Youth orchestras to perform at OHS

The La Crosse Area Youth Symphony Orchestras fall concert will be held starting at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, at Onalaska High School.

Tickets will be available at the door for $8, with senior citizens and student tickets costing $4. Children 5 and younger will be admitted free.

The Philharmonic Orchestra, the intermediate string orchestra, is under the direction of Linda Lebbaken of Onalaska. The Philharmonic will perform “Celtic Fiddle Tune” by Elliot Del Borgo, “Mariachi!” by John O’Neill, “Alla Tchaikovsky” arranged by Richard Meyer, and “A Birch Bay Celebration” by Richard Meyer.

The Youth Symphony Orchestra, the advanced orchestra, is under the direction of Randall Mastin of Viroqua. This group will perform “Danse Infernale” and “Berceuse and Finale” from the Firebird Suite by Igor Stravinsky and “Symphony No. 1” by Beethoven.

For more information, log onto www.lyso.org.

String Ties to give holiday show

The Holmen Area Foundation will sponsor a holiday concert by local String Ties on Sunday, Dec. 13, starting at 3 p.m. in the Trygve Mathison Performing Arts Center at Holmen High School.

The bluegrass quartet includes bass player Larry Dalton, banjo player Tommy Pfaff, mandolin player Wayne Beezley and guitarist Dan Sebranek. After the concert there will be refreshments and a chance to meet the musicians.

There will also be a mitten and glove tree at the concert to assist needy families who need warm clothing for their children during the winter months.

Cost is $10, with a $2 discount for senior citizens.

Gospel choir plans Christmas concert

The Coulee Region Gospel Choir will present “Christmas Fantasia” on Saturday, Nov. 28, starting at 6:30 p.m. at Sand Lake Wesleyan Church, N5761 Hwy. SN in Onalaska.

The program, which takes the place of the choir’s traditional outdoor nativity pageant/concert in Holmen, will open with a brass quintet. The choir will sing several styles of Christmas favorites.

The event also will feature special guest performers including Katherine Weber singing from Handel’s “Messiah,” and Steven Marking, a world-class baritone singer who grew up in Holmen and lives in New York.

Deb Welander, Dean Gunnarson and Ruth Ann Granum direct the choir.

A minimum donation of $5 per person is asked to help cover expenses.

Sierra Club talk to focus on transit

The Sierra Club will hold its monthly meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 24, at 7 p.m. at the new Myrick Hixon Ecopark building.

Charlie Weeth, president of Livable Neighborhoods will present “Complete Streets,” a program about providing safe and accessible infrastructure for all transit choices, improving the quality of life for all residents of a community, reducing “carbon footprints,” reducing land used for roads and for parking and improving individual health. All are welcome.

WTC students ready to deck your halls

The Interior Design Club at Western Technical College is offering its holiday decorating services to the public for a minimum donation of $70 for two hours of creative decorating of rooms, homes or apartments.

Students will be scheduling decorating help between Monday, Nov. 30, and Friday, Dec. 18.

To get on the schedule — it is first-come, first-served — contact Corbin Philhower at (937) 545-4545 or philhowerc@students.westerntc.edu.

Swinging Yuletide planned for UW-L

The Great River Big Band will join the UW-La Crosse instrumental and vocal jazz ensembles, along with the La Crosse Jazz Combo, for a Swinging Yuletide.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, in Valhalla, Cartwright Center-Gunning Addition. Seating for the event is cabaret style. A visit by Santa Claus is expected during the concert.

Tickets are a suggested donation of $5 for students and $10 for others, or reserved tickets for $20. Seating is limited; getting tickets early is recommended since the concert typically sells out.

For tickets or more information, call 785.8415.

Girl Scouts to host cookie booths

Girl Scout Troop 4175 and 4096 will host a Girl Scout cookie booth at Gander Mountain in Onalaska on Friday, Nov. 20, from 4 p.m. to close.

Also, on Saturday, Nov. 21, Girl Scout Troop 4183 will host its cookie booth at Festival Foods in Onalaska from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Girl Scout Troop 4096 will host its cookie booth at Sam’s Club in Onalaska from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22.

All eight varieties of Girl Scout cookies will be available at the cookie booths for $3.50 per box.

Public hearings OK’d for runoff rules

MADISON — The state Natural Resources Board has given approval for public hearings on proposed changes to state runoff rules for agricultural farms, municipalities and developers.

The hearings will be held in early 2010, with dates and locations to be announced later this year.

Proposed changes for farmers would create new agricultural performance standards to further limit the amount of fertilizer and manure carried into water bodies when snow melts or it rains. Developers must meet modified construction and post-construction performance standards under the proposed changes.

Log onto dnr.wi.gov/runoff/rules/nr151/rulerevision.htm for more details.

Students offer massages as fundraiser

Western Technical College therapeutic massage students are rubbing for a reason as they offer massages to the public on Tuesday, Nov. 24, from 4 to 7 p.m. in room 129 of the Coleman Center, 304 Sixth St. N., La Crosse. A $5 donation is good for a 15-minute massage with proceeds benefitting the La Crosse Community Thanksgiving Dinner. Walk-ins are welcome.

Miracle of life is aging program topic

Franciscan Skemp Healthcare’s Successful Aging series continues Nov. 24 with “Life, the amazing stuff we are made of,” a talk by retired psychotherapist Bob Schneyer. The program will be in the Marycrest Auditorium on the second floor of the La Crosse Campus St. Francis Building, 700 West Ave. S.

Free refreshments will be served from 2 to 2:30 p.m., with the hourlong talk beginning at 2:30, plus a half-hour to follow for questions. The program is free and open to all.

Clinic offers holistic health talk

The Franciscan Skemp Onalaska clinic’s December health and healing talk, “Spiritual Guidance and Meditation,” will be presented by Sr. Mary Kathryn Fogarty, FSPA.

This presentation will explore the meaning and purpose of spiritual guidance. There will also be time for some simple meditation practices.

The program will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday Dec. 3, in the lower level of the clinic, 191 Theater Road.

The presentation is free and open to all.

For more information or to register, call 392-9717.

Sierra Club talk to focus on transit

The Sierra Club will hold its monthly meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 24, at 7 p.m. at the new Myrick Hixon Ecopark building in La Crosse.

Charlie Weeth, president of Livable Neighborhoods will present “Complete Streets,” a program about providing safe and accessible infrastructure for all transit choices. All are welcome.

Geneaology group to meet Nov. 24

The La Crosse Area Genealogical Society will meet Tuesday, Nov. 24, at 7 p.m. in the La Crosse Public Library auditorium, Eighth and Main streets.

The program, “Hitting Your Head Against a Brick Wall,” will feature discussion with members and visitors to help solve genealogical problems.

Visitors are welcome.

Members are asked to bring an ethnic dessert to share. A business meeting will follow the program.

Christmas classic returns to UW-L

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Department of Theatre Arts continues its 2009-2010 season with Charles Dickens’ well-loved holiday classic, “A Christmas Carol.”

Performances run Dec. 4-5 and 10-11 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 6 and 12-13 at 2 p.m. The performances will be staged in Toland Theatre inside UW-L’s Center for the Arts on the corner of 16th and Vine streets.

The Department of Theatre Arts welcomes two guest designers, lighting designer Jared Clarkin and scenic designer Billy Clow, to the production.

Clarkin is a UW-L graduate and is production manager for First Stage Children’s Theatre in Milwaukee. Billy Clow, former chairman of the UW-L Department of Theatre Arts and scenic and lighting designer, currently serves as dean of fine arts at the University of Montevallo.

Tickets for “A Christmas Carol” go on sale Monday, Nov. 30 at 1 p.m. Tickets are $14 for the general public, $12 for non-UW-L students, senior citizens and children and $5 for UW-L students with a valid student ID. For reservations, call the box office at 785-8522.

Retired teachers meet for lunch Dec. 7

The La Crosse Area Retired Educators will meet for lunch at 11:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7, at River Jack’s restaurant in La Crosse. Everyone who has retired from Wisconsin public schools is invited.

Lunch will be followed by music from a Logan High School singing group. Cost of the meal is $10. For reservations, call Karen Broadhead at 788-2485.

Program offers discount on LED lights

LED (light emitting diode) holiday lights are a proven way to help consumers trim energy costs while trimming their trees. Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s statewide energy efficiency and renewable energy resource, is offering financial incentives toward the purchase of Energy Star-qualified LED holiday light strings.

Now through Dec. 31, or while supplies last, Focus on Energy is offering a $3 instant reward, taken at the register, on the purchase of Energy Star-qualified LED holiday light strings at participating locations including Ace Hardware, Hardware Hank, Menards and Shopko. The rebate is limited to 12 light sets per customer.

State program offers energy aid

The Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program is now taking early energy assistance applications.

“Winter will be here before you know it,” Department of Administration Secretary Michael L. Morgan said. “Energy costs remain high and this is one way low-income families all over Wisconsin can receive assistance to offset the cost.”

The Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program provides a one-time payment each heating season (Oct. 1 through May 15) for heat and electric costs. Households eligible for energy assistance may receive payments under the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the state public benefits program. Payments depend upon household size, income level and home energy costs.

Wisconsin’s Home Energy Assistance Program helps households with incomes below 150 percent of the federal poverty level ($30,975 a year for a family of four) pay for home energy costs. Households may also qualify for crisis assistance benefits, which can include purchase of home heating fuel, reconnection of utility service, temporary shelter and heating unit replacements or repairs.

For more information about applying for the program, call 1-800-522-3014 or log onto www.homeenergyplus.wi.gov/.

‘Blizzard of Bucks’ coming to UW-L

The popular campus game show “Blizzard of Bucks” is coming to UW-La Crosse on Monday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. in Valhalla, Cartwright Center-Gunning Addition.

“Blizzard of Bucks” is a two-hour game show in which contestants compete in a variety of wacky games, hoping to ultimately win the grand prize of standing in a glass cylinder as up to $500 blows around them for the taking. The show promises to make audience members and contestants feel as if they are part of an actual game show with its use of sound, lights and Hollywood-style background. Admission is free.

Art by graduating students featured

Students graduating from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in December will display a variety of art work in the University Art Gallery.

“Graduating Seniors’ Art Exhibition” opens with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, in the University Art Gallery, located on the first floor of the UW-L Center for the Arts. The exhibit runs through Dec. 16. The reception and exhibit are free.

The students exhibiting include Patricia Bindley, Zoe Browne, Chelsie Heidke, Vong Lao, Tiffany Pedersen, Kaitlynn Radloff, Jessica Shively and Amanda Willison.

Regular gallery hours are noon to 8 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, noon to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and during Toland Theatre events. The gallery opens for appointments by calling the art department 785-8230.

Western to host children’s holiday event

The Western Technical College Parent Child Center will host its seventh annual Holiday Happening on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Center for Childhood Education building, 419 Ninth St. N., La Crosse.

A fundraiser for the center, the event features themed gift baskets, gift items and vendors such as Mary Kay, Gold Canyon Candles, Creative Memories, Avon and more.

The whole family is invited to attend this free event. An activity room will keep children busy with games and crafts while parents browse the booths. Lunch and snack items also will be for sale.

Proceeds from the Holiday Happening will be used to purchase new equipment for the classrooms.

The Parent Child Center offers child care for children ages 1-7 years. The center is available to Western Technical College faculty and students as well as the public, and it serves as a lab environment for Western’s Early Childhood Program participants. In conjunction with the La Crosse Public School District, the site also provides preschool services.

County wins Healthy Homes grant

The La Crosse County Health Department has received a $7,900 Healthy Homes Project grant for from the Wisconsin Division of Public Health’s Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Health.

The Healthy Home Project funds will support home safety assessments for low-income parents with children younger than 8.

A health educator will work with each family to advise on how to make the home safer and healthier using a checklist. At the end of each home safety assessment, parents will receive free home safety devices to help prevent their child from getting injuries.

The program is available between November 2009 and September 2010. For more information, contact health educator Maichor Lee at 785-6235.

Web site offers anti-drug resource

Anyone who needs a tool to educate a family member or other friend about illicit drugs or alcohol can now obtain it through a new Web site: waragainstdrugs.org

The Web site offers a sampling of two booklets, “10 Things Your Friends May Not Know About Drugs,” and “How to Talk to Friends About Drugs.” Readers who need an anchor to educate their kids, grandkids, or other adult friends can use the booklets to explain and show how dangerous illicit drugs are to the body and mind.

Leaders of children and adult groups, such as clubs, charities, scouts, 4-H, chambers of commerce, businesses can use the booklets to raise much-needed funds as well as build positive PR for themselves.

The Web site was founded by Henry Schroeder, a longtime community newspaper publisher.

American Legion revives support fund

Wisconsin’s largest veteran service organization re-launched its Troop & Family Support Fund on Veterans Day.

The Wisconsin American Legion Family, which includes the Legion, Auxiliary, Sons of the American Legion and Legion Riders, is ramping up its efforts in anticipation of the 32nd Infantry returning from deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

About 3,500 National Guard soldiers will be returning to Wisconsin, and their needs will be varied, ranging from post-traumatic stress disorder and family reunification issues to emergency financial relief and job reintegration.

To contribute to the fund, send checks payable to: Troop & Family Support Fund, Wisconsin American Legion, P.O. Box 388, Portage, WI 53901. People also can make a secure online donation by credit card at www.wilegion.org/howcanyouhelp.

“The Wisconsin American Legion Family stands ready to assist our troops and their families in communities across the state from Kenosha to Superior and Green Bay to Platteville. We are asking for the public’s assistance to make a difference in the lives of those who have given much in service to our country,” said Department Commander Leo A. Endres.

Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law and 100 percent of all funds received directly benefit the troops and their families. Administrative costs are covered by the dues Legion members pay.

VA extends Agent Orange benefits to cover more ailments

Relying on an independent study by the Institute of Medicine, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki decided to establish a service-connection for Vietnam veterans with three specific illnesses based on the latest evidence of an association with the herbicides referred to as Agent Orange.

The illnesses affected by the recent decision are B cell leukemias, such as hairy cell leukemia; Parkinson’s disease; and ischemic heart disease.

Used in Vietnam to defoliate trees and remove concealment for the enemy, Agent Orange left a legacy of suffering and disability that continues to the present. Between January 1965 and April 1970, an estimated 2.6 million military personnel who served in Vietnam were potentially exposed to sprayed Agent Orange.

In practical terms, veterans who served in Vietnam during the war and who have a “presumed” illness don’t have to prove an association between their illnesses and their military service. This “presumption” simplifies and speeds up the application process for benefits.

The secretary’s decision brings to 15 the number of presumed illnesses recognized by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Additional information about Agent Orange and VA’s services and programs for veterans exposed to the chemical are available at www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange.

Eagles band members for rent

People who need help getting their yards cleaned up or assistance with a long household to-do list can turn to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Screaming Eagles marching band for help.

Band members are once again offering their “Rent-an-Eagle” fundraiser. Members of the band will help with any and all general maintenance work, including yard work, seasonal cleaning, preparation for winter and more.

Band members are looking for work to help pay for a trip to Mexico in January. Cost of their services is a donation toward the trip.

To reserve a band member, call 785-6733 and leave a detailed message with name, phone number and a brief description of tasks that need doing. A band member will return the call to set up a time to help.

Museum offers parents a break

The Children’s Museum of La Crosse has parents’ night out events planned over the upcoming months on Friday nights.

The nights are meant for children ages 3 to 11 and will includes supervised museum exploration and play, light snack, and games and activities.

Parents can drop off children starting at 5:30 p.m. and pick them up by 8 p.m. on these dates: Jan. 8, Feb. 12, March 19 and April 9. Cost is $10 per child for museum members, $15 for nonmembers. Registration and payment in advance is required.

Alzheimers registry seeks participants

The Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute at the University of Wisconsin of Medicine and Public Health and Franciscan Skemp Healthcare are recruiting for the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention.

To be eligible for participation, people must:

New brochures cover car insurance issue

As new auto insurance laws begin to take effect in our state in the next year, the Wisconsin Association for Justice has released two brochures containing helpful information for Wisconsin auto insurance policyholders.

The first, “Understanding Auto Insurance," describes the basics about auto insurance and what is required of drivers in Wisconsin under the law as recently changed. The second, titled “What To Do If You Are In a Traffic Accident," informs them of proper steps to take to protect themselves by gathering necessary information at the time of the accident.

The brochures will be distributed to state legislators, news outlets and WAJ members across Wisconsin. The brochures are also available by contacting the Wisconsin Association for Justice office or view them online at www.wisjustice.org/consumerresources.

Roller derby team seeks members

The La Crosse Skating Sirens, the area’s newest roller derby team, are seeking adult women to join the team or serve as referees.

No experience is required and all skating levels are welcome.

The Sirens are looking to expand their roster and are having open practices on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8 to 10 p.m. in the old rubber mill building on St. Andrew Street.

The Sirens, a nonprofit organization, are an all-woman, skater-owned, flat-track roller derby league founded in April 2009 by Melissa Larivee and Leslie Malekovic. The Sirens follow the guidelines and standards set forth by Women’s Flat Track Derby Association.

For more information, log onto www.SkatingSirens.com.

To submit your information for a public service announcement, e-mail it to wsm.news@lee.net