Meet Me at the Corner

When Barbara  Pforr retired from teaching in the Franklin Public Schools, she knew what she wanted to do with her extra time.  For one thing, she wanted to join an orchestra where she could play her violin, so she joined the Community Orchestra that rehearses at UWM.  For another, she wanted to organize an educational program for elementary school children that would give the youngsters a taste of what it was like to live in Franklin 100 years ago.

Barbara and her husband Dale have been active in the Franklin Historical Society since moving to this community almost 40 years ago.  She liked to bring her 3rd grade class to the old Whelan School at Legend Park so the children could sit in the old-fashioned desks and learn firsthand what school was like in their grandparents' or great-grandparents' day.  Although the Franklin Historical Society offered tours for school groups at the time, Barbara had some ideas of how to make that experience more than a traditional field trip. 

With the support of her brother-in-law Al Block, former Director of Instruction in Franklin Schools and a board member of the Franklin Historical Society, Barbara devised a program where individual classrooms are invited to spend four hours at Whelan School and the other three historical buildings on Legend Park grounds. She has found two other retired teachers who share her passion for local history and alternate with her as lead teacher of the day, whevenever tours are scheduled.  In addition, there are half a dozen or so volunteers who serve as assistants.  It's a very well-run program, enjoyed by children, their teachers, and volunteer parents who help out. 

Last week I volunteered as one of the assistants.  The two requirements are to join the Franklin HIstorical Society and to come dressed like a woman from the early 20th century.  A trip to the Goodwill store helped me out there.  What surprised me is that most of the children came in old-fashioned dresses and trousers as well, and they brought their lunches in cloth-covered baskets or tin pails.  There were no zip-lock bags or canned beverages.  In fact, one of the tasks before lunch was to make their own drinking cup by following the teacher's step-by-step folding directions.

The previous week I had dropped in during one of the classroom visits to observe a fourth grade class from Robinwood and had a short chat outside the school with a girl identified by the nametag Vivian.  "That was my mother's name!" I told her, thinking How quaint that these old names are coming back in vogue!  Then I learned that each child is given a different name when he or she enters the classroom, along with some true-life stories of actual children who lived a century ago.  Some of the Franklin children were amused to find out they were attending school with a brother or sister, as was common in the days when grades 1 through 8 were all taught in the same school.

Some of the children were asked to carry in wood to place in the box beside the potbelly stove (not operative in 2008.)  They also pledged allegiance to the flag and then they sang the "Good morning" song as one of the assistants played the pump organ:  "Good morning to you!  Good morning to you!  We're all in our places, with sunshiny faces.  Oh, this is the way, to start a new day!"

The children practiced reading from an old McGuffey Reader in their desks, and they practiced penmanship with pens dipped in real ink.  They also had arithmetic problems to solve and lessons in spelling, history and geography.   After lunch they played ring toss and other games outside.  Then they went on an artifact hunt to the other three historic buildings on the property -- St. Peters Chapel, the Sheehan-Godsell Log Cabin and the Franklin Town Hall, where Dale Pforr, dressed like a turn-of-the century town clerk, demonstrated the victrola and stereoscope, and helped the children identify some of the artifacts listed in their booklets.

All too soon four hours had elapsed and the children boarded the 21st century bus which would take them back to their own 3rd grade classroom at Southwood Glen.  There wasn't time to sing the "Goodbye" song printed in their booklet: "Let us put our books away, Study time is over.  Happy tripping, homeward skipping, Soon we'll be at play."

To find out more about the Franklin Historical Society and how you can get involved, check out the website:  http://www.franklinhistory.net.   The book, "From Cabins to Condos," published by the Society two years ago, is available at the Franklin Public Library and through the website, as is the recently published book, "They Came to Bowl," by Doug Schmidt.

The Franklin Historical Society will be hosting a series of Open Houses at the four historic buildings in Lions Legend Park. The next one will be held Sunday, June 22. The buildings will open for tours from 1 to 3 p.m.  There will also be a special Open House event on Friday, July 4th, which will run from 1 to 6 p.m. in conjunction with the City of Franklin's Civic Celebration.

Other Open Houses are tentatively scheduled for Sunday, July 20, and Sunday, Aug. 17, between 1 and 3 p.m. There is no charge for admission.

What do Jenna Bush, tennis star Nicole Vaidisova and Disney Channel's Dylan and Cole Sprouse have in common?

Answer:  they are all part of the 2008 initiative to get kids to read.  May is "Get Caught Reading" month, promoted by Association of American Publishers.  In addition to the named celebrities who are promoting reading, politicians are using the event as an opportunity to be photographed for the "Get Caught Reading" posters which are sent to libraries and schools in their home state.

Educators approve of this campaign as well, and in some areas the local media features students reading their favorite books.  For more information about "Get Caught Reading", check out the website: www.getcaughtreading.org.

Rochelle Melander, a local writing coach who inspires teen girls to "Write Now!", acknowledges that adults need to turn on to reading too.  In this computer age we're surrounded with more and more words, but people tend to get "news bites" rather than read in-depth stories behind the headlines. 

We're too busy to read, many of us say.  Melander has a number of tips to help all of us become more frequent readers. She shared this in her most recent newsletter. 

To find out more about Rochelle Melander's motivational enterprises, check out her website: www.rightnowcoach.com.

There’s another way to be a Red Cross hero – and it will take less than an hour of your time: Donate blood!

You can reach him at mz80@yahoo.com.

 
From left to right: Pat Warchol, Kathy Zellmer, Diane Edward
Photo courtesy of Alice Plale

The annual Channel 10/36 auction doesn’t start for another three months, but donations are already starting to come in.  I happened to be at the auction site in Brookfield last week and something caught my attention: a box of cylindrical records to be played on an old Edison phonograph.

Hmmm, I thought to myself,  maybe I’ll want to put in a bid for those old records.    What would I do with them?  Well, I could send them to my 88-year-old Aunt Mae in Oregon because she and her family still have the old wind-up phonograph that has been in our family since Mae and my mother were girls in 1920.  When I was growing up on a farm in rural Westfield, Wisconsin, the phonograph sat on top of the wooden bookcase in the upstairs hallway.  My two sisters, my brother and I had a good time winding up the machine and singing along.  When the phonograph started winding down, the tempo lagged and then we’d crank it some more.

Seeing those cylindrical records from the early 1900s brought back some of the tunes and lyrics.  The most ridiculous one I can remember was  “I Laughed at the Wrong Time” (and the word the was strongly accented, sounding like thee.)  It was a song about various incidents which caused uncontrollable outbursts of laughter – in fact, there was much more laughing than singing.

Another silly song was “What Does the Little Dog Mean. . .” (when he says ‘ruff ruff, bow wow’?)  and then there was “Oh Katarina, Oh Katarina” (to keep my love, you must be leaner.)  One ballad, “Casey Jones,” told the story of a railroad engineer who took his last ride to “that promised land.”  It went on for five or six stanzas, and I used to know every word.

Curious to learn more about the “laughing” song, I did some Internet searching and learned this song was written and recorded by Cal Stewart.  Born in 1856 or ’57, Stewart became known for his humorous monologues and the character Uncle Josh Weathersby from a make-believe town of Pumpkin Center.  When he was about 40 years old, he began recording some comic sketches of the Uncle Josh character. 

According to Tim Gracyk, author of  Popular American Recording Pioneers, Cal Stewart recorded many songs that include hearty laughing; not all of them make direct reference to the Uncle Josh character. On March 30, 1899, he cut "Laughing Song" for Berliner 046.  Later recordings included "Ticklish Reuben," "And Then I Laughed." The one I remember, "I Laughed At The Wrong Time," was first recorded in 1911.

To hear the recording, go to: http://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/21700

For more information, check these links:
http://www.county.milwaukee.gov/router.asp?docid=10375;
http://www.county.milwaukee.gov/SpecialEventsatWehrN10347.htm; and www.friendsofwehr.org

In 2008, I Resolve To. . .Read More Books, and write more blogs!  I apologize for the infrequency of my blog posts lately.  Rather than bore you with all the things that have been going on in my life, I'll plunge right in on this one.

Janet Porte, editor of the Friends of the Franklin Public Library newsletter, asked me if I could find time to write a column for the January issue.  Her deadline was today.  Now that I've met that deadline, I'm going to make that column do double duty and post it here on my blog.  Those of you who get the library newsletter can always say, "I saw it at the Franklin Now website first!"

Happy New Year!  Before Christmas, I stopped at the Franklin Public Library to check out "what's new" on the shelves.  In case you haven't already discovered the "new books" area, make a resolution to do so in 2008. 

Browsing through the non-fiction shelves, a number of titles caught my eye.  When the holiday hubbub is over, I plan to settle down in one of those comfortable chairs near the fireplace to do some reading.  (For those of us planning to weather the Wisconsin winter right here at home in Franklin, there's nothing like warming up to a good book.)

These are some of the 2007 titles that appeal to me; there's a wide selection of others to interest you.  And soon there will be even newer ones with a 2008 publication date.

Silence of the Songbirds: How We Are Losing the World's Songbirds and What We Can Do to Save Them, by biologist Bridget Stutchbury, published by Walker and Co., New York. 

The summary on the bookjacket reads: "Following migratory birds on their six-thousand-mile journey from the tropics to North America, renowned biologist Bridget Stutchbury leads us on an ecological field trip to explore firsthand the lives of songbirds and the major threats they face. Although some of the threats must be addressed through local and international policy initiatives, there are several things each one of us can do to help save birds, such as buying paper and wood products from sustainable forests, buying shade coffee, avoiding pesticides in our food and on our lawns and gardens, keeping our cats indoors (domestic cats are responsible for a surprising number of bird deaths), and much more. As Silence of the Songbirds shows, we ultimately protect ourselves and our children by taking steps to save songbirds and the environment."

Chasing Kangaroos: A Continent, a Scientist, and a Search for the World's Most Extraordinary Creatures, by Tim Flannery, published by Grove Press, New York (the first American edition).  This book appeals to me, not just because I like animals and the thought of these marvelous creatures hopping around in their natural habitat. . .but also since it's the closest I'll get to Australia this winter.

Everything is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder, by David Weinberger, published by Time Books, Henry Holt and Company.  For people trying to create order in their lives, this book will make you wonder if there's any use trying.  "Human beings are information omnivores:  we are constantly collecting, labeling, and organizing data.  But today, the shift from the physical to the digital is ripping, burning, and mixing our lives apart.  In the past, everything had its one place - the physical world demanded it - but now everything has its places: multiple categories, multiple shelves.  Suddenly, everything is miscellaneous"  (quoted from the inside book jacket).

Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves by Sharon Begley, published by Ballantine Books.  Anyone who  has seriously tried adhering to New Year's Resolutions in the past, without success, might be interested in a scientific approach. 

Several other books that might interest the New Year's Resolution makers:

Total yoga: a step-by-step guide to yoga at home for everybody by Tara Fraser, published by Duncan Baird, London.

Fitness Made Simple: The Power to Change Your Body, the Power to Change Your Life, by John Basedow with Tom McGrath, published by McGraw-Hill.  This book is the newest of the new that I found, bearing a 2008 copyright date.

Golf RX: A 15-Minute-a-Day Core Program for More Yards and Less Pain, by Vijay Vad, M.D. with Dave Allen, published by Gotham Books, New York.  Even if you won't be swinging those clubs this winter, the exercises in this book will help strengthen the core abdominal muscles and work out other areas of the body that will help golfers and non-golfers alike.

When we're done with our physical makeovers, we can turn our attention to our homes with

52 Weekend Makeovers: Easy Projects to Transform Your Home Inside and Out, published by Taunton Press, Newtown, CT. 

For those of us needing a little humor in our lives, here's one with a really long title:  Before Your Dog Can Eat Your Homework, First You Have To Do It: Life Lessons from a Wise Old Dog to a Young Boy, by John O'Hurley, published by Hudson Street Press, New York.

And here's a short quiz:  What do you think a book entitled God Machine is about?  Answer: 

Helicopters!  The full title is: The God Machine : From Boomerangs to Black Hawks, the Story of the Helicopter, by James R. Chiles and published by Bantam Books. 

I hope that 2007 was a good year for you, and I hope you aren't facing 2008 with bills incurred over the holidays.  But if you are, there's another book published in 2007 that might help you out.  Help! I Can't Pay My Bills:  Surviving a Financial Crisis, by Sally Herigstad, published by St. Martin's Press, New York.

And that's another thing I like about libraries: I can do all the "shopping" I like and one swipe of my library card lets me take it home, NO COST!

One more piece of "news" I want to share with you in this New Year.  Franklin Public Library now has a growing collection of digital audio books.  Each "book" is about 2 by 3 ¼ inches and requires one AAA battery and earbuds.  You can easily slip it into your pocket and listen wherever you choose.  For this new library adventure, I chose Walden by Henry David Thoreau.  Born almost 200 years ago, Thoreau sought refuge from the world in a cabin on Walden Pond, Massachusetts.  What ever would he think if he could see me "connecting" to his thoughts with the modern technology of 2008!

You know you're getting old when. . .

                          you're quoted by the Milwaukee Historical Society.

That's what happened to me recently.  A friend of mine had been to the Billie the Brownie exhibit at the Milwaukee County Historical Society and reported enthusiastically, "I saw your name!  Marjorie Pagel said. . . ."  So of course I  had to go and see for myself.  Sure enough, there on one of the display boards was an enlarged copy from an article I wrote in 1979 for the Milwaukee Sentinel "Greensheet".  (Remember the locally famous "Greensheet"?)

"When I was a girl, Billie the Brownie was as important to Christmas as Santa Claus himself or the big Christmas parade downtown.  For weeks before Christmas, my two sisters, my brother and I would sprawl in front of the radio.  We listened to 'Billie the Brownie' with as much reverence and credibility as we other times listened to 'The Shadow.'"

When I came home from the Historical Society exhibit, I dug through my boxes of collected writing and found a photocopied tear sheet of the article, published Dec. 11, 1979, with the caption "Brownie Stirred Yuletide Imagination."  My byline was there too: "Marjorie Pagel - Special to the Sentinel."  Even now, 28 years later, it feels good to feel on one day I was "special" to the Greensheet editors and readers.  I especially treasure the original sketch of Billie the Brownie by Sentinel artist Bob Warner, which takes up most of two columns.  Warner's captivating image of Billie, which was reproduced at the exhibit, shows Santa's little helper with a WTMJ microphone.  Santa, next to a barbershop-style pole, with a sign proclaiming "North Pole," has his own WTMJ microphone and, behind him, is a sleigh filled with toys ready to make the long trip to Milwaukee in time for Christmas.

Talking to some of my friends who also grew up in the Milwaukee area before 1955, I learned that the memory of Billie's daily broadcasts is an essential part of their Christmases too.  Joan Marquardt, of Greendale, said she'd rush home from school and ask her mom, "Is it time for Billie the Brownie?" and Mrs. Shumway would respond, "Not yet," but assure Joan that she would let her know when it was time.

Remembering that Greensheet article, I also started thinking about Bill Nelson.  Some of you may remember him from all the years he wrote for the Milwaukee Journal (before it joined with the Sentinel); before he retired, he was editor of Insight.  What I remember most about Bill is his gentle, encouraging manner as a teacher of writing.  My Billie the Brownie article was the result of one of his assignments -- issued via radio hook-up to locations all over the state.  These days we have Web TV and teachers can reach students all over the world by internet hook-up.  Back then Bill's class, offered through the University of Wisconsin, was state-of-the-art technology.  He could talk to Lorna in Green Bay and tell her how much he liked her story, reading parts of it to the rest of us, as we listened.  But if I had a question to ask, I could press a button at the West Allis Library and he could talk to me, while everyone else listened at their stations.  Sometimes when I took the ETN class, there were several other students in the same room; other times I was the only one.

Four of the articles I wrote for Bill were published, and it was just the encouragement I needed to devote more time to my writing, eventually ending up as a "Hub" reporter.  Well, that's enough "Memory Lane" stuff, but I wanted to acknowledge Bill Nelson in this blog.  Recently I sent him an e-mail to thank him for all he's offered me and many other writers through the years.  He still does some freelancing and shares his wisdom in a newsletter with members of the Wisconsin Regional Writers Association.

The following websites give more information about the Billie the Brownie exhibit, which continues through January 6, 2008 at the County Historical Society, 910 N. Old World Third Street. 

http://www.milwaukeeholidaylights.com/events/holiday-happenings.html

Early in December the four of us would sit down together at the kitchen table to compose our letters to Santa and Billie.  My oldest sister was in fifth grade when I was still in kindergarten, so I entrusted her with the distinct honor of writing out my letter as I dictated. "I have been very good all year," I began, trusting that neither Santa nor Billie would suspect otherwise. 

I knew my own mother would never tattle on me.  But whenever an outburst of sibling rivalry erupted or when I "sassed" her, she reminded me, "One of Santa's brownies might be looking the window.  Maybe even Billie."  I would run to the window then to look out and see, but only my mother and older sister ever had any luck actually detecting those little spies.

My own children are not nearly so trusting or imaginative.  And again, I blame TV.  If brownies, elves or other Christmas-magic creatures appear on the screen, they're obviously fake -- puppets, Muppets or cartoons.  My Billie the Brownie, the one that lived inside my imagination, was only six inches tall.  He was completely dressed in brown -- that's why brownies were called brownies.

It's sad that my children don't get the same opportunities for developing their imaginations now that radio has been shoved aside by television.  If I try to use my mother's ploy about brownies hiding outside the window, they just shake their heads in pity for me.  They don't even bother to dash off a polite note to Santa, promising him a treat on Christmas Eve and fibbing, the way I used to, that they have been good all year.

Instead, they jot down some of the latest toys they've seen advertised on TV and present the list to their father and me with a wistful expression in their eyes.  Well, fine.  If they want to let some of the traditional joys of Christmas go down the tube, it's okay with me.

Sometimes, though, I find myself playing with the radio dial, thinking maybe one of the stations will resurrect "Billie the Brownie."  And just the other day, when I went to wipe a cobweb off the window sill, I thought I caught a glimpse of a little guy dressed in brown, peeking around the corner.

                          ***

There was an Editor's note affixed to my article:  "Billie hasn't disappeared altogether.  Since 1973, when Gimbel's resurrected Billie, he has played an important role in the department store's Breakfast with Santa program, according to Irene Baer, employe communications director and 'unofficial company historian' of Gimbels.

"Miss Baer said that Billie's 'glory years' on the WTMJ radio program were from 1931 to 1955.  But Billie the Brownie was first used by the old Schuster's in 1927 as a pre-Christmas promotion gimmick in the toy departments and in advertisements."

                         ***

P.S.  My son Matt read a copy of the original article when he was  home last month and commented that I'm still telling occasional fibs.  He doesn't ever remember me dusting cobwebs off the window sill!

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to work at the "Between Fences" exhibit at the Stahl-Conrad Homestead in Hales Corners, 9724 W. Forest Home Ave. This free traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institute will be open Thursdays through Sundays until December 15 when it's packed up and taken to another Wisconsin community. 

You don't want to miss it, so note the open hours on your calendar: 5 - 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 12 - 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays (though it is closed on Thanksgiving Day).   The exhibit is held in both buildings at the Homestead -- beginning at the farmhouse and ending at the barn.  Both buildings are heated.  Before telling you more about this exhibit, I've devised a short quiz, based on what I learned at the exhibit.  See if you can answer any of these questions before you go and, if not, look for the answers there.  (Later in the week I'll post the answers in the "Comments" section of this blog.)

1.  Which French philosopher made this statement?

"The first man who, having enclosed a piece of land, thought of saying, 'This is mine,' and found people simple enough to believe him, was the true founder of civil society."

2.  What led to the "fence crisis" of the mid-1800s?  What was the solution?

3.  What is a "worm fence"?

4.  What is a "spite fence"?

5.  "Good fences make good neighbors."  This quotation is from a poem by which famous American poet?

6.  Why is an obelisk part of the exhibit on "Fences"?

7.  What do farmers mean when they refer to a "forty"?  Why is land measured that way?

8.  True or false:  In 18th century America, only landowners held the right to vote. 

9.  What were the "range wars," which were prevalent from 1870 to 1920?

10.  Which Hales Corners school has a display of artwork related to "Between Fences"at the Stahl-Conrad Homestead?

A wall of old photographs of the Stahl-Conrad can be found in the barn, at the end of the exhibit.  At Village Hall, the Hales Corners Historical Society and the Milwaukee Area Land Conservancy have both organized other photographic displays, open for public viewing through December 15. On Wednesday, November 28, at 7 p.m. Rob Nurre will present a program of historical interest: "Crossbucks on the Corners - a History of Milwaukee's rapid Transit."  All programs are free and open to the public.

"Between Fences" is a "Museum on Main Street" exhibition, developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.  To learn more about this program, visit www.museumonmainstreet.org.

The Wisconsin Humanities Council, working in partnership with the Museum on Main Street, has made it possible for the national exhibit to travel to six Wisconsin communities, in the following order: Waupaca, Hales Corners, LaFarge, Sauk Prairie, Clear Lake and Cable.

 Other websites about the Stahl-Conrad Homestead and the "Between Fences" exhibit of interest to Hales Corners area readers can be found at:

http://www.historichalescorners.org/stahl10.html

Most people in the Hales Corners area know by now that the Smithsonian exhibit "Between Fences" is on public display at the Stahl-Conrad Homestead, 9724 W. Forest Home Avenue.  It opened Saturday, Nov. 3rd, and will run through Dec. 15th. 

Last week local historian John Gurda came to Village Hall to talk about the subject of "The Fences Between Us."  Gurda, who grew up in Hales Corners, vividly remembers the Stahl-Conrad Homestead -- it was known as the Joseph Conrad farm then; he particularly remembers the holsteins. 

Gurda is clearly the kind of man who likes to see people working together for the common good.  His presence in Village Hall was a reminder to all of us that too often we let our differences come between us.  His main topic was borders -- those "invisible fences. . .those artificial divisions, those lines we have imposed."  If we were to take an airplane ride 30,000 feet above Hales Corners, we wouldn't see those borders, Gurda said. 

Since we first settled this country, the subject of "getting along or not getting along" has usually involved border disputes.  Before we formed states, those trying to determine borders connecting Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois were "elbowing each other for position," Gurda said.  If Illinois hadn't won Chicago, we in Wisconsin would be cheering on the Bears and Cubs. 

Gurda reminded his audience of the Great Bridges War in 1845 and ensuing problems with various sectors of Milwaukee.  There were "more founding factions than founding fathers' in those early days, Gurda said.  There were "constant bones of contention" over issues like where to put the courthouse.  In 1892 to 1906 there was a growth of suburbs and more disputes.  In 1934 people of this area favored a merger of the City of Milwaukee and the County of Milwaukee, but the State Legislature said no.

Milwaukee Mayor Henry Maier exacerbated the division between the city and the suburbs, as did John Norquist.  In contrast, Tom Barrett, according to Gurda, is a "reasonable man."  At least now the issue of reciprocal borrowing among libraries has been resolved.  "If we can't get libraries to work together," the chances of resolving other disagreements between the city and the suburbs "are extremely remote."

"Are we doomed to another 155 years of useless bickering?" Gurda asked.  As a historian, he believes we can learn from mistakes of the past and "fly on a higher plane.  We're all in this together. . . .We share a common fate, and the sooner we realize that the better."

Gurda deplores the "hateful rhetoric" of talk show hosts, and the growing tendency to polarize everything.  He is also concerned about the "increased attenuation" of the metropolitan areas from Madison to Milwaukee to Chicago.  We're becoming a "region of strangers," afraid of going into the downtown areas and thus depriving our children of the opportunity to experience cultural centers there. 

 "We need a larg