Stewart Park is crumbling | Weekly Wausonian

Wausau news for the week of Sept. 14, 2023

Sep 14, 2023

If you drive over to Stewart Park on the east side of Wausau, you can see through several spots on the large wall on the west side of the park.

City leaders this week approved spending some money to do some tuck-pointing on that wall. That will give masonry experts information about how to fix the wall depending on how it respond to freezing and thawing over winter.

That all came after a nearby resident (who happened to once be my high school principal) sounded the alarm about the park’s condition. He submitted a petition to the city requesting it fix the nearly 100-year-old park. (The park was gifted to the city in 1926, according to information online by historian Gary Gisselman.)

The city’s parks department will spend $4,600 out of its own repair fund to do the initial tuck point job through Kowalski Masonry (no relation to this report’s author).

What else in Wausau?

Dental addition: NorthCentral Technical College announced it will start a dental assistant program in early 2024. The program is only one semester and fills a growing need in the community. And, the program is eligible for grants if the students work at least one year on the job.

Chief, I swear: Former Deputy Chief Matt Barnes was sworn in last week is the city’s newest police chief. The city made it into a roughly hour-long ceremony, with speeches, honor guard and a reception afterward. Barnes replaces Ben Bliven, who left for the private sector at Greenheck Fan Corporation.

Around the metro

No mandates: Marathon County’s Health and Human Services Committee last week approved a ban on any mandates related to COVID-19, that include masks, isolation and vaccines. Opponents of the measure say the county isn’t empowered to make those mandates in the first place. The resolution must still go before the county board.

Business

Amazon distribution center coming to Weston: An Amazon distribution center will be coming to Weston. The facility is expected to open in late 2024 to early 2025 on Highway J near the Highway 29 intersection. The roughly $15 million, 79,000-square-foot project will mean Wausau area residents will get their packages much faster than they do now.

River District changes: It looks like there are already new operators taking over Honest J’s coffee shop downtown. The coffee shop had been The Ugly Mug. Honest J’s owner previously said he would be turning it into a cocktail lounge. And, it appears Jimmy John’s will be taking over the upstairs room of Jalapenos.

Forward, alcohol-free: Speaking of downtown, The Wausonian sat down with the owners of the new Forward Beverage Co., which moved into the old Sweet Lola’s spot on Third Street. They serve non-alcoholic versions of mimosas and Old-Fashioneds, in versions with or without CBD and ashwangandha. They’re quite tasty and the couple has plans to distribute as well.

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Entertainment

Saturday, Sept. 16: Beer and Bacon Fest is, well, just that - it’s a whole lot of people gathering in Wausau Oak Island Park eating bacon from local restaurants and drinking beer from a variety of great beer makers from around the area. They also have designated driver tickets at a discounted price. And, there are NA options available. 1 pm. Learn more at the event page.

Friday, Sept. 15: The Seth Brown Duo has an interesting approach to music, combining storytelling with great country/folks singing. With a scheduled that’s booked full, they’re really starting to stretch their range. They’ll bring their act to The Garage this Friday, one of the rising music venues in the area. 7 pm. Check out the event page for more.

Saturday, Sept. 16: Having read the original Legend of Sleepy Hollow (which has a very long description of a tree), I’ve always had an affinity for this story. Now, you can see this early American tale brought to life by the River and Woods Theatre Company (the new theatre group that rose out of the ashes of the Out of the Woods group) at Monk Botanical Gardens. 5 pm. See the event page for all the details.

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

Football: The Wisconsin Valley Conference is becoming a two-way battle between D.C. Everest and Wausau West - both earned wins Friday. Everest won a tight battle 17-14 against Marshfield; and The Warriors beat Wausau East 49-14. Everest heads to SPASH on Friday and West heads to Marshfield.

Volleyball: Everest is off to a strong start, 2-0 in the Valley after beating Rapids in three straight sets last week. They will host Marshfield today (Thursday).

Boys soccer: The Evergreens are leading the Wisconsin Valley Conference with a 2-0 record. D.C. Everest beat 2-0 last Thursday, giving them the top spot in the conference, tied with Rapids. Everest will host Merrill today (Thursday).

Girls tennis: The Warriors are off to a blistering start this season, leading the Valley with a 4-0 record. They blanked D.C. Everest 7-0 Tuesday, and host crosstown rival Wausau East today (Thursday).

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