Each year, the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce selects a hardworking volunteer from the community to be named Distinguished Citizen of the Year. This year, the award went to a hardworking couple. Michael and Idell Johnston strive tirelessly to make the Shawano area a better place to live — many times doing their volunteer work side by side. “I think that we are presented as a team,” said Idell Johnston. “That’s what means the most to us.

The 2021 Retail Business of the Year award goes to a mother and daughter who wanted to fill a need within the Shawano community. Yvette Wilber, owner of Tumbleweed, said she felt the area could use a store that sold women’s clothing and accessories. “We opened in 2017, and it has been going very well,” said Wilber, whose business has expanded to now include men’s clothing, as well as more accessories and shoes. Wilber attributes much of that succ

One major business was recently the recipient of the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce Large Business of the Year award. Performance Foodservice, formerly called Reinhart Foodservice, has been in Shawano for 41 years, where it has become a pillar of the community. “The community has been very good to us for over 40 years,” said Performance Foodservice President Michael Van Rite. He said that when he was made aware that they had won the award, h

Cornerstone Chiropractic and Wellness was this year’s recipient of Service Business of the Year award from the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Amy Stuber started the business in Antigo in 2013 and later expanded to Shawano. With both businesses in operation, Stuber was splitting her time between the two. She decided to make a full-time move to Shawano and more fully establish her business there.

Shawano resident Christina Petrakis has been chosen as the College of Menominee Nation’s Student of the Year. Petrakis is a candidate for graduation in May 2022 with an Associate of Arts and Sciences Degree in public administration. She has been on the dean’s list with highest honors for fall and spring 2021 semesters.

The Shawano Optimist Club held its 19th annual girls basketball tournament on Jan. 29 at Shawano Community High School and Hillcrest Primary School. There were 24 teams in grades 4-8 including local teams and teams from as far away as Menominee, Michigan.