The Healthy Hearts Program is an exercise and nutrition program designed to help improve heart health through low-impact walk/dance sessions in an air-conditioned environment. Adults age 40 and over meet for one hour, twice per week for 12 weeks. Instructor Donna Doll-Yogerst will focus on nutrition and exercise, addressing topics such as menu planning and portion control. The program begins Sept.

“Silver Bells and Cockle Shells” Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow? With silver bells, and cockle shells, And pretty maids all in a row. I thought of that verse a while ago because I found a good crop of weeds near a little tree I’d transplanted in the yard. Several of them were plants that my dad used to call “cockles,” and he hated them almost as much as he hated wild mustard.

An all too frequently heard question on the path around the Falls the past couple weeks has been “Where has the summer gone?” The almost automatic response from this observer has been, “It’s not gone, it’s still July, and we have a long way to go.” Reality hit last week when the calendar page turned to August. The dose of cooler weather reinforced the message that the approach of fall was not that far off.

Jacob Mogged will play in the state American Legion all-star game, and teammates Colton Giese and Hunter Magnin will play in the Fox Valley American Legion all-star game. The Wisconsin American Legion Baseball All-Star Game will be held Aug.

Nash Darby paddled fiercely to take first place Saturday in the kids division at the Cardboard Boat Race at Holt Park in Kelly Lake. “I do this every year. My family is involved, so I figured I would do it, too,” Nash said. “It was really fun.” The Cardboard Boat Race started six years ago in Kelly Lake. The objective of the race is to build a boat made only from cardboard and duct tape.

A husband and wife from Oconto Falls were taken into custody Aug. 4 after a police search uncovered merchandise believed to be stolen from area stores. The couple is under investigation for thefts of an estimated $1,500 in merchandise from the Shawano Walmart and an undetermined amount from United True Value, in Oconto Falls, and the Main Street Laundromat, in Gillett.

Student athletes and their parents gathered Monday in the Oconto Falls High School Performing Arts Center to hear the latest on the fall sports season. The meeting, which is a new part of the process for Panthers athletes, covered several topics, including eligibility requirements, academic standards, health reporting and Panther Pride fundraising efforts. Jerry Moynihan, entering his third year as Oconto Falls athletic director, felt it was time

Alvin F. Schaal, 93, formerly of 9795 Gray Lake Road, Gillett, died Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013, at Sharpe Care Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Oconto Falls. Al was born on Oct. 24, 1919, in Gillett to Dudley and Flora (Zahn) Schaal. Growing up during the Depression years and his work in the Civilian Conservation Corps to help support his family shaped his attitudes about the importance of hard work and self-reliance.

The Barn Quilts of Oconto County project has added two valuable volunteers to its effort to brighten the rural landscape. Donna Baird, a retired math teacher, helps to lay out the quilt block patterns on the plywood.