For many in the area, Monday marked the beginning of “Asian Beetle” season. These annoying, invasive – yet basically harmless to humans – imported insects have a tendency to ruin the final warm, sunny days of the year.

Interested in learning more about these little ladybug impersonators?

The University of Kentucky has a very well done article on Asian Lady Beetle Infestations on their website.

Here’s the Asian Beetle fact sheet from the US Department of Agriculture.

More on Asian Beetles from Iowa State University.

Lisa Kivirist was the featured speaker Wednesday night at the first Prairie du Chien Inventors & Entrepreneurs Meeting. Her presentation was titled “See Jane Grow: How ECO-preneurs are Leading America’s Rural Renaissance”.

Kivirist is a farmer, writer, and operator of her own “green” business, a solar and wind powered bed & (organic) breakfast” in south-central Wisconsin. While her presentation focused mostly on finding environmentally sound ways to use the land to develop a small business, her themes also applied to anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit. “Being small is a real competitive advantage,” she says, “and wanting to be better at what you do, not necessarily bigger.”

The inaugural meeting was attended by people from as far away as Madison and Minneapolis. Many more were from Crawford, Vernon, and Clayton counties.

This new Inventors & Entrepreneurs club is facilitated by Crawford County Community Development Coordinator Laura Brown, who invites new and existing business owners alike to attend. “If you have an idea, “says Brown, “or just like being around creative people, it’s a fun time.”

Brown adds, “It’s really about getting to know other business people, networking, and realizing that alot of resources you need to start a business are right here in the community.”

Meetings for the club are held on the first Wednesday of each month in the Prairie du Chien City Hall building beginning at 6pm.

More info: Crawford County UW-Extension – I&E Club

October is a busy month. Farmers are busy in the fields harvesting many of their crops. Kids are busy in school, now in full swing. Animals are busy preparing themselves for another cold winter. It should be no surprise that the color that decorates our landscape is busy, too. Summer’s only-so-different shades of green quickly transform into Autumn’s inspiring kaleidoscope of colors: various shades orange, yellow, and red.

One man inspired by this sudden blast of color is Prairie du Chien illustrator John Mundt. Six years ago (2004), Mundt founded the Fallfire Art Contest to, as he says, “challenge artists to flex their creative muscles”.

Mundt says he was inspired to facilitate the conest by the sights and sounds of Autumn. “Fall always puts me in a very creative mood,” he says, “I hope to share that feeling with this creativity-inducing exercise.” The core requirement of the contest is to create a work inspired by the word “fallfire”.

Entries for the contest are accepted during the month of October, with a deadline of midnight on Halloween night. Mundt says there is usually a wide variety of entries. “Winning Fallfire entries from previous years included music, poetry, photographs, woven art, mixed media, jewelry,” he states, “and even a set of note cards.”

Prizes will be awarded in four different categories: Photography, Two-Dimensional Art, Written Works, and Other Media. A Grand Prize is also awarded, though Mundt only somewhat jokingly contends, “just enjoying the process should be a prize in itself!” Award winners will be notified on November 2nd. That will be followed by a ceremony and gallery display later in the month.

More info at: http://www.fallfire.org

Tyler Keeney, Mike Lenzendorf, Michael Waller, and Tyler O’Kane are Prairie du Chien graduates playing together this season for the UW – La Crosse Eagles.

Keeney was the first of the four to join the UW-L football program. He says his decision to play at UW-L was easy. “I knew they were one of the elite football programs around the country and they contacted me saying they were interested in me,” Keeney says, “so, I went on a visit and I loved the atmosphere up there and it wasn’t to far away from home.”

A two-year starter at wide receiver, he is in his final year of eligibility. After finishing last season with 20 catches for 297 yards and two touchdowns, Keeney injured his foot during this season’s training camp and missed the team’s first two games. He returned to the lineup last week in UW-L’s 48-0 win over Missouri S&T.

Also dealing with an injury this season is fellow Prairie du Chien graduate, Mike Lenzendorf. “I had surgery last winter on my foot. I got high-lowed in the Platteville game [last season] and dislocated two bones and tore the ligaments in my foot,” says Lenzendorf, a three year starter at La Crosse. He has returned to practice and is still rehabilitating his foot to keep it strong for the season.

Lenzendorf’s college football path begin in Madison where he was a member of the Wisconsin Badgers. He later transferred to La Crosse where he is working toward majors in Mathematics and Education; and where he plays defensive tackle. “I think the best part [after transferring schools] has been the close knit group of guys,” he says, “Everyone that is on the team wants to be here and are not forced to do things. Everyone loves the game of football and you don’t have to worry about egos.”

Lenzendorf, a former state champion wrestler at Prairie du Chien, says football life on the big stage at Camp Randall Stadium helped him appreciate what a smaller school could offer. “I think just experiencing what it was like at the big level made UW-L just seem like a great place,” he says, “It made me realize how much I love the game of football.”

Earlier this year, Tyler O’Kane joined Lenzendorf with his decision to make the switch from the Badgers to the Eagles. O’Kane started the year as a walk-on with the Badgers football team before deciding to transfer. During the transition, O’Kane lived with Lenzendorf and Keeney during training camp until he go his own place.

As a true freshman, O’Kane has had playing time as primarily as a kick returner. He has also has been given a few carries at running back, a position which UW-L is very deep.

Two apartments down from Keeney & Lenzendorf’s residence is Michael Waller, another Prairie du Chien graduate. Listed as a wide receiver on the Eagles roster, Waller is a former Blackhawks quarterback. On the basketball court in high school, the 6′5″ Waller played center.

Waller began his athletic career playing basketball for UW-L before he traded his sneakers for cleats and a helmet. His friend, Tyler Keeney, helped him with his decision. “Michael asked me what I thought of him coming out for football,” recalls Keeney, “He wanted to know what his chances were of making the team. I told him to give it a shot because I knew his size and speed would give him a real good chance of making the team.”

“I helped with the playbook so he would not behind and he picked everything up real quick,” says Keeney. Fitting, considering Keeney plans on graduating this Spring with a degree in Recreation Management. 

Even though it’s been over four years since some of them have strapped on Blackhawks gear, the Prairie du Chien connection remains strong. Lenzendorf agrees, “Yeah, even though we are a few years older than guys like O’Kane, we still get along and have a strong group connection with them.” Waller, Lenzendorf, and Keeney all graduated from Prairie du Chien before Tyler O’Kane was in high school. However, Waller says that their Prairie du Chien roots have helped them all stay close. “We all share a bond coming from Prairie and we hang out a lot off the field,” he says, “we’ve welcomed [O'Kane] and gotten to know him pretty well since he’s been here. He’s going to have a great career.”

Waller also notes the long history the players have together.  “Mike [Lenzendorf] and I have been on the same football team since 7th grade,” says Waller, “and Tyler [Keeney] and I have played basketball and football together since elementary school.  It’s been a lot of fun to continue playing with two of my high school teammates and best friends throughout college.”

UW-La Crosse has started their season with a 3-0 record. The Eagles begin conference play when they host UW-Oshkosh this Saturday night before hitting the road to play at UW-Platteville on October 10th.

Photos were taken by Margaret Wage. Also, thanks to UWLFootball.com for other information

“Building Strong Families” is the theme of this year’s Family Expo at the Prairie du Chien National Guard Armory. Organizers say this free family event highlights the many organizations, agencies and services available to keep area families strong.

This year’s event will be held Saturday, September 26th,from 10am to 1pm.

More than 30 agencies and organizations will have displays highlighting a resource they offer families. Some of the participants include the Family Resource Center, Prairie du Chien Parks and Recreation, 4-H, and Cub Scouts.

“A real variety!” says Crawford County Family Living Agent Jane Schaaf in regard to the organizations involved, “Each booth will have an activity for children, everything from walking a balance beam, painting, making a snack, going through an obstacle course, learning about magnets, or creating a masterpiece.”

The event is geared primarily for parents with young children. “The target is parents and grandparents with children up to age eight,” says Schaaf, “but there’s always things that even older elementary school children would enjoy.”

The Family Expo is held every other year.

This year’s planning committee included UW-Extension, Family Resource Center and Crawford County Human Services.

For more information, you can contact Jane Schaaf at 326-0223.

The weather to begin the month of September has been very pleasant – and very uncommon.

While it is fairly common to have quiet weather patterns and valley fog in September, it is very rare to have such a prolonged period like we have experienced so far this month. “We are stuck in a blocking weather pattern that have the jet stream well north into Canada and only weaker weather disturbances elsewhere in the country’s mid-section,” says National Weather Service Meteorologist Todd Shea.

The National Weather Service office in La Crosse monitors the weather for the area – including Prairie du Chien, Decorah, and Boscobel. Shea says they track conditions with surface observations taken mainly at airports and satellite imagery.

The previous record number of dry days to start the month of September was sixteen, set 116 years ago in 1893.

River valley fog becomes more frequent this time of year primarily due to longer hours of darkness and mature crops that provide ample low-level moisture for fog to form. “This isn’t all valley fog needs to form, though,” says the National Weather Service, “fog that forms because of intense nighttime cooling also needs clear skies and very light winds near the ground.”

“The pattern just didn’t want to budge,” says Shea, “but that will probably change going into next week it appears.”

Does an uncommonly dry and foggy start to the month of September help indicate what kind of weather we experience later in the Fall and Winter? “No, not really,” says Shea, “Our official Winter outlook typically comes out in mid-October.”

Neal Moore is canoeing the Mississippi River by himself seeking positive stories in Middle America. His canoe and camera found the Prairie du Chien area last week. “I can really appreciate a town – and area – like this,” says Moore, “and that’s highlighted in the videos.”

Many of Moore’s videos can be found on CNN as iReports, including the video featuring Prairie du Chien titled “A Community That Feeds Itself”. In the video, Moore interviewed people like Opportunities Center Director Pam Ritchie, councilwoman Kathleen Hein, and artist Jake Stephens about what makes a community like Prairie du Chien flourish.

A Community That Feeds Itself

Much of Moore’s time was spent on the other side of the Mississippi River. “When I started this trip,” he says, “I put my finger on Iowa – and really wanted to tell the story of sustainable agriculture”. He was able to witness that firsthand while staying with the Greg Koether family and their 600-acre ranch in Giard, Iowa.

A Field Day with the Practical Farmers of Iowa

Moore has spent twenty years traveling the world to places like Africa and Asia, but says he has been more excited about this trip that anything else he’s ever done. “On this trip,” he says, “you’re walking into the real America.” He continues, “It’s the perfect place to raise a family.”

While many of his reports have been used by CNN, he has no real plans to create a full documentary other than what is currently on the web. “Certainly a possibility, but I’m not angling for that,” he says, “The basic game plan was to put myself on the river and open up myself completely – take myself out of my comfort zone.”

Neal Moore will continue his journey down the Mississippi River on a canoe by himself until he reaches New Orleans in December.

• You can follow Neal’s journey at his website: http://flashriversafari.com/
• Access more of Neal’s iReports for CNN: http://www.ireport.com/people/nealmoore
• Follow Neal on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mooreneal

PdCToday.com will feature more of Dan Moris’ interview with Neal Moore in a future Radio Show podcast.

Labor Day weekend brought plenty of traffic to the Prairie du Chien, Marquette, and McGregor area as people from around the region came to celebrate what is often considered summer’s last hurrah.