Plymouth’s Elizabeth Benicke is 2024 Sheboygan County Fairest of the Fair: news in brief

SHEBOYGAN - Elizabeth Benicke, daughter of Todd and Patti Benicke of Plymouth, is the newly selected 2024 Sheboygan County Fairest of the Fair.

In earning the honor, Benicke will receive a $2,500 scholarship for her service to the Sheboygan County Fair throughout the year.

Benicke, along with one other candidate, competed for the position during the annual Fairest of the Fair Gala June 23 at Butch and Anne’s Pine Grove in Elkhart Lake.

A graduate of Plymouth Comprehensive High School, Benicke is a recent graduate of Lakeshore Technical College, where she studied agribusiness and dairy business management. She is employed in the dairy industry in Sheboygan County and enjoys volunteering at agriculture events, working on a small dairy farm, and spending time with family and friends. She hopes to one day own and operate a small livestock farm for meat and other homegrown products, as well as continue to be an advocate for the dairy and agriculture industries.

The selection panel evaluated the candidates on their application, an individual interview, group interview, an on-stage 30-second self-introduction and a 30-second radio advertisement-impromptu question.

During the June 23 Gala, outgoing Fairest of the Fair Jill Madson presented her farewell address highlighting her year. State Rep. Amy Binsfeld was in attendance to present Madson with a State of Wisconsin proclamation for her service. The 2024 Wisconsin Fairest of the Fairs, Kelsey Henderson, was also in attendance to share the impacts of the fair industry throughout the state of Wisconsin and invite everyone to the Wisconsin State Fair Aug. 1-11.

As the Sheboygan County Fairest of the Fair, Benicke will attend as many county-wide events throughout the year as possible, welcoming families to the fair while teaching them about the fair’s benefits to the community, agriculture and youth. She serves as an ambassador for Sheboygan County and strives to increase awareness of the fair through media outlets in and outside of the county.

To schedule an appearance for the 2024 Sheboygan County Fairest of the Fair, contact Brittany Bushman, Fairest scheduling coordinator, at 920-838-4023 or shebcofairest@gmail.com.

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The GameBoard owner wins national award

The GameBoard owner Lynn Potyen has been recognized by the Game Manufacturers Association with its 2024 Outstanding Contribution to the Games Industry Award.

Since Potyen opened the game store in Sheboygan in 2006, she and her team have brought innovative gameplay to the community to stimulate brain development and advance critical thinking.

“Businesses, their owners, their staff, and their customers do more than buy and sell games,” GAMA wrote on its website. “They use their passion and knowledge to help improve the industry, educate the public about the importance of gaming, and provide welcoming and innovative spaces.

“With this award, GAMA’s Retail Division recognizes a store, cafe, individual, or group who has used their knowledge and experience to best represent the tabletop gaming industry to the general public,” the GAMA added.

Potyen won the award for her work in advancing the use of games as tools to help stimulate and advance brain health. She was also recognized for her long history of advocacy. She has taken a strong position on the use of games as a vehicle for education, therapy and socialization, becoming an industry leader in the process.

This award was one in a series presented by GAMA each year called the Power Retail Awards. Other winners of 2024 awards cycle include Retailer of the Year, Red Raccoon Games of Bloomington, Illinois; Innovation In Games (Retail), Silver Dragon Games of Peoria, Arizona; and Outstanding Store Design, Silver Dragon Games of Peoria, Arizona.

The GameBoard is at 621 N. Eighth St., Sheboygan, and can be reached at 920-453-4263, or online at the-gameboard.com.

Blue Harbor Resort partners with Sheboygan Visual Artists on pop-up gallery

Sheboygan Visual Artists recently installed a pop-up gallery at Blue Harbor Resort, 725 Blue Harbor Drive, Sheboygan.

The gallery showcases more than a dozen Sheboygan County artists featuring 22 original pieces of art with a summer theme during the peak tourist season in Sheboygan, but will flex with the seasons to keep the display relevant and refreshed throughout the year, a news release from Blue Harbor Resort said.

The art is available for purchase through The Boutique at Blue Harbor Resort during regular business hours and as pieces are sold, new pieces will be added.

Artists featured include Joyce Babel-Worth, Tom Ferguson, Evie Grasse, Frank Geisler, Mary Grady, Raymond Hagerman, Keary Kautzer, Mike McArdle, Marla Payne, Richard Rooker, Vic Valdez, Mary T. Wagner and Patrice Worel-Olson.

Blue Harbor Resort will be hosting a reception to meet and mingle with the SVA artists exhibiting at the resort in On the Rocks Bar & Grill from 4 to 6 p.m. July 10 with complimentary appetizers and happy hour pricing for drinks, including: $5 craft pints and call mixers, $4 rail mixers and $2 off glasses of wine.

The exhibit will be on display throughout the summer and is located just off the main lobby to the right of the front desk.

To view the exhibit, guests may park by entrance No. 2 or 3 and either take the stairs or elevator to the second floor and proceed to the lobby area.

Learn more at https://www.blueharborresort.com/sheboygan-visual-artists-sva.

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Sheboygan Theater Company announces officers, 2024-25 season lineup

The Sheboygan Theater Company has announced Advisory Committee officers for next season. Together, these officers compose the Executive Sub-Committee: Candice LaPoint, chairperson; Jesse Ramos, vice chairperson; Brittany Schneider, secretary; and Jessica Freeman, treasurer.

STC’s 91st season will include four main-stage productions, presented in the Leslie W. Johnson Theatre on the Horace Mann Middle School campus, and two black-box, experimental theater productions presented by STC’s Studio Players group. The schedule is as follows:

• “Mary Poppins” in September/October;

• “Murder on the Orient Express” in December;

• “Alice by Heart” in February 2025; and

• “Legally Blonde: The Musical” in May 2025.

In addition, STC’s Studio Players will offer “Resident Alien” in October and “110 Stories” in April 2025.

Season tickets for the 2024-25 season are available by visiting stcshows.org or calling 920-459-3773.

This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: 2024 Sheboygan County Fairest of the Fair: Elizabeth Benicke, Plymouth