Rally no more | The Weekly Wausonian
Rally no more | The Weekly Wausonian
Wausau news for the week of Feb. 1, 2024
It surely came as a shock to many in the central Wisconsin area: Taste N Glow Balloon Fest is likely no more.
Nancy and Steve Woller say they’re not going to be running the Stettin festival any more after the land where people parked next to the festival was sold and they were unable to raise money to buy it.
And, the Wollers added, there didn’t seem to be another suitable location. The festival requires 120 acres to run.
The festival, which started after Wausau Events canceled Balloon Glow and Rib Fest in 2021 for the second year, drew visitors from across the country and even several countries beyond the U.S.
Wausau Events expressed sadness at the festival’s likely demise. Wausau Events started Wings over Wausau at the Wausau Municipal Airport after the balloon fest essentially moved to Stettin.
Subscribers this week read about how village board member Ken Charneski is suing Kronenwetter officials past and present - but is he right? The Wausonian examines the claims in detail:
What else in Wausau?
Primary candidate drops out… but: One of the candidates for the District 4 City Council seat, Vylius Leskys, has dropped out of the race for personal reasons; but his name will still appear on the ballot along with Deb Weiss’ and Tom Neal’s. Leskys told The Wausonian contributor Devon Welsh that he should be considered a non-candidate though his name will still appear before voters on Feb. 20, and that he won’t accept a nomination if named. His name will still appear because the timeline for removing one’s name had passed and ballots already had to be printed. Leskys also says he will not accept the nomination if elected.
Around the metro
Bomb squad detonates WWII era grenade: The Marathon County Bomb Squad detonated a Japanese grenade dating back to World War II that was found in a Goodwill Sorting Center in Ashland. The bomb squad, which covers a large area north of Marathon County, used a separate explosive to detonate the grenade, Sheriff Chad Billeb told The Wausonian, but officials believe the grenade was live.
Whooping cough and norovirus: County health officials say they’ve detected two troubling maladies: The first is an outbreak of whooping cough in Athens; and the second is a norovirus in wastewater in the Wausau area. The whooping cough starts out like a cold but transforms into coughing fits that lead to a whooping sound. The norovirus can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and stomach pain. In either case, make sure you stay home from work or school and seek treatment from a doctor.
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Business
Casa Amigos opening in former Perkins location: The former Perkins Restaurant location has had a few inhabitants post-pandemic. The latest is Casa Amigos, a Mexican restaurant with locations in Merrill and Marshfield. Casa Amigos will replace Rodzina, a Polish restaurant, and Garden Pancake House before that. Work is underway and Casa Amigos plans to open later in spring.
Cousin subs opening new location: Cousins Subs will host a ribbon cutting at its newest location, on 225 S. 18th Avenue in Wausau. Cousins Subs had previously had a location in that area that had closed. Also interesting of note: Former Packer Donald Driver in 2022 became a partial owner of six Cousins Subs locations in the Fox Valley area.
Entertainment
Thursday, Feb. 1: The newest exhibit at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Sonadora: Yuyi Morales is a collection really colorful and powerful illustrations. The Museum will host a gallery walk exploring the exhibit — learn all about it with museum educators Rachel Hausmann-Schall and Emily Fritz as they take you behind the scenes of this powerful illustrator. 5:30 pm. Free. See the museum’s exhibit page for more information.
Friday, Feb. 2: OK, so I’m not wild about all the tribute acts lately, but this one I will make an exception for, since I love Steely Dan. There’s a phrase about the group - they’re likely your favorite band’s favorite band. So Steely Dane is supposed to be a pretty good representation of that act, the unusual jazzy rock group from the 70s that became more jazz-like as the years passed. For a guitar player, every song is a lesson in music theory, and two of my favorite guitar solos of all time, both by session player Larry Carlton, appear on Steely Dan records. You’ll be reelin’ in the years if you miss this one. (That’s right, I said it.) 7:30 pm. $29. See the event page for more.
Saturday, Feb. 3: Virginia Steel has something a lot of bands around this area don’t - saxophone! This bluesy rock act, the combination of Virginia Schoemaker and Peter Phippen, makes for an entertaining act from musicians with years of experience recording and performing on multiple instruments. Should make for an entertaining evening, and a good excuse to drive down to Stevens Point. 2 pm. See the event page for more.
Looking for kids/family events? Check out the family-oriented listing from The Wausonian’s partner Wausau Mama, who puts together a weekly listing of children/family activities.
Sports
Boys basketball: The Wausau East Lumberjacks are the top Wausau area team in the Wisconsin Valley Conference, tied for second place with a 5-2 record. Wausau East will take on Marshfield on Friday after not playing a conference game since its one-point win over Everest Jan. 23, according to online schedules.
Girls basketball: Wausau West remains the top Wausau area team, 4-4 and third place in the Wisconsin Valley Conference. They will head to Wisconsin Rapids Thursday.
Boys hockey: Wausau West lost to SPASH 3-0 Thursday. The Warriors lost twice to SPASH, which accounts for their only two losses of the season. Wausau West remains in second place behind undefeated SPASH. The Warriors will host Merrill/Newman/Wausau East today (Thursday) in its second to last game of the season.
Girls hockey: The Central Wisconsin Storm defeated Marshfield 6-1 Tuesday to improve to 15-3 for the season. The Storm will host Superior on Friday as they near the end of the regular season.
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