Curiouser

Smile and say "cheese;" our next guest is teacher-turned-award-winning-photographer Tim Koll. Tune in to hear about Tim's active youth, the two criteria that led him to choose Waupaca after being downsized out of a teaching job in Minnesota, how he met his lovely wife and business partner Adriana, and what it takes to capture great photographs.

Saturday's guest grew up on a farm outside of New London and experienced first grade in a one-room schoolhouse. She had a career in video production, working in television and doing corporate video work before moving to Waupaca, where she decided to become involved in education. These days you might see her in a community theater production or singing in a choir. She's interesting, she's funny, sh...

Question: What do these things have in common: Tides, Storms, and Sue Krasniewski Abrahamson? Answer: They are all forces of nature.   Listen to our interview and learn about the roots of Sue's predilection for fighting a good fight, how she ended up in Waupaca, and what she's doing now that she's no longer leading children's programs at the Waupaca Area Public Library .

This man was born in East Chicago, but spent his formative years on a resort property near Eagle River. He took on rowdy college students as a bouncer at the same bar where he met his wife, Mary. He intended to pursue paper science when he entered college, but instead, he chose to major in math and earn his teaching certificate. The lives of those he has taught, as well as our community, are bette...

Some people are just special. Kate Drury is one of those people. Her well of experience, knowledge, compassion, and wisdom is extraordinarily deep, perfectly equipping her to be what she is - a lawyer helping defendants seek justice. Such a pleasure to interview Kate.

As a teenager, Marty Milner would visit his father in California, and while there, would visit record stores, looking for New Wave and HipHop music. He would buy CDs and bring them back to Wisconsin, introducing his friends to music that hadn't yet made it to the Midwest.   Years later, Marty opened Back to the Vinyl - Waupaca , where he continues to introduce people to music they've not heard and...

Speak with Larry Thomas and you get a sense that he is like a spring loaded with energy made up of thoughts, experiences, and stories ready to be told. The result is an interesting conversation that probably could have gone on another hour.

This week's guest was born on a homestead that could have been the set for Little House on the Prarie, was a Division 1 Pole Vaulter for the University of Minnesota, once raised animals for school science classes, built two of the homes his family has lived in, including his current residence, and so much more.

This, from our introduction to this week's guest: "...if she were a car, she’d be an old Jaguar E-Type convertible. She’s long, lean, full of charisma, and has needed more than her share of repairs along the way."   We had a gas interviewing Ali from Iola (a.k.a. Ali from Iola, ofthe Iola Car Show ), and you'll have fun listening. Two options:

If you live within 50 miles of Waupaca, chances are you have a friend or relative who was helped into this world by this week's guest. Jane Crawford-Peterson is more than a midwife; she is a legend among midwives, having played a role in training, certification, and legislation in Wisconsin and beyond.   Such an interesting and wonderful person, and a great and inspiring interview.

She is fluent in Russian, has worked to promote international trade for Wisconsin busnesses, to reduce homelessness in Wisconsin, and to promote democracy in countries around the world. Now she's the Director of Community and Economic Development for the City of Waupaca. She's Julianna Stohs, and she's our next guest on Curiouser.

Great conversation with Mike Hawthorne, the President and CEO of Waupaca Foundry . Listen to learn about Mike, why he feels at home in a small town like Waupaca, the career path that led him here, and what makes Waupaca Foundry globally competitive.

A wonderful interview with talented singer-songwriter and now children's book author Hillary Reynolds. Learn about Hillary's connections to Waupaca, and how she's charted a path that includes coffee shop gigs, touring with a band, working as a studio musician, and co-writing a song that was featured on a Grammy-nominated album and performed at the Grammys.   Hillary recently released "Changing Sea...

Mark Flaten is the Superintendent of the School District of Waupaca. Listen to learn how a day working out in the cold changed Mark Flaten's plans after high school, how international travel during college changed his outlook, how a desire to impact learning changed his career trajectory, and how he's taking on the job of leading the School District of Waupaca.

John Meyer is the Principal of the Waupaca Middle School. Listen, and you'll likely conclude: "Wow, are we lucky to have this man leading our Middle School!" Genuine. Pragmatic. Driven. Compassionate. Those are words that come to mind when reflecting on our discussion.

This week we interview two adventuresome souls, Julie Foote and Steve Wilson. They've been educators in five different countries, allowing them to experience five different cultures. The result? They have interesting perspectives to share and great stories to tell.

Sam Woolsey is a expert practitioner and terrific representative of his noble profession, plumbing. It is a profession without which we could not live modern lives as we do, free of many communicable diseases that threaten health and life.   Listen to Curiouser to hear how Sam was destined to be a plumber, and how he's putting his expertise to work helping the Navajo Nation address sanitation chal...

After high school, Richard Sweitzer took a job working at Pine Ridge nursing home in Waupaca. A chance meeting with an employee of a local radio station turned into a career as an on-air personality at WDUX.   Several years into his career, Richard enrolled at UW Stevens Point and decided to major in English. A class in creative writing fit into his schedule, and soon Richard discovered he had a k...

How often do you get to talk with a modern-day blacksmith who also happens to be an entrepreneur and proprietor of the W. J. Doran Company. We had great fun talking with Luke Philip Schwiesow, and if you like geeking out a bit on things like blacksmithing and building stuff, you will too.

Kyle Knoke - yet another example of a person our community is so fortunate to count among its citizens. Talented, interesting, and most importantly interested in making a contribution to culture and quality of life. Among other things, Kyle is the Founder and Program Director for Jazz Coterie , which brings top jazz performers to Northeastern and Central Wisconsin. Learn about Jazz Coterie and sta...

We are fortunate to have Jeff Dolski providing guidance to kids at Waupaca High School. His life experience, education, philosophy, and personality combine to make him uniquely suited to connect with students and provide the advice and encouragement they need.

Tim Lencki is the owner of Adventure Outfitters in Waupaca. We talked with Tim about his youth in Waupaca, why he chose to build his career here, and of course, about what makes Waupaca such a great destination for lovers of so-called silent sports.

Every job has dignity, and every person deserves the opportunity to experience the dignity of a job. That's why it's worth celebrating that Opportunity Development Center ( ODC, Inc. ) has recently established a new location in Waupaca. In this interview, we talk with Erin Smith, CEO of ODC Inc. to learn more about her and the work of ODC.   Visit the ODC Inc. website to learn more about their pro...

Melissa's career is a journey of helping people. In her current position as the Manager of Waupaca County's ADRC (Aging & Disability Resource Center) she continues to help individuals and families with information and resources that help them make the most of their lives. Visit the ADRC Waupaca web site to learn about their programs and services. 

In our interview with Carol, the Executive Director of the Waupaca Arts Hub , we learn that she grew up in Tucson, how an ambitious but poorly-planned adventure toward a new life after college resulted in Carol moving to Wisconsin, how her ambition to work in a museum was ultimately fulfilled, what's going on at the Arts Hub.