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- August 4, 2022
August 4, 2022
Administration
No Mow May Impact Report
What is No Mow May (NMM)? - NMM is a community initiative encouraging property owners to limit mowing during May. This provides more foraging resources for pollinators at a vital time, especially in urban landscapes when few floral resources are available. With more resources available for pollinators, there is an increase in bee abundance and diversity. Mowing less can also lower water usage, reduce emissions & noise from gas powered lawn equipment.
2022 Multicultural Fair
The City of Sun Prairie will hold its annual Multicultural Fair on Saturday, September 17 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sheehan Park. The purpose of this event is to honor and celebrate the different cultures that live in Sun Prairie by bringing the community together for an experience of unique foods, performances, activities, and more.
Clerk's Office
Election Day!
Mark your calendars! The August 9, 2022 Partisan Primary is just a week away! There are several races on the ballot. To find out what’s on the ballot and where you vote, visit https: //myvote.wi.gov/en-us/
As a reminder, the City of Sun Prairie will be utilizing 8 polling places for the 2022 Partisan Primary, which will be held on August 9, 2022.
• District 1a (Wards 1-3) - Colonial Club, 301 Blankenheim Ln
• District 1b (Wards 4-7) – City Hall, 300 E Main St
• District 2a (Wards 8-10, 28-29) - Heartland Church, 800 Wilburn Rd
• District 2b (Wards 11-13) – United Methodist Church, 702 North St
• District 3a (Wards 14-17) - Sun Prairie Public Library, 1350 Linnerud Dr
• District 3b (Wards 18-21) – Living Water Church, 3075 Prospect Dr
• District 4a (Wards 22-24) - Westside Community Service Building, 2598 W Main St
• District 4b (Wards 25-27) – Focus Church, 411 N Thompson Rd
Visit MyVote.WI.Gov to find your polling place.
Community Spotlight
CapitalLand Music Festival
Come #outside for the the 4th Annual #capitallandmusicfest on Saturday, SEPTEMBER 10th at Sheehan Park in Sun Prairie, WI
This year's guest will be the #beautiful #sultry sounds of #Artist Roe , #Soul #Smooth #Voice of #RecordingArtist Kevin Ross, #GrammyNominated artist Ro James.
CLMF will be equipped with Food vendors, VIP meet & greet, games and fun, so come prepared;
whether you're #lookingforlove, meeting up with #friends or just want to get the #family out the house. MARK YOUR CALENDARS for a #greatnight of #goodmusic and a much needed #sweetrelease...but you #alreadyknewthat
See You September 10th | 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. | Sheehan Park 925-1375 Linnerud Drive, Sun Prairie, WI 53590
Sun Prairie Corn Fest
Come celebrate at the Sun Prairie Corn Fest, our largest community gathering from August 17th – 21st. This is the 69th annual festival which pays tribute to our agricultural history by serving 80 tons of fresh Wisconsin-grown Sweet Corn! Each ear, is steamed, rolled in butter and lightly salted to your desire. The festival also multiple live bands, La Movida broadcasts live, food carts, Corn Hole tournament, carnival, kid’s activity center, family entertainment stage, beer shelter, meet Alice in Dairyland and more! This year, the festival kicks-off with a parade down historic downtown immediately followed by music by The Dirty Birds. Come dine, dance, shop downtown and celebrate the opening of Corn Fest. A detailed agenda is at www.sunprairiecornfest.com If you have guests coming to town, the Sun Prairie hotels are offering a special discount when you call and mention Corn Fest! Corn Fest proceeds are shared by several non-profits which supports our youth, Veterans and the community year around. Come join in our community celebration!
Parks, Recreation and Forestry
Recreation Department
The Sun Prairie Parks, Recreation & Forestry office is open: Monday – Friday 8:00am-4:30pm, or by phone at (608) 837-3449 or by email at rec@cityofsunprairie.com.
Announcements
Fun Prairie
Fun Prairie is a place where all are welcome, and everybody is encouraged to take advantage of all of the FUN to be had in our community! On June 21, 2022, through proclamation, Mayor Paul Esser changed the name of the City of Sun Prairie to the City of FUN Prairie for the month of July. Visit the Fun Prairie Website to check out all the activities planned for the month of July and where to buy Fun Prairie T-Shirts.
Fall Rec Guide out now!
Fall Rec Connection is now available to view online at rec.cityofsunprairie.com. Fall registration opens on Tuesday, August 16th at 9:00 a.m.
Sun Prairie Family Aquatic Center Passes
Family Aquatic Center season passes, and discount punch cards are now available to purchase. To purchase, visit Purchase Season Passes
WPRA Discount Tickets On Sale Now!
Tickets must be purchased in person and payment with cash or check only.
“Recreation is for Everyone” Scholarship form!
Come join us for fun and enriching programs available for the whole family! Requesting a scholarship is easier than ever with our NEW online form! This easy, streamlined form provides "no questions asked" financial access to SPPRF programs.
In order to request the Recreation is for Everyone Scholarship you must be a resident of Sun Prairie or enrolled in the Sun Prairie Area School District.
For questions or assistance contact us at 608-837-3449 or visit Recreation is for Everyone Scholarship Information
- Scholarships cover 50% of enrollment fees on most programs
- No formal documentation is required for approval of financial assistance
- Online submission with approvals within 2 business days
Important Dates:
Concerts in the Park
Upcoming Programs Not to Be Missed:
Drive-In Movie: Hitch
Join us at Angell Park at dusk on Friday, August 12th for a date night and watch Hitch! For further information, click here.
Upcoming Programs Not to Be Missed:
August 1st – August 30th
5:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Registration Ends: 8/30/2022
Join Ryan Grimes Karate staff for this introduction to karate!
August 1st – August 30th
8:00 – 8:50 p.m.
Registration Ends: 8/30/2022
Join Ryan Grimes Karate staff for this introduction to karate!
Skateboard Lessons - Intermediate
August 22nd – August 25th
5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Registration Ends: 08/15/2022
Build off of what was learned in the beginner session and take your skating to the next level! Learn more advanced tricks and develop a greater confidence on your board.
Note:
-Standard "Pill Shaped" skateboards only
-No penny boards or longboards (hard to maneuver and learn tricks)
-Metal trucks only
-58mm wheels or smaller
-Boards must have grip tape
American Red Cross Babysitter Training
August 27th
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Registration Ends: 08/20/2022
This training provides kids, ages 11-15, with the information and skills necesary to provide safe and responsible care in the absence of parents/guardians. This training will also help participants develop skills in leadership, professionalism, basic care, safety, safe play and first aid.
All sessions cover the same material.
Please bring a sack lunch.
Public Safety
Sun Prairie Police Chief Appointed to Homeland Security Council
Governor Tony Evers has appointed Sun Prairie Police Chief Mike Steffes to serve as the Wisconsin Police Chiefs Association Representative of the Homeland Security Council.
The Wisconsin Homeland Security Council is a 16-member, non-statutory council tasked with the responsibilities of advising the governor on issues related to the state’s homeland security, coordinating state and local threat prevention and responses, and providing information regarding status of the state’s homeland security in Wisconsin. The Council works with local, state, federal, and tribal agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private industry to improve preparedness to threats to the state. Appointments of members are made by the governor.
The chair of the Council is the Adjutant General, who also serves as the governor’s homeland security advisor. The Council has created the Homeland Security Strategy Workgroup and Cybersecurity Subcommittee that meets in between council meetings to focus on establishing strategic goals. Non-member representatives from agencies and organizations such as the Wisconsin National Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and others attend monthly meetings to contribute expertise to security efforts.
The inception of the Council began with former Governor Jim Doyle in March of 2003 by executive order. Originally, the Council was made up of seven members until 2013 when former Governor Scott Walker expanded it to 16. It has continued by executive orders issued from subsequent governors.
Chief Steffes will attend his first meeting in September. He will serve a term that expires at the will of the governor.
To learn more about the Wisconsin Homeland Security Council, please visit https://homelandsecurity.wi.gov/.
Sun Prairie Fire & Rescue Public Education Events
Summer has been full of fun visits to local groups to talk about fire safety, summer safety and firefighters
Have a group that would like to visit the Fire Station or have a visit from the Fire Department? Contact us to schedule.
Amigos en Azul
Youth Academy
We are very excited to announce that the Sun Prairie Police Department will be hosting our fourth annual Youth Academy. This free, five-day academy will run from August 22nd through August 26th from 8:00am until 3:30pm and will be limited to incoming 7th, 8th, and 9th grade students. Lunch and snacks will be provided. Participants will learn about conducting traffic stops, interviews, interrogations, evidence collection, laws, and will take part in mock police scenarios. We will also be partnering with Sun Prairie Fire and EMS to teach Life Saver CPR, hose deployment, fire knockdown, and other firefighting skills. This event will take place at the Sun Prairie west side police department (2598 W. Main St. Sun Prairie WI, 53590).
Please send an e-mail of interest to Officer Sessums at rsessums@cityofsunprairie.com by Saturday, August 10th. We will review nominations and choose 30 students to participate in this amazing opportunity. Participants will need to sign a waiver and will be contacted with more information. You can reach out to Officer Sessums with any questions. Thank you and we hope to see you soon!
Celebrate James “Frank” Smith and his 25 years of service
On August 1st, 2022, members of the Sun Prairie Police Department and representatives from the city and agencies from around the state attended a ceremony to celebrate James “Frank” Smith and his 25 years of service to the Sun Prairie Community. Frank was hired with the Sun Prairie Police Department in 1997 and served in the roles of police officer and detective.
Throughout his 25 years of service to our community, Frank was known for his attention to detail, tireless work ethic, and commitment to his investigations. He was a phenomenal detective and provided mentorship to many officers and fellow detectives.
Frank was awarded Officer of the Year in 2000, the Chief’s Award in 2008 and 2017, and the Distinguished Service Award in 2017. Frank also served in the United States Marine Corps.
We wish you the best in your retirement, and we cannot thank you enough for all of your years of service!
Sun Prairie Community School’s 10th Anniversary Celebration
On July 28th, Sun Prairie Police Officers attended Sun Prairie Community School’s 10th anniversary celebration. They enjoyed their time dancing with the families there.
Sun Prairie Media Center
CANDIDATE FORUMS ON KSUN
The Sun Prairie Media Center is pleased to make two candidate forums available for viewing this summer before voters head to the polls for the Democratic primary election being held on August 9. The election is to decide the Democratic candidate to replace Rep. Gary Hebl as the Wisconsin State Assembly representative for District 46.
The five candidates vying to succeed Hebl are Syed Abbas, Analiese Eicher, Andrew Hysell, Mike Jacobs, and Melissa Ratcliff. The winner of the primary will face Republican Andrew McKinney in the general election on November 8.
All five candidates have participated in both candidate forums. The first, taped at Sun Prairie’s senior activity center The Colonial Club, was held on July 12. The second taped on Friday, July 22, was held at the Sun Prairie City Hall’s Council Chambers. “Sun Prairie News” anchor/producer Dan Presser moderated the initial forum, while “Talk of the Town”’s Don Hooser and Chris Mertes will moderate the second.
Both forums are available for on-demand viewing at sunprariemediacenter.com/ksun-on-demand as well as on the SPMC’s Roku and Apple TV channels and their mobile app. Broadcast times on KSUN’s Spectrum and TDS channels can be found at sunprairiemediacenter.com/ksun-schedule.
For more information on the election, head to cityofsunprairie.com. For more information on the Sun Prairie Media Center, please contact staff@sunprairiemediacenter.com or go to sunprairiemediacenter.com.
KIDS-4 Registration Now Open for 2022-2023
Here’s your child’s chance to write and produce their own videos by joining the one-of-a-kind KIDS-4 program! KIDS-4 is an after-school media production program run by the Sun Prairie Media Center designed for SPASD students in 4th through 8th grade.
In KIDS-4, students are trained in many areas necessary to create their own television and video productions including cameras, lighting, sound, directing, producing, writing, editing, and animation. While students work with adult staff, their creativity is unfiltered and their work is entirely their own. By creating their own media messages, students become smarter and more critical consumers of others' media messages. Students enrolled in KIDS-4 work after school once a week in ‘crews’ and their work airs on KIDS-4, a 24-hour public access station available on Charter, TDS, Roku and Apple TV devices, as well as streaming on kids4.tv and on the free Sun Prairie Media Center app. Some projects will also air on 103.5 The Sun Community Radio.
Registration for new crewmembers opened on August 1. KIDS-4 Registration is available online at www.kids4.tv/kids-4-signup-info/ . KIDS-4 will host an open house on Monday, August 15 from 4-6pm. On that day, interested students and families will get the opportunity to tour Sun Prairie Media Center and meet the KIDS-4 staff. The final deadline for registration submission is on September 16. Please keep in mind that registration numbers are limited for this program.
-KIDS-4 Registration Information: https://www.kids4.tv/kids-4-signup-info/
-Open House: Monday, August 15 from 4-6pm
-Contact Sun Prairie Media Center with questions at: 837-4193 or Rachel at rpackard@cityofsunprairie.com
-Program Fee = $150 for Members and $180 for Non-members. Price includes a t-shirt, crew poster and USB drive complete with child’s produced work. Scholarships available for those who qualify.
Please visit kids4.tv for more information.
SPHS FOOTBALL COVERAGE SET TO KICK OFF
Sure, late August means that summer is winding down. But look on the bright side: Football! And this year thanks to the introduction of the Sun Prairie Wolves, the SPMC is featuring double the football!
The Sun Prairie Media Center is pleased to announce that KSUN, KIDS-4, 103.5 FM The Sun Community Radio, and sunprairiemediacenter.com will be the places to tune to for live coverage of home and away Sun Prairie Cardinals AND Sun Prairie Wolves high school football games this fall.
All games are scheduled to be broadcast live on KSUN (Spectrum cable channel 983, TDS channels 13 and 1013), KIDS-4 (Spectrum channel 984, TDS 14 and 1014) streamed on sunprairiemediacenter.com, on the KSUN Roku and Apple TV channels, and on the free-to-download Sun Prairie Media Center app, and aired on 103.5 The Sun Community Radio.
Following live coverage, games will be made available on sunprairiemediacenter.com for on demand viewing.
The season will be a historic one as Sun Prairie fields two teams for the first time, and the Sun Prairie Media Center will be there every step of the way with announcers Mike Powers and Bill Baker with the call for the Cardinals and Jamison Rabbitt and Steve Sabatke with the call for the Wolves.
“We are super excited at the Media Center to be part of this inaugural season for the Sun Prairie Wolves and to be able to bring every Wolves and Cardinals game to our home audience,” said SPMC director Jeff Robbins. “We always encourage fans to go to the games live, but we know that isn’t always possible, so we are happy to be partnering with the SPASD to bring the best video and audio coverage we can.”
(Note that the SPMC is currently under negotiations with Charter Spectrum and TDS to launch another channel. Should a third channel launch, coverage will move off KIDS-4 to the new channel. There will still be video and audio coverage on the other entities.)
The SPMC is seeking business sponsors for 2022 coverage. Interested sponsors can sign up online at sunprairiemediacenter.com/sponsorfootball.
For a current schedule of football and other programming, please go to sunprairiemediacenter.com/ksunprograms. The schedule is subject to change.
Sun Prairie Public Library
Ends August 31, 2022
Log your reading time and complete activities to earn virtual badges. Every badge you receive earns you tickets to enter into prize drawings! Track your reading and other activities via Beanstack: https://sunprairiepubliclibrary.beanstack.com/reader365. As you log your reading and activities, you earn "badges" and enter to win prizes. Drawings for all prizes will be held at the end of the Summer Reading Program. Winners will be notified by telephone or email the week of September 5 and must pick up their prizes at the library. Not able to participate online? Stop by the Information Desk for a paper reading & activity log.
Virtual Book Club With Author Lauren Fox
Wednesday, August 10 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Join us for the rare chance to attend book club with the author! Lauren Fox, author of this summer's Sun Prairie Community Read, will join us via Zoom to co-facilitate an intimate discussion of her book, “Send for Me”. This virtual discussion will be held via Zoom. To receive the Zoom log in information, please register on our Events Calendar at https://sunprairie.librarymarket.com. Space is limited.
Tuesday, August 16 6:30-7:30 p.m., Library Community Room
Door County Wisconsin boasts one of the highest concentrations of lighthouses of any county in the United States. With its lengthy coastline, much of it rocky and treacherous, mariners of long ago relied heavily on these sentinels for safe travel. All of the county’s 11 lighthouses will be explored, with special emphasis on Cana Island—Door County’s most visited lighthouse. Archival and contemporary photography will be a highlight of the program. Presented by Barb and Ken Wardius, both of whom have researched extensively and written several books about Wisconsin's incredible lighthouse history.
Ribbon Cutting Event
Tuesday, August 23 at 4pm, Sheehan Park
The permanent Story Walk at Sheehan Park West will be installed during the month of August. The inaugural book to be displayed is “Sophie's Squash”! There will be a ribbon cutting on Tuesday, August 23rd at 4:00 p.m. Pat Zietlow Miller, author of Sophie's Squash, is our featured guest!
Wednesday, August 24 6:30-7:30 p.m., Library Community Room
The Madison Area Ukulele Initiative (MAUI) returns at long last to bring cheer and jaunty tunes to our community as the summer starts to wind down. Their music makes for a fantastic family fun night and all ages are encouraged to attend! This evening is funded by the Friends of Sun Prairie Public Library.
Thursday, August 25 6:30-7:30 p.m., Library Community Room
Tom Jones, an enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation and co-author of “People of the Big Voice: Photographs of Ho-Chunk Families by Charles Van Schaick, 1879-1942” as well as the co-curator for the exhibition and contributing author to the book, “For a Love of His People: The Photography of Horace Poolaw” for the National Museum of the American Indian, will join us to present Native Peoples of Wisconsin. A professor of photography at the UW-Madison, Jones’s photographs can be found in the collections of the National Museum of the American Indian, the Chazen Museum of Art, the Nerman Museum, Polaroid Corporation, Sprint Corporation, and Microsoft.
SPPL Foundation Launches "Next Chapter" Capital Campaign
100 Extraordinary Women (100 EW) is an initiative that gives every woman the power to do something extraordinary by supporting an expanded and renovated Sun Prairie Public Library. This unique and impactful initiative will launch the "Next Chapter" Capital Campaign for the SPPL Foundation and raise a minimum of $100,000 in gifts & pledges, and ignite a core of support, all while informing people about this important project. Learn more about the 100 EW initiative and find out how you can get involved by visiting the website: https://www.sunlibfoundation.org/100women