West Bend Sausage Plus is now open

It’s been a long time coming for neighbors in West Bend who have patiently waited for West Bend Sausage Plus to open. Ben Houle, 31, is the new owner of the local meat market, 1435 W. Washington Street.

“We have the best cuts of meat, a wide variety of homemade salads and dips and desserts and of course we’ll have the best Friday fish fries and ham and rolls on Sunday,” Houle said.

Houle began his career at Karl’s Country Market in Menomonee Falls and then Burbachs Meat Market at 53rd and Hampton in Milwaukee. He also lived in Texas and worked at a small shop that made sausage.

“I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for a long time,” Houle said. “I want to bring this place back to what it was when Ries’s were here and then add some of my own special touches.”

Houle will carry local products including locally-made cheese, Steinke’s Gourmet Popcorn from Mayville, and Meis Breading products from Barton.

“I’ll have a lot of Kewaskum Frozen Foods,” he said. “We’ll have a full deli, full meat counter, a sandwich maker and the deli will have broasted chicken, mashed potatoes, Friday fish fry and Sunday we’ll have hot ham and rolls.”

West Bend Sausage Plus will be open:  Mon – Thursday 9 a.m. – 7 p.m., Friday – Saturday 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. West Bend Sausage Plus has an Original Class A Combination liquor license.

It was February 2018 when Ries’ Sausage Plus Spirits Meat & Deli closed.

On a side note: Watch for new signs to go up on the building’s facade in the coming weeks.

Dairy Queen in Jackson has been sold

The Dairy Queen in Jackson has been sold. Kevin Scheunemann of Kewaskum is the new owner of the business, N168W21991 Main St, Jackson, WI. He closed on the purchase August 3, 2018.

The property is assessed at $547,800. The sale price has yet to be published. Scheunemann now owns the DQ in Kewaskum and the one in Jackson.

This week, Scheunemann went before the Village of Jackson Plan Commission with new designs for the facade and the sign along Highway 60. Scheunemann has contractors set to start Sept. 12 and hopes they will be done by October. “We have done some interior painting already and we have a new soft-serve machine,” said Scheunemann. “This store has some potential with modernizing and once the 2-2 remodel gets done and we’ll have a layout fixed so service will be more streamlined.”

City of West Bend considering sharp shooters for deer management

Coming up at its Sept. 10 the West Bend Common Council will review a managed deer hunt for the 2018-19 season. The city is targeting a reduction in deer numbers in an effort to reduce deer damage to habitat, property and car/deer collisions.

This is the second year the City is attempting to reduce the deer population. During an archery hunt at the end of December 2017 three hunters managed to kill three deer in a span of five days.

For this year the Deer Management Committee will recommend to have licensed sharp shooters perform the hunt during the evening at Ridge Run Park and Lac Lawrann Conservancy. The hunt will be conducted while the parks are closed.

The sharp shooters are part of a cooperative service agreement with the USDA Wildlife Service. They will target the removal of 30 deer per park.

The financial plan for the managed hunt will not exceed $9,002. The City is also applying for a $5,000 Urban Wildlife Damage Abatement and Control grant.

Election results for Big Cedar Lake PRD

There was an election Wednesday night as four candidates vied for two seats on the Big Cedar Lake PRD. Each seat carried a 3-year term.

The terms of board members Roger Walsh and Jim McGath had expired. McGath chose not to run again. Walsh was on the ballot with David Claussen, Nicole Gonring and Troy Zagel.

Nearly an hour after ballots had been cast and votes tabulated the results were read by Walsh. Final numbers showed Walsh with 197 votes, Claussen 166 votes, Gonring 163 votes, Zagel 161 votes.

Only five votes separated three candidates. Dan Carroll, Operations Manager/Chief of Patrol at Big Cedar Lake PRD, said they counted the votes five times.

There were about 300 people who voted Wednesday night. Gonring questioned if they counted five times, how come these were the final totals they settled on. Both Zagel and Gonring said they will ask for a recount.

Veterans from Washington Co. on the Sept. 15 Honor Flight

Eight veterans from Washington County will be on the Sept. 15 Stars & Stripes Honor Flight. Veterans include Jerry Bentfield of Hartford who served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, Oscar Rathke of Jackson, and six veterans from West Bend including Ed Farrell, Vietnam War Army, Lester Hahn, WWII Army, Michael Henner, Vietnam War Army, Bob Martin, Vietnam War Army, Bob Schulz, Vietnam War Army, and Ivan Vorderbruggen, Korean War Army. This is the 47^th mission of the Stars & Stripes Honor Flight since 2008.

National Exchange Bank on W. Washington Street to close

Notifications went out earlier this year regarding the closure of the National Exchange Bank branch at 2412 W. Washington Street in West Bend.

According to officials at National Exchange Bank, “The decision to close the Hancock, West Bend Washington and Cambria offices is the result of the completion of a thorough branch sustainability analysis including the evaluation of traffic and transactions, past performance and predicted future performance, customer mapping and proximity to other NEBAT locations, among other factors.”

It appears “traffic and transactions” were part of the decision to close the branch on W. Washington Street.

If you look at that 1-block radius around Hwy 33 and Wildwood Road there have been quite a few changes over the past two years. To the east of the bank Perkins Restaurant & Bakery closed in January 2018. Prior to that Mother’s Day Restaurant, to the west of the bank, closed in October 2017.

On a positive note Don Ramon Mexican Restaurant opened in July 2018 at the former Mother’s Day location and Russ Darrow Nissan opened up the street in March 2018.

There’s more development ahead on that end of town as Morrie’s West Bend Honda will break ground shortly on Hwy 33 and Scenic Drive and then the largest Fleet Farm in the state is being built on Hwy 33 just east of CTH Z.

National Exchange Bank indicates the closure of the branch on W. Washington Street will occur Sept. 28. There will also be a change in hours for the Allenton branch as it appears it will no longer be open on Saturday.  “At this time, we will be adjusting the hours at Allenton; however, there are not any other immediate hour changes. Office hours are continually evaluated for the best customer service in the most efficient manner.”

Updates & tidbits

– The Kettle Moraine Ice Center will host a try hockey free weekend Sept. 14-16. Any interested family can register at www.wcyha.org

-Rolfs Avenue on the east side of West Bend will be open to vehicular traffic between Lang Street and Creek Road somewhere mid to late morning on Friday, Sept. 7, 2018. This new road extension will provide a connection from Creek Road to Washington Street to replace the section of Schmidt Road that served this junction in the past. That segment of Schmidt Road is being vacated to revert back to Washington County ownership, and will no longer connect to Washington Street.

-Cars in Kewaskum, formerly the Grand Larsony Custom Classic Car Show, is set for Saturday, Sept. 15. Mike Beal from Top Fuel is organizing the event. This year money raise will be donated to Art Klemme and Janine Prunty. Modern Woodmen will provide matching funds.

-Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 777 S. Indiana Avenue, in West Bend is dedicating its $3.2 million “Building Connections” expansion project Sunday, Sept. 9. There will be a meal and banquet following the 10:30 a.m. service.

– St. Gabriel’s Parish is excited to announce Milwaukee Brewers Hernan Perez, will be at the St. Gabe Flea Market on Sept. 8 from 9:30 a.m. – 11:30am for a meet and greet and Perez will be signing autographs.  Proceeds will benefit Karl’s Place/Family Promise in West Bend.

– Hartford’s H.e.l.p. Corner at Redeemer Church is slated to open mid-September.

–The annual St. Frances Cabrini Used Book Sale and Rummage Sale is Saturday, Sept. 8 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 9 from 8:30 a.m. – noon in Mother Cabrini Hall in the lower level of church. Used book donations will be accepted from now through Sept. 7.   

– Make your life more secure by shredding old documents and make your community better too. Horicon Bank, 1535 W. Paradise Drive, in West Bend will be collecting donations for the Wisconsin Honor Flight at its Shred Day event, Saturday, Sept. 8 from 10 a.m. – noon.

– The annual Friends of Pike Lake Community and Campfire concert is Saturday, Sept. 8 at 6 p.m. Entertainer Randy Peterson, will perform in the Pike amphitheatre.

-St. Frances Cabrini annual Rummage Sale is Thursday, Sept. 20 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday, Sept. 21 from 8 a.m. to noon in Mother Cabrini Hall in the lower level of the church. Baked goods will also be available. Rummage items can be dropped off Sept. 15 through Sept. 19.

– There’s a golf outing Sept. 23 at West Bend Lakes Golf Club and proceeds go to the Luke Gromowski Ironman Scholarship Fund. Gromowski was a senior at West Bend East when he died in a car accident in November 2014. A $1,000 scholarship will be presented each year to a senior from West Bend East and West High School that participated in football from fifth grade through their senior year. Registration is 8 a.m. with a 9 a.m. shotgun start. The cost is $100 per adult and $50 for a student. Contact Ed Ihlenfeld at 262-707-5449 for more detail.

– Rally Time Sports Bar and Grill in West Bend is looking for a part-time line cook position. Rally Time has a family-friendly team atmosphere. The position is primarily day shift and coverage as needed. Call Dan at 262-389-1142 or Cindy at 262-389-0839 or stop at the bar for an application.

– Sign up today for the 8th Annual Swinging for Seniors Golf Outing at West Bend Lakes Golf Club. All proceeds benefit Senior Citizens Activities, Inc. Stick around after golf and take part in the Classics for a Cause Raffle and a chance to win a 1968 Ford Mustang.

Reflecting on my first job on this Labor Day weekend

Let’s dive head first into a 3-day weekend and it’s all thanks to the Labor Day holiday.

Typically the end of summer and traditionally, in fashion circles, the end of women wearing white.

On this Labor Day weekend we’ll collect stories about your first labor job.

Aside from babysitting I remember the summer I got a job working overnights in the bakery at Food Lane Grocery. It was located on Hampton and Santa Monica in Whitefish Bay.

Don’t ask me what I made… it had to have been about $4 and change an hour.

My boss was named Jim and my coworkers were both named Jim.

My younger sister got a job in the bakery too. Although she lasted only one day she turned in a 2-week notice and then quit. I’m sure that had to do with our solid Christian upbringing and good German work ethic.

We would gossip about our overnight shift. Talking about the Jims was confusing so we dubbed them Jim No. 1, Jim No. 2 and Jim No. 3. One day my sister told them about our system and Jim No. 2 wasn’t too happy with his handle.

This was a typical summer teen job, but it was also the summer where I determined I would work round the clock and make tons of money.

Fatigue be damned!

The shift at Food Lane ran 11 p.m. – 6 a.m.  Then I delivered the Milwaukee Journal (the Green Sheet days) in the afternoon. I didn’t have just one route; I had about 10. Tom Jakubowski was my boss. I had a bike and a wagon. On Sunday my dad would get up and help. We had a light lime green station wagon with wood-panel siding.

We loved delivering to the apartments.

Lower-level parking garage combined with elevators made for easy money.

My dad would time us and we’d run each floor dropping the thick, coupon-filled papers at the door.  Our delivery addresses were color coded and written on index cards that could easily be carried in our pockets.

Each apartment complex had its own aroma with regard to what was for dinner. Lots of Polish and German in WFB.

Back at the bakery the overnight shift bread baking and whatnot was handled by the Jims. I dropped the donuts in the vat of hot grease.

Drops of grease would jump out of the metal tub and burn off your arm hair. I rolled and flipped the dough with a tool that looked like a wooden oar from a boat. That thick stick had seen better days.

The donuts were then frosted, filled with jelly or cream, or rolled in sugar. It grossed me out the industrial tubs of jelly and yellow cream filling.

Night after night I made the donuts.

Friday night was the busiest because all the dads came in Saturday and continued a tradition their dad started buying boxes of crullers, peanut squares and long johns.

I remembered the Jims smoked cigarettes while baking.

Jim No. 1 had a perm and reminded me of Barney Miller, the cop comedy from the 1970’s that my mom thought was hilarious.

One day I had a whole tray of long johns (no filling) covered in white icing. I spun around and ran into Jim No. 1 and they all flew onto the floor.

He wasn’t happy. “Put another layer of icing on them and put ‘um in the lower level of the case,” he said with his smoky breath. That incident scarred me for life. I’m not a big fan of bakery…

At one point during that summer I thought I could add one more job to the mix. Work somewhere between the end of the paper routes and the start of the bakery.

It took two weeks for me to track down a uniform for Kopp’s Frozen Custard. I lasted one shift.

I liked it not at all. Nor did I care for the stainless steel counters. Everything left a fingerprint …. even if you just looked at it the wrong way.

Good grief. Those were the days. (All in the Family reference)

Years later I interned in the sports department at WTMJ. I wrote for Jim Irwin. He was the morning sportscaster on AM 620. The station was located on Capital Drive in Shorewood. I biked there about 3 a.m. and beat him into work every day. I typed out (on an electric typewriter) all the sports that happened overnight.

Mr. Irwin would come in about 5 minutes before he had to go on air. He’d let out a big sigh when he entered the sports office. He’d reluctantly look over my stories, tap them on the metal desk to organize them neatly and then toss them in the trash and walk into the studio and report the sports off the top of his head. His co-host was Robb Edwards.

This happened every single day. I don’t believe he cared for me, but I never missed a day. I interned the entire summer. On my last day Mr. Irwin read one line from the copy I wrote. It was a crumb… but I was thrilled!

On a side note: I was informed at the time…. women did not “do sports.” I was advised to “go into news.” This reflection on my radio career makes me sound like a dinosaur.