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Spooner Advocate
Cardinals drop games over holiday
SPOONER — The Spooner Cardinals were on the losing end of a pair of baseball games during the July 4 holiday weekend. Hayward 9, Spooner 1The Cardinals lost their first game in Hayward on the Fourth of July, mostly due to their own uncharacteristic sloppy defense and inability to hit. Spooner struck first with a run in the top of the first inning. Nick Webster singled with a hard line...
Marty Barnes continues family legacy of his father, rodeo legend Bob Barnes
SPOONER — It was 70 years ago that a young Iowa cowboy named Bob Barnes helped get a new idea off the ground when he produced, and competed in, the very first Spooner Rodeo. After years of competing himself, Marty Barnes now operates Barnes PRCA Rodeo, continuing the legacy and rodeo lifestyle of his father. It all began in 1954 with young rodeo rider and up-and-coming stock contractor Bob Barnes. Bob went on to produce every Spooner Rodeo until his passing in 2013, and had...
Update: Missing person changed appearance, found safe
SIREN - An update from the Burnett County Sheriff's Office reported that Ashley L. Janisch was found safe in Forest Lake, Minn., after officers responded to a tip that she had purchased a hotel room there. An update from the Burnett County Sheriff's Office says their investigation has revealed Ashley L. Janisch, 22, who was reported missing around 7:45 a.m. on Monday, July 8, from a group home in Meenon Township, was picked up by a passing motorist a short time after leaving the home...
Update: Missing person changed appearance, found safe
SIREN - An update from the Burnett County Sheriff's Office reported that Ashley L. Janisch was found safe in Forest Lake, Minn., after officers responded to a tip that she had purchased a hotel room there. An update from the Burnett County Sheriff's Office says their investigation has revealed Ashley L. Janisch, 22, who was reported missing around 7:45 a.m. on Monday, July 8, from a group home in Meenon Township, was picked up by a passing motorist a short time after leaving the home...
Road closure notification
BARRONETT - The Washburn County Highway Department has full closures scheduled for Heart Lake Road for culvert replacements in Barronett Township. July 10-11, there will be full continuous closure for replacement of culverts west of Little Long Lake Road. July 15-18, there will be full continuous closure for replacement of a box culvert at Highway 63. No detours will be posted. Plan accordingly.
Lions Club ready for Rodeo
SPOONER — Members of the Spooner-Trego Lions Club are getting ready this week for the 70th Spooner Heart of the North Rodeo. They represent the food and drink concession at the counter, along with the tremendous challenge of parking vehicles for the thousands of rodeo fans who attend. (The parking staff is proud of the fact that they haven’t lost a car yet!) The Spooner Rodeo is an exciting event for the area, and it takes many organizations to make the annual Rodeo the success...
Gizmo McCracken returns to Spooner for 70th Rodeo
SPOONER — They dress up in bizarre, multi-colored makeup, baggy clothes and strange wigs, cracking jokes and performing outrageous skits to provide comedy relief for the rodeo. But the job of a rodeo clown and barrel man is deadly serious. The clown is not in the rodeo arena to set off explosions and do falls that would make the Three Stooges proud. Their job is to protect the cowboys and cowgirls of professional rodeo, especially during the bull riding competition. If a cowboy gets hung...
DNR sets 2024 deer season framework and harvest goals
MADISON — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) presented the deer harvest quotas and framework for the 2024 Wisconsin deer hunting season to the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board June 26. The statewide antlerless quota for the 2024 season is 272,837 deer, with 245,245 total bonus antlerless harvest authorizations available for purchase across the state. These authorizations are in addition to the free antlerless harvest authorizations issued in farmland zones, which are not reflected in this total. ...
4th WashCo Youth Leadership Adventure registration open
SHELL LAKE - WashCo Leadership Adventure is for youth grades six through 12 and is currently accepting registrations. The Adventure will take place Aug. 6-9 at Luther Point Summer Camp in Grantsburg. This event allows youth to gain new skills, as well as utilizing their current strengths. This year’s theme is “Explore the Northwoods.” The Adventure is designed as a four-day conference complete with keynote speakers, breakout sessions, skill-building workshops and networking opportunities. The Adventure will also include community building activities combined with outdoor recreation...
Free airplane rides for youth
SHELL LAKE — EAA Chapter 631 will be giving free airplane rides for young people ages 8-17 at the Shell Lake Airport. The event will be held on Saturday, July 13, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (weather-permitting). This is a great opportunity for young people to experience the wonders of flight. A parent or guardian must accompany the individual in order to sign the permission form. Pre-registration online is required at youngeaglesday.org/?9535.
Spooner Rodeo Stampede 5K canceled, still plenty of extras
SPOONER — The 70th Spooner Rodeo opens Thursday night, with an entire schedule of events awaiting rodeo fans besides the three Rodeo performances. Rails on Trails has announced that the Spooner Rodeo Stampede 5K has been canceled and will not take place due to a shortage of available coordinators this year. The 5k usually begins the Saturday schedule. But even without the Rodeo Stampede, Saturday will still feature a lot...
Down on the Farm: Tending Peggy
All our sheep have personalities on the farm, but some of them stand out more than others. We have many great memories of one of the first members of our flock — Edelweiss — who was a triplet that was rejected by her mother, living on the farm of Kara’s mentor. She was in a dire condition when we got the phone call, a plea of essentially take this thing and see what you can do, or it’s going to die here. The fragile, injured...
Rodeo Stampede run/walk July 13
SPOONER — The Spooner Rodeo Stampede 5k run/walk will hit the streets of Spooner during Rodeo Weekend on Saturday, July 13. Register now for the 5k run/walk through Spooner starting at 8:30 a.m. behind the Spooner Civic Center at 301 Walnut Street at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 13. It will be followed at 9:30 a.m. by the 1k Youth Barrel Dash. All proceeds will benefit Spooner youth programs and...
View from afar if you happen upon a fox den
SPOONER — Like us, many wildlife species are on the move during the warm summer months, including young red fox kits that are exploring outside their den! Red foxes will often modify an abandoned badger or woodchuck burrow to use as their den when it’s time to give birth to their kits in mid-March. Dens can be in forests, ravines, woodlots and in urban areas such as culverts and roadsides. ...
Hunt Hill events
SARONA — Hunt Hill Audubon Sanctuary in Sarona will be hosting events coming this month. Hunt Hill will be hosting a Beasts & Beer program at Buck ’n Beams Social House & Campground, Cameron, on Wednesday, July 10. Check-in is at 5:30 p.m. with an opportunity to socialize with other nature enthusiasts before the presentation begins at 6 p.m. This month’s topic is Into the Vernal Pond. Beasts & Beer...
Country-rock star Savannah Rae returning to 70th Spooner Rodeo
SPOONER — Savannah Rae is an all-American country singer-songwriter who proudly hails from San Antonio. She is red hot right now, burning up the country music charts with hits like “Soft Place to Land,” “Typical Texas Girl” and “All Hat.” She has gained more than 14,400 monthly listeners on Spotify. She released her first single in 2019. Rae promotes her music career on her thesavannahrae Instagram page, which has amassed 50,000 followers. Spooner Rodeo fans will get the chance to enjoy her music this summer...
70th Spooner Rodeo will feature professional trick rider Lindy Lica
SPOONER — Welcome to the legendary 70th Spooner Heart of the North Rodeo, set for July 11-13. Spooner Rodeo fans can once again expect to see professional rodeo’s top competitors, continuing a great tradition that began back in 1954. Many of the top professional rodeo contestants from around the country will compete at Spooner for points and prize money that could ultimately help them qualify for the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in December. ...
Could Apostle Island be a national park?
BAYFIELD — An effort by Rep. Tom Tiffany, Wisconsin’s District 7 Congressman, to change the status of Lake Superior’s Apostle Island National Lakeshore into a national park is gaining traction. Tiffany recently notified the Bayfield County Board of his proposal, stating a representative from his office would like to make a presentation to the county’s Executive Committee on July 11. The Apostle Island National Lakeshore became a reality in 1970, joining other waters, both seaside and lakeshores, with the same designation. These protected areas were...
Events at the library
SHELL LAKE — We have a lot of fun events coming up at the Shell Lake Public Library! On Saturday July 6, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., the Friends of the Shell Lake Public Library will be hosting a book sale during the yearly Shell Lake Arts Festival Regatta. The book sale will be located at the Shell Lake Beach Pavilion. This is a great time to support local businesses and your library. We are so excited to host bouquet building with Backyard Garden and Floral! Come build a bouquet with us Tuesday, July 9, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Backyard Garden and Floral owner Stefanie Gage will join us to teach us how to build beautiful bouquets! Shell Lake Public Library will provide flowers and vases for participants. This event is free to attend. The number of participants is limited. An RSVP to the library is required.
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The Spooner Advocate, founded in 1901, is Washburn County's leading source of advertising, news, and other information. Located at 251 E. Maple Street, the Spooner Advocate and its companion Total Market Coverage (TMC) product, The Weekender, serve all of Washburn County and parts of Burnett County, with a combined circulation of nearly 20,000 and a penetration rate of 99 percent of households in the area (Pulse Research Survey). Published each week on Thursday, the Spooner Advocate has consistently earned awards from the Wisconsin Newspaper Association for editorial, news, and advertising excellence. The Advocate also publishes several special-interest magazines and products throughout the year, including The Source of Washburn County, Burnett County Almanac, Barron County Today, the Summer Fun Guide, and the Real Estate Buyer's Guide, to name a few.
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