Edgar

COMMUNITY LIVING

Send Edgar news to: RR@tpprinting.com phone: 715-223-2342 fax: 715-223-3505 P.O. Box 677 103 West Spruce Street Abbotsford, WI 54405 Senior dinner

The Edgar Lions Club will sponsor its annual Senior Citizen Dinner on Thursday, Nov. 5, but the arrangements have changed. Due to the COVID- 19 pandemic, attendees will need to pick up their meals in a drive-thru format at the Edgar Fire Hall (not the high school) between 6-7 p.m. Those interested in receiving this free meal need to call by Friday, Oct. 30, to reserve their meals. Leave a message or talk to either Lisa, 715-846-3958, or Marie, 715-573-5616.

Red Granite Grinder

IRONBULL, a Wausaubased extreme sports organization, will sponsor a Red Granite Grinder, a long-distance bicycle race, on Saturday, Oct. 17.

The race is actually four-inone with 12, 50, 85 and 140 race distances. The race starts in Wausau with the two longer distances including west county communities of Fenwood and Edgar. Riders will fully experience Central Wisconsin by riding through areas not usually open to bikes in addition to passing ginseng fields, dairy farm pastures, barns, and farm fields in each the 50, 85 and 140 races.

In the 140 mile race, riders will leave Wausau, where the race travels through the Wausau School Forest with one-of-a-kind bridges. Riders take several more miles of dirt via snowmobile trails at Nine Mile County Forest. After a few miles of gravel to Fenwood, riders finally can catch their breath on a rail-totrail all the way to Edgar. In Edgar, riders enjoy the wooded trails at Scotch Creek Preserve.

Riders get some reprieve and energized at the cheering station at mile 51 with drop bag access before heading to a redesigned 2020 route north into Lincoln County on several miles of Managed Forest Lands gravel. In Maine, riders will fly down Billy Goat Hill only to gut it out on the final hills before heading back to downtown Wausau.

The 85-mile race event also goes through Fenwood and Edgar.

Spectators and crew are encouraged. This race is unsupported – riders are responsible for their own mechanical, medical and transportation needs. Cheering stations will be available at specified locations with a drop bag for the 85 and 140 mile routes. Otherwise, riders are expected to carry their own nutrition / hydration for the entire route. All roads are open to normal traffic, including the ATV trail.

Contact IRONBULL at 715-848-5949.

School grant

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director Frank Frassetto announced that USDA is investing $72 million in grants to help rural residents gain access to health care and educational opportunities. These investments will benefit more than 12 million rural residents.

In Wisconsin, CESA 10 is receiving a $1 million grant to implement a distance learning technology upgrade. The Achieving Wisconsin Equity (AWE) Project will allow for cloud-based bridging and provide videoconferencing endpoints at 39 school districts, including Edgar School District, in 14 counties in west central Wisconsin. The outcomes of AWE will impact more than 10,000 high school students and 2,100 PK-12 teachers in the region.

School districts include: Abbotsford, Alma Center-Humbird- Merrillan, Arcadia, Athens, Auburndale, Augusta, Blair-Taylor, Bloomer, Bruce, Cochrane-Fountain, Colby, Colfax, Durand-Arkansaw, Edgar, Eleva-Strum, Elk Mound, Fall Creek, Flambeau, Gale-Ettrick-Trempeleau, Gilmanton, Granton, Greenwood, Independence, Ladysmith, Lake Holcombe, Loyal, Marathon, Melrose-Mindoro, Mondovi, Neillsville, New Auburn, Osseo- Fairchild, Owen-Withee, Spencer, Spooner, Stratford, Thorp, Tomorrow River and Whitehall.

USDA is funding 116 projects through the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) grant program.

Confirmation

St. John the Baptist Catholic School has announced youth who were confirmed on Sunday, Oct. 11, by Father Thomas Huff. They are Owen Baumann, Everet Brehm, Mattison Butt, Peyton Dahlke, Maria Hackel, Rebecca Hagen, Jesse Jisko, Ashton Schuett and Ayden Weisenberger.

Home and school

Wisconsin Parental Choice program prior to a St. John’s Home and School meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 9.

EATS

Edgar Area Trail Supporters (EATS) will host a socially distanced buckthorn removal workday on Saturday, Oct. 17. Anyone able and willing to join in the project should gather at the Scotch Creek Woodland Preserve East Limits trailhead at 8 a.m. Gloves, pruning shears, etc. would be helpful.

Halloween tips

Edgar Public School has an- nounced COVID-19 safety tips for people who will participate in Halloween trick or treating on Saturday, Oct. 31, 3-5 p.m.

These are tips for trick or treaters:

_ Trick or treat with only people you live with to minimize infection.

_ Trick or treat only in the neighborhood you live in to reduce the possible spread of disease.

_ Wear a mask to reduce risk. Make the mask part of a Halloween costume.

_ Maintain six feet of separation of social distance to minimize spread of disease.

_ Bring hand sanitizer.

_ Let candy sit for 72 hours to make sure it is disease free, There are also tips for people handing out treats:

_ Place a bowl of treats outside your door so trick or treaters won’t be crowded into a bottle neck and treats can be offered without people getting too close.

_ Consider placing hand sanitizer by the bowl of treats.

The school recommends only outside Halloween activities and not to hold Halloween parties. Maintain six foot social distancing.

ATV safety

The Village of Edgar has reminded residents of safety rules for ATV operators travelling on village streets.

_ No person under 12 years of age may operate an ATV for any reason.

_ All ATV safety certified operators age 12-15 must also be accompanied by an adult except for operation for agricultural purposes with adult supervision.

_ All ATV operators and passengers under the age of 18 are required to wear a minimum DOT standard ATV or motorcycle helmet with the chin strap properly fastened. Bicycle helmets do not meet this requirement.

Dementia sessions

The Marathon County Public Library will offer upcoming sessions and Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The Alzheimer’s Association will present a Zoom virtual program on Alzheimer’s and dementia on Thursday, Oct. 22, 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. There will be a second virtual Zoom meeting on dementia on Thursday, Oct. 29, 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

Mourning discussed

The Marathon County Historical Society and Marathon County Public Library will so-sponsor a Halloweenthemed virtual Zoom presentation “At Rest: Death and Mourning Customs” on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2-3 p.m.

Grab & Go

Stop by the Edgar Branch Public Library every week from now through Oct. 30 to pick up a bundle of crafts, books and other activities that will allow you to conduct your own story time at home. Each week the Edgar branch will offer a different theme of books and crafts for families to pick up. Make an appointment for a visit or for curbside pickup to participate. This is a free opportunity with a limit of one bundle per family. For more information, call 715-352-3155.