Property of the Week

This week's featured property is ranch home on Skinner Creek.

Unparalleled style at any price!

This 2 year old, 3 bedroom ranch home has an enormous, bright and open great room with a large stone fireplace. The dramatic formal entry is a lovely way to enter your home every day or greet your guests. Your family will appreciate the oversized closets in all bedrooms, and the 2x6 construction with R19 insulation rating will help keep the utility bills low all winter.

This home is located on 2.57 acres with both woods and pasture. Nature lovers will love looking out there windows and gazing at deer and wild turkeys drinking out of Skinner Creek as it moseys through your land. You will be walking distance to Cadiz State Park and just a couple of minutes outside of Monroe.

Asking price is $189,000.

Things to Do around Monroe, WI

~ A new exhibit is opening in Frehner Gallery at the Monroe Arts Center. Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made Of..." is the exhibit title, and it features acrylic and watercolor media by Beki Borman, and sculpture by Darlene Wesenberg Rzezotarski. The opening reception is Thursday evening from 5 until 7 pm in Frehner Gallery, and the artists will be speaking at 5 pm. You can also preview the art that will be available during the MAC spring silent auction. These pieces will be on display, and you can also pick up tickets to the Taste of Spring event taking place on May 4.

~ Young Professionals of Green County is doing a Beer and Cheese tasting at Baumgartner's on Thursday evening starting at 5:30 pm. Registration is technically required, but contact Lori and maybe you can sneak in. $15 to sample at least 5 beers and 7 cheeses.

~ Bring the kids to Kookaburra's on the north side of Monroe's Downtown Square on Saturday from 11 until 4 to meet the Easter Bunny! Feel free to bring your camera and get some photos too.

~ "Godspell" opens this weekend! Monroe Theatre Guild is putting on an energetic and exciting performance of this Broadway hit musical. MTG does an amazing job on all of their performances, and "Godspell" will be no different. I have had the pleasure of listening to some of the rehearsals, and "Godspell" is gong to be a fantastic production. Show times are April 3, 4, 9, and 10 at 7:30 PM and April 5 and 11 at 2 pm in the Monroe High School Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $10 for members, $12 for non-members for evening shows or $8 matinees for everyone. Check out the upcoming classes on the MTG website as well. There are some great workshops coming up for both adults and children.

~ Inn Serendipity will host a Sustainable Living Workshop on Saturday, April 4 from 1 until 4 pm. The half day workshop will cover buying farm property; sustainable gardening; using renewable energy; developing a diversified business from a rural setting; raising a family on the farm. It will also include resources to get started and a hands-on tour of the farm, gardens, a straw bale greenhouse under construction and various renewable energy systems. $30 per person includes instruction time, a copy of John's book The Least Imperfect Path, and printed materials.

~ End the week with a bang! Central State Fireworks will be showing off their products at the Stephenson County Fairgrounds on Saturday evening from 7 until 9:30 pm.

~ There will be a lot of live music in the area this weekend. Tofflers in New Glarus is featuring The Midwesterners on Saturday night. Baumgartner's in Monroe is hosting The Rowdy Prairie Dogs also on Saturday. The New Glarus Hotel is having music by Steve Meisner Band on Friday evening. Roadhouse in Monroe will host Mississippi Man on Saturday evening. Turner Hall will have Dick Strauss Big Band at their Dance and Dine on Sunday afternoon.

~ Blackhawk Technical College is hosting Renewable Energy Alternatives: Smart Choices to Fuel Our Future, a discussion hosted by Young Professionals Dan Harrigan and Dusty Williams. It will be on April 8 from 12:30 until 1:30 in room 413 of BTC's Monroe Campus. Snacks and beverages will be provided.

~ Plan ahead for the Bel Canto singers concert, MTG Classic Movie Night, Depot Days, Poetry on Tap, culinary classes, Tai Chi demonstrations, the Quilt Show and much, much more happening in April.

Is it any wonder I laugh when people say there this nothing to do around here?

Sharpen those pencils!

The Brodhead Chamber of Commerce is working on a grant to bring a Smithsonian Exhibit, “Key Ingredients: America by Food” right here to Green County.

The Chamber Director, Lea Brookman, is writing the prosposal, and the chamber needs to public's help too. No, they are not looking for sponsors or money. All they need is some local people to write letters of support.

Only six communities in Wisconsin will have the opportunity to host this traveling exhibit, and having it here in Green County could be a potential tourism boon for Brodhead. The exhibit focuses on food, and that is certainly something we know about in this area!

The letters should focus on support for bringing the exhibition here as well as ideas for programs that local businesses, service organizations and community groups could do to complement the exhibit. Major parts of the exhibit focus on the history of food systems, farming, kitchen gadgetry, and markets. There are great opporunities for groups in the area to tie the exhibit in to our rich dairy and cheesemaking history, our family farm history, and other local specialties.

Since applications will be chosen not only on geographic distribution of the proposed sites and the physical display space but also the demonstrated local commitment and proposals for complementary programs, your letter of support and your ideas could make all the difference in bringing this Smithsonian exhibit to Brodhead.

Please write a letter and send it to Lea Brookman by April 9, 2009. If you are writing on behalf of a local organization, please consider including what your group does, how it fits with the project, what your group could contribute to the experience of the exhibit, and any proposed programs (like educational ideas, tours, whatever!).

Making a lasting impact

Over on our website, Monroe Area Real Estate, we proudly display two balloon logos. One is the Re/Max balloon, naturally. The other is one that we are especially honored to display.
The Children's Miracle Network is a very worthy charity. It is one that we support, along with the rest of our office here in Monroe. Re/Max Towne Square has earned the designation of "Miracle Network Office".

If you have ever bought or sold a home, chances are your realtor gave you a small gift at the closing table. A plant, a bottle of wine, magazine subscription, food goods. Luis and I tend to avoid these goods. Instead, we give something that has a more lasting impact.

We take part of our commission and give a generous donation to Children's Miracle Network in our buyer or seller's name.

Thank you to all of our clients over the last year. You have helped us to do our part in Re/Max US and Canada giving eight million dollars to Children's Miracle Network in 2008.

Property of the Week

This week's featured property is a contemporary home in Monroe.

Don't miss this fabulous contemporary home!

If you are like us, you know you have driven by this home and wondered what it was like. It does not disappoint. Quality shows, and right away you will notice the quality construction used to when making this home. Come inside and enjoy the combination of today's decor along with fashionable retro styling details.

The large open living space has a soaring vaulted ceiling with the fireplace taking center stage as it reaches all the way up. This space is bright and sunny with a wall of atrium windows, perfect for bringing in reluctant winter sun to life your spirits or nurture delicate plants. The roomy kitchen has granite counter tops, a built-in eating area and hip cork floors. The three bedrooms and two bathrooms are all generously sized. Downstairs, a finished basement awaits. Entertain the entire extended family or let the teens and kids hang out in this large area. The large lot is in a great location near the schools.

If cookie cutter ranches are not for you and you enjoy quality homes with well planned details, you must come see this home.