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Lynxville’s iconic three wise men refurbished this summer

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Putting the finishing touches on refastening Lynxville’s three wise men to the top of the bluff are (from left) Bryan Hagensick, Austin Hagensick, Parker Hagensick and Stan Hagensick. Other volunteers present for the community project (but not pictured) were Donny Hagensick, Jim Gobeli and Cory Kale. (Photo by Jim Gobeli)

Amid refurbishing the three wise men are (from left) Village President Stan Hagensick, Cory Kale, Bryan Hagensick, Austin Hagensick and Parker Hagensick. (Photo by Jim Gobeli)

By Correne Martin

A scenic drive north up Highway 35 to La Crosse would be incomplete without seeing the iconic three wise men figures on the bluff above Lynxville. Locally, they’re known to be located above “Caya’s Corner” and lit from Thanksgiving Eve until New Year’s Day. They’ve been a charming tradition for the small river community since the late 1950s/early 1960s.

According to Lynxville history, the community project, which also features four sheep, was erected (in the mid-1950s, or in 1960, depending on the resource) after many years of planning started by a group of residents, including Hank Cooper and Thurley (Caya) Turnipseed.

“Everybody feels they’re just a symbol of our community,” said Village President Stan Hagensick. However, he was unsure about more details of the initial reasoning, design choices or efforts.

Community history explains that one of the kingly figures, with a staff in hand, points to the east, where there is a star on another hilltop. That star is also lit, from the start of the Lenten season until Easter Sunday. A second figure kneels and a third appears to point to heaven. The wooden cutouts are visible for some distance by travelers not only on the highway but also on the Mississippi River.

To honor the lore of the three wise men, the village refurbishes them every three or four years, according to Hagensick, to keep their colors vibrant enough for passers-by to view 150 yards down below. Money raised by the community club is used toward the regular restoration.

The village of Lynxville owns the strips of land that accommodate the steep trail leading up to the wise men, which are 20 feet tall and made from treated plywood. Jim and Judy Gobeli own the property right below them.

The wise men are secured to a metal frame drilled into the rock on top of the bluffs. To recondition them, they are unbolted, painted the same colors as always and then refastened to their same location. Each time the project is done, a half-dozen volunteers are rounded up, they hike up the hill with their tools and, then, do the work. The volunteers, who have consisted of three generations now, select a good day of weather to schedule the refurbishing project
“It usually takes about four hours,” Hagensick said. “Sometimes, we have to bring them down and take them back up.”

Hagensick noted the cost for the project ranges between $300 to $400 each time the village takes care of it.

For a community of Lynxville’s size, the three wise men have made quite a unique tradition.

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