OUR PHOTO OF THE WEEK The look of Kettle-Lakes Cooperative in Random Lake will change dramatically when the fuel pumps and the closed service station are razed later this year and replaced with a new office building.  The gas pumps will close on June 26.  The feed mill in the background will continue to serve customers (it was dedicated on Aug. 3, 1950).

Mueller Therapy Provides Services to Client Homes in 5 Counties

Can you name the Random Lake health care business that employs more than 25 physical and occupational therapists?  The answer: Mueller Therapy, Inc.

Only a small modest sign marks the company office, located on the second floor at 402 First St.  Mueller Therapy offers a personalized team approach by providing occupational and physical therapy services in the client’s own home.

“This helps to facilitate an optimum level of function within a person’s own environment,” says founder Barbara Mueller.  “We specialize in going to assisted living facilities.”  The company provides therapy services to more than 50 assisted living facility buildings throughout Sheboygan, Ozaukee, Washington, Waukesha and Milwaukee counties.  Currently, Mueller Therapy is not licensed to provide therapy services in its 402 First St. office.

Mueller started the business in her home in November 2003.  She earned a degree in occupational therapy at Mount Mary College in Milwaukee.  In September 2008 she moved Mueller Therapy to the landmarked 1910 Dr. Thomas Malloy house (the same building that once housed the office of Dr. Joseph A. Russell).  Currently, the company has 25 occupational and physical therapists (some full-time, some part-time), one full-time office employee, and four part-time office employees.

“It has snowballed over the last five years,” Mueller said.  Her sister, Vicki Depies, is the office manager.

Mueller Therapy offers programs specializing in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, Walk-to-Dine, CVA (stroke), Parkinson’s disease, orthopedic conditions, fall prevention, home safety assessments, program development consulting, and programs for specific needs.

“Some of the most common diagnoses we treat are shoulder pain, arthritic and joint pain, neurological disorders, contracture management, lymphedema management, dementia/Alzheimer’s, elbow, wrist, and hand injuries, debility related to prolonged illness or inactivity, and other physical injuries,” Mueller says.

“Our mission is to allow individuals to achieve their full potential for an improved quality of life,” she says.  This can be done by improving activities of daily living and adaptive equipment training, therapeutic exercises, myofacial release, soft tissue mobilization, positioning, iontophoresis, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS unit), ultrasound, neuromuscular re-education, wheelchair and home management, home modifications, and cognitive and balance assessment.

She said the therapist’s goal is always to improve mobility, improve people’s ability to care for themselves, develop function where there is a loss, teach new skills where there is impairment, and educate residents, caregivers, and family on one’s level of function.

The company would like to hire more therapists, but there is a shortage in the job market.  Mueller encourages more high school graduates to consider a career in occupational therapy or physical therapy.  Mueller Therapy is Medicare certified.

While Mueller Therapy has experienced tremendous growth since 2003, there is a vision for the future.  Someday they would like to have expanded office space that would include an outpatient therapy clinic.  For more information about the services that Mueller Therapy offers call 920/994-9700.

Cascade Elementary School Closes as Plymouth District Trims Budget

It turns out that the 2009-10 term was the last for Cascade Elementary School.  On June 16 the Plymouth Board of Education voted 5-2 to close the school.  Cascade Elementary had about 120 students in grades K-5 through fifth grade with five teachers plus some support staff.

Originally, the school district made $1.1 million in cuts to meet a projected deficit for the 2009-10 term.  However, the proposed state budget has the Plymouth School District facing another $430,000 shortfall.  Closing the school will save about $230,000.  The district will reassign students to the three elementary schools in Plymouth.  The district will eliminate 2.5 teaching positions and all support staff that were at Cascade.

The Cascade Village Board has called a special meeting for Thurs., June 25, at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the school issue and any options that may be open to local school families.

St. Mary Parish Closes Grade School in Lake Church

Life won’t be the same in the small community of Lake Church, east of Belgium, because St. Mary’s Catholic School closes with the end of the 2009-10 term.  With only 30 students, St. Mary Parish decided that it could no longer afford to operate the school.  The parish school dates back to 1887.

Trek to Mount Kilimanjaro Includes Fundraising for Schools in Tanzania

Local teachers Rick Samson and Jan Nesladek, along with 1999 graduate Cara Nesladek, 2000 graduate James Ostrowski, and West Bend residents Julie Feit and Steve Feit will attempt to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania this August.

Nicknamed the “roof of Africa,” Mount Kilimanjaro is actually a dormant volcano with two peaks standing about seven miles apart, connected by a broad ridge.  The highest peak, Kibo, rises to 19,340 feet above sea level.  The summit of Mawensi is 16,892 feet above sea level.  The mountain is located in northeastern Tanzania, near the border of Kenya.  Kilimanjaro was first climbed in 1889 by German geographer Hans Meyer and Austrian mountain climber Ludwig Purtscheller.

This trip of a lifetime would be plenty for most people, but not for Mrs. Nesladek.  Being a cancer survivor, the second grade teacher seems to need to have a purpose for all her activities.  There just seemed to be a “hole”.

Things changed when Ann Curry, news anchor of NBC News’ “Today,” attempted to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.  Her purpose had to do with the disappearing glacier and its impact on water for the nearby villages.  But also while in Tanzania, Curry visited some schools.  The news anchor saw some of the work the Kilimanjaro Education Foundation was doing to make improvements.

Mrs. Nesladek had been intently watching this morning TV segment and checked out the KEF web site.  Soon the “hole” was filled — they could do a charity climb to raise money for the schools.  The other trekkers agreed to the idea and the fundraising has begun.

During May, all students in the Random Lake School District had the opportunity to donate coins, bills, and checks for the cause.  “It was a great opportunity for teaching about Third World countries,” Mrs. Nesladek says.  “The students felt appreciative of our great school and found a way to help other students on the other side of the world.

“We had a little contest to see which division could raise the most money.  The high school raised $17.14, the middle school raised $69.94, and the elementary school raised $513.50.”  Being the winners, all elementary students received a “tulip” cookie, provided by the kitchen staff.  That symbolized how much the students in Tanzania would grow with the help of their money.

Another highlight was that Principal Sandy Mountain and Mrs. Nesladek would get a pie thrown in their face for every $100 raised.  Five students were randomly selected for the honor, which took place during the Field Day.  Samantha Hoffman, Donny Singer, Samantha Guzman, Caleb Weichart, and Shyanna Borgen pushed pies into the faces of their teacher or principal.  The crowd went wild!

Since the end of May, friends, teachers, and the Random Lake Unified Education Association (teacher and support staff union) have contributed additional money.  The current total is $1,066.03!  The climbers’ response is: “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Anyone wishing to contribute may use the web site or send checks (payable to KEF) to Jan Nesladek, 101 Deppiesse Rd., Random Lake, WI 53075.  “Please consider this opportunity to make a difference,” she adds.

Plans for First Garden Walk Event Announced

By Jean Sepstead
The Random Lake Garden Club met at the home of Barbara Siebenaler on June 15.  Barbara and Patti Siebenaler were hostesses.  The meeting concentrated on the “Garden Walk” that will be cosponsored by the Random Lake Garden Club and the Random Lake Area Historical Society on Sat., July 11.

The event (rain or shine) features six gardens:  Mary DeLuca – “Beauty on the Lake” — 13 Hickory Dr.  Dr. Gerry Vogler – “Lake Shore Garden” – 37 Hickory Dr.  Audrey Mueller – “Audrey’s Hideaway” – 93 Bentert St.  Rev. Marilyn and Ken Borchardt – “Grandma’s Garden” – 120 Butler St.  Marilyn and Bill Miller – “Sher-Home Manor” – W5841 Hwy. 144 (one mile west of the village).  Tom and Char Gaulke – “Wind Court Garden” – 112 Wind Sail Ct.

The tour ticket, which costs $5 per person, includes admission to the 1865 Nowack House and the Random Lake Historical Society Museum.  In addition, a traditional “High Tea” will be held at the Borchardt home from noon to 4 p.m.  It includes sandwiches, scones, breads, cookies and deserts.  Admission for High Tea will be $5.

The museum will be featuring Native American artifacts in July.  Rev. Borchardt attended the June garden club meeting as a representative of the participating gardeners.  Anyone interested in helping on this day should contact Laurie Drzadinski 920/994-9930 or Barbara Siebenaler 920/994-4471.  Anyone wishing to join the garden club should call Barbara.

The first Garden of the Month Award for 2009 was presented to Tom and Char Gaulke of 112 Wind Sail Ct.

Random Lake Area Chamber of Commerce Office Moves to New Location

The Random Lake Area Chamber of Commerce has a new official home.  The chamber headquarters is now located at the Hawley, Kaufman & Kautzer Law Office at 400 First St.  The chamber telephone number remains 920/994-9054.

“We thank Hawley, Kaufmann & Kautzer for serving as our local information center,” said Chamber President Tom Slezewski.  The former Chamber office site (319 Carroll St.) is now part of the expanded Random Lake Spine & Sports Clinic.

Tree Replacement Gets Started on Adell's Main Street

By Bernadette Mondloch
Bids for tree replacement were opened at the June meeting of the Adell Village Board.  Many trees were removed during the recent rebuilding of Wisconsin St. and in other street improvements.

Bids ranged from $5,000 to $6,000 and since those costs are higher than what was included in the budget the board decided to start with Wisconsin St.  The balance of plantings will take place in 2010.  This contract was awarded to North Farm Landscaping & Excavating.

Eighteen years have passed since the Adell Fire Department purchased "Engine No. 5."  Over the last five years the 500-gal. water tank on this 1972 John Bean engine has been leaking, and the problem has been getting worse.  The department reports that it now must search across the country to find replacement parts.

A representative of Pierce Manufacturing was aware of the condition of Engine No. 5 and notified the Adell Fire Department that a similar truck at the Village of Whitelaw would be going up for sale in the near future.  A new engine would cost between $250,000 and $320,000 so the Adell department decided to take a look at the used truck.  They found that Whitelaw's 1996 Pierce engine is comparable to Adell's Engine No. 8.  After a test drive they were impressed.  The used truck is priced at $77,500.

Fire Chief Dale Mueller and other members of the department feel this is a golden opportunity to replace the 1972 truck with a 1996 Pierce that is five years newer than Engine No. 8.  Mueller noted that the asking price is $15,000 less than what the Pierce salesperson thought it was worth.  The village board's Finance Committee will be meeting to review Adell's financial situation and to consider a loan to assist the Adell Fire Department.  The department also will contact the Town of Sherman to ask for some financial assistance with the truck.

Thirteen hours and 87 miles were covered by the Cascade Police Department while patrolling in Adell during May 2009.  Three seatbelt citations were issued.  Six warnings were given, two complaints were investigated and six property checks were conducted.  Police directed traffic for the Memorial Day parade and assisted the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Department with an arrest.

Native American History to Be Highlighted at Museum in July

The Random Lake Area Historical Museum, 615 Carroll St., will highlight the Native Americans of Wisconsin next month.  On Sat., July 11, "Wisconsin's First Inhabitants: 12,000 Years of Native American Prehistory" will be presented by Jaremy Cobble of W7754 Sexton Rd., Elkhart Lake.

Cobble is a member of the Robert Ritzenthaler Chapter of the Wisconsin Archeological Society.  He also is treasurer of the state WAS.  In addition, he is a member of the Badger State Archaeological Society.  Cobble will help to identify any Indian artifacts brought to the museum by the public.

Also on July 11, the museum is part of a Garden Walk sponsored by the Random Lake Garden Club.  Six unique area gardens will be on display from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Also featured will be a 'Traditional High Tea' at 120 Butler St. from noon to 4 p.m.

The museum features permanent historical displays of local businesses and life in the early 20th Century in Random Lake and the surrounding areas.  A Lionel train layout is also in operation.  The 1865 Nowack House, located at 900 Short St., will be open during the same hours as the museum.  The historical society will hold a brat/hamburger fry at the museum on Friday and again at Tri-Par Qwik Stop in Random Lake on Saturday.

Public hours at the museum and the Nowack House are Fri., July 10, from 4-7 p.m. and Sat. July 11, from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.  Persons with artifacts and information about Wisconsin Native American history should call 920/994-4682 or 920/994-4715.

Museum Focuses on History of Batavia

The community of Batavia in the Town of Scott was highlighted this month by the Random Lake Area Historical Society.  A variety of Batavia natives were the guest speakers on June 5-6 — and they brought along lots of historical items and mementoes.

Among the special guests were Edna Voigt Jungers (age 93) and Alice Voigt Kannenberg (age 103), who offered remembrances of their family grocery store in Batavia.  Other speakers included Margaret and Richard Bemis, Mark LaFever and Harold Laux.  A recorded interview with long-time resident Lyle Kaiser (now living in Chicago) was shown.

It’s difficult to remember a time when most houses in Sheboygan County consisted of one room and an attic.  When settlers arrived in the mid 1800’s they first needed to clear the forests so the sun could reach the soil.

One of the first business people was David Stolper, who after the Civil War returned to Batavia and engaged in shoemaking, merchandising and hotel keeping.  David Stolper came to Sheboygan County with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Gottlieb Stolper, in 1855, the family settling on a farm in the Town of Sherman.  Isaac Brazleton was appointed the Batavia postmaster in 1863 and except for the four years of President Grover Cleveland's first term, served in that office until about the year 1904.  Other early business people were J. W. Liebenstein, sawmill; Gottlieb Trader, blacksmith; Louis Roskopf and G. A. Leifer, general store. Leifer later operated a furniture store and funeral parlor.  Wally Danforth owned and operated the first cheese factory in the Town of Scott. The factory was later destroyed by fire.  Adolph Vogelsang carried on business in the building later occupied as a harness shop by Gerhard Liefbroer.

Oswald Voigt became the successor to the general merchandise store started in Batavia by Stolper.  In 1907 Oswald Voigt and his brother, William, Jr., purchased the business which they operated until 1914.  At that time William disposed of his interest in the business and moved to Plymouth.  In 1912 a new store was built to handle a general line of dry goods, groceries, novelties and furnishings, plus a line of men's, women's and children's footwear.

The Kaiser and Emley families owned Batavia Auto Service, which was established in 1920.  Previously O. G. Kaiser had conducted a garage at Beechwood.  They sold Ford cars, USL batteries, radio sets and radio equipment.

Batavia remained a commercial center in the Town of Scott until after World War II, when businesses began to close their doors.  By the late 1970’s most businesses had either closed or moved to larger commercial areas.

LaFever noted that Batavia still had an active business community when he was growing up in the 1950’s.  “I probably had the best childhood of anybody,” he said.  “We had nothing — but we had everything.  I can remember when you could buy almost anything you would need in Batavia except for a suit of clothes or visiting a dentist.”  All of the museum speakers described a lifestyle of simple pleasures, such as spending a Sunday afternoon ice skating, riding horses, or going fishing.  A large crowd at the museum enjoyed stories about the “party line” telephone, school house memories, hard work on the farm, the first TV set in town, and how good ice cream tasted on a hot day.

There were many recollections of Dr. Edward A. Bemis, who came to Batavia from the Plymouth area in the 1890’s.  His son, Dr. Ira Bemis, continued the practice of medicine in Batavia.  Both were old-fashioned country doctors, who did a lot of charity work, and often accepted bartered payments.  Among the items displayed were Dr. E.A. Bemis’ swallow tail coat and beaver hat from his wedding day.  Also shown was Edna Ford Bemis’ blue wedding dress, with ruching (a pleated, fluted, or gathered strip of fabric for trimming) and panniers (an overskirt draped at the sides of a skirt for an effect of fullness).  Richard C. Bemis (son of Ira) and his wife Margaret shared many stories about the much admired Batavia physicians.

A few businesses remain in Batavia, as well as the Town of Scott Community Center.  There still is a Batavia Fire Department plus a First Responder unit.  Batavia Elementary School closed in June 2006 and the building remains for sale.

Today Batavia’s population is largest on Sunday mornings, when worshippers gather at St. Stephen Lutheran Church and at Zion United Methodist Church.

'Mill Street Live' Music Series Performs Fridays in Plymouth

“Mill Street Live!” is the new summer pop music series being offered on Fridays at the Plymouth Arts Center, 520 E. Mill St., in downtown Plymouth.  The series features the “Mill Street Guild,” a new group of young people dedicated to producing a high energy song and dance show.

Future show dates are Fridays (June 26, July 3-10-24, Aug. 7), in addition to the last two weekends of August (Fri., Aug. 21, Sat., Aug. 22, Fri., Aug. 28, Sat., Aug. 29).  The show includes four decades of song and dance tunes ranging from Broadway classics to pop and rock favorites.  The Mill Street Guild hopes to include a broad range of music that appeals to all tastes.  Organizers Katie Schmidt and Joe Horstmeier have put together a 14-member group from eight communities.

The group includes Tori Higgins and Eric Mrdjenovich of Howards Grove, Kelsey McManus and Rob Peschke of Plymouth, Carlee Schmitz of Mount Calvary, Katie Schmidt, Connie Lee, Haley Kosup-Kennedy and Trevor Seefeldt of Sheboygan, Joe Horstmeier of Elkhart Lake, Nic Horstmeier and Jacob Horstmeier of Random Lake, Elliot Quast of New Holstein, and Jamie Jeanty of Kiel.

Admission is $12 (discount for kids under 12).  Box office hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or call 920/892-8409.

The mission of the Plymouth Arts Center is “to enliven the spirit of the community and enrich the lives of all by providing diverse experiences in the arts.”  The Plymouth Arts Center, founded in 1993, includes Gallery 110 North.

“The Plymouth Arts Center is delighted to be the sponsoring organization for this show,” says executive director Donna Hahn.  “The 14 college age students are from all over the county and will bring in new visitors from everywhere.”

The center has received a grant from Sargento Foods Inc. of Plymouth to purchase a wooden inside dance floor.  Additional grants for the purchase of microphones were received through Virginia Suhrke Insurance of Plymouth and the Brotz Foundation in Sheboygan.  “The partnership with the Plymouth Art Center is a huge part of our success,” said Joe Horstmeier.  “We are extremely grateful for all of their hard work and look forward to working with them in the future.”

Lakeview Community Library Closes on Saturdays for the Summer Months

From Memorial Day to Labor Day weekend Lakeview Community Library in Random Lake will be operating with summer hours.  The library will be closed on Saturday and Sunday.  From Monday through Thursday it will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Fridays it will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Lickel Publishes Her Second Novel

Town of Farmington resident Lisa Lickel has written a second novel, “Healing Grace,” which was released on June 1.  “Healing Grace” is the story of a woman’s search for redemption.

Grace Runyan was blessed with an extraordinary gift.  She could fix anyone, until her husband got sick and died.  Blaming herself, Grace tries to run far enough so that even God wouldn’t find her.  Determined to start over with a new life in Michigan, Grace finds another sick man who desperately needs help...

“Healing Grace” is available at Fireside Books & Gifts in West Bend.  Lickel’s first book was the mystery, “The Gold Standard.”  The author is available to attend meetings in person or by teleconference.  Reading guide questions are included.

Random Lake Fire Department Seeks Names for Memorial

The Random Lake Fire Department is planning to erect a memorial at the fire house grounds to recognize all present and past members who have served 20 years or more in the department.  The memorial is in the planning stages, but the committee would appreciate the public’s help to identify all members with 20 years or more of service.

The names of these members will be engraved on the monument.  Help is especially needed between the years of 1911-1959, since records are sometimes vague during that period.  Anyone able to identify persons during that period please contact:  Henry Kultgen 920/994-4877; Jr. Sinnen 920/994-4778; or Phil Schmit 920/994-9406.

Enter the Chamber of Commerce Business Photo Contest

Can you identify this business member of the Random Lake Area Chamber of Commerce?  Take a look at the Chamber's web site and enter the Chamber Photo Contest.  People who can identify the building can win $25 in Random Lake Chamber Bucks.

The new Chamber of Commerce webmaster is Jim Arndt.

You Can Receive the Entire Sounder Online

Subscriptions to The Sounder in PDF form can be purchased from ArcaSearch, a division of the Colormax company in Paynesville, Minn.  "Readers around the world can access The Sounder in its entirety within a day after it's published," says editor Gary Feider.  "We also are building an online archive that can be utilized by our digital subscribers."

ArcaSearch is endorsed by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association and many other state newspaper associations.  The ColorMax team is focused 100 per cent on its core service -- digital content delivery and digital archive services.

"We will continue to offer our free Internet site, which has been available since 1999 with brief news and sports stories," Feider said.  "We know that more than a hundred people view that site every day.  We expect that many of these people will take advantage of the opportunity to read the entire paper, cover to cover, including all the photos, display ads and classified ads."  The site offers 3-month, 6-month and 12-month subscriptions which can be paid by credit card.  For more information visit the Complete Online Edition Web Site.

We Welcome Your Subscription

The online version of The Sounder includes highlights but not everything from our weekly newspaper.  Subscribing to The Sounder will bring you a photographic record of our community together with editorials, letters to the editor, the weekly "Clergy Comment," weddings, engagements, births, college and high school honor roll information plus many other articles of interest.  Let us know if you would like to receive a free sample copy of The Sounder.  Delivery by U.S. Postal Service costs $21.00 per year in Sheboygan, Ozaukee and Washington Counties; $23.50 per year elsewhere in Wisconsin; $26.00 per year elsewhere in the U.S.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Obituaries

James R. Dean, 70, of 585 Sunset Maple, Sheboygan Falls, died on June 24, 2009, at St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan, where he had been a patient for the last eight days.  Growing up in the Batavia area, Mr. Dean worked for Power Products Co. in Grafton for many years, and in 1984 he bought his own semi and was self employed as an over-the-road truck driver until 1996, when he worked for Klemm Tank Lines in Green Bay.  He retired in 2004, but continued working part-time with Klemm until 2009.  See July 2 Sounder.

Brian D. "Tex" Moorehead, 46, of 4661 County Rd. A, Fredonia, died on June 21, 2009 at his residence.  He grew up in Fredonia and moved to Georgia and South Carolina after high school, returning to Wisconsin in 2008.  Mr. Moorehead worked as a salesman for Glenn Curtiss Motor Sports, West Bend.  See June 25 Sounder.

Dale R. Metcalf, 82, of Plymouth, formerly of Random Lake, died June 9, 2009 at the Sheboygan Senior Community from complications of diabetes.  The Greenwood (Clark County) native earned a teaching degree in agriculture and science at UW-River Falls.  He taught at Auburndale High School, Princeton High School and for 30 years at Random Lake High School, retiring in 1987.  He also was advisor of Random Lake's FFA chapter.  See June 11 Sounder.

Adrian E. Krahn, 81, of N1574 W. County Rd. A in Beechwood, died June 1, 2008 at the Beechwood Rest Home, where he had been a resident for the past four years.  The Town of Scott native worked at the Kohler Co. in Kohler, was a carpenter for Geidel Bros. in Newburg, and was owner of Grandma & Grandpa's Tavern in Beechwood since 1981.  See June 4 Sounder.

Marie S. Schoeder, 100, a Random Lake native, died on May 24, 2009 at Community Memorial Hospital, Menomonee Falls.  In her later years she lived at the Arboretum in Menomonee Falls.  After serving as an Army specialist at the Pentagon during World War II, she obtained a degree in lithography under the G.I. Bill and she was also an accomplished artist who loved painting and drawing.  See June 25 Sounder.

Mary Jane (Jacoby) Depies, 85, formerly of Fredonia, died on May 18, 2009 at Harbor Cove, Port Washington, where she was a resident since December.  The Town of Belgium native farmed in rural Fredonia with her husband, the late Leroy Depies, until retiring in 1990.  She also was a bookkeeper for Advance Cast Stone Co. of Random Lake for 30 years, retiring in 2005 at age 82.  See May 28 Sounder.

Ruth L. (Corbett) Gruhle, 94, of West Bend, died on May 18, 2009 at St. Joseph's Hospital, Town of Polk.  The Milwaukee native moved with her family to New Fane and she became the first food service manager for the Kewaskum Public School District, a job she held for 25 years.  See May 21 Sounder.

Donna M. Pradon, 54, of Wisconsin St., Adell, died May 17, 2009 at her home.  The New York native moved to Wisconsin with her sister, Maryann Pradon, and worked as a retail buyer at Macy's in Milwaukee.  See May 21 Sounder.

Pat (Yenter) DeLonge, 67, of 225 S. River Blvd., Apt. 3, Plymouth, died May 16, 2009 at the Plymouth care Center following a courageous battle with cancer.  The Milwaukee native lived with her husband, Ed, in Random Lake and later Plymouth.  See May 21 Sounder.

Matthew Travis Strack, 21, of W6462 Abbott Dr., Random Lake, died as a result of a traffic fatality in the early morning hours of May 13, 2009.  He is the son of Kenneth Sr. and Margie Fechter Strack.  A 2006 alumnus of Random Lake High School, he worked on the family farm and also was a carpenter for his brother at Pleasant Valley Custom Carpentry.  See May 21 Sounder.

Mary B. (Augustine) Bahr, 82, of 455 W. Foster St., Port Washington, died May 5, 2009 at St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan.  A lifelong resident of Port Washington's south side, she was a proud homemaker and active in the Share program, St. Mary's Parish and the Port Washington Senior Center.  See May 7 Sounder.

Francis P. Schmitz, 85, of 409 Allen St., Random Lake, died surrounded by his family at St. Nicholas Hospital, Sheboygan, on May 3, 2009.  The Town of Fredonia native operated Schmitz Construction of Random Lake, providing masonry labor.  See May 7 Sounder.

Sports

(For high school schedules, click on Ram and Warrior mascots above)

Girls' Track and Field

(June 13) Maxon Represents Wisconsin in Senior Spotlight Meet.  Ashley Maxon of Random Lake made two podium stops during the Midwest Senior Spotlight Track & Field Championships at UW-Platteville.  Traditionally held one week after the WIAA State Championships, the meet is one final sendoff competition for seniors chosen by a team of coaches.  Team Wisconsin hosted the meet for the first time, and it included participants from Illinois and Iowa.  The meet featured the 400-meter low hurdles instead of the 300-meter low hurdles, and Maxon placed third.  First place went to Sarah Yeager of Team Iowa in 1 minute, 5.10 seconds.  Second went to Wisconsin’s Samantha Berg (Kettle Moraine) in 1:06.31.  Maxon was third at 1:06.56.  Fourth went to Wisconsin’s Danielle Allen (Oshkosh North) in 1:08.36.  Maxon also participated in the 4x400 relay.  Team Iowa was first in 3:53.64, followed by Team Illinois in 3:56.01.  Team Wisconsin was third at 3:59.50.  Joining Maxon were Haley Kerkhoff of Green Bay Notre Dame, Kelsi Blosch of Darlington and Erika Suchla of Arcadia.8.

Baseball

(June 22) at Random Lake 8, Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah 3.  Senior Ben Wallace survived some early adversity and pitched Random Lake to victory at Green’s Diamond.  The Rams took an early lead with three runs in the first inning.  Spencer Plier was hit by a pitch and he stole second.  Plier took third on Matt Knight’s single to left.  Knight stole second.  Both runners scored when Mark Weyker hammered a double to left center.  With one out Jeremy Lewis dropped a single into center field, putting runners at the corners.  Weyker scored on a fielder’s choice by Wallace.  The Rams added two runs in the third inning, two in the fourth, and one more in the fifth.  Leading Random Lake with two hits apiece were Weyker and Dan Pohl.  Pitcher Josh Schneider had two hits for the Resorters.

(June 19) at Oostburg 8, Random Lake 2.  “The bats went silent for the third time in four games,” said Ram coach Randy Wilterdink.  “We had been swinging the bats real well up in Howards Grove.  Hopefully, it’s more a result of the darkness that prevailed much of today’s game.  It was real hard to see the ball out there."  The Flying Dutchmen scored six runs in the sixth inning, following a short rain delay.  Michael Woltring earned the pitching victory, holding the Rams to three hits (by Mark Weyker, Spencer Plier and Matt Knight).  Registering two hits apiece for Oostburg were David Stecker, Tom Stecker and Luke Menzel.

(June 17) Random Lake 11, at Howards Grove 6.  A strong pitching performance by Mark Weyker led the Rams.  The 13 hits by the Rams came on the heels of a 1 for 22 effort against Cedar Grove and a 3 for 30 effort against Sheboygan Lutheran/Kohler.  “It was nice to see the bats get going again,” said coach Randy Wilterdink.  “Nine different players had hits for us.”  Weyker improved his conference record to 2-0.  “Mark has yet to allow an earned run in conference play,” Wilterdink said.  “He’s throwing the ball very well right now.”  Random Lake got two hits apiece by Spencer Plier, Weyker, Ryan Dahm and Jeremy Lewis.  Camryn Hurtienne and Brent Kiesau had two hits each for the Tigers.

Auto Racing

Plymouth Dirt Track Racing offers exciting action every Saturday night at Sheboygan County Fair Park in Plymouth.  The Sounder includes a report on local drivers each week.

New This Week
The Hand That Feeds U.S.  Learn the importance of U.S. agriculture to the security and future of our country.

Past Editor's Picks
Wisconsin's Rideshare Program.  Save money and stop pollution by sharing a ride.
Wisconsin Office of Recovery and Reinvestment.  This is the state office working with the federal recovery plan.
Conversations on Animal Care -- How America's farmers and ranchers provide the best possible care to their animals.
NowHow2Go -- A help for Wisconsin high school students preparing for college, including testing tutorials.
WRJQ Internet Polka Radio -- This internet station in Appleton has free polka music 24 hours a day.
Missingmoney.com -- States and provinces attempt to find the owners of unclaimed money or property.
C-SPAN's Lincoln 200 Years -- Feb. 12, 2009 marks the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth.  Learn more here...
Veteran.com -- A new non-political online community for America's military veterans.
Smart Growth -- Learn more about this joint Adell, Random Lake and Town of Sherman program.
Wisconsin Maritime Museum -- Manitowoc has the state's largest maritime museum.
Power Reporting -- Thousands of great free research tools for journalists.
Wisconsin Citizen Corps -- Organizing volunteers to improve readiness in Wisconsin.
Marquette Interchange Updates -- Check before driving to Milwaukee (for the next few years)
Enjoy Horicon Marsh -- Many people visit at this wildlife area in the fall.
New Wisconsin Travel Guide -- A service of the state Department of Tourism.
VA Kids -- Young people can learn what it means to be a war veteran.
Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce -- The business view of Sheboygan County.
Savorwisconsin.com -- Find Wisconsin food and agricultural products.
Blood/Breath Alcohol Concentration Calculator -- Don't mix drinking and driving!
Milwaukee River Basin Partnership -- Random Lake is part of the Milwaukee River Basin.
T-Baum Foundation -- Local organization helps young adults with life-threatening illnesses.
National Marrow Donor Program -- Find out how you can help.
Road Conditions, Work Zones, Repair Schedules -- Info from the Department of Transportation
Polka Bob's Polka Radio Locator -- Invaluable information for you polka lovers.
Jung's Beer Trays -- Collector information from Random old brewery.
Smart Growth Online -- Learn about the national "anti-sprawl" campaign (Wisconsin too).
The Wheeler Report -- A fine source for Wisconsin government and political news.
Sacred Space -- Spend 10 minutes in prayer and meditation each day with the Irish Jesuits.
Translate with Babel Fish -- AltaVista offers this handy translator for several languages.
Sheboygan County Government -- All the details about county government.
Wisconsin Scanner Frequencies -- CityFreq offers this invaluable resource for scanner fans.
Washington County Convention & Visitors Bureau -- What's new in West Bend and beyond.
Wisconsin.gov -- The new State of Wisconsin e-government portal.
All About Wisconsin Lakes -- This Department of Natural Resources site tells it all.
Movie Reviews with Families in Mind -- Is that film appropriate for the kids?  Sponsored by the U.S. Catholic Conference.

Here's One Last Random Glance

'Sheboygan Light Rail' to Perform in Random Lake

“Sheboygan Light Rail” will perform at Lakeview Community Library in Random Lake on Wed., July 8.  The band will play outdoors from 6 to 7:30 p.m.  A hot dog picnic supper will be sold from 5 to 7 p.m.

“Sheboygan Light Rail” is a four-member band that plays harmony driven contemporary folk/rock, featuring acoustic guitars, congas, djembe and rhythm instruments.  The band includes Kathy Henderson, Marie Hetzel, Charley Tiede and Martin Ulrich.  For more information call the library 920/994-4825.

For Complete Details and Much More, Read The Sounder

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