Steven Helmer Publications

It's going to be a full Easter weekend this year because we will also be having our annual ice show at the local skating rink. This is a relatively big deal because, thanks to COVID, we had to cancel last year's show and, up until about November, we weren't sure if this would happen. Even now, we did have to make some changes to the show to allow for proper social distancing. We normally have about 400-500 people in attendance at each of the shows. This year, we are limiting that number to 200. We are, however, livestreaming the final performance, April 3 at 4 p.m. CST. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here:  2021`Swan City Ice Skaters' Annual Ice Show-Animation Station Tickets | Eventbrite

Just sharing again for those parents in Beaver Dam and the surrounding communities: The Beaver Dam Swan City Ice Skaters have opened registration for their summer camp and class session, which will be held June 25-August 27 at the Beaver Dam Family Center, 609 Gould Street, Beaver Dam. Children 3 years of age or older are encouraged to take a break from the heat and learn a skill they will continue to use when they are adults. Classes are 30 minutes per week and parents can choose either Monday or Wednesday evenings. Kids can use their own skates or borrow a pair from the Beaver Dam Family Center. The cost is just $60 and includes 30-minutes of class time per week, an hour of practice time per week, a basic skills workshop and an end-of-session pizza party. SCIS is a parent-run volunteer organization and is a member of US Figure Skating. Classes are taught by experienced professional coaches at a fraction of the cost of private skating schools and follow a tiered structure that lets ...

My boss handed me a flyer for the web site www.volunteerdodge.net  and I had an opportunity to check it out. As it turns out, it looks like it is a great idea. Basically, the idea behind the site is area non-profit groups can post their volunteer needs and people looking to make a difference can fill those holes. It's an easy way to bring wannabe volunteers together with the groups that need them. In fact, I'm thinking about sharing it with our skating rink since we can never seem to find enough help.

My wife and I ended up going with the kids and my parents and spent probably about 7 hours there in total (the kids and my parents left a couple hours earlier than that). Overall, I have to say I was a little disappointed by the experience. Don't get me wrong, the county fair is still a decent deal. It was just $7 per person to get in and that includes being able to see the band (last night was The Oak Ridge Boys) when they perform at 8 p.m. It's just we weren't really feeling it this year. Part of the reason for it was definitely the weather. It rained yesterday morning and we had a few heavy showers pass through, sending us into shelters and making us reluctant to let the kids ride the rides in the midway. Another big part of it is there just didn't seem to be as much to do this year. There was no petting zoo for the girls and a smaller variety of vendors to visit (not to mention less free stuff at those vendors). Heck, as my wife pointed out, there were fo...