Sirens sound as Newburg couple celebrates 72nd wedding anniversary

Considering their age… the sirens that approached Friday night could be misconstrued for an emergency but the Newburg Fire Department rolled up to the driveway of Lucy and Norbert Carter to personally wish them a happy 72nd wedding anniversary. It could be the start of a Midwest tradition…. After a short panic and check of the pulse Norbert and Lucy welcomed the good wishes.

Lucy was 21 years old when she got married; Norbie was 18.

“We met at the Newburg centennial picnic,” said Lucy. It was July 27, 1947.

“I was there with my parents, standing on the merry go round with my little sister and he was looking at me.”

Norbert was with his buddies. “They were pretty wild,” said Lucy. “They were noisy.”

It did not take long and the pair were going out. Norbert picked her up in his black 1931 Chevrolet. The four-door had spoke wheels and there was white writing on the driver’s side and passenger doors. “Don’t spit the driver can’t swim” and “Peaches here’s your can.”

Lucy is almost 93.  Norbert turned 90 in April. Both vividly recall their wedding day August 28, 1948.

“We were married in the Newburg Holy Trinity priest’s house,” said Lucy. “I was Catholic and Norbert was Lutheran.”

“They wouldn’t marry us in the church,” said Norbert.

“And the bride could not have a sleeveless dress,” Lucy said.

Sitting in the couple’s driveway on Highway M on Friday night, both acknowledged the recent passing of Jack Eggers of Campbellsport. “He drove at my wedding,” said Norbert.

Black-and-white pictures of their wedding day are eased out of a large crisp white envelope. “I bought my dress up in Fond du Lac and that bridal shop, Edith’s, is still open,” said Lucy. “We all went into the priests house; only immediate family were allowed in.”

The couple first lived with Lucy’s grandmother. “Oh, and the rent was high,” said Norbert. “It was $15 a month. “There was no in-door plumbing. We had a hand pump for water and the toilet was up on the hillside.”

Three years after getting married the couple bought 1-acre of land from Lucy’s parents farm. “We started to build our own house in 1951 and we lived in the basement,” said Norbert. “I put tar paper over the top.”

Norbert laid all the block walls in the basement with the help of his brother. “The block were 12 inches and weighed 92-pounds apiece,” he said. “We poured the footings with a hand mixer that had a little electric motor on it. We wheeled it down in the hole on a ramp.”

“We both worked during the day and then we would come home at night and Norbert’s brother would dry mix the mortar during the day and we would eat supper and they would work on the roof half the night under the moonlight,” said Lucy.

“One night a neighbor complained, we can hear you pounding away,” said Norbert. “That was when I was putting shingles on the roof. Not a crack in those walls though….”

It was January 1951 when the couple realized their construction project would be put on hold. Norbert was drafted into the U.S. Army. He entered service in 1952. He spent 15 months and 22 days in Korea

“I never got to go to high school,” said Norbert. “I was put on the farm to help my uncle because he couldn’t get a hired man during the war.”

Norbert was one of seven boys in the family; four of his siblings were also in the service. “My dad was in World War I; my oldest brother was in the Navy during Pearl Harbor. Two of my brothers were in Germany, two of us were in Korea and my youngest son was in Desert Storm.”

Norbert went to Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania for basic training. That was followed by a stint in Washington and later he spent 17 days on a ship to Japan.

“We spent one night in Japan, got back on the boat and I spent the next 15 months and 22 days in Korea,” Norbert said.

Immediately stationed on the front line, Norbert recalls his orders.

“We were on night patrol and walked up to one area and were handed a steel vest and they said ‘put it on — this is the area where you need it’ and we walked some more and pretty soon we were up on Old Baldy,” he said referencing the site of five engagements during a 10-month span of the Korean War.

“For 32 days I helped build bridges while we were under fire,” he said. “There were some Army tanks on a couple mountains up there and we had to get them back for service work.

“The biggest bridge we had was 280-feet long and it was all steel treadway. We couldn’t work during the day because the enemy could see us and every day for the first five days the bridge was knocked out by artillery, so each day we had to tear it out and start over.”

Back home Lucy was working at Badger Meter in Brown Deer. “Most of the time I stayed with my parents. A neighbor man would pick me up and take me down to work where we made bullets,” she said.

Norbert and Lucy corresponded via letter. “It took 29 to 30 days when I mailed a letter to her and it was airmail; for her to mail a letter to me it took the same amount of time,” said Norbert.

 

One story about mailing a package to Korea involved a homemade hickory nut cake with frosting. “His mother sent the cake and it took weeks to get there and once they received it the frosting was all moldy,” said Lucy.

“The guys around me said, ‘We’re going to have dessert.’ We opened it up and it was green. In true soldier fashion, the fellas got some spoons and scraped the frosting off and ate the cake,” Norbert said smiling.

The letters Lucy received were censored. “The letters all had been opened and if they didn’t like something, they just cut it out,” said Lucy.

Upon his return Norbert said, “It was 19 days going over to Korea on a ship and it took 18 days coming back. Norbert was discharged in 1953 as a staff sergeant Section B in the Second Division Combat Engineers.

“We landed in San Diego, California. We came in on a ship and went under the Golden Gate Bridge and within two hours we went over the top on a bus and we were there two or three days and then bused to Camp Carson Colorado.”

“I drove all the way to Colorado to pick him up and bring him home,” said Lucy.

When Norbert and Lucy reunited at home things moved quickly. “The day we moved into the house, June 1955, was the day I brought home my first daughter,” said Lucy.

Over the years the Carters had four boys and four girls. Today their family has grown to 16 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

“I used to sew lots of clothes,” said Lucy. “We wore aprons and I had an electric sewing machine and got my material from JC Penny.”

Lucy credits her mother and grandmother for her skills, both sewing and in the kitchen. “The family liked my homemade noodles, homemade sweet rolls, and coffee cakes,” she said.

“And homemade bread,” said Norbert.

Both Norbert and Lucy tended a big garden. “Norbie has been called the Tomato Man,” said Lucy.

The Carters said the hard work they experienced throughout their lives is what they credit as the secret to a long and happy marriage.

Body found in Washington County

A body has been found in Washington County and the Washington County Sheriff’s Department is investigating. According to Sheriff Martin Schulteis the body was found Monday, August 24, 2020 in the Town of Addison. An autopsy is currently underway. Schulteis declined further questions regarding where the body was located, how it was found, or the gender. “This is all still under investigation,” he said.

More details will be released as information becomes available.

Building home to Rose Marie’s Hair Designers for sale

Watch for a For Sale sign to go up shortly at the corner of Chestnut and Main Street in West Bend as the building that is home to Rose Marie’s Hair Designers is on the market, 408 S. Main Street.

The property is listed by Adam Williquette, president of American Commercial Real Estate.

The building was constructed in 2002 and the parcel is priced at $239,000. Click HERE for details.

Prior to the hair salon moving in September 2011 the location was home to Morning Glory Coffee & Conversation owned by Marianne Olson. In September 2000, Morning Glory had been located across the street, 349 S. Main Street, in the cream city brick building when her delicious coffee and scrumptious homemade bakery outgrew the location.

The shop jumped kitty-corner to 408 S. Main where Marianne purchased a big coffee roaster and meticulously decorated for the ever-changing season.

The coffee shop which was later purchased by Mark and Tina Thull. The couple from Kewaskum bought the business in August 2008 but by December 2009 the Thulls were looking to close. After a brief hiatus they hired a new manager and reopened briefly in February 2010.

Prior to Morning Glory the southwest corner of Main and Chestnut was home to Rick Takacs and Meadowbrook Market.

Meadowbrook Market had fresh produce in the summer, pumpkins in October and Christmas trees in December. The corner store had an open concept and car-dealership streamers of colorful flags above the lot. The corner sign featured a farmer in a straw hat holding an ear of corn. The building was razed in April 2002.

On a history note: Remember her big dog that laid on the carpet at the entrance to Morning Glory Coffee shop. The dog was a 100+ pound Samoyed. What was its name?

Horicon Bank’s Shred Day is Saturday, September 12

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. 12 from 10 a.m. – noon.

Two homes razed on W. Washington Street in West Bend

Two homes in the 2100 block of W. Washington Street are being razed to make way for a new two-story office building. The homes are being leveled to make way for a 6,334-square-foot commercial building located 2115-2121 W. Washington Street.

It was March 2020 when a site plan was reviewed for the new Oak Brook Dental, currently located at 1201 Oak Street, West Bend. Oak Brook Dental will occupy the upper level and the lower level will be built out for a possible second dental office pending approvals.

Zoning: The 0.71-acre lot is zoned B-1 Community Business District. Two driveways exist on the site and the new proposal will utilize the eastern most driveway connection to W. Washington Street.

A total of 24 parking stalls (22 standard parking and 2 barrier free parking stalls) are provided for the development. The parking requirement for a dentist\medical use requires 5 parking stalls per doctor and parking for employees based on the largest shift. Based on the parking calculations 28 stalls would be needed. The developer is requesting a parking exception for the reduced number of stalls based on the anticipated needs that the office will generate.

Lateral Service\Utilities: Sanitary sewer and water laterals will be extended from the existing mains W. Washington Street to serve the buildings. An apparent electric easement may exist along the property frontage and should be verified.

Grading\Storm Water Management: A storm water management plan has been submitted and reviewed for the development. Prior to the issuance of a building permit, the storm water management plan must be approved.

25th annual Boltonville Fire Department Street Dance is Saturday, September 12

The last big bash of the summer is Saturday night, September 12 at the Boltonville Fire Department. The Street Dance starts at 5 p.m. with food and refreshments. There is an $8 donation at the door to see Rebel Grace. Proceeds benefit the Boltonville volunteer Fire Department.

Celebrating women’s right to vote in Washington County

There was a large gathering outside on Veteran’s Plaza on Wednesday, August 26, 2020 as officials from Washington County gathered to honor the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment which granted women the right to vote.

Former State Assembly Majority Leader Pat Strachota was the guest speaker. Segments of her speech are below, Women Suffrage Centennial Speech.

“It was August 26, 1920 that the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, was finally ratified.

One hundred years ago the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution stated: The rights of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”

This Amendment codified in law, for the first time that women, like men deserve all the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and this still holds true today.

Whistles and bells rang out in cities all across America acknowledging this historic day.

“Susan B. Anthony, is probably the best known suffragette. She was recruited by Elizabeth Stanton to travel and give many forceful speeches including her famous quote, “Failure is impossible” as well as this excerpt from her best known speech after her arrest for casting an illegal vote in the presidential election of 1872.

And I quote, “It was we, the people, not we, the white male citizen, nor yet we the male citizen; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union. And we formed it not to give the blessings of liberty, but to secure them, not to be the half of ourselves and the half of our posterity, but to the whole people – women as well as men. And it is downright mockery to talk to women of their enjoyment of the blessings of liberty while they are denied the use of the only means of securing them, provided by this democratic-republican government – the ballot.”

These were powerful words by a lady who was small in stature but large in her thinking.

A depth of gratitude is owed to these women and all the suffragists who were willing to voice their opinions, sacrifice their time and dedicate their lives so women could have the right to vote and participate in forming their government and communities.”

Hartford Lions Club accepts Eagle Scout Project | By Thomas Sweet

The Hartford Lions Club is heavily involved with vision-impaired people all over the world.

The Lion Club teamed with Boy Scout Aaron Haas, 14, of Slinger as he worked to complete an Eagle Scout project to build eyeglass collection boxes. This was designed to be coordinated with a Boy Scout doing his Eagle Scout Project.

Haas and his family met with leaders of the Lions Club and Aaron persisted in getting the project okayed by his troop, fund raising and bringing together a group of fellow scouts to work on the project.

The design of the boxes was modified slightly and the final project looked very sharp. The boxes will be placed in high-traffic areas like U.S> Post Offices, credit unions, schools and libraries. Total man hours in the project hit 150.

Highlighted in Lions Club yellow and blue colors, the boxes are sure to raise public awareness of what the Lions Clubs stand for as well as increase the collection of used eyeglasses, which are then refurbished and sent to undeveloped countries all over the world.

Aaron is entering Slinger High School where he has been part of Student Council and National Honor Society.

He will be a class officer his freshmen year. He was on the Yearbook Committee and Forensic team all three years of middle school.

With the Scouts, he earned Life Rank, went through National Youth Leadership Training, got confirmed at Still Waters UMC, and became a member of Brotherhood of the Order of the Arrow.

Aaron also donated $890 to the Lions’ Club that represents fund raising that did not go to the actual project. This was all warmly received by the Lions Club organization.

Aaron gave a fantastic recount of the entire project and the Lions Club expects to see him going a long way in life. Many thanks for a job well done.

Halloween store to open in former Shopko building in West Bend

The big white storage pods sitting in the parking lot of the former Shopko, 1710 S. Main Street, in West Bend are filled with costumes and Halloween displays as the empty big box store will temporarily be home to Spirit Halloween.

There are 16 Spirit Halloween stores in Wisconsin. The store in Fond du Lac is currently open.

According to its website:

Spirit Halloween has one single goal, to deliver the very best Halloween experience possible to all of our guests. We are the largest seasonal Halloween retailer in the world and the premier destination for everything Halloween. Since being acquired by Spencer Gifts, LLC in 1999, we have grown from 63 locations to over 1,300 across the United States and Canada and service the globe on SpiritHalloween.com.

Emily Putnam with Spirit Halloween said the store in West Bend will likely open in a couple weeks. The store’s web page lists “planned to open September 3.”

The stores normally stay open through November with big sales after Halloween, October 31.

The Halloween supply store will only take up about a third of the front of the former Shopko building.  This is the second year Spirit Halloween has operated out of the old Shopko, which officially closed in June 2019. The last day for the Shopko in West Bend was April 15, 2019.

Trick or treat hours across Washington County.

Town of Addison 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 25.

Village of Jackson 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31.

Village of Slinger 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31.

Village of Germantown 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. (Ben from the clerk’s office said, “Trick or treat will go on even if it snows…. like it did in 2019.” He said Germantown received 6 inches of snow. Remember that??

Village of Kewaskum 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31.

Village of Richfield 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31.

West Bend 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31.

Ghost sign discovered during demolition of Fleet Farm

As the final chapter of the old Fleet Farm, 1637 W. Washington Street, in West Bend comes to a close there was a brief glimpse of history caught as the demolition neared its final stage.

The northeast corner of the building is the oldest part of Fleet Farm. Barely visible on the dirty white brick is an arrow symbol pointing to the left with the words entrance. That same sign can be seen in the submitted photo below. The blocked windows can also be seen in the video on the back side of the building.

According to Terry Becker with You Know You Are from West Bend….

“the northeast portion of the old Fleet & Farm building dates back to March 1, 1949, the date the old “West Bend Pilot” newspaper was sold to brother investors Alan and Robert Pick along with their nephew Andrew J. Pick Jr.

The new endeavor, “The Pilot Press Inc.”, combined newspaper publishing and commercial printing all under one new roof built on W. Cherry (now Washington) Street during their first year at the helm. Tragedy also struck that first year when the young, vibrant Andrew Pick Jr. age 35 died of a cerebral hemorrhage on January 20, 1950 just three days after becoming father to his new baby daughter.

The grueling newspaper portion of the business merged with the West Bend News in 1954. The commercial printing portion of the business continued until 1959 when it was sold to Alfred Ramsthal’s Serigraph Sales. Equipment and files were moved to Serigraph’s new plant on Indiana Avenue, thus ending the final chapter of the “Pilot.”

The vacant building would soon become home to West Bend’s “Fleet & Farm.”

A couple recollections from the old, old store.

Andrea Peterson – Riding into town with Dad, stopping a Tri Par for gas and candy cigarettes then on to Fleet Farm and holding my breath in the stinky garden/lawn chemical aisles. Backing your cart all the way down an aisle or going 3 aisles over so you can get your cart near the checkout. Decades later shopping there for my kid’s Christmas present when the seasonal toy shop opened.

Matt Smith – Small squared off room was the ammo room. I helped expand it in 2001 when we started to fill CO2 tanks and did fishing line spooling. Also, the NE corner rumor had it was a former machine shop. The original blueprints for the build when it turned to fleet farm were in a crawl space up in the SW corner of the store. Many memories in that building.

Letter to the Editor |     | By Kraig Sadownikow

I recently took a look at a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center that came out the first week in August.  It revealed why voters support either President Trump or Joe Biden.

The survey listed various important traits of a quality candidate such as leadership, policy positions and temperament.  It also listed a few attributes independent of performance such as party affiliation.

A full 72% of those intending to vote for President Trump say they support him for quality-based reasons while 38% support him simply because he is Republican or for other undisclosed reasons.  It is pretty powerful that a super-majority of supporters have clearly taken the time to research the President and recognize tangible job performance-based reasons for endorsing him.

Most startling to me, however, is the leading reason supporters of Joe Biden are choosing him as their candidate.  He is not supported for what he has done, he is not supported for what he plans to do.  He is not even supported for who he is.  He is being supported for who he is not.  56% of Joe Biden’s support comes because he is not President Trump.  To me, this means virtually anyone could be on the Democrat ticket in November and would get support of 56% of Democrat voters.  This is a scary statistic that hopefully causes real concern to the American people and acts as a gut-check for Democrat supporters.

Not being President Trump may help Joe Biden get elected.  Big deal.  Once in office though, don’t we all want someone there whose supporters voted for them because they had great ideas, was a quality leader, and because they believe in the American people and values?

Electing a President because they are not someone else may feel good at first but is this really good for the United States?  Ideally the candidate I support for valid reasons will win.  If not, at a minimum, I would like the candidate that does win to have support for who they are and what they plan to do and not be supported just because they are not someone else.

I understand there are those who do not support President Trump.  If you feel that way, don’t vote for him.  Similarly, if you do not support Joe Biden for who he is, please don’t vote for him either.  It is insulting to our Republic, our history, and is dangerous for all Americans.

Kraig K. Sadownikow

City of West Bend

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