People
A thens Senior Card Group
The Senior Citizens card group met on April 18 for weekly card playing at the Athens Area Fire and Ambulance Hall.
Three games of Sheepshead were played. Norbert Lake won first place and Alvira Henrichs came in second in the first game. Tom Ellenbecker won first and Butch Boris came in second in the second game. In the third game, Rick Schaetzl came in first and Andy Hoef finished second.
Low score went to Wil Strack. Newcomers are encouraged to come play Sheepshead every Thursday from 12:30-3:30 p.m. at the Athens fire hall.
Family Story Time
Bring your entire family to Story Time at the new Alfred Street location on Monday, May 6, from 10:30 to 11 a.m. Children of all ages and their parents or caregivers are invited to join us in Athens for this 30-minute program. We will read books, sing songs, and offer other literature-based activities.
Athens MS Honor Rolls
High Honors (3.5 GPA)
Eighth Grade: Itzel Espinoza, Trisha Giese, Jaelin Switlick, Whyatt Martyn, Robert Giese, Cris Velazquez, Ted Schultz-Becker, Alex Belter, Derek Yessa Seventh Grade: Brooklyn Westfall, Brinley Kornack, Riley Hanke, Madalyn Draper, Connor Ebben, Brynley Louis, Austin Natzke, Wes Ochodnicky, AJ Zastrow Sixth Grade: Gauge Floistad, Lila Giese, Isaac Bingham, Jacob Cleveland, Hattie Heier, Stone Parkes, Bryn Erickson, Caleb Steinke, Fynn Beasley, Genesis Velazquez, Adeline Markman, Mason Kuck Honors (3.0 GPA) Eighth Grade: Ayva Haehlke, Joseph Servi, Hayden Weideman, Bradley Schmidt Seventh Grade: John Schug, Madelyn Scantlin, Hazel Klockziem, Ben Winter, Lauren Beaty, Kody Belter, Ryder Blaubach, Zack Passehl, Jesse Henrichs, Aiden Weiler Sixth Grade: Joseph Giese E dgar Family Story Time
Children of all ages and their parents and caregivers are invited to the Edgar Branch Library on the first and third Tuesday of the month for Family Story Time Enjoy learning with all of your children through stories, songs and other literaturebased activities in this 30-minute program. The next Family Story Time will be Tuesday, May 7, from 11 to 11:30 a.m.
M arathon American Legion Auxiliary
President Betty Blume called the April 11 meeting of American Legion Auxiliary Unit 469 to order, with 13 members and 10 guests present. Opening meeting protocol was followed.
Opening prayer was given by Suzie Lang.
Poppy Princess Paige Martin was introduced.
Americanism essays were read by Meredith Blume and Brandon Sulzer.
The minutes of the March meeting were read by secretary Kathy Grell. Motion to accept the minutes was made by Joyce Braunel and seconded by Jean Knauf. Motion carried.
The treasurer’s report was read by Betty Blume. Motion to accept the treasurer’s report was made by Suzie Lang and seconded by Molly Bergman. Motion carried.
Committee reports
Membership: 94 members have renewed for the 2024 year. Dues for adults for the coming year are $34. Cost for Junior members is $5.50.
Juniors: A thank-you was received from Wisconsin Veterans Home of Chippewa Falls for the Valentine’s Day cards.
Other: Thank-you notes were received from Wisconsin Veterans Home of Chippewa Falls and the VA facility in Tomah for cash donations from the unit. A thank-you was received from the ALA Department of Wisconsin for cash donations to the general fund and the Poppy fund, to be distributed to support various veterans groups.
A thank-you note was also received from Marathon City 2020 LTD for the donation to the Heritage Center.
Old business
Get used stamps to Jenny Skrzypchak. These stamps are used for patients served by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Patients who might otherwise sit with nothing to do for hours on end can pass the time sorting stamps, putting them in collectors albums or even make greeting cards or decorative boxes.
Poppies: Coloring books are here to distribute to students in first, second and third grades at each school.
Poppy distribution - As noted last month, the unit is not able to obtain poppies for distribution this year. However, Suzie Lang did create a bookmark that members can distribute instead and is willing to set up a schedule for distribution on Friday and Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. A motion was made by Maria Graveen to go ahead with distribution of the bookmarks, and was seconded by Suzie Lang. Motion carried.
The Marathon County Meeting for both the Legion Posts and Auxiliary units was April 21 at the Marathon Sports Center in Marathon.
The Auxiliary District 8 meeting will be held on April 27 at 9 a.m. at Midstate Technical College in Stevens Point. Registrations were due April 15.
The unit was able to order Cool to be Patriotic T-shirts from Four Seasons Printing. A minimum order of 10 is needed.
New business
Tom Deininger will be on the April Honor Flight. Wish him well.
Sign-up for the summer ball stand is available online, or contact Jenese Karlen for information. Members may also expect to receive a call if they do not have email. Non member volunteers are always welcome.
Election of new officers is in May. Positions include president, vice president, treasurer, chaplain, historian and sergeant-at-arms. The unit secretary is appointed by the president. If you would like more information about these positions, contact current or past officers and consider running for one of these offices.
A new member, Lana Cramer, lives in Milwaukee but joined Unit 469. She will be placing flags at the Milwaukee County War Memorial on Lake Michigan for Memorial Day. If anyone knows of other people from the area who now live in the Milwaukee area and would be willing to assist with this project, give the name to Betty Blume and she will pass the information along to Lana.
Closing prayer was given by Suzie Lang.
The next meeting will be held on Thursday, May 9, at 6:30 p.m. at the village hall.
SkillsUSA
Brandon Gitzlaff, Jorey Kunkel, and Jacob Smith from Marathon High School placed second in the Team Engineering Challenge, earning a silver medal at the SkillsUSA Wisconsin State Leadership and Skills Conference at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Madison. The 51st annual event, held April 9-10, featured more than 1,500 middle, high school, and col-
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lege/post-secondary students participating in over 80 skilled and technical trades competitions.
Lions Club River Float
The Marathon Lions Club will host their Third Annual River Float on Saturday, June 8. Online registration runs from May 1-26. Visit Marathon Lions Club #10539 Facebook page for the link to register. Once online registration closes, registration will only be available on the day of the float, which is June 8, from 9 a.m. to noon in Rib Falls.
Attendees will drop their canoes, kayaks or inner tubes off in Rib Falls at the check-in site and then proceed to Lions Park in Marathon where transportation will be provided back to Rib Fall. The float begins at 10 a.m. with the last drop off at 1 p.m.
Food will be provided for all registered participants at Arrow Tap in Marathon from noon to 4:30 p.m. Send any questions by message via Facebook page.
S tratford Stratford YA Book Club
The Stratford Young Adult Book Club will meet on Thursday, May 9 at 5:30 p.m. to discuss “The Book Thief” by Marcus Zusak. Set in 1939 Nazi Germany, this beloved novel is about the ability of books to feed the soul even in the darkest of times. Those itnerested can join in person or virtually. Call 715-687-4420 for more information.
