Courier Press

By Correne Martin

After 17 and a half years of teaching aerobics classes in Prairie du Chien, Mary Kay Lange is ready for something new. She fully intends to continue attending classes, but she retired May 24 from leading participants.

“I just knew I needed a change,” Lange said. “I will miss the socializing, but I won’t miss trying to find something new for everybody to try.”

Mary Kay moved to Prairie du Chien in 1987. She began attending aerobics classes, taught by Judy Sagedahl, at Blackhawk Junction as a way to simply meet members of the community.

“I met some wonderful people with similar interests,” she noted.

The classes moved to Hoffman Hall a few years later and Sagedahl left, so Lange decided to take over. She started watching exercise videos and TV shows, done by Denise Austin and others, and wrote down ideas from those to use in her classes. She also gleaned workout tips from fitness magazines.

By Correne Martin

The Prairie du Chien Parks and Recreation Department works hard all year to plan programs for the public, especially for families and children. In the spring and summer, activities are numerous.

Each year, Parks and Rec Director Mike Ulrich, his staff and volunteers try to plan new events, camps, leagues and more that will appeal to residents, non-residents and visitors. The many parks, shelters, outdoor pool, Hoffman Hall and other scenic locations in the Prairie du Chien area  serve as home to these lively offerings. Certainly, the standard programs, such as baseball, junior golf, tennis, volleyball, canoe/kayak and fitness classes are always scheduled and have a good amount of participants.

Roland F. Welsch III, 15, of Johnson Creek, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, May 29, 2016.

He was born on May 28, 2001 in Madison, the son of Roland Jr. and Kim (Geisler) Welsch.

More than 100 people came out for the Crawford County Dairy Kick-Off Banquet May 29 at the Eastman United Methodist Fellowship Hall, where Brooklynn Nagel, the 2016 Crawford County Dairy Princess, was crowned.

Brooklynn is the daughter of Jon and Becky Nagel, of Eastman. She is in the 10th grade at Wauzeka-Steuben High School, where she is a very active, highly awarded, and a member of the FFA, currently serving as president of her chapter. Brooklynn is involved with many school programs such as Hornet Club. She is also a member of the Eastman Cloverleaf 4-H club, and a member of her church youth group. Currently, she is employed by Achenbach’s Hy-View Farms in Eastman as a farm assistant, feeding calves, milking, cleaning pens and sanitizing equipment. In the summer, Brooklynn works with her fair animals—pigs and sheep—attends mission trips and is a camp counselor. Brooklynn will serve as Crawford County’s 60th Dairy Princess.