Letters to the Editor

Dear editor, It is with great pleasure we announce Kris, and Brian Stoddard as the next in line of families through the years that have had the opportunity to own Arthur’s Supper Club.  Our families have been working together for almost a year on transferring a truly family-owned Wisconsin supper club. Kris and Brian will do a fantastic job of caring on the tradition of Arthur’s.  They have the full support of all the Kaul family.  Mary Pat, and I were so excited for Kris and Brian the day of our closing and transferring the ownership of Arthur’s, but it is also somewhat sad. It seems like a short time ago that Mary Pat and I were eating at what is now known as Arthur’s, and I said to her, wouldn’t it be something to be part of this restaurant and own it someday?  I knew at the time that would probably never happen, as we were newly married. But then about 25 years later we were able to purchase Arthur’s from Barb Fitzgerald. (A dream come true...) We made some changes early on. With the decision to be open for Mother’s Day.  We were slammed. Mary Pat and I found ourselves doing dishes and working as fast as we could to keep up.  My wife turned to me and said, “SO IS THIS YOUR DREAM COME TRUE BUD?”  I will never forget that... She was so supportive as we grew together, and made changes, like the drive-thru window.  It was a big chance at the time. The night it started; we had a fair number of skeptics in the bar.  A supper club with a drive-thru window, really? Honestly, I was not sure myself, but I felt there were some people who really wanted Arthur’s but needed the convenience of the drive-thru. That opening night saw a line of cars wrapped all away around the building. We also added a banquet hall, for weddings, remodeled most all of the building, started live music on Fridays, and then as we needed more space with the patios, and extended the banquet hall. During this time, we also added waterfall dining room, and the bar.  My daughter Jenny, and her husband Jack Coppernoll, took over the day-to-day operations about 10 years ago, and we are thankful that it gave us more time to be together and to travel.  We made the decision that it was time for us to move on, and we started working on finding someone with the passion, dedication, and experience that it takes to run a supper club.  We really wanted it to remain family owned and as a supper club.  Our goal was keeping it an integral part of the community that I love. Kris, Brian, and family are the communities Arthur’s family. Our family could not be more pleased. They have our total support. To all of our team throughout the last 25 plus years I cannot express my gratitude enough for your work, and friendship. There are so many people to thank, that I would miss someone if I tried to name you all. You will forever be in our thoughts as we discover what is next for us.  Jenny, Jack, Michele, Troy, Melissa, Wes, grandkids, and great-grandkids mom and I are so blessed to have you working with us in all our ventures.  We just celebrated our golden anniversary (50 years).  Mary Pat, thank you for putting up with me all these years. So, I started with this novel about how excited we were for the Stoddard at the closing on Arthur’s.  It is now time for them to start their Arthur’s journey and put their family imprints on Arthur’s. To all our friends, and guest through the 25 plus years, again thank you is not enough. Please give the Stoddard’s the same unconditional support at Arthur’s Supper Club that you have done for us for the last quarter of a century. Congratulations to Kris and Brian Stoddard family, Spring Green’s new Arthur’s owner and operators. John, Mary Pat Kaul family Bear Valley   Dear editor, We must improve the COVID-19 vaccination rate in our community. It’s time. Everyone eligible should receive the COVID-19 vaccine.  We see first-hand the toll the COVID-19 virus is taking on area hospitals. Sauk Prairie Healthcare’s inpatient units as well as our emergency room are extremely busy with both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 cases. The situation is further complicated by limited availability for transfers to skilled nursing and rehab centers – and this is creating a difficult bottleneck. This recent surge and high rate of hospitalizations throughout our region demonstrate that everyone must do their part to help our fellow community members get safely through this pandemic. It’s not only about keeping people safe from COVID19, but also about ensuring critical beds are available for those who are otherwise sick or injured. To repeat, the number one thing each of us can do to help the situation: get the COVID-19 vaccine.  Anyone age 12 or older is eligible, it’s free, it’s safe, it’s effective, and it’s easy to get. And I encourage anyone with concerns, or anyone believing they just don’t need to get the COVID19 vaccination, to speak to a healthcare professional. Another place you can find more information is www.saukprairiehealthcare.org. For those still on the fence, here is information that many find useful: • Vaccines are safe and are not experimental. Far from being experimental, these mRNA vaccines are the result of decades of research. They were tested on tens of thousands of volunteers from a wide variety of backgrounds before becoming available to the public. We can have confidence in their safety. • Vaccines are vital to slowing the spread. The vaccines available in the U.S. are vitally important in slowing the spread of an extremely contagious disease. And with the Delta variant, slowing the spread has become more important than ever. • There is no evidence of fertility problems from the vaccine.  There is currently no evidence that any vaccines, including COVID19 vaccines, cause fertility problems in women or men. • Those who are pregnant are urged to get the vaccine. Last month the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised the COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant and lactating Americans, as well as those considering pregnancy. Pregnant and recently pregnant people are more likely to get severely ill with COVID-19 compared with non-pregnant people. • Pfizer has full approval for its vaccine  The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has granted full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID19 vaccine. Remember, children 12 years and older can get this vaccination. As the situation continues to be fluid, we are making changes to help our community at Sauk Prairie Healthcare. We have expanded our Urgent Care hours and are open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day of the week. Our goal is to ensure patients can quickly access and receive essential healthcare services. I’m so proud of our extraordinary team and how focused they are every day to provide personalized, high-quality care even during the incredible demands caused by this recent surge. We are 19 months into the global pandemic, and they have each sacrificed and carried a heavy load since day one. I am truly inspired and thankful every day to witness the level of care and compassion shown to our patients and each other.   And finally, thank you to our communities, whose continual support and encouragement are the fuel that has kept our engine running for so many months. We’re humbled and proud to serve and protect you.  I leave you with this: I am still optimistic with a reason for hope – this pandemic will end but the length, the level of damage to our physical and mental health, and the toll on the vibrancy of our communities depends on each of us and our actions right now.  It is more important than ever to do all in our power to slow the spread of the disease.  I ask that we continue to work toward the common goal of defeating COVID-19 and ending this pandemic. Ensuring a larger percent of our population is vaccinated is a vital step to achieve this common goal.  Shawn Lerch CEO of Sauk Prairie Healthcare    Dear editor, Need a good belly laugh?  I hadn’t had one in a looong time,   (thanks to COVID, isolation, illnesses  etc.) but last night I saw American Players Theatre’s (APT) current production of Taming of the Shrew and laughed through the entire show.  It was SO much fun and our actors are beyond amazing in it!  If you’ve seen a previous production you’ll enjoy this one even more!  It’s indoors at the Touchstone theater and tickets are available. Call soon. You’ll be glad you did! Jan Swenson Arena Editor’s note: APT has announced that proof of full vaccination or proof of a negative COVID test within 72 hours before the performance are required to enter the theater. Masks are required in all indoor spaces.