Last month, the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin Center for Dairy research announced this year's class of Wisconsin Master Cheesemakers. Among the five graduates from the esteemed program was Denmark native Ben Shibler.

On Friday, April 14th, Brady Bellow and Eric Allen participated in the Green Bay All City Jazz Band.  They were selected from the Denmark High School jazz students to represent Denmark in this inaugural jazz experience that included 22 students from 8 different schools.  They definitely proved their great love of music and their musical abilities by preparing six college-level charts in one practice together.

Last Sunday, April 30, the Bellevue Snow Diamonds held a booyah fundraiser at the Eaton Town Hall in Poland. The sale, which began at 10 a.m. and ran until the booyah was all sold, was a huge success with many community members coming out to get a warm bowl of soup on a cold and dreary day. All proceeds raised by the Snow Diamonds will go to the needy and the handicapped.

Last Tuesday night, All Saints Catholic School in Denmark hosted their annual Art Show. The show took place in the school’s gymnasium and was a chance for students to showcase their artistic talent for their friends and family! The event featured displayed artwork and a musical performance from students as well as refreshments provided by the event’s sponsor, Catholic Financial.

Last Tuesday afternoon, the Friends of Neshota Park held their annual park clean up. From 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., volunteers from the organization assembled at the park just north of Denmark to go about the necessary hard work to spruce up the park and prepare it for the upcoming busy season. Volunteers picked up brush from the winter, raked off the grass and got the park's picnic tables out of storage for the season.

If you have driven by the water tower in Denmark over the past few weeks, you will probably have noticed the fast progress being made on the new structure being erected next to the tower. The new building will house the new pump station that will serve as a link for the Denmark community to the Central Brown County Water Authority's (CBCWA) system.

If you were driving down the eastern portion of North Avenue last week, you may have noticed a strange sight. Throughout last week, a large red portable tower--accompanied by a fleet of trucks and a crew of workers--could be seen making its way up and down the street between Danish Way and the Denmark High School soccer fields stopping for long periods of time at a number of places leading traffic to be reduced to one lane.

With spring comes that special season that bargain hunters look forward to every year, rummage sales. As always, the official "rummage sale season" in our community kicked off with Maribel's sales last Friday and Saturday. The sales are an annual tradition for many in the community and this year’s went off without a hitch.

Last Friday, April 21, students and staff at Denmark Elementary School teamed up to pull off an extraordinary feat weeks in the making. That morning, they assembled and set into motion a massive domino chain of over 1400 cereal boxes that weaved around the hallways of the school's first floor before culminating in an elaborate finale in the gymnasium.

Last week, the Denmark Early Childhood Center staff, students and parents all took part in the Week of the Young Child with special activities and events throughout the school week. The Week of the Young Child is celebrated in schools nationwide and organized by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

The next entry in our monthly "Local Eats" series is Wander Springs, located just over ten miles from Denmark near Wayside. While not as historic as other eateries like Suster's, Wander Springs has made itself a staple of the Denmark community by providing top-notch food and drinks along with their world-class golf course.

Over the past eight months working for The Denmark News, I have had the privilege to see first-hand all the amazing things happening in our community, as well as the awesome people and organizations that make them possible. This experience has left me feeling extremely hopeful for what the future holds for our town and its people. So many in our community want what is best for everyone and are willing to put in the hard work necessary to accomplish it.

After an entire year of fundraising and preparation, the Denmark High School band and choir classes joined forces for a week-long educational performance tour to Pittsburgh, PA and Washington DC this spring. The first stop for the 103 travelers was the University of Pittsburgh, where students worked with music instructors Dr. Brad Townsend and Dr. Susan Rice in personalized clinics for both band and choir.

Last Thursday, April 20, from 7:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. the Denmark High School Student Council was hard at work putting on a special yearly event. That day, they partnered with the American Red Cross to host their annual Blood Drive in the multi-purpose room of the high school. All morning, over 60 donors, consisting of DHS students, staff and a few visitors, helped save lives by donating much needed pints of blood.

Last Wednesday, April 19, OneDenmark held a special meeting with special guests at Suster's in Denmark. That night, the group hosted their second "bright spots" get-together aimed at bringing together people who are making positive change in the Denmark community.