There has been much going on here in Montello and along with other concerned citizens we have beeen trying to draw attention to the state of our Dredge Bank Road. After many flyers were handed out and posters hung around town. Locals spread the word of a meeting last night and with much surprise to those planning this meeting Montello showed up in force. Last nights meeting with local government , Senator Olsen, Rep. Fred Clark and 2 DNR spokesman was well attended. With standing room only we heard how this all came about, a little history of the Dredge Bank, a proposal by the City of Montello for moving the boat launch and repurposing the Dredge Bank. The DNR then explained how they came to their decision to close the Dredge Bank, what needs to be done and that they do not intend to close it completely but need to find a way to repair it so it could be used in case of emergency. I think we made great strides but don't think it is over. We need to keep on top of this and move forward. Committees need to be formed to start planning revitilazation of the area and start looking for funding to help pay for this. Rep. Fred Clark said he would also assist in this process. We hold all the officials to making this plan work. We would also like to thank NBC15 for their coverage, as in the past they have helped us in Montello get our word out.

Open and working hard

We are open for business and working hard to help atttract new visitors not only to our shop, but also to Montello. We are right in the middle of some of the best fishing and camping in all of Wisconsin. But, with money tight and so much to do in the Dells we have our work cut out for us. Last years visitors have returned and are sending friends who have seen their signs or solar lit logs and that is great. Word of mouth is the best advertisiement. Yet, I think we need more. After spending three days at a grant writing seminar, I am hopeful we can take some bigger steps to help revive our downtown and get back on our feet. There is money out there but we, as a town need to step up , ask for it and then follow through. So, between painting I am on the computer working to (what seem like a one man show) save our town!

Christmas in July ???????

WOW when we (The New Montello Group)decided to have Christmas in July we had no idea that the weather would be more like fall than JULY. So with that crisp fall air came the taste for fall pies. And with so little time for baking I found this wonderful Apple Pie Muffin recipe which made the whole family happy and the house smelled wonderful! I have been so busy painting Santas and getting ready that I had to squeeze a black bear or two in just to relax. I am hoping to get the photos up soon so everyone can see the totem pole I painted. I just love it.







APLE PIE MUFFINS
SERVES 18

Ingredients

Topping
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Muffins
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups diced peeled firm tart apples (such as Spy, Granny Smith)
Directions
Note:.
cinnamon could be added to the batter ( about 1 teaspoon or less).

Topping: In a small bowl toss together sugar, flour, butter and cinnamon until crumbly; set aside.

Muffins: In a large bowl whisk together brown sugar, oil, egg and vanilla until smooth.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, soda and salt.
Stir oil mixture into flour mixture alternately with buttermilk.
Fold in apples, mixing just until combined.
Spoon into greased muffin cups filling 3/4 full.
Sprinkle topping over evenly.
Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and tops spring back.

Chrsitmas in July fast approaching

I am busy painting Santa beards and getting the snowmen put together. Each summer we like to run this event for the campers and visitors who are only here once a year. A great chance to try out some new items and get a jump start on their holiday shopping. July 17th through the 26th we will play Bingo games in the shop, have tasty holiday refreshments and fabulous inshop specials . I added aspecial or two to the website for those who can't get away to Montello, so stop in eaither online or in persona nd let us know what you think! Have a great weekend!!!!

Pattibears for online my etsy shop

66 W. Montello St. downtown Montello in person

Getting ready for the weekend

The 4th of July is a big event in our small town. Saturday is also Taste of Montello where local restraunts fill the City Park and show off what they do best. Following all the great food and entertainment the Rotary Club has a fireworks display at dusk. A great day to be out and about in Montello. Having a shop right on the main street means lots of traffic , so I am busy finishing up some logs and rocks and breaking out the Santas ( yes, I said Santa) A local campground has a Christmas in July celebration and we all like to join in. A great time to start your holiday shopping and find some neat items. I am going to go out and paint the front windows with red, white and blue stars this afternoon to help dress the place up as well as fill the pots with small flags and hope they don't disappear ! I will add some window photos later in the day as I finish up .

http://thehouseholdhelper.com/blog/clean-house-using-the-focus-formula/

http://ow.ly/f2pI

Classic Potato Salad Recipe

With Father's Day coming up on Sunday, there has been alot of talk about what to buy Dad.....and what to feed him. The answers vary. Some up camping for the week tend to lean toward fisihng gear and cribbage boards, while other are getting him that T-Shirt with the clever saying. But, dinner seems to have one thing in common....potato salad so I looked up some and this one seemed most like what the shoppers were talking about. Enjoy and have a great Father's Day

Classic Potato Salad Recipe: "Scroll down to see more potato salad recipes
Ingredients:
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
5 to 6 med. potatoes, about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds, peeled, cubed, cooked
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 eggs, hard-boiled
1 to 2 Tbs chopped green onions, optional garnish
1 tomato, cut in wedges, optional garnish
Preparation:
Combine mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, sugar, and pepper in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients; toss gently to combine well. Cover; chill for 2 or more hours for best flavor. Garnish with chopped green onion and tomato wedges if desired.
Serves 6 to 8.
More Potato Salad Recipes"

It's a Berry Nice Day.....

I am busy getting ready for this weekends Open House Tour during Berry Dairy Days. We have tour maps made up and during the day each of the five locations will offer refreshments, instore specials and fun. There is also a sidewalk art contest open to all ages starting at 10:00 and the HULA Hoop contest at Daggett Park by the waterfall at 1:00. This should be alot of fun , so grab your hoop or use one of ours, or if you are not that brave just come and watch. Montello is a great daytrip destination. Juat about 1 hour north of Madison, the weather should be great, the fish are biting and you can almost smell the burgers on the grill. See you there!

Lodge decor

It seems that customers are still looking for those unique pieces of home and yard decor for their place"up north" or homes and I am busy painting away to get the orders from last week done. Most of the time I paint cute little black bears or raccoons on log pieces and then add a sloar light for a nice piece for your deck or yard. Recewntly, though we have had some new requests...eagles and once again a family pet. Those are always different as people bring me in a photo of the family pet to work from. Added to the logs and slabwwod wall art and signs are the handpainted rocks. Right now I am working on 6 rocks to be used for an animal shelter fund raiser...3 cats and 3 dogs. They are alot of fun as I am open to which breeed and color and size. When I get them finished I will post some photos. We are also getting ready for Berry Dairy Days here in Montello where we will be part of the Open House Tour and serving refreshments and having some great specials to highlight our work and upcoming classes. June 13th 9 to 4 Downtown Montello

June begins classes

With June just around the corner I thought I would post a little about our summer classes. First and probably the most fun for all ages is the rock painting class. Now, not just any rock.....when you leave each person has created their very own bunny rock . It is so much funa nd not all that hard to learn. We provide the paint, rocks and brushes, you bring you imagination !!!!! The cost is just $10.00 per person for the 2 hour class. Saturday mornings are when we schedule most classes but special days and times can be arranged!

We are also offfering beginners crochet classes, just bring a hook and a skein of yarn and you will be on your way to making something grand all on your own@! The cost for this cl;ass is also $10.00 and it lasts about 2 hours!

By the way I hope you are all practicing with your HULA HOOP because June 13th is fast approaching at at 1:00 that day at Daggett Park right in front of the waterfall we will have our contest open to all age groups, come out and join us or just watch.

Memorial Day Weekend....was good

Montello saw alot of traffic and not just passing by. People were out enjoying the great weather and checking out all that's new in the shop. The logs are always a big hit and we did get a few special orders over the weekend. Now not only bears and raccoons, peoples pets from photos but I am working on an eagle for the latest order. They are always alot of fun to work on and everyone appreciates the handpainted work that goes into them. The fact that we are one of the only shops in the area that carries so many handcrafted items makes it a bonus when shoppers can find a little something for almost anyone on their gift giving list, or that just perfect addition to their home, garden or weekend retreat. With all the new visitors the summer is looking up and I am off to add to the handpainted items so those who visit next will find something right for them! With us being just a short rifde from the Madison are and the new word this season is day-cation and Montello is a great location for that. Fishing, biking, oh and shopping at Pattibears Place and the other great shops. For a list of upcoming events and what's happening in Montello visit http://montellohappenings.blogspot.com
http://www.Pattibears.com

You can feel it in the air.....

People are buzzing around and the town is coming to life. Why ? The campers and cabin owners are once again coming up to enjoy the fishing and great weather we have had. Along with that they come to town to see all that has changed over the winter months. What new businesses might have opened, which old favorites have gone away and all the new items added to each shop since they were here last!
So I have been busy painting away. Logs are being finished and the painted windows are complete. Everyone who stops in just loves the handpainted gift items we have here. Just yesterday a group of ladies spent quite awhile oooing over the handmade baby sweaters and cute caps. It is hard to find handmade shops around anymore so this is a treat for them. I am adding more Dress-Me Friends outfits and just got a delivery of field stone for some new and larger animal rocks. People are always amazed at how it goes from a dirty stome to a rabbit, raccoon or even family pet. If you are looking for a nice destination trip, comew on up. Besides Pattibears we have a handfull of really nice and unique shops to visit. Montello, Wisconsin is more than just a waterfall LOL

Montello Daze next weekend !

Stop by Montello this upcoming Saturday and try your luck with the fishing for a sale special going on. Each of the participating shops will have special "fish" with sales, discounts, coupons or freebies on them. Stop at any or all of the shops and get a catch of the Day! aLL THIS WHILE mONTELLO dAZE IS GOING ON RIGHT DOWNTOWN. dj BBop will keep the music playing al day while the crafters show off their latest aand the food is served up all around town. Kids activities as well as the city wide garage sale and $500.00 tagged crappie contest will also be going on . So grab a friend for a day trip or the whole family and come out and enjoy all that Montello is blessed with! Hope to see you there !

A bright sunny Saturday found the Easter Bunny in downtown Montello at 1:00 for his annual parade! Hats were decorated and kids and adults alike were set to stroll the downtown and show off the holiday attire. There were even a few well dressed dogs in the group. Local businesses like B&B Country Store, The "Silver-Smith's", Tam Bears and Pattibears Place were outside to add treats to the kids baskets as they marched past. The bunny was so impressed with the turn out and participation ALL the kids won a free ice cream cone. The grown-ups were found going from shop to shop collecting the prize filled eggs. The Garden Center, The Silver-Smith's , Montello Beauty Salon, Granite Falls, Rustic Bar & Grill and Pattibears all had coupons, discounts or freebies inside the eggs. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the day.
The next bake sale will be April 25th at Pattibears and the Silver-Smiths, these proceeds along with those from April 10th will help fund the Montello Daze celebration !
May 1st and 2nd is the City Wide Garage Sale and May 2nd is MONTELLO DAZE. Food, crafters, family fun and day long music. Sidewalk sales, kids activities and a tagged crappie contest are lined up. Bring the family and join the fun. A great day trip!

City Wide Garage Sale

May 1st and 2nd will be Montello's City Wide Garage Sale so start looking through those closets and the garage for the treasures you no longer need. This comes at a very good time because right around Mother's Day we have city wide cleanup and anything you can't sell could be taken away at that time. Remember one mans trash is another mans treasure and who knows what you might find!

With Montello Daze on the 2nd we can hope to have lots of campers and visitors from other towns to help snatch up all the treasures for sale. Downtown businesses will also get in on the day and hold sidewalk sales. Shoppers paradise right in Montello !!!!!

Plans are being finalized

for this years Easter Bunny Parade and GROWN-Up Easter Egg Hunt.

After Monday nights City Safety Meeting approved some of our upcoming event details we met Wednesday morning at Rustic Bar and Grill to get the plans finalized.
Friday April 10th we will be holding a Easter Bunny Bake Sale at The Garden Center at 505 Main St. in Montello. Proceeds from this sale will help us fund the upcoming Montello Daze celebration in May.

I would love to get some new recipes for bake sale item so please comment and leave me yours!
Saturday April 11th from 10 to 5 there will be a Grown-up Easter Egg hunt in some of the participating shops downtown. Eggs have been filled with coupons, discounts and prizes from many of the Montello businesses. As for shop owners you NEED NOT be open to get your coupons etc. in the eggs and distributed to the particpating hunt locations. Refreshment swill be available in the shops and it should be alot of fun. At 1:oo the Easter Buuny will find his way to the City Clock on the corner of hwy 22 and hsy.23 and lead the kids and adults ina parade through the downtown. Please wear your favorite, funniest, prettiest of most colorful hat as prizes will be given at the end of the parade whe we stop at Daggett Park for photos and time to talk to the Bunny. Bring the family and enjoy the day in downtown Montello !

Pot of Gold Weekend Event

St. Patrick's Day is next week and to get it off to a good start Montello is holding an Art & Fiber Weekend as well as a few of the shops are having Pot Of Gold drawings to treat the customers to a discount, freebie or special offer. With local artisans around town and shops putting on the GREEN grab a friend and come out to see all that is going on. Rustic Bar and Grill will be offering a corned beef and cabbage lunch that day so take some time and enjoy Montello and all that is has to offer. It really isn't to early to start thinking about summer and we have great places to stay and enjoy the area. So may things can be done as a family here at little or no cost and the time together is so important. So, grab the family or a friend and come out and see us!

Letting off Steam

Did you ever have one of those days where everything just seems to get to you? That is how today is for me. To start out the day , when arriving in town we noticed the school kids had painted on some shop windows to vote to save art etc. Nice job kids but, we just passed a referendum to give the local schools the money the asked for and now after getting that money they are threatening to cut art, Spanish 3 &4 music some shop classes, yet not sports and after school activities. I went round and round with them a few years ago about helping with an older grandson who was behind in credits and got nowhere, finally I found a school that not only helped him to graduate on time but taught him construction and welding. When he graduated they also helped him find a full time job. Now they have started a special class for credit deficient kids and wanted the shop owners to let these kids work off some of the community service they must do. Something isn't right there, I said no!
Then we ( a group of local downtown businesses) have been holding monthly events, promoting our town and working our butts off to keep the tourists coming back even though we have a flood last June, road closures until October and then all this snow and ice. Well the county is holding a kids activity day and went to a few businesses around town for donations and had a big newspaper write up and never even approached us! Working together has never been a strong point here in Montello.
So even though all the rain they called for has seemed to miss us and the weather is finally above 40 and people are out checking out the few shops open this has been one crumby day!

Spring is right around the corner

or so it seems!
Downtown Montello is getting ready for spring in a big way. From Pattibears Place which seems to have bloomed overnight to The Garden Center on Hwy 22 Spring can be found. The shoops are getting ready for A Pot Of Gold Special running from March 14th to the 17th with discounts, specials and prizes at participating shops. An Art & Fiber event is planned for March 14th and 15th at various shops throughout downtown. Come on out and see local artisits, demos or maybe even try your hand at something new.
Montello and the surrounding area is a great place to get away from the traffic and enjoy at little or no cost NATURE like it was meant to be. This are has some of the best fishing, bike trails, hiking and just relaxing. About 1 hour north of Madison it makes a great day trip. So grab a friends or the family and come on out and see what we have to offer, maybe get some good ideas for your summer vacation. Remmeber you can still have fun in this tight economy, just simplify and you will be so happy you did!