A BARB to Green County Fairs Committee.> You would think the company you hired to supply the rides would have been in better shape. Handles were broken and covered with tape, as were cracks on small children's rides. Rides were rust-covered and paint-chipped - at $3 a ride for four tours on the ride. I think this was more a robbery than what we pay for gas a gallon. If this is an example of how our country's traveling carnivals are maintained, it's no wonder children are being hurt. Parents should veto all rides at carnivals until inspections are made proclaiming their safety. - A great-grandparent watching over the safety of our children.>
This is in response to the person who gave a BARB to people who shop out of town>, stating they did it for "Snob Appeal." For those who wear suits, you cannot buy a suit in Monroe. We purchase a lot of books throughout the year; Monroe has no bookstore. Our family does a lot of cooking and baking - some cooking implements and ingredients cannot be bought in Monroe. In short, in our case, we shop out of town because of necessity, not for snob appeal. A town the size of Monroe cannot possibly carry everything your average educated, cultured person requires. - Discriminating shopper (submitted and posted online at www.themonroetimes.com)>
A Blossom to Jeff Ditzenberger> for the comments you put in the paper. I enjoy them. A Barb to The Monroe Times> for not printing the 4-H fair results for Green County. - Country Hearts>
A Blossom to the Brodhead BID Board.> They set up and host free summer concerts in the park (and have done so for years!). Different music every Sunday evening ranging from jazz to country to irish bands. Money well spent to keep people in town and a very relaxing way to end the weekend - Anonymous (submitted and posted online at www.themonroetimes.com)>
A Blossom to The Red Apple Restaurant> for remodeling the outside and adding tables where you can sit next to a new decorative fountain and enjoy your meal outside. - Anonymous>
A big barb to the Green County Fair .> In general, this was probably the lamest fair Monroe had in long time. There wasn't half as many rides for the kids to ride on, and I know this community is a supposed older community, but why can't we get a rock band in here or get some of our local high school or adult bands from the area to play? There are many talented bands in this area. I mean I admit Little Texas did a nice job; they put on a good show, but why cant we get one big headliner band in and charge people to watch? It's not going to scare people away if they got to see a headliner band for $13. But I will say there were some good things at the fair and that was all the exhibits and animal exhibits. We have many talented kids in the area and i think 4-H is a great program to get kids into. It keeps them busy and they get to meet many new people. Next thing to the person that was complaining about the kids in the beef barn that were having a water fight, grow up. You were a kid once we all were there just having fun and enjoying themselves like kids should. Calling the Green County Sheriff's department over to stop it ain't going to do much. What. are they going to arrest a bunch of 12-year-olds? - Kyle Gumtow (submitted and posted online at www.themonroetimes.com)>
I would like to give a big Wildcat Blossom to the Monroe Park & Rec., the Monroe Swim Team, the various sponsors and especially the lifeguards> for the High School Musical day at the pool this week. Your hard work and even injuries paid off as all the kids kept their head in the game and had a fabulous time. A nice job as well to whomever wrote the script for the event as it's not that easy to bring Mrs. Darvus up in a conversation. Once again this just shows that the City of Monroe has one of the best Park and Recreation Departments around and should be commended. - Rob McCarthy (submitted and posted online at www.themonroetimes.com)>
A blossom to Kelly Haworth> for bringing to our attention the plight facing people with Downs Syndrome and their families. I don't know if it is true discrimination or lack of education. I have a good friend who has a brother with Downs and he is a pretty awesome guy. Always says hi, always gives me a high five and tells me I look good. Never asks for anything in return. I hope Ms. Haworth that this was an isolated case and that we all learn to treat one another a little better. Also a Blossom to the Lions Club> for making the family feel more comfortable. A blossom to Spring Grove Dairy and The Monson family> for donating the money they paid for Kim Forrester's steer to the Tyler Forrester Memorial. Tyler was a big part of not only his sister Kim's life, but also to many of us here in Green County. Once again Green County shows why this is one of the best places to live. A blossom to Dan Powers, Cal Shaver, Dave Koning and Paul Beach> for doing the auctioneering for the 4H livestock auction. Also a blossom to all the guys and gals behind the scenes> who helped the kids get their animals on the stage or in the ring. And a blossom to all the trucking companies> who donated their time to haul the cattle out after the auction. And last but not least, to all the area businesses and families> who supported our youth and once again helped have an excellent auction and help our youth raise money on their projects and on the Dairy Youth Auction. A blossom to Carrousel Farms, Don Witt, Nathan Hartwig, Steve Digman and numerous others> who did an excellent job of keeping the animal waste off the fairgrounds. Also a blossom to Sloan Implement, Studer Super Service, Carter and Gruenewald, Washington Implement and Eastside Farm Equipment>, (in no particular order by the way) for providing equipment to help with clean up the fairgrounds, move things around and keep the track in tip top shape for the Badger State Tractor pull and for having equipment on display for people to look at. A blossom to the organizers of the Kids Tractor pull> ... the Badger State guys better watch out ... there are some strong little pullers out there!!!! It was awesome to see all the little ones who gave it their very best and they all walked away with a smile on their face. A blossom to Steve Digman and his behind-the-scenes people> for setting up the corn play box area. Every time I walked through the building that had it there was at least a dozen kids in there having an absolute blast and playing together. Although I did see a couple parents trying to put corn in their pockets I think to re-sell it ... just kidding. Hope to see more of those kinds of great ideas coming to other events. And finally, a huge enormous bouquet of blossoms to all the 4H groups and FFA kids> for doing an excellent job keeping their cattle looking good, the barns in tip top shape and for practicing good sportsmanship and having good fun. We hear enough about the "bad kids," however, I think we have way more good kids in Green County then we do bad ones. - Jeff Ditzenberger>
