He didn’t know it at the time, but a roofing project 40 years ago pointed Dave Vander Velden in a totally different direction.

That direction — owning and operating Christmas tree farms in Door and Oconto counties — has paid off over the years, and the fruits of his labor will soon be on display in Madison.

It used to be a vacant building on Suring’s Main Street that housed several different banks over the years.

It’s now the community’s latest travel destination.

The Shawano Common Council approved its 2026 budget Nov. 18, which comes with an increase in the property tax rate and the likelihood of a property revaluation next year.

Shawano-Menominee County Circuit Court Judge William Kussel Jr. ordered a $1 million bond Nov. 18 for a homicide suspect from the Town of Belle Plaine.