Duane: When I was growing up in Oulu, Wisconsin, everywhere you went there were people speaking the Finnish language. Finnish sounds and refrains were around every corner. I remember going to the co-op store in Iron River as a kid. There’d always be these old-timers sitting on a bench by the door, passing time, speaking in
Building a Place for Finnish Heritage to Thrive Read More »
Miranda: I grew up in Green Bay, right near the edge of town. It used to be lots of cornfields and forests, but now it’s mostly subdivisions. I was a very early reader; I started reading before kindergarten. I didn’t grow up in a house with a lot of books, but we did have one of those complete
The Life-Changing Magic of Children’s Books Read More »
Michael: I was about twenty-three when we first met. It was at a dance in Oshkosh back in 1971. Diane was raising money for a hunger walk. Photos courtesy of Diane Amour & Michael Konkol Diane: He gave me ten cents a mile. $3.30. I said, ‘You must have a job.’ That was a lot
“We hope to drive all 123 Rustic Roads.” Read More »
Nina’s Department Store has been in our family for four generations. My great grandfather, Harris Marcus, started the business. He was an immigrant from Russia. Photos by Hedi Lamarr Rudd Like countless other Russian Jews at the time, he fled religious persecution and in 1886 landed at Castle Garden, which was the forerunner of Ellis
105 Years in Spring Green Read More »
Dr. Bola: “My husband, Philips, got a job in the Paper Valley and we moved here 20 years ago. Photos by Megan Monday I’m a professor of multicultural education now, but at that time I was just finishing up my PhD from Penn State. Appleton appealed to me because I am a small-town person. I’m
“It’s important for all of us to work towards acceptance.” Read More »
Connie: We live in Wabeno, where we own the Big Easel Gallery and Bistro. It’s in the middle of the forest, surrounded by trees and lakes. We are about ninety miles north of Green Bay, and about fifty miles from Rhinelander. I think we’re about 750 people. There’s a very big Native population in this
Making Art and Food in the Northwoods Read More »
My mom and dad met in Washington, DC when they were both working for the FBI. My mother quit when she had my oldest brother and then my dad went to work for the CIA. His job took us to South Miami, but I didn’t like it there. The heat and climate were a bit
Traveling a Rocky But Rewarding Road—Together Read More »
John: I grew up on the St. Croix River and spent my youth navigating it, learning all the channels, exploring solo or sometimes with a couple friends. I was a water person from the very start, catching snapping turtles, playing with snakes. Photos by Megan Monday My parents weren’t outdoorsy at all. I convinced my dad
Love, Adventure, and a Lighthouse Read More »
Steve: I’d come home and there would be a U-Haul waiting there, and I knew we were moving. There wasn’t any family discussion; we just moved. I think it was mostly around finances—better home, cheaper rent. So we lived in a lot of places around Wisconsin growing up. Photos by Megan Monday I was born in Madison,
“Recovery is not something you do alone.” Read More »
Sandy: My dad was a very hard-working man in a small town with a family of four kids. He owned a grocery store, but people who couldn’t afford groceries still got fed. He’d just put it on the books, and he fed families that way for years. Photos by Megan Monday He’d feed people on credit,
A Bold Vision, a Big Leap, and a Vibrant Arts Center Read More »
Steve: I was a junior in high school when 9/11 happened. I watched the second plane hit the World Trade Center live on TV in American history class. After that, all my friends were enlisting. It was kinda just the thing to do. Photos by Megan Monday I was already living on my own in high
“I was into sustainability, he was into working with veterans…” Read More »
Jillian: No one in my family was a farmer. My dad was pretty much a workaholic. He worked all the time. He runs his own business in Dubuque. My mom, she always valued cleanliness and a hard-work ethic and made it clear that everybody needed to pitch in. Looking back, I think they somehow rubbed off
“It really feels like the community is making this farm happen.” Read More »
