LIL' BUDDY'S BLOG - LAST SUMMER FLING? ESCAPE TO WISCONSIN!
THE CHICAGO REAL ESTATE MARKET, AND OTHER THINGS CHICAGO, FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A LITTLE WHITE DOG!
Pull up a couch cushion folks, and let's share a bone or two!
Hey you dogs, can you believe that the Summer of 2007 is nearly history? All those hot, humid days of panting while walking down the street, sniffing those trees, hydrants, and roadside trash barrels, all offering just a bit more pungency in the hot weather. Those hot, furry babes wearing dog-shorts and open-paw shoes! Don't know about you, but I'm going to miss all of this when it's 10 degrees around here, in just a few short months!
Well, there's one last fling we can all have - with the help of your humans! Have them scrounge together a hundred bucks or so, fill up the car, and just head north - over the border, to Wisconsin. My Daddy, Team Leader Dean, said they developed a slogan many years ago - "Escape to Wisconsin!" Even today, judging by all the weekend traffic on the Tri-State Tollway near the Illinois-Wisconsin line, hundreds of people still head north to escape.
My friend Christine Nyholm just compiled a list of September Festivals in Wisconsin - some just over the border, some further north, but all worthy of consideration while the weather is still pleasant.
First and foremost, north to south, Wisconsin offers the September Traveler incredible autumn vistas of trees ablaze with color as their leaves turn. You just have a few weeks to see this wonder of nature, however - and here are the best spots to view autumn's colorful splendor.
The Indian Summer Festival on Milwaukee's Lakefront, at Henry Maier Festival Park ( the same place we dogs go each summer for Summerfest), takes place on September 7th through the 9th. Themed, "One Drum, Many Voices," eleven Indian tribes will be honored at the largest American Indian Festival in North America. There will be an authentic Pow Wow, fireworks, and five stages of entertainment.
Further west, on the banks of the Mississippi River, you'll find tiny Pepin, WI, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Days, September 8th through the 9th. Ms. Wilder wrote the Little House novels in the 1880's, and her books along with the area served as inspiration for the Little House on the Prairie TV series. Commemorating the pioneer spirit of Wisconsin in the 19th century, the event features an authentic trading area, with artists creating arts and crafts of this bygone time. There will be music, too, including the 6th Annual Old Time Fiddler's Contest!
Cedarburg, WI hosts it's 35th Annual Wine and Harvest Festival, September 15th and 16th. There will be a Farmer's Market, art shows, a weaving demonstration, lots of sheep and llamas, hayrides, grape stomping and apple bobbing, and a new museum of quilting. Visit the Cedar Creek Settlement for wine tasting and and winery tours.
Bet you didn't know the State Fruit of Wisconsin? It's the little cranberry! More than 100,000 flock each year to the Warrens, WI Cranberry Festival, this year on September 28th through the 30th. You'll find souvenirs from local vendors, craft items, great food, and even Cranberry Bog Tours on the weekend. The annual Warrens Cranberry Parade will be held, rain or shine, on Sunday, September 30th, beginning at 12:30 sharp!
The 15th Annual Cornish Festival in Mineral Point, WI on September 28th through the 30th, features the locally-famous Pub Night at Pendarvis, in town. The annual Taste of Mineral Point and all kinds of Cornish entertainment are also in store.
All this sounds like a lot of fun for a Little White Dog! Thanks for the info, Christine - I'll gather up the pack and head north while the weather still cooperates.
BTW, do me a favor and put your paws together - my Mommy and our Team Member, Sue Moss, is having a very special birthday Friday, September 7th. (Coincidentally, this is also the birthday of my mentor and musical hero - the immortal Buddy Holly!) Mommy would kill me if I told everyone how old she is, but, suffice it to say, Chevys had fins the year she was born, first class postage was three cents, a gallon of milk was about 80 cents, a new car - $2,300, and you could find a mighty fine house here in Chicago for about $17,500.
I'm only TWO YEARS OLD, you know, and she is A LOT OLDER than me - I can't even COUNT the DOG YEARS involved!
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU (WOOF!), HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU (WOOF!), HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR SUSIE (WOOF, WOOF, WOOF!). HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU (WOOOOOOOOFFFFF!)"
YOUR ACE REPORTER ON FOUR PAWS,
BUDDY HOLLY MOSS
