Welcome to Issue 49 of Menomonie News Net. If you’ve missed previous Issues, you can catch up HERE. Looking for a particular story or person? Give the search feature a try!

This week we highlight MHS Cross Country, “local news” in the news, ways to be involved in your Menomonie, and for history buffs…the 1932 Dunn Co “Aggie” Football Team.

Thank you for reading, supporting and for your donations. We couldn’t do it without you…!

Editorial Team: Layne Pitt, Becky Kneer, Marsha Biggs; MNN Contributors; Advisory Team Volunteers; Tech Support: Tracy Glenz

Website: menomonienewsnet.org Submit News: [email protected]

In this Issue…

• Sunrise Rotary Honors MHS Student Mariah Curtis as October Youth of the Month

• Survey Designed to Understand Child Care Needs in Dunn County

• Art Music Society Presents Fall Recital

• Local News is in the Spotlight

• Fall Yard Waste Curbside Pickup

• Jeans & Jewels Nov 1 to Support our Community

• No Kings Rally

• UW-Stout Homecoming

• Menomonie Middle School Presents Fall Play

• MHS Grads: Where are They Now?

• Public Meetings: Week of Oct 22-29

• This Week’s Menomonie Events at a Glance

• MHS Extracurricular Activities

• Menomonie, McCalla Repeat as BRC Cross Country Champions

• Aggie’s Unlikely Run

Sunrise Rotary Honors MHS Student Mariah Curtis as October Youth of the Month

By John Wilkerson

The Menomonie Sunrise Rotary Club is pleased to recognize Mariah Curtis, a member of Menomonie High School’s Class of 2026, as the October Youth of the Month.

Mariah is known among her peers for her unwavering loyalty and positivity. She is often described as a cheerleader for those around her, offering constant encouragement and genuine kindness. Her compassionate nature and steady optimism make her a role model to classmates and a trusted friend to many.

As a Link Leader, Mariah helps freshmen navigate their first year of high school with patience and care. Her leadership style reflects empathy and service, inspiring younger students to feel connected and confident in their new environment. Teachers and staff note that her quiet influence has made a lasting impact on the school’s sense of community.

Mariah has faced challenges with maturity and resilience beyond her years. She balances adult responsibilities at home while also maintaining her academic and extracurricular commitments. Her ability to meet life’s demands with grace and determination demonstrates her strength of character.

In addition to excelling academically, remaining on the honor roll for all seven semesters, Mariah has completed more than 60 hours of community service. She participates in cross country, gymnastics, and softball, and enjoys spending time with her family and friends outside of school.

After graduation, Mariah plans to pursue a nursing career. She intends to complete her RN degree at Chippewa Valley Technical College and then continue her education at UW-Eau Claire, to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Her goal is to build a life centered on compassion, care, and community service; values that reflect the spirit of Rotary itself.

Rotary International is a global network of neighbors, friends, and leaders committed to creating lasting change in our communities and around the world.

For more information visit menomoniesunriserotary.org

John Wilkerson is a member of Menomonie Sunrise Rotary.

Survey Designed to Understand Child Care Needs in Dunn County

Dunn County – The Health Dunn Right Child Care Action Team wants to learn about child care needs from people who work and live in Dunn County through a new survey.

The short survey will help leaders understand community member’s needs and why finding child care is a challenge. All answers will be kept private. The information shared will be used in planning future programs and help build stronger, more supportive communities for families and workplaces in Dunn County.

Why This Matters

Child care was the biggest health issue in Dunn County in 2024. When quality childcare costs too much or isn't available, it creates two major problems. First, parents struggle to work and earn money, which makes it harder for them to provide for their family's basic needs like food and healthcare. Secondly, children miss out on the early learning and support that are vital for their growth and future success.” (Dunn County Health Department Community Health Needs Assessment, 2024).

"Quality, dependable child care is the backbone of our community," said Becky Albricht, Health Dunn Right Childcare Action Team Co-Chair and Birth-to-Three Program Supervisor for Dunn County. "When families struggle to find child care, it impacts their ability to work and thrive. This survey is a crucial step to understanding the real-life struggles of our families so we can build a better system for everyone."

The survey asks questions about: ● Types of child care families use ● Work hours and schedules ● Cost of child care ● Struggles with balancing work and family ● What child care help from employers would be most useful

How to Take Part 

The survey will be open until November 7. It should take about 10 minutes to finish. Take the survey here: https://go.wisc.edu/40i40z 

For more information on Health Dunn Right and how to get involved, visit healthdunnright.org or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healthdunnright

Source: News Release

Art Music Society Presents Fall Recital

Menomonie — The Menomonie Art Music Society will present a fall recital on Saturday, October 25, at 2 pm, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 910 9th Street.

Music for voice, piano, organ, and strings will be provided by local musicians and music students. There is no theme for the recital, although some pieces will have a Halloween focus.

Performing are the Dean’s List String Quartet, Juliana Schmidt (mezzo soprano), and students of Juliana Schmidt: Nancy Wellington (organ), Alice Langby (soprano), Andrew Maki (piano) and more.

There is no charge, but a free will donation is appreciated to cover expenses. Refreshments will follow the recital.

Menomonie Art Music Society exists to promote and perform classical music, and to educate audiences in the community about this marvelous genre. Local music students and experienced musicians perform on Art Music Society programs not only giving it an educational element but giving musicians in the community an opportunity to present classical music.

For more information about the Menomonie Art Music Society, or if you would like to perform on a future program, contact Juliana Schmidt, 715-505-3525 or [email protected]

More information on Facebook.

Source: News Release

Local News is in the Spotlight

By MNN Staff

“Local news” is in the news. It caught our attention. We’d like to share what’s being said.

This past Sunday (10/19) a commentary on CBS TV Sunday Morning featured a short segment you can view here: Charles M. Blow on the crisis facing local newspapers 

Charles Blow, an author and journalism, shares that he partnered with Press Forward & The MacArthur Foundation to study local news over a two year period. You can view the resulting series of short documentaries here: A New Chapter for Local News

Source: CBS News cbsnews.com

Fall Yard Waste Curbside Pickup

By MNN Staff

The City of Menomonie Community Services Department will be picking up yard waste and brush curbside on the following dates:

• Monday, Oct 27

• Monday, Nov 3

• Monday, Nov 10

Items which will be picked up:

• Leaves & grass in compostable paper bags only (max 50 lbs. per bag)

• Bundled brush (not exceeding four feet in length

All yard waste must be:

• Bagged in paper compostable bags only

• Bundled if brush

• Marked or tagged "City Pickup"

• Placed curbside no sooner than one day before and no later than 7:00 AM on pick up day

• Only leaves, grass or garden debris in the paper compostable bags

If your regular garbage collection falls on the same day as the city pickup, please segregate your garbage from the marked or tagged items. Nothing will be picked up in the alley.

For questions, please contact Dave Frank, Community Services Superintendent, at 715-232-2221 Ext. 1501 or email [email protected]. More information can also be found on the City of Menomonie Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CityofMenomonie/. 

Yard waste may also be brought to the City Solid Waste Site (1601 Gilbert Creek Rd) on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 7am - 6pm and Saturdays from 7am - Noon.

Rake your leaves to help protect water quality in Menomonie. Leaves are a significant source of phosphorus pollution - do your part to keep leaves of our streets and out of our storm drains!

Source: City of Menomonie website

Jeans & Jewels Nov 1 to Support our Community

Source: Menomonie Chamber news release

No Kings Rally Draws 1000+ to Wilson Park

By MNN Staff

UW-Stout Homecoming this Weekend

UW-Stout celebrates Homecoming this weekend.

Highlights include:

• Stout "Clock" Party - 9:30am - 11:30am on Saturday (Clock Tower)

• Homecoming Parade – Saturday, 11 am. (Starts at the corner of 10th Ave E and Broadway St S, through downtown and then turns on 3rd St E through campus)

• Football Game vs. UW‑Stevens Point – Saturday, 1 pm

Source: UW-Stout Facebook page

Menomonie Middle School Presents Fall Play “Waking Sleepy Hollow”

By MNN Staff

Welcome to present-day Sleepy Hollow. This famed little town now has traffic lights, modern plumbing, even a Dunkin’ Donuts – but traces from its past remain. A troupe of actors takes us on a tour of Sleepy Hollow, but the participants begin to suspect that there is perhaps more truth to the legend than they realized. The past clashes with the present, as the young square off with the dead, and the Headless Horseman is brought into a 21st century of bicycles and cell phones.

Friday, October 24, 7:00 PM
Saturday, October 25, 2:00 PM

Mabel Tainter Theater, 205 Main St E

To purchase tickets ($10 each) click HERE.

Source: Mabel Tainter website

MHS Grads: Where are They Now?

By Judy Foust

Friends, we've hit a bit of a snag. I have two interviews almost completed but am missing final information. It occasionally happens that unexpected illness or work/family commitments interfere with our interviews. Such was the case this week. I promise to have something ready for you to enjoy next week!

Judy Foust is a retired longtime 7th Grade Reading Specialist at Menomonie Middle School. To submit info to her or to request an interview she may be contacted at [email protected]

Public Meetings: Week of Oct 22-29

By MNN Staff

City of Menomonie

No scheduled meetings

Click HERE for full calendar & agendas. Click HERE to view recording of 10/20 City Council Meeting (Eye on Dunn County)

School District of Menomonie

Mon Oct 27 School Board Meeting, 5:45pm, ASC Board Room

Click HERE for full calendar & additional details

Dunn County

Wed Oct 22 Facilities Committee, 5pm

Thur Oct 23 Neighbors of Dunn County Committee, 9am; Committee on Administration, 3pm; Health & Human Services, 6pm

Mon Oct 27 Judiciary & Law Committee, 4:30pm

Click HERE for calendar, mtg documents, recordings & public commenting

This Week’s Menomonie Events at a Glance

By MNN Staff

Wed Oct 22 Girl Scout Local History Project, 4:30pm, Public Library

Fri Oct 24 Red Cross Blood Drives: Menomonie Leisure Center, 9am-3pm; Christ Lutheran, 11am-5pm; Middle School Play “Waking Sleepy Hollow”, 7pm, Mabel Tainter; Haunted Hillside, 5-9pm, (Humane Society Benefit)

Sat Oct 25 9th Annual Band Mattress Sale Fundraiser, MHS; Downtown Fall Frolic, 9:30am-8pm; UW-Stout Homecoming Parade & Game, 11am & 1pm; Cooperative Cookout, 11am-1pm, Dunn Energy; Moose Lodge Chicken Dinner Fundraiser (Mustangs Trap Team), 5-7pm; Middle School Play “Waking Sleepy Hollow,” 2pm; Mabel Tainter; Haunted Hillside, 5-9pm, (Human Society Benefit)

Mon Oct 27 Menomonie City Yard Waste Pick Up - All Day

MHS Extracurricular Activities

Compiled from MHS Daily Announcements

By MNN Staff

Wed Oct 15

Last night, for parents night, the Girls Swim and Dive Team had a home dual meet against River Falls. Some notable performances include: a personal record in the 500 freestyle for Elsa Bowman, the first time competing in 11 dives this season for Ofelia Prechel and Sofia Reinhart, and the professional duck rescuer Kinsley Fisher competed for the first time in the 50 freestyle after recovering from an injury. Great job swimmers and divers!

Thurs Oct 16

A very special congratulations goes out to the Plant & Land Management Class for placing 2nd in the Pepin County Land Evaluation Contest. Top individual students were: Trent Quilling, Hunter Langman, Lily Green, Summer Hagen, and Rayna Figi.

Mon Oct 20

Congratulations to the Boys Cross Country Team for winning the Big Rivers Conference Championship meet last Saturday in Rice Lake. They were led by the trio of Luke Ray, Noah Winder and Owen Pelzel who finished in 5th, 6th and 7th places to earn all-conference first team honors. Logan Topper finished in 10th to be 2nd Team All-Conference and Evan Olson was 17th to earn Honorable Mention honors. Congrats on a great conference meet. Now they will host the Sectional meet this Saturday at noon to try to earn a spot at the State Championship meet! Good luck boys!

Congratulations to the Girls Cross Country Team for their outstanding performance on Saturday. The girls won the Big Rivers Conference Championship meet by a wide margin, defending their conference title. Lauren McCalla was the individual champion, running 17:08 for 5k and establishing a new BRC Meet Record. Bennett Schmitt was 4th, Bree Barfknecht finished 5th and Bella Drake finished 7th. All four earned all-BRC 1st team honors. Addie Schuler finished 10th to earn all-BRC 2nd team and Kyah Barnhart earned all-BRC Honorable Mention. The girls are presently ranked 4th in the state in Division I and will take on third ranked Bloomer at the WIAA Division I sectional meet on Saturday for a chance to go to the state meet. Great job girls team and good luck at sectionals.

The Freshman Football Team finished up their season last week on Friday with a win against an undefeated Chippewa Falls team 38-14. This capped the Freshman season where they went 6-2. Great work to all on the Freshman team!

Tues Oct 21

The Sophomore/JV Football Team lost to Chippewa Falls 28-6 last night. The sophomores ended their season with a 6-3 record. Congratulations to the sophomore football team on a great season.

What is the upcoming MHS musical? Why are there less buckthorn on campus and what do their berries do to birds? Why is the high school collecting socks? All answered in the Mustang Messenger mustangmessenger.org.

Boys Soccer is traveling to Wausau East today to begin their post season. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased online at GoFan.com No cash sales.

Girls Swim and Dive Team are hosting Black River Falls tonight for senior night, the meet starts at 6:30 Good Luck Teams!

Menomonie, McCalla Repeat as BRC Cross Country Champions

Mustangs Capture Team Title on Boys’ Side

By Layne Pitt, MNN Contributor

Complete 2025 Big Rivers Cross Country Championships results

RICE LAKE - Lauren McCalla and the Menomonie girls repeated as Big Rivers Conference champion as the Mustangs dominated at the BRC Cross Country Championships at UW-Barron County Saturday.

And the Menomonie boys made it a clean sweep as the Mustangs captured their first conference title since 2020.

McCalla, coming off a state-best time in her previous outing, was overpowering in the 5000-meter run, finishing in a time of 17-minutes, 8.4-seconds, breaking the conference record of 17:17 set in 2015 set by Aubrey Roberts of Eau Claire Memorial. Second-place finisher Kendra Christiansen of New Richmond clocked a time of 18:45.9. McCalla posted a 1-minute, 37-second advantage over the 57-runner field.

Her Mustang teammates were equally as dominant as a team. Menomonie’s top five finishers placed in the top 10 and all seven runners placed in the top 25.

Bennett Schmitt finished fourth (18:59.8), Bree Barfknecht fifth (19:13.1), Bella Drake seventh (19:22.0), Addison Schuler 10th (19:44.7), Kyah Barnhart 23rd (20:43.2) and Sara Palmer 25th (20:54.7).

The Mustangs tallied 27 points to second-placed Eau Claire Memorial’s 78 points. Hudson finished third (85 pts), New Richmond fourth (96), River Falls fifth (121), Chippewa Falls sixth (160), host school Rice Lake seventh (160) and Eau Claire North eighth (234).

The Menomonie boys placed four runners in the top 10 and four among the top 17 on their way to the title. Luke Ray paced the Mustangs by finishing fifth (16:15.9) in the 5000-meter run. Noah Winder was sixth (16:18.7), Owen Pelzel seventh (16:20.), Logan Topper 10th (16:33.2), Evan Olson 17th (16;54.5), Ben Seguin 37th (18:06.5), Oliver Kerze 43rd (18:34.4) and Chase Pember 52nd (19:07.1).

Menomonie totaled 45 points to Hudson's second-place total of 58. The Raiders, who had won the last two titles, claimed the individual title (Ryan Keller, 15:14.8) and had a fourth place finisher. Eau Claire Memorial was third (84), River Falls fourth (126), Chippewa Falls fifth (134), Rice Lake sixth (142), New Richmond seventh (143) and Eau Claire North (150).

The Mustang's last title came in 2020 and that championship wears an asterik, falling during the COVID-19 season when not all conference teams competed. Menomonie's previous title to 2020 was 2004.

The Menomonie girls program has been on a tear in the conference tournament since the 2014 season, taking either first or second place. The Mustang girls have now brought home six BRC championship trophies since 2014 and were runner-up six times. Menomonie won individual titles in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024 and 2025.

In the junior varsity races, Menomonie finished third for the boys and fourth for the girls. Cole Christianson led the Menomonie boys with a sixth place finish and Rylee King was sixth for the girls.

Menomonie is scheduled to host a WIAA Division 1 Boys and Girls Cross Country Sectional, Saturday, Oct. 25. The WIAA State Meet is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 1 in Wisconsin Rapids.

Congratulations go out to Isabel Swanson, who advanced to the WIAA Girls State Tennis Tournament last week in Madison. Swanson lost her opening match, 6-1, 6-1, to Anna Miller of Notre Dame.

Kudos to the Boyceville girls cross country team for scoring a perfect score as they won the Dunn-St.Croix title Saturday by scoring a perfect 15 points capturing the first five places. Top seven finishers for the Bulldogs, in order of finish, were: 1. Jaycie Oberle, 2. Katie Maska, 3. Ashlyn Maska, 4. Blake Jeske, 5. Brooklyn Talmage, 7. Ellie Engeman and 13. Halle Tonn.

Layne Pitt retired as the longest serving sports information director at UW-Stout and also worked more than a decade at the Dunn County News.

Menomonie, McCalla Repeat as BRC Cross Country Champions by Layne Pitt is licensed under a CC BY SA 4.0 International license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Menomonie Mustangs Athletics and Activities | UW-Stout Blue Devil Athletics

Aggie’s Unlikely Run

Farm Boys, Hand-Me Downs - and Two Championships

By Layne Pitt, MNN Contributor

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story originally appeared in a special publication marking the 100th anniversary of Menomonie High School football in 1995. It was reprinted in the Dunn County Historical Society Newsletter in 2024. This updated version reflects additional context and remains a tribute to a unique chapter of Dunn County’s sports history.

Aggie’s short-lived football program left lasting memories

At the Dunn County School of Agriculture and Domestic Economy, better known as “Aggie,” students weren’t just learning the three Rs. Their curriculum also included how to dress chickens, which seeds would produce the best crops and how to keep a tractor running.

And for a brief but memorable stretch in the 1930s, they also learned how to play football.

Aggie launched its football program in 1932. According to former player Truman Torgerson, a farm boy from Meridean, that first season was rough: the purple-and-white squad won just once, 7-0 over Eau Claire Junior High.

The program’s unlikely leader was William “Bill” Bundy, a Menomonie attorney who had earned a reputation as a star athlete at Menomonie High School in the 1920s. Bundy, along with school superintendent Randall Swanson and assistant coach John Knapp, convinced Stout Institute’s coach Earl Burbridge to donate the school’s old football uniforms.

Bundy’s support staff was just as homegrown. Knapp, John Harmon of “Harmon’s Chicken Dinner” fame and Dr. Quilling, the team physician, all volunteered their time to keep Aggie football alive.

Torgerson, who would later win the 1939 NCAA light-heavyweight boxing championship for the University of Wisconsin, praised Bundy in his memoir Digging Up the Past.

“Our coach, Bill Bundy, a local attorney, was a scrub quarterback for the University of Wisconsin. He was a small man, weighing 125 pounds, but smart, had a great voice and a will to win,” Torgerson wrote. “He was an all-star performer, taking a bunch of farm lads, many who had never had a football in their hands before, and developed them into a champion in three years. He sacrificed a lot of time from his law practice that we might have a team.”

Bundy’s methods were resourceful. He nicknamed one player “Triple Threat” Boettcher – adding with a wink, “Slip, slide and stumble.” Each fall he organized a weeklong preseason training camp at his cottage on the Red Cedar River, charging each player a $5 fee despite the hard times of the Great Depression.

Not every family could afford it. Torgerson recalled that quarterback Rueben Retz made camp only because his father substituted two bags of potatoes for the fee. Bundy saw Retz’s potential, pulling him from the line to make him quarterback.

“Retz, I want you to be my quarterback,” Bundy reportedly told him. Before each game, Bundy drove Retz around to calm him down and map out strategy. Retz eventually became a steady leader, earning the respect of his teammates.

The Aggies didn’t look like much at first. Their debut against Boyceville was a learning experience, Torgerson remembered.

“We were a motley looking group wearing hand-me-down gear from Stout that hung mighty loose on all of us,” he wrote. On the team’s first play, Bundy called for a pass. The play worked, but instead of blocking, the rest of the Aggies stood still shouting, “Run, Fred, run!” A sure touchdown turned into a missed opportunity.

Despite those growing pains, Bundy’s persistence paid off. After going 1-3-0 in 1932 and 0-2-3 in 1933, the Aggies captured the Dunn-St. Croix Conference championship in 1934 with a 4-2-0 record. They sealed the crown with a 25-0 win over Boyceville, the same school that had humbled them just two years earlier.

That 1934 team included Retz at quarterback, halfback Francis Grimme, center Lloyd Confer and running back Malcolm McLain, who later played professionally for Milwaukee and Buffalo of the American Football League before a knee injury ended his career.

Torgerson described McLain as a “shifty runner with considerable passing ability,” Confer as a “stellar performer who could clog up the middle,” and Grimme as “one quick, rough and tough player who gave us the extra yards when needed.”

Aggie repeated as Dunn-St. Croix champions in 1935 with a 6-1-0 record behind standouts Harold Kruetzer and Barney Gebhardt. By then, Torgerson had been shifted to his third different position, a testament both to Bundy’s adaptability and the team’s limited roster.

But the good years were fleeting. The program slipped in the late 1930s. By 1937 Aggie switched to eight-man football, and by 1940, the program was dropped altogether.

For just eight seasons, Aggie football brought small-town grit and big memories to Dunn County. Players wore oversized hand-me-down uniforms, trained at a lawyer’s riverside cottage and sometimes paid their way in potatoes. But under Bundy’s guidance, they grew into champions – and part of a story still worth telling nearly a century later.

Layne Pitt is the retired UW-Stout sports information director and also worked more than a decade at The Dunn County News.

Aggies Unlikely Run by Layne Pitt is licensed under a CC BY SA 4.0 International license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Menomonie Mustangs Athletics and Activities | UW-Stout Blue Devil Athletics

For a Calendar of Events in the Menomonie Area, visit Kathy Weber’s Menomonie Minute.

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