May

On May 1, 2016, at 4:00 a.m., the New Glarus Fire Department was dispatched to a residential fire at N8517 Badger Road, Town of York, Blanchardville, WI. Upon arrival, the structure was found fully engulfed and the roof had collapsed. The Green County Sheriff's Office, New Glarus Area EMS, Blanchardville Fire Department, and Mount Horeb Fire Department assisted. Subsequently, the body of 37-year-old Paul G. Richardson was discovered inside the collapsed structure.

The New Glarus Area EMS held an Open House on Saturday, April 30, 2016. There were kid's games by Small World Daycare, face painting and car seat install/information. People could meet EMTs, and also learn how to become a part of their team. UW MedFlight had to land early, at 10:00 a.m. instead of Noon, and could only stay a short time before they had to respond to a call. Among those who were in attendance were the New Glarus Police Department, the New Glarus Lions Club, 2015-2016 New Glarus Dairy Queen Ashley Judd, the New Glarus High School Mascot, The Monroe Clinic, St. Mary's Hospital, Meriter Hospital and UW Hospital.

The New Glarus Junior Class at the their Prom on Saturday, May 7th. The theme was "A Midsummer Night's Dream." New Glarus Prom Royalty were King Hunter Tierman and Queen Maria Thurow.

Haley Reeson, a member of the York 4-H Club and a senior at New Glarus High School, was named the Green County 4-H Crowley Leadership Award winner for the 2015-16 4-H year.

The Swiss Center of North America hosted a reception for Ambassador Andre Schaller, Consulate General of Switzerland in New York, Thursday, April 28.  Schaller was joined by Fabian Stiefvater, Head of the Swiss Business Hub USA, New York, and Daniel Freihofer, Director of Economics and Finance at the Swiss Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Robert Chenoweth competed in the Wisconsin Greco-Roman Wrestling State Championship on Sunday, May 8, at the Wisconsin Dells and made it to the medal stand, placing sixth in the 112-pound weight class.  Chenoweth was an eighth grader at New Glarus Middle School and a member of the Sugar River Youth Wrestling Club. 

On Saturday, May 14, the New Glarus Police Department, along with the New Glarus Chamber of Commerce, held their annual Bike Rodeo.

The New Glarus Historical Society held a free reception on Monday, May 9, 2016, to celebrate the re-opening of the Fire House at the Swiss Historical Village & Museum. The Fire House tells the story of New Glarus' Fire Department from its origins in 1902 and honors the long-standing service of local volunteers across generations. Thanks to financial donations, the Fire House's exhibits, lighting, and signage were enhanced to better showcase the vehicles, artifacts, and equipment on display.

Alexis Hanson, a 2013 New Glarus graduate, and her 4x4 track relay team qualified for the national championship meet on May 19, in La Crosse, WI, at the NCAA Last Chance Qualifiers Meet. They are entering the NCAA National meet on May 26th as the #6 seed in the country in DIII. Only the top 16 relays in the country qualify for the national meet. With a time of 3:48.27, they also broke the Loras College School record, which had held since the 90s. Hanson was on the Cross Country, Basketball and Sugar River Track teams while attending New Glarus High School.

June

Steve Hodgson, Commander, Stuessy-Kuenzi American Legion Post #141, presented Public Safety awards to Shaun Karlen and Dale Emmerton.

A ground breaking ceremony was held on May 26, 2016, at the New Glarus Home, Inc. When completed, there will be an additional 32 bed nursing facility and 3,000 square foot therapy gym that will be for inpatient and out patient rehabilitation. Speakers at the ceremony included Erin Francois, Executive Director; and Dennis Tomczyk, President of the Board of Directors.

Jack Link's Protein Snacks, a global leader in snacking, is excited to announce a $30,000 donation to the New Glarus School District. Jack Link's has a long-standing history of giving back to the local communities in which it operates.

The Sugar River track team members headed to state were Landon Zimmerman in the Discus and Shot Put events. Zimmerman's 54-10 at Regionals set a new school record. Krista Diaz, in the 100m Hurdles and 4x100 Relay. Diaz also set a new school record at Regionals, with her final time of 15.19 in the 100m Hurdles. The 4x100 Relay team consisted of Krista Diaz, Madalena Macht, Logan Fahey and Kiara Donnell also headed to state, after setting a new school record at Sectionals with their time of 51.14. Noelle Maire competed in two events at State, the 1600-Meter run and the 3200-Meter run.

The New Glarus High School Graduation Ceremony was held on Sunday, June 5, in the High School Gym. Speakers included Devin Wieser, Michael Jennrich and Landon Zimmerman.

The New Glarus Home honored the past year's 'Employee of the Month' recipients with a celebration in the Chapel. Gail Muhasky, Shelley Yaeger, Lindsay Belke, Dale Bridge, Glenene Hardel, Elizabeth Foxen, Don Anderson, Sheila Miller, Jena Sunderlage, Megan Sponem, Tina Clark and Scott Sowl were honored.

Green County Cheese Days completed the slate for the "royal family" for the 2016 festival.  Simon Zimmerman and Delaney Sweeney will served as Prince and Princess. Simon, the son of Travis and Kayla Zimmerman, is an eight-year-old student at New Glarus Elementary. Delaney, the daughter of Kirk and Andrea Sweeney, is a nine-year-old student at Abe Lincoln Elementary in Monroe.  

The Sugar River Raiders girls soccer team were crowned Regional Champions. Outscoring their opponents 36-3, they had a record of 21-2-2 and recorded 15 shutouts for the season.

Polkafest and Beer, Bacon & Cheese were held the weekend of June 10-12. Both festivals seemed well attended and the heat didn't seem to slow either festival down. Beer, Bacon & Cheese sold out of all of their tickets within 24 hours after they went up for sale online on April 1st.

In New Glarus, following the American Legion Auxiliary Ice Cream Social, Emily Streiff, daughter of Matt and Becki Streiff, was crowned the 2016-2017 New Glarus Dairy Queen by Ashley Judd, the 2015-2016 New Glarus Dairy Queen.

The Capitol Conference announced their 2016 Softball South Division All Conference, Player and Pitcher of the Year selections. Tara Hanna, Belleville, and Grace Moen, New Glarus, were named as 1st Team Selections in the Capitol Conference Softball – South Division. Other selections included Dany Gumz, Samira Arvin, Amber Schoenicke and Bailey DeForest, all of Marshall, Macenzie Kraemer and Kaela Kraemer of Wisconsin Heights, Ashley Kniesel and Kaitlyn Filter of Waterloo, and Sierra Freeland and Emma Hanisko of Cambridge. Ryley Helwig and Alli Kowalski of Belleville and Lydia Sprecher of New Glarus were named as 2nd Team Selections in the Capitol Conference Softball – South Division. Other selections included Taylor Frey, Harlie Jordan and Bailey Neuberger of Marshall, Mackenzie Doherty, Emily Vils and Tayler Kraemer of Wisconsin Heights, Cassie Renforth, Miranda Dorn and Megan Springer of Waterloo, and Gabby Learman and Rachel Kelter of Cambridge. Dany Gumz, Marshall, was named Capitol Conference Softball South Division – Player of the Year and South Division – Pitcher of the Year. Kelly Fredrickson, New Glarus, was named an Honorable Mention Selection.

Sugar River Raiders Girls Soccer Team brought home Silver at the State Tournament. The Sugar River Raiders competed in the State Championship Game in Milwaukee. Before leaving for the game, their Coach, John Ziperski, posted on Facebook: "Here we go! Today, I am fortunate to lead a unique team onto a soccer field for 90 minutes. Yes, it's a game, and believe me, perspective will never allow me to forget the gravity of the moment. But it is also a transition point, the end of a story, and abruptly the beginning of 10 new stories for our seniors. In 18 years, we have never known when the end of the season would come, today, that will come regardless of results. I am incredibly proud, as I always am, of what we achieved in the season. We talk about a journey, mostly in context of memories, but the secret is that it is a journey is about growth and relationships with each other, and in our community. This group is faced with a task that they knowingly and willingly approach with wide smiles, one last amazing 90 minutes together-along with two communities that so graciously have rallied behind them. Thank you, for the notes, the pictures, the pep assemblies, the cheers. This is the Raider nation's day-enjoy the experience, remember the moments, the good and bad, and celebrate."

Dinner & "A Little Golf" Benefits Monroe Clinic Hospice. Local businessman Hans Lenzlinger vital to event's success. The idea that hatched 23 years ago for a fun, summer evening event has grown into a successful fundraiser for a worthy cause. Hans Lenzlinger recalled how the idea came about. "It was 1992, and I was a member of the Monroe Clinic's Board of Directors. The President at the time, Bill Robichaux, challenged each of us to do something to benefit the hospital."

New Glarus received two "Schools of Merit" awards. New Glarus Middle School and New Glarus High School were selected by the Wisconsin RTI Center as "Schools of Merit" for work accomplished through their implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Statewide, 222 schools were recognized as "Schools of Merit" for the 2015-16 school year.

Capitol Conference All Conference Selections - The Capitol Conference has announced their 2016 South Division Baseball All Conference and Player of the Year selections. Jesse McNamar, Belleville, was named as 1st Team Outfielder. Jared Carney, New Glarus, was named as 2nd Team Pitcher. Drew Shrader and Cash Hoffman, Belleville, were named as 2nd Team Infielders. John Chenoweth, New Glarus, was named as 2nd Team Outfielder.

The Heidi Festival combined with Music Fest in 2016. There was music throughout the weekend in the festival tent. This year, due to construction at the New Glarus High School, an abbreviated version of the Heidi play was presented in Village Park.

Erin Francois, Director at The New Glarus Home, recently presented a donation check to the New Glarus Public Library. Librarian Lauren White and Library Board President Linda Hiland thanked Francois and the New Glarus Home for their donation.

Culver's of New Glarus teamed up with the New Glarus Veterans Park to raise money for the last marker for Gulf War 1 Era and also Iraq and Afghanistan and War on Terror Era. On July 6, 2016, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Culver's donated 10 percent of all sales to the New Glarus Veterans Park.

Three New Glarus Cross Country Motorcycle Racers were recent winners at the Hixton Hare Scramble race on June 26, 2016. The racers included Brock Lueschow, 1st in the 35cc (16 and under); Tyler Lueschow, 1st in class C open competitions; and Karl Lueschow, 1st in Class A 40+ competitions.

July

The Knabenmusik St. Gallen visited New Glarus and gave a free concert on July 12th, at 7:00 p.m., in the Village Park. The Knabenmusik was founded in 1948 and the current music director is Michael Wachter. The band consisted of around 120 young female and male musicians in two groups, majorettes and drummers. The band that visited New Glarus is the senior band and consisted of 71 musicians. The group visited the United States and traveled around the Midwest, performing in several communities and events. The New Glarus visit was the first for the tour and the group was very excited about visiting America's Little Switzerland. While in the area, the members of the ensemble stayed with host families and visited attractions in the area including the Swiss Historical Society, Swiss Center of North America, New Glarus businesses and Vilas Zoo in Madison.

John Ziperski, Head Soccer Coach for the Sugar River Raiders Girls Soccer Team for the past 18 years, received some impressive awards and well deserved recognition. The WSCA (Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association) selected Coach Ziperski as Coach of the Year for public, small division schools and the Wisconsin State Journal selected him as All-Area Coach of the Year.

The 15th annual Pedal for Paws took place on Saturday, July 9, 2016. The ride began at 7:00 a.m. The ride featured all new routes for 2016, and departed from the New Glarus Village Park. There were 25, 45, and 65-mile routes with varying elevations ranging from 1,190 to 3,890 feet. After the ride there was a party at New Glarus Village Park with free music, food, soft drinks and free beer, courtesy of the New Glarus Brewing Company.

A photo by photographer Todd Klassy was awarded top prize in an international photography competition - the first time the award was given to a photographer from the United States in 14 years. Klassy, who is a native of New Glarus, Wisconsin, said he knew the photograph was a good one the moment he pressed the shutter button on his camera.

On Sunday, July 24th, the Fever River String Band performed in Village Park. A number of people took advantage of the opportunity to sit in the shade and enjoy the music. The free concerts were the result of a grant from the New Glarus Community Foundation.

The Mallards and TDS were excited to announce the return of the TDS Little League Game of the Week. On July 11th, the TDS Little League Game of the Week was held in New Glarus, Wisconsin, where the New Glarus Red Knights faced the Argyle Orioles. It was a battle of the bats as both teams showed off their excellent hitting skills.

August

Roy's Market announced a new owner - confident in the grocery business and small town values, Darin Burreson, owner of Burreson's Foods in Belleville, decided to expand and purchased Roy's Market in New Glarus.

On Saturday, August 6, the New Glarus Fire Department hosted their annual family-friendly event, Firefest. The day began with lots of fun things for kids to do, including kids waterfights, a spray house and inflatable rides. In the afternoon there was an open waterfight tournament and music by the Greenfield Brothers, followed by a steak fry and the evening ended with music by Cherry Pie.

On Sunday, August 7th, the Männerchor New Glarus hosted the annual Volksfest Celebration in the Shooting Park. Volksfest celebrates Swiss Independence and the birth of the Swiss nation achieved in 1291. Special guests at Volksfest included the Jodelchörli Alpsteinblick (Abtwil, Switzerland), Fahnenschwingen Youth Group, Monroe Cheese Days Royalty and Beth Zurbuchen from the Swiss Center of North America.

The Swiss Church Cemetery Committee hosted free walking tours of the historic Swiss Church Cemetery and the White Church Cemetery on August 6. The tour of the Swiss Church cemetery began at the Swiss Historical Village cemetery in front of the log church.

New Glarus Motors, LLC, a privately owned and operated Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and RAM dealership located in New Glarus, Wisconsin, is proud to announce that they were a recipient of the 2016 Spectrum Award of Excellence in Customer Satisfaction from City Beat News.

On Thursday, August 4, Tofflers Pub & Grill owner Steve Longo presented the proceeds of the Tofflers-Rippe Keane Music Scholarship to New Glarus graduate Reagan Andersen. According to Longo, she was chosen based on responses from New Glarus faculty about her kindness and character. The money for the scholarship (over $1,300) was raised during Tofflers' Trivia nights. Tofflers donated one dollar for every person who attended, and Rippe Keane Marketing matched the donation. There were also other donations throughout the year.

New Glarus student Emily Ginocchio participated in the Mid-States Regional Ballet Association Festival in Chicago and was awarded the Talent Forum scholarship and was the runner up of four other awards. 

The Town of New Glarus Parks Commission at their July 13th meeting presented Boy Scout Troop 106 with monies earned during distribution of trees from the commission's annual Tree Sale Program. Boy Scouts Skyler Woerpel, Wyatt Emmerton, Andrew Newberry, Brandon Woerpel, and Levi Doughty were present at the Parks Commission's monthly meeting in the Town Hall. The Boy Scouts assisted the commission with separating, documenting orders, and receiving payments during the distribution this spring.

On Sunday August 7, the Alphornman Triathlon was held in New Glarus.

The New Glarus Lions Club celebrated 75 years of service to the community with an event at Edelweiss Chalet Country Club on Saturday, August 13, 2016.

The New Glarus High School Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) attended the National Leadership Conference in San Diego, California. Karstyn Rossing and Olivia Woodmansee, members of the New Glarus High School FCCLA chapter, attended Nationals this year along with adviser Julie Martin.

Francis Beers, New Glarus, recently gave a gift to the Wisconsin Lions Foundation for Lions Camp in Rosholt, Wisconsin.  Francis, a 40-year member of the New Glarus Lions Club, wanted to contribute to the camp, which allows disabled children to come for a week to experience games, activities and a camping experience

Lollygag Antiques opened its doors to the public in mid-July. Situated at 112 6th Avenue, just behind the historic New Glarus Hotel, the 430-sq. ft. shop is not so difficult to find despite it being a bit hidden and up (or down, depending on your perspective) one of the hills New Glarus is famous for. Owner Karen Rodeghier says she works very hard to create an "experience" for her shoppers, and since opening the little boutique, the shop has had quite a bit of traffic.

Ben Lukszys, 12, of New Glarus, competed in the Waunakee Junior Open on July 30th, winning the 12 & under doubles title with partner Max Dugan of Stoughton.  Lukszys also competed in the Maple Bluff Country Club Junior Novice Open on July 23rd, where he won three matches to earn the 12 & under singles title.

On Friday evening, August 19, the New Glarus-Monticello Football Team traveled to Burlington to take on the Catholic Central Hilltoppers.  The Knights came out right away and never trailed against the state semifinalist Hilltoppers.  The Knights racked up 393 yards of offense on the evening and held the wide-open offense of Catholic Central to 41 yards in the second half.  The Knights won 41-20 over the Hilltoppers.

Renee Eichelkraut

The New Glarus Junior Class held their Prom on Saturday, May 7th. The theme was "A Midsummer Night's Dream." New Glarus Prom Royalty were King Hunter Tierman and Queen Maria Thurow.