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. 

In our interview with Laine Lazers, former President of Farmers State Bank , we learn about Laine, how he made his way to Waupaca, and the role of community banks like Farmers State in places like Waupaca. It was a great conversation that was both interesting and educational, with lots of Q&A around banking, technology adaptation, managing scams, and more.

As we say in our introduction of this week's guest: "he a sort of modern-day Willy Wonka. He doesn’t make candy, but he does work in a world of pure imagination." His name is Mike Ryszkiewicz, and he and his wife Amanda recently opened Lux Layers , a store that sells 3-D printed models, machines, and supplies in downtown Waupaca.

Oh what a fun interview this was! Tom Johnson is an attorney and Principal of the law firm Werner, Johnson & Hendrickson, but had he made another decision at one point in his life, he'd be running Ding's Dock on Waupaca's Chain o' Lakes. He's got lots of stories...a can't miss interview.

One of those interviews that could've easily gone for three hours. Patrick Wood has led a fascinating life that - among other things - involves living in Peru (twice), fleeing Communist rebels, a career at one of the world's top advertizing agencies, starting his own research and marketing enterprises, and growing a local media company with a strong commitment to local news. Wow!

An important, informative, and timely interview with Austin Moore, Director of Business Services for the School District of Waupaca. The main topic of the show is school funding. If you want to understand why so many schools in Wisconsin are running short of funds, this show will answer your questiions. And of course, we have plenty of laughs along the way.

Wondering what's in store for King Berry Farm ? Listen to our interview with Travis Bremer, the farm and market's new owner.

When Dan led the music and theater program at Waupaca High School, over 300 students participated in one of the school's 8 music programs. Today, he continues to bring music and entertainment to our community as Chair of the Waupaca Fine Arts Festival and Director of the Waupaca Community Choir and Orchestra.

Do you know where your food comes from? Do you care? Tara Roberts Turner, General Manager of the Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative hopes you do know, and that you do care if your food is grown by local farmers.   In our interview, we learn about Tara's life, career, what brought her back to Waupaca, how she and her father Ross helped to start the Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative . Tara also talks about...

It had been just 18 months since we first interviewed James Hamilton , but so much had happened in his career since then that we thought it would make for a good show to bring him back on. We weren't wrong.   It was fascinating to hear what's going on, his journey and rise in the poetry world, and what's next. And, James reads a couple of poems that are simply stunning.

Chris’s day job is serving as Quality Improvement Manager for Rawhide Youth Services, and when not working, he might well be found visiting a coffee shop, drinking and maybe taking pictures of coffee. His wide-ranging interests and interesting history made for a great interview.

Val has always had a heart for service. Tune in to hear her story and to learn how Foundations for Living is helping people in need in our community.