Last weekend just didn’t seem like the usual Father's Day experience without the Stanley Rodeo and the parade. A belated Happy Father’s Day to all the dads. And a thank you to the Stanley Rodeo and Truck Pull folks, for all the work they do each year to put on these two major events. Our community is the beneficiary of all their hard work of organizing and preparation. Thanks also to the many volunteers who join in helping make both events successful. We look forward to next year. *** Here are some facts that should help you appreciate the teachers who helped you learn how to read: Fact 1: Reading can make you a better conversationalist. Fact 2: A neighbor will never complain you are reading too loud. Fact 3: Knowledge by osmosis has not been perfected, so you'd better know how to read. Fact 4: Books have stopped bullets. Reading could save your life. Fact 5: Dinosaurs did not read. Look what happened to them! *** The Wisconsin Department of Transportation recently announced it has sent $320,000 in forest road aid to 24 counties. The amount of aid is related to how many miles of roads are eligible. Clark County has 45.98 miles of roads eligible for the forest road aid and received $16,138.98. Chippewa County has 18.12 miles of eligible roads and received $6,360.12. Eau Claire County has 17.94 miles eligible and received $6,296.94. Taylor County has 17.36 miles and received $6,093.36. The roads eligible for this aid enable counties to manage their forest resources and allow the public to explore the forests for wildlife viewing and many other sporting activities.

*** What is National History Day? Interestingly, it is more than a day. It is a nonprofit organization whose annual project is sponsoring a contest for students in grades 6-12. The Motto of the organization is: “It is more that a day, it’s an Experience.” National History Day is akin to a Science Fair, but the focus is on history. The first National History Day was held in Cleveland, Ohio in 1974. Today, it has grown into an annual competition involving 500,000 students and 30,000 teachers. *** The Annual Otter Lake Chicken Dinner, sponsored by the Otter Lake Booster Club, is unfortunately another casualty related to the Coronavirus. While the dinner has been canceled for 2020, the sponsors are still going to be selling raffle tickets for cash prizes. Anyone wanting a ticket can get one (or more) from club members who are selling them, or they can be purchased at Oemig’s Sports Shop in Stanley and the Otter Lake Bait Store. This organization can use our support as they do much to promote the good of the Otter Lake fishery. Their most recent project, that is now completed, was the Otter Lake Day Use Playground Project. This project was a cooperative effort between the Stanley-Boyd Schools, who donated some of the playground equipment, the Otter Lake Booster Club who provided funds and considerable volunteer labor, and Chippewa County Parks, who also provided some funds and in-kind support. *** John and Alice Ridge of Altoona have been the pioneers in promoting the marking, and recording of the history of the Yellowstone Trail, across the United States. They will soon have a book published on the subject. In a recent article in the Yellowstone Trail Newsletter, Alice provided some history of the 1918 Spanish Flu and its affect on the Yellowstone Trail. The following is a glimpse of her article. The Spanish Flu received its name because Spain was neutral in WW I and was one of the few countries that published statistics on the epidemic. The U. S. was involved in the war effort and kept information from the public in order to keep up morale. Lack of information backfired as the public was not warned sufficiently and people gathered in public places, thus putting them at further risk. A large parade in Philadelphia was blamed for causing the deaths of 5,000. Although no specific country could be identified as the birthplace of the Spanish flu, fingers were pointed at Asia. The history of the flu back then indicates that a person could be fine in the morning and dead by dark. It was spread by droplets in the air from a cough or a sneeze, settling in the lungs and breathing passages of the receiver, causing a sore throat, headache and fatigue. Evangelist Billy Sunday said the cause was sin. WW I was raging and army soldiers died in crowded training camps and during troop transport. Military doctors treated both the war wounded and flu victims simultaneously. There were three distinct waves of the flu – the spring of 1918, August to October 1918, and the spring of 1919. Citizen’s effort to stem the flu varied widely: isolation from neighbors, quarantine, closure of public settings, mandatory use of face masks, and fines for people who did not cover their coughs. Baseball games were canceled, schools were closed, and mail door to door was not delivered, but was left at the end of a block for each household to retrieve. As to the flu’s effect on the Yellowstone Trail, three new Information Bureaus in hotels along the trail were closed and illnesses and deaths caused fear in traveling. Does all of this sound too familiar? About the only difference is that we are waiting, and putting our hopes in modern medicine developing a vaccine to turn the tide against the coronavirus. *** Smile time. As you get older, you’ve got to stay positive. For example, the other day I fell down the stairs and instead of getting upset, I just thought, “Wow, that’s the fastest I’ve moved in years!” +++ One minute your really young and cool… and the next, you’re getting all excited about a new vacuum cleaner. +++ You know you’re old when, “Friends with benefits,” means having someone who can drive at night. +++ The leading cause of injury in old men is them thinking they are still young men. +++ I see people around my age mountain climbing, I feel good about getting my leg through my underwear without losing my balance. +++ Don’t worry about getting older. You’re still going to do dumb stuff, only slower. +++ I really don’t mind getting older, but my body is taking it badly. +++ I’m so old I remember when multiplication was called knowing your, “Times Table.” +++ My sister decided to go on a diet. After her first day she telephoned me and I could tell she was munching on something. I asked what she was eating? “A cupcake,” she answered. “I just got on the scale and it said 149 ½ pounds, so I decided that was not the place to start a diet, so I’m working on rounding it off to 150.” +++ Life is short. Time is fast. No reply. No rewind. So enjoy every moment as it comes.