The Pulaski Polka Days dance contest has been given an overhaul this year as it becomes the home of the Wisconsin State Polka Dance Championships. “What’s happened is there used to be a polka festival in September in Wisconsin Dells, and that has been discontinued,” said John Pinter, a member of the Wisconsin Polka Boosters. “At that festival we had the Wisconsin State Polka Dance Championship, for 15 years at least.

Robert “Bob” Wilke, age 75 years, of Tigerton passed away Friday, July 12, 2013 at his home. Robert David Wilke was born September 29, 1937, in West Bend, WI, to David and Lucille (Hess) Wilke. His family moved to Milwaukee in 1946 and they lived across the street from Old Orchard Field for many years. Early in life, Bob was a printing press operator at Evert Container in Milwaukee. He entered the U.S.

Gordon B. Parsons, 85, of Shawano, was called home to his Lord on July 13, 2013. Gordon was born on July 16, 1927, in Norwood. He was a hard-working man, holding many jobs in his lifetime such as farmer, logger, cattleman, truck driver, coach bus driver and owner/operator of a milk transport company and the Cecil Diner. During his retirement he worked as a janitor for St. James Early Child Care Center and for Wolf River Lutheran High School.

With the arrival of the Pulaski Polka Days’ 35th anniversary, founder Harold Otto can reflect on the success of the festival that has brought countless visitors to the small town over the years. “There are a lot of them (festivals) in Michigan and elsewhere that are not even running anymore, and we are still growing,” Otto said.

Marilyn and I are fans of the PBS series “Call the Midwife,” a BBC period drama based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth and set in east London in the 1950s.

Whether one chooses to gracefully grow old somewhere along the path around the Falls or picks up stakes and moves to some other location after retirement, there are some anxieties about those years. One of the greatest fears is that a person will revert to a childlike state of mind. Giving up independence can be a definite hit on one’s pride. That particular reversion is still off in the distance, at least we hope.

Typical residential electrical customers of Oconto Falls Municipal Utilities will pay $2.42 more on their monthly electrical bills under a rate order issued July 10 by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission. Residential customers currently paying $75.86 monthly for 604 kilowatt hours of power will pay $78.28 for the same amount of power, said Lisa Christensen, the utilities’ executive administrative assistant.

The push to build a law enforcement center in the town of Little River cleared another hurdle last week, as the Oconto City Council approved an amendment to its annexation agreement that drops the reference to a referendum. The Little River Town Board will discuss the amendment today. The original annexation agreement, which gives the city right-of-way access to the proposed center’s site, required the passage of a referendum before Little River

Lisa Mae Cortez, 35, Milwaukee, formerly of Oconto Falls, died suddenly Saturday afternoon, July 13, 2013, at a Milwaukee hospital. She was born July 17, 1977, in Alamo, Texas, to Antonio Cortez Jr. and Mary Meyer. Lisa moved with her mother back to Oconto Falls in 1982 where she attended public schools, graduating from high school with the Class of 1995.