Spring Green, Wisconsin
Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 Vol. 2, No. 01 Free, Single-Copy
Lone Rock Bistro Paddling into the New Year through Spring Green set to bring dining, drink options The Lone Rock Bistro and Tap Room opened recently in downtown Lone Rock, offering different local tap beers, elevated American style food and cocktails. Valley Sentinel had the opportunity to ask some questions of Head Chef and Kitchen Manager, Justin Scofield, to introduce the restaurant. His answers are below. Valley Sentinel: Why Lone Rock Bistro and Taproom? What does the name represent to you? Justin Scofield: Our original goal and vision for our project in Lone Rock was to build a brewery and brewpub, so clearly our emphasis was on beer and quality food. We had planned to name it the Lone Rock Brewing Company. Our vision for that also included a much larger venue that would have incorporated several other complimentary businesses including a coffee shop, a vintage style arcade with a huge selection of stand up arcade games and pinball machines, as well as a boutique resale shop, among several other small art/craft or retail related shops. Our brewpub space was set to have a brewing space visible to the customers as well as a larger dining area and a stage we had hoped to use to bring live music events and the like to add some entertainment offering to the mix. Due to some mixed feelings throughout the community at the time about the impact of our plan, based mostly on our location not being on Oak St., we ran into zoning issues with our building that basically closed the door to that plan. We spent the best part of a year planning that project and our defeat was a humbling experience to say the least, and although it left us a bit discouraged as to how to proceed, it did not cause us to throw in the towel. We saw a real gem in Lone Rock and a lot of unrealized potential. We still felt we had something special that we
Photos by Emilie Conlon, Editor-in-Chief On Dec. 31, an impromptu New Year’s Eve parade drove through downtown Spring Green to help bring some joy to the starting new year. The parade was planned on a budget, where participants were instructed not to purchase anything to deck out their vehicles for the event, and only to use items they already had, said one organizer, Tim Zumm with Friends of the Lower Wisconsin River Way (FLOW). Before making it downtown, the parade passed by Meadows, Greenway Manor and Greenway Terrace. Top: Zumm leads the parade through downtown Spring Green with Flo the Paddle Fish, FLOW’s mascot. Bottom: Sights from the New Year’s Eve Parade last week through downtown Spring Green.
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Local nursing facilities opt-in for additional COVID-19 testing Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced last week an opt-in program that would expand regular COVID-19 testing in assisted living and nursing homes in the state. Valley Sentinel reached out to facilities in the area regarding the program and how it might impact their COVID-19 response. Below are their responses. Below are responses from Raeann Marten, RN, administrator at Meadows Assisted Living in Spring Green. Valley Sentinel: Have you or are you
planning on opting-in to this program for Meadows? Raeann Marten: Yes, we have opted in and are planning to complete onsite testing of our staff every 2 weeks, which is the frequency allowed by the program. VS: How does/did COVID-19 testing work for staff/residents currently/prior to this program? RM: Prior to the expansion we were only able to get testing supplies if we had an outbreak, which is a reactive process. At that point there is risk that exposure of others may have already oc-
curred. An effective mitigation strategy includes regular proactive screening to identify individuals who are asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have worked hard to be proactive instead of reactive. We have been working in partnership with Sauk County Public Health and the Spring Green Fire Department to have our staff included in testing at the community test site bi-weekly. They have been very supportive. VS: Have you/do you offer on-site testing for staff/residents?
RM: We had only been able to offer on-site testing if we already had identified a positive staff member or resident. Sauk County Public Health and the Spring Green Fire Department have been supporting our staff testing efforts at their community test site. VS: How would/will this program help COVID-19 care and prevention in your facility? RM: If a staff member has any COVID-like symptoms, they are immediately excluded from work and tested.
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