AROUND THE COMMUNITY: St. James playground about to be installed

St. James Lutheran School is busy getting its playground prepped for new playground equipment for this fall.

The funding for the playground came from a unique fundraiser when the principal sat on the school roof for three days. The goal was to raise $32,000; in the end, $50,000 was given by friends, families and supporters.

In addition to the reverse roof sit, members of the playground subcommittee wrote two grants. St. James was informed that they were selected to be one of 28 Lutheran organizations to be awarded the Kaleidoscope grant from Lutheran Church Extension Fund for $15,000.

The good news continued as St. James received an email from Walmart stating that the grant was approved to award $1,500 toward the playground equipment.

“We are now working to prep the playground site so Lee Recreation may bring in a team and install the playground equipment properly,” said Principal David Kaiser. “St. James will be without a playground for a small amount of time at the beginning of the year. However, I know the playground will be well used once Lee Recreation is done installing it.”

Church youth programs kick off in September

Hillside Assembly of God Church will begin a new year of youth and children’s programs on Wednesday evenings beginning with an open house at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 7. Prizes, hot dogs and ice cream will be provided.

Royal Rangers is a boys’ program for ages 3-18. Boys learn practical lessons from the Bible with a variety of themes including camping, sports, lifesaving, first aid, etc. This program has transitioned into a new expanded program with more themes and opportunities to grow.

Mpact Girls Clubs is for girls of the same age group and teaches practical lessons from the Bible with various themes that girls can relate to, including making the right choices, fitness, attitude, peer pressure, family, accountability and self esteem. There are also fun activities with each lesson.

Both groups can earn rewards and have opportunities for extracurricular activities.

The Hillside Youth Group also meets on Wednesday nights and includes an opportunity to make new friends, hear practical messages from the Bible, sing Contemporary Christian music with the youth band and just have fun with other teens.

For adults, there is a Bible Study called “40 Days Through The Book of Romans” by Max Lucado. Men and women will be a combined class.

These Wednesday night activities at Hillside Assembly, 5890 State Highway 22, Gillett, meet at 6:45 p.m. starting on Sept. 14. For information or to register online, go to www.HillsideAssembly.com/family. Those who register by Sept. 1 will be entered in a drawing for additional prizes.

Homecoming planned for Suring Labor Day

Suring’s 92nd Labor Day homecoming celebration has activities planned from Sept. 2-5

The committee is accepting entries for Suring’s large parade on Sept. 5, which starts at 10 a.m. The theme for the 92nd year of the parade is “Honor Our Troops and Veterans.” Businesses, schools, nonprofit organizations, 4-H clubs, veteran organizations and individuals are encouraged to be part of the parade. There are several categories and prizes to be awarded for each category.

Events planned for the weekend are truck and tractor pulls, a demolition derby, a 5K run/walk, a Boots and Mugs Bean Bag Tourney and many activities hosted by by Suring Area Public Library, the Suring Area Historical Society and the American Legion.

After the parade, events planned for the children are face painting, a magician and a kids’ coin hunt with two age groups, 1-5 and 6-10.

Bands performing for the weekend starting the evening of Sept. 2 are Positive Energy, South Branch Road Band, J.D. Pickers Music, Thunder Country and the Wilber Brothers.

For information, go to www.suringlaborday.com or the group’s Facebook page.

Oconto receives new fire suppression tool

The Wisconsin Masonic Foundation and Pine Lodge 188 have donated a fire suppression tool, made by GreenEx, to the Oconto Fire-Rescue Department.

This device is the latest in fire suppression technology, according to a fire department press release. It weighs about 11 pound and can be tossed into a burning room or building, emitting an environmentally safe aerosol for 35 seconds. This will extinguish any fire in an enclosure up to 5,300 cubic feet.

This unit can help save lives by reducing the temperature of a fire from 1,000 degrees to 200 degrees in less than a minute, allowing fire personnel quicker access to the building. The tool can be critical in rescuing people and pets trapped in burning buildings, according to the fire department.

It also allows a first responder to begin fire suppression before any fire department equipment arrives or can be deployed. The tool has a 15-year battery that never needs recharging and can operate in temperatures down to 50 below zero.

The fire suppression tool will be stored in the fire chief’s command vehicle ready for rapid deployment when needed.

Back to school does not have to be stressful

As summer vacation ends, parents may find themselves becoming stressed about getting everything ready for their kids to go back to school. Dr. Abby Smolcich, a pediatrician with ThedaCare and mother of two, offers advice for coping with stress.

She recommends parents create a list for each child and tick off tasks one at a time, as well as setting aside time for self-care. While two-parent families may more easily share the load, Smolcich suggests single parents seek the help of grandparents, friends or neighbors, if possible. She also recommends spreading tasks out over an extended time period.

Smolcich added that one of the best ways to reduce back-to-school stress is to make sure everyone is getting good rest. She highly recommends that families begin following school bed and wake-up times a week or so before school starts.

“Over the summer, we tend to relax some rules and bedtime is frequently one of them,” she said. “Having everyone get back into school bedtime/wake-up routines ahead of time will definitely make those first days of school less stressful.”

In the end, all parents are experiencing some back-to-school stress, Smolcich said.

“Sometimes it’s just the reality of our kids growing up and moving into new phases that can hit us a little suddenly,” she said. “Whatever the stress is, doing the best you can is all we can really expect from ourselves. Nobody is perfect. Take one day at a time, and enjoy the new experiences you and your child will be having.”