Wisconsin Connections

It was the hat!

Rick found this hat with its LED flashing Green Bay Packer logo during one of the first Market Nights we spent at Spanish Springs Village Square here in The Villages. Market Night is every Monday and Wednesday when a variety of vendors set up their wares during the same hours of the nightly entertainment. 

Given that the Green Bay Packers were still contenders in the post-season playoffs, the hat attracted quite a bit of attention. In fact, one of the first persons who asked if we were from Wisconsin turned out to be a friend of friends of ours from Menomonie. His wife also knew some of the same people I knew because of my last job. Yes, it's a small world!

The second connection we made because of the hat was with a couple from Chippewa Falls. Lisa and Zach had been here since September. She came down to help out her mother. We learned from them that the best place to see the Green Bay-Dallas game was with more Wisconsin fans at Cody's Roadhouse near another one of the village squares.

So we showed up early enough to get a seat at the bar. Lisa had alerted us to the fact that there was a special bar menu that offered $2.50 sliders - a great bargain. Also, it was 2 for 1 Happy Hour from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. We cheered the Packers to victory on January 11 with about 50-60 other fans, many of whom were from Wisconsin. We came back to Cody's the following week with many of the same people from the previous week. Unfortunately, it was a loss for the Packers that day.

Many of these old bottles on display at Cody's are from Wisconsin. But that
would make sense since Wisconsin's German immigrants started many breweries
in the 1800s. In fact, one of the first large-scale breweries was Best Brewing from
Milwaukee. Frederick Pabst bought into the company following his marriage
to Best's daughter and eventually took over control of the company and
changed the name to Pabst Brewing.

During halftime we learned about another gathering of Wisconsinites - one of the Wisconsin Clubs at The Villages. 

About 160 people gathered last week to socialize. This Wisconsin Club is one
of three here in The Villages. We chose this particular one because of meeting
several of its members at the Green Bay Packer games.

It was just by chance that we happened to sit at a table and met a couple whose Wisconsin home is about a mile from Rick's. Again, a small world! The entertainment that evening was a Wisconsin trivia game - a great deal of fun. Even more fun was helping our table win the game. Some of the questions: What is the UFO capital of the world? Where is the biggest brat fest held? What year did brewing begin in Wisconsin? And where was Allen Ludden born? 

Last weekend we attended our first car show of the new year. About 250 cars were positioned around the square and on the adjoining streets. Rick said it was the best shows he's been to and I couldn't agree more. I don't like cars with "flames" and none were to be found on these cars. 

Corvettes from the 1950s are a favorite of mine, especially a convertible.  

Another Wisconsin connection - Gremlins were manufactured in Kenosha.

But the most amazing Wisconsin connection we made that evening was with George, the owner of "Whitey," this cute Volkswagen.

After a few minutes of conversation, Rick realized that he had actually met George, a retired school administrator from Kewaskum, about 20 years ago. Rick was working with the Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Council to develop youth prevention programs in Washington County. George was in charge of student services for his district in the county. The world can't get any smaller than this!

We met Lisa's mother last Friday night and took Lisa out to dinner at one of the twelve country clubs here in The Villages. Any resident (or renter like us) can dine at any of these establishments. These aren't exclusive clubs.

When we first arrived in The Villages it seemed like the people we were meeting were mostly from the Northeast. However, we've discovered that many Wisconsinites are here, too, and we'll probably meet a few more before we leave.