Let’s remember how Sr. Margaret lived

There was a lot of lively chatter, good wishes and a few tears Thursday evening as friends, neighbors and strangers gathered at Resurrection Catholic Church in Allenton for a memorial Mass for Sister Margaret Held.

Rev. Rick Stoffel from St. Peter Church in Slinger presided over the service.

There was a simple display to Sr. Margaret at the front of the church as a spray of small red roses and green fronds were placed in a rich blue vase on a table at the foot of the altar and a brilliant collection of colorful hyacinth was next to a large picture of a smiling Sister Margaret Held.

Hours prior to the start of the service a line wrapped around the church, many people offered condolences and comments of how they were inspired by Sr. Margaret. “We did not know the family until we heard the news,” said Alan Grimm from Slinger. “I’m a great admirer of what these ladies were doing but saddened with these events.”

There were messages of forgiveness and acceptance throughout the Mass. The opening hymn, Canticle of Sun, included the words, “Praise for our death that makes our life real, the knowledge of loss that helps us to feel; the gift of yourself, your presence revealed to bring us home.”

The message from the second reading, Romans 14:7-9, echoed the theme of the Mass.  “No one lives for one’s self and no one dies for one’s self.”

During the homily, surrounded by the whirring hum of large fans, Rev. Stoffel told the gathering, “It is not important how Margaret Held died it’s how she lived.”

“Sister Margaret knew her life was in the hands of God even when there would be changes of direction,” he said. “Fear would be foolish and faith would be wise.”

Dressed in a white robe with a pattern of gold inlay, Rev. Stoffel worked his way down the aisle and spoke of how Sister Margaret “found her niche where she was needed the most.”

“Only by mercy it is not so much how she died it’s important how she lived and to tell one another so we’re more than just about ourselves,” Stoffel said. Sr. Margaret Held, SSSF joined her Lord on Aug. 25, 2016 in Durant, MS at the age of 68, along with her beloved friend, Sr. Paula Merrill. She was born and raised in Slinger.

Bibinger’s to have soft opening on Wednesday, Sept. 7

The menu for the new Bibinger’s has been released. The restaurant is located in Cedar Creek in the former Schwai’s. Travis Dowden and Ben Anderson are the owners. They’ve tabbed themselves the ‘Two Brothers’ although I know on good account…. they’re not even related. Ha!

Menu items include the Bibinger Burger which features Niman Ranch certified Angus organic beef, a half-pound burger served on a pretzilla roll, topped with aged cheddar, Swiss, and American cheeses, Schwai’s bacon, caramelized onions, chef’s secret sauce, lettuce and tomato. Served with a side of seasoned fries or house-made chips.

On the lighter side there are salads including a Grilled Romaine and Steak, Grilled Mediterranean Chicken and  Mexican Quinoa which has growing power greens, braised Mexican chicken, red quinoa, tomatoes, scallions, tomatillo salsa, crisp corn tortillas, queso fresco, pinto beans, buttermilk ranch dressing.

For simple fare there is the Bib Mac which is Cavatappi pasta tossed with a creamy, three cheese sauce served with grilled chicken, topped with Parmesan cheese and broiled.

Kady Gibowski, a West Bend High School graduate, is the head chef. She was in Sally Heuer’s culinary class and worked at No No’s in Newburg, the Wisconsin Room at The American Club in Kohler, the LaFayette Club on Lake Minnetonka and the Ozaukee Country Club. Most recently Gibowski was the executive chef at Cafe at the Plaza in Milwaukee.

Bibinger’s will have a soft, soft opening next Wednesday, Sept. 7.

Report did not mention dog was a 3-pound Chihuahua

A difficult situation for a pair of families on Whitewood Drive in the Town of Farmington as one neighbor shot a 3-pound Chihauhaua belonging to the family next door.

According to a release from the Washington County Sheriff the incident happened just after 9 a.m. on Wednesday after a 54-year-old Town of Farmington man, reported two dogs attacked his penned-up chickens in his back yard.

According to the statement from the Sheriff the man retrieved a single-shot pellet air rifle while the two sons attempted to chase the dogs away. The father gave the pellet gun to his juvenile son and when one of the dogs started growling by the man’s 6-year-old daughter the father told the boy to shoot and he killed the dog.

The family who owned the Chihuahua named Gus is speaking out.

“Our dog had a shot through the chest and was dead,” said Erin Stonecipher, 23, the daughter of the owner of the dog.

“This was only a 2 to 3-pound dog. It was a baby, a puppy, a Chihuahua,” said Stonecipher. “The neighbors own a 65-pound pit bull as a family pet.”

During a one-on-one phone conversation Wednesday evening Stonecipher detailed how the dogs got out from the electric fence in her family’s yard.

“My mom, Lori, tried to call the dogs back into the house,” said Erin Stonecipher. “She drove around the subdivision and then saw the neighbors outside, stopped and asked them if they had seen our puppy and Bobby Minor said “Oh, Lori I’m sorry.”

“My mom got out of her car and saw our puppy dead in the driveway and became absolutely hysterical,” said Stonecipher.

“The owner of the home said, “Lori, we thought your dog was going to come after our chickens. I’m sorry I had to get the pellet gun,”” said Stonecipher.

The Stonecipher family has lived on Whitewood Drive for about 12 years. The neighbors know each other well.

“Their kids have been on our property and playing with our dogs,” said Stonecipher. “Our dogs have never ever been a threat.”

Stonecipher said her family is still trying to wrap its head around the situation and the loss of their pet.

“This was such a timid dog,” she said of Gus. “If you raised your voice or advanced toward him he’d cower; he was afraid of his own shadow.”

Stonecipher said “police did not interview my family.”

“As soon as we found the police report was published and it was one sided my parents decided we need to speak out. We were never questioned, nor were we equally represented,” said Stonecipher.  “And it never said in the police report that this was a 3-pound puppy.”

According to the Sheriff the father told investigators he was fearful the dog is going to attack his daughter so he instructs his son to shoot at it.  The son takes aim and shoots the dog and ends up killing the animal.  The homeowner told investigators he thought the pellet gun would only injure the dog and cause it to retreat.

Investigating deputies reviewed Wisconsin State Statute 174.01 which reads that a person may intentionally kill a dog only if the person is threatened with serious bodily harm by the dog and other restraining actions were tried and failed, or immediate action is necessary.

Investigators also consulted with the Washington County District Attorney’s Office and concluded there was no violation. The deceased dog was turned over to the owners who do not believe their dog would have acted in the described manner.

AmericInn in West Bend has been sold

The AmericInn Motel, 2424 W. Washington Street in West Bend has been sold. WB Inc LLC closed on the sale Tuesday, August 30, 2016 to Hari and Hari Inc. for $1,345,000.  Bob Gannon (WB Inc LLC) purchased the hotel from Dave and Mary Wolf in 2009 for $1,140,000.

The Wolfs purchased the property, which was a vacant lot, from Julia Schloemer in 1988 for $195,000 and then they purchased a second lot for $53,000. In May 1988 the Wolfs build a 28 unit motel and then in December 1989 they added on 29 more units.

Laurel’s Camera & Gift has moved

Laurel’s Camera and Gift is on the move. The locally-owned camera shop along with jeweler  M.F. Diamonds will move from 239 N. Main Street down a block to 152 N. Main Street, formerly home to My Personal Trainor fitness studio, and prior to that Settler’s Park Market.

“We’re just going down the street a bit,” said Pat Fehring from Laurel’s Camera. “We were just looking for a little bigger space so we’ll have a backdrop and we can do studio photography as well.” The Fehrings will be sharing the space with their son’s jewelry shop, M.F. Diamonds.

Seven family members, same 5K teacher at Holy Angels

One family from Holy Angels School had a special reason to mark the opening of the new school year.  The entire Bill and Tammy Waech family accompanied the youngest member as he entered the new K5 classroom.

The truly remarkable aspect of the gathering was all seven Waech children will have experienced the joy of having Mrs. Kris Matthews as their K5 teacher!

Mrs. Matthews started with Holy Angels in 1991. She is one of many teachers who have dedicated a lifetime of service to the learning faith community at Holy Angels School.

William Waech (pronounced Wake) was the first student in his family to attend Holy Angels in 1996. He graduated in 2005.

“What we have here at Holy Angels is a strong commitment on the part of our families and this is the extreme evidence of that,” said Principal Mike Sternig.  “Like most of our faculty, Kris, has made a lifetime commitment and we see that throughout our grades in our building.”

The first day of school for grades K5 – 8 is Tuesday, Aug. 30.  Students in K4 start Wednesday, Aug. 31.

Buddy Bench dedicated to the Dove girls

A special Buddy Bench dedication at Jackson Elementary School this week as teachers followed up on a project the Dove sisters, Lily and Bailey, envisioned when they were in the third grade.

Teacher Jane Esselman had all the girls, including Maddie, when they were in third grade. “At the time Lily was the one diagnosed with childhood cancer and they were just caring girls who went to Mrs. Angela Borst and they wanted to focus on something good,” said Esselman about the Buddy Bench.

Borst said in March 2014 the sisters came to the school office and expressed interest in creating the bench. “Life got a little bit away from us but we were sprucing up the playground this year and thought the Buddy Bench would be a perfect addition,” she said.

During the gathering Tuesday afternoon Esselman and Borst presented the girls with a clipping from the Scholastic News; the educational magazine where the girls originally saw the idea for the bench. The framed gift tied with an orange ribbon also included photos of the Buddy Bench.

The Dove sisters, Lily and Bailey, are now in sixth grade at Silverbrook Intermediate School.

No Pokemon Go at WB Labyrinth Garden

A couple signs have been posted in the Labyrinth Garden at Regner Park in West Bend asking people who are playing Pokemon to please respect the area.

“We’ve had a lot of damaged done to the garden because people stomp on things and they’re not even watching where they’re going,” said Mary Steiner, one of the original creators of the garden.

Steiner and her husband Bill work in the garden and they’ve noticed the uptick in damage ever since Pokemon Go started trending.

“We put up signs at the entrance but now someone had the gall to steal one,” she said. “Barb (Robertson) saw a young kid run off with a sign on his bike and she hollered at him. You know people are just not respectful.

“It’s a matter of respecting places where there is beauty and we’re just getting beat down,” said Steiner.

There were four signs placed around the garden but now Bill Steiner, who mows around the garden, said there’s only two. Organizers with the Labyrinth Garden said they have contacted the West Bend Parks Department for assistance.

Battle of the Books 2016 Winners!

Team Hartford, The Hippogriffs, successfully defended its title in the Battle of the Books program organized each summer by public libraries in South-Eastern, Wisconsin. This year Hartford competed with the West Bend Community Library, the Dwight Foster Public Library in Fort Atkinson, and the Watertown Public Library. Winning members of The Hippogriffs included Anya Wiedoff, Jadon Thornton, Mary Becker, Madison Henning, Taylor O’Keefe, Sophie Farrell, and Emily Wittig.  Hartford’s Team won a close competition, narrowly defeating the Fort Atkinson Team with 139 points. Hartford has won three years in a row, starting its winning streak in 2014.  The winning library keeps the traveling plaque until the next summer’s competition and has it engraved with the winning team and library’s name.

Updates & tidbits

 –The Governor of Wisconsin has ordered U.S. flags to fly at half-staff as a mark of respect for Staff Sergeant Matthew V. Thompson who lost his life while serving his country.

– West Bend West Junior Spartans basketball tryouts are Sept. 12, 13 and 14 in the West Bend High School gym.

– Saturday, Sept. 10 at Jackson Park, pets and their human companions are invited to join the Paws for Pets walk to raise money for the Washington County Humane Society. All animal lovers are invited…with or without a pet!   The 1.5-mile or 2.5-mile walk.

– Officials in Hartford released the name of the woman who suffered a medical emergency at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center on August 19.  City Administrator Steve Volkert said Michelle Centell, 47, was the woman who was taken to the hospital after being found in 3-feet of water. Centell’s funeral was August 26 in New Berlin.

-Wisconsin’s largest gluten-free food expo is coming to Washington County Fair Park on Saturday, Sept. 24. The event is sponsored by Wellness Found Organic Foods. Tickets are $7.

-The 21^st annual Boltonville Fire Department Street Dance is Saturday, Sept. 10 featuring Rebel Grace.

-There are informational meetings next month for the Kewaskum School District referendum project. The Nov. 8 referendum is for $28.4 million. With interest total cost is close to $40 million.

– Badger Masonry & Fireplace Supply, 545 N. Main Street will hold grand opening Sept. 16 – 17. The store is located in the former Tennies Buick building. The office phone number is 262-343-8580.

– Halloween Express is expected to open this weekend as it makes its home at the former Walgreens on Decorah and S. Main Street in West Bend.  Halloween Express secured its lease until Nov. 2 through Adam Williquette at Anderson Commercial Group.

– Early Farm Days in Kewaskum is Sunday, Sept. 11 at River Hill Park.

– DIVA night is on tap Thursday, Sept. 15 in downtown West Bend and Barton.

Enchantment in the Park is gearing up

Hard-working Rotarians and volunteers are already gearing up for this year’s Enchantment in the Park. The work schedule has trailers delivered to Regner Park at the end of Sept. /beginning of October. Sunday, Oct. 9 – arches, mega tree poles and presents put up Saturday, Sunday, Nov. 13 – all finished. Friday, November 25 – SHOWTIME!

 

Judy Steffes, Editor

Washington County Insider

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