It happens every year, right around this time. A big sigh of relief coming from my office in downtown Monroe. So big, it might be heard all the way up in Attica or down south where the Badger Trail crosses into Illinois. The reason? I’m celebrating the fact that the latest edition of the Green County Visitor and Activity Guide is off to the printer.
Producing the county guide is a time-consuming project. I start in November by reaching out to advertisers. In December and January, I’m revising content, gathering photos and writing new copy. This is followed by phone calls, emails and text messages to get ads finalized and approved.
My partner on this project is Justin Johnson of Perception Graphics, who works from his office somewhere near Darlington. We never meet in person and rarely call. Instead, we go back and forth with ideas, along the way generating hundreds and hundreds of emails and attachments as we fine tune front and back cover, articles, pages, community sections and finally, the entire layout.
Working with Justin has been a joint venture for at least 10 years, so we’re well acquainted with each other’s working styles. If I say “fix the chad” he knows to adjust some vertical spacing in the text so we don’t have one lonely word bumped to a final line of its own at the end of a paragraph. (It’s a reference to the notorious “hanging chad” controversy of the 2000 presidential election. Google if you’re not familiar; it’s a real thing.) “Give it some air” means we need more white space. It’s a work in progress through most of February and into March.
As with past guides, the 2019 edition contains many photos from Brenda Steurer, along with an assortment of images from Sue Moen and a few others. Photos are selected, cropped and perfected. If this was a movie, some would hit the cutting room floor to be replaced by better, brighter or more engaging images. If I have a perfect shot in mind for a special page, we’ll create it. Case in point is “Swiss Chicks;” Marian Kundert and Martha Bernet holding wedges of Swiss cheese on the introduction page for Monroe.
This year I was pleased to bring freelance writer Marian Viney on board to develop some feature stories. She dug in to the latest developments with the Pearl Island Recreational Corridor in Brodhead, crafted a sweet piece on the volunteer legacy of New Glarus resident Peter Etter and also tells the tale of the Junction Jammers and their accordion adventures.
I’ve been following New Generation 4-H club’s Facebook page for several years. As I interviewed general leader Debbie Myer, I found myself in awe of her ability to make 4-H be so much a part of the family and the community.
Within the guide, you’ll also find stories on the new “animal print” signs at New Glarus Woods State Park, the music mecca that is Bullquarian Brewhouse and the many good things that happen when Monticello goes fishing for volunteers.
After the guide goes off to the printer, but there’s still work to be done. Advertiser invoices, shipping logistics and local delivery to stock copies at advertiser locations and visitor hot spots for the upcoming tourism season. And as my “fall color reporter” duties with Travel Wisconsin come to an end next October, I’ll be thinking about 2020.
— Noreen Rueckert is director for Green County Tourism, executive director for Green County Cheese Days, and co-chair of Main Street Monroe’s Concerts on the Square. She refuses to name her favorite cheese, but it is rumored to be Feta. She has the best office in the county — overlooking Monroe’s downtown Square from the tower of the Historic Green County Courthouse. She dabbles in photography and graphic design, adores cats and coffee, and secretly loves the Cheese Days Song.
