Kenosha County Dairy Breakfast on the Farm a Success!

On Saturday, June 18th Dan and Marie Weis and their family hosted the annual Kenosha County Dairy Breakfast on the Farm.  My family and I attended this great event, along with special guest Secretary Ben Brancel of Wisconsin's Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. 

It was great to see so many attendees on the farm this year!  According to West of the I, approximately 1,136 people had been served between 6:30 and 7:30am, even though the breakfast was scheduled to continue until 10:30am.  In past years, between 700 and 800 people were typically served during the first hour of the breakfast with 3,000 total in attendance.  Those who attended this year were not only treated to a hearty breakfast, but they also participated in milking demonstrations, children's games, shopped for Wisconsin products, and viewed a display of antique farm equipment.

I would like to commend the Weis family on a job well done in organizing and hosting a very successful Kenosha County Dairy Breakfast on the Farm.  As always, they did an exceptional job with this event and I look forward to attending again next year.   

Rep. Kerkman is pictured at the Kenosha County Dairy Breakfast with Secretary Ben Brancel of Wisconsin's Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

Kenosha Legislative Breakfast Features Special Guest U.S. Senator Ron Johnson

On Monday, I attended a legislative breakfast hosted by the Kenosha Area Business Alliance (KABA) and the Kenosha Area Chamber of Commerce (KACC).  The Bank of Kenosha also helped sponsor this event, which provides local business owners with the opportunity to meet with their area elected officials and discuss how the government can help them grow their businesses and create more jobs. 

The theme of the legislative breakfast was "Federal Perspective."  To provide that perspective was special guest U.S. Senator Ron Johnson.  As a small business owner himself, Senator Johnson demonstrated why he is uniquely qualified to discuss the federal issues that are of the greatest concern to Kenosha's business community at this time, and how he is working in Congress to alleviate those concerns and improve the economic environment for businesses.  Partly because of his private sector experience, Senator Johnson was assigned to serve on the Appropriations, Budget, Homeland Security and the Governmental Affairs and Aging Committees of the U.S. Senate after taking office.

An accountant by trade, Senator Johnson started PACUR in Oshkosh with his brother-in-law in 1979.  It has since grown into a very successful company that produces plastic sheet for packaging and printing applications.  He and his wife, Jane, reside in Oshkosh and they are the proud parents of three children.

Happy Independence Day!

I wish everyone a very safe and happy 4th of July weekend!  For those of you who are traveling this weekend, I hope you have a very safe and fun trip.  If you are planning to stay close to home this year, here are a few events you may be interested in attending... 

Twin Lakes Libertyfest:    The annual Twin Lakes Libertyfest will begin today, Friday, July 1st at Lance Park with the Libertyfest Parade scheduled for tomorrow, July 2nd, at 11:00am.  The parade will begin at Legion Park and end at Lance Park.  New events for this year's celebration include cardboard boat racing, the Twin Lakes Idol Contest, a hot dog eating contest, a children's fishing derby, Pawfest for your pets (with proceeds going toward the local animal shelter), and the Painted Rain Barrel Silent Auction.  For more information, please click on the red Twin Lakes Libertyfest link.

Paddock Lake Bike Parade:   With beautiful weather predicted for this weekend's forecast, many of you may wish to bring out your bicycles and attend the Paddock Lake Bike Parade on Sunday, July 3rd.  The parade will start at 10:00am and begin at McAlonan Park on the corner of 248th and 72nd Streets.  Line-up for the parade will commence at 9:15am.  Any children who wish to enter the parade will receive a free t-shirt and a ticket for a hot dog, chips and a drink from the Westosha Kiwanis.

City of Burlington Fireworks and Dance:    The City of Burlington Fire Department will host its annual fundraiser and dance from 2:00pm until 11:00pm at 595 Milwaukee Avenue on Monday, July 4th.  The event will commence with a bean bag tournament before the band New Dog Trick takes the stage at 7:00pm.  At dusk, a fireworks display will be provided by the City of Burlington.

Kenosha Civic Veterans Parade:    Kenosha will hold its annual Civic Veterans Parade at 2:00pm on Sunday, July 3rd, beginning at 63rd Street and 22nd Avenue.  The theme of this year's parade will commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War.

• For those who are interested, the Town of Burlington has scheduled a flag raising ceremony at 9:00am at the Burlington Town Hall.

• The Town of Somers has scheduled a parade for 2:00pm on Monday, July 4th beginning at County Highway E (from Shoreland, and the route will end at the grade school).

Bristol Progress Days:   Looking ahead to next weekend, the annual Bristol Progress Days will take place July 9-11.  The new Miss Bristol will be crowned and the new Outstanding Citizen will be honored during the festivities, which also include a carnival, softball tournament, a parade on Sunday and fireworks at dusk, and live music.  Please click on the red link or visit www.westofthei.com for more information about Bristol Progress Days.

Flag-Lowering Orders

As we celebrate our nation's birthday this weekend, we must not forget those who paid the ultimate price in preserving the freedom that we as Americans are privileged to have.  One way in which we honor those who died in defending our nation is by lowering all flags across the state (and even across the nation) at half-staff.  This is done once a proclamation is declared by either the President of the United States or the Governor of Wisconsin that flags be lowered at half-staff.

For those who would like information and even notifications about when flags must be flown at half-staff in Wisconsin, please visit the state's Department of Military Affairs website.  A link in the upper right-hand corner will allow you to sign up for notifications as to when flags must be lowered at half-staff.

Caroline Jacobson Celebrates 100th Birthday

Last weekend, I attended a surprise party at the Paddock Lake Village Hall to celebrate Caroline Jacobson's 100th Birthday.  She has been a resident of Paddock Lake since the 1960s and her birthday was on June 22nd.

Born in Chicago in 1911, Mrs. Jacobson grew up with seven siblings - five sisters and two brothers.  She married Norman Jacobson in the 1930s and worked at Simpson Electric in Chicago.  Since retiring, she has kept busy spending time with her family, fishing, cooking and baking.

Former Village Trustee Kathy Christenson organized the birthday party for Mrs. Jacobson, which was also attended by family, friends, and local elected officials.  Senator Bob Wirch and I presented Mrs. Jacobson with a citation on behalf of the Legislature in honor of her 100th birthday.

I commend Kathy Christenson and the Village of Paddock Lake on a job well done in organizing a very nice party and wonderful tribute to Mrs. Jacobson.  More information and pictures from her birthday party can be found at www.westofthei.com.

Representative Kerkman (far right) is pictured with (from left to right) Kenosha County Supervisor Mike Underhill, Village Trustee Patricia Warner, Village Trustee Jon Riesselmann, Village Trustee Barb Brenner, Caroline Jacobson (front), and Senator Bob Wirch.

If you are interested in tracking the progress of legislation introduced this session, please visit http://legis.wisconsin.gov/ and click on the Notification Service link found on the homepage.