A winter storm is forecast for December 24 and 25 for Jackson County. Precipitation may come in a mix of drizzle and snow. Six to twelve inches of snow are predicted. Ski trails will be groomed on Sunday and Monday based on the snowfall. Snowmobile trails will be groomed shortly thereafter.
All snowmobile and ATV trails in the state forest are open. They have a base of about 4 inches and are in fair to poor condition with some areas getting bare.
Club trails to the west of the Black River State Forest are in especially poor shape and may close down.
source....
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
ISS Tomorrow Morning
23 Dec -2.5 05:36:20 NE 44
- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill
- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill
World's Oldest Santa Figurine Believed Found
Archaeologists working in Akron, Ohio, claim to have found the world's oldest three-dimensional representation of Santa Claus.
Known as the "Blue Santa," the object was made circa 1884 by The American Marble & Toy Manufacturing Company, which burned to the ground in 1904. The figurine is 2.5 inches tall.
Project leader Brian Graham said, "It's a wishing Santa. You hold it in your hand and wish for the present you want for Christmas."
Graham suspected such treasures existed at the company's location, now known as the "Lock 3 Park" archaeological site. The former federal government archaeologist gained permission from the City of Akron to dig at what he calls "the original North Pole," due to all of the toys that were once made there.
"This was the birthplace of the modern toy industry," said Michael Cohill, director of the American Toy Marble Museum.
Aside from the tiny Santa, The American Marble & Toy Manufacturing Company also made the world's first mass-produced toys: clay marbles and penny toys.
"Marbles were made using a device patented by Samuel C. Dyke, founder of the company," Cohill explained. "It allowed one worker to make 800 to 1,000 clay marbles per hour, turned out at a rate of one million marbles a day, five box-car loads, six days a week."
"So significant was the economy of scale that one penny could buy a handful of marbles or dozens of different penny toys. The Blue Santa was a penny toy," he added while cradling the tiny object in his hand.
Before this Ohio company, toys for purchase were mostly expensive, hand-painted creations, available to only the wealthiest of children. Parents of less fortunate kids often just made toys at home for their kids. That's one reason why many collectible toys are handmade dollies and carved wooden objects.
But Dyke's production methods forever changed things. By 1888, he was nearly a millionaire, having created "the children's product market." Even kids themselves started to have purchase power, buying the inexpensive toys with their own pennies.
"From that point forward, all children could have a toy," Cohill said.
Local businessmen noted Dyke's success, and they too got involved in toy manufacturing. A whopping 31 additional marble factories were opened in the area. Akron at the time was also known as "the rubber capital of the world," so you can guess which toys soon became hits: balloons, rubber balls, rubber duckies, rubber dollies and even the tongue-twister inspiring rubber baby buggy bumpers.
At one point there were 160 local toy companies in Akron. Today it's still a "North Pole" contender, as the city is home to Little Tykes, Step Two and Maple City Rubber, which is still the world's largest maker of latex balloons.
If you'd like to see the Blue Santa, it's housed in a display case at The American Toy Marble Museum.
source....
Capella
Capella, the brightest star of Auriga, the charioteer, is high in the northeast at nightfall and almost directly overhead around midnight. It is one of the brightest stars in the northern sky, so it's easy to see.
- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill
- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill
Monday, December 21, 2009
TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY
A LARGE WINTER STORM WILL GROW AND ORGANIZE OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS
ON WEDNESDAY AND LIKELY IMPACT THE AREA INTO THE WEEKEND WITH A MIX
OF PRECIPITATION. SNOW WILL SPREAD IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST ON WEDNESDAY
BUT COULD MIX WITH SOME SLEET WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. A SWITCH
BACK TO MAINLY ALL SNOW WILL OCCUR BY FRIDAY AS THE STORM STARTS TO
MOVE OUT.
THERE REMAINS A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY WITH THIS STORM BUT THERE IS
POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS AND SOME ICING THAT
COULD MAKE TRAVEL DIFFICULT FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO CHRISTMAS DAY.
- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill
ON WEDNESDAY AND LIKELY IMPACT THE AREA INTO THE WEEKEND WITH A MIX
OF PRECIPITATION. SNOW WILL SPREAD IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST ON WEDNESDAY
BUT COULD MIX WITH SOME SLEET WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. A SWITCH
BACK TO MAINLY ALL SNOW WILL OCCUR BY FRIDAY AS THE STORM STARTS TO
MOVE OUT.
THERE REMAINS A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY WITH THIS STORM BUT THERE IS
POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS AND SOME ICING THAT
COULD MAKE TRAVEL DIFFICULT FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO CHRISTMAS DAY.
- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill
ISS Tomorrow Morning
22 Dec -3.2 06:46:23 WNW 60
- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill
- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill
winter solstice
Winter arrives in the northern hemisphere today. It's the winter solstice, which is the shortest day of the year. Enjoy the solstice by viewing the Moon and the bright planet Jupiter in the southwest at nightfall. They set by around 10 p.m.
- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill
- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill
Great Lakes photo contest underway
Shutterbugs, warm up your trigger fingers.
The second annual Great Lakes Photo Contest is now underway, with a Feb. 1, 2010, deadline for all entries.
Winning photos will be featured in the 2010-2011 “Discover Wisconsin’s Great Lakes” calendar, which will be distributed at the 2010 Wisconsin State Fair.
“Last year, we had a flood of fantastic photos and we hope for the same this year,” says Jo Temte, the DNR water resources specialist who is coordinating the contest. “People feel a deep connection to Wisconsin’s Great Lakes and their photos really show it.”
The winning images from last year’s contest featured in the 2009 calendar are available for viewing on the DNR Web site.
Photographers can submit their work in any of four categories: Natural Features and Wildlife, Cultural and Historic Features, People Enjoying Wisconsin’s Great Lakes, and Lake Protection Activities. Photos must be taken in Wisconsin, but anyone may enter the contest.
“Last year, we received photos from all over the state, from as far away as California, and even one from an exchange student in Germany,” Temte says. “Our youngest photographer was 16 years old, our oldest was probably 80.”
In addition to photos, the DNR is also seeking writing submissions about the Great Lakes. The writings may be used in the calendar as well as other publications, the DNR Web site and displays. Last year’s writing search brought in several poems and a song, all of which can be found online.
For more information about photo and writing submissions, visit the Office of the Great Lakes page of the DNR Web site.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Jo Temte (608) 267-0555
source....
The second annual Great Lakes Photo Contest is now underway, with a Feb. 1, 2010, deadline for all entries.
Winning photos will be featured in the 2010-2011 “Discover Wisconsin’s Great Lakes” calendar, which will be distributed at the 2010 Wisconsin State Fair.
“Last year, we had a flood of fantastic photos and we hope for the same this year,” says Jo Temte, the DNR water resources specialist who is coordinating the contest. “People feel a deep connection to Wisconsin’s Great Lakes and their photos really show it.”
The winning images from last year’s contest featured in the 2009 calendar are available for viewing on the DNR Web site.
Photographers can submit their work in any of four categories: Natural Features and Wildlife, Cultural and Historic Features, People Enjoying Wisconsin’s Great Lakes, and Lake Protection Activities. Photos must be taken in Wisconsin, but anyone may enter the contest.
“Last year, we received photos from all over the state, from as far away as California, and even one from an exchange student in Germany,” Temte says. “Our youngest photographer was 16 years old, our oldest was probably 80.”
In addition to photos, the DNR is also seeking writing submissions about the Great Lakes. The writings may be used in the calendar as well as other publications, the DNR Web site and displays. Last year’s writing search brought in several poems and a song, all of which can be found online.
For more information about photo and writing submissions, visit the Office of the Great Lakes page of the DNR Web site.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Jo Temte (608) 267-0555
source....
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Yesterday's Stack
- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill
Man In Santa Suit Cited For Open Intoxicants In Sparta
Santa Claus is in trouble with the law in one western Wisconsin city.
Police in Sparta said that they cited a man dressed as Santa after witnesses told officers that he stumbled out of a vehicle, approached several children playing in a yard, hugged them and demanded to know the whereabouts of his reindeer.
The man was cited for open intoxicants. The driver of the car in which he was riding was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving.
source....
Thanks Matt!
Police in Sparta said that they cited a man dressed as Santa after witnesses told officers that he stumbled out of a vehicle, approached several children playing in a yard, hugged them and demanded to know the whereabouts of his reindeer.
The man was cited for open intoxicants. The driver of the car in which he was riding was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving.
source....
Thanks Matt!
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