The 2020 Football Season will go down in history as one that had an abbreviated season due to COVID-19, few fans in the stands, and no state championships in the various divisions. Stanley-Boyd managed to actually play 8 games. They were victorious over Elk Mound, Osseo-Fairchild, Neillsville-Granton, and Mondovi. They were awarded a 1-0 victory over Colby who had to forfeit a playoff game because of COVID. They lost to Regis, Durand, Marshfield (scheduled after Colby forfeited) and Cumberland.

+++ Congratulations to all the football players who made it through the season this year. In this difficult year a goodly number of players received special recognition for their play. Cloverbelt Conference Honoree’s – First Team Offense: QB Carsen Hause, WR Cooper Nichols, 0L Jacob Schneider, and Specialist Mike Karlen. Defense: DL Jacob Nesterick.

LB Bo Chwala, and DE Lucas Smith.

Second Team Offense: OL Tyler Krizan.

Honorable Mention: LB: Brady Potaczek. +++ 2020 All-Northwest: First Team Offense – OL Jacob Schneider and Kicker Michael Karlen. Defense DL Jacob Nesterick. Second Team Offense WR Cooper Nichols. Special Mention QB Carson Hause. LB Bo Chwala. And finally, S-B Kicker, Michael Karlen, was picked for the Second All-State Team by the Associated Press.

Day Before Christmas Bass Fishing Poem – Was the day before Christmas, and all through the lake, Not a fisherman was stirring, not even down south, The lures were tied on and casted out with care, In hopes that a trophy bass would soon be there. +++ The anglers were all geared up and out of bed, With visions of a bass soon on lines end, They back in their boat, on their favorite lake, Hoping soon the bass would take the bait. +++ Cast after cast fishing was slow, As it was cold with a chance of snow, After time went by, a small nibble was felt, Set the hook he did, but it was smaller than a smelt.

Have you ever wondered about the history of the Christmas Tree? Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition back in the 16th century.

Christians brought decorated trees into their homes and some built pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles (yulelogs?) Martin Luther is credited with adding lighted candles to the tree after walking home one winter night and was awed by the brilliance of stars twinkling midst evergreens. Most 19th century Americans found Christmas trees an oddity. The first record of one being on display was in the 1830’s by German settlers in Pennsylvania. As late as the 1840’s, Christmas trees were seen as pagans symbols and not accepted by most American's. By the 1890’s, Christmas ornaments were arriving from Germany and Christmas trees popularity were on the rise. In the early 20th century, Christmas trees were mainly decorated with home made ornaments – apples, nuts, popcorn. Electricity brought about Christmas lights. With this, Christmas trees’ began to appear in town squares and having a Christmas tree in the home became an American tradition. So enjoy your tree knowing its history —- real or artificial. Prices of evergreen trees at Hansen’s IGA this year ranged from $33 to $57.

More from the Annual Report of the Stanley Correctional Institution. Management Services at SCI includes financial operations, food service, laundry, physical plant operations and maintenance and warehouse/canteen. The Business Office facilitates procurement and payment of all supplies and services. The SCI Warehouse is the point of entry for outside goods arriving at the institution and holds a stock inventory of $350,000. Laundry services remains a contracted service with Badger State Industries located at the Oshkosh Correctional Institution. Canteen operations are contracted with Union Supply Group. Orders by inmates are placed via the phone and are filled and shipped weekly. Available for purchase by PIOC (inmates) are food, personal hygiene products, over-the-counter medications, and skin care items. Profits from purchases are used for recreation, visitor and religious programs. Food Service operates 14 hours per day 7 days a week. In addition to producing all the meals served at SCI, a full scratch bakery is operated and a seasonal garden is planted and harvested for fresh produce. The Maintenance Department is tasked with conducting routine and preventative maintenance to effectively manage the institution's assets. The department identifies and implements cost reductions, maintains accurate maintenance records, optimizes capital equipment life, minimizes energy usage, and is responsible for environmental, safety and health compliance.

Before finishing off this week’s column, I want to note that the first vaccinations against the coronavirus across the country, occurred on December 15,2020. However, it is also a time to remind ourselves this is not the first, or will it be the last virus, that will need to be dealt with.

Looking back, in 1888 there was typhoid fever, in 1893 there was diphtheria, in 1901 smallpox, in 1918 there was influenza, and in the earlyl950’s there was the polio epidemic. This was the only one I was around for and I really became aware of it in 1951, when I was in second grade and a classmate Jim Hazuaga got polio. Then I remember breakthrough treatments by Jonas Salk in 1955 and Albert Sabin in 1961. The Sabin Oral Polio treatment came to Stanley in the form of people going to the Stanley Auditorium and receiving the vaccine on a sugar cube. People were asked to contribute 25 cents per dose and over time we received three doses. The Stanley and Boyd Lions promoted these clinics and the money people contributed for the vaccine became known as the Stanley-Boyd Lions Polio Scholarship Fund, which provided scholarships for Stanley-Boyd graduates each year. Eventually, the Boyd Lions pulled their share of funds away and today it remains the Stanley Lions Polio Scholarship. When this new vaccine for the corona virus will reach Stanley-Boyd remains to be seen.

Smile time. All I want for Christmas is for my family to be happy, healthy and safe. +++ A sign of our times: As a little girl climbed on Santa’s lap, Santa asked the usual, “And what do you want for Christmas?” The child stared at him open mouthed and horrified for a minute, then gasped, “Didn’t you get my Email?” +++ A man bought his wife a beautiful diamond ring for Christmas.

After hearing about this extravagant gift, a friend said, “I thought she wanted one of those sporty four-wheel drive vehicles?” “She did,” he replied, “but where was I going to find a fake Jeep?” +++ A farmer walked into a hardware store and while purchasing some tools was asked by the proprietor if he would like to buy a bicycle. “You won’t have to always keep a bicycle in feed,” said the storekeeper, “and you can ride around your farm on it. They’re getting cheaper now and I can let you have one for $135 dollars.” “I’d rather put the $135 dollars into a cow,” said the farmer. “Well,” said the hardware man sarcastically, “you'd look mighty foolish riding around your farm on a cow now, wouldn't you?” “No more foolish, I guess,” said the farmer, “than I would milking a bicycle.”

*** Merry Christmas to you and yours. I hope you have a safe gathering with family and friends, if that’s what your planning. For many, it will be a Christmas to remember!!

f by David Jankoski