The Price County Fair will be held on Wednesday, August 23, 2023 through Sunday, August 27, 2023. However, if you cannot wait that long, you can watch the Dog & Cat Show at 6 p.m. in the Expo Building at the fairgrounds on Thursday, August 17th.
Wednesday, August 23rd is entry day with free gate admission; however, there are no rides that day. Youth face-to-face judging will take place in the Junior Building from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The market animal weigh-in will begin at 7 p.m.
More judging will take place on Thursday, August 24th with open class judging starting at 9 a.m. in the Open/Youth Building; poultry judging will also take place at 9 a.m.; rabbit judging begins at 1 p.m.; and beef, swine, sheep, and goat judging starts at 5 p.m.
Thursday also kicks off the entertainment at the fair. The opening ceremony will take place at the Old Log School at 9 a.m. At 6 p.m., enjoy bingo or family music entertainment performed by The Dweebs.
On Friday, the Bug Extravaganza will begin at 10 a.m. in the chapel and continue throughout the day. A chainsaw carving show will take place at 10 a.m. with three other shows sprinkled throughout the day. At 11 a.m., 3 p.m., and 5:30 p.m., enjoy Nick's Kids' Show & Barnyard Adventure. At 1 p.m., the "balloon guy," Half Twisted Half Knot, will perform. More judging will also take place on Friday with judging of the horse show at noon in the horse arena. A karaoke contest will take place at 5 p.m. At 7 p.m., the annual market animal sale will start. The night's entertainment will be capped off starting at 8 p.m. with country music by Brady Lee, who was crowned Country Music's 2023 Artist to Watch.
At 9 a.m. on Saturday, open horse show gaming will take place in the horse arena. Bug Extravaganza will begin at 10 a.m. in the chapel and continue throughout the day. Face painting will start at 10 a.m. and take place all day. Once again, the chainsaw carving show will take place at 10 a.m. with three additional shows throughout the day. Nick's Kids' Shows & Barnyard Adventure will take place at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 4 p.m. The Sawdust Dig begins at 1 p.m. in the Expo Building. Mid-afternoon, enjoy country, rock, and blues when Iron Mule performs. The kids' tractor pull will take place outside of the chapel at 5 p.m., and the dirt dash and demolition derby will also begin at 5 p.m. in the grandstands. You don't need to know how to square dance to partake in the fun, which starts at 7 p.m. and will be called by Gary Edinger. After the derby is finished, music by rock band, Twisted Whisker, will begin.
Rounding out the last day of the fair, a classic car show will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Face painting will start at 10 a.m. and continue throughout the day. Enjoy some polka with Richie Yurkovich & Polkarioty at 11 a.m. Noon will find people enjoying bingo. The Farm Olympics will take place at 2 p.m. Roger Lee, performing '70s and '80s country, will start at 2 p.m.
Wisconsin Remembers - A Face for Every Name will be on display every day at the fair. This traveling exhibit features a photo of each of the 1,163 Wisconsinites who are listed on the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial in Washington, D.C.
From Thursday through Sunday, the Phillips Children's Museum will open at 10 a.m. in the Theater Building. The S.E.A. Hampsters pool, where you can enter a 6.5 foot diameter ball and walk or float on water, will open at noon on Thursday and 10 a.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for all-day entertainment. All buildings are open at the fair, as well, to enjoy various displays, antiques, farm animals, and exhibits.
Carnival rides run from noon to 10 p.m. on Thursday, noon to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Gate admission for each day on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday is $10 per person without rides and $20 per person with rides. Admission is $10 on Sunday with or without rides. Children 2 years old and younger enjoy free admission.
Come out to the fair, see some friends, enjoy the entertainment, and support this great community event.
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On Saturday, August 12, 2023, at 12:50 p.m., the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call reporting an ATV accident on Lake Shore Drive in the Village Of Rib Lake.
The 911 caller was in a group of individuals driving UTVs and found the injured person lying on the road. The person was injured and unresponsive. Taylor County deputies, the fire department, and EMS were dispatched.
Upon emergency services arrival at the scene, the unresponsive ATV rider was identified as James C. Wacholtz Jr., 48, of Rib Lake. He has severe injuries and was airlifted to a hospital in Wausau where he was pronounced deceased.
A preliminary investigation into the cause of the ATV accident indicates the driver likely lost control of the ATV while attempting to negotiate a right turn. This caused the ATV to overturn, and he was ejected off the ATV as it overturned. Speed is being considered as a factor in the cause of the accident, but the DNR is continuing its investigation.
Frank Dusek was born in 1939 in the Township of Emery to Frank and Anne. His siblings are Vivian and Ruth.
He attended East Highland School, which is now a bed & breakfast and then finished his schooling at Phillips High School. His favorite teacher was Mrs. Fox. Frank said, "I could do math real easy with her." Something that didn't come so easy to him, though, was playing the accordion, which his dad hoped he would master under the instruction of Marianne Foytek. "Dad wanted to make a musician out of me, but, at that age, I had other things in mind like cars, sports, and girls. It made it difficult to practice the accordion," Frank admitted.
Like a lot of young boys, Frank dreamed of being in professional sports; he wanted to be a baseball player. "On the farm, when I had a chance, if dad was napping or doing something, I'd throw that ball against the barn wall." He played baseball in school, and he also wanted to play basketball. "I think I screwed it up. I was told not to play basketball, but who's gonna tell me what to do? So, I went to play, and I got kicked in the back of the leg. The coach came up to me and said, 'Frank, that did it.' He knew I wouldn't be very good [at baseball] with that type of injury, which did bother me later in life when I played for the Legion and city teams."
Upon graduation from Phillips High School in 1957, Frank didn't head to baseball training camp; instead, he ventured to Portage, Wisconsin where he worked in a canning factory for the summer. After spending some time back home, he joined the Army in 1958, and he remained there for over 2 1/2 years. He was stationed in Fort Sheridan, Illinois, but he chuckled when he said, "That area didn't satisfy me."
He moved back to Phillips, and he was going to work on the farm, but "I saw all the rocks to pick, and I said 'no,'" he said with a chuckle. So, he went to work at the Standard Oil station. Fred Knez owned the station, and Frank asked him if he would like to sell it. Fred said he would need to talk with his wife, Mabel, and before Frank knew it, as he says, "I bought myself a job."
While running the Standard station, Lloyd Hilgendorf, a man from Tomahawk, approached him about getting into the LP gas business. Frank, a budding entrepreneur, decided to add that line of business. He soon found out, however, that Standard Oil was not going to allow him to also provide LP at the station. He had to choose which path he wanted his business to take, so, in 1962, he chose the LP gas business.
To get the venture going, Frank went to Texas to buy a bulk truck. He drove it back home, went straight to the Price County Fair, and his first LP customers signed up to his services.
In 1967, he purchased the land across from the current grocery store, built his store, and that remained the home of Dusek's LP Gas until the time of his retirement in 2003 when he sold the business after 41 years as a businessman.
While building his business, Frank got married to his first wife, who was from Waukegan, Illinois. She did not acclimate well to the area, and fourteen years later they divorced.
After some time living the single life, in the mid-1970s, someone caught his eye while he was watching a softball game south of town. He asked someone, "Who is the lady on first base?" He found out her name was Carol, and she was playing softball for the local bowling alley. Naturally, Frank decided to frequent the bowling alley so he could make her acquaintance. Once doing so, he realized he wanted to get to know her better. After a couple years of dating, Carol's daughter, Tracy, who was ten years old at the time, advised that Frank might want to marry Carol, which Frank says was likely the best piece of advice he has ever received, even though he joked he has probably received a lot of advice in his life. In 1977, they took Tracy's advice to get married, and Frank whole-heartedly feels it was the best decision of his life.
Not only is Carol his best friend, he said that she helped straighten out his life and make him a better person. He shared that he started drinking coffee when he was 25 years old with the other salesmen. However, as time progressed, the salesmen started going to the supper club for "drinks." When he met Carol, he was making a few choices with drinking that were not suiting his health, and by her suggestion and guidance, he did stop drinking, much to his doctor's delight.
"Being I went through this deal with drinking a little more alcohol than I maybe should have, I'm fortunate that I stopped before it got out of control, but today the kids are out there and you just wonder. The kids don't know what they are doing with trying the drugs and everything that is out there, and it makes it hard for these kids. If only they would realize, be taught, and know not to do it," Frank shared his advice to today's youth, knowing they could find more good things in a clean lifestyle.
Throughout their married life, Frank and Carol have focused on the good things in life. One good thing they love to do is travel in their motor home. They have visited many places, but Alaska is a highlight for Frank. They went on a cruise and a bus tour. "The bus tour was really nice. They had everything arranged for us. There were other couples with us. We got to see sites we normally wouldn't see. They could take the bus right through the reserves, and they would explain everything to us." Frank has traveled much of America, but he said they didn't get out west to as many places as he would have liked.
If Frank could have one wish for America, he'd wish that some people would not be so corrupt. "This stuff we have going on now, it's just too bad. I don't know where it all comes from, but the parents really should be responsible for what their kids do." He explained that most parents are doing a good job but some need to discipline their children to help them grow to be good and proper citizens and appreciate this great country we have. "I was disciplined when I was young. I guess that's what it takes. But I don't blame the parents for all of it. When the kids get in trouble, you've got to tell them what is wrong and not just fight for them and say, 'Well, it's okay.'" He said that some kids immediately go to their parents now to have them come to their aid, but when he was a kid, he didn't want his dad to know when he did something wrong. "But some things I couldn't hide," Frank joked, with some glee in his eyes remembering his mischievous days as a young man. It all started when his dad bought him a Sears & Roebuck Schwinn bike. "I didn't like to pedal it," Frank said, so he had to soup it up by adding a motor to it. Then, one time, he took his dad's car and accidentally rolled it. "I couldn't hide that one," Frank joked. With a few more fender benders under his belt, it's no surprise that Frank's dad got him his own car, and later in life Frank became interested in stock cars and racing snowmobiles.
Looking back on his long life, Frank said, "It's just a blessing that I am here. I sure accomplished a lot of things. I joined the Lion's Club in 1964, and I am still an active member. I, and other Lions Club members, did a lot of work on what is now known as Elk Lake Park, working many hours to clear and prepare the land. I belong to the American Legion. I was involved with the early part of the campground clean-up in Phillips and did work with the Park Falls Industrial Development. I did a lot of snowmobile trail work, got permission from the landowners."
While Frank's love of snowmobiling is evident, not everyone knows about all the time and attention he has put into the Price County snowmobile trails and snowmobiling in general.
Those who know him as the "Father of Price County’s Snowmobile Trails Program” know he has done a lot. In 1969, Frank was a charter member of the Phillips Chaparrals, which was the first snowmobile club in Price County. In 1972, he was the founder and first president of the Price County Trails Association, which is now made up of ten clubs, and Frank is a member of each club. In 1984, the governor took notice, and Frank was appointed to the Wisconsin Governor’s Snowmobile Recreation Council.
In the early years, Frank worked tirelessly to develop Price County's network of trails, establishing relationships with private landowners who allowed the trails to be placed on their properties.
All the trails need to be maintained, and Frank was the most instrumental in securing state funding for trail maintenance. However, he didn't just seek funding, he also did the work. He started grooming snowmobile trails with bed springs being towed behind snowmobiles until more heavy-duty grooming equipment became available. He personally signed for a loan to buy the first Tucker Sno-Cat for Price County. He even provided valuable input for the design of how a drag should most effectively process the snow. This insight helped in the process of creating the commercial groomers that are now used. In 2022, Frank was awarded the Association of Wisconsin Snowmobile Clubs (AWSC) Groomer of the Year.
To this day, Frank continues to be actively involved with the AWSC and all the local clubs.
Frank enjoys riding with family and friends, and he also enjoys riding for a cause. Many times he has helped to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis.
According to the International Snowmobile Hall of Fame, "Frank has earned the respect of everyone he interacts with. He is regarded as the ambassador for snowmobiling in Price County and the state of Wisconsin. Frank is very adamant about ensuring everyone stays safe when grooming and snowmobiling. It is for his unwavering commitment to the sport of snowmobiling that places Frank Dusek in the International Snowmobile Hall of Fame, Class of 2023." The induction ceremony will take place in Eagle River on September 15 and 16, 2023.
Frank appreciates being recognized for his contributions, but he most appreciates what he has in life. If Frank won the lottery, he said, "My personal thought is that I don't want it." He said he'd either give it to the kids or charity. He knows people can have bad results when they win, so he wouldn't tell anyone he got it. Frank also doesn't care to meet any famous people. The people he is most interested in spending his time with and proud of are his wife, Carol; his two step-children (who he loves as his own children), Jeff Williams and Tracy (Williams) Hand; his five grandchildren; and his nine great-grandchildren with one on the way which will make ten.
"It turned out for the good and the best in my life," Frank reminisced. He said the motto he currently lives by is, "I'm getting older and slower but not old." With all the accomplishments in his life and having that positive mindset, Frank will likely continue to make positive contributions to his community and his loved ones both on and off the trails.
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Update, 2-22-2024: You can view a video that was created by Discover Wisconsin three months after our article was published. Click this link.
According to the Price County Highway Department, areas of Hwy. 13 will be patched in a portion of the City of Phillips.
Starting at 6 a.m. on Monday, August 7, 2023, Hwy. 13 will be closed from County Hwy. F to County Hwy. H.
All traffic will be detoured. The detour will be on Airport Road.
Roadwork is expected to be done, and the detour lifted, on Tuesday, August 8, 2023 at noon.
This roadwork is not the repair and repaving that residents have been anticipating getting done by the state for many years. That roadwork has been delayed a number of times and is slated to happen in an upcoming year.
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WIS 122, between West Mill Street and the Michigan State line, will have road work occurring from July 31, 2023 through October 2023.
According to WISDOT, "Crews will replace culverts, pulverize the old roadway, and overlay with new asphalt. Crews will set up traffic control, silt fence installation, and culvert replacements."
Traffic impacted will include the southern limits in the Town of Saxon to the northern intersection with County B. WIS 122 will be closed to traffic utilizing detours.
From July 31, 2023 through November 2023, various culverts and bridges from Merrill to Tomahawk, on WIS 107, will be repaired or replaced.
According to the WISDOT, "WIS 107 will be closed and detoured until September 7th. The detour route will follow WIS 64, County J, US 51, and County S."
After multiple investigations into a person operating as an unlicensed salvage dealer, a search warrant was executed in the Township of Merrill on Thursday, July 27, 2023.
The expansive property held an immense quantity of vehicles, vehicle parts, and other equipment.
A stolen vehicle and stolen vehicle parts were recovered during the search. Indications of tampering with, and removing, VIN tags was discovered with multiple vehicles on the property. It was obvious that the salvage yard was being operated for many years and much evidence was collected to support that fact.
During the search, illegal drugs were also found, including over 140 grams of marijuana, over 50 grams of methamphetamine, and approximately 8 grams of cocaine.
The property owner, Anthony G. Ellenbecker, was arrested for the drug charges, operating as an unlicensed salvage dealer, and a felon in possession of a firearm.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Merrill Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the Central Wisconsin Narcotics Taskforce all took part in the search warrant.
At the May 25, 2023 library board meeting, Janene Ravet presented a donation of ten Brave Books for children. According to Janene, the Brave Books' website states that the books they publish show "God-loving, patriotic Americans." When the books were not being bought by the Phillips Public Library, community members put their funds together and purchased ten books for just under $200 that were donated to the Phillips Public Library.
The donation was not immediately put into the library collection, which made some community members question that decision. Upon further investigation, My Price County could not find any Brave Books in the MORE system for the area. Some residents thought the IFLS library director was against adding these books.
When asked if he did or did not recommend Brave Books be purchased by individual library directors, John Thompson, the IFLS library director, replied, "In my position as a library system director, I don’t provide book recommendations to our public libraries. The public libraries within our system are governed by their individual municipally appointed library boards. Those boards develop policies including a collection development policy to govern the administration of the library. The collection development policy provides criteria for library staff to select, purchase, evaluate donations, and maintain the library’s collection."
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At the June 29, 2023 meeting, some community members spoke about the donation, both for and against it. However, most of the board members found common ground stating that the ten Brave Books should be allowed into the Phillips Public Library so that people can select the different subject matter they would like their children to read. Some stated that the books that were challenged in the recent past may have been shelved in a certain section or a sticker may have been placed in it to advise of certain content, but the books were allowed to be in the library. The general consensus of the library board showed acknowledgment that the library director can decide whether to accept or deny the donation, but both liberal and conservative views should be represented.
Library Director Becky Puhl presented her thoughts that the Brave Books did not meet the requirements set forth in the Collection Development Policy. She felt that the authority, skill, and reputation of the author and reputation and standards of the publisher were not in line with the policy. She questioned if the Donations Policy needed to be revised given she felt it conflicted with the Collection Development Policy. She appreciated everyone sharing their views in a positive manner, and she stated she needed time to think about accepting the collection to make sure she was not in violation of a policy.
About a week later, My Price County / My Northern Wisconsin asked Becky if the donation would be accepted in whole or in part. She stated that she chose to accept all ten of the donated books, and they are now in the library and available to be read there or checked out. Browsing the MORE System, it appears all copies are currently in use, but you can place a hold on any of the books at this link.
The next library board meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 1, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at the Phillips Public Library.
When out-of-town family members could not get in touch with LeRoy Rupnow, resident of the Township of Bradley, they notified the Lincoln County Sheriff's office at approximately 9 p.m. on Monday, July 24, 2023. Officers performed a welfare check at the residence but could not locate the man who the family was unable to get in touch with for over 24 hours.
According to police, "The residence and surrounding wooded area, along with the shoreline of Lake Nokomis, were searched by deputies as well as a K9 unit. A K9 track indicated that Mr. Rupnow may potentially have walked up to, and perhaps even into, the lake, though Mr. Rupnow was unable to be located."
After enough information developed to warrant an activation, the Lincoln County 911 Center requested a "Silver Alert" be sent out asking for the public's assistance in locating Leroy or providing information as to his whereabouts.
A short time later, with the added benefit of the morning sunrise to help light the area, deputies spotted something of concern approximately 30 yards off the shore from Mr. Rupnow's residence.
Upon further observation, which included the assistance of the Oneida County Sheriff's Office's drone team, it was discovered that Leroy Rupnow was deceased in the water.
The Tomahawk Fire Department assisted in removing Mr. Rupnow's body, and he was pronounced deceased by the Lincoln County Coroner.
No foul play is suspected, though the incident remains under joint-investigation by the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office and the Lincoln County Coroner's Office.
Unfortunately, the fellow that totaled out Dennis' car had no insurance, so he had no choice but to use some of the cash he had planned to homestead on to purchase another vehicle. He could not afford the new or used car lot prices, so he went shopping in a “Pig Lot” (no autocorrect mistake here) - Yes, a pig lot! (The pictures below show the old 1957 Chevy in the back of the lot before Dennis removed it).
Some would say luckily, but I say providentially, Dewey and Jeannie remembered they had a neighbor, Tom Hatton, that had an old 1957 pickup he might be willing to sell to Dennis. The problem, however, was that it had been abandoned in their old hog pen. Yes, the rig was sitting in a foot of hog manure, and anyone familiar with hog manure knows the smell is quite the “SMELL.”
Tom was asking 200 American dollars for the truck, which fit Dennis' meager budget. Most men would have walked away with a "no thanks." They would have been either blinded by pride or defeated by fear. Again - not Dennis. Instead of focusing on the dirt and hard work, he saw the possibilities. He envisioned turning the ole girl into a camper – perfect for batching it in Alaska. The old ’57 had seen better days and required a lot of cleaning and some repairs, but Dennis, the ever-resourceful fellow that he was, got it cleaned up and roadworthy in record time.
With Dewey and Jeannie Reuckert's help, he managed to jump through all the Wisconsin and Canadian hoops and get it legally licensed in the U.S. So with his neck and bruises healed, he got back “On the Road Again” and headed for the land of the midnight sun.
The following year Dennis built a camper for the truck bed. At that time, most of the Alcan was graveled, so to prevent dust from being sucked into the camper, he devised a way to pressurize it with filtered fresh air. (See the below pictures) He installed an engine air cleaner assembly on its right outside wall with a 12 volt, two-speed heater blower motor on the inside of the wall. He had a two-speed switch mounted on the steering column, which he could control at will depending on the road conditions. It was so effective that when he would hold a lighted match on the outside at any crack, it would be blown out.
Years later I teasingly jested to him that it looked more like a doghouse than a camper, but, as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and after all, it was the age of the hippies and the quest for all things simple. While the ole girl may not have been a showroom beauty, she still served Dennis well for many years.
In 1983 when our children were still small, we became involved in the Christian Radio Ministry of VFCM headquartered in Nenana, Alaska. We traveled up the Alcan in the ole girl pulling a travel trailer that we lived in for a month while Dennis helped with the construction of the studio building. It was a great time, but we did experience one of those Dennis Onchuck "Off the Road" events.
As we were rolling into Ross, N.D. we smelled the odor of a hot lubricant. We managed to coast down the hill right into the yard of an abandoned schoolhouse. Unfazed by the seeming disaster, Dennis went to work jacking up the back end of the truck and replacing the pinion bearings and seals. I gotta say, he may often end up off the road, but the good Lord has blessed him with a mechanical brain, so he manages to always get back on life's highway fairly quickly. We were stranded in Ross for several days because the parts had to be ordered from a nearby town, but the breakdown turned out to be a wonderful time for the kids since the swings and playground equipment were still there in the schoolyard.
The 1983 trip was just the beginning. Dennis made numerous trips up the Alcan to Nenana with equipment and supplies for the radio station. We still own the pickup, and I am confident some collector would gladly give us more than the original cost, but he isn’t ready to part with her yet, and I don’t think I am either.
Over the years I have crossed paths with several people that I thought were a lost cause just like the 1957 Chevy. They were trapped in a pigpen of unwise choices, moral corruption, or substance abuse without worth or purpose. But, just as Dennis rescued the old ’57, I was amazed when God delivered them from their hopeless existence as they turned to Him in faith…teaching me that no one is beyond the arm of the Lord. It’s called Amazing Grace.
The next story will highlight Dennis meeting the matchmaker on the Alcan who will then introduce him to Sandy.
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