FTR baby! and FRE!…read more (first race ever) The Berry Big Run for the Kids supports the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Ozaukee County which is an independent not-for-profit youth mentoring program that pairs up an Ozaukee County child with an adult mentor who takes an active interest in their life in order foster future success Not counting the Journey to the End of the Night which is more of a giant game of tag across Chicago, I've never run in an actual organized footrace, until this past weekend. I ran with my wife, and we've been looking for a way to pop our race cherries since we're informally training for a half marathon in August 2014. My sister actually told me about this because she registered her and her daughter for it. I planned to do day of registration because I was unsure of whether I wanted to commit to it if I wasn't sure how the weather would hold up. As it turned out, something came up and she was unable to go and was able to transfer her registration to me and my wife. Lucky us! The race started at 0900 and we got there around 820 to pick up our packets. Parking on the street was pretty plentiful, and we were able to drop our stuff back at the car and get back to the starting line at Cedar Creek Park with time to spare. The course is a 5K, which is 3.1 miles. It went straight for a mile, a right turn and straight for another mile, and the last mile was right turn, left turn, right turn, left turn. At 1.5 miles they handed out much appreciated water. The course was run on the street and through the beautiful neighborhoods of Cedarburg, under trees and over bridges. The streets were not completely blocked off however, and there were times when there were cars in the incoming lane driving past us. Seeing the finish lane was the greatest feeling, and did I mention? The weather did hold up. It was cloudy and 76 degrees for the race, and the sun came out afterwards. The finish line was the starting line, so we ended up back at the park for bagels, bananas and water provided by the volunteers. Starbucks and Noodles and Company were also on hand giving away Orange Refreshers and Macaroni and Cheese and Rice Krispies Treats. All racers were also entered into a raffle using their bib numbers and Mel ended up winning a tote bag and reusable Starbucks covered cup. The race coincides with the Cedarburg Strawberry Festival, which is a nice way to recover with carbs and junk food and to cool down those hard-working legs. Looking forward to coming back next year!

This is a serious topic -- hunger and poverty. I recently fell on hard times and had to rely on…read morethis food pantry for groceries and I am swallowing my pride to write about this experience in hopes it helps someone else out there. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. There are still kind people in the world who will help and not judge you. Family Sharing Food Pantry is a wonderful non-profit organization that helps people, like me, when they need it. I was able to call and ask for the help I needed. When I arrived I felt welcomed by friendly volunteers who chatted with me and my service dog. They were kind and pleasant. I was nervous and very ashamed. Nobody made me feel like a charity case or like I was less human. It was just like going to a grocery store. I walked through with a volunteer and got to make lots of choices about the foods available on the day I arrived. I was given so much food that I sat in my car and cried for 20 minutes before I could drive away. I sang songs of praise and gratitude at home because I didn't have to worry about food for an entire month. The Panty sets out to give each client 2 weeks worth of groceries. However, I received so much that it lasted me an entire month. Every meal I made was something that I thoroughly enjoyed. I even received toiletries and dog food for my service dog. I know there are people out there who need help and shy away from asking for it. I know there are people who are ashamed of going to food pantries. I would not brag that I needed help but I would brag that there were kind, considerate, compassionate people at Family Sharing who helped me without making me feel any less human. I am happy to share this review with those who find it. I hope you will share it with someone who needs it. I used to be a teacher. I used to be a soldier. I used to be a social worker. I worked for the City of Milwaukee. I've worked for the City of Chicago. I've volunteered for the Red Cross and I've helped many people all over the world. I've driven food boxes all over the State when I could. I never thought I'd need help myself. I've seen the effects of hunger on children and the elderly. Don't stand by and let someone you know struggle with hunger. Please take them to the kind of people I found at Family Sharing. If they won't go, find a distribution site that gives out boxes and pick up a box to take to them. You could save someone's life and you might not ever know you did so! Family Sharing also has a resale shop on the property. If you want to support their mission. Shop in the resale shop. Volunteer in the Pantry. You never know, one day, the tide may turn! I certainly never thought it would turn for me. I'm so happy that my karma led me to the wonderful people at Family Sharing. Thank you so very much to the people at Family Sharing. Your kindness is so appreciated. I am humbled by your devotion and dedication. I am grateful that you are here and I am so appreciative of what you do. THANK YOU!

I like the store, however some of their prices are more expensive than I can buy it for on EBay…read morewith shipping. I've seen sets of dishes there for months. I would think they'd want to turn over the stuff faster. Some of the workers are very nice, others not so much.

This is one cool place!…read more I've been to two classes here recently and absolutely love what Wellspring is all about. It's a CSA, it's a bed and breakfast, it's a working farm, and it's an educational facility. The classes I took were Introduction to Cheesemaking and Advanced Cheesemaking. Both were taught by Herbalist and Cheesemaker Linda Conroy. And each six hour session was packed with so much great information I could not take notes fast enough. We received an eight page packet full of recipes, food sourcing information, and additional tips and links, which was a good base for our learning that day. In the intro class we learned to make our own butter from fresh (the cow was milked less than 24 hours before the class) dairy cream. It was much easier than I expected and voila, we had butter for our fresh baked sourdough bread that would be served at lunch. The we learned, hands-on, how to make fresh feta cheese. Because the process requires significant drying time Linda had finished product to share - both for our lunch, and to take home. We packed the dense white chunks into small canning jars with sprigs of fresh rosemary and filled the jars with extra virgin olive oil. Linda explained that the rosemary would infuse the oil and the porous cheese and preserve it without refrigeration indefinitely. She also shared variations on the starter recipe to make both paneer and farmer's cheese. Lunch at both classes was the most gourmet of farm to table spreads. We had fresh churned butter on fresh baked salt crusted sourdough. Linda made a delectable egg and vegetable baked and shared many of her fabulous canned goods. There was applesauce, and candied kumquats. Cherries and olives. And everything was divine. The afternoon of the basic class consisted of finishing up our feta and then making a 30 minute mozzarella to take home. The advanced class began with how to make aged gouda and aged cheddar for your home cheese cave. We learned to press the fresh curds into molds and continually extract the whey. After lunch we pulled the cheese from the forms and learned the aging process, as well as flavors we could incorporate into each cheese. Our final project of advanced class was creating squeaky and fun curds from scratch. And as good as those taste you would not believe how simple the process was. And taste testing the warm little nuggets was pretty cool too. I never would have imagined learning all the concepts and techniques that I did, but thanks to Linda and Francie from Wellspring, learning like this is accessible to anyone. I absolutely see myself going back for other classes. Cooking with Herbs, and Brunch Class have peaked my interest right now. But I check their site often to see what new classes have been added and I highly recommend that you do the same!

I signed up for the CSA here this spring b/c I didn't know if there would be any farmers' markets…read moreopen due to Covid. The fact that there were still openings available this late in the season should have been my first red flag--most of the better CSAs are sold out long before this. In a nutshell, while I'm sure these folks MEAN well, the end result has been disappointing, to say the least. First of all, according to the website, I would be able to pick up my box from the dropoff location between 3 AM and 8 PM. As I work 2nd shift, this sounded great; I'd be able to pick up in the morning before work. However, immediately before pickups were to begin, an email was sent out saying we could pick up between 4 PM and 8 PM. This is a problem--I'm at work from noon to 8:30 or 9 PM. A friend was willing to do the pickup for me, so I found a solution, but even though I notified Wellspring that the pickup time was WAY off, I don't think it's been corrected on the site yet. I signed up for a small share, and they're not kidding, it is small indeed. Some of it is what I'd call "junk" produce. I received purslane twice, which, although edible, is a weed and doesn't really require cultivation. I received violet leaves, which are only borderline edible, and the same thing about not needing cultivation. I received "broccoli greens", which are the leaves cut from the broccoli plants, but interestingly, I have not received any actual broccoli. This all gives the impression that the CSA shares don't get the "real" produce, only the stuff that can't be sold elsewhere b/c no one would buy it. I received yellow crookneck squash that had been allowed to get so large that the lower portion was entirely seeds and thus useless; the neck was so tough that it was inedible. I suspect that they allowed gourds to cross-pollinate with their squash, likely not knowing any better. The zucchini also has been allowed to get too big and is mushy inside. I've been receiving onions and garlic regularly, but since these are FALL crops, they haven't been dried/cured so they will keep. I don't consider it a bonus that I get to do that part... The website goes on about the advantage of getting FRESH produce, but much of what I've received appeared to have been harvested LONG before it got to me, or else was indeed harvested recently but stored incorrectly. Within a few days of receiving it, I have to pick slimy bits out of my salad mix. The eggplant I stored in a plastic bag in the fridge has shriveled and gone soft in less than a week. Some of my tomatoes were showing sunken spots when I received them. I don't expect "supermarket perfect" produce, but I don't expect produce that is on the edge of being spoiled, either. It has not been a terrible year for growing, so I don't believe these problems can be put off onto bad weather. I suspect that it's more a failure of knowledge and perhaps labor problems, too. I understand that part of being in a CSA is to help share the risk of bad weather and other crop problems, but this seems to be a very different sort of problem. Overall, the impression is that Wellspring is scrambling every week to find something, anything, to put in the CSA boxes. I understand that organic produce costs more than conventional, but I am quite sure I could go to Outpost and get much more produce (locally grown, organic, better quality) for my money than I'm getting at this CSA. I grew up on a dairy farm and we always had a huge garden. I am VERY familiar with what to expect in terms of quality and freshness from real "garden fresh" produce, and sadly, Wellspring falls short much of the time. I wish the best for everyone there, but I will definitely not be returning, at least not anytime soon.

I randomly heard about this place from a friend on social media. They are not open all the time,…read morebut have special days they open to the public (watch their website/Facebook for details). We took my two year old who recently started enjoying "Choo Choo's" (songs and toys). Wow, this is a local treasure. They don't have a lot of parking, so we came twenty minutes early to get a spot in their lot. You have to sign paperwork, pay a small fee for adults and children 3+, then, get in line for a train ride. The track is all 7.5"; they have two bridges that we rode both under and over. They have a few little towns with barbie cars, buildings, construction vehicles, etc. It is adorably decorated and so fun. Sure, the adults will have a stiff bum after riding for 15 minutes, but this is such a unique and fun experience for kids. It is fully outdoors, so dress for the weather. My toddler keeps asking to see the photos from the train ride. We can't wait to come back next year! Side note: they have port-a-potties and a small concession stand. This place operates on cash only.

I can't give them enough stars! Used them on a recommendation of our sons who had squirrels in…read moretheir chimney. Last Fall we woke up to noises in our attic and insulation on part of a lower roof. Nathan came and diagnosed the problem right away. Red squirrels made a home! Humanely (and that was important) trapped 2 and relocated them. These people do a great job and have a heart for the animals as well. Recommend without hesitation. Update 2/4/2026: Had them back again for a mice problems. Solved immediately. Can't recommend them highly enough. Ryan was the tech and he was also excellent!

Our technician, Ben, delivered outstanding, responsive service when a racoon decided our mother's…read moreattic was the place she'd have her litter. The coordination with Ben was flawless and although he couldn't capture the mother racoon the first attempt, he put out traps and was successful the following day. He informed us of all the actions he was taking and demonstrated professionalism & expertise as he humanely trapped the litter & mother for relocation. The cost for Ben's services were very rasonable. We were referred to Advanced Wildlife by another company we've used, but no longer do wildlife removal. I absolutely recommend Advanced Wildlife to anyone with a wildlife problem. Ben exceeded my expectations 100%!

This used to a great place. Lately however they have jacked up there prices to unreasonable…read morelevels. Selling not vintage but just old and almost worn out speaker for prices one would expect to pay for used but good as new prices. I don't mind paying reasonable prices for electronics and speaker but what's going on here is just greed and borderline scam. I was offered that I could return the speakers if they didn't work which is unusual. But I also paid pretty much double what the speaker is worth. Smh. For items they pay nothing for they can and should do better. Sad I used to like this goodwill. Msy have to rethink my patronage in the future.

For several years I would drive 40 min several times a month to shop this Goodwill. I loved it. I…read morewas there today & discovered they are no longer having a certain color tag half off each week. Also the prices are ridiculous!! $4 for a dinner plate!! I'll drive 25 minutes north to the Manitowoc store. They still have a 50% off every week. The employees said it's been horrible with the discontinuing of this program. Goodwill gets the item for $0. Their CEO is one of the richest because he is paid so well.

Strawberry fest is a BLAST! They shut down the street and it is filled sidewalk to sidewalk with…read morepeople. They do a great job making it big by expanding into parking lots and the nearby park. Strawberry EVERYTHING! I love the strawberry margarita from Lime Cantina. Live music at so many stops, I was able to see Boo! and dance all night long. Highly recommend!

Fun times were had at this year's Strawberry Fest! We try our best to come each summer, and having…read moremissed it last year, we were excited to return. Make no mistake, this place is PACKED. Like jam packed. With tons of people yes, but also so many wonderful vendors, small businesses, pockets of live music, and more. The main strip has to span a mile long and there is plenty to enjoy along the way. We generally don't even try to park close, and instead a neighborhood or two away. There are paved sidewalks winding through so it's a nice walk. This year, there was a new addition to the fest that we were immensely appreciative of. The park adjacent the strip (aka all the main action) offered a full set up, that catered mostly to families and kids. Incredible and much needed! We came to the festival with a few other families, and while we would have loved to spend time shopping all the vendors like we used to, it's so tough to do that crowd with strollers and small humans would want to run around. So consider this a THANK YOU! The new park add-on was such a blast. They had a wonderful band playing on stage in the pavilion, plenty of food and drink trucks, face painting, a little train tractor kids can ride on, a bouncey house, a playground, so much grass space to run/picnic/park your strollers, and more! It was great to still feel part of the festival here. All of us - especially the kiddos - really enjoyed the day! Can't wait to return next year and support all of the great small businesses that make this festival happen.