Posts Tagged ‘baraboo’

The weekend’s snow fall certainly brought the holiday season to life.  We spend part of our snowy weekend exploring the Artisan Christmas show out at Papa Bear’s on Hwy 12.  While it seems the economy is on every-one’s minds this holiday season, the show was still enjoyed by lots of folks from around the area.  By now you know what we do around here is go out and get the pictures, so check the links below!   By the way, if you see something in a photo that you’d like to purchase as a gift for the holidays I’d suggest you go to the Artisan Christmas Website, then look up the artist.  There are samples of their work so you can make the connection, their contact information is there as well.

• 2010 Artisan Christmas Slide Show | Flickr Gallery

Families from all over central Wisconsin gathered in downtown Baraboo on Saturday for the annual Christmas Light Parade.  This year to cap off the event, Santa lit a Christmas tree placed atop the Al Ringling Theater marquee.  The spectacle was magical, but not for the faint of heart.  While watching Santa being lifted up into the air on the Baraboo fire department’s big ladder truck, you couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if the wind picked up or if Santa was feeling a touch acrophobic.  Happily, the jolly man in the red suit made it into the air without incident.

With the expert guidance of the firemen, Santa slid right up alongside the tree some 20 feet in the air. Then, with a wave of his arms that would do any magician proud, Santa brought the theater marquee and then the tree to life. A cheer rose up from the holiday revelers below. For a time, Santa stood waving and bowing above the crowd. He was then lowered back down to earth as the crowd quickly dispersed into the the night to find their cars and make their way back to their homes, inspired we hope, to begin a warm and wonderful holiday season.

The  Baraboo Christmas parade once again demonstrated all that is good about our little town here in the Baraboo Hills.  The new “lighting of the tree” ceremony was nice touch. We certainly look forward to this new addition to our community’s holiday traditions. And for Santa’s sake….  May there never be wind!

Here’s the pics!

• 2010 Baraboo Christmas Parade Slideshow (Pop-up window)
• Standard Flickr Gallery

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Downtown Baraboo’s fall Fair on the Square made for a great way to spend a Saturday.  Thousands of folks from around the state converged on Baraboo’s historic square for another round of food, music, karate, belly dancers, and of course arts and crafts.  It’s fair to say that clear skies, fall colors and temperatures near 80 certainly boosted the attendance. While the annual event changes very little from year to year we were gratified to see some changes under the new organizers.  The live music was vastly improved (at least in the afternoon) and updated into the last century, while the introduction of a beer garden for the adults was a nice touch as well. The next Fair on the Square won’t happen again until spring.  Next up for downtown Baraboo?  BooFest!!  More on that in the near future…

Huge crowds turned out for the days events.

• More pictures from the Fair on the Square – Click Here.

Nearly perfect weather and nearly peak fall colors combined over the weekend to give nature lovers and fall foliage fans the gift of a life time.  Temperatures hung near 80 both Saturday and Sunday as thousands of visitors filled Sauk County’s parks and natural areas.  At Devil’s Lake State Park the parking lots filled as if it were a summer holiday weekend and yet the cars kept coming.  By early afternoon on Saturday cars were lining the the north shore entrance road.  Normally this would not be allowed of course, but our impression is that park law enforcement were simply overwhelmed.  The park has experienced a good jump in visitors over all this year, by some estimates nearly a 20% increase.  It certainly looked like it this weekend!    Read the rest of this entry »

Commentary – Roadside adverting has always been around of course but judging by the condition of some of it out there, it seems as if even the business owners don’t  believe they work any more. Take this faded little sign on the corner of South Blvd., and Highway 123 for instance;  Is it shouting out, “quality” to you? Is it appetizing? Would this sign even catch your eye?  If you saw it when passing by on your way to Devil’s Lake State Park or when heading over to Wal-Mart, would you suddenly hit your breaks, turn the car around and go buy a hot dog?  I didn’t think so. And yet, you have to assume the business owner actually does want you to do just that. Read the rest of this entry »

Baraboo – The “Smart Growth” map available at the city of Baraboo’s website lays out a plan for the city’s future expansion.  One portion of the plan has already been put into action with the annexing of agricultural land to the east of the city on Highway 33.  The annexation seeks to extend business zones out along the highway and into the fertile valley while channeling residential growth onto the hills to the north.

Vacationers know this proposed growth area because it is in the gateway corridor from the interstate highway (I90/94) into the city of Baraboo. Once off the interstate at exit 106, Hwy 33 passes Cascade Mountain Ski Resort and soon enters the Baraboo river valley through the landmark “Narrows”. Once through the narrows, drivers enjoy an amazing scenic drive (see image below) along the spine of the Baraboo hills until reaching the city some 12 miles west.

View west from the top of the lower narrows

Now, we could certainly spend time debating the wisdom of paving over prime agricultural land in a river valley for the sake of more fast food joints and quick marts when there is other less fertile land available (In fact, I’m sure we will in time. ) We could ask how much additional water will be diverted from our watershed while along the way increasing the damaging floods which are already a problem in our area. We could talk about the wildlife that will ultimately be displaced including sandhill cranes and even Bald Eagles that have recently been wintering along the river.

From a tourism and branding stand point we could talk about simply keeping the main gateway route to a community famous for its natural beauty, well, beautiful. We could talk of preserving an unobstructed view of Devil’s Lake’s east bluff which, along with the southern spine of the Baraboo range are the signatures of our community and more. But for the moment there seems to be an even more obvious and practical question….

Former Premo's Auto Dealership - Closed for years, now used as storage.

How do city planners foresee keeping sustainable businesses in this corridor in the first place?  3 buildings that have been on the corridor for years stand mostly empty now.  In fact they were either empty or on their way down even during the good economic years not long ago.  You have to wonder if planning business zoning expansions beyond a section of town that is struggling to sustain business now, is really all that “smart” in the first place.  If we can’t fill the buildings we have standing empty today, then to hopscotch them for greener pastures (in more ways than one) risks creating nothing but unsightly urban sprawl.

* Image Above: Isenberg’s hardware store closed this year.  The building beyond stands mostly empty as Pierce’s Marketplace “East” closed after only a short existence, having moved into the building left empty previously by Darrow’s supermarket.

The signs are out there; The top of a maple tree turning yellow, a yard full of apples, a school supplies sales flier blowing through someones lawn, a witch flying through the air under the light of the moon.. (Well, maybe not the witch part). Sadly or happily depending on your point of view, this hot, hot summer will soon give way to cool air and bright colors of autumn.  For our part we’re going to take advantage of warm summer days while they last.  I’m not all that anxious to get the shovels out.

*Image Autumn Colors in Baraboo -8/15/2010

If you didn’t have the opportunity to explore the Sauk County Art Association’s Fine Arts Fair in Baraboo over the weekend never fear, we’ve got a nice selection of images from the event posted for you.  One thing we can’t replicate is the street recitations by “the Live Bard”, which may have been the day’s top entertainment.  There was also an open mic on the courthouse square, a farmer’s market and children performing Lithuanian folk dances under the marquee at the Al. What a mix! All in all, not a bad way to spend a Saturday.

• Click Here to view our Flickr Photo Gallery or view as a slide show here.
• Sauk County Art Association
• The Live Bard

For some time now we’ve been providing cover photos for CenturyLink’s Baraboo area phone book.  Past covers have included shots of the Baraboo Bluffs,  Mid-Continent Railway Museum and more. Above you’ll see the last 2 covers.  Last years was local farm just outside of the Baraboo city limits.  I believe it’s gone now.  This year’s shot is autumn at the north shore picnic area of Devil’s Lake State Park.  While we’ve provided photos for a variety of publications over the years from magazines to maps, it’s still always fun to see your pics in print. Even if it’s only the phonebook!

Artist Rachel Rosenblum is a resident of Baraboo, Wisconsin. Rachel is a graduate of  Montgomery College in Maryland and the University of Wisconsin, Madison; She has been studying art and metals for more than a decade.  At her studio here in Baraboo, Rachel finds creative inspiration surrounded by nature and furry friends whose paws touch her heart. Here work is inspired by the love and devotion of her beloved Mommy Cat, Rachel’s first piece memorializes their affection as a beautiful bracelet, keychain or pendant.

Under the name “Senti-metal”, Rachel creates a blend of sentimental pawprint jewelry and art metal as a tribute to the love we share with out pets. She invites you to gift your own heart with a precious, custom made piece to honor or memorialize your own beloved pets.  To learn more or inquire about her work please visit or  the Cornerstone Gallery in Downtown Baraboo, located at 101 4th Street or call: 608.356.7805 or Toll Free 866.356.7805