FROM THE CORNER

Looking for something to help pass away the winter? Check out the Stanley-Boyd Community Pool and Fitness Center. If you’re an early riser, there is an adult early morning swim M-F from 5:30 am to 7 am. If you’re a family looking for an outing, the pool is open Saturdays and Sundays during January, February and March. Saturdays, the hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sundays, the hours are 12 noon to 4 p.m. *** Interestingcomment!! OnSaturday,January8,therewasa youth basketball tournament at the school. When I arrived at the pool around 10 am, a middle aged gentleman came into the pool to take a look. His question was, “How can such a small community have such a beautiful pool?” I sometimes think folks from out of town appreciate this Stanley-Boyd gem more than those who live on top of it. Swimming is a lifetime/lifesaving exercise that you never forget once your learn how. Children in our school district are fortunate to have swimming lessons available to them on a regular basis. It is also nice to see young families having an outing on Saturday and even using the Community Room for a swimming/birthday party. *** Did you know? Why keep your fuel tank near full year round and especially in the winter? In 2019, AAA responded to 488,000 out of fuel calls. Don’t become a statistic! *** I would like to add my best wishes to Kathy Bernier as she retires as our State Senator. I will take it back to the time I served as mayor and she was Chippewa County Clerk. There were few times that I visited the court house and had a need to stop at the County Clerk's office that Kathy didn't invite me into her office for a conversation.. She was indeed a people person and always made herself available to elected officials and was an asset to the clerks, especially new ones, at the city, village and town levels of government. Her recent statewide fame came in her bucking her own Republican colleagues over former President Trump’s insistence that he won the 2020 election, and their hiring former Supreme Court Judge Michael Gableman, to explore the election results in Wisconsin. Kathy’s experience as a county clerk provided her a background on the fairness of the process of how elections are handled and the many steps that are taken to maintain the integrity of the vote. While I didn’t always agree with her and would have liked her to have made herself more available for local “Chats With The Senator” type meetings, I do respect her working for her district and her constituents over her years of public service. Kathy, enjoy your deserved retirement and I hope you get to enjoy it for many years to come. *** I found the, “What if … the Prison has been hit by the December 15 tornado” article in last week’s Stanley Republican a little questionable. Anyone who was around when they built the cell blocks at the current Trophy Trailer site on North Broadway, and paid any attention to their construction, likely believes that the living units would be immune from being destroyed by a tornado. Maybe the windows would blow out, or there could be some damage to the roofs but I would bet some pretty good money that the concrete cell-blocks would be standing with little damage. I suppose the only way one would ever know the extent of damage from a direct hit would be to have direct hit of the prison by a tornado. And I think we have had enough of that around Stanley for a long time to come. *** Congratulations to the Wisconsin FFA Alumni Association thatiscelebratingtheir50thAnniversarythisyear. TheWisconsin branch of the National FFA Organization was organized in 1972 and will be celebrating this milestone anniversary on February 4 and 5, at their Central Wisconsin convention at the Expo Center in Rothchild. There will be a display of artifacts and local chapters are being encouraged to bring a tri-fold featuring local chapter events and programs. Chapters and individuals will be recognized at the banquet. The event concludes with a live auction on Saturday night. *** What is the oldest franchise restaurant? Would you believe its A & W, which dates back to 1919 when Roy. W. Allen set up a roadside drink stand to offer a new thick and creamy root beer drink at a parade honoring WWI veterans in Lodi, California. He used a formula he purchased from a pharmacist. Allen and an employee, Frank Wright, formed a partnership and set up their first restaurant in Sacramento, CA in 1923. The A & W name came from the initials of the two partners last names. The original price of an A & W frosty mug drink was five cents. A shortage of sugar and laborers during WWII had many franchises struggling. A& WoutletstripledaftertheWarandmorethan 450 A & W Root Beer stands were operating in 1950. By 1960, A & W restaurants numbered more than 2000. In 1963, the first overseas A & W was opened in Guam. A & W is credited with inventing the bacon cheeseburger in 1963. In the 1970's, A & W had more restaurants than McDonald’s, reaching their peak in 1974 when there were 2,400 stores. In 1971, A & W beverages began supplying bottled A & W products to grocery stores. Today, there are nearly 1,000 A & W restaurants worldwide, with approximately 600 in the United States. As a kid, I remember when Bill and Alice Thorpe opened an A & W Root Beer stand in Stanley. I don't know when the first Stanley A & W ceased oper atingasafranchise. Currently,StanleyhasanA& WRestaurant that operates out of the Express Mart. Today’s A & W has an expanded menu but still offers a frosty A & W root beer and a variety of hamburgers to its customers. *** Smile time. A young girl was attending her first wedding, watching the proceedings with great interest for a while before growing restless. The groom stood at the altar as six bridesmaids walked slowly up the aisle, one by one. Soon, the girl leaned over to her mom and whispered, “Why doesn’t he just hurry up and pick one?" +++ Odd Quotes: From Oscar Wilde – "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.” and “He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends." +++ He who laughs last thinks the slowest. +++ I've learned two very im – portant lessons in my life. I don't remember the first one, but the second one is I need to write everything down. +++ Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm. +++ A clear conscience is usually the sign of bad memory. +++ Change is inevitable, except from vending machines. +++ Q. What is a running turkey called? A. Fast Food. +++ Never heard in church: Hey! It's my turn to sit in the front pew.

BY DAVID JANKOSKI