We Live Up Here

Last weekend was the Kentuck Day Festival, a festival held in Crandon each year that celebrates Forest County's early settlers from Kentucky. It’s been held every July for the past 48 years.

In the week leading up to the festival, there was something new added this year, though: a Kentuck Heritage Day Camp. Mackenzie Martin has the story.

The focus of the Kentuck Heritage Day Camp is to share the history of Forest County with the younger generation. Nine kids participated in the camp, ages 9-12.

As part of our new We Live Up Here feature series, we're telling stories about the people and culture in northern Wisconsin. 

Today, Northwoods resident Jim Brown has a story about how some old fashioned crank style telephones keep his family connected.

Crank callers were once considered a nuisance…but you might say my wife and I are proud to wear the title today.

That’s because a pair of old-fashioned crank-style telephones keeps our family connected in a very literal way. The grandkids love these things!

A unique art exhibit has been the focus at ArtStart Rhinelander for the last few weeks.

Mackenzie Martin has this report from the opening reception in June.

Over the past two years, Karen Bondarchuk has found more dead birds than at any other time in her life. The exhibit at ArtStart Rhinelander through August 18 is called - And by the Wind Grieved - and it’s all recreations of dead birds, both sculptures and paintings.

The number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder has been going up over the years.

Locally, there is a center in the Northwoods that aims to help children on the autism spectrum by using something called behavioral treatment… and they’ve recently expanded to Rhinelander.

Mackenzie Martin has the story.

The space located in Rhinelander’s Riverview Hall looks like a typical preschool with toys and books scattered about. There are some things that help you realize it’s a space for kids on the autism spectrum, though.

This is the story of two ambulances and a resident in Boulder Junction who felt compelled to help out a small Alaskan town a few weeks ago.

Mackenzie Martin takes it from there.

Living in the Northwoods, we often feel like we live in small towns.

In part one of our series on death care in the Northwoods, we talked to a local funeral director about green funerals and how his job has changed over the years. Today, we’ll hear about those who are choosing to have their funerals at home.

WXPR’s Mackenzie Martin reports.

The death care industry has undergone a lot of changes in recent years and it’s more than just that formal burials are down and cremations are up.

In the first of a two part series about death care in the Northwoods, we’ll hear about green funerals and how the job of a local funeral director has changed. WXPR’s Mackenzie Martin reports.

So it turns out, there are a lot of options when you’re planning a funeral, a lot more than there were 20 or 25 years ago.

Have you ever felt like you’re talking to someone, but they just aren’t reading your body language?

The New York based dance company the Equus Projects will be performing “The Breaking Ring” at ArtStart in downtown Rhinelander this weekend and they’ve made a name for themselves by listening and responding to the way humans — and horses — move.