Counties of Wisconsin; 49; Oneida County

Today's county of Wisconsin became a political entity in 1885. The name is derived from a tribe of Indians who migrated to the Green Bay Area about 1820. Oneida featured on this edition of the counties of Wisconsin. Is said to be the first county to have had a University of Wisconsin Extension Program. Today's conversations begin with a discussion led by the present extension office Chairman. I med surg university extension agent United County and one of our programs that we have activity gym is the run under School of Arts which is jointly sponsored between the University of Wisconsin Extension and the line under education abutment and several big super going to schools here at Rhinelander is charged with major part of the responsibility for that program and we have Cedric with

us with this afternoon. And I would like to ask Cedric just a few pointers on the School of Arts sparked by the interest in the initiative of Dr. Robert Gardner of the University of Wisconsin Extension division the Rhinelander School of Arts was established as a unique project here and overnight a county of about 13 years ago. And this school which is held for one or two weeks in the in the Rhinelander school system attracts 100 to 200 writers and artists from all over the Midwest. The classes that are offered to the mostly adults involved classes in writing. Poetry photography art and in drama and do we had such interesting people here over the years we usually have a guest writer this summer we had Archibald MacLeish and over the years every year we have a particular one and we have had writers and artists like Edna might the poet comes here every year.

Jerry apps with his article writing and Dale Wasserman is here in dramatic production and not Robert Gardner has his class in Graham and the black book Cedric I believe women Brooks Reynolds broach was here last year and said One more question I want to ask you have some local sponsors if you have a local organization here to the sponsors I believe do the hunt. Yes. Oh over the years this northern Arts Council of the Radnor School of Arts has been sponsored by the University of Wisconsin Extension funds from from that source and from the Wisconsin Regional writers. And lately the local organization called the Northern Arts Council has been contributing quite heavily toward the sponsorship of this school here in the community and the School of Arts also is responsible for some of the features educational features we have you're like the Milwaukee Symphony I believe that's jointly sponsored by them. But the School of Arts Cedric as you've indicated has been a main feature. Are there any comments you might make as to how broad your student

coverage is where you come from. Yes over the years we've attracted to the students from as far as New York City Syracuse Chicago. We get a lot of people out of Madison area and Indiana Missouri. We get a good sprint in from all over the Midwest particularly that it isn't that there are more outsiders so to speak than the local people here. Of course we had also a youth a student card program under the guidance of Helen O'Brien I believe to what it was. Change is bad here but in the past I'm sure that you had some drama work again in drama Rick under we we had sponsored children in state or many of the years we also had ballet classes it was Constable a ballet company was here. From the university's School We've had a lot of talent in here over the period of the 13 years and that this year where the university people were quite concerned that it might not exist if we can submit if supported sufficiently or it couldn't pay its own

way and it turned out this year it with about 200 students that the program was more than self sufficient and so this is going to ensure us that we will have this school here in the years to come we think just one more interruption if I may what it what facility do you put have this. We have adequate housing facilities. Why don't we use the Rhinelander schools and as our center for all the classes in during the time that they're here or most of the year the first 12 years or so of the program we use around under the high school. And this year we built a new a junior high school which is air conditioned here and so they've been using those facilities. It's worked out very well with with our hot summer July August days up here. The only problem that we have and one that we just simply can't solve is the housing for the people who would like a dormitory where we could bring writers

together so they could have a little more camaraderie between themselves. But we just don't have that type of housing for them and so they spend their week here or two weeks at our league resorts and places like this where it's very nice for them to have so they not only combine their writing and photography classes but they also enjoy our lakes and beautiful countryside. They make it a vacation too. This is a good example I believe of the fact that even in rural Wisconsin we have a need for fine arts. You know the words we don't have only industry agriculture may be some of the other businesses and activities here. We do have some fine art activities and people want that in rural America just as they do in the metropolitan areas. This is one means that the university has fallen. Getting this to the fine arts program to the people.

I think Another unique feature up here and there one night a county is this symphony orchestra that made its first presenting in the summer a concert by the year when they symphony maybe you can tell us a little bit more about it. Scheduled to perform but you know I haven't been attending and hoping for a little more time than maybe I'll appear with my viola also. But tell us more about this of Cedric. Well the symphony was organized by a gentleman in town by the name of George Palmer and he's been the sparkplug him and he today sent out a feel Allen appeal for all people who can now would like to play in the symphony from this whole area and as a result we attract people from Iron River Michigan Ironwood Michigan and and we're not going from the whole area on and about 45 people have banded together and we have a high school band directors our symphony director and last summer they put on a concert for the first one and it was so well received that I'm sure it's going to continue.

They said a unique project and said Rick it's fortune do that from the area we have a number of students that are music majors that are attending you know Austin's point which was kind of he was going to Lawrence University had to go to several of the other institutions and sometimes they are here and they have an opportunity to dissipate. So and it gives them an opportunity for a little bit additional practice and playing with other groups. I think it's been very fine experience for them. Yes it is a I have not been funded by anyone. It's purely a voluntary organization and they exist on their own funds and it's just grassroots deal completely. Series producer Ralph Johnson asked the office chairman about his many varied responsibilities let it seems to me like you're going to load it on Harry or the office chairman the resource agent the agricultural agent I don't know how many other titles you must have so if you give us a rundown on your various activities or. Ralph I'd be very happy to. Yes we have varied experiences of course that means that we have

a variety of people but they are all home owners and you know being a homeowner that brings me to the first alike that I have I have basically a biologist agriculture list I like to dove with house plants with gardens landscaping and of course this is one of our long suits because all homeowners like have a nice long they like have a nice garden. I like to have all of these things in the environment that adds to the aesthetics. But in addition to those tours we have here with the recreational business or industry being so strong. It means that we have lakes that are deteriorating. That means that these lake property owners and the resort people are looking to better late management and we are right in the midst of Lake Management District organization which is another one. And the slow conservation work that comes with it and all of the soils improvement work that we have to have hope because it's a wonderful thing that we have the area extension office here so I can call upon the recreational. Agents are

out of the University of Wisconsin recruiting center and Herman Smith of course and oh Tom when you're these people. Alice Kemp and all of these have been very helpful in getting some help to us in recreation. But in addition taking out agricultural itself we have said nothing rough about the agricultural interests. One of the unique things about when I took on the agriculture and I might say we are important agricultural in the data business and we are not unique in potatoes because we're the only county that can claim the statement from pollen to chips. We start with a potato breeding program the University of Wisconsin has a very intense potato breeding program here at Starbucks under the guidance of locally the farm manager. Doctors have skied thousands of crosses for meet each year on potato stock. And those aren't followed through so that they select out the best varieties to develop and then take to the next step the University of Wisconsin also has a

parent stock farm parent potato farm at three lakes at which the parent seed stock has developed. And indeed the process is carried through to a final edible product. Next the county's home economist and her guest. I'm in a belter extension from economists and county. And with me today is Barbara Blackwell who is the president of our county extension homemaker Council. I joined homemakers through a girlfriend of mine and she talked it up to me and it sounded really interesting and it gets you out into the community and do things that I was just sitting home and not doing anything stuff in the last year or so. We've done quite a few things in my own home because coop we have a project here at Christmas time. Where they collect toys for tats and they are passed out among the lower income families.

And there's a lot of dolls that are given that aren't dressed so our group is dressing these dows for the this project. One of our groups maintains our flower garden for community beautification. They've been doing it about 20 years. They plant and maintain it. We have members in our group who belong to the harpy who are doing volunteer work work at our logging museum. We meet a bicentennial cookbook with old time recipes we might not ever use them but it's because we wanted to do something for the bicentennial. Here. Of course stands for American Association of Retired People and we have a unique situation here in the county as Barbara has mentioned. Many of our members of extension homemakers are also a p members and we have a lot of the museum

which features many historical artifacts from the days when on that account it was known for its logging industry. And this is of course very interesting to the tourists that are in our area as well as local residents and the members of our staff the museum and many of them remember back to the lobbying days or perhaps their parents were involved in the logging situation so they're able to read some of the stories that go along with other things in the museum to make it more interesting. And several of our home makers contributed to our north northern Wisconsin bicentennial cookbook reader. Contributing historic an ethnical recipe is that in this bicentennial year give us a little feeling for the way things were back when we didn't have the convenience foods and we had to make do with those kinds of things that we had. Barbara you were telling us about some of the projects that extension homemakers are doing.

Of course extension homemakers is an organization of women that are interested in doing projects and learning about things new educational programs and so forth. I wanted to tell us about the bicentennial display. We have this was another very successful project. Yes we had that at the memorial building here and it was antiques things from years ago. We must have had at least 2000 people at hand. We had just for one afternoon and people were asking why we didn't have it for the evening to so that other people could come and see this display. We invited just one grade from the schools the third grade I think it was and they came and then the next thing we knew we had fourth graders fifth graders sixth graders coming in to see it because we had a spinning display making display with dried fruit dried foods tatting all the old displays of

things done years ago. The children really found an interest rate didn't they when word got back at school where they'd been of course the other grades were so interested they had to come over here and see our display too. And one of the things that we were especially proud of this was the first bicentennial event in the county. We did this last February and that seemed to spark an interest in other bi centennial activities and some of the women were dressed in the clothes of that time too and the kids were really interested in that too I think sure I think that made new more fun for us to do. And then coming up some of us will be working on the swine flu shots be helping fill out the papers and things with the county nurses as that program gets further defined. We'll need additional volunteer A's and one of the things extension homemakers are always very happy to do is volunteer for the programs like this for their time as volunteers for different community services working with the

blood money rate. We called people to ask them if they can come out for the blood and some of us did that too. Many of our members also do volunteer work at the hospital the nursing home. And then Linda gives us. Leader training meetings at which a couple from each club come in then we go back and teach our club members what she has given us. Some of the training coming up this year are. On laundry products and of course we always have food preservation needs here clothing selection homemaker economic concerns. Home decoration and interior design. A very program to feature things that would be of interest to different members of our organization. And then we always have our crafts to give us some

examples of some of the craft projects I know this is a favorite. Many of the memories Well we have a Christmas display. Designer which we all of the groups put out their displays of what they have made through the years and and. The public is invited and. We have different meetings where we just go and have our craft days where we can make things that we enjoy very much and then we also have an international day where we are trying to dress in and have foods of one country. This is a new program we started last year. The maker Council selects a particular foreign country each year and during the year the various clubs learn about different aspects of that country. The type of foods the way of life and of this activity is

promenaded in the spring by our international day where we have a potluck featuring those foods and perhaps some program where people that have visited that country are collection of things souvenirs from that country. So this is all part of our educational program so we learn more about how other people around the world live. Recreation is an important industry you know and I took out this afternoon I will be visiting with thought Dennis hust writer who is the executive director of the what had a company or of the Rhinelander Chamber of Commerce I should say. I hope when I did comedy is primarily a recreation County were not agricultural but BRIC region is one of the leading industries we have here. And being that Dennis is the chambers representative here I want to talk recreation with him. Dennis how important is a recreation industry in brief us a bit on our industry.

Well Ed the stative as a whole Of course the most recognized recreation industry is a very dominant influence on its total. Economy and it is growing. Depending on how you look at it is either the third or the second largest industry in the state of Wisconsin. It has many ramifications on a statewide basis not to belabor the state aspects but you have many manufacturers in the southern part of the state that manufacture Recreational Equipment recreational vehicles. So many many southern Wisconsin manufacturing jobs are a direct result of the recreation industry. Bringing it closer to home we are a destination recreation source as opposed to many areas in southern Wisconsin which airflow through core transhipped recreation areas. We have people in many instances will plan a week or two weeks vacations right here in county and our neighboring county to the north we're kind of sister counties in the recreation industry. We're unique in many many

respects in that number one although we're having recreation we certainly have our share of Agriculture. It's perhaps a unique agricultural situation in the state and I'm sure you'll get into that later. And it is important to our own economy. I don't want underscore that we're also an excellent County where we have manufacturing. In fact we're growing in manufacturing jobs just as we are in recreation and agriculture paper industry wood products industry. We have. Rapidly expanding precision drill firm was just announced expansion plans by the way who would have world wide markets right out of Rhinelander. And it's a good community for manufacturing industry the quality of the labor force. It's a type of worker that wants to stay in the community they're not moving from town to town. So I wanted to touch on the manufacturing as a major force in our economy locally recreation obviously is very important to an out-of County from the standpoint of Rhinelander For example we have a

mix of motels resorts campgrounds and resorts I might point out there are both the American plan and the housekeeping style resorts. And of course we're we're rapidly seeing the growth in the May weekend the package vacation concept. People come up on a Friday night and leave on a Sunday. We're seeing this turn into a year round vacation center with cross-country skiing and snowmobiling and people who just plain want to have a winter getaway will come north in the winter months. All these of course are changing our whole perspective on the industry and we are trying to meet the challenges put forth by those who Dennis you were just. This struck a chord. He talked about snowmobile industry part of recreation. We are a first I believe in the recreation business. As far as Snowmobiles are concerned it seems to me that's crit racing. That's correct the very first organized oval racing took place between my mentor in Eagle River and we've all seen that industry grow into a phenomenal sport.

And the emphasis on a statewide basis and of course locally is the recreational aspect of snowmobiling. It's the family that is investing heavily in equipment primarily is coming to the north country to snowmobile because of the logistical problems including a lack of snow in the southern part of the state. And they might also point out that it isn't only Wisconsin but the whole Midwestern belt that has accepted some wheeling as a major sport. Some of our most enthusiastic snowmobilers come from the loop in Chicago believe it or not so it's truly you know a Midwestern or Northern national sport let's say and gaining in popularity we're reaping a lot of that. And there's another change coming as I understand it that's a change from snowmobiling. If it's losing part of the strapless to cross-country skiing that he would recommend I don't think I don't think you can say it's a change this is simple as black and white because if you're on Highway 51 and portage and watching the snowmobiles hauled north you'll see cross-country skis in the same car. So within a given family people are vacillating in both

sport directions I think this is great. It's a back to nature movement. Let's face it with the with the horseback reading in nature walking in the summertime and cross-country skiing in the winter