NEW GLARUS — In early October, the 2.2 acres of green space adjacent to Candy Cane Park was listed for sale by Shepherd of the Hills Church. This green space has served as an extension of Candy Cane Park for well over 50 years and is widely utilized by children and families in the community throughout the year. 

In particular during this time of year, “Kittleson Hill” or “Killer Hill”, which is what the area youth affectionately refer to it as, acts at the sledding hill for the entire community, often drawing 50-plus children, parents, and grandparents on a sunny, snowy weekend afternoon.

In an effort to preserve the green space, a group of current and former residents of New Glarus have come together to form New Glarus Cares Community Foundation, Inc. The idea to raise money via crowdfunding to purchase the land was first floated on the “Save Killer Hill” Facebook page, which had been previously created when the New Glarus Library Board was considering the same land as a potential site for the new village library.

Deb Carey, Founder/President of New Glarus Brewing Company, and the Only in Wisconsin Giving Foundation, already had Candy Cane Park on their radar as the park equipment has been in need of replacement for a number of years, but the funding keeps getting cut from the Village of New Glarus annual budget. 

When the adjacent land was listed for sale, the Foundation expanded its focus to include saving the green space in the middle of the village.

On Nov. 9 at the Village of New Glarus Parks & Recreation meeting, Deb Carey shared with the committee and concerned citizens in attendance that she had an accepted offer on the land, contingent on the Village of New Glarus accepting the land as a donation and agreeing to maintain it as green space for future generations to enjoy. The only ongoing maintenance required is tied to mowing with an estimated annual cost of $2,600. 

The Committee members seemed interested and generally supportive of the idea but made it clear that with current budget constraints, the village is not in a position to contribute funds toward the purchase price.

Carey stated during the meeting “I am here on behalf of the Only in Wisconsin Giving Foundation. I want to make it clear to the village that I have no desire to own and maintain this land or develop it in any way. My intent is to help facilitate the fundraising efforts by giving the community group time to raise the necessary funds while protecting the property from other interested parties who want to develop that land.”

Those attending the Parks & Recreation Committee meeting were excited to hear about this gracious act by Carey and the Only In Wisconsin Giving Foundation. 

Members of New Glarus Cares in attendance indicated that they had collected over $20,000 in pledges to date without much effort as they wanted to ensure that the village was open to accepting the land as a donation before they moved ahead with collecting actual donations and holding fundraising events. The group thanked Carey for her commitment to the community but emphasized that it’s now up to the current and former residents of New Glarus, to step forward and help raise the money needed to fund the project.

New Glarus Cares Community Foundation, Inc. is a non-stock, non-profit corporation and is in the process of completing the application and filing the necessary documents to achieve 501(c)(3) tax exempt status as a charitable organization. The group has begun collecting donations and has a number of upcoming fundraising events planned, including a tent at the New Glarus Christkindli Market, Dec. 2-4, and a table at the Nov. 26 and Dec. 10 Sip & Shop events at Bailey’s Run Vineyard. 

Carey through the Only in Wisconsin Giving Foundation, has agreed to match all funds raised by the New Glarus Cares group to support both the preservation of the land and the replacement of the Candy Cane Park equipment.

As the Christmas season approaches, New Glarus Cares asks the public to consider making a donation to support its efforts to save this vital green space in the village and revitalize Candy Cane Park. Checks can be made out to New Glarus Cares Community Foundation, Inc. and mailed to The Bank of New Glarus at 1101 Hwy 69, Suite 11, New Glarus, WI 53574.  Online contributions can also be made through their website: https://www.newglaruscares.com/.

Interested residents can also consider attending the 7 p.m. Dec. 6 Village of New Glarus Board meeting to show their support for the cause and encourage village officials to vote to accept the donation of land and agree to maintain it as green space for the children and families of the community.

Note that until the application for 501(c)(3) status is approved, New Glarus Cares cannot guarantee the tax deductibility of donations, but if the IRS ultimately approves the application, the tax exemption will be retroactive back to the original date our foundation was established.