A contact of mine at SkyWest Magazine, the in-flight magazine for United Express airlines, has let me know that they are going to prepare a significant article featuring Appleton, with a section on our famous festivals. For those of you who would like to place an ad in that edition, contact me and I can provide you details and contact information. Ads must be placed by March 1. Contact me at jeff at jefflindsay.com, or look at the SkyWest info at AppletonRocks.com.

The Appleton Art Center has posted information about the 2008 Art in the Park event. Get it on your calendar now! It's one of the many fine cultural traditions in this wonderful community.

The event is on Sunday, July 27 in City Park. If you wish to apply for a display or booth there, get your application in by March 1, 2008.

A prospectus and application is available at the Appleton Art Center site (PDF).

Did you know that citizens from the small town of Appleton, Wisconsin and the neighboring Fox Cities have played a surprisingly large role in international relations, especially with respect to the former Soviet Union? It's amazing what a group of visionary citizens achieved by imagining what could be done and taking action. Their vision resulted in a major conference in Appleton in 2003 where Mikhail Gorbachev recognized their efforts, and where a coalition of visionary cities came together to form Communities for International Development. CID promotes non-proliferation and economic development focusing on sister cities in the former Soviet Union. They have had a significant impact and have resulted in numerous exchanges between the two nations, with extensive bridge building.

Recognizing the need to deal with deadly weaponry left over from the cold war, and the need to help communities find alternatives to weapon making to help provide jobs and quality of life, local citizens simply imagined what they could do and took action. Amazing things have come from their efforts. And it's one more reason why I'm proud to live in Appleton, one of the most amazing communities in North America.

Below is an excerpt from a column written for the Post-Crescent by Dr. Montgomery Elmer, President of the Fox Cities-Kurgan Sister Cities Program. I just met him and his associates today and was truly amazed at what they have accomplished.

Sister Cities Program Is Grassroots Diplomacy

Imagine. Twenty years ago, a group gathering around a kitchen table to create an organization based on peace. It decided to reach over the Iron Curtain and make friends in the Evil Empire.

The Fox Cities Sister Cities program was born.

It's been almost 17 years since the first delegation of citizen ambassadors from the former Soviet Union arrived in the Fox Cities to discover and explore its sister city. The partnership and exchanges have reached thousands of people in both locations since then.

Hundreds of Fox Cities families have hosted Russian visitors. Thousands of residents of Kurgan have greeted our delegations and individual visitors on their sidewalks and in their buses, at concerts and hockey games. . . .

An agreed-upon plan of a community development model based on mutual trust and respect. Simply stated, this relationship constitutes a grassroots impact on foreign relations.

We have created accountable, sustainable and replicated programs in the areas of health care, education, economic development and civil society in the Kurgan region — www.foxcitieskurgan.org shows those accomplishments.

We're the organization that brought Mikhail Gorbachev and multiple U.S./Russian community leaders to the Fox Cities in 2003 — www.securitythroughstability.org shows the community partners that made this event possible. (Click on the overview section, then click on movie and view entire movie for a video clip explaining our efforts.) And www.worldserviceslax.org/CID.htm explains the results.

Over the years, efforts to work together have often included collaboration with area higher education institutions. Faculty and student exchanges have been commonplace. Facilities at Lawrence University, Fox Valley Technical College and the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley have often been a base for meetings and deliberations. . . .

The Sister Cities partnership started as a peace-building effort and evolved into a successful group that addresses community-building on an international level. . . .

Creating a culture of citizen diplomacy in the Fox Cities that actively engages all facets of our community and makes the world a little safer.

The work of citizen diplomacy continues. We have a new concept that we hope to make a reality. We invite you to participate in that process.

Here's a related 2003 story from CollegeNews.org about the founding of CID:

On October 1-3, Appleton, Wis., and Lawrence University will serve as the venue for a three-day "International Community Partnerships Conference." Emphasizing "security through stability," the conference will examine the crucial role grassroots, community-to-community, international partnerships can play in reducing the threat posed by the Cold War era weapons stockpiles.

Former Soviet President and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Mikhail Gorbachev will open the conference with the keynote address Thursday, Oct. 1 in Appleton's Performing Arts Center.

At the conclusion of the conference, participating community partners will unveil the Communities for International Development initiative, a new non-profit organization dedicated to promoting cooperative programs and activities between sister cities in the United States and Russia.

Experts agree that improving the economic and social stability of the Russian communities where weapons of mass destruction are housed is a prerequisite for security.

Over the past decade, civic leaders and community organizations in five American communities -- Appleton (Fox Cities) and La Crosse in Wisconsin, Oak Ridge (Blount County) in Tennessee, Livermore, California, and Los Alamos, New Mexico -- have worked closely with their counterparts in Kurgan/Shchuchye, Dubna, Zhelezneogorsk, Snezhinsk and Sarov to create more jobs, improve health care, build sound educational systems and strengthen social infrastructure in these cities that house weapons stockpiles or were once major weapons development locations for the Soviet Union in efforts to reduce the threat posed by the weapons.

Representatives from each of the five community partnerships will come together for the first time at Lawrence University to discuss best practices and approaches from their own partnering experiences. They hope to develop practical models for strengthening collaborative programs in economic development, education, health care and the environment and civic development and federalism.

"We have a tremendous opportunity and responsibility as individuals and as communities to make a difference in this world," said Fox Cities-Kurgan Sister Cities President Dr. Montgomery Elmer, a family physician with the ThedaCare regional health system and conference organizer.

The conference is organized by the Board of the Fox Cities-Kurgan Sister Cities Program, Inc. with the involvement of several community groups and corporations throughout Appleton and the Fox Cities. Funding from the U.S. government's Open World Program will enable 30 delegates from the five Russian partnering communities to participate in the conference.

Recently tried a Coconut Royale smoothie from the Tropical Smoothie Café in the Avenue Mall. Nice, creamy mix of strawberry, cranberry, and coconut - some of Wisconsin's basic local crops, of course (especially cranberries and strawberries). The Tropical Smoothie Café is open from 7 am to 7 pm Monday through Friday, and from 8 am to 5 pm on Saturday. The menu has an exciting variety of sandwiches, wraps, soups, and salads, in addition to their headliner smoothies, where about 20 varieties are available.

They've been here since 2006 and seem to be doing well. Drop by for a quick, tasty treat or meal.

If you are a high-school student interested in having your own business one day or bringing good ideas to the market place, think about learning from some experts at the Youth Entrepreneur Summit on Saturday, March 12, 2008 at Fox Valley Technical College. It runs from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm. Registration is free.

For details, contact:
Tania Kilpatrick, Career and Technical Education Coordinator
CESA 6
P.O. Box 2568
Oshkosh, WI 54903-2568
Phone: 920-236-0531
Fax: 920-424-3478
Email: tkilpatr at cesa6.k12.wi.us

I don't watch much TV, but the other night I was something of a captive audience during the 10 pm news from a local TV station. It was a cold day with a dangerous snow storm. Yes, some cars were in the ditch, so I wasn't surprised that there would be some coverage on the weather. And with the Packers out of the picture, I guess I wasn't surprised that the weather was the big lead story. But after 60 seconds, they were still talking about it. It was snowing. It was cold. And roads were snowy and difficult. Two minutes went by. There were some more pictures of snowy roads. Hey, the same picture we saw before of cars in a ditch. Three minutes. Then interviews from local residents. Ooooh, cold. And yes, roads were a mess. Hard to drive. Especially in the snow. And wind. Cold. Icey. Four minutes.

More photos of some snowy roads. Five minutes . . . six . . . the same cars were still in the ditch. Wise People came on and urged locals to be careful when driving in the snow. They warned against driving into ditches. Plus it was real cold. Eight minutes . . . nine . . . cars, going off the road, into that same old ditch, now undoubtedly overflowing with stranded cars. Look, there's snow outside. It's winter. A reporter was on the street, talking in the snow. My goodness, there were flakes falling right as he spoke - snow! TEN MINUTES!

The channel was changed to another local channel, right as they were concluding with some kind of news - apparently some people were running for president somewhere in Florida or some other southern country. But that story ended right as we got there, just in time to cut to the a big story: SNOW! Yes, surprisingly, in the northern land of Wisconsin in the middle of winter, there is - stop the presses - occasional snow! People are driving in it, and sometimes they lose control and go into the - SWITCH back to the first local channel. Now after 15 minutes into the broadcast, it looks like they just did a quick story on some kind of non-weather event - was it something about some kind of war in Iraq or suicide bombers blowing up their campaigns for President or has Canada invaded us again or - I don't know, because it was just a subliminal flash of actual news before RETURNING TO THE LEAD STORY FOR TONIGHT, THE WEATHER. Yes, Appleton has an outdoor component and tonight, our outdoors were experiencing weather, cold weather, suspiciously like winter weather, and what must have been a first in all of history based on all the news coverage, there was actually snow coming down with all that weather and making roads slippery. But the ditches aren't slippery, they are actually quite sticky, so if you go into one you will be stuck. And look, here's photographic proof. Cars stuck in a ditch. But they looked suspiciously like cars from 1992, taken by some fool who took his video camera out on the road and ended up getting stuck in a ditch, but making stock footage that would last for decades.

Snow - it happened right here in Appleton, on Jan. 29, 2008, the kind of night that TV news anchors live for, the night that will be forever known as "The Day It Snowed In Appleton and Some Cars Went into the Ditch."

And I thought the Wisconsin news blackout was over when the Packers lost their chance to go to the Superbowl.

The 1910 Sausage Company in the heart of Appleton (204 East College Avenue) offers a unique causal dining experience with a few novel touches that you really should experience. They offer high quality sausages, brats, hot dogs, soups, chili, and Kettle Korn. I tried the Chicago Dog and found it to be delicious and nicely flavored, using authentic Vienna Beef, of course. I also tried their tomato basil soup - thick and tasty. Many varieties of hot dogs, brats, and sausages. One of the interesting touches is the 1910 Gourmet Mustard Bar. They have 10 different mustards brought in from the amazing Mustard Museum of Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. These mustard come from all over the world and include exotic concoctions like maple-mustard mixture, jalapeño mustard, etc. The decor is also a treat, with plenty of touches taking you back to the year 1910 in Appleton. The old brick walls and wooden beams, coupled with other relics of a colorful past make it a fun place to visit even if hunger isn't your top priority.

One of the most interesting things to me is their hassle-free book loaning program, based on a partnership with Conkey's Bookstore. Conkey's gets plenty of book samples they can't use, and instead of simply trashing them, they are recycled by being put on the shelves of the back dining area inside the long expanse of the 1910 Sausage Company, where patrons can read them or take them home on loan, if they wish. The idea is to bring the book back (or another replacement), but it's entirely on the honor system. Sweet. I borrowed a book about the aftermath of Nagasaki. Well, not the best way to maintain a hearty appetite, but I love the business model of collaborating with a bookstore.

I spoke with owner Robert Kottke and expressed my appreciation for what he is doing there. He's a dedicated entrepreneur with some exciting concepts, and I wish him luck. So get down and try out some of their fine casual fare today. And did I mention their famous Kettle Korn made on location near the front of the store?

Open 10:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday.