Month: March 2019

A Community Presentation about Human Trafficking

OFChamber

On Monday, April 22, local health and public safety experts will lead a community presentation at HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital about human trafficking. Human trafficking is a widespread and evolving crime in the United States and abroad that affects both urban and rural communities.

“It is important for rural communities to get informed because we often assume our children and families are isolated from major crimes,” said Dr. Amy Romandine Kratz, a family medicine physician at the HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital Prevea Oconto Falls Health Center. “Traffickers don’t discriminate geographically and some specifically target rural areas because they can often go undetected.”

Dr. Romandine Kratz along with Jamie Kuhn, Detective at the Oconto Falls Police Department and Oconto Falls School Resource Officer, and Shelby Mitchell, a Sex Trafficking Victim Advocate at Family Services Sexual Assault Center NE Wisconsin, will provide an educational presentation for the community to learn:

  • Human trafficking definitions and trends
  • Facts and statistics about human trafficking
  • How the human trafficking pandemic is impacting us locally
  • Human trafficking warning signs and risk factors
  • Importance of screening during doctor visits
  • Common misconceptions about human trafficking

Event Details

6 p.m. on Monday, April 22
HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital, 855 S. Main St., Oconto Falls
Assisi Conference Rooms

The free event is open to adults, and teenagers and pre-teens age 12 and up with a parent or guardian present. Food and beverages will be provided. Registration is required online by April 15 at www.stclarememorial.org under “Classes, Groups & Events.” For more information, call (920) 848-6329.

Human Trafficking community presentation

Teens, Adults Invited to ‘Footloose’ Audition

OFChamber

Teens and adults who sing and dance are encouraged to audition for the Abrams Spotlight Productions Inc. summer musical, “Footloose.” “Footloose” is an explosive musical about teen-age rebellion, leading to resolution and healing in a small town.

Performers will have two opportunities to audition, from 6-8 p.m. Monday, April 22, or 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, at the Byng Community Theater, 5852 Maple St., Abrams. The musical calls for a variety of roles, both male and female, teen and older. Newcomers are welcome. Families are encouraged to audition and make memories together by performing in the show.

Individuals who audition should come prepared to read from the script and sing a 2-minute selection of a Broadway tune. Songs may be sung a capella or with a karaoke track. Individuals are encouraged to wear appropriate footwear for a short choreography audition.

The show will be performed June 21-23 and 28-30 at the Byng Community Theater.

HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital to Participate in Statewide Donate Life Wisconsin Flag-Raising Ceremony and Moment of Silence

OFChamber

At 10:08 a.m. on Monday, April 1, HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital in Oconto Falls will participate in the statewide Donate Life Wisconsin Flag-Raising Ceremony and Moment of Silence to honor organ, tissue and eye donors and their families.

Donate Life Wisconsin created this event in 2018 as a statewide observance to occur annually on the first Monday morning of April, marking the start of National Donate Life month. The flag-raising will begin at 10:08 a.m. to highlight the fact that one donor can save eight lives, and will be followed by a moment of silence for 1 minute and 14 seconds to recognize the nearly 114,000 patients waiting for a life-saving transplant. Of those patients, nearly 2,000 are right here in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Organ, Tissue and Eye Donation Facts:

  • Anyone age 15 and a half or older can register as a donor regardless of age, health, gender or ethnic or racial background.
  • Nearly 3 million, or almost 60 percent of those eligible, have said “Yes” and registered as organ, tissue and eye donors on Wisconsin’s Donor Registry.
  • There were nearly 150 living kidney and liver donors, more than 200 deceased organ donors, more than 900 tissue donors and more than 1,500 eye donors in 2018.
  • Nearly 800 organs were transplanted and more than 700 recipients received the gift of hope with an organ transplant in 2018.

HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital’s partner hospitals – HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center in Green Bay, and HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan— will also participate in the statewide Donate Life Flag-Raising Ceremony and Moment of Silence on April 1.

Abrams Spotlight Wedding Show is March 31

OFChamber

The Stadium View, JPS Nvitations and Abrams Spotlight Productions Inc. will present the Abrams Spotlight Wedding Show at the Byng Community Theater, 5852 Maple Street, Abrams. Brides, grooms, their families and friends are invited to attend the show, scheduled from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, March 31, at the theater. The Byng Community Theater, formerly a quaint country church, has been newly renovated and is now open for weddings and funerals.

Guests at the Abrams Spotlight Wedding Show will have the opportunity to speak directly to a variety of wedding vendors from Northeast Wisconsin. Vendors will provide information about their products and services, including wedding cakes, music, photography, invitations, make-up, and more.

Drawings for prizes will be held throughout the event.

Tickets are $10; however, fees will be waived for the first 200 registrants. Call the Abrams theater box office to reserve your tickets, 920-826-5852.

Wedding vendors interested in exhibiting at the show are encouraged to call the box office for prices and availability, 920-826-5852.

HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital Training Program for Miles4Madyson

OFChamber
Miles4Madyson logo

HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital in Oconto Falls is a proud partner of Miles4Madyson, a 5K run/walk and 10K run taking place on Saturday, May 11 in Oconto.

The hospital has launched a free training program to help runners prepare for the event. The HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital Training Program for Miles4Madyson includes organized training runs, and also incorporates strength workouts and rest.

The training runs will take place every Saturday at 9 a.m., March 23 through May 4, and will start and finish at LPI Fitness, 6230 VanHecke Ave. in Oconto. Routes will be marked on the Copper Culture Trail and will be held in all weather, unless lightning is present. Water will be provided at the start and finish of each run, and athletic training and medical staff will be onsite.

The full, HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital Training Program for Miles4Madyson can be accessed at: www.stclarememorial.org/Event-Management/Miles4Madyson/

Abrams Theater to Present ‘Oliver!’

OFChamber
Oliver! Cast
Actors of all ages will perform in the musical “Oliver!” on March 15-17 and March 22-24 at the Byng Community Theater in Abrams. Rehearsing for the show are, front row from left, Sadie Smith, Maria Ronk, Nick Blaser, Gavin Runnerstrom, and Sawyer Norman; and back row, Jorgie Runnerstrom, Jaycie Norman, Alyssa Peterson, and Alaina Blaser.

Abrams Spotlight Productions Inc. will present “0liver!” the musical version of Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist,” on March 15-17 and 22-24. The story tells of Oliver, a poor orphan and his associates scrambling to survive in Old London Towne.

“This show gives the audience a quick history lesson in the styles and social etiquette of Victorian London, along with the plight of the poor and especially the orphaned or toss-away children,” said ASPI Director Pam Loberger.

The music of the show helps to tell the story, she said.

“The music is dynamic, and at times joyful, at times serenely beautiful, at times seething with danger,” she said.

Oliver Twist, portrayed by Sadie Smith, is the iconic tyke who’s not afraid to ask for more. He remains eternally optimistic that he’ll get his more, whether it be food or love.

The cast is comprised of first-time and veteran performers, including Mike Eserkane, Justin Norman, Suzie Wons, Josh Perkins, Kimberly Norman, Sydney Surber, Kael Pierquet, Tyler Otto, Lisa Weldy and Eleanor Finger.

“Our Workhouse Kids, Fagin’s Kids and chorus bring it all together,” Loberger said. “We are especially proud of our acting families who bring family time to the theater.”

For the first time, ASPI will use the theater’s fly set, a system of ropes and related devices, to change scenes quickly. Also new for the set is the artwork of Meghan Pierquet.

ASPI will celebrate opening night on Friday, March 15, with a gala after the show. The audience is invited to enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks with the cast and crew.

Performances continue at 7 p.m. Friday, March 22; at 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday, March 16 and 23; and 1 p.m. March 17 and 24. All shows will be performed at the Byng Community Theater, 5852 Maple St., Abrams.

Tickets can be purchased at AbramsTheatre.com or by calling the box office at 920-826-5852.

“Oliver!” is presented through special arrangement with Music Theater International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI, 423 West 55th Street, New York, NY 10019 Tel: (212) 541-4684 Fax: (212)397-4684 www.MTIshows.com. Music, Lyrics and Book by Lionel Bart. Produced for the Broadway stage by David Merrick and Donald Albery. Based on the book by Charles Dickens.

The cast of “Oliver!” rehearses a scene at the Byng Community Theater in Abrams. Abrams Spotlight Productions Inc. will present “Oliver!” on the weekends of March 15-17 and March 22-24. From left are Lisa Weldy, Sadie Smith, Alaina Blaser, Eleanor Finger, Sydney Surber, and Breanna Duncan.

District Solo and Ensemble Festival on March 9

OFChamber

Students from area schools will participate in a Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) sanctioned District Solo & Ensemble Music Festival hosted at Oconto Falls High School on Saturday, March 9, 2019. During the festival, which is free and open to the public, students will perform vocal and instrumental solos, duets, trios and small ensembles before an adjudicator.

WSMA music festivals annually attract thousands of students from middle, junior high and high schools throughout Wisconsin. The festival will draw students from a number of area schools, including Marinette High School, Oconto Falls High School, Oconto High School, Oconto Middle School, Owen-Withee High School, Saint Thomas Aquinas Academy and Washington Middle School. Amy Thiel, Choir director from Oconto Falls High School, will be serving as the festival manager.

“WSMA is proud of the quality music education experiences we support teachers in providing for their students. Our long-standing festival programs encourage well-rounded musicians who develop deeper understanding through performance preparation that culminates in comprehensive feedback from a qualified adjudicator. This opportunity, coupled with observing and listening to peer performances, is invaluable for musical growth,” said WSMA Executive Director Laurie Fellenz.

WSMA music festivals support school music programs as part of a comprehensive education by encouraging the study of quality music literature; motivating students to prepare and perform to the best of their abilities; improving students’ understanding of music literature and concepts (performance through understanding) and providing a performance assessment to improve individual and group achievement.

For more information on WSMA, go to www.wsmamusic.org.