This holiday season, The Denmark News organized our 3rd Annual "Best Lights in Town" Christmas light decorating contest to determine who has the biggest and brightest display in the greater Denmark area. We began our quest by compiling a list of must-see displays before photographing each display to compare and determine a winner. 

While The Denmark News is no stranger to big interviews, last week, we secured a sit-down conversation with the most famous figure to ever grace our pages. Besides Jesus himself, no figure is as symbolic to the Christmas season than the one and only Santa Claus. Thanks to some Christmas magic, we were able to meet with Santa in person to share his thoughts on the Denmark area and the Christmas season in general.

Over the past two weeks, a number of local groups of caring volunteers have found ways to spread a little love--and Christmas cheer--to those less fortunate. In the lead up to the big holiday, parishioners from All Saints, Faith Formation students and staff from St. James, and Lions from both the Maribel and Denmark Clubs undertook their own care package initiatives, each with their own unique touches.

This year, we partnered with Denmark Elementary School first grade teachers and their students to share their biggest gift requests for Christmas morning. This year, first grade boys seem to be hoping for video games and legos, while first grade girls are more interested in Labubus, UGGs and makeup.

On Thursday, just a week before Christmas Day, crowds filled the Denmark Performing Arts Center (PAC) for two back-to-back performances that showcased the musical talent of some of the community’s youngest students. That night, the Denmark Elementary School (DES) first and second grade classes presented their annual Christmas concerts under the direction of DES music teacher Tammy Carley.

On Tuesday night, the Denmark Middle School (DMS) gymnasium was filled with people and the sounds of the season as all three of the school’s bands presented their annual winter concerts. Both individual and group talent were showcased during the concerts with each grade level delivering holiday hit after holiday hit under the expert leadership of Director Bill Dennee.

It started with an e-mail in mid-November:  “Texas cat located near you.  E-mail me for details.”  Pam Watzka, our Office Manager, thought, “Another scam - a new twist to the ‘free puppies to a good home - e-mail me for details’ scam.”  She pressed “Delete”.

The majority of last Monday's Denmark School Board meeting was spent analyzing and discussing this year's Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) School District Report Cards. District Director of Teaching Lance Grishaber provided an in-depth presentation on the 2024-2025 results, what they mean and how they will be used.

During last Monday's Denmark School Board meeting, two new classes were presented for the 2026-2027 school year. Board members were asked to review, and ultimately approved, a retooled Personal Finance class as well as a brand new course--Global Issues in Agriculture.