Well-known ‘Jeanine’ receives dedication for lifelong allegiance to Prairie sports
WIth her signature raised fist in the air, Jeanine Mara reacts to all the excitement at the St. Feriole Island Ballpark June 25. She was a big part of that enjoyable evening and was honored for being “Prairie du Chien’s Best Sports Fan.”
Jeanine Mara walks up to the sign dedicated in her honor at the ball field, to high-fives and applause from some of her biggest fans: the current Legion and alumni members. (Submitted photos)
With her signature raised fist and high-pitched cheer, Jeanine Mara strolled into centerfield at St. Feriole Island Ball Park on a beautiful summer evening, June 25.
Waiting for her at the fence were past and present members of Prairie du Chien’s American Legion Post 68 baseball team, applauding—on either side of a new sign that read, “Jeanine Mara – Prairie du Chien’s Best Sports Fan!” Behind Jeanine, cheers roared from her family and a crowd of fans.
The outfield fence dedication at the Legion’s alumni game was a celebration of a lady’s love of local sports and a community’s love of her.
“Jeanine is the most supportive fan I have ever seen. She is for the home team, she’s glad to be here, and she is just genuinely happy. It’s a fantastic thing. I can’t say I have experienced it anywhere else,” Al Moore, a Prairie baseball fan, said.
Jeanine, 62, is a lifelong resident of Prairie, one of Arnie and Audrey Mara’s nine children. Dubbed “The Wandering Girl” in a story in the Courier Press when she was young, Jeanine has always liked to be on the move. Her favorite destination, then and now: a sports game.
Jeanine grew up one block from what is now Cecil Smith Ball Park and three blocks from Prairie du Chien Senior High School, so she was never far from an athletic contest. She has attended hundreds and hundreds of baseball, basketball and football games, and the occasional wrestling match, from youth to varsity boys and girls, to men’s softball. She quickly became a fixture.
“All our players knew we had the No. 1 fan cheering for us when we didn’t have many fans,” said “Radio” Rob Bryson, a former local radio broadcaster, who got to know Jeanine years ago when he played men’s softball. “We could always count on Jeanine being at the ballpark early so she wouldn’t miss an inning. Oh, she gave the strongest and best hugs ever—and still does to this day.”
Like her hugs, Jeanine’s presence in Prairie du Chien athletics is just as strong as ever.
“If you go to a game and don’t see Jeanine, you think something is wrong,” said Gayle Aspenson, a longtime neighbor and Mara family friend whose daughter and son got to know Jeanine as children. Her son played baseball.
“It all started back when Jeanine’s mom, Audrey, was babysitting and there was a lot of interaction with Kelsey and Kevin out in the yard playing. As our kids got older, we gave Jeanine rides. She always wanted to go to any game; it didn’t matter what sport it was.”
Dan Schickert, who announces high school and Legion baseball games in Prairie, is impressed by what he witnesses of Jeanine.
“Joy, just how much she puts into being a fan, that’s what I admire,” Schickert said. “I see her at church and she comes up to me and asks right away when they are playing the next week, whether it’s high school (baseball) or Legion. She’s just so excited about being here and we’re so glad to have her.”
Before a game is over, Jeanine’s already looking to the next one, Pat Check, who handles statistics for Prairie sports games, said.
“During the last couple of minutes of a basketball game, she’ll bring the program over to me and I know what she wants me to point to the next home game,” Check said. “And when I tell her, she’ll give me a thumbs-up and a little pat on the shoulder. Now she’s set.”
Many people in town say they feel a sense of responsibility for Jeanine’s well-being, giving her rides home from games when needed and making sure she is safe.
“I think Jeanine grew up in a great community. Everybody knows her from when she was very little and everybody watches out for her,” Aspenson said. “That’s one thing about the Prairie du Chien community, it’s like a family. Sports is very important in our community, and I think that brings a lot of different people together. So it’s a good community for Jeanine to participate in these activities.”
On her big night, June 25, Jeanine also threw out the first pitch, to one of her nephews, and received a baseball signed by the full Legion squad.
Audrey Mara, 91, a resident of the Prairie Maison skilled nursing facility, was able to attend, and she watched from her wheelchair as the celebration unfolded.
“She is so happy,” Audrey said of her special daughter. “We are blessed to have so many people here who love her.”
