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- August 3, 2023
August 3, 2023
Administration
Many Cultures, One Community
Community Spotlight
70th Annual Sweet Corn Festival
The 70th Annual Sweet Corn Festival will be held August 16-20, 2023 at Angell Park in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.
The five-day fun filled festival is coordinated by the Chamber of Commerce with several non-profit organizations sharing in the proceeds.
Non-profit benefactors include: the Sun Prairie VFW Post #9362, the Sun Prairie American Legion Post 333, the Sun Prairie Exchange Club, the Sun Prairie Lions, and the Knights of Columbus.
*Pets are not allowed at the fairgrounds. Please leave all your fur babies safely at home.
Be a part of Corn Fest 2023 by volunteering! We have various volunteer opportunities available along with paid positions of $15/hr for the garbage crew. All Volunteers will receive a t-shirt!
Sign up at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4da8a723a6f4c16-kids#/
For more information about the event, please visit: https://sunprairiecornfest.com/
Parks, Recreation and Forestry
Recreation Department
NEW OFFICE HOURS Through September 1, 2023:
The Sun Prairie Parks, Recreation & Forestry office is open: Monday – Thursday 8:00am-4:30pm, and Fridays 8am-12pm or by phone at (608) 837-3449 or by email at rec@cityofsunprairie.com.
Announcements:
Family Aquatic Center now Open!
Daily admission is $5.25/person and Season Passes are still available to purchase online or in person Purchase Season Passes - Sun Prairie Parks, Recreation & Forestry (cityofsunprairie.com)
Concerts in the Park
Join us for concerts in the park this summer at Wetmore Park! Grab a beer from Working Draft and a bite to eat from one of our food trucks, and enjoy yard games and the splash pad!
Summer Rec Guide out now!
Summer Rec Guide and registration is now open for residents! It’s not too late to join in on the fun this summer.
Upcoming Programs Not to Be Missed:
August 7th – August 31st
1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Registration Deadline: 7/31/2023
For Kids entering grades 1-5 for the 2023-2024 school year.
Grab your sunscreen and lace up your tennis shoes because you are in for a summer full of excitement! Come join our staff for a supervised afternoon jam-packed with playground games, wild and wacky activities, arts and crafts, outdoor exploration and more!
New this year Sun Prairie Parks, Recreation, and Forestry has partnered with Sun Prairie Community Schools to provide weekly activities provided by community organizations and vendors!
Program Information:
• Program staff will be stationed at the park from 1:00 – 5:00 pm Monday – Thursday, weather dependent. Please check Rainout Line or Facebook to see if the program is cancelled or relocated for the day due to inclement weather.
• The program fee covers all days for each session. The fee will not be prorated or credited for days that your child does not attend or cancellations due to inclement weather.
• This is a drop-in style program. Children will sign-in upon arrival and sign out upon departure from the program. Children are not to leave on their own without being signed out by a parent/guardian or if a permission slip for self-sign out is on file with program staff.
• Structured activities will take place all afternoon – children may attend for the entire duration of time, or may choose to come for just certain times. Because it is a drop-in style program, children are not required to attend every meeting date – come play when it works for your child’s schedule.
• A detailed schedule of activities will be provided to participants on site and e-mailed out to parents/guardians on a bi-weekly basis for the duration of the program.
• Kids at the Park (2-day option): We are offering a 2-day drop in option for families. This option works the same as our Monday-Thursday sessions, with a little more flexibilty for those whoe need it!
August 1st – September 5th
6:00 – 6:45 p.m.
Registration Deadline: 7/25/2023
August 3rd – September 7th
5:15 – 6:15 p.m.
Registration Deadline: 7/27/2023
August 3rd – September 7th
9:00 – 9:45 a.m.
Registration Deadline: 7/27/2023
ZUMBA is a fusion of Latin and International music/dance themes that create a dynamic and exciting environment. Based on the principle that a workout should be "FUN AND EASY TO DO", the routines feature aerobic/fitness interval training with a combination of fast and slow rhythms that tone and sculpt the body.
August 10th
6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Registration Deadline: 8/3/2023
Our Pillows will make a great addition to your home or can be a great gift idea! Choose from 1 of 4 designs, and personalize. Let your inner maker loose and decorate yours to fit your personal taste and style. Plus enjoy a memorable DIY experience to boot!
Public Safety
Congratulations on your promotion!
Sun Prairie Historical Library and Museum
The Museum is open to the public Wednesdays-Saturdays 11:00am-4:00pm and by appointment for research and special events. Be sure to join for our next final downtown walking tour of the season on Saturday, August 5th at 10:30am starting in Cannery Square!
Staff can be reached by phone at (608) 825-0837 or by email at museum@cityofsunprairie.com.
The Historical Library and Museum is located at 115 East Main St. Sun Prairie with parking behind the building. Admission is always free.
Announcements:
Final Historic Downtown Walking Tour of Summer 2023
Our final free tour of the season will be this Saturday, August 5th at 10:30am leaving from the center of Cannery Square. Tours end with the opportunity to see inside the Columbus Street Water Tower!
Don’t miss the opportunity to take a walk with one of our Museum staff and learn more about our historic downtown.
Exhibition Opening: 70 Years of Corn Fest
To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Sun Prairie Sweet Corn Festival, the Sun Prairie Historical Library & Museum will be displaying a selection of highlights from the festival’s history including the Teenie Weenie Queen and Miss Sun Prairie competitions, as well as a peek behind the scenes of early festivals.
The Museum will host an exhibition opening with special hours from 11:00am – 6:00pm on Wednesday, August 16th leading up to the Corn Festival’s kick off parade. This exhibit will run through October 2023.
Sun Prairie Media Center
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 Spectrum, TDS, Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire devices, as well as streaming on kids4.tv and on the free Sun Prairie Media Center app. Some projects will also air on 103.5FM The SUN Community Radio.
Registration for all students 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 14 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 Friday, September 15. 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 14 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 the Sun Prairie Media Center is back again with double the football as the SPMC is planning coverage of every Sun Prairie Cardinals and every Sun Prairie Wolves game!
Home games are scheduled to be broadcast on KSUN (Spectrum cable channel 983, TDS channels 13 and 1013) with away games scheduled to be broadcast on the new KSUN Life channel which is set to launch on TDS on August 31 on channel 985. All games will be streamed on sunprairiemediacenter.com, on the SPMC Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV channels, and on the free-to-download Sun Prairie Media Center app. Home games are also scheduled to air live on 103.5 FM The Sun Community Radio. Following live coverage, games will be made available for on demand viewing.
[Note that beginning August 31, KSUN will be rebranded as KSUN Now and will be moved to channel 983 on TDS]
The first season of Wolves and Cardinals football was an exciting one with both teams making the playoffs. This year promises to be even better 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 another great season of Sun Prairie football 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.”
The SPMC is seeking business sponsors for 2022 coverage. Interested sponsors can sign up online at sunprairiemediacenter.com/sponsorlive. In addition, the SPMC is always interested in volunteers who would like to help with the broadcasts. Any volunteers can e-mail staff@sunprairiemediacenter.com.
For a current schedule of football coverage and other programming, please go to sunprairiemediacenter.com/ksunprograms. The schedule is subject to change.
Sun Prairie Public Library
All high school students, 16 years or older by September 1st, in academic good standing are invited to apply to be a Student Trustee advisory member of the Sun Prairie Public Library Board. Applicants will be invited to interview, and selection will be chosen from those candidates.
The Student Trustee will serve during the academic year. The term will run from September 14 – May 9, 2024. Please see the Student Trustee Position Description for more information.
Requirements: Must be at least 16 years of age, have a connection to the Sun Prairie Community, and be in good academic standing. The application is available here.
Adult Services
Grupo de Inglés Conversacional / English Conversation Group
Thursdays, August 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 from 7-8 p.m., Community Room
La biblioteca pública de Sun Prairie ofrece un curso gratis de ingles conversacional con duración de 5 semanas. Jueves 3, 10, 17, 24 y 31 de agosto; 7:00-8:00 p.m. No necesitas traer nada, pero por favor regístrate tus datos usando la forma.
The library is offering a free 5-week conversation class for English Language Learners! Thursdays, August 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. You do not need to bring anything, but please register on our Events calendar at www.sunlib.org.
Beginning Spanish for English Speakers
Saturday, August 5, 12, 19, 26 and 9/2, 10-11 a.m., Conference Room
The library is offering a 5-week course for English speakers who want to learn or brush up on beginning conversational Spanish! This course is open to adults and will be held Saturday mornings from 10:00 - 11:00, on August 5, 12, 19, 26, and September 2.
Please note: Registration is required as space is limited. Participants must be able to commit to attending all 5 weeks. No materials are required, notebooks and pencils will be provided. Register on our Events calendar at www.sunlib.org.
Virtual Big Summer Read Book Discussion
Monday, August 7 from 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Join us for one of two book discussions of our Big Summer Read book, “The Family Chao”, led by a library staff member! Based loosely on “The Brothers Karamazov,” “The Family Chao” tells the story of a Chinese American family living in the fictional town of Haven, WI. The Chao family, who have owned 'Fine Chao' restaurant for thirty-five years, must reckon with family secrets and resentment after their patriarch, Leo is found dead.
Registration is required. Register on our Events calendar at www.sunlib.org and Zoom details will be emailed to you.
Tuesday, August 8 from 6:30-8 p.m., Community Room
Susan Campbell, co-author of “Paper Valley: The Fight for the Fox River Cleanup,” will give a presentation and answer questions about her new book with P. David Allen II.
When government scientist David Allen arrived at his new jobsite in the 1990s, the Fox River near Wisconsin's Green Bay was dominated by hulking paper mills, noxious industrial odors, and widespread ecological damage. Confronted by his lack of resources to force the politically powerful "Paper Valley" polluters to fix their mess, Allen along with journalist Susan Campbell were relentless in bringing the case to the public at the time. In a rare and major environmental win, the Fox River became the site of the largest polychlorinated biphenyls cleanup in history, paid for by the paper companies rather than taxpayers, to the tune of $1.3 billion, and completed in 2020. Copies of “Paper Valley” will be available for purchase at the event.
Registration is not required, but please register on our Events calendar at www.sunlib.org if you would like an email reminder prior to the event.
Dumpling Making with Monique Lu
Tuesday, August 15 6:30-8 p.m. Community Room
Join us for a dumpling-making demo with Monique Lu, celebrating seasonal ingredients of Wisconsin! Monique will demonstrate proper dumpling crimping and filling technique and will share stories and food memories around dumpling-making. Samples will be provided, and attendees will receive a copy of the recipes.
Space is limited, registration is required. Please register on our Events calendar at www.sunlib.org
Big Summer Read Book Discussion
Thursday, August 17 from 6:30-7:30 p.m., Conference Room
Join us for one of two book discussions of our Big Summer Read book, “The Family Chao”, led by a library staff member! Based loosely on “The Brothers Karamazov,” “The Family Chao” tells the story of a Chinese American family living in the fictional town of Haven, WI. The Chao family, who have owned 'Fine Chao' restaurant for thirty-five years, must reckon with family secrets and resentment after their patriarch, Leo is found dead.
Registration is required. Register on our Events calendar at www.sunlib.org.
Sun Prairie Utilities
Sun Prairie Service!
Sun Prairie Utilities employees took a road trip to Sunshine Place on the morning of July 28 to help with their Summer Lunches event. They assembled and packed around 180 lunches within an hour and a half! Great teamwork!
Share your kid's art for National Coloring Day!
Want to highlight your children's art and teach them the importance of water and electricity?
Pick up a free water or electricity coloring activity book and a 'U is for Utility' page at Sun Prairie Utilities. Stop by between open hours (Monday-Thursday 7:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. and Friday 7:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.) to receive one or both books with the coloring page. You can download the coloring page on sunprairieutilities.com if you can't make it to the office.
Email pictures of the art to communications@myspu.org by September 13, 2023, to highlight your kid's masterpiece for National Coloring Day on September 14.
Rules:
- Participants must be kids of Sun Prairie Utilities customers or employees.
- The art must be one of the three provided materials (a water or electricity coloring activity book or the coloring page).
- The deadline to submit pictures is September 13, 2023.
- By emailing the photos, you agree to allow Sun Prairie Utilities to use the images on its social media and website.
*This offer stands while supplies last.