Enjoying the hidden beauty of March |
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March is one of those months that we don't really celebrate too much...a month full of "wintry mix," the weather is not really ideal nor reliable. And we are sick of being cooped up. Add a pandemic, and the fact that this March marks a full year that we have been staying home, and you have some serious reasons to complain!
Seriously, there is an awful lot to love about March: for Basketball fans, there is March Madness. And for the Irish (aren't we all during March?) there is St. Patrick's day. For nature lovers, there is the spring equinox and the near daily subtle promises of spring! Unique to our local area, there are tons of people who do maple syruping, and trees are being tapped as I write this. We acknowledge that this practice has been adopted from Indigenous peoples who inhabited this land long before we were here, and honor them, they who knew so much about living in harmony with the earth. Currently there are 11 federally recognized Native American sovereign nations in Wisconsin. We acknowledge these indigenous communities who have stewarded this land throughout the generations and pay respect to their elders past and present.
As always, we encourage you to browse through: see all the happenings and many opportunities in our community, and if you feel curious, click on the bright blue links to take a deeper dive and get more details!
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Calling all Poets for Sidewalk Poetry contest! Poets, You have until March 15 to submit your poems!!! |
The Poetry Committee of the Waupaca Community Arts Board is proud to lead a Waupaca Sidewalk Poetry Contest in support of Waupaca’s Main Street Redevelopment Project. Yes, there will be Poetry at Your Feet!
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I f you would like to help support this collaborative Place-making project, GO HERE!
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When completed, the Poetry at Your Feet project will not only beautify our downtown sidewalks but inspire and uplift both visitors and residents. These poems will be the “concrete” stamp that captures the essence of the Waupaca community.
We are receiving a lot of poems, but there is still time!
The deadline for submissions is midnight, Mar. 15, 2021.
Winning entries will be selected by Mar. 30. GO HERE for information on submissions!
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Using a select team of artists, the 3D Alley Art Project will turn existing building and alley fixtures -- such as pipes, stair rails, grates, and vents – into attention-grabbing, whimsical 3D mini murals. By enlivening back doorways and alleyways during Waupaca’s Main Street Renovation Project, we are creating a fun Downtown landscape for customers during Waupaca’s summer construction, and then for years to come.
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Calling All Artists!
Submit your designs now for Waupaca's upcoming 3D Mural Alley Project!
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Area artists: This is your opportunity to submit 3D designs for consideration in a juried 3D Alley Art Contest! You may enter more than one design!
- Deadline: April 9, 2021
- Stipend: Artist receives $150 per chosen design(s)
- Materials & Palette Provided
- Jury Selection: 26 Designs Using 3D will be chosen!
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WCAB's Waupaca Local Live: Our March Show features singer songwriter
Thursday, March 18 at 7pm on our Facebook Page!
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"Ben Chitek is a singer-songwriter from Central Wisconsin. Inspired by musicians such as The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, etc., Ben writes in the mindset of a singer-songwriter of the yesteryear gone by. When he’s not performing with The Kommissioners, Goats In Trees, Alter Ego, The Antonettes, The Charlie Justmann Band, Monday Night Take Out, The Barnyard Concert Series or Duology, he performs his own solo shows. He released his third solo album, "When I Lived On The Moon", in December 2020." plan to Join us on Thursday, March 18!
The show will be live on our Facebook page! Join in the fun!!!
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Waupaca Local Live is collaborative venture between the WCAB, Waupaca's 96.3 FM radio and WAUP 99.1 fm radio. We seek to bring local and regional musical excellence to the airwaves! If you have suggestions for musical talent that you would like to hear on our show, send us a message via our Facebook page!
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Show us your finished project! Tag WCAB on social media, or email WCAB a picture of your finished piece, and we’ll add it to our Winter Craft Cafe Art Gallery!
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Get your WCAB Winter Craft Cafe Project Kit March 14-27 |
WCAB continues the Winter Crafts Cafe with kits distributed through the winter months by our partner, the Waupaca Public Library.
Raise your hand if you’ve put together at least one jigsaw puzzle during “Safer-at-Home."
Raise your hand if you’ve done a puzzle only to find there are pieces missing – ugh!
Now raise your hand if you’d like to transform those puzzle pieces into a “folk-artsy” masterpiece!
We’ve gathered together thousands of puzzles pieces, divided them into 85 bags, and added a canvas of foam board and some glue in each bag! You just provide the artistic vision, and anything else from home to complete your masterpiece!
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The History of Waupaca's
Irish Wake
The Waupaca Community Arts Board's Irish Wake started about 21 years ago...its founders, members of the local band Baba Ghanooj, had been to the New London St. Patrick's Day celebration in the late 1990's, and thought that they would like to fashion a sort of fun local event here in Waupaca. So a few of their carpenter friends made a faux pine coffin, and some members of the community theater donned mourning clothes. Meanwhile, Baba Ghanooj scheduled a St. Patrick's Day gig at Simpson's restaurant. They set up their equipment, ready to start playing at 9pm. Then they went over to Weasel's, where the coffin was brought in by the faux mourners. What happened then changed the trajectory for this event: as band members (all family) stood around the faux coffin, they got a little misty: they talked about the death of their grandmother, and how they missed her. Soon Weasels owner Gary Holtane (may he Rest in Peace, sigh...) came over with a vintage bottle of Irish whiskey, and soon everyone was talking about their lost loved ones! They sang a few songs, had a couple of shots, and then patrons carried the faux coffin to Simpsons, where the band played. On the band breaks, the audience wrote down people they loved and remembered on cocktail napkins, slipped them in to the faux coffin, and they even took the pine box outside for a walk around the block. Thus the Waupaca Traditional Irish Wake was born!
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On March 14, 2020, WCAB had it's first pandemic cancellation: the 20th Annual Irish Wake could not take place because that was the week that we all realized that we could no long gather in groups of more than 50. We decided to go down to 22 Lakes Brewery, on their last night in business, and just play a few songs. Who knew that this would be our last live music event? Who knew that this would be the last time we would hug our friends and patrons? We had no idea that it would be a full year and counting, staying home to protect our most vulnerable and help to preserve our battered medical staff.
On this 1 year anniversary of our collective confinement, stress, grief and hope, we are happy to still be here, ready to sing!
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WCAB's 2021 Irish Wake
Live on Facebook
March 17
7pm and 7:45 pm, a 2 part Livestream Show!
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WE see a light at the end of the tunnel, and we honor our community's resilience by offering a live-stream Irish Celebration! At 7pm, join original Irish Wake musicians Little Baba, to sing a few of the most special Irish Wake tunes from the official songbook...(we will post the songbook in a link!) Tune in for octagenarian Ron Reynolds, singing "Oh Danny Boy," along with readings by both Barb and son John Laedtke, celebrating Ireland's greatest poets, W. B. Yeats and Seamus Heany.
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Then, at 8pm, Help us ring in the spring equinox, and hope for the future, with Wausau's
Carrow Keel!
Live on Facebook! John Laedtke, Vincent Landowski and Raevynn Tyler Hoomann will sing traditional Irish tunes, using guitar, fiddle and Djembe! Celebrate our resilience, our Irish heritage and the upcoming emergence from the great pandemic! All on Facebook Live!
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The Waupaca Area Arts and Culture Network |
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The Waupaca Area Arts and Culture Network is a monthly meeting of Waupaca's arts and cultural organizations, city and business leaders, who share information, mutually support each other, and work together on events that enrich our community. The next meeting is on March 25 at 6pm on ZOOM.
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The WAACN meets at 6 pm on the 4th Thursday of each month, on ZOOM! Join us! Send us a FB message to get the zoom link! |
At the WAACN's last meeting in February we reviewed the Waupaca Arts and Culture Plan and started planning for a facilitated event to be held in Fall 2021, bringing key stakeholders to the table to set new bold goals for our community. Waupaca is a community that prioritizes the arts! If you care about Arts and Culture, Join us!
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Other March Happenings... in and around our community!
Events, classes, stress relief and local artisan shopping!
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25th Anniversary of the Weyauwega Train Derailment
4PM on March 4th, 2021 at the Cenex Coop, 706 N. Mill Street, near the railroad tracks.
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A plaque will be presented, and brief remarks will be made by the Mayor and Fire Chief among others. A group from the Weyauwega-Fremont High School Band will play.
This event will kick off the making of a film about the Derailment and the community. It will feature people recounting their memories, news footage, and a report on the national impact on Fire Department training and other safety issues.
Then, the film will be shown on March 4th, 2022, along with a celebration, and music, at the Gerold Opera House. Film making is the most important thing to WegaArts! If you have a story of that time, You can be involved...
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Enter the Jensen Center's Blarney Contest and you could win! From March 1-15, share your best bit o’ blarney, tall tale, whopper, exaggeration, or outright lie with us and you could win! We'll accept a video or written document of your truth-stretching blarney for the chance to win a wonderful gift basket of St. Patrick's Day goodies! Go here for details and prizes!
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Somebunny will be hiding Easter Eggs all around Tomorrow River Area businesses!
Join in the hunt with your family using your smartphone during the weekend of March 26-28. Mark your calendars for fun and a chance to win over 20 prizes!
Stay tuned for details in the March issue of the Community Spirit and Jensen Community Center/ Community Spirit Facebook page for details on how to play. Go here for more details!
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The Winchester Academy has a great schedule of programs to take us from winter in to spring. All virtual, the programs can be safely watched live from your own home, on the Winchester Facebook page, broadcast also on 96.3 radio and WIN TV. Topics for their March programs include:
March. 8 at 6:30
March 22 at 6:30
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Life Class: We Belong!
Thursday, March 4 at 6:00 pm on ZOOM
Join us in our latest series, "Whole People" brought to you by Twin Cities PBS. This 4-part virtual series focuses on the importance of creating a community that is safe, vibrant, resilient and connected for ALL! Learn how our personal stories connect us to each other.
- Part 1 - Whole People/ACES/Childhood Trauma and how it impacts individuals, families and communities
- “It takes a village” …; what part will you play in building a compassionate community?
Go HERE to register for this class!
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The Waupaca Area Public Library |
The IditaRead follows the famous Alaskan dog sled race, The Iditarod. Race starts March 7, 2021 and can take 8-20 days depending on the weather. There are 860 miles in this year's race on the Gold Trail Loop from Willow, AK to Flat and back to Willow. Do you think your team of readers can work together to read 860 minutes before the dog sled team you choose to race against finishes the race?
Go HERE to register for this exciting program!
As always, check the Library's FB Page and Website regularly to see what sorts of things they are doing for our community! It truly is incredible, so be brave and click the link and explore all the opportunities at our wonderful Public Library!
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Every Thursday from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
When we meet: Every Thursday of the month, 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Where we meet: On Zoom
What we do: Teen-led hangout session where we chat, relax, and play games like Among Us, Drawful, and Quiplash 2. Teens get to help us choose which game we will play each week.
How to Join: Email
For Teens in 6th-12th Grade
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celebrates our shared co-creative cultural, sustainable development,
and rural regeneration in Central Wisconsin. Through shared stories, co-supporting events and cultivating relationships, this grass roots movement is worth a look!
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Learn about the art and creativity of jade lapidary artist Shane Zach. Shane discovered his love of carving and jade through the process of learning bone carving and his appreciation of Maori carving, art and culture. We explore Shane’s passion for jade and we learn more about jade, Shane’s travels to find jade and how he discovers what a piece of jade will be transformed in a finished carving. You can see more of Shane’s work on Instagram and shop his Etsy Shop.
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Not easily defeated, a group of local artists decided to hold an online show that they called the Social Distance Art Show, (attention: this site has not been updated for 2021...) and it turned out to be an incredibly successful show of the finest local art our area has to offer!
As much as the art community of Waupaca would rather be gathering in person this spring to share the abundance of creativity from our area, we are reminded of Edgar Degas,”Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” With this spirit, we are adapting again this year to bring the Visual Arts virtually to our community. With hope for the future, we keep the light on for the tradition of the Waupaca Fine Arts Show to return and look forward to that celebration; but for now, please help us celebrate virtually the wonders of creativity and community.
No judging, prizes, rewards or other recognition for this event. This is not an Art Sale.
Dates:
Submissions accepted until Midnight, April,17 2021
If you are an artist, and would like more information on how to submit your art for consideration in this show, please send an email inquiry to
Website Launch Date: April, 20 2021
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The Waupaca HIstorical Society |
Where in Waupaca on Wednesday?—Check out the Waupaca Historical Society’s Facebook page for updates on the Society, peeks into their collections and stories of Waupaca and Chain O’Lakes history! On Wednesdays, try to figure out Where in Waupaca the Society’s photograph has been taken! Then, check back on Thursday for the answer and some local history.
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The Holly Center is open for appointments only. If interested in doing some research or viewing the exhibits, please call (715) 256-9980 or email us.
Check out their extensive web page!
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Have you checked out the webcams at the Depot? Multiple cameras set up at the historic Waupaca Depot allow viewers around Wisconsin, the country and the world to watch the nearly 30 trains that pass through Waupaca each day. The cameras are part of Virtual Railfan (www.virtualrailfan.com), which has more than five million views each month of its 83 cameras in 23 states and 2 countries. The cameras are specifically located in areas to watch trains move down tracks, work in yards, and shuttle freight.
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2021 provides us with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help create and sustain a more vibrant Main Street. Your contribution to the Waupaca Area Chamber Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit, will turn downtown Waupaca into an iconic destination where visitors and residents alike flock to walk, shop, and dine.While the City of Waupaca will add trees, benches, and flower pots to Main Street’s new streets and sidewalks, this project takes beautification one step further. Your gift will support the addition of special amenities that will transform Main Street into a site of bustling economic activity and a source of civic pride.
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Waupaca Area Chamber of Commerce
The Waupaca Chamber will soon have a new website, and they are also planning some special shopping promotions to come out in March, so stay tuned!
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Drop off your donations at the Chamber office
up until March 7, 2021.
Donations will help our local crisis programs including CAP Services, Agape Help Center, and Foundations for Living.
Urgent Needs:
- Soaps: Laundry, Dish, Soft, Shower Gel, 2-in-1 Shampoo
- Trash bags
- Diapers (sizes 3-6 and Pull-Ups)
- Deodorant (unscented)
- Wet Wipes for babies
- Toilet Paper
- Toothbrushes & Toothpaste
- Paper Towels
- Disposable Razors
- Feminine Products
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Many Waupaca businesses (over 10!!!) will be participating in a fun statewide Sale on March 5-6! Go here for full list of area boutique shops participating! Register for over $450 in gift certificates!
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Waupaca Vintage Shop Hop March 5-6 |
Back by popular demand, we're pleased to share dates for the upcoming spring Vintage Shop Hop event. Join us on Friday and Saturday, March 5 & 6, 2021 to shop 'till you drop!
Over 400 vintage shops, antique malls, ladies' boutiques, consignment shops & barn sales all over Wisconsin and Illinois are on board to give you the BEST. ROAD TRIP. EVER. As you can imagine, with the recent restrictions imposed on retail businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, small businesses really need this time to recoup and welcome you inside their doors.
You better tell the boss now you need the day off...or two! Call your friends and get it on your calendar. The Master List of Shops grows every day until then so keep checking back! Don't miss out! Start planning today!
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A fantastic Livestream opportunity
March 6 at 7:30
Teddy Abrams conducts music of Béla BARTÓK and introduces two exciting young voices to our stage. The LO brings the music of Gabriela Frank and Sarah Jarosz to our stage. Authentic folk music reveals the joys and cares of real people. These three composers explore that authentic music through the lens of their own experience to reflect their own voice and choices in a program titled “HOMECOMINGS: The Musical Journeys of Uncommon Folk.”
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The Celtic people lived in central Europe as early as 1200 BC. Most notably Ireland, Scotland and Whales. They shared common languages, religious beliefs, traditions and of course artwork. Their art is made up of symbols that consist of patterns, knots, spirals, and animals. Their art is beautiful, repetitive and makes wonderful coloring subjects. Print all of our Celtic Coloring pages for free.
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The Journal from the Heartland online is a great way to read original writings, just for the sake of reading! Area literary contributors bring prose, essays, poetry and art together in this beautiful publication.
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Camping up near the Arctic? Really??? |
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We started off talking about March and the prevalence of Maple Syruping in this area. If you are going to go to all the trouble of tapping trees, carrying sap, boiling sap (it's about 30 gallons to 1 gallon of syrup) and then canning the syrup, you should have a good pancake recipe at the ready!
We kind of like this old favorite from the Tassajara Cookbook. Found this article that included it and so you can go here to read the recipe.
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Irish Music makes us happy, even when it is tragic! |
If ever we can travel again, we will be happy to visit Ireland, where music seems to be a part of daily life. The Irish have inhabited the emerald island since prehistoric times. They have endured many conflicts and struggled over and over to obtain and maintain their freedom. Listening to their music gives us a glimpse of the story of a people and a culture that endures. A great inspiration to us all as we continue to find strength during these times. Music Heals.
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