Bio: Burkholder, Virgil (Birth
- 1983)
Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail:
dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Burkholder
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 5/19/1983
Burkholder, Virgil (Birth – 15 May 1983)
Levi and Amanda Burkholder, Rt. 1 Granton, became parents of a son, Virgil, at
Neillsville Memorial Hospital, at 1:09 a.m., May 15. He weighed 7 lbs. 14 1/2
oz.
Bio: Mitchell, Jim
- Astonishing Hypnotist Entertained Fairgoers (2024)
Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail:
dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Mitchell
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 8/21/2024
Astonishing Hypnotist, Jim Mitchell Entertained Fairgoers (2024)
The Astonishing Hypnotist Jim Mitchell entertained children during a hypnosis.
June Thompson/Clark County Press
By June Thompson
Whether or not you believe in hypnotists who say they can hypnotize people, one
thing’s for certain: they entertain audiences young and old alike. And maybe,
they do hypnotize people who are willing to listen to the hypnotist’s crafty
words and fall under their mesmerizing spell.
One hypnotist, Jim Mitchell from Watertown, is the Astonishing Hypnotist who has
been hypnotizing children and adults for over 15 years. He recently entertained
fairgoers at the Clark County Fair.
“I’ll bet everyone here has been hypnotized,” Mitchell said to the audience of
mostly children. “It happens to everyone. We go through it two times a day. You
can and will lie under hypnosis. Smart people hypnotize very easily,” he added.
The Astonishing Hypnotist quickly and easily had everyone’s attention. “I get at
least one guy that doesn’t want to be hypnotized,” Mitchell said. “I can’t
hypnotize you against your will. People who get hypnotized will have way more
fun,” he said. “Some people want to see other people get hypnotized. You can be
hypnotized in a crowd as well.”
Whether or not the Astonishing Hypnotist truly hypnotized an audience at the
Clark County Fair, no one knows for sure. Does a person even know they’ve been
hypnotized?
News: Colby -
Hosts Antique Appraisals (2024)
Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail:
dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Moran
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 8/21/2024
Colby Hosts Antique Appraisals (2024)
Mark F. Moran will visit the Colby Community Library Sept. 14 to appraise items
of value. There are limited slots available.
Submitted photo
By June Thompson
Whether or not you believe in hypnotists who say they can hypnotize people, one
thing’s for certain: they entertain audiences young and old alike. And maybe,
they do hypnotize people who are willing to listen to the hypnotist’s crafty
words and fall under their mesmerizing spell.
One hypnotist, Jim Mitchell from Watertown, is the Astonishing Hypnotist who has
been hypnotizing children and adults for over 15 years. He recently entertained
fairgoers at the Clark County Fair.
“I’ll bet everyone here has been hypnotized,” Mitchell said to the audience of
mostly children. “It happens to everyone. We go through it two times a day. You
can and will lie under hypnosis. Smart people hypnotize very easily,” he added.
The Astonishing Hypnotist quickly and easily had everyone’s attention. “I get at
least one guy that doesn’t want to be hypnotized,” Mitchell said. “I can’t
hypnotize you against your will. People who get hypnotized will have way more
fun,” he said. “Some people want to see other people get hypnotized. You can be
hypnotized in a crowd as well.”
Whether or not the Astonishing Hypnotist truly hypnotized an audience at the
Clark County Fair, no one knows for sure. Does a person even know they’ve been
hypnotized?
News: Colby -
Residents Celebrate Town History with Float (2024)
Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail:
dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Oehmichen, Baumgartner
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 8/21/2024
Colby Residents Celebrate Town History with Float (2024)
Julie and Larry Oehmichen were announced as the winner of the “Cheese-iest
Float” among the Colby’s Cheese Days parade’s 77 total participants, their float
paying tribute to Colby’s 150th anniversary as a town by displaying facts about
the town’s history.
Submitted photo
By Edward DuBois
Seventy-seven floats participated in the Colby Cheese Days parade, with one
being chosen as the “Cheese-iest Float.”
The winners, Julie and Larry Oehmichen, were announced via The Hornet’s Nest
page on Facebook July 22.
The post included what had set the float apart from the rest: displaying
historical facts about Colby, and it was hitting a milestone.
“The township is celebrating its 150th anniversary,” the post read. “Colby first
became a town 150 years ago, and the float, organized by [the Oehmichen’s] for
the township of Colby, highlighted the history of our hometown.
“Logging of the white pines brought the Wisconsin Central Railroad (which
influenced its name, “Colby”), but once the trees where gone and stumps
remained, the townspeople rolled up their sleeves and tilled the land, which
helped launch Wisconsin to be the top wheat producer in the U.S. in the mid-late
1800s, which then encouraged New York entrepreneurs to come and invest in dairy
farms, which grew and grew.
“As the milk was flowing, cheese makers began to set up shop, which one of them
happened to be Mr. Steinwand, who wanted to make the perfect cheese, something
better than cheddar.
“And the rest is history.”
Liz Baumgartner outlined the criteria by which the Oehmichen’s float was chosen.
“The simple answer is the criteria was up to my judges,” Baumgartner said. “I
chose three judges throughout the parade route. No one knows who they are; they
will stay anonymous.
“I simply ask these judges to give me the winner for each award. I had one judge
per award. I left it all up to them. Whomever they decided, I wasn’t going to
argue about. To be honest, they all did a great job; and I feel the right floats
won.
“I told my judges I needed the winners as soon as the parade was done. And
that’s what happened: they texted me the winners.
Baumgartner said the parade had a submission form for each float.
“Halfway through the parade, we have an announcer who reads what each float
writes on their form,” Baumgartner said.
The Oehmichen’s float did not fill out a form, as their son was the parade’s
announcer, and he knew what to say about the float.
Baumgartner also said there were close contenders who almost took the award,
instead.
News: Neillsville
- Exotic Animals Entertain Kids at NPL (2024)
Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail:
dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Bezio, Stotts
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 8/14/2024
Exotic Animals Entertain Kids at NPL (31 July 2024)
Noelle Bezio holds Wandy the Wallaby while she eats banana peels. June
Thompson/Clark County Press
By June Thompson
The Neillsville Public Library’s summer reading program is coming to an end.
Their last performer brought exotic animals to entertain kids and adults,
Wednesday July 31.
Noelle Bezio, from Zoozort, is a licensed animal educator and previously a
teacher. She brought six of her 36 unusual pets and explained what they were and
introduced them to the audience.
“They aren’t wild,” Bezio said. She showed an animal at a time. “You’re not
allowed to pet it unless I pick it up. Miss Kathy (children’s librarian) picked
out the animals we’re going to see.”
Bezio laid Snowflake, the chinchilla, on the carpet and gave it a snack. “If we
see wild animals outside, we don’t touch them with our hands,” Bezio said. She
encouraged the kids to pet her animals gently.
“Snowflake is an albino chinchilla,” Bezio said. “Snowflake likes raisins and
cheerios. Chinchillas are one of the softest animals in the world. Their fur is
soft; it’s slippery. They normally live in South America.”
Bezio gave Snowflake a bath. “Animals that live in a dry climate take a dust
bath,” she said. Bezio brought out a tiny bathtub and sprinkled bath dust in it
for Snowflake. She eagerly jumped into her bathtub and bathed in dust.
After Snowflake made an appearance, Bezio brought out Wanda the Wallaby. “He
weighs 28 pounds and is nine years old,” Bezio said. “Wandy is smaller than a
kangaroo. She eats banana peels.” Bezio held onto Wanda by her tail. “Wallabies
are good jumpers. They can jump six feet high and run 30 mph. They mainly eat
hay, lettuce, and grass. They are vegetarians.”
The third pet Bezio brought out was Cosmo the Skunk. “He was born in captivity,”
said Bezio. “He has white fur and blue eyes. He is eight weeks old. Skunks have
terrible eyesight. If threatened, they stomp their feet, put up their tail and
then spray.”
Bezio’s unusual pets included a hairy armadillo, Miss Marvin. “Armadillos have
terrible eyesight. They eat ants and termites,” said Bezio. “They can dig a hole
in ten seconds and hide from predators. Their outer shells feel like a coconut.”
She allowed the kids to pet each animal. When she brought out a giant toad named
Rico, the kids thought it was a frog. “Toads can enlarge themselves by inhaling
air to make themselves appear bigger,” said Bezio. “The toad has no teeth or
nails, but they have poison glands. I feed him mice, worms, and cockroaches.”
Bob, a black and white Tegu lizard, ate a hard-boiled egg as the kids watched.
According to Bezio, Bob sees very well. He smells with his tongue like a snake.
He has large jowls and uses his tail as a weapon. An unusual trait about the
Tegu lizard is they can squeeze a muscle and part of their tail will drop off,
but they can grow a new tail.
“Don’t grab a lizard by its tail,” said Bezio. “I adopted Bob. He was a rescue.
He’s very handsome,” she said.
The last pet/animal Bezio showed was a Ball python named Morpheus. “He is a
constrictor and will roll up in ball,” said Bezio. “He was someone’s pet. I
adopted him. He doesn’t see very well. He’s timid and can’t hear.”
Bezio walked around holding Morpheus. “Some people are afraid of snakes,” she
said. “He hangs onto my arm because he doesn’t have limbs (arms or legs). He
eats mice and other rodents.”
The Neillsville Public Library Summer Reading Program concluded July 31 with
Zoozort, Inc. The summer program could not have been a success without the help
of local businesses providing various incentives for children who complete their
summer reading goal.
The Clark County Dairy Promotion Committee provided string cheese for the
kickoff day.
Wisconsin Valley Library Service provided funding for Stuart Stotts.
The Neillsville Public Library Foundation provided funding for various
performers, crafts, treats and prizes.
Children can hand in their reading records starting August 2 to August 14. Teens
have until August 14 to work on their Bingo cards.
For more information, contact the Neillsville Public Library 715-743-2558, or
visit the website
www.neillsvillepubliclibrary.org.
News: Clark Co. -
2024-2025 Fairest of the Fair Crowned at CC Fair (2024)
Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail:
dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Moen, Hagen, Durrstein, Tlusty, Walter, Dyre, Hebert, Hinkelmann,
Mathis, Wilson, Roman, Kapusta, Abbott, Teschner
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 8/14/2024
2024-2025 Fairest of the Fair Crowned at Clark County Fair (7 August 2024)
The full court for the 2024-2025 Fairest of the Fair and Future Fairest of the
Fair is (back, left to right) First Attendant Enma Moen, Fairest of the Fair
Aspen Hagen and Second Attendant Amanda Durrstein; (front) First Princess Ariana
Tlusty, Future fairest of the Fair Ryann Walker and Second Princess Madisyn
Dyre. June Thompson/Clark County Press
By June Thompson
The Clark County Fair was held August 7-11 at the Clark County Fairgrounds. One
big event that started the fair was the Fairest of the Fair Coronation held
August 7 at 7 p.m. Emcee Riley Hebert, news broadcaster from WCCN, introduced
each contestant and their escorts, and acknowledged the outgoing court.
The 2023-2024 Fairest of the Fair Devani Hinkelmann, First Attendant Amanda
Durrstein and Second Attendant Alexis Pongratz were the outgoing court. Amanda
Durrstein was a contestant for this year’s Fairest of the Fair. The outgoing
Future Fairest of the Fair was Anita Mathis, First Princess Lylah Wilson, and
Second Princess Angelica Roman.
2023-2024 Fairest of the Fair Devani Hinkelmann reflected on her year and what
it meant to her.
“I’d never worn a crown before. It took six bobby pins. The royalty thing was
brand new for me. I was unsure of myself. It was life changing,” she said.
Hinkelmann plans to travel to the Wisconsin Dells in January to compete for
Wisconsin’s Fairest of the Fair. “I look forward to representing Clark County.”
Hinkelmann referred to “her people” as “people we surround ourselves with,” she
said. Her people are family, friends, and the community for a sense of
belonging, and a sense of family.
Her advice to the new Fairest of the Fair Court is to remember, “you represent
something bigger than yourself.”
The Future Fairest of the Fair is Ryann Walter, First Princess is Ariana Tlusty
and Second Princess is Madisyn Dyre. Ryann said she wanted to do anything and
everything at the fair. Arianna and Madisyn wanted to show their calves.
The 2023-2024 Fairest of the Fair Court announced the winners. 2024-2025 Fairest
of the Fair is Aspen Hagen, First Attendant is Emma Moen and Second Attendant is
Amanda Durrstein.
As the newly crowned Fairest of the Fair, Aspen Hagen stated she will stay
poised in uncomfortable situations by trusting herself. “I plan to meet everyone
and go to fair events,” she said. Hagen will focus on community service and
events. Emma Moen mentioned being kind to everyone and stated, “we are role
models.” She plans to visit all the animals at the fair, and Amanda Durrstein
plans to have a great time at the fair.
Coordinators for Fairest of the Fair were Janalee Kapusta, Trena Abbott, and
Jaidyn Teschner They assisted the contestants, helping them prepare for the
coronation.
“There were seven amazing ladies running for “Fairest of the Fair,” said
Kapusta. “All the proceeds from the raffles go to scholarship for the girls.”
News: Loyal -
Lions Club Chooses (Lion of the Year - 2024)
Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail:
dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Toufar, Stumpner, Schmidt, Brussow, Olsen
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 8/14/2024
Loyal Lions Club Chooses (Lion of the Year - 2024)
Loyal Lions Club President Jason Toufar (left) picked Cole Stumpner (right) as
the Loyal Lions Club Lion of the Year at the club’s June 26th annual awards
banquet. Submitted Photo
By Edward DuBois
The Loyal Lion’s Club awarded Lion of the Year to Cole Stumpner at their annual
awards banquet June 26, held at Meadow View Golf Course.
Stumpner was not the only lion honored at the banquet.
“This is all our awards,” Loyal Lions Club president Jason Toufar said. “Years
of service, loin of the year—kind of a year-ending function.
“We just kind of get together, have a little socializing and that’s pretty much
it.”
Usually, it is the outgoing club president who chooses the lion of the year
award. But this year, the duty fell to Toufar. Toufar outlined his
considerations for choosing Stumpner.
“[Stumpner] was the secretary’s assistant,” Toufar said, “and then the secretary
had to step back from her duties. So, [Stumpner] became the second fulltime
secretary.”
Before Stumpner, Tina Schmidt was the Loyal Lions Club secretary.
Toufar talked about how Stumpner was a “young” member serving as the fulltime
interim secretary. Toufar was impressed by Stumpner stepping up to fill the
position, describing Stumpner’s duties.
“[Stumpner] would contact the president,” Toufar said, “‘What’s on the agenda?’
[Stumpner] would print out agendas for everybody for the board meetings and the
regular meetings. He would do the minutes at every meeting and then report them
at the next meeting and fill them all out.
“And then [Stumpner] was also on the committee for a gun show, and he is really
active on that. [Stumpner] did a lot and [the gun show is] our one of our bigger
fundraisers, besides Corn Fest.”
Toufar said picking out Stumpner was a “no brainer,” as Stumpner was performing
the responsibilities of these various positions simultaneously.
Other factors in Toufar’s decision was Stumpner being a representative at events
like the chamber banquet and Stumpner taking extra shifts for Corn Fest.
Also honored at the banquet were Lion Tom Brussow for his 55 years as a Loyal
Lions Club member and Tim Olsen for 15 years as a member, specifically as a
“tail-twister.”
A tail-twister is an officer who keeps the order at meetings, maintaining
decorum. Olsen even has horn to honk to catch everyone’s attention and do things
like bring a conversation back on topic.
News: Neillsville
- Unity Bank’s Float Wins Award (2024)
Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail:
dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Retzlaff, Huth, Moen, Janicki, Luchterhand
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 8/14/2024
Unity Bank’s Float Wins Award from Heritage Days (2024)
Unity Bank’s Heritage Days Parade Boat won Best Business Float. Individuals
involved either in construction or operation of the float and/or in the parade
were (l-r) Paul Retzlaff, Dexeray Huth, Emma Moen, Paxton Janicki, Molly
Janicki, Leah Janicki and Amanda Luchterhand. Not pictured are Luke, Trip and
Otto Luchterhand. Submitted Photo
By Edward DuBois
Unity Bank of Neillsville was awarded the Best Business Float award from the
Neillsville Heritage Days parade. The float was about celebrations, honoring the
30th anniversary of the Neillsville Heritage Days and the 145th anniversary of
banking in Neillsville.
Leah Janicki and Amanda Luchterhand were the designers and planners of the
float.
“They talked vision of what we wanted it to look like and all the supplies
needed to complete the look,” Michelle Friemoth said.
Amanda Luchterhand did the majority of the creation of the pool birthday cake
with continued consultation with Janicki.
Assembly of the actual float was completed by Amanda Luchterhand, Leah Janicki,
Paul Retzlaff and Emma Moen. The cake assembling and planning took several hours
just to add little details to make swimming pools look like a birthday cake.
“With the theme of the Heritage Days Parade being celebration of their 30th
anniversary,” Friemoth said, “we wanted it to be a birthday theme. With that, we
wanted a huge birthday cake in the middle of the wagon.
“Since it was summer, we though three swimming pools would make a nice, tiered
cake. Pool noodles made excellent birthday candles. To keep the birthday theme
going, balloons and bubbles were added to complete the float with riders and
walkers wearing birthday hats.
“The also wanted to incorporate upcoming celebration at Unity Bank and the 145th
Anniversary of the Neillsville branch with additional celebration signs and
handouts.”
Unity Bank employees who were in the parade were Amanda Luchterhand, Leah
Janicki, Emma Moen, Dexeray Huth and Paul Retzlaff.
Additional volunteers were Leah Janicki’s children, Paxton and Molly, who helped
hand out items, Luke Luchterhand, Amanda’s husband, drove/pulled the wagon and
Amanda’s children, Trip and Otto, came along for the ride
The team was notified the week following Neillsville Heritage Days their float
had won Best Business Float.
Unity Bank will hold a celebratory lunch Aug. 22 to celebrating 145 years of
banking in Neillsville, where the public can learn more about how Unity Bank’s
roots stretch back to 1879.
