Times-Register

McGregor's ninth annual Festival of Trees is Dec. 7-8

By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times

From the twinkling lights and detailed ornaments to the fresh scent of pine, walking among the 45 decorated trees on display at McGregor’s Festival of Trees is always an awe-inspiring experience.

“You go down there and everyone has all these ideas. The trees are all so different,” remarked Jane Lundquist, children’s librarian at the McGregor Public Library. When the event is held this Friday and Saturday, Dec. 7 and 8, at Backwoods Bar and Grill, it will mark the seventh year she and library director Michelle Pettit have been among those who bring the trees to life.

By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times

Community members shared their thoughts on the area’s health needs, resources and trends at a focus group held at the McGregor Public Library on Nov. 28. The event was one of several held in Clayton County, along with Crawford and Grant counties in Wisconsin, over the past few months. 

“We’re asking for input on what needs there are and how we can help address those needs,” explained Sasha Dull, chief development officer at Crossing Rivers Health in Prairie du Chien, who led the focus group with Crawford County Health Officer Cindy Riniker. 

By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times

Nearly two decades since it closed its doors, White Springs Supper Club remains an iconic piece of McGregor history. 

“Two or three people each week mention it,” said Doris Barrette, who grew up at the Springs, washing dishes and peeling potatoes as a girl, then later waiting tables and serving drinks. Her mother, Ethel Mann, helped run the establishment from 1949 until her death in 2004. “Wherever I go, people say, ‘I miss the Springs.’ I’ve heard it for years.” 

That’s why, at the urging of her niece and the ladies at the Hair Hut, in Marquette, where she gets her hair done, Barrette has decided to write a book about White Springs. 

By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times

Riddled by the injury bug last season, the MFL MarMac wrestling team is healthy and ready to take on one of its most challenging schedules ever. 

“We’re wrestling down by Missouri in a tournament with 16 teams. We’re wrestling Lisbon and we’re gonna go wrestle Lake Mills, a top-five team,” said head coach Chet Bachman. “We wrestle 30 duals. That’s unreal.” 

Bachman said the Bulldog wrestlers will get 50 to 60 matches this year—an unheard of amount. It’s important, he added, to put them in places and positions they’ve never been in.