It was 35 years ago that one of the Super Bowl ads that reached viewers along the path around the Falls finished with the tag line “Weekends were made for …” That tag line was used for a couple of years in the marketing campaign, and with this weekend’s rush of activities, it flashed back on the big screen of this observer’s mind.
The flashback was not so much for the beverage, but rather for a reinvented format, “Weekends are made for connections.”
At least it seemed that way.
The first came on Friday night when this year’s Oconto Falls Friends of the Arts Fine Arts Series concluded with another crowd-pleasing performance of Dorf Kapelle. The band’s German style music has a strong following with many followers coming again and again. Many of the performers in the group are current or retired music teachers who enjoy showcasing their talent with colleagues in front of friendly crowds.
This year’s event was scheduled later in the season, and it bumped up against many solo ensemble competitions. As a result, a few of the regulars were not on hand, and one or two fill-ins joined the group.
One of those included John Stangel, a Kaukauna High School band director. In a previous district, I hired him for his first teaching job as a music teacher 29 years ago. My children had him as an instructor, and his influence is still felt today as the four are actively involved with music, two as educators.
John asked about them by name, and I thanked him for what he had done to foster that love of music. I was in the parent role talking to a teacher, which had not been done for some time. Teachers never know the measure of their impact, but it can be significant.
Saturday was another connection day as I was a guest at the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Scholarship and Fellowship Recognition Luncheon at Red Smith School in Green Bay. Honored from Oconto Falls were Tammy Moynihan as a teacher fellowship recipient and Benjamin Gordon as a student initiative scholarship recipient.
This was the 25th year former Sen. Kohl has been recognizing students and teachers through this program. I was in attendance at a reception the first year and many times since as teachers and students were honored from one of the districts where I had the honor to serve as superintendent.
Over the years, the Oconto Falls District has had 12 teachers and 38 students who have been recipients of Kohl fellowships and scholarships. That is a record that is unmatched by any other Wisconsin school district. Tammy Moynihan is only the latest in a long line of outstanding teachers who have helped to make Oconto Falls an outstanding place for students to learn.
Sen. Kohl was in good form at the event and paid tribute to the outstanding teachers in the state that he had the honor to recognize. He noted that there would be no such thing as an outstanding student if it were not for outstanding teachers.
He told the story about his family starting a grocery store and how it grew to what we know today as Kohl’s Department Store. He shared that at home around the dinner table his parents never talked about business but rather talked about the importance of education. He has always carried that message through life and shared it whenever he could.
Another connection came on Sunday at Abrams with the FFA Alumni consignment auction. The weather was great, and the big crowd was able to enjoy the calling of different auctioneers over the four-hour sale. As often is the case in these Midwestern social events, there were opportunities to meet and greet many old friends and make new ones. More often than not, one of the conversation topics had to do with the approaching career change of this observer.
The FFA Alumni volunteers put in long hours on this activity, with lots of advance planning. The first items came in on Saturday, and the set-up attracted a number of gawkers, even though the sale was not to begin until Sunday at noon. Seeing a number of the items had to be a connection with bygone years, as people recalled what similar items might have been used for during their youth.
Another connection event took place on Saturday night when the Oconto Falls teachers hosted an annual social gathering in Gillett. This year’s schedule had a number of “lasts” and a few firsts. Sometimes firsts and lasts are connected. The Saturday night event featured the first congratulations cake.
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