BOSCOBEL - The City of Boscobel will host a Sesquicentennial Celebration  of 150 years since its founding, with events planned from July 1-8.

July 1 Sesquicentennial events 

Opening Ceremony Day

As we approach the Sesquicentennial Celebration week of July 1-8, we will be counting down the days as well as giving a snapshot of what will be happening on each individual day.

Let us begin with July 1 – the opening ceremony day. We will travel back to the 1800s when Boscobel began. Everyone is encouraged to dress according to that period of time.

The day will begin with the Farmers Market in Depot Park from 8 a.m.-noon. From 12:30-1 p.m., a horse and carriage parade will travel down Wisconsin Avenue. Everyone with horse and carriages are encouraged to meet at Fireman’s Park.

Mayor Brenda Kalish will then kick off the festivities with a speech at 1 p.m. A quartet will sing the “National Anthem,” and a military salute will also take place.

A cake and ice cream social will follow from 1:30- 2 p.m. at the Central House and Blaine Gym.

A BBQ cookoff will begin at 2 p.m. with ideally a dozen participants cooking without electricity as was the case in the 1800s. The participants can cook up their choice of BBQ delights for residents to go around and taste and vote for their favorites. The top three will win prizes/ribbons. Ideally, the tasting will start at 2 p.m. and end at 4 p.m. with the announcing of winners. To enter the cookoff, please email boscobelwisconsin@gmail.com

During that same time from 2-4 p.m., there will be an old-fashioned bake-off. Think pies, cakes, and special old-fashioned treats. At least a dozen participants would be great. Residents will also get to taste and vote, and winners will also be announced at 4 p.m. Ribbons/prizes will be awarded for the top three. To enter the bake-off, also email boscobelwisconsin@gmail.com

The Centennial of 1973 had some fun events – one of which was a dress contest. The committee is bringing it back, and anyone in 1800s period dress on July 1 can enter.

Another favorite contest brought back from the Centennial of 1973 is the beard contest. On July 1 from 3-4 p.m., the beard contest will be held. The categories include longest beard, best overall beard, best goatee, fullest beard, and best beard with styled mustache. Prizes will be given to each of the identified winners. Anyone with facial hair can enter the competition.

A special ceremony at the G.A.R. Hall will be held at 2 p.m.; this will recognize an ancestor of Steve and Stan Updike.

There will also be old fashioned kids’ games from 4-5 p.m. with prizes.

At 6 p.m., Iron Gibbs, with our own Journalist Joe Hart from the Boscobel Dial, will be part of the band that will be calling out dances and having a grand ol’ time on Wisconsin Avenue. They will be playing until 9 p.m. There will be plenty of food and drinks at the local establishments on the avenue.

Everyone is invited to attend as a community as we celebrate “Bridging the Past to the Future.”

July 2 Sesquicentennial events

Church Day

The Sesquicentennial Celebration continues with Church Day on Sunday, July 2 celebrating the history of local churches. The festivities will begin at noon at Kronshage Park. 

You are invited to bring your own picnic basket and have an old-fashioned lunch in the tent at the park. At this time, each church will have a history display of their church for visitors to view. The firemen’s water fights will also begin at this time.

At 1 p.m., the lunch will start and be followed by Tom Jones and Friends and an old-fashioned hymn sing. Udder Brothers will have ice cream available for purchase for a treat as well.

Kids, young and old, can enjoy the old-fashioned kids’ games around 2:15 p.m.

Around 3 p.m., we will gather to hear each church representative give a short presentation on their church history. After that, we will have more music, conversation, and fun. We will end the day with a benediction around 4:30 p.m.

July 3 Sesquicentennial events

Farmers/Rural Day

    The Sesquicentennial is celebrating Farmers/Rural Day on Monday, July 3 at Kronshage Park. The day will begin with a promenade of tractors as they make their way to Kronshage Park and line up outside the outfields of the softball diamonds. Check out the many styles and makes of tractors from 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

    Mayors from the past and other local mayors will get ready to compete in the Mayors Milking Contest at 9 a.m. Who can milk the most in two minutes and win the ultimate trophy to brag upon? Come find out!

    At 10 a.m., children are encouraged to sign up near the tennis courts for the Kindschi Kiddie Tractor Pull, sponsored by AMCOR, starting at 11 a.m. Trophies and ribbons will be awarded.

    Lunch will be available for purchase at the park served by Gassers True Value with meat from the Esters family for a celebration price. Udder Brothers will also be serving up cold treats.

    The Hay Bale Throwing Contest, sponsored by State Farm, will be from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Participants will see how far they can throw a hay bale – longest distance wins. Prizes/ribbons will be awarded to the top throwers.

    At 12:45 p.m., the Farmers Digital Scavenger Hunt sign-up will begin at the Larsen Shelter in the park. Teams of no more than six are encouraged to join the fun as a list of items will be given, and hunters will take their digital devices and take a photo of each item. First, second, and third prizes will be given out to the team with the most correct photos in the least amount of time.

    Next, sign up for the Calling Contest at 1:30 p.m. in the Larsen Shelter. This contest will have participants entering three categories: animal, spouse, or kid calling. Do you sound like a chicken, turkey, or seagull? Do you call in your spouse or kids for supper? All in a family-friendly manner, of course. Prizes/ribbons will also be awarded for the top callers in each category.

    WRTO will host their Chicken BBQ in the west shelter from 4:30-7 p.m. Contact the Trail for more information.

    To end the festivities, the Firemen are sponsoring the band “High Mileage” from 6-10 p.m. in the Larsen Shelter.

    Get out your bib overalls and enjoy an old-fashioned Farmers Day in Boscobel on July 3.

July 4 Boscobel Firemen’s 4th of July celebration 

July 5 Sesquicentennial events 

Wheels and Deals Day

Get your motors running and head to Boscobel for Wheels and Deals Day as part of the Sesquicentennial Celebration on Wednesday, July 5 from noon to 5 p.m. Cruise in your vintage vehicle to Wisconsin Avenue. There will be “Touch a Truck” event along Wisconsin Avenue and Depot Park for kids young and old to look at.

Shop at local establishments – there may be a deal or two. II Cool, a band from Sheboygan, will be rockin’ the 50s/60s from 1-4 p.m. on Wisconsin Avenue. Kids games will also be there.

Check out the dessert social and Facebook Jail-N-Bail sponsored by the Boscobel Woman’s Club at the Depot grounds. The Boscobel Antique Club and Depot Park Market will have food available.

At 4:30 p.m., there will be a hula hoop contest with four age categories to sign up for: kids, teens, 18-64, and 65 and over. There will be prizes for the top three in each category.

At 5 p.m., there will be more entertainment – you never know who might show up, Elvis?

July 6 Sesquicentennial events 

    A celebration of Boscobel’s history will continue Thursday, July 6: History Day. To start the day at 9:30 a.m., the Ghosts of Wisconsin Avenue walking tour will be led by Boston Jones and will wander down Wisconsin Avenue as they meet ghosts or past businessowners and learn a little about each as they greet them. Those interested in taking in the tour are to meet at the Boscobel Depot at 9:15 a.m. to join in the fun.

From 10 a.m.- noon, tours of the famous Gideon Room, located in the Central House, will be available. This is the famed spot where the Gideons met and decided to introduce bibles in hotel and motel rooms across the world.

Boscobel’s Hillside Cemetery, located on S. Chestnut St., will have specially marked graves with a handout for self-guided tours. The chapel will also be open from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Your hosts will be Pam Zimpel and Cindy Knoble.

At 1 p.m., a bus will depart on a Historic Homes tour. The bus will visit some of the oldest homes throughout the City and tell you a bit about each. Your tour guide will be Terri Bohn.

The Depot, located on Wisconsin Avenue, will also be open from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and feature Rick McQuillan, Mike Moran, and local family genealogies.

The G.A.R. Hall will also be open, and tours will be given from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. The hall is located on Mary St. The Hildebrand Memorial Library will be host to a display of Boscobel calendars, Pittman and Ruka family items, GFWC Boscobel Woman’s Club history, Table Company info, bridges display, Kroll and Ferris items, and more. The library is located on Wisconsin Avenue.

Crooked Creek School, better known as the Little Red School, will have an open house from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. See what a one-room schoolhouse was like and how times have changed. It is located on Hwy 61 S.

The BonnieView or Pittman House is also having an open house from 1-3 p.m. and well as being part of the bus tour.

During the evening hours starting at 6 p.m., there will be a Historic Style Show featuring fashion throughout the decades. This will be held in the Tuffley Center parking lot on E Oak Street or inside if there’s inclement weather.

If you are in Boscobel, please take a step back in time and visit one or more of our museums, join a tour, or check out the different displays in the windows and what the Sesquicentennial History Day has to offer.

July 7 Sesquicentennial events 

Kids Day

Reach way back into your closet, and dust off your tie-dye shirts and bell bottoms for Boscobel’s Sesquicentennial Kids Day! Let’s pass the baton to the next generation and celebrate the 1970s and 1980s in style!

The fun kicks off with a walking children’s parade – bring your strollers, wagons, and walking shoes (no bikes please). Meet at the Boscobel Elementary School outside lobby between 9-9:30 a.m. to make kazoos, wands, and kites. Around 9:45 a.m., we’ll promenade from there down to E Oak Street via Wisconsin Avenue. Mascots will be joining us in the fun – frogs, Grinches, and bears, oh my!

As the children arrive on E Oak St., they will see games and prizes to win, bounce houses, popcorn, cotton candy, face painting, and more. Local organizations and businesses will be manning the booths from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Don’t forget to stop up at the Hildebrand Memorial Library Gazebo park area, as there will be fun and games up there as well.

Great Scott, the magician, will perform at 10:30 a.m. in the Blaine Gym. It’s sure to be amazing!

The Blaine Theatre will be showing a movie appropriate for all ages from noon-2 p.m.

Susan Beck and Penny Bohringer will host an Old Thyme Cooking Show from 2:30-3:30 p.m. in the Hildebrand Memorial Library Clubroom. Learn utensils and techniques from the past, and taste some yummy treats.

Wear your whites or neon brights, and join the glow dance in the Blaine Gym from 6-9 p.m. with DJ Marsha Jones. Your hosts are Krissy Schneider and Boston Jones.

Older kids and teens are encouraged to check out the FREE glow-in-the-dark bowling at Boscobel Bowl and Banquet from 6-9 p.m.

Food will be available for purchase all day from several different food trucks on E Oak Street; all other activities are free of charge.

Thanks to the Boscobel Community Foundation for sponsoring Kids Day!

July 8 Sesquicentennial events 

Sesquicentennial Creative Arts Day

    On Saturday, July 8, during Creative Arts Day, Boscobel area and BHS alumni talented artists will be gathering in the Blaine Gym from 8 a.m.- 3 p.m. to show and sell some of their inspired works of art.

   Artists attending the show include Michael Riddet: a well-known, worldwide, talented artist. He will have many of his works of art there.

   Also showcasing their artistic abilities will be husband and wife artists: Roddy and Lorinda Larson-Dull with their lifelike renditions and Glenn and Kathy Griswold with their wonderful wood and stained-glass items for sale.

    Boscobel alumni at the sale will include Chris Jensen, a talented jeweler; Robin Chamberlain Sweeney, with her wonderful painted gourds; and Jeff Adams, a unique acrylic artist.

    Talented potter Dan Derrickson will be selling his pottery pieces at the show as well.

    Others joining the line of talent include John Larsen, Mark Salama, Summer Olson, and woodworker Glen Drake, who will also be displaying his model airplanes.

    Another special treat will be the famous moon on Hwy 61. Rick Sanford and Joe Chamberlain have agreed to have the moon at the gym for visitors to take their own photo there if they wish.

   The Blaine Gym will not be the only place to view and buy art – another venue will be Timber Lane Coffee with Bruce Fortney’s art exhibit.

    The “On Wisconsin” Farmers Market will also be happening from 8 a.m.-Noon in Depot Park. There will be plenty of food, crafters, and special items to purchase as you stroll along the sidewalk. Special artists there include the Funny Drawing Guy – caricature artist Tony Schmidt and chainsaw artist Dave Bartels.

    Sign up that day to enter the chalk contest and showcase your own art along Wisconsin Avenue.

    This show and sale of art is an example of the brilliant and talented artists we have in this area. Make sure you come visit us at the gym, the coffee shop, and the Farmers Market on Creative Arts Day.

    Music, another form of creativity, will be showcased in the band Annie and the Crush from 1-5 p.m. and Crawford County Line to end the weeklong festivities from 6-9 p.m.