Perkins Restaurant & Bakery in WB officially closed 

Word circulated around West Bend on Monday, Jan. 8 about the closure of Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 2400 W. Washington St. A manager at the store confirmed the business had closed. The property is owned by Mizpah Beach Properties LP of San Diego, California.  The property was purchased Aug. 1, 2006 for $1,807,024.

The Perkins franchise is owned by Pat Correll with CBT. Correll said corporate Perkins is mandating a remodel be completed by December 2018.

“That means franchisees like myself have to remodel all of our stores to their specifications by 2018 and that probably contributed to our decision at this time that it was not economically feasible at that location to move forward,” Correll said.

CBT leased the location since Rocky Rococo closed in late 1990. “I’ve been in there about 28 years as a Perkins,” Correll said. CBT has eight other Perkins locations in the Greater Milwaukee area. “Those locations will be in the process of remodeling however the West Bend location did not make the cut,” he said.

Staff said it was extremely surprised by the news and they didn’t know. There was a note on the door of the business Monday, Jan. 8 notifying customers the location, 2400 W. Washington St., was to close “permanently!!!!!”

Neighbors are starting to ask about gift cards. Those can be used at other Perkins outlets including those in Milwaukee on Port Washington Road and in West Allis.

UPDATE | Just four short days since the news broke there is some scuttlebutt about other interested parties moving into the location.

The closure of Perkins follows another restaurant closure in that area as Mother’s Day Restaurant, 501 Wildwood Road, closed its doors Oct. 17, 2017. Owner Sam Fejzuli said he had trouble getting employees and it was also difficult to “keep everybody happy.”

On a history note: Perkins restaurant was built in 1990 and prior to that, according to the city assessor’s office, the location used to be home to Pizza Slices Inc., which did business as Rocky Rococo in May 1985. In June 1988 Pizza Slices Inc. sold to RAL West Bend Inc. and it sold again in 1991 to Julia E. Schloemer.

Deer Management

There are two more days left in the Deer Management Program in West Bend as bow hunters try to trim the deer population by about 40. Five hunters qualified to take part in the program and after two days they’ve managed to harvest one deer.

“Nobody’s seen a thing today,” said Brad Zuba about his hunt at Lac Lawrann Conservancy. “But then Jeff and I walked out to Schmidt Road down that trail and we saw 20 deer. But we saw nothing sitting in the woods.”

Zuba said it was raining most of the afternoon on Thursday and deer normally hunker down in the thick brush off Schmidt Road. “They should be out moving again tomorrow,” said Zuba. “We just have to wait and see what the weather does. If it gets cold again they’ll be moving around.”

The five-day Deer Management Hunt runs from Jan. 10 – 14. Zuba said they had deer standing right in front of them when they put up their tree stands.

“Actually when it gets cold and freezes again that’ll be good because right now it’s so swampy,” he said. The park is closed to the public Jan. 10 – 14. Bow hunters will be able to keep only one deer; the others will be donated to the local food pantries and processing will be covered by the DNR.

The goal of the pilot hunt is to manage the deer population. The hunters were given 8 permits each for a total of 40 deer. There was also encouragement to collaborate during the hunt.

Hunters have to notify West Bend Police before going into the park and call again when they exit the park. Hunters are able to bait the deer with two gallons of corn per person.  Zuba said they set it out and it’s gone the next day.

“There are a lot of deer in there,” he said. “We’ve got two more days and we’ll hit it hard Saturday and Sunday.” A follow-up meeting will be Jan. 23 at 5:30 p.m. at West Bend City Hall.

Washington County Breakfast on the Farm

The 31st annual Washington County Breakfast on the Farm will be at Gehring View Farms this year, 4630 Highway 83 in Hartford. The host family will be Eugene and Christine Gehring and their family Derik, Jordan and Emily. This year’s Breakfast will be Saturday, June 9.

Power outages in Washington Co. will sound like a story in The Onion

There were 1,400 people in West Bend and Kewaskum without power this afternoon… and the reason for the outage is going to sound like a story out of The Onion. “It started at 11:15 a.m. around a power pole on County Road H and Badger Road,” said We Energies media relations Amy Jahns. “That was the source of the issue that caused the fire.”

Neighbors chimed in on Washington County Insider on Facebook that Moraine Park Technical College lost power just after 11 a.m.  The school was running on a generator. Motorists said the traffic lights were out on Highway 33 all the way from 18th and Chestnut to the Villa Park subdivision to the new Russ Darrow Nissan dealership and in Kewaskum.

Jahns said they’ve been seeing similar instances all over southeastern Wisconsin.

“When the weather is warmer with moisture in the air and there’s a lot of road salt, that moisture and road salt can mix and when it gets kicked up onto the power poles it becomes a conductor,” she said. “The electricity is already going through that equipment and sometimes the poles catch fire and that’s what we saw at this particular location.”

Jahns said there have been a dozen such power pole fires since Wednesday, Jan. 10. “We normally see this in the spring time but with the warm up and moisture we had over the past two days we’re seeing it a lot more frequently,” she said.

For the past few weeks much of Wisconsin has been in a deep freeze. On Sunday warmer temps gradually moved into the area and neighbors enjoyed comfortable 40s and even 50 degrees. Late Thursday afternoon there was consistent precipitation and temps dropped dramatically. The National Weather Service is reporting teens through the weekend.

Last day for Book World in West Bend

In October, 2017 the announcement was made that Book World, 1602 S. Main Street, in West Bend was closing.  Actually Book World announced it would close all 45 stores in seven states.

Book World, which touts itself as ‘family owned since 1976,’ opened its store in the Paradise Pavilion in August 2014. The last day for the store in West Bend will be Friday, Jan. 19.

“Since the liquidation sale was announced on Nov. 1, the incredible support of our loyal customers has allowed us to be one of the last stores closed in our chain,” said store manager Dr. Robert Burg. “That is a true testament to the relationship we have had with the larger community and we remain very thankful for that.”  Burg will oversee operations and the deeply-discounted store sales including store fixtures, until end of business at 8 p.m. on Jan. 19.

West Bend East Dance Team shows support for its No. 1 fan

The West Bend East Dance Team gathered Thursday afternoon at Vanity Salon in West Bend to show its support for their No. 1 fan. Cindy Manthey, grandmother of Dance Team sophomore Brianna Vitkus, was recently diagnosed with her second bout of breast cancer.

With chemotherapy on the horizon, Manthey was on her way to the salon to have her head shaved when she was surprised by the girls from the Dance Team.

As Manthey opened the door she was greeted by a flurry of bright pink pompoms and high-pitched squeals and cheers from the girls who offered support on Manthey’s journey.

“I think she’ll be better knowing we’re here to support her through this journey,” said Vitkus.

Vanity Salon stylist Sam Kempf donated her time to Manthey to help ease her into her medical transition. “This is a very emotional time but it’s also pretty inspiring to see how strong some people can be and it’s cool to see how everyone can be supportive,” Kempf said.

Manthey was brought to tears with all the attention. “This is actually very uplifting,” she said.

At the end of the evening Manthey penned a note of thanks.

“Going to get your hair cut preparing for chemo doesn’t seem too exciting UNLESS you have the whole West Bend East Varsity Dance Teamthere to surprise you with pompoms and all! I can’t say enough about coach Kaylee and these special young ladies. Thank you so much for taking time to support me. And just to arrange this wonderful evening – so amazing! And special thanks to my daughter, Laura. Still not sure how she and Brianna kept the secret! That goes for Cambrey and Blake, too!

All of you have given me more than meets the eye. You have given me the feeling of being truly loved and cared for and that is forever in my heart.

And that goes for Vanity Salon LLC, too. They generously donated pink hair extensions for each of the girls. Aly donated her time to deck the girls out with them. And Sam donated her time to give me the cutest hair cut ever! Absolutely LOVE it!

Thank you all for giving so kindly… and for caring. I will remember this forever.

Parents express concern about Privilege Test at Badger School

The White Privilege Test that became a hot topic of discussion prior to the Christmas break, came up again during the public comment section of Monday’s West Bend School Board meeting.

The test was given Dec. 20 to about 150 students at Badger Middle School.  Some parents in the district were upset about the line of questions and what they had to do with education.

Principal Dave Uelmen followed up with a note saying, “During the lesson, some classrooms deployed an optional, anonymous survey that was not derived from district curriculum. The survey was part of a follow up activity to discuss privilege as a lead-in to the “Civil Rights and A Mighty Long Way” module.”

At Monday’s meeting parent Susan True of West Bend addressed the board. Some of her comments are below. (Yes – it’s a little challenging to hear the women. Volume UP!)

– What alarmed me was the recent Privilege Test. When I saw West Bend was on featured on Tucker Carlson and Fox National News I became even more alarmed for the future of my kids in the West Bend Public School System.

– I want to know with this recent West Bend Public Schools making national news for reasons other than academic achievement is this the direction that was referenced by our superintendent Erik Olson upon resignation? And if it’s not what steps are being taken to reduce the exposure of our young minds to the misjudgment of a few teachers?

-This Privilege Survey… is basically in contrast to what Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘It’s not our outward appearance it’s the content of our character that matters’ and that is why this Privilege Survey was so hard hitting because it’s basically pigeon holing everyone in self reflection on your outward or inward non-character.

Parent Sara Zingsheim then followed with similar comments. She acknowledged once the test came to light parents found it had been given “for the past three years, time in class had been devoted to this non-curricular controversial piece of paper.”

Zingsheim identified herself as a therapist who works with teenagers every day and she noted “disturbing trends have increased since the advent of social media in 2011. Since cyber bullying began almost 80 percent of teens now report being bullied. Two thirds of these teens have at least one suicide attempt.”

-“What do students need more of? Learning how to respect themselves and others, the value of hard work, addressing students’ anxiety and depression with encouraging words, understanding and compassion.”

-“Middle school students don’t need to discover what they should protest or how they’re different. More than any other time in our history we the adults have to realize how our kids are the same. They’re bullied, anxious, overwhelmed, depressed, and suicidal and as parents and teachers we must turn our attention to what our kids need. It’s time that we take a stand.”

Jen Uelmen, wife of Badger School Principal Dave Uelmen, then spoke about following policies and procedures in the school district.

-“My concern is now this is a nationally-known topic because the proper channels were not followed.”

-“I’m wondering if parents are even concerned about how their negative actions towards the teachers and administration affect their children.”

-“I’m hoping in the future parents will follow the proper channels when addressing teachers and administration in our schools.”

-“Our children are leaders for tomorrow and we need to be modeling our behavior that is respectful and sets a good example.”

Badger Principal Dave Uelmen then spoke to the board and praised his staff. “At Badger we have amazing kids,” he said. “We have great families and very supportive families. I’d like to give a shout out to my staff. Bar none, the best staff in my opinion, we have in West Bend.”

The board also addressed the Privilege Test as a follow up during a Jan. 4 meeting on curriculum and policy.

“It was clear in our meeting last week that board members felt the use of this particular questionnaire was inappropriate and the board was assured that this questionnaire will not be used in any of the district schools,” said Board President Tiffany Larson.

Larson said leadership was also encouraged to review Policy 381 when onboarding new teachers and reviewing policy with current teachers at the start of each school year.

Following the meeting board member Joel Ongert was asked how parents will know administration is following through on this directive.

“Laura Jackson (interim superintendent) assured us that onboarding of new teachers at the beginning of the school year and half way through the school year the principals will be reminding their teachers about the policies we have in place in regards to curriculum, what needs to be approved before something is being used in the classroom,” said Ongert.

Questioned whether there were any ramifications for the teacher who brought in the curriculum that was not approved by the district. Ongert said it was “a personnel matter – but the teachers are taking this hard.”

Exclusive ticket offer for St. Patrick’s Day at the Washington Co. Fair Park

The Washington County Fair Park will be celebrating this St. Patrick’s Day with an indoor concert featuring Irish and Scottish folk tunes and classic pub songs from bands Tallymoore and Ceol Carde. Headlining the event will be U2 Zoo.

The Washington County Fair Park is kicking off the concert with an exclusive ticket offer on WashingtonCountyInsider.com. Mention the local news web page and get your tickets for $8 each, a $2 discount. This offer is good until Jan. 15, 2018.

Updates & tidbits

–Election Day is Tuesday, Jan. 16 as two candidates look to fill the seat in the 58th Assembly District. Republican Rick Gundrum won the special primary Dec. 19, describes himself as a “pro-life fiscal conservative.” Democrat Dennis Degenhardt is seeking political office for the first time. Degenhardt promised to focus his efforts in Madison on education, family-sustaining jobs, and affordable health care. Polls open at 7 a.m. on Tuesday and close at 8 p.m.

– The new shelter for men and women in Washington County will host a grand opening Tuesday, Feb. 6 from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.  The $1.4 million facility designed by American Construction Services of West Bend is located on Water Street will be called Karl’s Place in honor of Karl Glunz of Richfield.

– The Slinger Cub Scout pack is holding its annual Pinewood Derby on Saturday, Jan. 27 from 9 a.m. – noon in the old EVS dealership, 1180 S. Spring Street in Port Washington

Food will be collected for Slinger Food Pantry.

–The Knights of Columbus will host a Sheepshead Tournament and Spaghetti Dinner on Saturday, Jan. 20. The card tournament is from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. and dinner is from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. Cost is $9 per person and the event is open to the public. Contact Sandy to reserve your spot. (262) 334-9849 email: manager@thecolumbianhall.com

– The 18th annual Bridal Fair at the Washington County Fair Park is January 28. There will be over 70 vendors on hand with everything from dresses to cakes, wedding venues to entertainment. Tickets: $5 Pre-Sale $6 Day-Of *Children 12 and under are free. Tickets available at the Fair Park office and Amelishan Bridal.

– Stop in Saturday, Jan. 27 at Cedar Ridge for the annual Chili Social and Book Sale, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Enjoy a warm, delicious lunch, browse the book sale and take a tour of the independent-living apartments at Cedar Ridge, 113 Cedar Ridge Drive in West Bend.

– Cast Iron Luxury Living has a unique short-term leasing special. The remodeled West Bend Aluminum Company located on the scenic Milwaukee River is offering a month of free rent if you move-in before the end of January 2018. There are one and two-bedroom apartments available. For more information 262.334.7943 or castiron@hendricksgroup.net

-Help is available to families in Washington County that need assistance with winter heating bills. Contact Kay Lucas with the Washington County Human Services Department which oversees the Energy Assistance Program. The number is 262-335-4677.

Remembering Julie Ann Fabrics in West Bend 

Neighbors in West Bend may remember Rosemarie Alf from the old Julie Ann Fabrics store in West Bend.

Alf and her husband Marshall brought the franchise to West Bend in February 1969. “That shop was located at 120 N. Main Street next to a little diner in the old Marth (Centrum) building,” said Helen Baierl who was a partner with her sister. “We did a good business because people came downtown on Friday nights. We did much better than we thought we would that first year,” recalled Baierl as she talked about people lining up at the door when they initially opened.

Both sisters sewed and while Rosemarie’s husband Marshall helped run the store, sharpening scissors and repairing sewing machines, Helen’s husband Donald took care of the book work.

“When the Westfair mall came into town we moved there,” said Baierl remembering others in the mall in 1972 including Nobel Shoe Store, Koehn and Koehn Jewelers and Bits N’ Pieces Floral.

Julie Ann Fabrics carried everything for sewing including name brand patterns like McCall’s, Vogue, Simplicity and Butterick. “We had a lot of the mod stuff,” said Baierl laughing now about the A-line dresses she made ‘out of gaudy prints.’ Baierl also touted the store’s hands on customer service. “If customers couldn’t lay out a pattern they’d bring it in and we’d put it on the table and lay it out.” Baierl said they were so busy she put her four daughters to work dressing manikins. Other employees included Delores Goeden, Joan Fink, Gert Metrish, Kathy Dohman, Laverne Doll, and Delores Koenig.

“We made our daughter’s wedding dresses and prom dresses and I’d even put mine on the manikins and people would ask if they could buy it,” said Baierl who also did tailoring and upholstering.

Jean Falk was 17-years-old when she started working as a clerk at Julie Ann Fabrics from 1974 to 1984. “I did everything from helping customers select fabrics and patterns, to ordering ribbons and trim.”

Falk said the store was always busy. “That was back in the day when you would see families making christening gowns and wool coats and the schools still had very complete home economic programs.” Falk remembered freshmen making peasant blouses out of cotton and seniors who would do completely lined Pendleton suits.

Julie Ann Fabrics quickly developed a ‘full service’ reputation. “It got to the point where we’d walk and talk people through entire projects,” said Falk. “They’d run down to the store and just open a bag and throw it on the counter and go ok we’re at this point, what could we do.” Falk said she inherited her sewing skills from her grandmother and said when she applied for the job sewing was a prerequisite. “I had been a customer from the day they opened to the day I got hired so they knew,” laughed Falk claiming she was ‘in the store all the time.’

“We’d work with teachers, planning their curriculum and then we’d work with students who would come in to buy the stuff for their projects.” Falk reeled off home economics teacher’s names like it was yesterday including Ginny Froehlich from Kewaskum, Mildred Doss from West Bend and Mrs. Carol Stoltz from West Bend.

As far as Rosemarie was concerned, Falk said she was ‘a wonderful lady.’ “I thought it was cute when they said in her obituary she could burn up a motor in a sewing machine long before the warranty and she did, there was nothing she couldn’t make or fix. A lot of times she didn’t even use patterns she’d just start cutting and pinning and wah-lah there’d be an outfit.”

Rosemarie also put her wing around Falk, taking her to the buyers club to pick out fabrics for the seasons and sales reps would ask Falk’s opinion to ‘get a young point of view.’

As far as pay was concerned, Falk doesn’t remember the dollar as much as the discount. “If I made a fall outfit I could have the fabric and pattern and everything for free as long as I display it. So it was more the fringe benefits and the wonderful people I met while working there.”

Falk said all of the employees at Julie Ann Fabrics were encouraged to sew outfits for themselves. “The more stuff we made for ourselves and wore the better it was, because people would always say ‘what pattern number is that dress’ or ‘what pattern number is that skirt’ so we were always pretty fashion trendy,” said Falk who favored working with denim and often envied Rosemarie for her tailoring ability on suits and jackets.

Falk also got to do some modeling. “That meant a lot to me because I knew there was no way I would ever be a New York Ford model but at least I got my hands in it a little bit.”

Julie Ann Fabrics had celery green colored carpeting, the bolts of fabric were neatly organized and there was a little corner in the back of the store for kids to play while women sat at a counter with eight bar-stool- like chairs pouring over pattern books. “It was like a hangout,” said Falk recalling, ‘when we were in the Westfair Mall that was the buzz of the city.’

Often times, Falk remembered Rosemarie sitting across the hall at the Cookie Cone Café. “You’d see Rosie over there with her pattern book and her cup of coffee deciding what she was going to do next,” said Falk painting the picture of a typical afternoon at the mall.

The most hectic time of the year was inventory. “You would have to count yards of trim and yards of ribbon and yards of fabric on bolts,” said Falk about the project that normally occurred on New Years Day. “They’d run a sale in conjunction with that, like a football widow’s sale and get the women in while the men were at home watching football and we’d all be there counting our yards of fabric.”

Falk said the store would also ‘special order covered buttons and belts.’ “If a woman had a velvet jacket and the buttons would be velvet, we’d send them out and have a place cover the buttons and belts with that fabric.” Rosemarie worked a lot with bridal parties. “She’d make some head pieces and veils and she’d help them design bridal gowns and dresses and she knew just what you would line with lace and taffeta.”

Rosemarie was five years older than Helen, who was in her 30s when they started the business. “Marshall worked every day and Rosemarie and I switched off,” said Baierl admitting ‘if I had known how much work it was going to be I probably would have said we don’t want to do this.’

In 1987 Rosemarie and her husband retired and Julie Ann Fabrics was sold to Linda and Eugene Bodden. The store moved out of the Westfair Mall and into the Decorah Shopping Center where the A&P used to be.

Rosemarie Alf was 80 years old. She died last week Thursday August 16, 2007 under the care of the Kathy Hospice. A Memorial Mass was held Monday at St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church.