(Click to enlarge.)

Lawrence Chapel on College Avenue, the site of many great cultural events in Appleton, has some beautiful stained glass windows that people might easily overlook. Here is one view. The building is one of my favorite in Appleton, and a symbol of our community's love of the arts.

Here's the entrance to a public building in the Fox Cities. Fame and glory to anyone who identifies it. Bonus points for explaining why the Japanese writing is there.

A new study published by Morgan Quitno Press rates the Appleton area as one of the nation's safest metropolitan areas, ranking #5. Interestingly, six of the top twelve metropolitan areas are in Wisconsin, with Find du Lac listed as #1. They also ranked individual cities rather than metropolitan areas, leading to different results with less emphasis on Wisconsin. I'll stick with the metro approach since it favors my neck of the woods.

Though the results can be debated, there is no question that the Fox Valley is a remarkably safe area. It's a great place to live and to raise a family. Violent crime is surprisingly low.

We still have openings, but they may not last forever, so move here while you can!

The Four Seasons Restaurant in Neenah (1104 South Commercial Street, Neenah - see map) is a refreshingly good family-style restaurant with a good selection of Italian food, sandwiches, deserts, steak, and fish. We went there on a Friday night, which usually means fish specials in Wisconsin. We weren't disappointed. My wife tried their pan-fried trout and was pleased. I tried a ravioli dish that had some of the best cheese-stuffed ravioli noodles I've had. The noodles were large and plump, delightfully al dente, and baked with a rich red sauce and melted mozzarella on top in a large baking dish. My son had a Reuben sandwich and gave it high marks as well.

The food consistently had a fine home-cooked flavor and texture. The waitress explained that most of the food is made on site, so real home cooking is often involved. The clam chowder, for example, was about as good as it gets. A couple other places in town serve chowder that has been noticeably thickened with gums (xanthan gum, guar gum, cellulose gum, etc.), but this had the texture and flavor of freshly made real chowder without fake thickeners. And yes, it is made on site.

We were surprised at how much food came with the meal. My $7.95 ravioli include a cup of chowder, French bread, the ravioli, and - surprise - a dessert. My wife and I both chose the tapioca pudding. It was also made on site, according to the waitress, and was remarkably good. I was half-expecting the fake gum-laced slimy good that oozes out of cans from distant food factories and often gets served at buffets or school lunches. Instead, it was real home-cooked tapioca with egg and other natural ingredients, with a light, fluffy texture. Such a simple little thing, but it made a real impression on me.

Service was excellent and friendly. We didn't have to wait in line - often a problem on Friday nights, but we were there a bit late (almost 8 p.m.).

A couple of negatives: my wife's mashed potatoes and gravy had a chicken gravy that was way too salty. And my son's pickle with his sandwich didn't have much flavor. But apart from that, the place gets my enthusiastic endorsement as a good place for family dining, lunch or dinner.
(920) 969-9805

Fox Tire at 1164 Valley Road, Menasha (phone: 920-739-6213) is one of my top picks for good automotive service in the Fox Valley. This week I had my struts replaced. They did the work for almost half the quoted price of the dealer and did good work. I've also been happy with their sales and service for tires.

Fox Tire has long been family owned and operated. The family ownership began with Herman Ripp, who recently passed away. According to his Sept. 28, 2006 obituary, Herman was born in Madison and came to Appleton in 1965, where he purchased Fox Tire Company in 1967. Although he retired in 1993, the business is still in the hands of his family and maintains the good reputation it earned over the years.

My previous rant, "Giving Up on the Post-Crescent," has been changed to "Apologies to the Post-Crescent." Though it took longer than my limited patience tolerated, they did finally print my letter regarding Toua Lor and the recent hunting incident. I was obviously far too rash in assuming that they weren't interested in the matter. I hope this will be the beginning of more accurate coverage on what did and didn't happen in the incident, and in healing some of the wounds in the community arising from the handling of this case.

One of the many beautiful parks in the Fox Cities is Riverside Park in Neenah. The sculpture of children playing in the water is a highlight of the park, in my opinion. Here are a few shots from recent visits. (Click to enlarge, but these are all low-resolution versons of my originals.)

Updated October 21, 2006: I owe an apology to the Post-Crescent. This post was previously titled "Giving Up on the Post-Crescent" after it appeared that they were not going to print my letter-to-the-editor in support of Toua Lor. The initial letter was sent in late September, and several revisions followed over the next few days, but on October 14, when I had waited over a week from the final revision, I concluded that they weren't interested in the story and weren't printing the letter. I based this on past experience in seeing letters get printed within a couple days of receipt - coupled with my belief that any of the previous editions should have been OK (though the first one was too long and would have required editing out a section). So I gave up and concluded that the Post-Crescent was really interested in understanding some of the other perspectives on this story. However, today, October 21, the letter was printed. Obviously, I was overly impatient and apologize for my disappointment in the editorial area.

If you aren't familiar with the story, Toua (Chuetoua Lor) is the US citizen and Hmong man who, according to a white man who accosted him while hunting, allegedly pointed his .22-caliber rifle at the legs of the man to keep him away. The man, who thought that Toua had gotten to the hunting grounds by going through his property (update: input from neighbors provides good support for that belief), called the police and reported the gun pointing. As a result, Toua was put in jail, given an unusually high bond, and now faces felony charges that could result in 13 years imprisonment. The media repeatedly linked the alleged incident to a massacre of six hunters in 2004 by an angry Hmong man. (Update: I improperly recalled a quote from a town official that was quoted by the media when this story was printed. It was not as bad as I thought.) From my perspective, there has been no effort by the media to consider another side to the story.

Update: Now let me point out that if someone had pointed a gun at me under these circumstances, I, too, would have called the police. Calling the police to report such a thing was surely a reasonable and responsible action. My concern is not with the man who reported Toua, but how the media reported the story.

Printing the letter is a positive step forward, and I hope future coverage will be more accurate, more balanced, and more likely to consider that there might be more to this story than has been shared so far. Further, I hope they will consider that the Hmong community might have a thing or two to say about this case.

There is a Hmong community perspective to this story that I also feel needs to be considered. One Hmong woman told me that if Toua goes to jail, everyone in the Hmong community goes to jail. Many see it as a racial issue, as a violation of their rights, as a threat to their place in the community. (Update: This is based on the belief that Toua was hunting legally, something that may not be correct when everything becomes known.) (Update: When I previously raised their concern of Hmong people that one man's call to the police can get them in trouble, let me emphasize that it in no way implies that Mr. van Dinter did anything improperly, or that his actions were racially motivated. My impression of him is that he is a reasonable person, and I suspect that he acted in good faith in the encounter. In fact, based on what I know from the input of Liberty folks, I cannot criticize his concerns nor his calling the police. I hope the whole incident was just a huge misunderstanding. Also, when I ask why the media has not explored the reasons for the second encounter, that does not meant that I think the reasons were racist or anything else improper. In fact, My van Dinter's explanation for that in the preliminary hearing sounded reasonable to me, especially after learning more from some of the residents of the area. I apologize sincerely if my criticism of media coverage has made it sound like I think Mr. van Dinter did wrong. I am unable to judge what happened. My beef has been with media actions, not Mr. van Dinter.)

There are racial flames stirring in this community. Some Hmongs are feeling threatened. The whole community needs to know that there may have been a huge misunderstanding in the woods - or if not, that the justice system will settle it. Let's consider the broad issues here and quit stirring up the white community with references to massacres of white people. In my (biased) opinion, we have a situation here with a gentle, kind US citizen who happens to be Hmong. Nobody was hurt. No massacre occurred. Perhaps this will prove to simply be a huge misunderstanding with two people acting in good faith but misunderstanding one another.

Update from Oct. 31: Of course, I may be wrong in my views, and it's possible that a fair jury will find Toua guilty of a felony. I really don't know what happened when the two met, and in no way wish to impugn the integrity of the man who allegedly was threatened by Toua. But the perspective of the Hmong community and the possibility of other explanations for what happened seem to have been overlooked in the coverage by the media.

Here is the final version of my letter that was printed on October 21. Again, I apologize to the Post-Crescent and thank them for printing this.

I am disappointed by the media's handling of the case of Toua Lor, the Hmong man arrested for allegedly threatening a white man on private property while hunting squirrels with a .22 caliber rifle. To repeatedly link this with the Chai Vang murders is irresponsible. No one was injured. In fact, contrary to media reports, Toua was not on the man's private property when the alleged gun pointing took place. According to the accuser's own statement in the Oct. 5 preliminary hearing, the alleged crime took place when the man accosted Toua on corporate land where it was legal for Toua to hunt. There are questions that need to be asked about the reasons for accosting Toua and the rights of Hmong hunters striving to follow the law.

I know Toua well. He has been an exemplary US citizen and resident of Appleton with a well-earned reputation of being a gentle and compassionate man with no hint of violent tendencies. He has shown remarkable restraint in difficult circumstances and does not lose his temper. I believe he would never point a gun at someone other than in self-defense. The media has not even hinted at the possibility of self-defense, if a gun was in fact directed toward the feet or legs of man who accosted the hunter, but we may find it to be a factor in the alleged event.

In my opinion, there has been little effort to consider the other side of this story and the community has been harmed by the tactics of the press. This racially charged case demands more accurate and more responsible coverage. For failing to accurately explain what happened (or what didn't happen), and for repeatedly linking this case to a past massacre, the media owes Toua Lor and the community an apology.

-- Post withdrawn. The final version of the letter-to-the-editor has been printed. --

Appleton East High School recently held their traditional Homecoming Parade (5:30 pm on Friday). The event involves a number of floats, a marching band, the pep team, homecoming royalty, and more. The parade begins at Mead Park and continues several block to East High School. Here are a few scenes from the event.


Two of the royalty for Homecoming.



This float was sponsored by the parents of East students. They were fired up for victory, but East lost to Menasha in the football game that night.

Over 100,000 people (my estimate) crowded into the mile-long expanse of Octoberfest along College Avenue in downtown Appleton on Saturday, September 30. In spite of some rain during the day, the crowds persisted. What brings so many people to Octoberfest? There's plenty of fun, lots of food, perhaps a little beer, games, entertainment, and many interesting people. Some actually come for the leading taste treat of the festival, the famous Tiger Paws sold as a fundraiser for the youth group of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed "Mormons"). Tiger Paws are a flat fried dough product with plenty of sugar and cinnamon. In fact, the Mormons got in trouble with the authorities because the crowd in front of the popular Tiger Paws booth was so big that it was blocking traffic. We were cranking them out as fast as we could, but the demand was just too high to keep the lines short.

Here are some photos from Octoberfest.