He had been encouraging me for some time to visit him up at his "Other Big Al's Hideout" in Wisconsin's Northwoods. Something always seems to interfere, but as time goes by, I'm increasingly aware that "some day" better be soon, else it may never arrive. So I finally head north.
Monroe High School classmate Alan Hixson, the "Other Big Al," is really not physically big - if anything, he's shorter than I am. The "other" is to distinguish him from a past summer resident of the vicinity, Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone. The notorious Chicago mobster, er, "businessman," claimed to provide a "service," through his bootlegging, and sundry "services" during the prohibition era. There was some gunfire and related mayhem associated with his "services" in Chicago, but the term "collateral damage" had not yet been invented.
Capone seems to have remained unmolested by Sawyer County law enforcement types when frequenting his Northwoods hideout. He wasn't breaking any laws there, at least any that the authorities chose to notice. And even if he were, one can imagine some serious downsides to interrupting the respite presumably needed by the original Big Al. He wasn't shooting up the place or stealing money. To the contrary, he was leaving some Chicago money in the Northwoods.
The current "Big Al's Hideout" is on a scenic bay of the Chippewa Flowage. The Flowage is a 15,300-acre impoundment created by a dam on the Chippewa River. (In the west, this would be referred to as a "reservoir.") The dam, constructed against the wishes of the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe (LCO), was originally designed for power generation, but now also serves as a resort area known for its excellent fishing.
The Flowage has some 233 miles of shoreline of which about 50 percent is owned by the state, 12 percent by the U.S. Forest Service, and 30 percent by the LCO. Only some 8 percent is privately owned, which means there are few commercial resorts, and most of the shoreline is undeveloped.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Forest service, and the LCO have cooperated to form a long-term management plan to protect natural features of the flowage and to provide uniform regulation. The ultimate objective is to perpetuate the undeveloped shoreline character of the flowage.
Big Al, the current one that is, took his wife, Delores, and me on a pontoon boat voyage around a good part of the flowage. It was unusually hot that day, but with the motion of the boat, the breeze was refreshing. We could see loons diving for fish and herons with their long legs dotting the shoreline.
I was surprised at how few boats were out that day. Al reminded me of the paucity of privately held land compared to the far more crowded and densely developed shorelines in the Eagle River area of northeastern Wisconsin.
Earlier that day, Al took me over to the local public radio station on the reservation, WOJB, where he hosts a radio program on Saturday mornings. He introduced me to another local radio host, Eric Schubring, who has a past history with Monroe's own WEKZ. It's a small world.
Eric spoke fondly of his experiences at WEKZ and his admiration for then-manager Joe Urban. When during a live interview Joe asked him his political views, Eric replied truthfully, if somewhat naively, "Well, Democratic" a pause, "even somewhat far left Democratic." Joe, a hard core Republican, was taken aback. What's this - a Democrat, gasp, even a far left Democrat, working for the radio station owned and run by Republicans, in a town owned and run by Republicans? Joe quickly recovered from shock and painted it over like the real pro he was, "Well, as Winston Churchill said, we expect youth to be somewhat liberal, but they get more conservative as they get older." There was still hope for the young lad just fresh out of Madison.
Hope, but maybe not much. Eric remains a progressive Democrat. He was going to interview me regarding the economy, but scheduling and some current remodeling at the station precluded it. Maybe another time.
In any case, Eric is a refreshing antidote to northern Wisconsin's Tea Party-backed congressman who in 2010 replaced long time Democratic powerhouse, House Budget Committee chair, David Obey. Obey wasn't defeated - he simply saw the handwriting on the wall and didn't run. After all, 2010 was the year that even the capable Russ Feingold went down in flames. It's a good thing that our Tammy ran against Tommy in 2012, not 2010. But I digress.
I always knew that Al was multi-talented with wide-ranging interests. But he surprised me once again. One evening he broke out a videotape from the early 1990s. It was filmed in Sauk City during the celebration commemorating the legislation naming the official Wisconsin song as "the Polka." Sometimes legislatures do something right.
The occasion was narrated by Professor James Leary, chair of the Wisconsin Folklore Program at University of Wisconsin-Madison. The occasion also honored Jim Kirchstein, who founded the CUCA Record Company that produced the largest catalogue of polka music ever.
Performers at that occasion included Vern and Steve Meisner with my longtime friend and neighbor, Gary Hendrickson, performing on the banjo and guitar. That tape also included some takes from an earlier Cheese Days celebration with performances by our own Martha Bernet and Betty Vetterli.
In addition to featuring the performers, that tape shows Al and his wife, Delores, doing the polka at that celebration. It seems weird that I had to go to northern Wisconsin to see that video for the first time.
The Flowage is far enough north that the leaves already show signs of autumn. It's a gorgeous area and it's good to know that the unspoiled natural beauty of the area is being preserved. The "Other Big Al's Hideout" is safe from encroachment.
- John Waelti's column appears every Friday in the Times. He can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net.
Monroe High School classmate Alan Hixson, the "Other Big Al," is really not physically big - if anything, he's shorter than I am. The "other" is to distinguish him from a past summer resident of the vicinity, Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone. The notorious Chicago mobster, er, "businessman," claimed to provide a "service," through his bootlegging, and sundry "services" during the prohibition era. There was some gunfire and related mayhem associated with his "services" in Chicago, but the term "collateral damage" had not yet been invented.
Capone seems to have remained unmolested by Sawyer County law enforcement types when frequenting his Northwoods hideout. He wasn't breaking any laws there, at least any that the authorities chose to notice. And even if he were, one can imagine some serious downsides to interrupting the respite presumably needed by the original Big Al. He wasn't shooting up the place or stealing money. To the contrary, he was leaving some Chicago money in the Northwoods.
The current "Big Al's Hideout" is on a scenic bay of the Chippewa Flowage. The Flowage is a 15,300-acre impoundment created by a dam on the Chippewa River. (In the west, this would be referred to as a "reservoir.") The dam, constructed against the wishes of the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe (LCO), was originally designed for power generation, but now also serves as a resort area known for its excellent fishing.
The Flowage has some 233 miles of shoreline of which about 50 percent is owned by the state, 12 percent by the U.S. Forest Service, and 30 percent by the LCO. Only some 8 percent is privately owned, which means there are few commercial resorts, and most of the shoreline is undeveloped.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Forest service, and the LCO have cooperated to form a long-term management plan to protect natural features of the flowage and to provide uniform regulation. The ultimate objective is to perpetuate the undeveloped shoreline character of the flowage.
Big Al, the current one that is, took his wife, Delores, and me on a pontoon boat voyage around a good part of the flowage. It was unusually hot that day, but with the motion of the boat, the breeze was refreshing. We could see loons diving for fish and herons with their long legs dotting the shoreline.
I was surprised at how few boats were out that day. Al reminded me of the paucity of privately held land compared to the far more crowded and densely developed shorelines in the Eagle River area of northeastern Wisconsin.
Earlier that day, Al took me over to the local public radio station on the reservation, WOJB, where he hosts a radio program on Saturday mornings. He introduced me to another local radio host, Eric Schubring, who has a past history with Monroe's own WEKZ. It's a small world.
Eric spoke fondly of his experiences at WEKZ and his admiration for then-manager Joe Urban. When during a live interview Joe asked him his political views, Eric replied truthfully, if somewhat naively, "Well, Democratic" a pause, "even somewhat far left Democratic." Joe, a hard core Republican, was taken aback. What's this - a Democrat, gasp, even a far left Democrat, working for the radio station owned and run by Republicans, in a town owned and run by Republicans? Joe quickly recovered from shock and painted it over like the real pro he was, "Well, as Winston Churchill said, we expect youth to be somewhat liberal, but they get more conservative as they get older." There was still hope for the young lad just fresh out of Madison.
Hope, but maybe not much. Eric remains a progressive Democrat. He was going to interview me regarding the economy, but scheduling and some current remodeling at the station precluded it. Maybe another time.
In any case, Eric is a refreshing antidote to northern Wisconsin's Tea Party-backed congressman who in 2010 replaced long time Democratic powerhouse, House Budget Committee chair, David Obey. Obey wasn't defeated - he simply saw the handwriting on the wall and didn't run. After all, 2010 was the year that even the capable Russ Feingold went down in flames. It's a good thing that our Tammy ran against Tommy in 2012, not 2010. But I digress.
I always knew that Al was multi-talented with wide-ranging interests. But he surprised me once again. One evening he broke out a videotape from the early 1990s. It was filmed in Sauk City during the celebration commemorating the legislation naming the official Wisconsin song as "the Polka." Sometimes legislatures do something right.
The occasion was narrated by Professor James Leary, chair of the Wisconsin Folklore Program at University of Wisconsin-Madison. The occasion also honored Jim Kirchstein, who founded the CUCA Record Company that produced the largest catalogue of polka music ever.
Performers at that occasion included Vern and Steve Meisner with my longtime friend and neighbor, Gary Hendrickson, performing on the banjo and guitar. That tape also included some takes from an earlier Cheese Days celebration with performances by our own Martha Bernet and Betty Vetterli.
In addition to featuring the performers, that tape shows Al and his wife, Delores, doing the polka at that celebration. It seems weird that I had to go to northern Wisconsin to see that video for the first time.
The Flowage is far enough north that the leaves already show signs of autumn. It's a gorgeous area and it's good to know that the unspoiled natural beauty of the area is being preserved. The "Other Big Al's Hideout" is safe from encroachment.
- John Waelti's column appears every Friday in the Times. He can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net.
