Marcus Hotels & Resorts provides expertise in management, development and historic renovations. The company’s portfolio includes a wide variety of properties including city-center meeting hotels, upscale resorts and branded first-class hotels. For more information on the latest news and updates, please visit: http://media.marcushotels.com and follow the company on Facebook and Twitter (@ MarcusHotels).

Fond du Lac Distributors, Inc. Supplying building materials to Fond du Lac and the surrounding area for over 27 years!

Visit our showroom!

1160 W. Scott St. Fond du Lac 920-921-1600

We value your trust...

Fond du Lac Distributors, Inc. is a local, family owned business in their third generation of distributing major brands of roofing, siding, windows and door materials.

JOB OPENING

We are looking to hire a full-time on-the-road salesperson. Knowledge of the siding/roofing trade a plus. Job requires excellent people person skills. Position consists of stopping at job sites and meeting with contractors for material needs, taking off blueprints for material quoting and ordering. Some Saturday mornings a possibility during the summer. We offer a competitive wage package, vacation, holiday pay, health & dental insurance, IRA program. Stop in at 1160 West Scott Street to fill out an application and/or submit your resume.

Fond du Lac Distributors, Inc. 1160 West Scott Street Fond du Lac, WI 54937 920-921-1600 www.fdldistributors.com Visit us on Facebook February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R13

ENTERTAINMENT // DOBIE MAXWELL

American Antique Storage Pawn Picker BY DOBIE MAXWELL Collectibles, anyone? Television programs like “Pawn Stars,” “Storage Wars,” “American Pickers,” and “Antiques Roadshow,” are red hot at the moment...but there is nothing new about any of it. Wheeling, dealing and treasure hunting have been going on since caveman days, and always will. It’s in our DNA. That glimmering hope in the back of our brain of nabbing the original copy of The Declaration of Independence at a yard sale for a quarter is the same inner urge that drives people to feed coin after coin into a slot machine at a casino hoping to score that elusive multimillion dollar jackpot. Money for nothing! Chicks for free! Somebody has to win the lottery every week, don’t they? Why not us? I can’t think of a more insidious lie...with the possible exception of, ‘the stripper really likes me. She was just coddling all my buddies to get their money…but she liked me.’ Uh huh. A watered down but still enticing version of the jackpot idea is stumbling upon a rare bauble or trinket for a ridiculously low price, and being smart enough to pick it up and immediately turn it around for a whopping profit. Urban legends abound with all kinds of stories like this to keep us going. There’s the elderly widow who lost her son in Vietnam that finally decides to put his old car up for sale after years of it sitting in the garage. It always happens to be a super rare classic Corvette in mint condition with all the rare options, but she knows nothing about cars and prices it at $500. Someone’s distant third generation step uncle or adopted brother-in-law always gets it for even less than that, even though we never actually see the car. The story had to start somewhere, and it may or may not have been true. I’m sure it was true to a certain degree. That stuff does happen. My brother tells a story – and he has no reason to lie – about a guy he works with that needed a suit for his daughter’s wedding. He wasn’t a suit kind of guy, and on top of that was a notorious skinflint. He wasn’t about to spend several hundred

buck-o’s on stylish threads, so off to the thrift store he went. He ended up finding a suit that fit along with a dress shirt, tie and shoes for $17. As the story goes, his daughter’s wedding was a hit, and after it was over the guy was lying in bed and asked his wife to fetch his wallet that he had left in the inner inside pocket of the jacket of the suit. The wife brought it to him, and he told her it wasn’t his wallet. They were perplexed. The guy got out of bed and went to check the suit pocket and sure enough there was his wallet where he had left it. His wife had checked another pocket and found the other wallet. They were stunned to find $8000 in old style $100 bills in the wallet, and there wasn’t any identification. The couple took the suit back to the thrift store, and were told it was an anony-

With some calculated planning and a little hustle, I think there is a lot of opportunity in this tight economy. There are people willing to sell collections that weren’t willing to sell before. Most want a quick and easy payout and are not willing to invest the time and effort it takes to bring back the top payout. I’ve decided I’m willing to do exactly that. The trick is going to be finding a way to put some showbiz into it. The last thing I’m looking to do is become a slave to Ebay, even though I know that’s probably part of my future. I don’t mind having somebody else list my stuff for a fair fee, but I have to pick it all up at rock bottom prices. Fortunately, there is plenty of stuff out there. The other day I went to a tiny little out of

mous donation and they couldn’t find who brought it in if they wanted to. The guy and his wife got to keep the money, and according to my brother he hasn’t spent a dime of it to date. But it really happened. I have been going to thrift stores, flea markets and garage sales from coast to coast my entire adult life. There are deals out there, depending on what one is looking to do. I have done pretty well over the years, but haven’t taken it seriously. Up until now, it’s been mostly a way to kill time. Now I’m going to take it a bit further.

the way country thrift store and found an enormous bag of toy cars for $5. It was loaded to the brim with brand name Matchbox and Hot Wheels, almost all in like new condition. I counted them as soon as I got home and there were 77! That comes out to about .06 a car. It cost more to make them. Even if I sold them at a quarter each that’s a healthy profit. But I won’t. I looked on Ebay, and a lot of them were listed from anywhere between $1 and $20. I can afford to hang on to them for as long as I need to to squeeze out the most profit possible. I

R14 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

have suddenly become a car dealer, but my “lot” can be a kitchen table and I don’t have to worry about oil changes or hail damage. A couple of days later I was at another thrift store and ran across two baseballs autographed by former Chicago Cubs players. One was Hall of Famer Ernie Banks, and the balls had a price tag of $1.21 each. Lucky for me, the people who worked there were born and raised in India and did not know anything about baseball. To them it was just two items to put in the children’s section. Am I going to get rich on a bag of toy cars and two baseballs? Of course not. But if I keep it up I’ll keep finding stuff that I can resell for two, five, ten or even a hundred times more than I paid. The thrill of the hunt is tremendous, and it breathes new life into each and every day I am alive. And the best part is if my competition is the majority of the public, I will absolutely win. Most people tend to be ignorant or lazy. Far too many are both. If I take the time to educate myself in several areas and be willing to hustle even a little, I will come out ahead of most everyone else. I see myself as a cross between Fred Sanford and Rick Harrison from “Pawn Stars.” I will test the waters to see what I can find for the lowest amount of money and spin it for a profit. My initial investment is going to be $100. So far I gambled $5 on toy cars and $2.50 on baseballs. Plus tax. I have to believe I can double my money with these items alone, even if it takes a while to do it. So that’s my plan. I am officially in business as a modern day treasure hunter. I am looking for anything and everything including antiques, collectibles, knickknacks, tchotchkes, thingamajigs, baubles, trinkets, do-dads, bric-a-brac, keepsakes, mementos and unique souvenirs. I officially claim the title “American Antique Pawn Storage Picker” - Mr. Haney of the 21st Century. I may or may not get rich, but I sure will have fun trying. The world is my rummage sale. Here I come! Dobie Maxwell is a stand up comedian and writer. Find where he’s playing his next hell-gig at dobiemaxwell.com

“absolutely the No. 1 show iN the world” —Kenn Wells, former lead dancer of the English National Ballet

5,000 YEARS OF CIVILIZATION. LIVE ON STAGE!

March 3-4 Fox Cities P.A.C. WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA

ShenYun.com

Tickets: 920-730-3760 • foxcitiespac.com Box office: 400 West College Ave., Appleton MYTHS AND LEGENDS come alive through the artistry of classical Chinese dance Imagine a performance so profound, so inspiring, it touches your soul. Let Shen Yun take you on a journey through 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture. Legends, myths, and heroes spring to life through classical Chinese dance. “It was an extraordinary experience … the level of skill, but also the power of the archetypes and the narratives were startling. And of course it was exquisitely beautiful.” —Cate Blanchett, Academy Awardwinning actress

“Absolutely beautiful ... It has become this one big poetic event. It was so inspiring, I think I may have found some new ideas for the next “Avatar”.” —Robert Stromberg, Academy-Award winner, production designer for “Avatar”

Ethnic and folk dances fill the stage with color and energy. The leaps and flips of Shen Yun’s aerial masters, thunderous battle drums, and singers’ soaring voices are all set to animated backdrops that transport you to another world. “It was inspirational and educational — a performance that I encourage everyone to see and all of us to learn from.” —Donna Karan, creator of DKNY

“I have reviewed over 3,000 to 4,000 shows since 1942. I give this production 5 stars. That’s the top ... I’ve seen enough Broadway shows that still cannot compare to what I saw tonight ... mind blowing.” —Richard Connema, renowned Broadway critic

February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R15

ENTERTAINMENT // SHEN YUN

Consummate Beauty on Stage:

Shen Yun Ushers in a Chinese Renaissance During the third century B.C., seven nations battled for the land known as the Middle Kingdom. In the end, the Qin nation emerged victorious, creating China’s first united dynasty, and leaving behind the famous terracotta warriors. Sculpted as part of a tomb for the first emperor to rule all of China, the statues had remained buried for over two thousand years, until one day they came to life—on stage. Have you heard of the China known as “The Celestial Empire?” Ancient myths and legends throughout history record that the Middle Kingdom was continually guided by celestial beings. Traditional Chinese culture attributes all aspects of its civilization to the heavens, including its script, medicine, attire, music, and classical Chinese dance. It is this tradition of divinely inspired culture that Shen Yun Performing Arts will be presenting at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in March. Shen Yun has toured the world for five seasons, sharing the beauty of this lost culture through classical Chinese dance. Classical Chinese dance is one of the

most comprehensive dance systems in the world. Dynasty after dynasty, it was passed down among the people in imperial palaces and ancient plays. Thousands of years have refined it into a distinctive dance system embodying traditional aesthetics. One of the strengths of classical Chinese dance is its expressivity. It can vividly depict a wide range of emotions and portray any cherished virtue— righteousness, loyalty, benevolence, and tolerance. It can be masculine and vigorous, soft and graceful, somber and stirring, playful and humorous. Such range is achieved through bearing and form. Bearing describes the physical expression of one’s inner spirit. Spirit leads to movement, thus bearing leads to form. Form refers to classical Chinese dance’s external appearance—hundreds of unique movements and postures. An accomplished performer makes these movements and postures appear effortless, but this requires perfect coordination of the entire body, which takes years of rigorous training. A dancer’s every cell—from toes to fingertips, from the angle of the head to the direction of the gaze—must be in perfect harmony. Classical Chinese dance also incorporates an extensive array of techniques—jumps, spins, flips, aerials, and other very difficult tumbling moves. These supplement and enhance the dance’s expressive powers while adding vigorous physicality. And yet, classical Chinese dance is still mostly unfamiliar to the West. But that is quickly changing. Shen Yun is the world’s premier Chinese music and dance company; promoting an authentic form of classical Recalling the Great Qin Chinese dance is part of its During the third century B.C., seven nations battled for the mission. Based in New York, land known as the Middle Kingdom. In the end, the Qin naShen Yun is very different tion emerged victorious, creating China’s first united dynasty, from companies coming out of and leaving behind the famous terracotta warriors. Sculpted as part of a tomb for the first emperor to rule all of China, the China. “With Shen Yun, we use statues had remained buried for over two thousand years, until one day they came to life—on stage. classical Chinese dance in its

R16 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

purist form, we don’t mix in modern, contemporary, ballet, and other dance forms until you no longer know what you are watching,” says choreographer Vina Lee. “Authentic classical Chinese dance can really give the audience an uplifting experience of pure goodness and consummate beauty.” And with 5,000 years of civilization to draw from, Shen Yun has plenty of source material. Through dance, Terracotta Warriors awaken from the dust, the Song

Dynasty’s General Yue Fei comes to life, Monkey King and Pigsy escape another sticky situation, maidens grace a heavenly palace, drummers shake the yellow plateaus of the Middle Kingdom. A renaissance of Chinese culture has begun, and one of the world’s ultimate dance forms is blazing the trail. On March 3–4, Shen Yun will be making its debut at Fox Cities Performing Arts Center with an all-new 2015 show.

In the Auction & Real Estate Business Full-Time Since 1919!

Jerry Thiel

WI Auctioneer #291

Kendall Thiel WI Auctioneer #724

Real Estate and Auction Service covering all of Northeast Wisconsin. Personal property, Real Estate, Charity Auctions. We can help you settle estates, liquidate business assets, sell your farm. We sell it all!

Call us today at 920-849-2222 23 W Main Street, Chilton, WI 53014 www.thielrealestate.com

February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R17

ENTERTAINMENT // CONCERT WATCH JANUARY 2015

February 2015 Concert Watch BY JANE SPIETZ The SCENE regrets to report that a previously scheduled Dave Mason concert at the Grand Theater in Wausau on February 3, 2015, has been cancelled due to a tour conflict. Please enjoy the following interview with this rock ‘n’ roll legend. Guitarist/singer-songwriter Dave Mason has been active in a number of projects. The co-founder of Traffic is also widely respected for his work with such icons as Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson, Delaney & Bonnie and Steve Winwood.

Photo by Jeff Bentoff

The 2004 music hall of famer’s latest album, Future’s Past (2014), is a mix of re-recorded classics and new material. It is being supported by his current national tour, Dave Mason’s Traffic Jam. Mason has also devoted his time to such worthy causes such as Work Vessels for Veterans and Little Kids Rock. Other members of the band include: Alvino Bennett on drums, guitarist Johnne Sambataro and Tony Patler on keyboards. Dave called me from the road at a stop in Pennsylvania recently. He paid me a high compliment, that he considers me to be one of his most faithful supporters––an official “Masonette!” Jane Spietz: How was Traffic formed? Dave Mason: Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood, Steve Winwood and I ran into each other in different places and started hanging out when we could. We were into all kinds of stuff: jazz, blues, gospel, Motown, pop, everything. JS: What was it like to emerge during the turbulent ‘60s, an era of such significant cultural change? DM: I was just eighteen, nineteen years old. We were living it. It was just what was happening. It was a great time, especially in England. A lot of research going on. (Laughs) Everybody was doing research. It was a lot of fun. My focus was on what was happening with Traffic. Started writing songs, making albums, going on tour and playing. JS: You were just a mere lad of 19 when you wrote “Feelin’ Alright.”

R18 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

DM: Mostly I was just trying to write a very simple song. There are only two chords in the whole song. God bless Joe Cocker. He got a hold of it and “Feelin’ Alright” only became the song that it became because of his version of it. He interpreted it in a way and made it into something. That spawned about another forty-eight cover versions of it. And it has never stopped being used in films, commercials, TV shows. So yeah, I owe a lot to Joe Cocker. JS: It was so incredibly sad to lose him way too soon. DM: Yeah, one of the great voices. JS: Talk about your collaboration with Delaney and Bonnie. DM: I got to know them very well. I played with them for about a year. They were a great band, a great live band. They were the opening act on the original Blind Faith tour. Of course, they had the big hit with “Only You Know and I Know” from Alone Together, my first solo album after Traffic. JS: Please share how you came to sit in with Jimi Hendrix. DM: In England everybody finished up in London. There were some semi-private clubs there that everybody frequented. I just went over to Hendrix one night in one of the clubs and we got to talking. He was a fan of Traffic. And then I got to work with him. I played the acoustic guitar part on his version of “All Along the Watchtower,” and I sang on “Crosstown Traffic.” JS: I would like to hear the story about your experience with Michael Jackson. DM: I was making an album called Old Crest on a NewWave. I was in one studio and Michael was in another. I think he was actually cutting Thriller. I had this one song that I needed somebody to sing a high part on and I knew he was in the other room recording. So I went over there when they were on a break and he was standing in the doorway. I said, “Michael, I’ve got this song I’m working on that has this high part. Would you be up for coming in to sing high?” He kind of looked at me for a sec and said, “You know, when I was I was twelve years old, I did this TV special with Diana Ross. At the end of the show, she

DAVE MASON’S TRAFFIC JAM www.davemasonmusic.com/ WISCONSIN SHOWS: Tues., 2/3/15 7:30 PM Thurs., 2/12/15 7:30 PM Weidner Center, Green Bay $34 - $44 www.weidnercenter.com/ Sun., 3/8/15 8 PM Turner Hall, Milwaukee $39.50 www.pabsttheater.org/events and I did this song called ‘Feelin’ Alright.’ So yeah, absolutely I’ll sing on it.” JS: You were instilled into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. You stated: “Rock ‘n Roll is not an age, it’s an attitude.” Please explain. DM: It depends on whether you want to get old or you want to age gracefully. (Laughs) Just because you’re aging doesn’t mean to say you have to get old. Everything’s an attitude. It’s all an attitude in the end. And without the right attitude, you’re not going to get very good results. So, attitude is just the joy of the music. The joy of the noise! It’s a little part of hanging on to the kid within. Not getting too jaded. (Laughs) You’ve got to keep some of your innocence at least. JS: Talk about your dedicated involvement with an amazing organization for veterans that supports a tremendous cause – Work Vessels For Veterans (WVFV) Its mission is “to provide veterans with the necessary tools to embark upon their civilian careers or educational pursuits.” DM: We help returning vets. Our mission is mostly to help them start their own businesses. A friend named John Niekrash who lives around Mystic, Connecticut, is a lobster fisherman. He was looking to trade his boat up. He was attending some event and some disabled colonel got up and Continue on Page R20

February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R19

ENTERTAINMENT // CONCERT WATCH Continued from Page R18

began talking to John about how veterans transition from their service to their country back into civilian life and the tools they need. So John decided rather than sell the boat, he was going to find a vet and give him the boat so he could go lobster fishing and start his own business that way. That’s kind of really how it started. We help returning vets. Just basic, simple needs and tools that nobody else is really supplying. One that we helped start is a blueberry farm down in Jacksonville. And there’s another gentleman who’s started an officecleaning service in St. Louis. We don’t just look for donations. People have donated land; they donate cars, trucks, tools. Things that one would need in a business. Our motto is sort of we’re not into giving handouts, but we are into giving a hand up. And we are also an all-volunteer charity. There’s nobody getting paid any money and there’s no real overhead. Pretty much everything we take in goes where it’s supposed to go. That’s the way it should be. It’s sort of shameful that the government doesn’t take care of these people. In other words, they

could be doing what we’re doing. Like the farm, for instance. There’s plenty of federal land that they could help people with. To me, anybody that puts on a uniform and defends the way we live and comes back injured or maimed in some way, I think frankly, the government should take care of them for the rest of their lives. It shouldn’t even be an issue. They’re just sort of overlooked. There are a lot of private and public charities that do what they can for the vets. We’re just doing our little bit, to try and help these people get back into business. Part of the deal is that if the business becomes profitable, a small portion goes back to Work Vessels for Vets, so they in turn can help other vets. So it goes forward. It’s just the right thing to do. The website is www.workvesselsforvets.org. I’m more passionate about this than I am about my music. We support anybody that puts on a uniform and defends my right to get onstage and play rock ‘n’ roll. (Laughs) JS: You have supported another worthy cause, Little Kids Rock, which is a non-profit organization that provides free musical instruments and lessons to

children in public schools throughout the United States. DM: Though I’m not actively involved in Little Kids Rock, I feel that the lack of music and art in the school curriculum is a big mistake. It has been proven time and time again that even though one might not become a great musician or artist, the benefits in other learning areas are greatly enhanced. JS: Your latest album, Future’s Past (2014), is a mix of re-recorded classics and new material. Please provide our readers with some background. DM: I really wasn’t intending to do an album, to be honest with you. I sort of record when I’m home in my studio and fool around in there. There were some pieces that I had re-done which were to me way superior versions of the original. I did a little re-write of “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” which turned out to be a very nice track. I also included “You Can All Join In.” The rest is basically new stuff, like “That’s Freedom” which I finished after Jim Capaldi passed away. I finished up the song that he had started, called “How Do I Get to Heaven,”

which is a beautiful song. And then there’s another new song called “Good to You.” Also, an instrumental called “El Toro (Spanish Blues).” So it’s a mix of different styles and different stuff. JS: What is the concept behind your current national tour, “Dave Mason’s Traffic Jam?” DM: It was an idea that I had to revisit some of the music from that time I was with them. The show has sort of developed into like a two-part show. During the first part we do Traffic songs. The second half is a selection of stuff from my solo work all the way until the new CD, Future’s Past. JS: What do you hope to bring to your audiences at your Wisconsin stops? DM: The same as I’ve always tried to do, which is to have people leave in a better frame of mind than they walked in with. Nothing grandiose, just hopefully take some people away for a couple of hours and feel good about it. Jane Spietz is a community activist and social worker who loves music.

Disney on Ice Presents Treasure Trove TICKETS FOR DISNEY ON ICE PRESENTS TREASURE TROVE PRESENTED BY STONYFIELD YOKIDS ORGANIC YOGURT ON SALE NOW IN GREEN BAY Green Bay (Jan. 13, 2015) — Disney On Ice presents Treasure Trove Presented by Stonyfield YoKids Organic Yogurt sets the gold standard with a magical medley of Disney tales in one jam-packed ice show that commemorates the legacy of Disney animated films. This skating spectacular visits Green Bay from February 11-15 for eight performances at the Resch Center. Tickets are on sale now. Get tangled up in Disney’s 50th animated feature with Rapunzel and Flynn and enter the worlds of your other favorite Disney princesses –Tiana, Cinderella, Jasmine, Ariel, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Mulan and of course, the one who started it all, Snow White. Ahoy, Mateys! Set sail with Peter Pan, the always sassy Tinker Bell and the cantankerous Captain Hook and his

pirate pals on an adventure beyond Never Land! Trek the wilds of Africa with Simba, Nala, Pumbaa and Timon as they discover the true meaning of the ‘Circle of Life.’

R20 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

Tick-Tock! Tick-Tock! Don’t be late to a very important date with Alice and the Mad Hatter as they march with the Queen of Hearts’ Army of Cards. Relive magical

moments in this ultimate Disney animation celebration coming to Green Bay! Tickets for Disney On Ice presents Treasure Trove start at $20 for all shows, but most tickets on opening night Feb. 11 are just $13. All seats are reserved, and tickets are available at ReschCenter.com, by phone 800.895.0071 and at all Ticket Star outlets, including the Resch Center box office. For group rates and information, call Melissa at 920.405.1267. SHOW TIMES: Wednesday, February 11 – 7pm Thursday, February 12 – 7pm Friday, February 13 – 7pm Saturday, February 14 – 11am, 3pm, 7pm Sunday, February 15 – Noon, 4pm To learn more about Disney On Ice Presented by Stonyfield YoKids Organic Yogurt, go to www.DisneyOnIce.com, or visit us on Facebook and YouTube.

Sturgeon Spearing Saturday, February 14, 12:30pm N8770 Fire Lane 1 • Menasha 920-733-9721 • waverlybeach.com February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R21

ENTERTAINMENT // GORDON LIGHTFOOT

Gordon Lightfoot

50 Years On The Carefree Highway Tour Wednesday, March 18, 8pm After 50 active years of hit song making and international album sales well into the multimillions, it’s safe to say that esteemed singersongwriter and musician Gordon Lightfoot resides with some very exclusive company atop the list of all-time greats. His song catalog is incredibly vast and includes such immortals as “Early Morning Rain,” “If You Could Read My Mind,” “Carefree Highway,” “Sundown,” “(That’s What You Get) For Lovin Me,” “The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald,” “Cold On The Shoulder,” “Canadian Railroad Trilogy,” “Ribbon Of Darkness,” “Beautiful,” “Song For A Winter’s Night,” “Shadows,” “Rainy Day People,” “Did She Mention My Name” and “Summertime Dream.” But this year is special for the legendary artist who has announced plans for a cross-country USA tour entitled “Gordon Lightfoot - 50 Years On The Carefree Highway.” The tour will feature his well-

R22 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

known hits as well as some deep album cuts for the die-hard fans. All of which are woven together with some of Lightfoot’s own behind the scenes stories and personal anecdotes about his historic 50-year musical career. The event is sure to be a great thrill for live audiences and anyone who enjoys hearing great music and seeing a living legend in person. Gordon Lightfoot has recorded 20 albums and has five Grammy nominations. His songs have been aired regularly for 50 years, earning him Radio Singles Chart Positions in North America achieved by few others. Lightfoot’s radio hits in the USA have earned Five #1s, Five Top 10s and Thirteen Top 40 hits. In Canada he has earned sixteen #1s, eighteen top 10s and twenty-one top 40 hits. Tickets are $50 & $55 and go on sale Friday, January 23 at 11am at www.meyertheatre.org, all Ticket Star outlets, including the Resch Center box office, or by phone 800.895.0071.

Catering We’ll Grill on your Site

Call r NOW Fogs Bookin

WEDDINGS • Outdoor Events Campsites • Company Parties & more

8 Grills...

We’ll Grill ANYWHERE ALL YEAR LONG!

From 5 to 2000.. We can MEAT your needs!!

CALL

920•876•2535 You’ll Love our Catering Services, Grilled Hardwood Charcoal Cooking & Grilled Menu Selections or you choose the menu!

W7039 Cty. Hwy. SR Elkart Lake, WI

Catering

threeguysandagrill@frontier.com www.threeguysandagrill.com

February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R23

ENTERTAINMENT // CONCERT SERIES

Near Water Concert Series Presents Nikki Lane Special Guest Johnny Fritz Tuesday, February 17, 7pm Green Bay (Jan. 22, 2015) – For her highly successful sophomore album All or Nothin’, Nashville songstress Nikki Lane teamed up with Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys for a record that turns the vulnerable singer-songwriter stereotype on its ears. With songs that crucify ex-boyfriends, celebrate one-night stands (as long as she

can bolt town right after) and proclaim that it’s “always the right time to do the wrong thing,” Lane comes across like a modern-era Wanda Jackson, albeit with more oats to sow. “My songs always paint a pretty clear picture of what’s been going on in my life, so this is one moody record,” she says. “There’s lots of talk of misbehaving and moving on.” All or Nothin’ was released via New

West Records in May, 2014. The record has received rave reviews from Nashville Scene, American Songwriter and was included on Rolling Stone’s “40 Best Country Albums of 2014,” “25 Best Country Songs of 2014” and “26 Albums of 2014 You Probably Didn’t but Really Should Hear.”

Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 day of show and go on sale Friday, January 30 at 11am at www.meyertheatre.org, all Ticket Star outlets, including the Resch Center box office, or by phone 800.895.0071.

l! a i c Spe

y a ny a D h s ine’ s wit

ent ancake rchase l a V eP t pu

Fre eakfas br Breakfast served all day. Homemade everything

R24 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

220 N. Main St Oshkosh, WI 920-233-1555

February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R25

NEWS & VIEWS // THE LEDGE

The Ledge BY MICHAEL MENTZER We have a photo from atop the Ledge nearly 40 years ago tucked away among hundreds of family snapshots that we’ve taken over the years. There were only three of us then – my wife Kathy, our newborn daughter Maureen and me, the designated photographer that day. For some reason — probably for the sheer beauty of it and because it was naturally free for the taking— we chose to stop at that scenic vantage point overlooking Fond du Lac with Lake Winnebago in the distance that bright fall day in 1975. I remember thinking that it would be a wonderful place to own a home and wondering why there were virtually no houses along the scenic stretch of land around us. Because we were newcomers, I remember asking co-workers and others if construction was restricted there. No one seemed to know or really care. Most people, even those who had lived in the Fond du Lac area all their lives, gave little thought to what the Ledge might hold in terms of development, history, artifacts or scenic beauty. For most, it was a place set aside for rock quarries, gravel pits, a few farms and final resting places at Rienzi or St. Charles

A changing perspective Oh, how the Ledge has changed in the past four decades in the eyes and estimation of those who know the value of an incomparable view, the fiscal possibilities of land development, the unbridled desire for houses and condos and subdivisions; and the utility of convenience stories, highways, byways and bypasses. Now, the challenge has evolved dramatically from an era of acquiring land, subdividing it, blasting and carving residential foundations into Ledge rock, drilling wells and constructing homes and businesses to a shrinking time frame that calls for preserving and conserving for posterity pieces and parcels of the Ledge from overindulgence, excess and too much civilization at the expense of not enough wilderness. Thankfully, there are people and organizations here in Fond du Lac and beyond who have a dream that includes an island network — a Niagara Archipelago if you will — of untouched, undefiled pieces of Ledge land, cliffs, rock faces, outcroppings, even park sites that harbor Indian trails (hundreds, if not thousands, of years old); effigy mounds; petroforms, petroglyphs and cairns; and artifacts left behind by visitors thousands of years ago who made pilgrimages here because the Ledge was perceived as spiritually significant.

or one of the scenic little churches on the high ground atop rocks, gravel and sand deposited by the last glacier to recede from here thousands of years ago.

Visible from satellites The Ledge is indeed a significant geologic feature of North America, visible by satellite from outer space. The limestone ridge stretches 650 miles from Fond du Lac and Dodge counties northward through Calumet, Manitowoc, Brown, Kewaunee and Door counties, then mostly underwater in an arc across southeastern Canada’s Great Lakes border to Niagara Falls in New York, where the Niagara River flows over it. “We’re trying to raise awareness, to grow wonderment for what we have right here on this Ledge,” said Mary Toriello, a former chairman of the Town of Empire and a current member of the Friends of the Ledge Coalition. The grass-roots Coalition exists to preserve the Fond du Lac County portion of the Ledge, known more formally as the

R26 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

Niagara Escarpment, and to protect “its holdings of natural and cultural heritage (both historic and ancient),” according to the mission statement of the Friends of the Ledge Coalition. Bill Casper, a member of the Friends Coalition and a lifelong resident and former town chairman of the Town of Taycheedah, worries that opportunities to preserve portions of the Ledge may be undone by the allure of dollars and control of property. Geologic treasure “I’ve lived here all my life between the rock and the water (the Ledge and Lake Winnebago) and I know how valuable this all Friends of the Ledge Bill Casper and Mary Toriello is,” Casper said. “We need to save some of it just the way Interactive museum it’s always been.” Toriello and Casper envision the possiHe and others are hopeful that the Fond du Lac County Board of Supervisors will bility of an interactive museum on the site take action to purchase and preserve a key where children and the public in general segment of the Ledge east of Fisherman’s could view Ledge artifacts and learn in a Road along Highway 151. Negotiations hands-on way more about the geological and archeological history of the limestone with the property owner are in process. “I know Al (Fond du Lac County ridge that attracted Archaic people and Executive Al Buechel) is in favor of it,” Woodland Indian visitors for thousands of Casper said. “We’re hopeful. There’s 1,400 years. In the course of eight decades, Casper feet of Ledge there. That’s almost unheard has assembled an impressive collection of of around here. There just isn’t that much Ledge artifacts from Archaic tribes (6,000 left untouched anymore.” B.C. until 2,000 B.C.) and Woodland Buechel is confident that funding in Indian tribes (1,000 years ago) and large the county budget and the prospect of a petrified snails estimated by scientists at Wisconsin Stewardship grant would make acquisition possible. The bottom-line issue Weis Earth Science Museum in Menasha at is whether the property owner would be 3.5 million years old. Other local residents have similar collections. willing to sell to the county. “We have the passion to do this,” Buechel describes the Ledge property as Toriello said. “But now we need to build “unique” and “pristine.” an organization, create a website, raise the “We need to preserve it if at all poslevel of awareness and get some young sible,” he said. “It may be our last chance people to share the passion. We have to get to set aside this special feature of the Ledge in its present state for the people of tomor- our act together.” row. We need to do it.”

Continue on Page R28

JOIN US FOR

Valentine’s Day SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14

Featuring a 5-course gourmet dinner to include a glass of champagne, appetizer, soup or salad, sorbet and dessert! ENTRÉE SELECTIONS: Filet of Beef Encrusted with Gorgonzola Cherry Duck Leg Gourmet Lobster Mac & Cheese Live, soft music $99 per couple • Serving 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Reservations required (920) 731-3322

1101 S. Oneida Street, Appleton, WI 54915 stonecellarriverview.com Just across S. Oneida St. from Stone Cellar Brewpub February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R27

ENTERTAINMENT // THE LEDGE Continued from Page R26

Ledge Coalition’s vision Toriello and Casper are joined in their vision of a network of preserved sites, trails and educational facilities by fellow members of the Ledge Coalition, including Joan

Raising consciousness For Fuller McBride, a retired obstetrician who had a significant impact on generations of local families, it was a consciousness-raising turning point in his life. It turned out that the rock-strewn marginal land he purchased in the 1970’s was far more significant than anyone could have known. His mission now is

Petrified snails estimated to be 3.5 million years old

and John Brusoe, Glen Oechsner, Theresa Mayer, Dwight Weiser and Dr. Fuller McBride. Several years ago, it was Dwight Weiser who revealed an impressive listing of Ledge sites, effigy mounds and stone formations (petroforms) assembled by nomadic tribes thousands of years ago, including a number of photos, in what he called his “little book” titled “Secrets of the Ledge.” Weiser, a self-described “avocational archeologist,” resides in a historic home on the oxbow curve of Highway 45 in a direct sight line to the Ledge where he has hiked and explored for decades, and recorded the history and significance of the escarpment. More than anyone, it was Weiser who knew firsthand that effigy mounds and petroform sites marked the Ledge on and near the Fuller McBride property and the Izaak Walton League grounds just south of Highway 23 and Mary Hill Park. It was evident to Weiser that ancient Indian people had revered the McBride site as “sacred.” Thanks to Weiser, his interaction with McBride and the support of local residents, the DNR and local officials , a proposal by the state Department of Transportation to build a 1,000-foot wide highway corridor up and over the Ledge through the 23-acre McBride property was discarded as unworkable.

to preserve it for posterity. It could become yet another island in the archipelago of Ledgeconnected sites that could become a collective historical and educational destination. In a dedication of his property to the concepts of preservation and conservation in June of 2011, McBride noted, “Exploitation for the sake of short-term profit is a high price to pay to lose forever treasures that are irreplaceable. In a letter to local leaders in May of 2008, McBride wrote: “As the current custodian for a portion of this spectacular area, I am duty-bound to fight for its preservation.” He continued: “Furnishing the involved parties with comprehensive and persuasive information is how I see my job. It is a big responsibility and I fear for not doing it adequately.” More than six years later, he remains committed to the ideal. He wants his family members to carry on what he’s started when he’s no longer here. Management plan needed He envisions great value in a broad-

R28 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

based, long-range management plan to prevent over-development of the Ledge and Ledge-related sites. He continues to speak up when he sees threats to the Ledge and Ledge-connected areas. He decried a plan by the Department of Transportation to remove century-old trees along Highway 45 between Lake de Neveu and the Ledge as part of a repaving project between Eden and Fond du Lac. Opposition by local residents resulted in a DOT decision to save as many of the stately trees as possible. McBride and others favor a Heritage Road designation for the section of highway in question, noting that legend has it that woolly mammoths compacted the trail along the Ledge that eventually became Highway 45 and that Archaic people hunted mammoths here to feed their families. It seems the Ledge and its surroundings have served as a place of sustenance for spiritual and physical nourishment for eons. The same principles that inspired our ancestors and the first white settlers to build churches on the highest, most scenic points available to them must be similar to the thoughts and feelings that prompted Archaic Americans and Woodland tribes to leave their mark on the Ledge and atop nearby hillsides where modern-day places of worship are located. A common human bond extends across the ages, or so it seems. Victors share vision Another land island site in the archipelago soon will belong to Steve and Kay Victor, and when that happens it will belong to posterity in the form of a conservancy. Steve Victor, the owner along with Kay of Fedco Electronics in Fond du Lac, said, “We’re going ahead with a conservancy.

My wife has always wanted to be part of a conservancy and she loves the Ledge.” He and Kay envision at least two trails and a shelter or interactive museum of some sort on the 63-acre site along County Trunk WH, about a mile from Highway 151, on the way to St. Peter. Plans call for the site to be named the Kay Victor Escarpment Conservancy. Victor points out that there is nearly a half mile of exposed Ledge on the site, making it one of the prized sites in the Fond du Lac County segment for its educational and historical significance. He pointed out that access points to the site already exist. There is much more to be shared about this site in the year ahead. Details of the transaction are being finalized. Several other potential sites exist in the island network of Ledge properties that could be preserved as park-like destination sites for the general public. Locations once inhabited by two of Wisconsin’s first territorial governors lie on or along the Ledge. And there are caves along Breakneck Hill and the Ledge near Oakfield that high school students have frequented for decades. The list also includes Ledge Park in Dodge County, Kiekhaefer Park and the Scenic Overlook in the Town of Taycheedah. Power of water And there is a fascinating site on County Trunk Q once known as the tiny community of Marone, where a 35-foot waterwheel once revolved thanks to the cascade of water from a nearby stream. The waterworks beneath the Ledge are a story unto themselves, according to Bill Casper and Dwight Weiser. Weiser wrote in his prologue to “Secrets of the Ledge” that “thousands of springs emerge from both sides of the Ledge, creating numerous creeks, then rivers, then long waterpaths.” The forces of water beneath the Ledge and beyond may explain the temporal and spiritual impact that beckoned the first human visitors to a place deemed sacred. The bond transcends cultures and even the ages.

Michael Mentzer, now retired after a 40-year newspaper career, writes a monthly column for Scene.

RESTAURANT On the Beautiful Chain O’Lakes

LOVEY DOVEY ROLL

Wednesdays With Wags

featured artist hosted by Tony Wagner and friends. February 11th Jazz and R&B with Scott Derks

February 25th Blues Harp & Vocals With Otis McClenen

2015 Summer Events

The `Spring Wing Ding Fling`- Saturday, June 06, 2015 Steak Fry- Saturday, June 20, 2015 Sausage Fest!- Saturday, July 11, 2015 Corn Roast- Saturday, July 25th, 2015 Rib-O-Rama- Saturday, August 8th, 2015 Chicken BBQ- Saturday, August 22nd, 2015 Pig Roast- Saturday, September 26th, 2015

Lovey Dovey Roll

10 pcs $14.95

Crab meat, avocado, cream cheese and kanpyo inside the roll. Topped with one large scallop and two pieces of shrimp. Seared with our home made garlic butter and finished with eel sauce, two types of caviar and green onions.

715-341-8893 www.matsuyasushistevenspoint.com 5725 Windy Drive, Suite A Stevens Point, WI

Monday - Thursday - 11:00 am - 9:30 pm Friday & Saturday - 11:00 am - 10:00 pm Sunday - Closed

Weekly Specials: Monday: Wednesday: Friday: Sunday:

Pizza Buffet - All you care to eat Rib Night - Slow smoked, all the fixin’s, half or full rack Fish Specials - Choose from pan fried, grilled, or baked fish Succulent Prime Rib - sandwich or full dinner plate

Great Food . Live Music . Cold Drinks Mon-Fri 4:00 PM Sat-Sun 11AM

715.258.8289 E 1209 County Road Q Waupaca

www.wheelhouserestaurant.com February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R29

NEWS & VIEWS // MEDIA RANTS

How We Kill Editorial Cartoonists BY TONY PALMERI The late George Bernard Shaw mused that “assassination is the extreme form of censorship.” A chilling illustration of that sentiment occurred on January 7th, when masked gunmen stormed the Paris office of the irreverent newspaper Charlie Hebdo and killed 12 staffers including prominent editorial cartoonists. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for the killings, calling them “revenge for the honor” of the Prophet Muhammad whose image frequently graced Charlie Hebdo in a manner perceived as blasphemous and offensive by religious fundamentalists. Almost as upsetting as the murder of the Charlie Hebdo satirists was the disingenuous, self-righteous, and hypocritical posturing in support of free expression by large numbers of American pundits and politicians. Listening to these self-serving sermons, you’d think that the modern United States was a beacon of free speech protection. The sad truth is that political discourse in the United States operates in a very narrow left/right spectrum, exemplified most depressingly in the op-ed pages of establishment newspapers and the Sunday morning news (snooze?) shows on network television. Biting satire in the Charlie Hebdo tradition for all practical purposes does not exist here (commercially driven enterprises like the Daily Show, the Onion, and Saturday Night Live are extremely mild by comparison), making the proclamation of “Je suis Charlie” in response to the massacre sound hollow and unbelievable. Delusional statements of support for free expression became so over the top that even the ordinarily vacuous David Brooks of the New York Times managed to make a good point: “The journalists at Charlie Hebdo are now rightly being celebrated as martyrs on behalf of freedom of expression, but let’s face it: If they had tried to publish their satirical newspaper on any American university campus over the last two decades it wouldn’t have lasted 30 seconds. Student and faculty groups would have accused them of hate speech. The administration

would have cut financing and shut them down.” As someone who’s been involved over the years in campus struggles to promote political discourse not even satirical as much as simply critical of established orthodoxies, I can identify with Brooks’ statement. What about American editorial cartoonists? Terrorists do not kill them, but they don’t have to: contemporary corporate media business models ensure that edgy editorial cartoonists will be either (a) out of work, (b) become low paid freelancers, or (c) compromise their edginess just so as to be able to appear in large circulation venues. Lee Judge, the longtime Kansas City Star cartoonist whose full-time position with the paper was eliminated in 2008, told National Public Radio that “It’s pretty hard to find a new job when your resume says you are a professional smart ass.” Lee Judge received death threats for a gun control cartoon he penned in 2013, threats which literally forced him out of his home and should have resulted in wider distribution for the controversial drawing. But due in part to commercial pressures, American editors just aren’t that gutsy. Contrast that with Charlie Hebdo; radical American cartoonist Ted Rall met the murdered cartoonists a few years ago and recalls that “They were encouraged by their editor to be as aggressive as possible. It’s a big difference between the way things are done in the United States, where often editors are trying to rein in the cartoonists. There, they were encouraged to stretch and be as aggressive as possible.” Wisconsin is at the moment not exactly a mecca of full-time editorial cartooning. While the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel cried crocodile tears over Charlie Hebdo, they neglected to mention the 2009 forced buyout of cartoonist Stuart Carlson, which at the time left Joe Heller of the Green Bay Press Gazette as the only remaining editorial cartoonist in the state. At the time the American Journalism Review called Carlson “one of a number of editorial cartoonists who have been eliminated from newspaper staffs without replacement during major industry downsizing.”

R30 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

As for Joe Heller, his 28 years at Gannett’s Green Bay Press Gazette ended when he received a pink slip in 2013. Gannett cited finances as the reason for the layoff even as they were at that very moment purchasing 20 television stations for over 2 billion dollars. My favorite Wisconsin cartoonist, the late Lyle Lahey, was also a Gannett victim. Lahey spent 38 years raising cartoon hell for the Green Bay News Chronicle, a tenure that ended in 2005 when Gannett purchased the paper and proceeded to shut it down. You wouldn’t know it from reading the mainstream press, but there are lots of provocative editorial cartoonists working right now. My favorites are those who operate in the tradition of Thomas Nast, the 19th century “father of the American cartoon” whose caustic pen brought down the corrupt Tammany Hall corruption ring in New York City. They include Matt

Bors (mattbors.com), Tom Tomorrow (thismodernworld.com), Ted Rall (rall. com), Jen Sorenson (jensorensen.com), Matt Wuerker (politico.com/wuerker), Ruben Bolling (gocomics.com/tomthedancingbug), Joe Sacco (google “Sacco’s response to the Charlie Hebdo attacks”), Lalo Alcaraz (gocomics.com/laloalcaraz), Stephanie McMillan (stephaniemcmillan. org), and Wisconsin’s Mike Konopacki (huckkonopackicartoons.com). Matt Bors created “The Nib” (medium.com/the-nib), a great archive of cutting edge cartoons featuring cartoonists you (unfortunately) will not see in your local newspaper. For more information about the plight of editorial cartoonists globally, visit the Cartoonists Rights Network International. (cartoonistsrights.org). Tony Palmeri (palmeri.tony@gmail.com) is a Professor of Communication Studies at UW Oshkosh.

Fat Tuesday is every day at Holidays! $4.50 Bacardi Doubles $7.99 Po'boys $4.50 Tito's Doubles All Day Everyday

1395 West American Dr # B Neenah, WI (920) 886-0069 www.holidayspub.com February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R31

NEWS & VIEWS // THE VIEW FROM THE LEFT-FIELD SEATS

Blood On His Hands? BY DENNIS RILEY At a late December 2014 press conference called shortly after the murders of two New York City police officers, Patrick Lynch, the President of the city’s Policemen’s Benevolent Association, insisted that New York Mayor Bill de Blasio had “blood on his hands.” The implication, of course, was that the blood on the mayor’s hands was the blood of the two slain officers. As I thought about that statement over the next couple of weeks, I kept coming back to the same two questions. First, did the mayor really have blood on his hands? Second, what about Officer Lynch’s hands? Were they completely free of blood stains? What exactly had Mayor de Blasio done to get the blood of those two officers on his hands? One, he had “sympathized” with New Yorkers who had protested the death of Eric Garner, the Staten Island man who

had died as a result of a chokehold applied by an NYPD officer in the process of arresting Garner for selling loose cigarettes on a street corner. The mayor had wondered aloud whether the failure to indict any of the officers involved represented a failure of our legal system. Two, he had told the city that he had sat down with his son, Dante — a handsome young man whose Afro would instantly remind you of Freddy “Boom Boom” Washington on Welcome Back, Kotter, if you were old enough — for what has come to be known as “the talk” about the potential dangers involved for young black men involved in encounters with the police. In other words, he acted as a caring father and stood up for the first amendment. I don’t think Officer Lynch can make any better case that the mayor’s statements led to the shooting of those two officers than Spiro Agnew when he claimed that those of us protesting against the Vietnam

War were responsible for continued American casualties, or George Wallace when he blamed Martin Luther King and Ralph David Abernathy for the injuries to the men and women who tried to walk across the Edmund Pettis Bridge on Bloody Sunday in 1965 to protest the fact that, despite 100 years of the 15th Amendment, they could not vote. This is not to say that First Amendment–protected protest comes with no risks. Historically, the most likely risk seems to come from law enforcement overreaction. But not every protestor has the will to respond to that overreaction peacefully, and not every protestor even has the intention to do so. Leaders of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee eventually turned to the Black Power movement with a few even ending up with the Black Panthers. The protests they inspired then were very different from the ones they inspired and led for SNCC.

Then there is always the possibility of people joining a protest intending to turn it into something law enforcement has to confront. Smashing windows doesn’t seem to be a very First Amendment activity. Still, most of the time the vast majority of protestors behave in ways that cannot be said to have led to bloodshed. And what about Officer Lynch’s hands? Presidents of police unions, joined by a substantial majority of the rank and file of those unions, rush to support any officer accused by anyone of using lethal force unnecessarily. Remember the “I am Darren Wilson” bracelets worn by Ferguson police officers as protests over Wilson’s shooting of Michael Brown mounted last summer? If every law enforcement officer in the country knows that he or she will receive unqualified backing from his or her union for the use of force in almost any situation imaginable, could that not possibly lead to a set of officers being a little too ready to

& LIVE JAZZ every Sunday Night @10pm with The Jazz Orgy

Jan 9. Zen Franklin and Undercover Organism. Jan 16. Point Reyes. Jan 17. Jam Funk All Stars. Jan 23. Newport Jam. Jan 30. Jaik Willis.

17 TAPS AND OVER 60 TYPES OF BOTTLED BEER www.peabodysalehouse.com facebook.com/peabodysalehouse 21 & Over No Cover 544 North Main Oshkosh R32 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

NEWS & VIEWS // THE VIEW FROM THE LEFT-FIELD SEATS

use that force? I understand that officers have to make what we always refer to as “split-second decisions” about the use of force. I also understand that these are matters of “life and death” and that the death in question just might be the officer’s death. No, I don’t think I do understand the pressure that would put on someone. To understand that you probably really do have to be there. So I don’t think it would be such a great idea to always presume that a police officer had another reasonable choice available and, therefore, that he or she should be presumed to have used “excessive force” and be subjected to punishment. But it’s not such a great idea to continue to assume that the force was always needed, always appropriate, and that to question its use is to court the disaster of dead police officers. Remember, the man accused of shooting the two NYPD officers had tried to kill his girlfriend earlier that same day and was described by his family as someone with a history of mental illness. That doesn’t seem to have a clear connection to protesting the death of Eric Garner

or the decision of a grand jury not to indict the officer who wrestled him to the ground even as he gasped that he could not breathe. In the end we are up against one of democracy’s greatest difficulties. Laws have to be enforced. They have to be enforced by people who are empowered to use, well, force. These people have to be trained to use force wisely, humanely, and, hopefully, as a last resort. But no matter how much training or what kind of training, they will sometimes use it. We need to figure out how to make sure that they have used it wisely, humanely, and as a last resort. Then, and only then, can we hold them accountable for exercising the ultimate authority we can grant to any official — the right to shoot a fellow citizen. Enough out of me. Dennis Riley has been teaching about American government and politics since the year Richard Nixon was inaugurated as President of the United States.

FamouS FiSh Fry

All fish fry options are served with your choice of criss cut fries, natural cut fries, potato salad, baked potato or fresh fruit. We also offer a Walleye Fish fry on Fridays.

Lake perch

Tender Canadian Perch fillets, breaded and deep fried. Served with coleslaw and our homemade tartar sauce. 12.99

FiSh Fry

Four plump, juicy North Atlantic Cod fillets, lightly beer battered and deep fried. Served with coleslaw and ourhomemade tartar sauce. 9.99

Baked FiSh

8 oz. of North Atlantic Cod fillets, marinated in lemon, garlic and butter. Served with coleslaw and our homemade tartar sauce. 9.99

20 beers on tap!

Stop in for a frosty mug! Central Waters Brewery Bud Light Miller Lite New Glarus Brewery Point Brewery

Guinness Seasonal Microbrews! Leinenkugel’s Capital Season Smithwick’s IrishAle

ry is Our Bloody Mawn! the Best in To 4901 Main Street Stevens Point, WI

(715) 341-3037

Sunday - ThurSday 10:00 am -10:00 pm Friday & SaTurday 10:00 am- 11:00pm

www.hilltoppubandgrill.com February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R33

NEWS & VIEWS // ROHN’S RANTS

Should Scott Walker run for President? BY ROHN BISHOP Ah, February, the month of love. February is obviously best known for Valentine’s Day, a date all of us married guys best not forget. February is also known for the Super Bowl and the beginning of Spring Training. In fact, several years ago spring training for the Chicago Cubs started on Valentine’s Day. I got my very lovely wife a Valentine’s Day card with a personal poem that read, “Roses are red, Baseball’s a sport, On Valentine’s Day, Pitchers and catchers report!” I was more excited about it being the first day of spring training than I was about Valentine’s Day, and Jenny was kind enough to let me watch the MLB Network; after I took her out for dinner, of course. February also contains one of the “second tier” holidays I ridiculed in last month’s column. President’s Day falls on the third Monday of February, and while I ridicule the notion that we give federal government employees a needless paid day off, I do find it appropriate to have a day that recognizes America’s 43 Presidents and their legacies for America. President Dwight Eisenhower said,” No easy problems ever come to the President of the United States. If they are easy to solve someone else would have solved them.” If you own a presidential place mat or remember those calendars from school that would display all the presidents in the order of which they served, it’s a neat way to look at American history. The presidential portraits reflect the American culture at that time, from change in apparel, to facial hair and hair styles, or just how new the gesture of smiling for a portrait is. Since George Washington assumed the presidency on April 30, 1789, America has had 43 men occupy 44 different presidential administrations. Each president would be “keeper of the American flame,” and do his part to pass on a better America. An example was started with the integrity of George Washington, who could have been king, but wanted power to

remain with the people, and stepped down after two terms. Their’s the humanity of Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration of Independence, and the courage of Abraham Lincoln, who held the union together through the Civil War and ended slavery. There was the leadership of Franklin Roosevelt, who led America out of the Great Depression and fought off Nazi fascism, and the determination of Ronald Reagan to restore American greatness while destroying an evil empire and freeing millions from the bondage of communism. As we take a day to honor the presidents of the past, you’ve probably noticed that the news coverage has been focusing on the election of the president of the future, especially here in Wisconsin, where our governor is about to jump into the race, and win! And they’re off! Almost since election night of 2014, speculation has been growing about the upcoming 2016 contest. Presidential candidate debates will begin in the fall of this year, followed by the Iowa Caucuses on January 18, 2016. So anyone wanting to win their party’s nomination needs to get in by early summer of this year. Democrats look ready to coronate Hillary Clinton, despite her lack of any significant accomplishments. Not to mention her role in the Benghazi cover-up, her role in Whitewater, her role at controlling “bimbo eruptions,” her luck at cattle futures, let alone Bill’s recent sex scandal with underage girls on Jeffery Epstein’s island...but I digress. The Democrat side is looking pretty dull. On the other hand, Republican primary voters are looking for a courageous conservative to tackle America’s problems head on. Who’s running? In mid December, Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush announced he would be exploring a presidential run, followed by “Tax Hike Mike” Huckabee who announced he would be leaving his popular FOX NEWS show, fanning speculation that he’s about to run. Other potential candidates include

R34 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

Ohio Governor John Kasich, Texas Senator and blow hard opportunist Ted Cruz, Kentucky’s Senator Rand Paul, 2012 nominee Mitt Romney, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, Texas Governor Rick Perry, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. There is also a growing list of second tier candidates without much of a chance, including Former Senator Rick Santorum, Donald Trump, and this cycle’s token black candidate Dr. Ben Carson. (Think Alan Keys and Herman Cain) There were also two potential Wisconsinites running, both top tier candidates, Governor Scott Walker and Congressman Paul Ryan. Walker and Ryan needed to decide which one was going to run; in mid January Ryan announced he would not run for president. This was the correct decision for Paul Ryan. Mr. Ryan, who’s only 44, is now the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, a very powerful and distinguished position. Furthermore, members of congress don’t fair very well in presidential contests, in fact only three members of congress have reached the White House since 1900, and the last member of congress to be elected president directly from the House of Representatives was James Garfield in 1880! With Ryan not running it opens the door for the governor to begin his campaign, and no other potential candidate has as strong a track record of bold reform as Governor Walker, a tested and proven leader. “I’ve got a master’s degree in taking on the big government special interests, and I think that is worth more than anything else that anybody can point to,” the governor said. The Governor is in an enviable situation. While each candidate has a core constituency, they also have factions of the party that strongly oppose them. Walker on the other hand is liked by all factions of the GOP. The establishment likes him because he is competent, the base likes him because he’s a proven reformer, and conservative talk radio likes him for his accom-

plishments. Walker is everyone’s second choice, the candidate all Republicans can agree on, and that is a great place to be in a crowded primary field! The irony is the left’s attempt to destroy Walker here in Wisconsin and their over reaction to common sense reforms is what has made Walker a hero to national Republicans. Walker stood strong in the face of thuggery and won three elections in four years! He endured bogus investigations and cheap personal attacks, but never backed down. All while achieving many of his goals; including balancing Wisconsin’s budget, cutting taxes, and shrinking government, all very popular with Republican voters, and giving him an inside lane to the nomination. Walker’s chances History shows us the party in the White House rarely can win a third term, and with Obama’s unpopularity weighing down the Democrat ticket in the general election, early on, this looks like the Republican’s race to lose. As I see it now, Walker has at least a 50/50 chance of becoming the nation’s 45th president. I could be completely wrong, but looking at the race today, that’s the way I see it. Throughout our history we’ve always seemed to elect the right person when we’ve most needed them. Whether it was when America needed a Lincoln in 1860, a Roosevelt in 1932, or a Reagan in 1980. In 2016 America desperately needs a reformer with results, a bold leader willing to take on the big issues and the big government special interest. America needs someone like Scott Walker! The time is now. Scott Walker should run for President. Rohn W. Bishop is a monthly contributor to the Scene. Bishop is a former member of the Waupun City Council and currently serves as Treasurer for the Republican Party of Fond du Lac County. Contact Rohn at: E mail: rohnnyb@msn.com Follow Rohn on Twitter: @RohnWBishop

Experience the magic of live performance in a cool little historic venue

Saturday, February 14 | $20 Willy Porter | Best known as a downtuned six-string wonder and master at free-form jam playing.

Friday, February 27 | $35 Peter Yarrow | Legendary folk singer, writer & social activist of the famed ‘60s folk music trio Peter, Paul & Mary.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR ALL EVENTS!

Friday, March 6 | $25 Dervish | Music from the West of Ireland. High energy tunes played with intuitive fluidity to beautifully measured songs.

Friday, March 13 | $22 Solas | Widely proclaimed as the most popular, influential, and exciting Celtic band ever to emerge from the US.

Saturday, April 11 | $30 Livingston Taylor | Boston Music Award for “best folk & acoustic artist” and song contributor to brother James’ repertoire.

Saturday, April 25 | $30 Tuck and Patti | Unique vocal/guitar jazz duo together over thirty years. “The best duo on the planet.” —Bobby McFerrin

Friday & Saturday, May 1 & 2 | $25 Paul Thorn Band | Singer/Songwriter with a muscular brand of roots music bluesy, rocking and thoroughly Southern.

Friday, May 8 | $25 Eric Bibb | Nominated for nine W.C. Handy Blues Awards and winner of “Best Newcomer” in the British Blues Awards.

Visit website for more info! 506 Mill St Green Lake, WI 54941 920.294.4279 info@thrasheroperahouse.com www.thrasheroperahouse.com February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R35

NEWS & VIEWS // WOMEN IN MANAGEMENT

Women in Management Plans

Wit, Wisdom and Wine Event Women in Management, Inc. with chapters throughout northeast Wisconsin, is planning a spring networking event for businesswomen from 3 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 8, at Blue Harbor Resort & Spa in Sheboygan. Wit, Wisdom and Wine, an event for Women, by Women will feature nationally-known keynote speaker Mary Faktor, who will present “Inner Voices Smart Choices.” A remarkable five-course dinner will be served, and a comedy performance, “The Six Ages of Women,” will also be presented by Mary Faktor.

Girl Scouts go Gluten-Free! Good news, Girl Scout Cookie fans (a.k.a. everyone): There are three new flavors joining the cookie lineup for 2015! The GSUSA says that Toffee-tastic, Trios and Rah-Rah Raisins are available this selling season, which is going on right now through the end of April. Toffee-tastic (buttery cookies with toffee bits) and Trios (peanut butter, chocolate chips and whole grain oats) are both gluten-free, making this the first time in the 98-year Girl Scout cookie-selling history that a gluten-free cookie is available nationwide. Last year, the Scouts tested a gluten-free chocolate chip shortbread cookie in select markets. The third new flavor, Rah-Rah Raisins, is an oatmeal raisin cookie with whole grain oats, raisins, and Greek yogurtflavored chunks. GSUSA has also gone digital, making their cookies available for purchase online, so stocking up on these new treats is easier than ever. Visit girlscouts.org

Hosted by the Women in Management Inc., Wit, Wisdom and Wine, an event for Women, by Women will include members from chapters in Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, Ripon/Green Lake, Manitowoc, Sheboygan and the Fox Cities. Other businesswomen interested in attending as guests — or those considering joining a chapter, are encouraged to attend. The event could draw as many as 300 women. Reservations to the event are due April 15. Cost is $20.00 for WIMI members, $35.00 for non-members. Blue Harbor Resort has extended a discounted room rate for attendees of this event, so plan to stay the night. “The Spring Seminar at Blue Harbor was formed to bring six WIMI chapters together for a wider networking opportunity, to have fun and unwind at a lovely lakeside setting, and to create awareness

of our organization for others who may want to join,” said Michelle Kvitek, WIMI executive board president and a member of the Manitowoc Chapter. “Our Spring Seminar is Mother’s Day weekend, so some might want to make it a family getaway. The kids can enjoy the waterpark while Mom goes to the resort spa. Others might decide it’s a great women’s getaway.” Blue Harbor features a spa, boutique, three restaurants, an indoor waterpark, putting green, outdoor pool and bar. A variety of shops are located adjacent to the resort. For information about the resort, go to www.blueharborresort.com. For more information about the event or to join a chapter, contact Kvitek at (920) 242-7778 or email michelle.kvitek@gmail. com. Learn more at www.wimiwi.org.

Start YOUR year out r ight in vintage

AtomicKatz 17 Waugoo Avenue, Oshkosh 920-235-0023

R36 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

Tickets Available at 48 Locations around Lake Winnebago & the Up River System

February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R37

FOOD & DRINK // A VINEYARD ON MY TABLE

Cave-man Ribs, Castelvetrano Olives, and California Cabernet Sauvignon BY DAVIES WAKEFIELD I will always remember my first taste of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. I was a Viet Nam veteran looking forward to college on the GI Bill. I had been mustered out of the service early from the Mare Island Naval Base in San Francisco Bay. Me and a couple of ex- navy buddies rented a car and drove up to Napa Valley the weekend before our flight back to Chicago. We heard that Napa Valley vintners were making really good, cheap wine. We stopped at the Oakville Grocery and picked up a couple of their signature muffaletta sandwiches and proceeded to the Louis Martini Winery where we bought some bottles of the 1968 “Special Selection” Cabernet Sauvignon and sat down at a shaded patio where we ate lunch and drank our wine. The taste of the olive relish in the sandwich matched perfectly with the olive taste in the wine. Sitting at that outdoor table with the warm California sun beaming down through the lifting morning fog, enjoying the food and wine was an epiphany, which connected me to a lifelong love of the two. Prior to that alcohol, in general, had been for celebrating and partying; I knew at that moment that wine and food were perfect companions. Napa Cabernet in those days and up until about 1985 was produced by and large in the style of that day in 1968 by a small close knit group of vintners (in 1968 there were only 28 wineries in Napa Valley) including the Martini’s Mondavi’s, Sebastiani’s, Parducci’s, Gallo’s and Brother Timothy with the Christian Brothers and Andre Tchelistcheff of Beauileu Vineyards. Mr. Tchelistcheff was a genius. He introduced the idea of labeling the best wines from a producer as “Private Reserve”. He introduced the idea of cold fermentation, malolactic fermentation, using American oak barrels, and he first recognized the potential for wine making in Oregon and

Washington. One of the characteristics of those types of wines that I enjoyed was the relatively low alcohol content that gave the wines freshness and affinity to various foods from roast chicken to hamburgers on the grill. This style of wine has always been something I valued but by 1985 the style had changed. Robert Parker came into the picture with his eponymous Parker 100 point scale for rating wines; but what really changed the style was not the scale itself, but Parker’s love of full throttle, highly extracted, high alcohol, soft tannin red wines and in particular Cabernet Sauvignon. I loved the Caymus wines when they were 13.1% alcohol but stopped buying them when the alcohol levels rose to 14.5% because they had no affinity to the food I liked and they made me sleepy. The vintners in Napa were quite aware of the marketing effect a 95 point score had on the sales of their wines and soon most of the Napa wineries were following the same path of over extraction, long oak aging, and long hang times like lemmings, in order to please Mr. Parker’s palette. Unfortunately the buying public was also focused on this trend as well and the trend to jammy syrupy, cough medicine type red wines has flourished, leaving a small minority of vintners and buyers (myself included) to search out the “old style” Napa wines. In the last 5 years or so a group of wine professionals including sommeliers, restaurant owners, wine reviewers and vintners has started a revolt against these types of wines. Vintners like Frogs Leap John Williams, Corison Cathy Corison, Kenwood, Dry Creek, Clos Du Val, Laurel Glen, and the Niebaum-Coppola Estate Francis Coppola have been making supple age-worthy Cabernets in this retro-style (some never succumbed to the temptation to begin with. The 2011 season in Napa Valley reinforced this principle by not pro-

“The synergy of well-made food

and matching wines really makes a simple meal a great one”

R38 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

viding the reliable heat to ripen the grapes to astronomical levels. It was a cool year in Napa but the winemakers who knew how to handle these conditions thrived and made memorable wines. The wines I have selected for these articles are all available locally, as well as others from this vintage, please give them a try with a steak or the recipe featured in this column.

Slow-Roasted Cave-Man Beef Ribs This recipe is attributed to Martha Stewart who, despite her reputation, is an innovative chef. The recipe can be found on her website www. marthastewart.com. I have left off the horseradish from the recipe because it kills the taste of wine. 2 tablespoons peanut or safflower oil 4 full length beef ribs (about 12”) Coarse salt Coarsely ground black pepper ¼ cup pitted green olives such as Castelvetrano, chopped for garnish Fresh lemon wedges for serving 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Heat oil in a roasting pan or large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the ribs generously with salt and pepper. 2. Sear ribs until well browned, about 15 minutes and transfer to a clean roasting pan. Cover the pans with aluminum foil to tightly seal and roast for about 4 hours until the meat is falling off the bone. 3. When the meat is cool enough to handle, cut it off the bone, remove any cartilage, and cut into 2’ slices crosswise. Put the slices back on the bones for presentation purposes and garnish with the olives. Lightly spritz the lemon over the meat and serve.

The first wine is the Kenwood Jack London Vineyard 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, $19, 13.5% Alcohol. The Jack London Series wines have been produced by Kenwood for over 30 years. As the name suggests the grapes were grown in the vineyards of Jack London’s ranch on the slopes of the Sonoma Mountain. The wine is 91% cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot. This is the wine I remember with aromas of thyme, mint dried cherries and black raspberries. It has a rich mouthfeel with strong fruit flavors that linger with a long finish. This was my favorite of the tasting in terms of value. This is a wine to buy by the case and taste it over the next 5-6 years as it evolves. Great stuff! The second wine is the Charles Krug Yountville-Napa Valley 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, $21, 13.9% Alcohol. This winery is run by the other Mondavi that you may not have heard of. Peter Mondavi and family have managed one of the iconic wineries in Napa Valley that was founded by Charles Krug in 1861. This winery consists of prime land in the Napa bench land area. This bottle is intense and complex with aromas of black cherry, red currants and a hint of tobacco. In the mouth, cocoa and cassis dominate with a smooth elegant finish. This wine would match better with slow roasted leg of lamb with Provençal herbs. Lastly, the Frogs Leap 2011 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, $38, 13.2% Alcohol. If you have never tasted a Frog’s leap wine, you will be blown away by the Cabernet. The alcohol hardly registers on my palate. This wine is like drinking grape juice that has been elevated to the level of “nectar of the gods”. The cost of this bottle is the only thing that prevented my wife and I from starting on a second bottle at dinner. The owner, John Williams, is a quirky individual but his company was conferred with winery of the year honors by Wine and Spirits magazine in 2014. His grapes are dry farmed and organic. John’s philosophy is “We don’t make great wines, we grow them.”

the green room PRIVATE

DINING

920-720-5045 • zuppas.com @FACEBOOK.COM/ZUPPAS

@ZUPPASNEENAH February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R39

FOOD & DRINK // TRICIA’S TABLE

The Only 6 Food Trends You Need to Know for 2015 BY TRICIA DERGE With all due respect to sports geeks, music freaks, stock jocks, and teenage girls, there is no group more obsessed with The Next Big Thing conversation than food people. The “restaurant trends for 2015” predictions aren’t just coming now; they’ve been coming, steadily, since before Halloween. Press releases, slideshows, listicles in trades and foodie magazines all aimed at telling us what’s the next kale, sriracha, or quinoa. Interesting reading, often hunger inducing, but with so many predictions — from so many chefs, flavor-makers, food companies, bloggers, and more...it’s hard to make sense of it all. So this year, to cut through the tsunami of food punditry, I submit a highly abridged list.

at a 40-year high; cultured butter is surging in popularity; high-end burger joints, like Culver’s and Shake Shack, celebrate fat as an essential part of a better burger. And the trend seems to be broadening: There’s a San Francisco restaurant selling a wildly popular chicken fat rice dish; there’s a rapidly growing Boulder company that only features full-fat yogurt. Nielsen expects more high-fat dairy products, more fat-celebrating meat purveyors, and more higher fat Asian foods to hit restaurant menus and grocery store shelves in 2015. “Americans are recognizing that the fear of fat that we’ve lived under for so long is erroneous,” said Nielsen. And it’s not just because of a foodie quest for flavor. Says Nielsen: “It’s also because of books like The Big Fat Surprise that are making the argument that natural fat is an essential part of a healthy diet.”

1. The Rise of Fat

2. Local Meat

For most health-conscious people, fat ranks right up there on the no-no list with nicotine and smog. But Kara Nielsen, culinary director of the Boulder, CO-based Sterling-Rice Group, believes 2015 could be known as the year that more and more Americans get over their fat phobia. Nielsen isn’t talking about just any fat — not the trans fats found in highly processed foods. She’s talking about natural, animal-derived fats. Real butter sales are

There’s near unanimity among food trend trackers that the local foods movement will continue to grow in 2015. Darren Tristano is no exception. Tristano, who tracks the restaurant industry for market research giant Technomic, expects more local produce, more local beer, more local grains. But Tristano believes the big local story of next year will be local meat. Californians will see more menus boasting of grass-fed beef from Niman Ranch; Chicagoans will likely see more free-range bacon from Slagel Farm. Diners in DC will see more chicken sandwiches from Polyface Farms. In short, get ready for more restaurants to celebrate the local origins of their chicken, beef, or pork just as zealously as their local Brandywine tomatoes or radicchio.

3. Insect-Powered Foods R40 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

Restaurants serving grasshopper tacos and ant guacamole, entrepreneurs peddling cricket-powered powerbars...there had been tons of media coverage of insecteating in 2014. Yet most people regard it as a curiosity, more Fear Factor-fad than food trend. Not Suzy Badaracco. The president of food trend consultancy Culinary Tides believes insects will rise as a foodstuff in the U.S. far sooner than many expect. In picking insects as her “Food of 2015,” Badaracco said that insects draw on not one but three food trends: the growing interest in foraging, the invasivore movement (i.e., don’t kill them, eat them), and, the granddaddy of current trends, the desire for more protein. (Insects are protein powerhouses; grasshoppers, for instance, have about the same protein content as a chicken breast). Full-bodied insects won’t appear in your Piggly Wiggly this year, but get ready for them to arrive in processed form, especially protein-packed power bars, like Chapul and Exo. Badaracco expects insects, processed as flour, to soon become a popular protein sources for bakery and cereal products. Full-bodied insects — tentacles and all? Further off, but coming. Badaracco sent a list of more than a dozen American restaurants that feature insect options, such as the “Grass Whopper,” a burger made from cricket meat!

4. The Next Sriracha is Harissa A few years ago, it was the unpronounceable hot sauce that you might find in Chinatown. Now, you can get a Subway chicken sriracha melt with a side of sriracha potato chips. Maeve Webster, a

restaurant analyst for market researcher Datamonitor, believes the next sauce to experience a sriracha-like rise is harissa, a spread of dried chiles, garlic, tomatoes, caraway, paprika, coriander, and olive oil that’s as common as ketchup in Tunisia. It’s still largely unknown to Americans, but Webster says all the elements are in place for harissa. “U.S. consumers can’t get enough of spicy foods. Harissa has a flavor profile that is both spicy and familiar,” Webster says. Like sriracha, harissa is also versatile and can work in a wide variety of applications. Last year, Datamonitor found that less than 3% of American restaurants included a harissa item, but Webster noted that’s a more than 180% leap over three years. If Webster is right, get ready for the chicken harissa melt — maybe not this year, but soon.

5. The Next Quinoa is Millet Melissa Abbot, director of culinary insights at The Hartman Group, concedes that her pick for “Food of 2015” is not very sexy. Millet is, after all, best known as the main ingredient in birdseed. But Abbot believes that this avian staple could quite possibly become the next quinoa. Ever since quinoa exploded on the scene, the food industry has been in hot pursuit of the Next Great Grain, and there are plenty of healthful, gluten-free candidates. So why millet, and why not amaranth,

FOOD & DRINK // TRICIA’S TABLE

sorghum, teff, or fonio? It’s gluten-free, protein-rich, high fiber, and, Abbot says, has a superfood quality all of its own. “It retains its alkaline properties after being cooked, which helps in reducing inflammation ideal for those with wheat allergies and sensitive digestion.” Another plus for millet: it’s local. The Great Plains, especially Colorado, is one of the world’s major millet growing regions.

6. Peas

or on grocery store shelves. You may even need glasses to notice it. Barb Stuckey, who is a vice president at Mattson, one of the world’s largest food product developers, describes Americans as being in a “torrid love affair” with protein. While it’s debatable whether Americans should be seeking out more protein, the reality is food companies are responding to our love affair with protein by giving us more protein. Soy is one of the best, most widely available, efficient ways of fortifying foods with protein, Stuckey says. But whether deserved or not, soy is falling out of favor. Food makers are searching for non-GMO plant-based sources of protein and, Stuckey says, “the newest, hottest kid on the block is the pea.” Peas are high in protein and, as people gain more experience processing it, the flavor is improving. “Look for pea protein to show up the ingredient list of bars, cereals, beverages, you name it.”

This pick for “Food of 2015” will not necessarily be found on restaurant menus

triciastable@gmail.com

February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R41

FOOD & DRINK // TRICIA’S TABLE

Eating a small bowl of oatmeal may be the secret to a longer life BY TRICIA DERGE Har vard University researchers reviewed two large studies that followed more than 100,000 people who were periodically quizzed about what they ate and how they lived for more than 14 years. It turns out the folks who ate at least 33 grams of whole grains daily -- equivalent to a bowl of oatmeal -- cut their risk of premature death by 9 percent compared to those who barely ate whole grains at all, according to findings published in JAMA Internal Medicine. The risk of dying heart disease was slashed by 15 percent, though eating whole grains didn’t seem to lower the risk of dying from cancer, the study showed. “Whole grains may protect the heart by lowering blood sugar and insulin levels,” said Qi Sun, an assistant professor with

the Harvard School of Public Health and one of the study’s authors. “This type of property could improve insulin resistance t o l ow e r t h e risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.” Sun added that weight loss and other healthy nutrients may add to the health benefits of whole grains. He also said the studies may not have yielded enough information about cancer to draw any conclusions. Previous studies have demonstrated a lower risk of

colorectal cancers with high consumption of foods made from grains where the germ and bran have been left intact, he noted.

and other dietary habits, it did have some limitations. Sun said that for one, it was an observational study versus a controlled trial. Additionally, the biggest difference in death risk was between the two extremes -- those who ate a lot of whole grains versus those that ate very little -- but wasn’t much different for those who ate somewhere in between. However, Sun pointed out that each additional 28-gram increase in whole grains per day led to even greater protection. “It could be a dose response where you have to eat a certain amount to get the benefits and going above that would be even better,” he said. triciastable@gmail.com

Though the study teased out factors such as family history, lifestyle, smoking

Flannel John’s Tailgating Grub & Couch Potato Cookbook Hungry for some Cheesehead Straws, Long Bomb Nachos, World League Wings, Frozen Tundra Chili, Razorbacks in a Blanket, Woody’s Buckeyes, Gang Green Punch or Seven Blocks of Granite Dip? You’ll find these recipes and more than a hundred others in Flannel John’s Tailgating Grub & Couch Potato Cookbook. Author Tim Murphy understands the connection between the biggest game of the year and gastronomic perfection. That’s why he’s penned this football-themed cookbook. “Whether you’re in the parking lot of the stadium, hunkered-down in the man cave with friends or flying solo in that old recliner, the right food makes the game that much better,” says Murphy. The 140+ recipes for snacks, drinks, desserts and meals in the book are infused

with the spirit of the gridiron, past and present. Murphy has two favorites. “I grew up in Chicago so I gave a nod to Mr. Ditka with ‘Da Coach’s Pork Chops’. I also named a dessert for the greatest football moniker of all time, Emerson Boozer. That is just a rock solid, tough, snot-knocking name and player. He played for the Jets in the seventies. So I’ve named the ‘Emerson Booze Balls’ after him.” Tim Murphy has written 23 “cookbooks for guys” and one “Prepper” book. Six more culinary collections are planned for 2015. He has books for at hunters, fishermen, vegetarians, bacon-addicts, burger fiends, campers, single guys, mountain men, college students, the kitchen-challenged, hot dog lovers, wild game enthusiasts, rock & rollers and more. What started

R42 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

out as a joke for cooking-impaired friends has grown to a popular niche. “I wrote the first one for friends. They would go to deer camp with beef jerky, cheese and beer. Aside from the olfactory assault and heart-stopping properties, the camp needed food with substance. They needed dishes that were easy and quick to prepare because we (men) are lazy and hungry whether we admit it or not. The first one sold so well, I knew I was on to something,” says Murphy. Who is Flannel John? “He is based on a few old hunters I knew from Michigan’s upper peninsula,” says Murphy. “I wanted to honor their spirit and what they taught me. He is part Babe Winkelman, Red Green, Grizzly Adams and crusty mountain man.” Who is Flannel John? “Flannel John is

based on a few old hunters I knew from Michigan’s u Tim Murphy is a 25-year radio veteran who spent 18-years hosting morning radio shows in Alaska, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Wyoming and Michigan. He hosts a morning show in Astoria, Oregon and is the Operations Manager for Ohana Media Group. Murphy is a freelance writer. His work has appeared in Backwoods Home Magazine, The Porcupine Press U.P. Magazine, National Lampoon, The Traverse City Record Eagle and ABC Radio Network. All books are available at Amazon.com and at www. flanneljohn.com. For additional information, author interviews and photos contact Tim Murphy at (701) 238-1775 or at shamrockarrow@gmail.com.

A heart as

unique as she is.

Custom heart collection exclusively at Reimer Jewelers. Available in white gold, yellow gold, and sterling silver. 11 Waugoo Avenue, Oshkosh, WI 54901 (920) 235-7870. www.reimerjewlers.com Tues/wed/fri: 9-5, thurs 9-7, sat 9-5 Layaway available

February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R43

FOOD & DRINK // BREWMASTER

Starting a New Adventure BY STEVE LONSWAY Our next beer tasting adventure started at a local grocery store and we wanted the beer label to dictate what beer we would write about. Being the brew team of Stone Arch Brew House/Stone Cellar Brewpub, we gravitated to the key word “Organic” we found on the bottle of Lakefront Brewery’s Organic E.S.B. You see Stone Cellar Brewpub is known for using organic ingredients in many of the dishes we offer in our restaurant. We have actually brewed a couple organic beers in our past, so this one really hit home for us. First we’ll explain E.S.B. E.S.B. stands for Extra Special Bitter which is an English derived beer style in the Pale Ale category. Typically Special Bitters range from 4.2% to 4.7% alcohol by volume. Bitterness in this style is actually quite moderate. This often confuses beer drinkers with “Bitter” being the style name. The label is seaweed green that proudly boasts the USDA Organic logo. With the use of 100% organic malted barley and 100% organic hops, Lakefront Brewery became the first certified organic brewery in the country and this brew became the country’s first certified organic beer. Russ Klisch and his team have been brewing this beer since its release in 1996. Then comes along a big boy brewery that with the help of two smaller brewing entities petitioned the USDA to allow non-organically grown hops to be used in a certified organic beer. They won that battle in 2004 which was devastating news to the hard working organic hop farmers. This did not sit well with Mr. Klisch and with the help of the farmers, who he continued to support, wrote several letters to the USDA to have them take another look at the policy. Their persistence paid off! Now any organically certified beers HAVE to be brewed with organic malted barley AND organically grown hops. Kudos to Russ! We chose to use standard pint glasses for our sampling. The E.S.B. poured a hazy orange and the head disappeared relatively quick. A little sedimentation from the bottle made its way into our glasses while pouring throwing a couple floaties

(technical term) into solution. The nose is fruity in nature with a hint of lemon, caramel and a slight wet grass note. We couldn’t pick out the hop aroma. The initial taste is of caramel and sugar. The body seemed a bit light for the style and came across on the side of chalky to some of the tasting team. The beer had a dryness that crossed our palates, yet the malt backbone is evident. As the brew warmed, it seemed to us that the malt overpowered the hop profile. Our team, granted we’re primarily hopheads, wished the beer had more of an English hop aroma and flavor. It seemed to lack this important characteristic. Overall it finished well and maybe dancing a thin line of being an Amber beer by style guidelines. This is a very drinkable beer that would pair nicely with lighter fare such as a crispy salad accenting the bitterness of the greens or even a gentle fish plate. We also agree that it would complement lemon bars after your meal. On to the Lakefront Brewery story. Their story started similar to many of us in the industry. Two brothers, Russ and Jim Klisch started home brewing in the 1980’s. With the encouragement of family and friends, they decided to take their new found love to the next level. They got their feet wet (literally) in an old bakery building in Riverwest, Milwaukee. Their first beers were brewed in 55 gallon stainless steel drums and used dairy equipment found throughout our wonderful state. 1987 marked the year their first beer went out the doors and their famous brewery tours began (more on these later). In 1988 they

R44 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

had modest growth bringing their annual production to 72 barrels. A couple years of good growth inspired Russ to build his own bottling machine in 1990 and market his beers in bottle form. More equipment was needed as the demand grew and more equipment found its way into their “Frankenstein operation” as a visiting food critic called it. In 1998 Russ and Jim worked a deal with the city to purchase the old Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company on Commerce St. along the river in Milwaukee to move the brewery. In 2000 they replaced the “Frankenstein” brew equipment with a traditional brew house to allow for their growth they were (and still are) experiencing. In 2012, The Klisch brothers grew their production to 33,368 barrels of Lakefront beers. Now on to their world famous tours… Lakefront Brewery offers many tour options throughout the month. Times and prices are always easy to find on their website lakefrontbrewery.com. Depending on the day of the tour you chose depends on how deep into their brewery they will take you. They also offer technical tours aimed at the inspiring home brewer or the true beer aficionado. Our favorite part of the

tour is the beginning where they start you out with a Lakefront beer in a commemorative glass you get to keep as a souvenir. When the knowledgeable tour guides take you through the brewery, they explain the different steps of brewing in terms that any adult can associate with and laced with good, fun humor. One of the most memorable stops on the tour is Bernie Brewer’s Chalet. When the Milwaukee Brewers ballpark, County Stadium, was being rebuilt into Miller Park, a very nostalgic part of the old stadium became available and the Klisch brothers jumped at the opportunity. Many may remember that after Brewers would hit one out of the park, Bernie Brewer would slide down a long slide that terminated into a large beer mug. How appropriate is that to be able to take that slide in a brewery atmosphere? That’s what Lakefront Brewery has to offer. FINAL WORD: Visit Lakefront Brewery and enjoy their one-of-a-kind brewery tour! Stone Arch Brew House brewing team Stone Cellar Brewpub Appleton, WI Stonecellarbrewpub.com Stonearchbrewhouse.com

Look for Guinness Chips! One of our biggest vices is munching on pretzels, chips, peanuts and any other snacks we can get our hands on when we go drinking. Imagine our delight when we discovered, at the Fancy Food Show, that Burt’s Potato Chips had their own line of Guinness-flavored chips! Not only do they come with the original flavor of Guinness, but also a Rich Beef Chili option. Because nothing washes down a nice, hearty bowl of chili like a glass of beer, it’s understandable that Guinness would want to combine the two. Verdict: Not bad. Not bad at all. The chips are thick cut and handcooked, seasoned with roasted barley and hops. Together, these make them taste

pretty much like the bittersweet stout from Ireland. They can be found at UK retailers in various sizes or purchased online.

architectural salvage since 1987 Located on North Main Street, just north of Hopper’s Silk Screening

Presenting...

The Talented & Popular

LIGHT HOUSE BIG BAND Playing everything from Beatles to Basie

TUESDAYS, February 10th & 24th • 7:30 PM

Come Early...

The

Show is FREE!

Enjoy Dinner Before or During the Show!

Crescent Moon Antiques and Salvage 537 N. MAIN ST. OSHKOSH 920-232-MOON (6666) www.CrescentMoonAntiquesAndSalvage.com

rie

ly S e r vic e

101 North Main, FDL (Next to Hopper’s) 933-6003 • Kitchen open daily 7 am

hip

pin g

• G re at Pr

s ice

•F

Less than an hour from Appleton! Vast Selection of:

• Speciality Grains 50+ varieties • Hops 50+ varieties • 20+ dry yeasts & all Wyeast strains • Ready-to-go kits for beer/wine Located at 3038 Village Park Drive, Plover, WI 54467

Exit 153 off of I-39 S

1-715-342-9535

pointbrewsupply.com

February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R45

FOOD & DRINK // FROM THE WINE CAVE

From the Wine Cave BY KIMBERLY FISHER When choosing wine, it can be both difficult to pick the wine that suites you and it may be confusing to understand the different types of packaging and closures. There are a wealth of choices in the way wine is packaged today. Traditions have been slow to change, but as more options become available, it is worth taking time to explore and find a hidden gem. To start this exploration, two principals that affect the shelf-life of a package are the size of the unit and the oxygen permeability of the material. Most of the changes that occur in a liquid, takes place between the liquid and the walls of the container. The change in ration depends on the size of the container. Glass Bottles: One of the best containers for wine that has yet been invented. It is inert with no possibility for taint; it is impermeable to gases and is available in almost any shape and size. Plastic Bottles: There are two types of

plastic Bottles; PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and PET (polyethylene terephthalate). PVC bottles are used widely in producer countries where wine is regarded as an everyday commodity. They are cheap, lightweight and have virtually no barrier to gasses. It is intended for rapid distribution and immediate consumption. PET bottles are used widely for beer, soft drinks as they combine better oxygen barrier properties with a reasonable shelf life. Bag in a Box: The purpose of this packaging is to provide a means of purchasing a large quantity wine that can be drawn off a glass at a time over a long period with minimum deterioration. It was invented in Australia in 1965 by Thomas Angove. Inside the box there is a flexible bag, which collapses as the wine is drawn off so the air is kept away from the wine. This package used to be criticized for the quality of wine that is in the box. Nowadays, there is a large range of good quality wine available with a reasonable shelf life. Natural Cork: A very useful and tra-

R46 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

ditional bottle closure. It is cheap, comes from a renewable source, is biodegradable and is a good oxygen barrier. It possesses an amazing anti-slip property which holds it in place without undue force. It is composed of hollow cells containing air. Natural cork has been considered the ideal closure for a wine bottle for many centuries. The increased demand for cork has forced cork producers to start cutting cork too close to the ground and using corks of a lower grade and a shorter length. The result was an increase in what we call “cork taint” commonly called “corked” wine. It is this cork taint that has led us search for alternative closures. Synthetic Closures: A vast amount of research has been conducted to produce an artificial replacement for cork to avoid the possibility of TCA taint. This type of cork closure has become controversial. One of the disadvantages of this stopper, or anything made from any form of plastic, is that it does not provide a good oxygen barrier. This is not as much of a concern

for everyday drinking wine with a relatively short shelf life. Aluminum Screw caps: Screw caps have become fashionable after having endured criticism for years as being indicative of a cheaper grade of wine. After years of experimentation and research, screw caps have proven to be an excellent closure to keep the oxygen out. This closure is great for wines for everyday drinking, but to most, cork still reigns supreme for few wines designed to age. Zork Closures: A plastic device which is easy to “zip” off. It has an integral tear strip and does not require a corkscrew. This month, travel down the path of closures and packaging and see what kind of inspiration in the bottle or box that might excite you. With so many options, a little exploration of the wide variety of vessels and closures is well worth the effort. Kimberly Fisher is the Director of Fine Wine sales for Badger Liquor - Wine & Spirits

CALENDAR // LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR

FEBRUARY 2015

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR presented by www.ButtonCapBooking.com

FEBRUARY 6 CONSULT THE BRIEFCASE ROCKY AND TARAS NUTHOUSE KAUKAUNA 9:00 PM FOLLOW SUIT SARDINE CAN GREEN BAY 9:00 PM R P M THE BAR HOLMGREN WAY GREEN BAY 9:00 PM ROOFTOP JUMPERS WISEGUYS GREENVILLE 9:30 PM STAR SIX NINE BACKSTAGE BAR FOND DU LAC 9:00 PM TEQUILA TANGO STONE HARBOR STURGEON BAY 8:30 PM COOKEE & DENNIS PROVISOR ISLE CASINO WATERLOO IA 9-1:00

FRIDAY NIGHT BAND SARDINE CAN GREEN BAY 9:00 PM

FEBRUARY 7 ADAMS WAY HEADLINERS NEENAH 9:30 PM BAZOOKA JOE JIMMY SEAS GREEN BAY 9:00 PM BIG AND TALL CHADDERBOX TWO RIVERS 7:00 PM CONSULT THE BRIEFCASE SOCIABLES NEW LONDON 9:30 PM DIAMOND AND STEEL PLANK ROAD PUB DE PERE 8:30 PM FOLLOW SUIT LEAP INN FREEDOM 9:30 PM HALF EMPTY STONEYARD GREENVILLE GREENVILLE 9:30 PM HURRY UP WAIT EMMETTS APPLETON 9:00 PM JOHNNY WAD NUMBNUTS JAMBOREE CECIL 3:00 PM

STARFIRE COUNTRY BAND CIMERRON MENASHA 7:00 PM ERIC LIVES HERE MILLCREEK APPLETON 10:00 PM ANNIE B AND COMLICATION CRANKY PATS NEENAH 10:00 PM COOL WATERS SLUGGERS APPLETON 9:00 PM CIRCLE OF HEAT PEABODY’S OSHKOSH 9:00 PM UNITY THE BAND ZIGGY’S CORNER PUB FOND DU LAC 9:00 PM ROB ANTHONY THE BOTTLE ROOM SUAMICO

NASHVILLE PIPELINE FOX HARBOR PUB & GRILL GREEN BAY 9:30 PM RABID AARDVARKS MILWAUKEE ALE HOUSE MILWAUKEE 9:30 PM SONIC CIRCUS ANDUZZIS EAST GREEN BAY GREEN BAY 9:00 PM STAR SIX NINE SLUGGERS APPLETON 9:00 PM THE BOMB STONE TOAD MENASHA 9:30 PM THE COUGARS SAND BOX GREEN BAY 9:00 PM

THE PRESIDENTS JACKSON POINT SPORTS GRILL SEYMOUR 9:00 PM WILDSIDE RIVER RAIL SHIOCTON 8:30 PM BRUCE KOESTNER HEIDEL HOUSE GREEN LAKE 7-10:00

RICOCHETTES POTAWATOMI CASINO CARTER 8-12:00 COOKEE & DENNIS PROVISOR ISLE CASINO WATERLOO IA 9-1:00 CARAVAN CIMERRON MENASHA 7:00 PM THE HI-MATICS CRANKY PATS NEENAH 10:00 PM MADPOLECATS GASOLINE GREEN BAY 11:00 PM UNITY THE BAND BUDDHA’S STILL TAVERN DE PERE 9:30 PM ANDY’S AUTOMATICS BECKETS OSHKOSH 8:30 PM BOGGIE AND THE YO-YO’Z TANNERS KIMBERLY 8:00 PM REBEL GRACE FAT JOE’S FOND DU LAC 10:00 PM

FEBRUARY 8 ROB ANTHONY UNCORKED WINE & BISTRO NEENAH

FEBRUARY 12

WHITE CHOCOLATE LYRIC ROOM GREEN BAY

8:00 PM

FEBRUARY 14 ADAMS WAY PAYNES POINT NEENAH 6:00 PM BAD HABITZ HORTONVILLE LANES HORTONVILLE 9:00 PM ROB ANTHONY CRANKIN YANKEES DÉJÀ VU MARTINI LOUNGE FAT JOES APPLETON FOND DU LAC 9:30 PM DIAMOND AND STEEL FEBRUARY 13 WOUTERS SPORTS BAR LITTLE SUAMICO 9:00 PM BAD HABITZ DOOZEY JOHNNYS LOUNGE BEAVER DAM 9:00 PM MILWAUKEE ALE HOUSE MILWAUKEE 9:30 PM BOBBY EVANS BAND RED LANTERN FOOD AND SPIRITS FOLLOW SUIT GREEN BAY 9:30 PM KOUNTRY BAR APPLETON 9:30 PM HURRY UP WAIT GRAND UNION JJ MALONEYS KAUKAUNA 8:00 PM JJ MALONEYS KAUKAUNA 9:30 PM LOOSE SCREWS JOHNNY WAD PUMPHOUSE LITTLE CHUTE 9:00 PM POLAR PLUNGE - 7 LAKES CATO 7:30 PM REVEREND RAVEN NASHVILLE PIPELINE WHITE EAGLE BAR AND GRILL HOBART 9:00 PM HEADLINERS NEENAH 9:30 PM SEPARATE WAYS RABID AARDVARKS MARSHFIELD HIGH SCHOOL MARSHFIELD 7:30 PM PRIVATE WAUSAU 8:00 PM THE PRESIDENTS ROOFTOP JUMPERS PAYNES POINT NEENAH 6:00 PM LEAP INN FREEDOM 9:30 PM TWEED FUNK SONIC CIRCUS MILWAUKEE ALE HOUSE MILWAUKEE 9:30 PM SLUGGERS APPLETON 9:00 PM COOKEE...TIMELESS MUSIC STAR SIX NINE HIGH CLIFF RESTAURANT SHERWOOD 7-10:00 OUTPOST SHERWOOD 9:00 PM VIC FERRARI THE BOMB MOLE LAKE CASINO MOLE LAKE 8:30-12:00 PLANK ROAD PUB DE PERE 8:30 PM NICOKE KOTTKE BAND THE COUGARS PAYNES POINT BAR & GRILL NEENAH 9-12:30 ANDUZZIS - HOWARD HOWARD 9:00 PM BLUES TALK THE PRESIDENTS CIMERRON MENASHA 7:00 PM JIMMY SEAS GREEN BAY 9:00 PM TOE KNEE V’S HAIRBANGER’S UNITY BALL EMMETTS MILLCREEK 9:00 PM APPLETON 10:00 PM APPLETON WILDSIDE RUCKUS STONE TOAD SLUGGERS 9:30 PM APPLETON 9:30 PM MENASHA COOL WATERS PEABODY’S OSHKOSH 9:00 PM ANDY’S AUTOMATICS STONE HARBOR RESORT STURGEON BAY 8:00 PM HI MATICS ROOKIES VIC FERRARI PLOVER 9:00 PM STONE HARBOR RESORT THE CHOCOLATTEERS STURGEON BAY 8:30-12:00 SARDINE CAN GREEN BAY 9:00 PM February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R47

CALENDAR // LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR BILL STEINERT HEIDEL HOUSE GREEN LAKE 7-10:00 COOKEE...TIMELESS MUSIC MACKINAWS GREEN BAY 7:30-11:00 BOXKAR PAYNES POINT BAR NEENAH 9-1:00 WALTER HESS & THE RIM SHOTS CIMERRON MENASHA 7:00 PM

STRAWBERRY JAM WAVERLY BEACHSpearing Sturgeon MENASHA PM Saturday, February 14, 12:30 12:30pm ROB ANTHONY N8770 Fire Lane 1 • Menasha THE CHANDELIER CLUB 920-733-9721 APPLETON • waverlybeach.com SUSHI ROLL BAND BACKSTAGE BAR AND GRILL FOND DU LAC 8:00 PM LOVE MONKEYS FAT JOE’S FOND DU LAC 10:00 PM BLITZKRIEG ROCK CRUNCHY FROG GREEN BAY

FEBRUARY 15 BAZOOKA JOE OUTPOST SHERWOOD

2:00 PM

FEBRUARY 17 HITS ST CROIX CASINO TURTLE LAKE

5-7:00

FEBRUARY 19 MARK SHILOBRIT PRIVATE GREEN BAY

7:00 PM

“MOUNTAIN SPROUT w/ HAYWARD WILLIAMS, & OWEN MAYS & THE LAST CALLS” LYRIC ROOM GREEN BAY 8:00 PM

FEBRUARY 20 CONSULT THE BRIEFCASE SARDINE CAN GREEN BAY 9:00 PM HALF EMPTY MILL CREEK APPLETON 10:00 PM HURRY UP WAIT SLUGGERS APPLETON 9:00 PM KISS LIVE BACKSTAGE BAR FOND DU LAC 10:00 PM KOZ AUDIO BACKSTAGE BAR FOND DU LAC 8:00 PM R P M PRIVATE WINNECONNE 9:00 PM STAR SIX NINE WISEGUYS GREENVILLE 9:30 PM THE COUGARS PRIVATE GREEN BAY 7:00 PM THE PRESIDENTS NORTHSTAR CASINO BOWLER 8:00 PM KENNY K POTAWATOMI CASINO CARTER 3:30-7:30 HITS ST CROIX CASINO TURTLE LAKE 8-12:30 KITTY CORONA STONE HARBOR STURGEON BAY 8:30-MIDNI JERRY & NORA DUO ISLE CASINO WATERLOO IA 9-1:00 BEAKER STREET CIMERRON MENASHA 7:00 PM HALF EMPTY MILLCREEK APPLETON 10:00 PM ROB ANTHONY THE BOTTLE ROOM SUAMICO TRIBUTE TO KISS LIVE BACKSTAGE BAR AND GRILL FOND DU LAC 8:00 PM THE ALLOY PIOT ZIGGY’S FOND DU LAC 8:00 PM CONSULT THE BRIEFCASE SARDINE CAN GREEN BAY 9:00 PM

FEBRUARY 21 REVEREND RAVEN 1001 CLUB GREEN BAY 8:00 PM

6 FIGURES LEAP INN FREEDOM BAD HABITZ THE SHACK FOND DU LAC

R48 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

9:30 PM 8:00 PM

BAZOOKA JOE PLANK ROAD PUB DE PERE 8:30 PM BOXKAR MILWAUKEE ALE HOUSE MILWAUKEE 9:30 PM CHRISTOPHER CARTER PRIVATE GREEN BAY 5:00 PM CONSULT THE BRIEFCASE WOUTERS SPORTS BAR LITTLE SUAMICO 9:00 PM FOLLOW SUIT STONE TOAD MENASHA 9:30 PM GRAND UNION ANDUZZIS - HOWARD HOWARD 9:00 PM HALF EMPTY FOX HARBOR PUB & GRILL GREEN BAY 9:30 PM R P M MENOMINEE PARK OSHKOSH 11:30 AM RABID AARDVARKS PRIVATE OSHKOSH 8:00 PM ROAD TRIP FAT JOES FOND DU LAC 10:00 PM

ROB ANTHONY & TONY ANDERS & THE RADIOLITES THE AMBASSADOR APPLETON ROAD TRIP FAT JOE’S FOND DU LAC 10:00 PM PUDGE ZIGGY’S FOND DU LAC 8:00 PM

FEBRUARY 23 BOBBY EVANS DUO WORLD OF BEER APPLETON

9:00 PM

FEBRUARY 24 TRAVIS LEE DUO WORLD OF BEER APPLETON

9:00 PM

FEBRUARY 25 TAYLOR JAY WORLD OF BEER APPLETON

9:00 PM

FEBRUARY 26 STAGE HOGGS ACOUSTIC WORLD OF BEER APPLETON 9:00 PM

FEBRUARY 27

ROOFTOP JUMPERS 10TH FRAME APPLETON 9:00 PM SEPARATE WAYS SLUGGERS APPLETON 8:30 PM STAR SIX NINE ANDUZZI’S SPORTS CLUB GREEN BAY 9:30 PM THE COUGARS WATERING HOLE GREEN BAY 9:00 PM THE PRESIDENTS NORTHSTAR CASINO BOWLER 8:00 PM FRAN STEENO HEIDEL HOUSE GREEN LAKE 7-10:00 5TH GEAR POTAWATOMI CASINO CARTER 8-12:00 HITS ST CROIX CASINO TURTLE LAKE 8-12:30 JERRY & NORA DUO ISLE CASINO WATERLOO IA 9-1:00 NO VACANCY CIMERRON MENASHA 7:00 PM THE ELECTRA COLOR WITH IVY SPOKES CRANKY PATS NEENAH 10:00 PM

CHAD DEMEUSE DUO WORLD OF BEER APPLETON 9:00 PM CONSULT THE BRIEFCASE BACKSTAGE BAR FOND DU LAC 9:00 PM DOOZEY SLUGGERS APPLETON 9:30 PM GABRIEL SANCHEZ - THE PRINCE EXPERIENCE NORTHSTAR CASINO BOWLER 8:00 PM THE COUGARS SARDINE CAN GREEN BAY 9:00 PM STRAWBERRY JAM MARLEYS LAKE DELTON 9-12:00 STEVE ARNOLD ACOUSTIC SHOW CIMERRON MENASHA 7:00 PM THE COUGARS SARDINE CAN GREEN BAY 9:00 PM SWEETTALK LYRIC ROOM GREEN BAY 11:00 PM

FEBRUARY 28 ADAMS WAY JJ MALONEYS KAUKAUNA ANNEX BACKSTAGE BAR FOND DU LAC

9:30 PM 9:00 PM

CONSULT THE BRIEFCASE EAGLE RIVER DERBY EXPO CENTER EAGLE RIVER 7:00 PM CRANKIN YANKEES LEAP INN FREEDOM 9:30 PM DIAMOND AND STEEL SLUGGERS APPLETON 9:00 PM FOLLOW SUIT HEADLINERS NEENAH 9:30 PM GRAND UNION ANDUZZIS EAST GREEN BAY GREEN BAY 9:00 PM HALF EMPTY PRIVATE KIMBERLY 9:00 PM HURRY UP WAIT CAPITOL CENTRE APPLETON 9:00 PM HYDE KOUNTRY BAR APPLETON 9:30 PM JOHNNY WAD THE BAR LIME KILN ROAD GREEN BAY 10:00 PM NASHVILLE PIPELINE STONEYARD GREENVILLE GREENVILLE 9:30 PM ROOFTOP JUMPERS STONE TOAD MENASHA 9:30 PM SONIC CIRCUS MOLE LAKE CASINO CRANDON 9:00 PM STAR SIX NINE JACKSON POINT SPORTS GRILL SEYMOUR 9:00 PM THE COUGARS MINESHAFT HARTFORD 9:30 PM THE HONEYMOONERS VILLAGE GREEN GOLF COURSE GREEN BAY 2:00 PM THE PRESIDENTS POTAWATOMI CASINO CARTER 8:00 PM WILDSIDE THE OTHER BAR WAUPUN 9:00 PM STRAWBERRY JAM CIMERRON MENASHA 7:00 PM ANDY’S AUTOMATICS GUIDO’S & KOECKERS FOND DU LAC 9:00 PM ROB ANTHONY THE BOTTLE ROOM SUAMICO CHERRY PIE FAT JOE’S FOND DU LAC 10:00 PM

If you would like your b a n d o r l i ve mu s i c venue added to our calendar please provide us you information at livemusic@ scenenewspaper.com

NEWS & VIEWS // IN PENNY’S WORDS

Tale of Two States: Wisconsin and Minnesota, a socioeconomic experiment in real time! BY PENNY BARNARD-SCHABER

Governor Dayton inherited a $5 billion dollar deficit. Governor Walker cut education spending by a very large amount and cut taxes for businesses and individuals who made more than $150,000, while decreasing the earned income tax credits and the homestead tax credits. Both of these tax credits help low-income people; cutting the credits made their taxes go up. Governor Walker has also borrowed a lot to continue the high level of road building in Wisconsin with less money going to road maintenance. Governor Walker did not create a Wisconsin Exchange for Health Insurance,

for economic climate and 17th for quality of life. Many states have similarities, but few Different states are as similar to each other as Wisactions were consin and Minnesota. taken in both Both states have four seasons with states with an added emphasis on snow and winter. very different Both states have a lot of lakes; Minnesota results. is referred to as the Land of 10,000 Lakes From my and Wisconsin is noted as the Nation’s perspective Dairy Land and has even more lakes. we are really Here are some interesting statistics feeling the from 2010 Census Bureau website (census. impact of Governor Walker’s decisions at gov): the local level. Our comWisconsin Minnesota munities are stretched thin for road repair and Population 5,742,713 5,420,380 maintenance and for Persons per Household 2.43 2.63 making sure we have a Per capita income $27,523 $30,913 great public education system. Based on requests Median Value of home $167,100 $187,900 from state agencies and Median Household Income $52,413 $59,836 departments Wisconsin Persons below poverty level 13.0% 11.5% is facing a budget deficit Persons over 65 14.8% 13.9% of about $2 billion which Persons with Bachelor Degree or higher 26.8% 32.6% includes a $750 million dollar shortfall for transPersons incarcerated in 2013 (state & Federal)* 22,471 10,282 portation funding while Persons on parole in 2012* 20,023 6,006 Minnesota has a $1.2 *From Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS.gov) billion surplus. Governor Walker and the Republicans As you can see from the chart, there are and he did not take the Medicaid Expanlike to talk about how they fixed a deficit. many similarities between Wisconsin and sion money. Governor Dayton had an education They talk about inheriting a $3.6 billion our neighbor, Minnesota. Notice one very large and significant difference: in Wiscon- fund that he borrowed from to balance deficit in 2011, but they don’t tell you sin we put more than twice as many people their budget, and he raised taxes on the what preceded that deficit. In 2009 our in jail. This is very costly for Wisconsin and highest earners in Minnesota while at state had an estimated $6.6 billion dollar demonstrates a different spending strategy the same time increasing the credit for deficit because of poor decision-making renters as well as cutting taxes for middle and the national recession. At that time, for Minnesota. Over the last four years there have been income families and for businesses. Gov- in my first term of office, the Democrats other significant differences between these ernor Dayton did help create a Minnesota had the majority and they had some hard two neighboring states: the differences will Exchange for Health Insurance and took decisions to make. Revenue collections had make a very interesting sociology study in the Medicaid expansion money. He also fallen to one of the lowest levels ever seen; increased the Minnesota minimum wage both income tax and sales tax revenues the near future. were very low in 2008 and 2009. Instead Each state elected a new governor in to $9.50 an hour. So how have these different decisions of ignoring the problem we were facing, 2010; the governors have done very difplayed out over the last four years? Very the Democrats did some things similar to ferent things in their respective states. The what Minnesota did in 2011. We raised different strategies were recently discussed differently as you can imagine! Minnesota’s jobless rate in November the income tax on high wage earners by in detail in a La Crosse Tribune Editorial from January 4, 2015. Both governors was 3.7%; Wisconsin’s was 5.2%. Forbes 1% and we closed a corporate tax loophole inherited economic problems because of ranks Minnesota as ninth best for business, that allowed corporations to move their the nationwide recession. Governor Walker seventh in economic climate and second Wisconsin earned profits out of the state inherited a $3.6 billion dollar deficit and in quality of life. Forbes ranks Wisconsin to avoid their tax responsibility. By doing differently: it is 32nd best for business, 27th this the deficit of $6.6 billion was cut to

$3.6 billion. These tax changes were left in place until about 2013 by the Republicans and Governor Walker, allowing them to pay some bills and develop a

“projected” surplus. In 2013, based on a surplus that was only projected and not definite, Governor Walker proposed and the Republicans passed large tax cuts. The Governor and the Republicans are not talking very much about the deficit that has been recreated through their policies and decisions, instead they are talking about realigning a couple of state agencies and they are avoiding the more important issue of the structural deficit that is the result their decisions over the last four years. Possibly, if Wisconsin had left the changes from 2009, which were very similar to the changes Minnesota just made, in place then Wisconsin would also have a surplus and we would have similar higher rankings from Forbes. It will be interesting to see what the next biennial budget will look like in Wisconsin as we try to catch up with our neighbors in Minnesota. I’ll be watching the upcoming budget carefully because it is important and I would prefer to have Wisconsin leading the way instead of playing catch up. Here is the link to the La Crosse Tribune article from January 4, 2015: http:// lacrossetribune.com/news/opinion/ourview-minnesota-is-winning-this-borderbattle/article_92f1e11e-1375-5f5a-b28eeb80bded634d.html

February 2015 SceneNewspaper.com | L9

NEWS & VIEWS // THE BUDDHIST ADVISOR

Take a Stand; Testify BY JOHN PRICE-KABHIR If this column is published, I am certain many readers will think I am a crackpot. That’s the judgment of the public at large when confronting someone who is truly curious and sincere about the notion of extra-terrestrials visiting our planet. I believe we’ve been hosts for sentient beings from places other than Planet Earth, for thousands of years. Yes, we have been visited not only since the Roswell Incident of 1947 CE, but from time immemorial, back before the civilization as we know it came to be. Very simply, there are few explanations more plausible than “alien technology” to produce the constructions of such things as pyramids and the huge stone structures in many places all over the world. Even the cave paintings of the ancients depict beings coming from the skies. Even as a young fellow, I looked to the heavens with penetrating curiosity. My foundation has been spiritual, but I’d never known why I had such lifelong interests in UFOs and visitors from elsewhere. Now, some 50+ years later, I know why I am interested, and why there’s a connection for me between spiritual awakening and travelers to our planet from origins other than ours. People with whom I’ve practiced Christianity and Buddhism, Taoist, and Hindu thought would likely dismiss my interest in UFOs as foolish and childish. I’ve kept an eye out concerning ET lore for many years, mostly by reading and following people proclaimed as experts in this non-mainstream field. But last night, at about 4:00 AM, I finally understood the connection between my spiritual seeking and interest in beings riding the time-energy-lightgravity highways from wherever to here. When I was in my early 20s, I wrote a novella about twin brothers, one a monk and the other a nuclear physicist. The monk looked inside himself; the physicist looked to the cosmos. Finally, the each

came to realize they were seeking the exact same thing by different methods. For a long time, I dismissed the idea of UFOs on the basis that the distances between planets and galaxies were far too great to permit vehicles to transverse those distances. But here’s a riddle for you: We are taught the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. That’s not true. Can you figure that one out? I’ve sifted through virtually all the socalled experts on extra-terrestrials, and it is a fellow named Bob Lazar, a nuclear and propulsion specialists and former employee at Los Alamos, a site credited with the development of the atom bomb, who finally explained to me in a recorded inter-

had over the matter occurred while listening to an interview on You Tube with Phillip J. Corso, Jr. Mr. Corso said when all was really known about the journeys of ETs, it would be part of an awakening of humankind regarding its place in the cosmos. He said it wouldn’t simply be a visitation of beings from other planets. Rather, it would involve people realizing our place in terms of what we are. The “visitation” would be a reckoning of our place as sentient beings. Put simply, he asserted that we would come to a realization about our lifetimes and our place in the vast spread of things. Words fall short of a complete explanation, and indeed using words to depict what this all means is words cannot frame things truly

God cannot be imagined. If God exists, it is only through direct perception. —a la Vedic lore & Geo. Harrison view how other-worldly creatures could get from there to here. It’s all about gravity. If the mysterious power of gravity, that glue holding all things together, can be harnessed, the notion of distance disappears. In simple terms, we view speed based upon rear-end thrust. Power unleashed from behind propels things with rapidity commensurate with mass and volume, refereed by gravity. But imagine a bowling ball on a large soft bed. If weight pushed down in front of the ball on the mattress, it moves forward with no exertion and no explosive power. If gravity can be harnessed in front of the ball on the bed, it moves in relation to the downward slope exerted. And there is no fire, no fuel. Of course, we don’t yet know how to do this, but if we did, we could move at virtually any speed and get from here to there with no rear-end explosive energy. If the issue of speed and distance were resolved, could not the question of time also follow suit? I haven’t figured that one out yet. But the most dramatic epiphany I’ve

L10 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

as they are. Of course, lately, cosmology extends beyond the “universe” as we think it is; indeed, we can ponder the notion of multiverses and traveling beyond time and space. The limitations of what I thought were the universe have dissolved in notions that our universe, however impressively vast, is limited and theoretically tiny in comparison to what things might be. The breakthrough for me is that I now understand why I have been so captivated by UFOs and their sentient crews. I have come to realize that I seek answers to life’s questions transcending how things seem to be. I realize being a living, breathing being melds the bodies we inhabit and the times and places where we live. It’s so much more than philosophy and technology, nature and science. If we can attain a daily understanding of our existence, philosophy and ideas, theories and schools of thought, all will evaporate in a lifelong embracing of life. We’ll embrace life well beyond formal practices and live by just being. As I stood in my modest little kitchen

after my spiritual breakthrough, watching a bit of snow drizzling down outside, I wondered why I hadn’t hosted beings from other worlds. For a few seconds, I admired the so-called abductees, those supposedly taken and examined by alien beings. As a major expert in the field of alien visitations, James Fox, says, you can’t just invite them in for a beverage around the kitchen table. They’re far too different from us. I actually felt I might have a heart attack if an ET visited me. Would I be ready for such a shock? I realize my proverbial neck is way out on the chopping block for submitting this column. But I am at least calmly ready for that. It would be much more risky to have first-hand personal contact, if such a thing is even remotely possible. I realize this whole column is based on assertions without proof. John Price-Kabhir is an ordained Zen Buddhist householder. He welcomes your input at 920-558-3076.

SCENE TO RESERVE YOUR AD SPACE

call Mareen at 522-2381

Creative. Inspirational. Effective. Creating better ideas to bring new business to your door.

CALENDAR // LAWRENCE TODAY

February Events at Lawrence University 1 Bavarian Opera Broadcast: “Lucia di Lammermoor” by Gaetano Donizetti; Lawrence University Warch Campus Center cinema, Appleton, 12 pm. 1 Lawrence Academy of Music Piano Duets Recitals; Harper Hall, Appleton, 12:30 pm. 6 Lawrence University Choirs, Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band Concert; Lawrence Memorial Chapel, Appleton, 8 pm. 7 Lawrence University Wind Ensemble Concerto Competition; Lawrence Memorial Chapel, Appleton, 11 am. 7 Film: “Frozen”; Lawrence University Warch Campus Center cinema, Appleton, 8 pm. 11 Lawrence University New Music Series: Miranda Cuckson, violin and viola, and Christopher Burns, electronics; Harper Hall, Appleton, 8 pm. 16 Lawrence University “An Evening of British Theatre”; Warch Campus Center cinema, Appleton, 8 pm. 16 Lawrence University Guitar Studio Recital; Harper Hall, Appleton, 8 pm. 17 Lawrence University Convocation: “A Decent Respect: Honor and Citizenship at Home and Abroad,” Kwame Anthony Appiah; Lawrence Memorial Chapel, Appleton, 11:10 am. 19-20-21 Lawrence University Conservatory Opera: “The Tender Land” by Aaron Copland; Stansbury Theatre, Appleton, 7:30 pm. 19 Lawrence University Povolny Lecture Series in International Studies: “China Ranks Number One or Does It? Should We Care?” Merton Finkler; Wriston Art Center, Appleton, 7:30 pm

21 Lunar New Year 2015 Celebration: Year of the Sheep; Lawrence University Warch Campus Center, Appleton, 2 pm. 22 Lawrence Academy of Music Student Recitals; Harper Hall and Shattuck Hall 163, Appleton, 12:30 pm. 22 Lawrence University Conservatory Opera: “The Tender Land” by Aaron Copland; Stansbury Theatre, Appleton, 3 pm. 22 Lawrence University Faculty recital: Catherine Kautsky, piano; Lawrence Memorial Chapel, Appleton, 6 pm. 22 Lawrence University Flute Studio Recital; Harper Hall, Appleton, 8 pm. 23 Archaeological Institute of America Lecture: “Perspectives on First Nation Heritage and Archaeology,” Kevin Brownlee; Wr iston Art Center, Appleton, 7:30 pm. 23 Lawrence University Low Brass Ensembles Performance; Harper Hall, Appleton, 8 pm. 25 Improvisation Group of Lawrence University Concert; Harp er Hall, Appleton, 8 pm. 26 Lawrence University Composition Studio Recital; Harper Hall, Appleton, 8 pm. 26 Poetry Reading with Angela Sorby; Lawrence University Warch Campus Center, Appleton, 4:30 pm. 27 Lawrence University Guest recital: Ieva Jokubaviciute, piano; Lawrence Memorial Chapel, Appleton, 8 pm. 28 Lawrence University Saxophone Studio Recital; Warch Cam pus Center, Appleton, 3 pm. 28 Lawrence Symphony Orchestra Concert; Lawrence Memorial Chapel, Appleton, 8 pm.

19 Art @ Noon: 20-minute guided tours of the current exhibition; Wriston Art Center, 12 p.m. February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | L11

While the SCENE does everything to ensure the accuracy of its Events calendar, we also understand that some dates and times change. Please call ahead to confirm before traveling any distance. For inclusion in our calendar of events, please contact us!

Sketching and Drawing The Trout Museum of Art, Appleton One of the Museum’s Adult Winter Classes. Develop skills and techniques to achieve higher levels of sketching and drawing through studies of still life, landscape, and introduction to portraiture. Instruction by Horace Davis. Price: $95, Member Price: $80. Register online at www. troutmuseum.org. Saturdays, 8am-Noon

February 03, 2015 Scheels Kids Klub ~ Ice Fishing 101 June 01, 2014 - February 28, 2015

Tu 10am-5pm

Stone of Hope Exhibit

signs from local collector Jed Schleisner. Explore the history and science behind the glow of the tubes.

Multiple locations around the Fox Cities

11am-4pm Tu-Su

F 10am-5pm

A Stone of Hope: Black Experiences in the Fox Cities is a “pop-up museum” about local Black history from the 1700s to the present. Traveling for two years, the exhibit will visit area schools, churches, libraries, government buildings and community centers.

September 13, 2014 - February 15, 2015 Beauty Beyond Nature: The Art of Paul Joseph Stankard The Robert M. Minkhoff Collection Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass, Neenah This is an exhibition of 70 exquisite glass pieces spanning the illustrious and influential career of this artist. The exhibit presents a testament to a collector – artist relationship that has opened the world of glass art and the thoughts of one artist to a broad spectrum of participants. It is t Tuesday - Saturday 10am-4:30pm, Sunday 1-4:30pm • Shop hours the same

November 12, 2014 - October 31, 2015 NEON: Darkness Electrified History Museum at the Castle, Appleton NEON:Darkness Electrified, features more than 20 vintage neon advertising

W 10am-8pm Th 10am-5pm Sa 10am-4pm

December 20, 2014 - February 06, 2015 January 13 - February 10, 2015

Light Up the Fox Riverfront Light Display

Pumped for Printmaking

City-owned greenspace, Appleton

The Trout Museum of Art, Appleton

Animated light displays with river themes, designed and built by area students at FVTC. Opening ceremony on Dec 20 with a musical performance by Wind Eagle Native American Singers and Drumming group. Closing ceremony on Feb 6th at Jones Park, Appleton, will include a performance by the Valley Figure Skating Club.

One of the Kids/Teen Winter Classes offered by the Museum. Explore various aspects of relief printmaking and create linoleum cut prints. Ages 11-14. Instruction by Stephanie Harvey. Price: $75, Member Price: $65.

6pm on Dec 20th 5-9pm nightly (until 10 pm Fri & Sat) 6:30pm on Feb 6th

December 22, 2014 - February 07, 2015 A Century of Painting with Phil Sealy & R.E. Jelinski Richeson School of Art & Gallery, Kimberly Two Men x 50 Years= A Century of Painting - exhibit celebrates the creative talent of two local artists, Phil Sealy and R.E. Jelinski, whom have spent the past fifty years developing their styles of work. Both artists work in water based media to create their spectacular works of art.

L12 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

Tuesdays, 4:30-6pm.

January 16 - March 15, 2015 Lawrence University Wriston Art Center Galleries Exhibition Wriston Art Center Galleries, Appleton Student-produced visual works related to biodiversity and conservation-related topics. Ceramics by Sarah Gross, Lawrence Fellow of Studio Art. Sculpture and installation by Jason S. Yi, who transforms everyday materials into massive architectural and topographic forms. Tuesday – Fr: 10am-4pm Sa and Su: noon - 4pm

January 31 - February 21, 2015

Scheels, Appleton Join us in learning all about ice fishing from pro fishermen Justin & Ryan. Learn about the latest gear, gadgets and fishing tips from the experts! We’ll also get to make our very own lure to take home! 6pm-7pm

February 04, 2015 Abstract Expressionism The Trout Museum of Art, Appleton One of the Museum’s Adult Winter Classes. Develop one or two paintings that rely on composition, color, and form to abstractly portray an idea without having to rely on any distinct visual cue. Instruction by Cristian Andersson. Price: $50, Member Price: $45. Register online at www.troutmuseum.org. Wednesdays from 6-8pm

February 05, 2015 Stacked Cakes The Wire Whisk, Appleton Stacked Cakes Class $35 Taught by Ginger Wolff-Anderson. 6-8pm 6-8pm

Thursday Afternoon @ the Movies Appleton Public Library, Appleton Featuring West Side Story. Starring George

CALENDAR // THE BIG EVENTS

Chakiris, Rita Moreno, and Natalie Wood. Gang rivals and ethnic tension arise in the midst of love on New York’s West Side. Winner of ten Academy Awards. Cosponsored by the Fox Valley Symphony. Refreshments served. Free. 4-6:30PM

Young Audiences: Singing Spirituals with the Appleton Boy Choir The Trout Museum of Art, Appleton Join the Appleton Boy Choir as we learn about African American Spirituals and folk songs. Explore story telling through the visual arts in the studio with a fun art project to take home. Admission is Free but reservations are required due to limited capacity. 920-733-4089. 4:15-6pm Children Must be accompanied by an adult

February 06, 2015 Members’ Biennial Artist Reception The Trout Museum of Art, Appleton Join us for the Artist Reception for the Members’ Biennial Exhibition at The Trout Museum of Art. Exhibit includes a collection of juried fine art of works created by artist members of The Trout Museum of Art. Works on display will be available for purchase. Free and Open to the Public. 5-7:30pm

February 06 - April 05, 2015 Members’ Biennial Exhibition The Trout Museum of Art, Appleton A juried fine art exhibition featuring the diversity and strength of works created by artist members of The Trout Museum of Art. Works on display will be available for purchase. Exhibit runs February 6-April 5, 2015. Admission: Free Museum hours Tuesday-Saturday 10 am4pm and Sunday Noon- 4pm.

February 06, 2015

Warm the Heart

February 12, 2015

Moonlight Ski

Downtown Neenah, Neenah

Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve, Appleton

Warm the Heart Event in Downtown Neenah a new event called Warm the Heart. Downtown restaurants and retailers will be offering samples of warm soup and other warm foods as part of a one day event

Come enjoy a 1.5 mile ski or 1 mile snowshoe under the moonlight. Trails will be lit. Relax by a campfire with s’mores. Great family event. 5-8pm

February 07, 2015 Appleton Downtown Winter Farm Market City Center, Appleton Featuring veggies, meats, baked goods, homemade soup & dip mixes, handcrafted items, jewelry, rugs & more including gluten free items. PLUS, enjoy all that Downtown Appleton has to offer!

11am-3pm

February 08, 2015 Miles of Smiles Building for Kids Children’s Museum, Appleton Miles of Smiles’ Free Admission Day sponsored by Delta Dental Noon-5pm

Music @ the Library

Fox Valley Symphony Concert - Symphonic Romance

Featuring the Red River Ramblers performing a combination of 70s light rock and contemporary folk. Families welcome. Free. Funded by the Friends of Appleton Public Library.

7:30pm

Outagamie County Master Gardeners Seminar: Fairy Gardens Appleton Public Library, Appleton Here’s a fun program for the whole family. Learn the basics of creating a garden that is fairy sized. Free. 10-11:30am

Puppet Show Jane Bergstrom Fine Arts Education Center, SMC Neenah Calling ALL families! Join us for a fun PUPPET SHOW starring Hairy & Company! Please RSVP online at tcces.org for this free-of-charge event. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Sat. February 7, 10:30 a.m. Jane Bergstrom Fine Arts Education Center St. Mary Central, 1050 Zephyr Drive, Neenah 10:30 am

Fast, Fun and so impressive: make icing, color tints and combinations plus, thin the icing, outline and fill cookies, layer the icing. $35

February 12 - 13, 2015

Appleton Public Library, Appleton

Symphonic Romance

The Wire Whisk, Appleton

6-8pm

Saturdays, 9am-12:30pm

Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, Appleton

Color Flow Cookies February

Earl Klugh and Nnenna Freelon: An Intimate Evening Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, Appleton Six-time Grammy Award®-nominated vocalist Nnenna Freelon and Grammy Award®-winning guitarist Earl Klugh come together for a night of outstanding music. Enjoy this performance between two likeminded souls, celebrating some of the greatest songs and songwriters of all time. 8-10pm

2-3pm

February 12, 2015 Thursday Night @ the Movies

February 10, 2015 Ballroom with a Twist

Appleton Public Library, Appleton

Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, Appleton Ballroom with a Twist brings a frenzy of sizzling dance moves by professional international dancers spanning the hot moves of Samba, Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep and Jive. It is an evening of entertainment, highlighted by stunning costumes, magnificent music and breathtaking performances.

Featuring The Skeleton Twins. Rated R. Starring Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Ty Burrell, Luke Wilson, Boyd Holbrook. Maggie and Milo are estranged twins who are reunited after ten years of being apart. Refreshments served. Free admission. 6-8pm

7:30-9:30pm

February 13 - 14, 2015

February 11, 2015 Abstract Expressionism

Valentine’s Day Dinner at the Ballpark

The Trout Museum of Art, Appleton

Fox Cities Stadium, Appleton

One of the Museum’s Adult Winter Classes. Develop one or two paintings that rely on composition, color, and form to abstractly portray an idea without having to rely on any distinct visual cue. Instruction by Cristian Andersson. Price: $50, Member Price: $45. Register online at www.troutmuseum.org.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are offering couples a chance to celebrate Valentine’s Day in The Fox Club at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium on Friday, February 13th and Saturday, February 14. The night includes a four course meal, a bottle of champagne, a long-stemmed rose, and a picture. The first option is with

Wednesdays from 6-8pm

February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | L13

CALENDAR // THE BIG EVENTS

a candle-lit, four-course dinner for two in the main banquet facility, a bottle of champagne, a long-stemmed rose, a picture of the couple, and a pair of 2015 ticket vouchers. ($110 per couple) The second option is a candle-lit, fourcourse dinner for two in a private suite on the club level. This option adds two chocolate-covered strawberries to the other items offered in option one. ( $135 per couple) The bar on the club level will be open at 5pm and dinner will be served at 6:30pm each night.

February 14, 2015 Appleton Downtown Winter Farm Market City Center, Appleton Featuring veggies, meats, baked goods, homemade soup & dip mixes, handcrafted items, jewelry, rugs & more including gluten free items. PLUS, enjoy all that Downtown Appleton has to offer! Saturdays, 9am-12:30pm

Death By Chocolate Downtown Appleton Downtown Appleton’s local restaurants feature their tasty chocolate treats. Tickets are just $20 per person. but quantities are limited! Tickets on Sale Jan. 21, 2015 The Downtown Cool Trolley will be running 1-5pm 1-4:30pm

Downtown Appleton Cool Trolley Downtown Appleton & the Riverfront The Trolley will be running for the Death by Chocolate Event. 1-5pm

Fox Valley Regional YMCA Indoor Triathlon Series Appleton Event Appleton YMCA, Appleton Event format: 10 minute swim -20 minute bike -15 minute run This event is open to ages 8 & up and need to be a minimum height of

4’6” to enter. All events are time based, rather than distance based, so ANYONE can participate! Register online @ active.com today! Waves start at 10am and are 1 hour in length; New waves begin every half hour

JOY Conference Fox Valley Lutheran High, Appleton Join us for a day of laughter and reflection. Three guest speakers will will share life skills helping folks laugh all the way to increased performance and productivity; discover new communication concepts, healthful hints, and self-confidence; and learn to love life again. 8am-2:15pm

newVoices - Northeast Wisconsin’s got newTalent Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, Appleton Join us for a new twist to a popular fundraiser, featuring the region’s top singers paired with local celebrities competing to benefit newVoices, the region’s top vocal artists. You decide which celebrities bring the most to the stage! One act wins the “People’s Choice” by raising the most donations that evening. One other act wins the “Critic’s Choice” by raising the most donations prior to the event. Every act wins by performing live, on stage singing and dancing to your favorite songs from Broadway, swing, the 50s or jazz standards. Presented in an intimate nightclub setting each celebrity will be paired with a singer or group of singers from newVoices. You’ll hear solos, small groups and the full newVoices choir in live performance. 7:30pm

Valentine’s Day Sleigh Ride Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve, Appleton Enjoy hors d’oeuvres while sampling wines from the Kerrigan Brothers winery and beers from the Stone Cellar Brewpub followed by a horse drawn sleigh ride around the preserve. Members: $50 per couple

February 15, 2015 Bridgie Sprint and Family Funski Race Sponsored by Scheels Best Western Premier Bridgewood Resort Hotel, Neenah Join us for the 2015 Bridgie Cross-Country Ski Sprints and Fun-Ski event! We will have a competitive, timed race bracket for seasoned skiiers/racers on our 1.6 K trail. Novice racers will have a bracket of their own. Awards will be given to top male and female racers. This is a perfect chance to practice for the Birkie! NEW THIS YEAR - The family fun snow area which includes a snow race, snowball toss and a snowman village build. Proceeds from the Bridgie will benefit the Neenah-Menasha YMCA Annual Campaign which provides financial assistance to youth, adults and families in need so that they may participate in YMCA programming. Registration will begin at 8am.

February 16 - March 09, 2015 OP-arty The Trout Museum of Art, Appleton One of the Kids/Teen Winter Classes offered by the Museum. Have a blast creating optical illusions with paint and ink while you learn the fundamentals of perspective and shading. Ages 7-11. Instruction by Tracey Ellenberg. Price: $40, Member Price $35. Mondays, 4:30-5:30pm

February 17 - March 10, 2015

February 17 - March 24, 2015 Pre-School Painters The Trout Museum of Art, Appleton One of the Kids/Teen Winter Classes offered by the Museum. Imaginations will run wild with paint! Students will learn beginning art and painting skills while having fun. Ages 3-6. Instruction by Tracey Ellenberg. Price: $60, Member Price: $50. Tuesdays, 11am-Noon.

February 18, 2015 Abstract Expressionism The Trout Museum of Art, Appleton One of the Museum’s Adult Winter Classes. Develop one or two paintings that rely on composition, color, and form to abstractly portray an idea without having to rely on any distinct visual cue. Instruction by Cristian Andersson. Price: $50, Member Price: $45. Register online at www.troutmuseum.org. Wednesdays from 6-8pm

Storybook Stars presents Curious George by Margret Rey Building for Kids Children’s Museum, Appleton Join us in Mielke Family Theater for listening to the story read-aloud, meeting the star of the book, and making a take-home craft. Free with museum membership or daily admission. 10am-11am

February 19, 2015

Continuing to Paint in Watercolor

Jazz at the Trout

The Trout Museum of Art, Appleton

One of the Museum’s Adult Winter Classes. Continue developing watercolor skills. Dive right into painting with guidance and suggestions to help you continue to improve control of this medium. Instruction by Jeff Zdrale. Price: $60, Member Price: $50. Register online at www.troutmuseum.org Tuesdays, 6-8pm

Paul Dietrich Quintet Cost: Members: $12, Non Members $20, Students $5. Doors open at 6:30pm, performance begins at 7:30pm.

Rustic Italian and Pasta Making

Non-members: $65 per couple

The Wire Whisk, Appleton

4:30-7:30pm

Everyone loves homemade pasta & Chef Terri

L14 | SceneNewspaper.com | February 2015

CALENDAR // THE BIG EVENTS

Milligan demonstrates how to make pasta dough & turn it into fettuccine in this Italian cooking class. The menu includes: Fresh Fettuccine w/ Walnut, Parmesan & Arugula Pesto, Panzanella Salad w/ Walnuts, Avocados & Tomatoes plus, Lemon Lavender Biscotti. 6-7:30pm

Thursday Afternoon @ the Movies Appleton Public Library, Appleton Featuring Nightcrawler. Rated R. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, and Bill Paxton. A young crime journalist becomes too close to the stories he’s following, becoming a participant and a star in his own writing. Refreshments served. Free.

items, jewelry, rugs & more including gluten free items. PLUS, enjoy all that Downtown Appleton has to offer! Saturdays, 9am-12:30pm

February 21 - March 07, 2015 Art Immersion: France The Trout Museum of Art, Appleton One of the Kids/Teen Winter Classes offered by the Museum. Immerse yourself in the art of France! Explore the history of French art while investigating works from the Trout collection. Ages 12-16. Instruction by Rebecca Zornow. Price: $75, Member Price: $65.

February 26 - 28, 2015

February 28, 2015

Dream Role 4 - Radio Active! UW Fox Valley Theater, Menasha Back by popular demand for a fourth year, UWFox is proud to present Dream Role 4! 90 minutes of show stopping hits from Radio, Movies and Broadway! Dream Role will be an experience you don’t want to miss! Show Dates: Th 2/26/15 7pm Fr 2/27/15 7pm Sa 2/28/15 2pm Sa 2/28/15 7pm

Art of Conversation: Art Books through Crowdfunding (Kick-starter) Trout Museum of Art, Join guests, Lee Mothes and Taylor Winder, facilitated by Larry Gallop (Post-Crescent Opinions Editor) in an engaging panel discussion about self-publishing art books through kick starter books. Admission: Free 11am - Noon

Saturdays, 9am-Noon.

4-6pm

February 20 - 22, 2015 Northeast Wisconsin Sport Fishin’ Show Players Choice of the Fox Cities, LLC, Appleton Largest Fishing Show North of Milwaukee! Boats-Seminars-Rods-Reels-Lures-Electronics-Guides-Resorts and More! Fri 3-9pm Sat 9am-7pm

February 21, 2015 It Gets Better Project Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, Appleton The It Gets Better Project is a performing arts response to the difficult issue of bullying. In addition to the performance, members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles will visit schools and facilitate community dialogue toward reducing bullying. AT&T is a co-producing partner. 7:30pm

Sun 10am-4pm

February 20, 2015 Storybook Stars presents Curious Geoge by Margret Rey Building for Kids Children’s Museum, Appleton Join us in Mielke Family Theater for listening to the story read-aloud, meeting the star of the book, and making a take-home craft. Free with museum membership or daily admission. 10am-11am

February 21, 2015 Appleton Downtown Winter Farm Market City Center, Appleton Featuring veggies, meats, baked goods, homemade soup & dip mixes, handcrafted

February 22, 2015 Music @ the Library

GET NOTICED ONLINE

TE I S B E W ING T E K R MA

Appleton Public Library, Appleton Symphonic Romance featuring Quartette Affetuoso. Co-sponsored by Fox Valley Symphony. Families welcome. Free.Funded by the Friends of Appleton Public Library. 2-3pm

February 25, 2015 Abstract Expressionism The Trout Museum of Art, Appleton One of the Museum’s Adult Winter Classes. Develop one or two paintings that rely on composition, color, and form to abstractly portray an idea without having to rely on any distinct visual cue. Instruction by Cristian Andersson. Price: $50, Member Price: $45. Register online at www.troutmuseum.org. Wednesdays from 6-8pm

The Scene is NOW offering web site advertising. Choose from either a Leaderboard or a Column position to further promote your business or event. Contact Jim Moran for details.

SCENE

Jim Moran - 920-418-1777 moranpublishing@gmail.com

February 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | L15