There has been a renewed effort, on the part of some Stanley City Council Members, to “clean up” our city. This effort began in earnest two years ago when a group of local citizens came up with plans, and an effort, to push city government in that direction. Stanley is felt to have many assets and the group didn’t like what some areas of the city had developed into. A list was developed of properties that needed to be cleaned up or removed. The majority of those properties have had attention, but still two or three need more pressure applied to have them repaired or removed. It is good for our city council to know that they are not alone in their efforts. Black River Falls and Arcadia are two cities who are also forging ahead with efforts to deal with similar situations. Everyone needs to remember these are long standing issues and they will not be dealt with overnight. *** Here is a report of what is happening in Arcadia. The headline read … “Arcadia: We must “do better” with messy properties. “Partially prompted by Arcadia resident's complaints, city officials are expected to consider tougher ordinances and stepped up enforcement to control unsightly city properties.” Here is what some council members said during a discussion of the issue, “What we are doing right now isn’t working.” “I want my city to look good. When does the city say we’ve had enough.” The mayor stated, “This is a hand to head moment.” He stated he appreciated the citizens coming before the council instead of just posting something on line. Some council members called for stronger ordinances but it was noted that the current ordinance calls for fines of $502. Others called for enforcement and that they needed to see progress. Some called for meetings with the offenders and some suggested volunteers offer to help people cleanup their properties. It’s obviously a challenge in most communities. Keep it up Stanley City Council! *** Here is a piece of Stanley sport’s history that I wasn’t aware of. It came from the pen of Branden Berg, a sports writer for the The Chippewa Herald newspaper, in his report on the Stanley- Boyd football victory over Fall Creek. He reported that the 65 points scored in the 65-6 victory over Fall Creek was the most points scored since Boyd joined the school district and we became Stanley-Boyd back in the early 1960’s. He also noted that the most points ever scored as Stanley High School was back on October 4, 1914, when the Stanley team beat Cadott 83-0. *** On Sunday, September 27, we visited a couple of the Fall Tour Sites suggested by the Wisconsin Travel website. Although not a sunny day, we did experience Mr. Sun for a short time in the afternoon as we were driving back to Stanley. The motivation for the traveling was a weekend visit from relatives and the desire to see some fall color before it disappeared. Our first stop was the area of Timm’s Hill near Ogema. We had a good view of a great deal of color from a table at the Hill of Beans Restaurant, that overlooks Bass Lake, which is surrounded by woods that showed off brilliant fall colors. After a bountiful breakfast, we journeyed back south and traveled to the Highground near Neillsville. Both sites are identified by Wisconsin Travel as high elevations in Wisconsin. At the Highground we were able to view more color, but also had an opportunity to visit a special place that honors those who have served our country. *** Did you know? Sometime the economic news that comes to us is discouraging on the surface. Like … two-thirds of small businesses started between 1995 and 2009 shut down within 10 years and only 63 percent of companies that started trading publicly between 2000 and 2009 survived for at least five years. +++ The best year ever for stocks was 1933. According to James Angel, a professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, “Often the highest returns come right after the biggest drops.” The trick to investing seems to be not panicking during a downturn. +++ According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more that 2,300 teens died in car crashes in 2018. And car crashes remain the leading cause of death for U. S. teens +++ Ending on a lighter note, did you know that Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup came on the market in 1934 and thus has been around for 86 years.

*** Have you ever wondered how long your car should last? According to the American Automobile Association Living survey, 64% of respondents are planning on keeping their automobile for 100,000 miles or more. This is understandable as many modern cars are built to reach 200,000 miles. So, if you drove an average of 15,000 miles a year, you’ll hit 195,000 miles in 13 years. Add 13 years on to my age and I will then be 91 years old and probably shouldn’t be driving after that anyhow!! *** At the September, Clark County Tourism Committee Meeting, we received a chart indicating the trends in Clark County Sales Tax Receipts. With the pandemic I expected those receipts to be down considerably. I will admit my surprise when analyzing both receipts in July and August. In July 2020, receipts were $270,779.99 compared to July 2019 receipts of $184,432.08. And in August 2020, receipts were $245,016.66 compared to 2019 receipts of $218,210.37. It is going to be interesting what the rest of the year will show. *** Smile time. This is a do you remember column!! Do you remember how we texted in the olden days? We passed notes in class, or in the hallways between classes. +++ Do you gals remember wearing those fashionable gym suits — Stanley High School maroon in the late 50’s? +++ Do you remember when you needed two keys for your automobile – one for the ignition and one for the trunk? +++ Do you remember when checkout counters in grocery stores had a large scale? +++ Do you remember sitting next to the radio and recording a “cool song” on a tape recorder? +++ Do you remember when stores were closed on Sunday and the local clergy preached against their opening and you patronizing them? +++ Do you remember when TV stations would play the national anthem when they signed on and off the air each day? +++ Do you remember lunch counters at Woolworth’s? It was so cool to be able to eat a sandwich or drink a soda there. +++ Do you remember before cell phones that a yard full of bicycles is how you knew where your friends were? +++ Do you remember hearing, “Keep crying and I’ll give you something to cry about?” +++ Do you remember the banana seat on bicycles? +++ Do you remember using a knife or a spoon to open the top of Nestle’s Quik lid? +++ Do you remember what was called “Playing?” It required no batteries. No electricity and it was done outside. +++ Part of the problem today is few kids get a chance to snap green beans with grandma. +++ And, if you remember the majority of the above things, unfortunately your “old, or at least getting older.” Hope you enjoyed those recollections!