Stories you might have missed from across Wisconsin.
Oshkosh: Vietnam Travelling Wall to be on display October 10-13.
If you’ve had the honor of seeing the Vietnam War memorial in Washington DC, you know what a moving experience it is. If you haven’t seen the memorial in person, you have a chance to see a replica next weekend in Oshkosh. Sons of the American Legion Squadron 70 will host the “Traveling Wall” from American Veterans Traveling Tribute Oct. 10-13 at the Sunnyview Expo Center. The replica is eight feet tall and 360 feet long. The memorial and it’s travelling counterpart honor U.S. service members who served in Vietnam and southeast Asia as well as those service members killed in the region and also service members who were unaccounted for during the war. The Oshkosh Northwestern reports that the Travelling wall is scheduled to arrive on October 9 and be escorted under colors by a Vietnam-era Huey helicopter, American Legion Riders and local police and fire departments. The Travelling wall is open to the public and free of charge. Full Story
Hayward: Man sets fastest known time for paddling a solo canoe down Wisconsin River.
The Wisconsin River is 430 miles long. A Hayward man decided he would travel the entire length of the rive in a solo canoe. Not only that, but he would try make the trek faster than anyone in history. Kyle Parker, who grew up in Green Bay and now lives in Hayward succeeded in setting an unofficial record time. It took Parker five days, 19 hours and 57 minutes to paddle down the river in a solo canoe. The 23-year-old was physically and emotionally exhausted when he finished in the early morning hours of Sept. 11. The record is unofficial, and these kinds of efforts are known as fastest known times, or FKTs. Parker told the Press Gazette “It took about five days for my muscles to get back to normal.” Parker shared his experience on his Instagram account. people were curious about the journey, growing his following from 4,000 to 12,000. He’s always loved the outdoors. “During high school was when I really found a passion for the outdoors. So all my friends and I would go hunting and fishing together.” While he was in college at UW-Stevens Point, Parker landed a job at an outfitter for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area which is where his love of canoeing started. Full Story
Nekoosa: Giant Pumpkin Fest this weekend.
October is here and our attention turns to all things Fall and Halloween, especially pumpkins. The folks in Nekoosa like pumpkins, but not your run of the mill gourds. No, they love and celebrate giant pumpkins! The Nekoosa Giant Pumpkin Festival returns this Saturday and Sunday at Riverside Park. Not content to just celebrate and showcase giant pumpkins, food and craft tents will be on-site. Also, a carnival will open at 9 a.m. both days of the event, an Antique Tractor and Small Engine Show will be held Saturday and a Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show will be held Sunday until 4 p.m. But Giant pumpkins are the star of the Fest, so the Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off will open registration at 7 a.m. Saturday for the 10 a.m. weigh-off. and a pumpkin rolling contest will be held at 1:00 Sunday. How big can pumpkins grow? The World record Pumpkin weighted 2749 lbs. and was grown in in California in 2023. The Wisconsin State record belongs to Josiah Brandt of Rudolph who grew a pumpkin that weighed 2,185 pounds. That’s the real great pumpkin Charlie Brown. Full Story
