Page 52 – Wisconsin Life

Spencer Wells grew up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and attended college at UW-Madison. In his free time, he’s always enjoyed attending his local musician friends’ performances and documenting those moments with his camera.

Maritime Archaeologist Dives Into History, Exploring Great Lake Shipwrecks
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Maritime Archaeologist Dives Into History, Exploring Great Lake Shipwrecks

Culture & History

Maritime Archaeologist Dives Into History, Exploring Great Lake Shipwrecks

Tamara Thomsen is a maritime archaeologist with the Wisconsin Historical Society. She and her team are interested in history sunken in the Great Lakes; shipwrecks resting on the bottom, hundreds of feet below the waves.

A City Got Together And Built A Place To Play
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A City Got Together And Built A Place To Play

Culture & History

A City Got Together And Built A Place To Play

When you picture a playground the image of swings and slides and monkey bars comes to mind. But a playground can be much more than that. Crystal Chan has this story of just such a place, Little Oshkosh.

Filling The Church With Song For Over 80 Years
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Filling The Church With Song For Over 80 Years

Culture & History

Filling The Church With Song For Over 80 Years

For nearly eight decades, one Wisconsin farm girl has followed the music along the back roads of the bluffs high above the banks of the Mississippi. As the sun rises on Sunday morning, catching the mist off the alfalfa, a pick-up truck crisscrosses the farmland on its way to morning services.

From Australia to Milwaukee, Kane Pitman Covers The Bucks
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From Australia to Milwaukee, Kane Pitman Covers The Bucks

Sports

From Australia to Milwaukee, Kane Pitman Covers The Bucks

Imagine leaving your family and job and moving overseas to Milwaukee to fulfill a dream. That’s exactly what Kane Pitman did. Since arriving in Wisconsin, the Australian freelance writer has become one of the few beat reporters for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Parenting, Prom, And The Packers
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Parenting, Prom, And The Packers

Sports

Parenting, Prom, And The Packers

The smell of heavy cologne, hairspray, and nervous energy in the air can only mean one thing: it’s prom season. As high schoolers across Wisconsin worry about who to ask and what to wear, the dance means something completely different to adults.

Menominee Tribal Member Started Propane Business To Help Himself, His Neighbors
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Menominee Tribal Member Started Propane Business To Help Himself, His Neighbors

Culture & History

Menominee Tribal Member Started Propane Business To Help Himself, His Neighbors

Arnold Chevalier grew up mainly on the Menominee Reservation in Neopit, WI, about 50 miles northwest of Green Bay. His entrepreneurial spirit was evident at a young age. “My family spent some time in Milwaukee and I shined some shoes on the streets, so I guess technically that’s the first time I earned some money,” explained Chevalier.

Cannibal Sandwiches: A Polarizing And Misunderstood Wisconsin Tradition
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Cannibal Sandwiches: A Polarizing And Misunderstood Wisconsin Tradition

Food & Travel

Cannibal Sandwiches: A Polarizing And Misunderstood Wisconsin Tradition

Imagine. It’s the holidays and to quiet your pre-dinner hunger, someone hands you a slice of rye bread topped with a thick spread of fresh raw beef, chopped onion and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. A cannibal sandwich sounds great, right?

Seamstress Uses Her Skill to Mend Broken Hearts
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Seamstress Uses Her Skill to Mend Broken Hearts

Wisconsin Originals

Seamstress Uses Her Skill to Mend Broken Hearts

Sewing has always been an important part of Kelly Kowaleski’s life. “I love sewing. I’ve loved it since I first started. It’s my outlet. It’s my passion,” Kowaleski said. Sewing is also how she would bond with her son Brady.

QWERTY: Milwaukee’s Typing Legacy
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QWERTY: Milwaukee’s Typing Legacy

Culture & History

QWERTY: Milwaukee’s Typing Legacy

If you’re near a computer keyboard, take a look at the first six letters on the upper row and you’ll find: Q-W-E-R-T-Y…or…qwerty. So who decided how the letters on our keyboards are arranged, and why that particular configuration?

La Crosse Man’s Collection of Vintage Guitars is a Museum of Electric Guitar History
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La Crosse Man’s Collection of Vintage Guitars is a Museum of Electric Guitar History

Culture & History

La Crosse Man’s Collection of Vintage Guitars is a Museum of Electric Guitar History

For guitar players, visiting Dave’s Guitar Shop is an awe-inspiring experience. Upstairs, owner Dave Rogers’ personal collection of vintage guitars grew to become a museum of electric guitar history. Hanging on the walls are hundreds of guitars by Fender, Gibson, Gretsch, Rickenbacker, and Paul Reed Smith.

Wisconsin’s Trapper Schoepp Shares Songwriting Credit With Bob Dylan
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Wisconsin’s Trapper Schoepp Shares Songwriting Credit With Bob Dylan

The Arts

Wisconsin’s Trapper Schoepp Shares Songwriting Credit With Bob Dylan

There aren’t many Midwestern musicians who share a songwriting credit with Bob Dylan. But Milwaukee artist Trapper Schoepp is now one of them. Schoepp recently helped finish the song, “On, Wisconsin,” a tune partially penned by Dylan back in 1961.

A Father And Son’s Chilly Trout Fishing Expedition
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A Father And Son’s Chilly Trout Fishing Expedition

Culture & History

A Father And Son’s Chilly Trout Fishing Expedition

Trout fishing conjures an image of sparkling sunlight reflecting on a rushing stream and a fisherman in hip boots confidently whipping his pole and casting a line into the moving water.

The Drive Behind The Electronic Messages You See On Wisconsin Highways
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The Drive Behind The Electronic Messages You See On Wisconsin Highways

Food & Travel

The Drive Behind The Electronic Messages You See On Wisconsin Highways

WPR recently received a question from a listener, Marc Reisner from Madison, about the digital highway signs. He asked: "What's the story behind the electronic signs you see on Wisconsin highways? Who writes the witty sayings about how to stay safe on the road?"

Waadookodaading: The Ojibwe Language Immersion School
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Waadookodaading: The Ojibwe Language Immersion School

Culture & History

Waadookodaading: The Ojibwe Language Immersion School

The Ojibwe language was nearly lost due to forced assimilation through federally-run boarding schools and policies. Today, communities around the central Great Lakes are working to revitalize language and culture. To keep Ojibwemowin flourishing, Keller Paap of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Brooke Ammann of the St.