Prior to Sunday, and on the day itself, communication about potential disruptions in safe journeys came in a number of forms for those who traveled about the path around the Falls. The most frequent were directed to those people who might have been headed to Green Bay to watch the game at Lambeau Field.
Further complicating travel that morning were the temperatures dipping into the 20s and the resulting heavy frost on windows of vehicles left outside overnight. Preparation for winter driving includes making sure there is a handy ice scraper in the vehicle. The one this observer found to clear the windows was cracked, but it did the trick. There will need to be a little searching for a different one before the next outing on a frosty morning.
Merging onto southbound Highway 141 north of Lena before 8 a.m., the traffic volume seemed a little higher than usual. A number of the vehicles had coolers visible through the back windows with drivers and passengers decked out in green and gold. It was safe to assume their destination was also Lambeau Field.
A short distance south of the intersection of Highway 22, signs warned of school bus traffic ahead for 5 or 8 miles. Having internalized the school calendar, this driver knew that would not be a problem on this particular Sunday. The signs might not have been new, but they stood out and might have been part of the recent reconstruction of the highway north of Abrams. That project is completed, and it was clear sailing through that stretch of the journey.
The closer one got to Green Bay, the more constricted the road became. With that constriction, there were many more signs. One of the first flashed the message that Packers fans should take Exit 167. In all the years of traveling that route for game day, this observer had never seen a similar sign directed specifically at Packers fans. Obviously, the DOT understood that this was game day and wanted to draw the attention of fans with a “This means you” message.
Conversations at Lambeau confirmed that message later that morning, as there had been many traffic tie-ups. Getting tied up in traffic did not seem to be much of a problem for the players on the field. Perhaps they drew inspiration from the UW-Madison marching band that was on hand to heighten the fan experience.
Fan experience of a much different sort was shared Sunday evening at the Falls Area Performing Arts Center as the Oconto Falls Friends of the Arts featured “The Lady with all the Answers.” The crowd was a small one, perhaps due in some small part to the euphoria that comes with a Packers win and apprehension about excitement overload. More likely there were other factors, but that is a discussion for another time and place.
“The lady” is a reference to Eppie Lederer, who authored the “Ask Ann Landers” column for a couple of generations. She often dealt with communication about disrupted life journeys, one of which was her own.
More than just about a columnist, the performance was set in 1975 on the evening she writes her most difficult column, the announcement to her readers that after 36 years, she and her husband were getting a divorce.
There was a sense of identification on many levels for this observer, since meeting deadlines for a column comes on a regular basis. A similar connection might have been felt by the local Times Herald editor who was sitting a few rows closer to the stage. As a point of full disclosure, it was easy to get hooked on reading the column, and here is one individual who did.
The one-woman show walked through the history and social change of the 1950s and ’60s and touched briefly on the war in Southeast Asia. It kept the small crowd on the edge of their seats. Those who read the daily column at the time connected well with the themes in the production.
A few who were seated in the audience might have identified with the personal anguish she shared. Many more connected with the anguish and humor revealed through the letters she read. Almost 40 years since that fateful night depicted in the performance, this spectator left after a number of hearty laughs, with rekindled memories, somewhat moist eyes and an even deeper appreciation of the impact Ann had on the times.
Drama can do that, whether on the stage or in real life.
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