April showers in Wisconsin

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: April 5, 2018

April showers in Wisconsin

Surprise snowstorm hits Washington County

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043

Simply put, this is Wisconsin.

That’s what West Bend’s Carol Mog said Wednesday while clearing her driveway from a snowstorm that dropped a few inches on Washington County.

While the calendar may say April, clearing snow at this time of the year is not out of the ordinary.

“I’ve plowed in May,” Jeff Watzlawick said during a quick break of plowing snow in downtown West Bend on Wednesday.

Watzlawick worked for 36 years with the city, clearing snow. He retired five years ago, but still helps the city clear snow, part time.

“I like it,” he said.

Watzlawick recalled a time in the 1990s where he had to plow about 10-11 inches of snow in the middle of May.

This is Wisconsin and never mind that the Milwaukee Brewers’ home opener was Monday.

Mog said she didn’t put away her snow removal gear yet and was glad she did.

“You never know,” Mog said, who, along with her husband Gus shoveled their sidewalk and driveway and their neighbor’s.

According to the National Weather Service’s Milwaukee/Sullivan office, Jackson and Newburg were reported as receiving the most snow at 5.4 inches. West Bend got 4 inches, Kewaskum got 3.8, Germantown got 3.6, Hartford 3 and Richfield and Slinger got 2.5.

On its website, the National Weather Service said, “Although March is finishing up with near seasonal temperatures for the month, the first half of April is looking cold with below-normal temperatures. A persistent area of cold air will remain over central and southern Canada the next several weeks. The steering level winds will occasionally turn to the north across the Great Lakes and upper Midwest, which will usher the cold air farther south in our region.

“Despite the calendar page turning to April, it will be a good idea to hold off on purchasing any spring plantings,” the website said.

Crash data released by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday showed there were nine property damage- only accidents, one hit and run, 10 vehicles in the ditch and one minor injury crash. The data was from 3 p.m. Tuesday until about noon Wednesday.

A 26-year-old Milwaukee man died in a single-vehicle crash shortly after noon Tuesday on Highway 33 near Aerial Drive in the town of Trenton. Capt. Martin Schulteis from the Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday the crash, the second traffic fatality in Washington County in 2018, is still under investigation.

Big Brothers Big Sisters director heads to Schauer Center

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: March 30, 2018

Big Brothers Big Sisters director heads to Schauer Center

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043

Mary Gamerdinger is leaving as executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Washington County to become executive director of the Schauer Arts and Activities Center in Hartford.

The change is effective June 1. She said she’ll take over at Schauer Center on June 18.

“I’m very excited,” Gamerdinger said Thursday. “It’s with mixed emotions.”

Gamerdinger has been with BBBS since 2002 — all as the organization’s executive director. In the two years before joining BBBS, Gamerdinger was with the Downtown West Bend Association, overseeing special events such as the Farmer’s Market.

“For the past 15 years, Mary has played a critical role in the development and success of the organization,” said David Kohlmann, chairman of the Board for BBBS, in a statement. “While we will miss her and her inspiring leadership, we wish her every success in her new endeavor. We want to express our sincere thanks to her for her years of dedicated service which involved so many significant accomplishments that have impacted the lives of children and teens in our community.”

As executive director, Gamerdinger will be responsible for the overall operations and management of the Schauer Center. She’ll replace Joe Konrad, who plans to retire, but will stay on as special advisor to the executive director, a newly created part-time position.

Konrad previously served as the Executive Director of Battle Creek Area Habitat for Humanity in Battle Creek, Michigan, and just before joining the Schauer Center he was the director of administration at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Germantown.

Konrad was named the Schauer Center’s executive director in July 2015. He replaced Brenda Lee Johnston who was the Schauer Center’s executive director from October 2012-July 2015.

In a statement, Schauer Board of Trustees President Gretchen Vickney thanked Konrad for his service and contributions, “but also for his willingness and desire to continue to serve the community in his new role.”

Gamerdinger said she wasn’t actively looking to move on from BBBS, but the itch to take on the next challenge was growing.

“I love and am passionate about the Big Brothers Big Sisters mission, but I have been here for 15 years and I felt an itch to move onto my next challenge,” she said. “Talking to the people at the Schauer Center, it seemed like a perfect fit. I support arts education; it seemed like the right opportunity.”

Gamerdinger has a heart for nonprofit organizations. But, she has a softer and more personal spot for the arts and arts education.

“Growing up, I was the band, theater and forensics geek and not sports,” she said with a laugh. “It’s something I’ve really enjoyed. I think it’s valuable to a child’s life.”

Expanding arts education programs at the Schauer Center, which include art, music and theater, will be a goal for Gamerdinger once at her new job.

“I think we want a wider audience and scope to help realize what a gem it is right there,” Gamerdinger said of the Schauer Center. “To understand art education and it’s not just performance theater, especially as we hear those things being cut in schools.”

Expanding programs and awareness is one reason she landed the job.

In 15 years at BBBS, she was proudest of the organization’s success stories, which grew year after year under her leadership.

“Watching kids grow in self-confidence, be successful in school, it’s immensely rewarding,” Gamerdinger said. “I’m very proud of increasing the numbers of people we’ve brought in to match with children.”

The last several years have upped the need for mentors as more and more children are coming to BBBS from single-parent homes.

“I call it the ‘M and M,’ money and mentors,” Gamerdinger said. “It’s a constant challenge to have enough of both of those. We’ve expanded our financial support base and we’re very stable that way. We’ve promoted the program and educated the public about the program and how rewarding it is. We’ve been able to bring in more mentors.”

Gamerdinger likes the position BBBS is in, which also helped her make the decision that a new challenge was needed.

Similar growth has happened at the Schauer Center and she is excited to continue that momentum.

“Joe has done great things with the Schauer Center,” Gamerdinger said. “He’s leaving a very strong and stable program for me. He’s definitely someone I’m going to learn from.”

BBBS’ annual golf outing is June 8 and Gamerdinger said she plans to assist with the event.

Changes at Shalom Wildlife Sanctuary include a new cafe, the Grizzly Grill

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: March 23, 2018

Changes at Shalom Wildlife Sanctuary include a new cafe, the Grizzly Grill

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043

TOWN OF FARMINGTON — Laying in a hospital bed, hanging onto his life, David Fechter thought a move needed to be made in order to preserve Shalom Wildlife Sanctuary.

The move: Adding a cafe at the rurally located zoo in northern Washington County, addressing a need and a request that’s been in consideration for about a decade.

“We tried to understand what people wanted,” Fechter said Monday. “We just didn’t have the staffing to do it.”

The Grizzly Grill is slated to open for its 29th opening day April 28.

“It’ll be close,” Fechter said, adding an extended 2017 season slowed some of the 2018 prep.

Among the items expected to be sold are hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken and soft drinks. It is inside the building that had picnic tables set up for a cafeteria where people could bring their own food to eat. That option will still be available, but Fechter said the addition of a cafe will help enhance the experience.

“It’s a big move for us,” he said. “It’s a big improvement. It’s the No. 1 request of our customers when they come.”

The grill, which Fechter said will consist of food from a local distributor, is one of several additions or changes being made to Shalom with opening day about a month away.

Also among the changes include new animals, such as a hedgehog and an antelope to add to the 68 species already on site, a remodel of the gift shop/admissions area, an expanded parking lot and a new reading program called “Let’s Read Together” where the animals will share their stories with visitors in a children’s book format.

Fechter’s daughter, Joy, is working on putting those stories together to put into a book and make available in the gift shop someday.

Fechter said there is a new energy on site because of the changes.

“It’s almost like starting a whole new thing,” David said.

In addition, an Eagle Scout built 30 picnic tables that will be spread throughout the zoo.

To get to this point has been, in a way, life changing.

Last summer, Fechter was hospitalized after a tree broke, fell and landed on him, splitting his skull. He was rushed to Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee where he was in intensive care for three weeks.

“I didn’t know if I was going to make it,” Fechter said.

Already immersed in 15- to 16-hour days seven days a week, Fechter, who owns the zoo with his wife Lana, rarely, if ever, took a chance to reflect and think about the steps the zoo has taken thus far and where it needs to go.

His kids, Joy, and a son, Buckley, stepped up.

Joy is a pharmacist in the Rhinelander area, while Buckley is a doctor in Cincinnati. After the accident, thought was given about how to preserve the zoo if David passes away from the injury or five or 10 years later. “They came home to help keep things rolling to see what the outcome was going to be because it was unknown at that time,” David said. “They got to see the participation and what was going on. They realized this is a wonderful thing that is happening and so they were kind of the energy to make it happen. Let’s get going on this stuff. Let’s get the restaurant going.”

David acknowledged the accident was a blessing in disguise, even though it wasn’t the preferred route to get to the restaurant realization.

“(The doctors) thought I wasn’t going to make it,” David said. “If I was going to make it, they thought I’d be in a wheelchair in a nursing home.”

“It was the point where, ‘OK. What’s going to happen to Shalom?’” David said he still enjoys the work that goes into running and maintaining a zoo. But the close call opened up his eyes to understanding the need to think five, 10 or 15 years ahead as far as Shalom’s future.

“What’s going to happen to us? We’re getting older,” David said. “We were at a point where we had to do something,” he said.

A few years ago, Shalom added to its staff to help address those lingering issues, but not taken seriously until last year.

One of those additions to the staff include Paul Poeschl, Shalom’s Program and Events Manager, who used to work for the Shark Reef Aquarium in Las Vegas.

Next season is the 30th for the zoo. There are ideas being kicked around how to commemorate the milestone.

“My son would like to get tigers, that’s his thing,” David said. “Maybe black bear; something animal-wise.”

Rohlinger headlines WBBA WOF class

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: March 6, 2018

Rohlinger headlines WBBA WOF class

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043

When Adam Rohlinger got the call he was going to be inducted onto the West Bend Baseball Association’s Wall of Fame, his initial thought was, “Wait a minute. I’m still playing.”

“I’m supposed to be old and retired, probably 10-15 years by then,” Rohlinger added.

That’s not how the West Bend Baseball Association saw it.

“He went through four or five surgeries with his legs,” said WBBA president Willie Mueller. “In our baseball family, we had Mike Mueller who played for the (Atlanta) Braves, we had Ryan Rohlinger; you had me.

“Adam Rohlinger, if he wouldn’t have gotten hurt, he would’ve been right with us, if not more.”

On Saturday night in front of an estimated 250 guests at The Columbian in West Bend, Rohlinger, was part of the eighth class of the WBBA’s Wall of Fame along with TJ Fischer, Bob Kissinger, Bob Meyer and the late Mark Scholz.

“It means everything to me,” Rohlinger said. “Playing 30-plus years in West Bend, that’s all I know; born and raised in West Bend. I’ve been playing baseball for 30-plus years in West Bend. This is truly an honor for me. I can’t be happier.”

In addition to the five inductees, several members were given postseason awards.

Longtime WBKV radio personality Bob Bonefant received the President’s Award; Johnny Arnold of the Brookfield Blue Sox and Travis Thompson of the Sussex Cardinals were selected as the recipients of the George “Doc” Kraemer Man of the Year Award; and Brad Rindfleisch received the Mark Scholz Award of Merit Scholarship.

Jed Justman received the inaugural Prudence Pick Hway Philanthropy Award; and the West Bend West baseball team received the WBBA Special Achievement Award in recognition of its state championship season.

Matt Schubert and Rohlinger were honored as the Washington County Daily News Amateur Baseball Player of the Year and Manager of the Year, respectively.

It was also an emotional night as memories of three people who were well known for their generosity and zest for helping people were recalled — all of whom died in the past year.

Thompson’s acceptance speech was moving, often stopping to stay strong as he talked about his late wife, Kate, who died of brain cancer May 31. Scholz died in February 2017, and he was remembered for his contributions to the community. And the memory of Bob Pick II, who died Feb. 16 and was inducted onto the Wall of Fame in 2017, wasn’t far from many attendees’ minds.

Mueller, a man known for his role as the mean New York Yankees pitcher “The Duke” from the 1989 film “Major League,” admittedly cried several times throughout the evening.

There were also plenty of laughs.

While Rohlinger, who plays for and manages the West Bend 7 UP, picked up two honors, he may have gotten the unofficial joke of the night award. During his acceptance speech, he thanked several of the coaches he’s had along the way. His final thank you went to another coach, his mom.

He thanked her for being there for him for his first pair of cleats and his first cup.

Rohlinger was honored to go in with a class of people who did what they did for baseball on and off the field, including Fischer, who played six years of baseball with the Boston Red Sox organization.

Rohlinger was previously inducted into Concordia University’s Hall of Fame. Mueller said Rohlinger was as gifted as any of the professional baseball players before him to come from West Bend.

“Doug Gonring would tell you that, physically gifted, Adam Rohlinger was the best,” Mueller said. “Adam had surgery after surgery after surgery. Look at Concordia. The stats he put up at Concordia University. He’s in the Hall of Fame there. That’s how good he was.”

When he was told why he was being inducted,

Rohlinger understood and graciously accepted it.

“I don’t feel out of place,” he said. “It’s truly an honor. It’s a little different that I’m still playing the game and be on the Wall of Fame. But I can get used to them saying, ‘Adam Rohlinger. Wall of Fame.’” Also Saturday, Rohlinger found out Justman — one of his veteran teammates with the 7 UP — might retire.

“I heard it through the grapevine; he never told me officially,” Rohlinger smiled.

Remembering a community icon

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: Feb. 20, 2018

Remembering a community icon

Bob Pick II, a familiar face to many in Washington County, passes away at age 76

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043

As a freshman on Kewaskum’s varsity baseball team, Bille Lehman didn’t know who Bob Pick II was. But he got an interesting introduction.

Pick got on a school bus, carrying his scorebook and folding chair because he kept the scorebook for the Indians’ baseball team. Once on the bus, Pick did his usual thing: tell a joke to lighten the mood or ease the nerves the players might’ve had for the upcoming game.

The jokes were ... well ... dirty.

In a bit of disbelief, Lehman said, “I guess this is our stat guy.”

However, it was just what the team needed. They laughed and relaxed.

“Bob’s jokes in reality weren’t that funny,” said Craig Larsen, board member for the West Bend Baseball Association. “It was how he delivered them and how he pulled them out of thin air. That’s what made them funny.

“Bob had the ability to come through with anything. He’d crack a joke like you wouldn’t believe. You couldn’t help but laugh, and smile, no matter how lame the joke was.”

That was just one aspect of Pick’s personality, described by Jason Piittmann, Kewaskum High School athletic director, as quirky.

But, Piittmann also said Pick had a “heart of gold.”

On Friday evening, Pick passed away at age 76, leaving a huge hole in the heart of all who had the opportunity to meet and know him.

Pick, who also served in the Navy, was a regular sight at high school events — sports and nonsports

— not just in West Bend or Kewaskum, but throughout Washington County.

It wasn’t unusual for him to go to more than one event in a single day. He also offered to help whenever he could, such as keeping the scorebook for baseball games or helping at crosscountry meets, no matter the level.

And this was all done without any family connections to the athletes.

He carried on a legacy of giving and support to Washington County communities started by family members before him. The Pick Award, named after Bob’s grandfather, Carl Pick, has been given to East and West high school boys student- athletes for more than 80 years to honor their achievements on and off the playing field or court.

A similar award is also presented to student-athletes at the University of Wisconsin- Washington County in West Bend. The Pick name also graces the football stadium at West Bend high schools.

“He loved high school sports and their importance to a community and the individuals,” Larsen said.

Doug Gonring, a winner of the Pick Award and Kewaskum High School’s baseball coach, said it was an honor to win the award, which is commemorated with a watch.

“He was so proud of his family and where he came from,” Gonring said. “I think he took great pride in letting everybody know what his family did. I

don’t think he had to do it. He was extremely proud of his whole family.”

Within minutes of Pick’s passing, support poured in from phone calls, text messages and social media posts.

“Everybody has a good story about Bob,” Larsen said.

Two years ago in Florida, on a whim, Larsen decided to go watch a University of Florida and Jacksonville University baseball game. Guess who was there?

“I saw Bob Pick of all people,” Larsen said. “I got the biggest hug I ever got in my life.”

The common thread from people who have shared memories of Pick since his passing was he was everywhere.

“You always saw Bob regularly and not just during certain seasons,” Piittmann said. “He was a special guy. He had a love for everything around high school athletics, county schools especially. He was always at something.”

When Lehman graduated from high school, Pick attended his graduation party.

“It just shows that he cares,” Lehman said. “He treated those players like his sons. I’m certain I’m not the only graduation party he went to. He cared about the community and the team he worked for.

He embraced being a part of it. He brought a positive light to everyone who knew him.”

While he was known as someone who was always around, he also had an uncanny ability to remember the smallest details.

“He remembered players, stats from guys who played in the late 1980s,” Larsen said. “The guy could rattle off stats from a single game. It was crazy. I remember talking to him about a West football game from 1996.

“Bob remembered everything, small things about you. You had to feel appreciated; like you mattered. He truly cared about you. That’s special.”

But there is one other thing Pick will be remembered for, especially those associated with baseball in southeastern Wisconsin at all levels.

“It was the prettiest scorebook I’ve ever seen,” Larsen said. “His penmanship; attention to detail, he was the master of being able to tell a story through a game sheet.”

Pick was the scorekeeper for Gonring’s teams spreading more than 20 years of baseball.

“It was incredible friendship,” Gonring said. “And he loved the kids. It made him feel like he was on a team.

“He will be missed.”