La Crosse Community Theatre will hold auditions for the holiday musical, Elf The Musical, on October 7 and 8, 2019, at 6:00 p.m. at Weber Center for the Performing Arts, 428 Front Street South, La Crosse, WI.

Buddy, a young orphan, mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag and is transported to the North Pole. Raised as an elf, Buddy doesn’t realize he is actually human until his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities force him to face the truth. Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his father. Faced with the harsh realities that his father is on the naughty list and his new sibling doesn’t believe in Santa, Buddy is determined to win over his family and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Elf The Musical will be directed by guest artist, Stephanie Harter Campbell. Stephanie is thrilled to be back at Weber Center for the Performing Arts for Elf The Musical. Previous directing credits include Mamma Mia! and The Music Man (LCT), as well as Hansel and Gretel (Viterbo). Having performed in 45 states and 7 countries on 4 national tours and at numerous professional regional theatres, Stephanie has settled down here in La Crosse and is thoroughly enjoying directing and teaching in the Music and Theatre departments at Viterbo University.

Auditions are open for age 8 and up. There are roles available for men, women, and children. A complete breakdown of roles available can be found online at www.lacrossecommunitytheatre.org/volunteer/audition. Auditionees should prepare 30 seconds of singing with accompaniment (pianist, CD player, and 1/8 in. input-headphone-cable will be provided) and be dressed to move for a dance audition. First-time auditionees are welcome-no experience necessary.

Performances are Thursdays through Sundays, December 6-22, 2019 with an additional performance Wednesday, December 18, 2019. The cast list will be announced during the morning show of WXOW on Friday, October 11, 2019, as well as on LCT’s website and social media pages. Rehearsals are scheduled Mondays through Fridays beginning October 14, 2019. For more information, call the box office at 608-784-9292.

La Crosse Community Theatre creates productions and projects that enhance the theatrical literacy of our audience members, volunteers, students, and staff. We provide opportunities for creativity and personal growth in a fun, collaborative environment. We have been a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation since 1963.

La Crosse-based Freedom Honor Flight, which serves veterans in western Wisconsin, southeast Minnesota and northern Iowa, continues its goal to fly veterans to Washington D.C. to visit the memorials that rise in their honor. Over 11 years of operation, Freedom Honor Flight has flown just shy of 3,000 area veterans.

The next flight is scheduled for September 14 and will carry one WWII, 18 Korean and 76 Vietnam veterans. Five of the veterans have received Purple Hearts—including two who each have two Purple Hearts—and seven veterans on the flight have Bronze Stars.

Morning send off

A send-off ceremony will be held at 6 a.m. at Colgan Air Hangar 4, La Crosse Regional Airport.

Welcome home ceremony

Freedom Honor Flight will be departing Washington D.C. around 9:30 p.m. EST. Celebrating the veterans’ return, a welcome home ceremony will be held at Colgan Air Hangar 4. Hangar doors open at 9 p.m.

Family, friends, supporters and the public are invited to the morning and evening celebrations. There is no charge for the events and parking is free.

While in Washington, D.C.

The first stop will be the Korean War Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Lincoln Memorial, followed by the World War II Memorial. Veterans, guardians and medical crew will then visit Arlington National Cemetery. Before departing from Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C., veterans will have a chance to view the sunset from the Pentagon.

About Freedom Honor Flight, Inc. 

Freedom Honor Flight is the first Wisconsin affiliate of the national network of Honor Flight organizations. The hub, which is based in La Crosse, serves 25 counties in western Wisconsin, southeast Minnesota and northern Iowa. The group’s mission is to organize and fly groups of veterans to Washington D.C. to visit the war memorials that stand in their honor. The group receives no government funding and depends on donations, which are tax deductible to the full extent of the law. Learn more at http://www.freedomhonorflight.org.

For more information, please visit freedomhonorflight.org or contact:

Dave Larsen
608-317-8212

Bill Hoel
608-785-2880

Kathy Van Kirk
608-780-1256

An exhibition highlighting work from Wisconsin artists who are also art educators will open the University Gallery season at UW-La Crosse. The seven artists will exhibit various mediums, including printmaking, metalsmithing, encaustic painting, acrylic painting, sculpture, mixed media and photography. “Equilibrium” runs in the University Art Gallery from Thursday, Sept. 6, to Thursday, Sept. 26,  on the first floor of the Center for the Arts, 333 N. 16th St.

Participating artists include:

• Quenten Brown, West Salem High School
• Carissa Brudos, La Crosse Summit Environmental Elementary School
• Tim Brunn, Freedom High School
• Frank Juarez, Sheboygan North High School
• Maria Mason, American School of Doha, Qatar – on extended leave from teaching at La Crosse’s North Woods International Elementary
• Angie Szabo, Fort Atkinson High School
• Tim Znidarsich, Jack Young Middle School, Baraboo

Regular gallery hours are noon-8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and noon-5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and during events in Toland Theatre. A reception with the artists runs from 4-6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, in the gallery.

All University Art Gallery exhibitions and receptions are free and open to the public.

—UWL—

If you go—

Who: Wisconsin artists who are also art educators
What: “Equilibrium”
When: Thursday, Sept. 6, to Thursday, Sept. 26
Where: University Art Gallery, first floor of the Center for the Arts, 333 N. 16th St.
Reception with the artists: 4-6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, in the gallery
Admission: Free

Mid West Music Fest (MWMF) has announced its early-bird ticket special for both of its 2020 festival events.  The 11th anniversary of the music festival will be held in Winona, MN on May 1 & 2 and in La Crosse, WI on September 11 & 12, 2020. Performing across both historic downtowns will be over 100 musical acts representing a wide variety of the best established and up-and-coming artists from the Midwest and across the U.S.

The Early-Bird ticket is just $50 and includes entrance to both weekend events in 2020. Four days of music across multiple venues in both historic downtowns. The early-bird is a 50% discount on entrance gate pricing and helps in securing festival talent for the upcoming season.

For the past ten years, MWMF has become not only a community mainstay, but a destination for music fans and talent buyers from all over the Midwest and beyond. The 2020 season sees the two weekends spreading apart to give both events more room to breathe and more time to cultivate unique relationships specific to both of the host towns.  The 2019 festival saw strong participation in arts, recreation, yoga, and children and family events in conjunction with both weekends and in 2020 the fest looks to further build on that momentum.

Tickets available at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mid-west-music-fest-2020-tickets-69093680057

In order to fulfill its mission as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and keep to keep ticket prices low, Mid West Music Fest relies on the generous support of  donors. If you are interested in donating to Mid West Music Fest, please contact Managing Director Abby Lee at abby@midwestmusicfest.org

Downtown Mainstreet, Inc. is pleased to reveal a new alley of murals behind 444 Main Street. The project is a collaboration with over eight local artists and Downtown Mainstreet, with support from La Crosse SOUP, and Sherwin-Williams of La Crosse. There will be an Artist’s Reception in the alley behind 444 Main Street, enter off of 5th Avenue, on Friday, September 13, 2019 from 5 pm to 8 pm to celebrate. Attendees can meet the artists, discuss their murals, enjoy refreshments and various genres of music. This alley of murals represents a new step toward marking Downtown La Crosse a place full of life, energy, and the arts for all to enjoy.

For more information on these murals, or future mural initiatives in Downtown La Crosse, please contact:
Robin Moses, Executive Director
robin.moses@lacrossedowntown.com or 608-784-0440.

Ashton Hall, local artist
ashtonhallartist@yahoo.com or 608-397-8888.

Fannin Counseling & Art Therapy (129 6th St S, La Crosse, across from the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman) announces a new exhibition: Life Is Art: Works by Connie Minowa, opening Friday, October 11, and running through November 8, 2019.

Life Is Art is a body of work that represents Connie Minowa as an artist. The work is based in storytelling about our spiritual and emotional journey, defining beauty and awe in nature, and exploring abstract and impressionist realms to symbolize states of being.

About Connie Minowa

A graduate of the Minneapolis College of Art & Design, Connie’s passion started at an early age, focusing on the arts and humanities in her early years. Themes of her paintings and jewelry include the natural environment, philosophy, and the human conditions of love, loss, hope, and gratitude. Her work focuses on the deep emotional and spiritual realms of human existence in two-dimensional form. “Even though I work intentionally, from life, tradition, and innovation, I feel creatively at my best when I focus on a heart/mind to hand communication guided by the unconscious and the energies that be.”

Connie has been featured on National Public Radio, Minnesota Parent, and the Wall Street Journal. When not creating in the studio, Connie is with family or working on environmental health and sustainability issues through her own non-profit organization, the Earthology Institute and Retreat Center, and can be found working as a live painter and performer with the internationally known band Cloud Cult. Learn more about Connie at https://www.connieminowa.com/.

What: Life Is Art: Works by Connie Minowa
When: Opening Friday, October 11, 2019 | 5 – 8 p.m.
Running October 11 – November 8, 2019
Where: Fannin Counseling & Art Therapy – 129 6th St S, La Crosse, WI 54601
Gallery Hours: Friday 5 – 7 p.m. & Saturdays 10 a.m. – Noon, or by request

Proceeds from the show will be donated to the Earthology Institute.

About Earthology Institute

Using advocacy, science, and the arts, Earthology Institute provides resources and an action network that disseminates critical, forward thinking and practical tools for the advancement of human health, sustainability, and the environment.

Earthology Institute advocates positive environmental change with a focus on sustainability, environmental toxins, human health, ecological integrity, proactive and positive living in the 21st century, advocacy through the arts, and tools for green living.

About Fannin Counseling & Art Therapy

Fannin Counseling & Art Therapy provides services to individuals of all ages and backgrounds, offering traditional counseling services related to anxiety, depression, and grief, and specializing in the practice of art therapy.

For more information on individual and group counseling, visit fannincounseling.com.

Melissa Fannin, MA, LPC, ATR
Fannin Counseling & Art Therapy
129 6th St S
La Crosse, WI 54601
info@fannincounseling.com
608-480-1676
www.fannincounseling.com

We invite you to celebrate the grand opening of the newly renovated Fred Funk boat landing, located in the heart of Brice Prairie, on Saturday September 7, 2019 at 10am. The landing provides access to the Mississippi River backwaters, including Lake Onalaska. 

At 10:00am we will gather in front of the 2 panel kiosk, where the donated commemorative bricks are installed, to welcome guests and share light refreshments compliments of the Lake Onalaska District. There will be a short program to recognize partners who contributed to the project and to provide a brief history about the landing. Immediately afterwards, the public is invited to join us on a pontoon ride, hosted by Schafer’s Marine Services, to see a demonstration of a travel corridor, which was established by aquatic vegetation cutting and removal. This method will be used to create future boat travel corridors on Lake Onalaska. In addition, the Brice Prairie EMS and Rescue will be dedicating their new rescue boat and using it to show the vegetation harvesting operations. 

The renovations include installation of the following: two new boat ramps and adjacent asphalt surfaces, 2 new docks, LED light poles to increase visibility, ADA accessible sidewalks, 2 storm-water detention ponds, a 2 panel kiosk, a new entry sign (by Charlie Lipke) and new striping on the parking areas. An ADA accessible fishing platform will also be installed with funds provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

This project was made possible through funding and donations from the following: Brice Prairie Conservation Association, Lake Onalaska Protection and Rehabilitation District, Town of Onalaska, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, La Crosse County, North American Squirrel Association, Riverland Energy, Strupp Trucking, and many private citizens. In addition, the Wisconsin Waterways Commission provided a matching grant. Other partners included the Army Corps of Engineers and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. 

We hope to see you there! For more information about this event contact Tony Christnovch at 608-385-3080. 

The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is the most visited refuge in the United States. The refuge extends 261 miles along the Upper Mississippi River from Wabasha, Minn. to Rock Island, Ill., protecting and preserving habitat for migratory birds, fish, and a variety of other wildlife. 

In addition to being the most visited refuge in the country, the “Upper Miss” Refuge has the added complexity of a major navigation system, including 11 locks and dams, within its boundary. It is also a world-class fish and wildlife area which harbors 306 species of birds; 119 species of fish; more than 300 active bald eagle nests; thousands of heron and egret nests; spectacular concentrations of canvasback ducks, tundra swans, and white pelicans; and several threatened or endangered species.

As daylight turns to darkness, the evening hours offer new ways to experience wildlife! On Friday, September 6, 2019 from 6:30pm – 8:30pm, come join experts from Viterbo University, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Fisheries Center and the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge to take an informal walk on the Visitor Center trails during twilight hours. 

People of all ages are invited to enjoy for this free program. As the sun goes down, we’ll use our senses to discover plants, insects, and birds and learn about how these organisms relate to fish in the Mississippi River. Registration is required and is limited to 35 people. Registration will open on Tues. Sept. 3 and will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis. Please call or email Gretchen Newberry (608-783- 8455, Gretchen_Newberry@fws.gov) to register. Please note that the Visitor Center will be closed but outdoor restrooms are available. 

Please join our experts by the 3-panel kiosk near the Visitor Center parking lot. We will walk together along paved and gravel trails over a distance of up to two miles. Participants should bring a flash light and drinking water and should wear closed- toed shoes and come dressed for the weather – the wind can add a chill out on the prairie! The event will be cancelled if there is inclement weather. 

For more information, contact the La Crosse District Office at (608) 779-2399 or visit the Visitor Center, located at N5727 County Road Z, Onalaska, WI. Visitor center hours are Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (February – November.) The center is closed on Sundays and all Federal holidays. Information on the Refuge may also be found on the Refuge’s webpage: http://www.fws.gov/refuge/upper_mississippi_river/. 

The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is the most visited refuge in the United States. The refuge extends 261 miles along the Upper Mississippi River from Wabasha, Minn. to Rock Island, Ill., protecting and preserving habitat for migratory birds, fish, and a variety of other wildlife. 

In addition to being the most visited refuge in the country, the “Upper Miss” Refuge has the added complexity of a major navigation system, including 11 locks and dams, within its boundary. It is also a world-class fish and wildlife area which harbors 306 species of birds; 119 species of fish; more than 300 active bald eagle nests; thousands of heron and egret nests; spectacular concentrations of canvasback ducks, tundra swans, and white pelicans; and several threatened or endangered species.

Major League Fishing (MLF) anglers James Elam, Roy Hawk, Kelly Jordan, Gary Klein, Keith Poche, Jonathon VanDam, Kevin VanDam and MLF Staff will host a youth fishing clinic at Pettibone Park (700 N Pettibone Drive, La Crosse) for 100 youth from the Boys and Girls Club La Crosse on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019 from 1 – 3 p.m. The experience includes off-water clinics covering beginner and intermediate fishing techniques including casting, baiting a hook, pitching, knot-tying as well as fishery conservation. Each child will receive an hour of instruction and then test their knowledge on the banks of the Upper Mississippi River for the second hour. 

MLF partnered with Abu Garcia to donate 100 rods and reels for each participating child. In addition, Abu Garcia donated 100 Shakespeare Kits, which Major League Fishing will leave with the Boys and Girls Club of La Crosse to support their outdoor programming moving forward. 

A core value of Major League Fishing, conservation centers on protecting the fisheries for all through their catch-and-release competition format and the absence of live-wells during events. MLF Pro Angler Gary Klein explains: “Our format enables the fish to return to where they live and spawn ensuring these valuable fisheries live on for the next generation.” 

In Wisconsin for REDCREST presented by Venmo, the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour Championship, all fans can meet the MLF Pros at the Omni Center Onalaska during the MLF Midway, Friday, Aug 23 – Sunday, Aug 25, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. each day. Bass Pro Tour Sponsors will be showcasing the latest in fishing and outdoor gear and giving away over $25,000 in giveaways and prizes adjacent the live stage production as featured on the live stream MLF NOW! 

About the Location: Major League Fishing chose La Crosse, Wisconsin as the site of its inaugural REDCREST presented by Venmo for the bass-rich waters of the Upper Mississippi, as well as the outdoor- centric lifestyle among its residents. “The entire La Crosse region overflows with fans who love the outdoors,” remarked Michael Mulone, Senior Director, Events for Major League Fishing. “It’s only fitting that the (Bass Pro Tour) championship happens where fishing is woven into the fabric of the community. Explore La Crosse and Onalaska Parks have done an exceptional job of welcoming our anglers, sponsors, and fans to their beautiful region.” 

For more information on REDCREST and all MLF news, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. 

About Major League Fishing: Founded in 2011, Major League Fishing (MLF) brings the high-intensity sport of competitive bass fishing into America’s living rooms on Outdoor Channel, Discovery, CBS, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, Sportsman Channel and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). New for 2019, the Bass Pro Tour consists of eight events and a championship streamed live onwww.MajorLeagueFishing.com and MOTV. MLF uses the entertaining and conservation-friendly catch, weigh and immediate-release format where every scorable bass counts and the winner is the angler with the highest cumulative weight. 

For more information on the league and anglers, visit www.majorleaguefishing.com and follow MLF on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 

For more in-depth coverage, see Game & Fish magazine, the official publication of MLF.

CastNCatch is a FREE video game app that can be accessed on many devices including your phone and tablet. The game itself is a multifaceted game platform where fish are being caught, weighed and logged into a personal account, while anglers have the opportunity to compete in head to head matches, tournaments, challenges with people across the country. The game has the versatility to change aspects of the angler, boats, equipment and various gear to enhance the experience, increase catch rates and enable the angler to be more efficient at catching fish. 

The most exciting feature is that the angler is able to get real fishing products as they master new levels of the game for FREE! Yes FREE! These products will range from apparel, baits and tackle to quality rods and reels. Prizes can also be won from winning tournaments and specific battles throughout competition. Anglers learn about bodies of water, new fishing methods and can take their products to test in the real world! 

CastNCatch will have a booth at the MLF MIDWAY AT REDCREST which will be during the MLF REDCREST CHAMPIONSHIP. There will be daily tournaments with prizes awarded to the top ten finishers during 10am to 6 pm and you must be present to win. Players will have an opportunity to play against MLF Professional Anglers in head to head competition for prizes provided by our sponsors throughout the whole weekend! The MLF MIDWAY AT REDCREST will be open Aug. 23-25, from 10am – 6pm daily. 

If you are in the area stop by and enjoy the family fun and festivities provided by MLF MIDWAY AT REDCREST and be sure to watch the MLF POST GAME SHOWS to get the scoop. 

Download the app on August 23rd at the event or play along while watching live coverage on MLF NOW! The app is available on the google play store and apple store. 

Contact: Cody Sullivan cody@castncatchapp.com