Courier Press

On Nov. 20, at 6:13 p.m., the Crawford County Dispatch Center was notified of an individual who had fallen out of his tree stand on property located on Sunset Ridge in Eastman Township.

Dennis Kiefer, 51, Oconomowac, died from injuries suffered after he had fallen approximately 15 feet out of his tree stand while bow hunting.

Eastman Fire and EMS responded with four wheelers and a UTV to get to the victim. Tri State Ambulance was also called to assist and transported Kiefer to Crossing Rivers Health where he was later pronounced dead by coroner Joe Morovits.

By Correne Martin

The farm life of yesteryear is the setting of the first non-fiction book, “What Happened on Famechon Ridge,” written by retired Prairie du Chien dairy farmer Harvey Zabel. A local book signing is planned at the Prairie du Chien Memorial Library on Wednesday, Dec. 2, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Filled with short stories and poems about his real-life shenanigans on the home farm, which has been in the family for 120 years (first under his dad’s uncle William Schultz), the book tells about various episodes of his lifetime, including a combine showdown, coon hunting, tractor pulls and tractor purchases, hybrid seed corn, swinging on a cottonwood tree limb, weather predictions, maple syrup and sorghum, the sawmill, rope making, mustard plaster, his kids, dogs and cats, snowstorms, and how Famechon Ridge got its name. A few old-time photographs are sprinkled in among the pages.

Mildred J. Prew, 98, of Prairie du Chien passed away Sunday, Nov. 22, at the Prairie Maison Care Center. 

She was born Oct. 13, 1917 on Wall Ridge in Eastman, the daughter of John and Margaret (Wall) Phillip. She married Peter Prew on Aug. 31, 1938 at St. Wenceslaus Church in Eastman. He preceded her in death on June 14, 2003. Mildred was an active member of St. Gabriel’s Church in Prairie du Chien and enjoyed the outdoors, especially her gardens. 

St. Mary’s School in Bloomington is hosting its annual Breakfast with Santa and Holiday Tour of Homes on Sunday, Nov. 29. Breakfast is from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the school gym.

The tour of homes runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at each house or at the breakfast.

The Charlie and Cathy Martin home is located at 631 6th Street. This is a very unique home, as it was originally built by Charlie’s uncle as a barn, but over the years was eventually turned into a home, and now is back in the family. Charlie and Cathy purchased this home in 2013. Since moving in, they have added a studio, windows to one of the bedrooms, and planted over 70 trees.

Tom and Andrea Crubel’s home is located at 220 County A. This home was custom built in 1979, and the Crubel’s purchased it in 2001, recently remodeling it in 2013. This tri-level house includes a floor-to-ceiling fireplace and vaulted ceilings in the living room.