Icy Monday

The listening area was awakened by an icy glaze this morning. The few degrees of warmer air over night brought us freezing drizzle rather than and inch or two of snow. It is always a good idea to leave your home a few minutes early and leave a good amount of space between your car the one in front of you. I know that these tips are common but we can forget them when we are focused on our busy day ahead of us. Conditions improved with time. Be careful.

12.8" of Snow?

On the date in 1934, snow began to fall during the evening on the 29th and continued into the morning hours of December 1st. Snow totals added up to 12.8 inches in La Crosse. This has been the snowiest November date yet.

Toys and Tots

When you are out shopping today or tomorrow, remember that this Friday is the annual Toys for Tots collection day. The La Crosse Jaycees and the La Crosse Radio Group team up each year for this event. The location is in front of the La Crosse Center from 6am to 6pm Friday November 20th. All toys or monetary donations will be distributed by the La Crosse Jaycees prior to Christmas. We will look forward to seeing you on Friday and thanks for making a child's Christmas brighter.

Go Pack

Yesterday the Packers won a great game. I was so glad that our local fans that rode our bus got to see a great Packer victory. We had a sold out bus trip to Green Bay. I am always hoping for a Packer win however yesterday I was thinking how nice it would be for our bus group to attend such a game. Packers 17, Dallas 7. I bet you already new the score!

Thank You Veterans

Thank you for serving our country. Today is your day. Many offices and business are observing Veterans days in different ways. One business in the area is offering free car washes today. The Ship Shape car wash in Onalaska and the Quick and Clean car wash on La Crosse's South Side are offering free services today for veterans and U.S. service members. Thank for our freedom that we enjoy each day.

Warm Set Up Weekend

Do you know what all the activity is about in Riverside Park? Its time again to set up for Rotary Lights. Warm weather was welcome for volunteers as set up for Rotary Lights holiday display continues. Fair weather should continue today as well. Rotary Lights opens the day after Thanksgiving and runs through New Year's Eve.

Great Fall Salad for you to try

I found this salad is a great addition to your meal when serving turkey or ham.


Cran-Apple Salad

2 16 oz. cans whole berry cranberry sauce
2 med. size Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, cored and diced
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1 cup chopped walnuts


Mix all ingredients except walnuts in a glass bowl. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Stir in walnuts. Serve and don't forget to refrigerate leftovers....if you have any! Makes 8 servings.

Full Moon?


The other night I remember thinking that it sure looked bright out. The Moon was just a few days away from being a full moon. Tonight's full moon has two official names. One is the Frosty Moon and the other is the Beaver Moon. I am not sure who gave these names to the Moon and until now I onlyknew the Harvest Moon as a named Moon.

Trick of treating for canned goods

La Crescent Middle and High School students will be trick of treating for
canned goods again this year for the La Crescent Food Pantry. Have your
non perishable gift ready at the door on Halloween. Local churches sponsor this event each year. The students will meet at the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in La Crescent at 3:00pm on Saturday.

Halloween Fun

Saturday is Halloween. Here is a way to make homemade face paints.

1tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. cold cream
1/2 tsp. water
a drop or two of food coloring

Stir together cornstarch and cold cream until well blended. Add water and stir. Add coloring, one drop at a time to desired color is achieved. Store covered. Remove with soap and water. Hint: Orange = 2 drops of yellow, 1 drop of red. Turquoise = 3 drops of blue, 1 drop of green. Violet = 2 drops of blue, 1 drop of red. Have fun with your homemade face paints. Adult supervision for little ones is always a good idea.

Flu Flu is it the Flu?

H1N1 Flu web cast may help answer your questions. Gundersen Lutheran experts will answer questions and concerns about H1N1 and seasonal influenza form 6:30 to 7pm tonight. To join the Web cast, go to gundluth.org/flu and click on the "Live Flu Web cast" link.

Start To Save Money Today

A free workshop on Becoming Coupon Savvy will be held tomorrow at 6:30pm at Family Resources, 1500 Green Bay Street. Child care is available for attendees. Registration is required by calling 784-8125 ext. 229. This sounds like a fun and productive way to save some money.

Interesting Weather Fact

Did you know that is is possible to see snowflakes falling with temperatures that are above the 32 degree mark? This does happen when there is a thin layer of above freezing temperatures near the ground. If this layer of air is too shallow for the snowflake to melt then it will make it to the ground.

Thank You

Thursday, Friday and Saturday was three exciting days at the La Crosse Radio Group. The CMN Radiothon was a great big success. Thanks to your generous donations the Radiothon did raise almost $53,000.00 for our area families. We do thank you very much.

Downtown is where the action is

Did you know that the Saturday, October 10th is the 14th annual Historic Downtown La Crosse Day? We have a link at cc1063.com for you. The Chili Cook Off is also part of the one day celebration. This is a day to take your time and walk in the downtown area to look at historic La Crosse in a slower pace. Did I mention that shopping is great in downtown La Crosse???

Today's Rumble

We have a good chance of rain and even maybe a rumble of thunder today. Did you know that the island of Java in Indonesia has more thunderstorms than any other region? The island has an average of 322 days of thunder a year. Now that is a lot of noise!

First Time Ever

Weather was the cause for the first time ever cancellation of the Torchlight Parade.
Heavy rain and lighting last night doused the Torchlight parade for the fist time in 38 years. The parade would have lit up La Crosse's North Side. The parade was called off at 6pm last night. An indoor walk around parade was held at the North Side Fest Ground as an effort to uphold tradition.

Parade Night

I am not sure how you could forget the most fun evening parade of the year. But just in case you did....here is a reminder. At 7:00PM tonight the Oktober Fest Torchlight Parade will step off on La Crosses North Side. You may need some rain gear however. There is a strong chance of rain all day and night. Just remember some years we have had temps in the 60's and some years rain or even snow. See you at the parade. The tradition continues.

Tonight at Oktoberfest

It's a favorite event at Oktoberfest every year. Heritage Night. Its a wonderful night of terrific food and fun entertainment. The event will be held again at the La Crosse Center. Heritage night opens at 4:00 and serves and entertains till 9:00pm. Tickets are $5.00 at the door. Enjoy yet another fun event at "My Hometown Oktoberfest"

Today at Oktoberfest

Today is German Heritage Day at the North Side fest ground. The event is from 9am to 2pm. Special Fester Day for individuals with special needs will be at the South Side grounds from 11am to 2:30pm. The 11th annual Laff Olympics will again be at the North grounds starting at 6pm tonight. Buy a button and support Oktoberfest.

Family Day

Its family day and no button required on either Oktoberfest grounds today. At 11:00 this morning the Lederhosen Luncheon on the South Side begins. Tickets are required. Available at the door. What a terrific Maple Leaf parade last Saturday. Over 100,000 folks enjoyed the sunny and warm day. Thanks to the board of directors and volunteers that work so hard each year to bring us such a special festival.

Fun Apple Facts

Apples float because their volume is approximately 25% air. That is why apples are the fruit of choice for the game bobbing for apples. I guess that is why grapefruit is not a contender for the sport. I have never seen a grapefruit float. The largest apple on record weighed just over 3 pounds. That would be enough fruit for an entire pie.

2009 Mrs. Oktoberfest

Congratulations to Barb Larsen the newest member of the Oktoberfest royal family. Barb lives outside of Holmen and enjoys gardening. She is involved in many area business committees and advisory boards. Mrs. Oktoberfest and her family will be introduced Friday night at the Fest Masters Ball. The new 2009 Fest Master will be announced tomorrow night. Here is to a fun and safe fest for all.

Twenty Two Days in a row

The showers that started late Monday ended a 22-day stretch with no recorded rain at the La Crosse Municipal Airport, two days short of the 1953 record for the longest string of days with no precipitation according to the National Weather Service office in La Crosse. It still marked La Crosse's driest start on record for September. Lets hope for a dry Maple Leaf Parade on Saturday. Look for the La Crosse Radio Group Flyer's in the parade. La Crosse Radio Group is a proud sponsor of the Oktober Fest Maple Leaf parade again this year.

What is that sound?

Did you hear the rain shower early this morning???It has been three week since our last real rain shower. All the late summer flowers and the trees were really asking for rain. Take your umbrella to work today and on the way home remember to stop at the La Crescent Farmers Market. The location is 420 south 2nd street. The market is open from 4 to 7pm. There are only a few weeks of the market this season. You will find some of the best produce around.

The 61st Apple Fest is now in the books

Congratulations to the Apple Fest board of directors and volunteers that provided and excellent Apple Fest. What a wonderful year Mallery Schoen(Miss La Crescent),
Bryn Trisler (First Princess) and Megan Wolf (Second Princess) have in store for themselves this coming year. The court will do a wonderful job as representatives for the community as their exciting reign begins. A personal thank you to Julie Arney, chair for the Man and Women of the year award and for the nomination that was given to Pat and myself this year. There are a lot of folks who are also deserving of this high honor. From the bottom of our hearts we thank the Board of Directors for this great gift.

Good Morning Chili

I am not taking about the temperature. The La Crosse radio group is having a chili tasting today in our offices for our staff. We will be choosing the favorite recipe for the State Bank Financial 18th annual chili cook off October 10th. We do have more information on our community calendar page. Five of our team was asked to whip up their families favorite chili. The Smith kitchen was cooking at 5:30am today with our favorite chili. On Monday I will let you know which staff member won our in house cook off.

Apple Fest Starts Today

This is the first day of the 61st annual La Crescent Apple Fest. There are not many towns that can boast that many years of festival history. The fest kicks off today with the Little Miss and Little King pageant at 6pm. The Apple Fest continues through Sunday evening. We do offer a link to Apple Fest on our home page. Buy a button and support the fest.

Flu shot in October
Next month the new swine flu vaccine should be ready for limited distribution. The FDA approved the new swine flu vaccine yesterday, a long anticipated step as the government works to get vaccinations under way in the month of October. We will keep you posted on the local level as to where flu shot clinics will be held. Remember to wash your hands often and always cover you cough. Here is to a healthy fall and winter season.

Hollywood lost a great one.
Patrick Swayze passed away yesterday. I have watched Dirty Dancing 100 times. Patrick lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. He had a wonderful way of dancing into peoples hearts. He was also married to the same woman for over 31 years. That in itself was news worthy especially in Hollywood. When was the first time you saw Dirty Dancing? E on line has a nice history story on Patrick Swayze.

Good morning. Did you have a family member stay up and watch the Packer game last night. I would be willing to bet that even if you did not stay up to watch the entire Packer/Bear game that you heard screaming updates till the very end on the contest. NFL.com leads the web page with "Aaron it out". Packers 21 Bears 15. Not a bad start for the green and gold. Will this be our winning season? Only 15 more games to go.

Yesterday afternoon the beautiful Pine Creek Golf Course was host to a special event.
Eight cities were represented in the 10th annual La Crescent Lancer Cross Country "Crazy Buffalo" invitational. Hundreds of parents, families and friends were on hand to enjoy this first of the season contest. Remember to visit our sports link at cc1063.com for high school results through out the school season.

A new American Idol judge???? Who will take over for the cute and sweet Paula Abdul??? I would not have guessed Ellen Degeneres. But word has it that the afternoon funny lady will be seated next to Simon, Randy and Kara. Well, what do you think about that????

The month of June is ranked as the worst month for car - deer collisions. Here are a few tips that may help. Drive cautiously at all times. When you see one deer, look for another one. Deer seldom run alone. Slow down and drive the speed limit. Safe travels to all.

Hello again. There is a very important day that is less than three weeks away. If you said the first day of summer you would be correct. If you said its Fathers Day on June 21st you would also be correct. You now have less than three weeks to figure out what your Father will be receiving for a special gift this year. If you are a good listener you may pick up on a hint or two. Listen and remember well. Fathers are to be celebrated this month.

Well it's back to work after your three day holiday. It will most likely take till Friday to figure what day of the week it is. A reminder to put on your social calendar that La Crosse River Fest is July 1st through the 5th. This may seem like a long way in the future but it will be here before you know it. What a wonderful local celebration.

Happy Birthday to singer-actress Cher. Cher is 63 today. She is just one of those people who are just not supposed to age. It is very hard to think of Cher as a senior citizen. Happy Birthday Cher!

A study found that milk and cereal or chocolate milk is a better option than sports drink after a work out. This is great news for the Dairy State.

By Presidential proclamation May 15th is Peace Officers Day. To honor Police Officers and pay tribute to those who have lost their lives in the line of duty. I just thought you should know about this special day.

With summer fast approaching this may be a very good time to visit the free skin cancer screening. The dates are May 19th, 20, and 21st. You will find the free clinic at Gundersen Lutheran East Building first floor in La Crosse. Call (608) 775-6700 to make an appointment. A skin cancer exam can take five to seven minutes. I cant think of a better way to start off a health summer season.

Guess what just went up in price today. Gas you say? Good guess...but it's postage that is on my mind this morning. A first class stamp goes up two cents to 44 cents today. My first memory of a stamp price is six cents. Now I know that was a very long time ago. I also remember gas at sixty cents a gallon. Remember to add your two cents today or your mail will be returned.

Today is just an odd day all around. Just look at today's date. 5/7/09. The Fifth month, the seventh day and the year 2009. The next odd day does not happen for over two years. 7/9/11. How about doing something odd today. Maybe organize that junk drawer in the kitchen? Now that would be odd.

Well here we go again. ESPN is reporting that Brett Favre will have a meeting in a few days to talk about a possible return to football via the Minnesota Vikings club. I think Brett should go out and buy a big new tractor and spend some time at his family home redoing the landscape.

Happy Monday to you. It looks like American Idol is making headlines today. Judge Kara DioGuardi will not be back next year. Kara is saying that she was only asked to do one year. This information has been reported by TV Guide Magazine. So next winter will the trio of Paula, Randy and Simone once again be in control? Only time will tell.

A big thank you to all the sponsors, volunteers and spaghetti hungry folks who came out last night to the Onalaska armory. The annual spaghetti dinner at the Armory was to support soldiers now serving elsewhere. Fine entertainment from the Onalaska Show Choir and local talent. This night was a wonderful way to show support of the military and their families. Thanks to all.

Chuck Wicks and real life girlfriend/partner Julianne Hough were sent home on "Dancing with the stars" last night. This choice may have been somewhat of a surprise to some. Ty is still doing his best to not get thrown off the show.

Did you wake up to a light show this morning. Many of you may have. Around 3:30am our first little thunder and lightening event passed through the coulee region. I did get up to see what was happening. The thunder and rain did not start with the lighting. As spring and summer comes I know that this natural wonder will wear off. Saying that there sure is something neat about the first spring storm of the season. Enjoy natures wonders.

Here is a great recycling idea. Lionsclubs.org will guide you to the nearest drop-off for your old spectacles which are dispatched to needy eyes. What a great idea!!!

This morning as I was reading the newspaper I found something that I had never paid any attention to in the past. There is a report on the barge traffic that travels through the Dresbach Lock and Dam. The water temperature was 50 degrees yesterday and Two towboats went upriver with 24 barges. One towboat went downriver with three barges. This information is for all of us river rats.

I am just amazed how big of an effect one little rain shower can have. Take a good look around your yard today. The lawn is much greener and the tree are starting to come green again. Think back to just last week and it seems like overnight we entered the spring season. The message today is take a moment and enjoy your surroundings.

It's garage sale time. I bet there are 100's of folk preparing for a Saturday morning of treasure sales. Some call them Garage sales or Alley sales or rummage sales. Whatever the name it brings out the bargain hunters in all of us. This is a great time of year to spring clean and lighten up your closets. Remember that if this idea does not appeal to you, not to worry. There are many locations that would be happy to take your donations. Goodwill or the Salvation Army are just two great options. Your Church may even have families that are in need of your treasures. Get busy! It's that time of year again.

Volunteers and still needed for Neighbors Day. The annual La Crosse Neighbors Day has more than 400 volunteers registered but could still use more. Can you help on Saturday morning? Those interested in helping are asked to meet between 8 and 9 a.m. Saturday at La Crosses City Hall. If you cannot attend on Saturday's event you could always ask you own neighbor if they could use some help with yard work or any kind of spring clean up. Thanks in advance. I'll see you at City Hall on Saturday. Joanie

Didn't the NFL season just finish up????Well the NFL has just released the 2009 regular season schedules. The Packers will has their first season opener on September 13th vs. Chicago. The Packers and the Vikings meet on Monday night October the 5th at Minnesota. The regular season will finish up on January 3rd at Arizona for the Pack. Best of luck to all!

Guess what today is? The 14Th of April you may say. Yes, you would be correct and also its your last chance to deal with your tax return. Did you know that 70% receive a refund? Now what will you do with your refund......pay off a credit card balance? Save some? Treat yourself? So many choice and only one refund.

April showers bring May flowers. I am sure you all have heard that one a time or two. Here is my question for the day however. If all of that is true then what is the rule for putting the shovel and snow blower away. I am sure if I do put up these winter tools that a snow event will happen. Our news channel 8 forecast is for a week of 60 degree temps. I may wait for another week or two just to be sure.

Did you know that Easter weather can offer all kinds of variations in conditions? Years ago the temp went all the way down to one degree and as much as 85 in 1977. One year there was over 8 inches of snow on the ground and a soggy Easter with almost 2 inches of rain. How is a person to know what Easter bonnet to wear??? Sunday may reach 60 degrees in the Coulee Region. I think we all know how to dress with that forecast. Happy Easter to you and your family. Joanie

It's time for another season in the Coulee Region to get underway. It's time for the road construction season to begin. Here are some safety tips for drivers.
Stay alert
Watch for signs, equipment and workers
Minimize distractions such as using cell phones, eating or drinking
Avoid tailgating
Follow posted speed limits
Lets make this season a safe one for everybody.

Hello again. If you were awake bright and early maybe you would have seen a peach colored moon this morning. It was very pretty. Not so pretty was the out come of Dancing With The Stars Tuesday night. Dave Alan Grier is gone and Steve O is still in the contest. Steve O was not even in the bottom two. Go figure.

Well hello there....If you are traveling for the Easter Holiday here is a Crock Pot recipe that will travel with you.

Reuben Sandwich Spread

1 pound cooked corned beef - chopped finely

1 16 ounce can sauerkraut, rinsed and drained

1 cup thousand island dressing

1 1/2 cups shredded swiss cheese

3 ounces package cream cheese, cut into pieces

1 tbs prepared horseradish

1 tsp caraway seeds

your favorite crackers for serving

Combine all ingredients in stoneware. Cover and cook 3 hours on low setting. Serve with crackers and enjoy!

This is the cutest cake ever for your family Easter celebration. You may want to use a different jellybean color for every child in the household. Insert a half of a toothpick in one jellybean. Put the toothpick into the cake. The child that picks the toothpick jellybean gets a special Easter treat. Enjoy. Click here to see the bunny cake.



Bunny Cake Recipe

What You Need!
2 baked 9-inch round white cake layers, cooled
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Strawberry Whipped Topping, thawed
1 pkg. (7 oz.) BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut (2-1/3 cups), divided
suggested decorations(licorice, assorted ring-shaped candies, gumdrops)
Make It!
LEAVE 1 cake whole; cut remaining cake into 3 pieces as shown in diagram. (See Tip.) Arrange on large foil-covered board or platter to resemble a bunny's head and bow tie, using small amount of COOL WHIP to attach pieces to each other.
FROST cake with remaining COOL WHIP.
SPRINKLE coconut over cake. Decorate with remaining ingredients as shown in photo. Keep refrigerated.