FROM THE CORNER

Holy Family Church in Stanley is set to reopen on Saturday, July 9, with the 4 pm Mass. It has been closed since March 12 for installation of new flooring throughout the building, reorganization of the choir area, and new lighting in the sanctuary. Various delays in receiving lighting materials were experienced during the renovation. Some minor work needs to still be done on the lighting and a few pews need bolting to the floor when the lighting is totally completed. *** Kutzee’s Supper Club celebrated 20 years in business with a lawn and parking lot party on Saturday, July 2. Congratulations Kutzee on a milestone of offering good food and service to the greater Stanley-Boyd area. Best wishes for many more years of operating a successful business. *** Congratulations and thank you to Sue Kiraly, who retired on June 30, after working 25.5 years for the Stanley-Boyd School District as its Finance Manager. Best wishes for a long, enjoyable and adventuresome retirement. Linda Klapperich has been hired to fill the vacancy. *** We recently had a short visit with relatives in Naperville, IL On Sunday, June 26, we attended a Women’s Club sponsored Art Show in a local park. I am always amazed at the items that are new to me and the prices were eye opening. They were far from the prices at the Stanley Lions Flea Market that will be taking place this year on Sunday, July 31. On Monday we visited Lake Geneva. A 26 mile narrated boat tour around the lake gave one an overview of what the rich and famous Chicagoan’s playground was like. in the early 1900’s. We traveled home on Tuesday. No major road construction was encountered. *** Guess who is celebrating their 60th birthday? In case you didn’t know, it is Tombstone Pizza. Tombstone Pizza has an interesting history that even fits into Pat and my relationship. The first Tombstone Pizza was made at the Tombstone Tap in Medford back in 1962, when it was operated by brothers, Ron and Joe “Pep” Simek. Pep broke a leg doing the Peppermint Twist and had to be off his feet. During that time he made the first pizza to sell at their beer bar, which got its name from being located across the road from a cemetery. Before long the Simek’s were on the road selling their pizzas to grocery stores throughout Wisconsin. After the business grew and grew, in 1988 Tombstone Pizza was sold to Kraft Foods. On January 5, 2010, Kraft sold its frozen pizza business to Swiss-based Nestle Foods, who continue to own the brand today. Pat began her post-high school education at Medford’s Taylor County Teachers College in 1963, when Tombstone Pizza was still in its infancy. As our dating relationship grew, naturally we explored each others past haunts and we made a visit to the Tombstone Tap. What a unique history of a business that has thrived in the community of Medford and has grown to be a major employer in that community. And Tombstone Pizza is still a great pizza! As Paul Harvey use to say, “And that’s the rest of the story.” *** Here’s some history that I found interesting. It is a snapshot of the U. S. Job History and features the most common jobs of 150 years ago (1872). There were few settlers in the Stanley Area in those days, however small logging operations were taking place in this area and had been going on since 1869. The job category is followed by the number of jobs at that time: 1.) Farmers and planters – 108,240; 2.) Agricultural labors – 50,753; 3.) Laborers (not specified) – 24,670; 4.) Domestic servants – 19,141; 5.) Carpenters and joiners – 7,815; 6.) Sawmill operators – 4,318; 7.) Teachers (not specified) – 4,154; 8.) Clerks in stores – 3,653; 9.) Blacksmiths – 3,614; 10.) Tailors and seamstresses – 2,669; 11.) Employees of the railroad companies (not clerks) – 2,625; 12.) Lumber men and rafters – 2,106. The railroads helped America expand and grow. The Wisconsin Central Railroad came through Stanley around 1880 and thus the number of people coming to the area increased. The people living in the area in 1872 contributed little to the numbers stated above. *** One negative effect of the pandemic was that drinking alcoholic beverages increased significantly. Research performed by Columbia University School of Public Health showed that sales of alcohol in retail stores during the first three quarters of 2020, during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, increased by 20% over the first three-quarters of 2019. Beer sales in 2020 reached $331 billion. According to Beer Servers, on average, Americans in 2020 drank almost 26 gallons of beer per adult aged 21 or older. Beer consumption in Wisconsin per adult averaged 33.7 gallons, so Wisconsinites were well above the national average of 26 gallons per adult over 21. So if you and I didn’t meet the average, a heck of a lot of other people had to make up for us? *** Gilman has joined area communities that no longer have a grocery store. They join Colby, Spencer, Loyal, Greenwood, Boyd and Cadott. The Gilman Market closed this past spring. *** Wisconsin Farm Technology Days is again an easy drive from Stanley. This year’s show will be held at Roehl Acres just a little southwest of Loyal. Mark your calendar for this year’s show which will take place July 12-14. The theme this year is, “Where Tradition and Technology Meet.” Clark County Economic Development and Tourism will have two tents. Some of the area historical societies will have tables which will feature historical pictures and artifacts of the county’s rural development. The Stanley Area Historical Society will be among those with a table and will display pictures of early Town of Worden farming and logging. So if you attend make sure to stop by the Clark County tents and check out the City of Stanley and Stanley Area Historical Society displays. *** Smile time. A woman was found guilty in traffic court and when asked her occupation, she said she was a school teacher. The judge leaped up from the bench. “Lady, I have waited for a school teacher to appear before this court for a long time. He smiled with delight and said, Now go sit down at that table and write, “I will not run a red light,” 500 times.” +++ God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change. The courage to change directions when I see them coming. And the wisdom to not try to smack some sense into them when I can’t avoid them. Amen! +++ A saleswoman is driving toward home in Northern Arizona when she sees a Navajo woman hitchhiking. Because the trip had been long and quiet, she stops the car and the Navajo woman climbs in. During their small talk, the Navajo woman glances surreptitiously at a brown bag on the front seat between them. “If you wondering what’s in the bag,” offered the saleswoman, “It’s a bottle of wine. I got it for my husband.” The Navajo woman thinks, then nods and says, “Good trade.”

BY DAVID JANKOSKI