Sunny Saturday

It is just beautiful outside today. The sun is shining and the wind has finally died down a bit. I am determined today to paint outfits for the Dress-Me Friends, finish a coupl orders and then if their time, work on a few slab wood pieces. I am never quite sure how those will turn out. The wood does it's own thing. With all the black bear sightings in the area, maybe I should do a couple more pieces with bears on......maybe the Don't feed the bears !

I am still looking for cupcake recipes for Dairy Days, so many choices. My grandson J.J. is my baking buddy he comes running when he hears the mixer to help lick the beaters. He makes even the grey rainy days bright.

Moose Fest is over.....

Moose Fest brought an estimated 7,000 people to Montello and the surrounding area. The attendance was estimated at between 10 and 20 thousand but for a first year event it went very well. Of course like every event things need to be tweeaked and this will be rehashed before next years event. The Pro fisherman and the kids were a great hit. People are still talking about how nice it was to get some life back into the area. local motels and campgrounds saw increased business and the downtown shops had alot of traffic throughout the weekend also. We are hping those vendors who came this year will be back as we are looking for ways to relocate vendors so everyone is in the same area, and hopefully all get increased traffic.

That over I have put aside the moose hats and am busy painting for orders and getting those rustic camping and fishing signs done for in the shop. I will also be starting the rock painting clases and hope to see alot of new painters this season.

Memorial Day Weekend is always busy and after that we will be onto Dairy dayze with some cute cow ideas coming up so stay tuned.....

Don't forget the Moose Hunt is still on until the end of July so come on out to Montello and grab a dozen or so tickets from the surrounding shops and businesses!

another MOOSE type recipe

“Antler Munch” Popcorn

22.5 oz Crunch and Munch® or Fiddle Faddle® Popcorn (your favorite flavor) (3 7.5 oz bozes)
1 cup Nuts (pecans, almonds, cashews), optional
12 oz Semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 oz White chocolate chips
2 tsp Crisco, divided

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpat. Set aside.

Place semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 tsp of Crisco in a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir. Continue until chips look shiny. Remove from microwave and stir until all chips are melted.

Quickly stir in 1 box of popcorn and ? cup of nuts, if using. Note that popcorn does not have to be perfectly covered with chocolate. Spread onto the prepared cookie sheet, separating kernels as much as possible. Cool completely and break into pieces.

Repeat the process with the white chocolate chips and remaining Crisco. Stir in a second box of popcorn with another ? cup of nuts, if using. Add the white chocolate chips and put on the 2nd cookie sheet as described above.

When both pans of chocolate covered popcorn have dried, combine the white chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate and the remaining box of popcorn. Combine the nuts with the popcorn. Store in airtight container out of the heat.

In the shop I am busy finishing up painting for the fest, it is fast approaching May 1 & 2 . This has been a great opportunity for Montello and the surrounding area.FREE Icecream for the visitors, hot air ballons, carnival and 10 Pro fisherman to take kids 9-14 fishing for FREE, Bring the family out to see the natural resources we have as well as all the vendors and attractions brought here this day. Our group is busy trying to finalize plans and make this event a huge success. think FUN . The shop will be getting updated as soon as I find some spare time,

Living in a small town

    I grew up in a suburb of Chicago, married, raised kids then moved to a small town in Wisconsin.  Life is good, but very different.  People move at a slower pace...a good thing most of the time.  Everyone knows everyone and their whole family....ususally a good thing. There is a sense of belonging to your town.....but, over time people take for granted all they have and need to go visit a big city where they are a little fish in a big pond to appreciate what they have back home.  I belong to the local downtown business group and we put together events in the town, not just to attract shoppers and tourists but for the families who live here. Just last Saturday we had the 3rd annual easter Bunny Parade, a huge hit with the kids. Yet, the turnout could have been much better if more businesses had joined in and the school had helped spread the word.

My next pet project for during the summer is kids rock painting classes. This is a great rainy day project for kids and a great way to let them express themselves. I always like to see their faces when from that little rock they found, out comes a bunny or turtle or for the boys a snake!

We have alot of cabin and campers in the area and this is a great project for them too. Have the kids collect rocks, ( I tell them a perfect bunny rock is shaped like a baked potato) a few bottles of inexpensive acrylic paint and 2 sizes of brushes and they are off. I always draw on the areas in chalk so they are just covered up by the paint!  I really enjoy watching as these kids paint. They are fearless, unlike the adults I teach the very same class to.

But, for right now I am painting like crazy by day and crocheting all evening to have the shop full to overflowing for Moose Fest coming up May 1 & 2 , right here in downtown Montello. What a huge boost this could give our town in a time when we badly need it after the flood of 2008 and closing of our one and only boat launch downtown in 2009. So off I go now to paint and get ready.

Join us for Harvest Fest

The leaves are beginning to change and that makes this the perfect time to go on The Great American Moose Hunt. What a fun idea to find and visit so many special places throughout Marquette County and the rest of Wisconsin.

The timing for this seems perfect! Harvest Fest is Sept. 19th and 20th right in downtown Montello . There you can find 9 Moose tickets and a few just down the road. Crafters, food, shopping specials and MOOSE HUNT TICKETS !!!! Join us for some fun and enjoy the fall scenery. From fresh produce and fall decorations to that perfect Christmas gift for the early shoppers to scenic bike trails and a canoe or kayak ride. Montello has it all ...fun for ALL seasons !



How do you play? All you have to do is visit the participating businesses (see Where to Hunt) and pick up a free Moose Lake ticket. That's it! Each business has it's own unique Moose Lake ticket. The more unique tickets (with no duplicates) you have at the end of the hunt (July 31, 2010), the better your chances to win. Plus, attach a sales receipt from that business you picked up the ticket from, and the tickets' value doubles... it's now worth 2 tickets. It doesn't get any easier!







Mega-Moose Ticket: "Find the Cartoonist"! That's right folks, find Steve Krueger (the cartoonist of Moose Lake) at a retailer and receive the Mega-Moose Ticket worth 20 tickets instead of that retailer's normal ticket. When making a purchase or adding a Moose Receipt with the Mega-Moose Ticket it will double to 40 tickets! The Mega-Moose Ticket can be turned in for the final count along with that retailers normal ticket also! "Find the Cartoonist" dates and locations can be found right here and will be updated as needed.



September 19, 2009 - Go Wild With Birds, 192 Main Street, Menasha.

September 20, 2009 - Pattibears Place, 66 W. Montello Street, Montello.

For more information on Harvest Fest of participating in the Moose Hunt call 297-9079

Weekend Fun for the whole Family

Father Marquette Days comes to Montello this weekend with great food, baseball, parade, crafters, music and more. The City Park comes to life with whole families coming out to enjoy the chicken cookout and check out all the great vendors and enjoy some great summer weather. Not that that isn't enough but this is the kick off weekend for THE GREAT AMERICAN MOOSE HUNT fun for all the camping families in the area. Come on out to town and check out all the participating businesses and get your moose hunt tickets. Check out their website for all the details ! We are celebrating August with a 25% off sale so stop in and look around and get a moose hunt ticket while you are here. You get a bonus ticket at each business if you make a purchase. There are great prizes from the hunt so visit us and get in on the fun!!!!