Oshkosh Public Museum wins statewide award for 2022's Helen Farnsworth Mears exhibit, and more news in weekly dose

OSHKOSH - The Oshkosh Public Museum’s 2022 exhibition "Helen Farnsworth Mears: A Genius of Wisconsin" has been awarded the Statewide Exhibit Award from the Wisconsin Historical Society Board of Curators. The award recognizes historical exhibits on Wisconsin themes.

“This exhibition was a team effort, bringing together Design, Archives, and Collections. It’s truly a recognition of our entire team,” Emily Rock, OPM’s curator of exhibitions, said in a news release.

The exhibit was on display April 23 to Aug, 14, 2022. It commemorated the 150th birthday of Oshkosh sculptor Helen Farnsworth Mears. New facts about Helen’s life were uncovered after the acquisition of an archival collection once belonging to Mary Mears, Helen’s sister. The exhibit featured art from the permanent collection and archives of the OPM, as well as works from other museums, including The Paine Art Center and Museum of Wisconsin Art.

Oshkosh Public Museum is at 1331 Algoma Blvd. in the Edgar and Mary Jewell Sawyer House, which is part of the Algoma Boulevard Historic District and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

On view at the museum through July 30 is “A Woman Who Can,” which shares the crowning moments of Grace Stanke, Miss America 2023, crowned Miss Wisconsin 2022. The pop-up style exhibit shares key moments of the 2023 competition and features items from the personal collection of Stanke.

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Also on display is the long-term exhibition “People of the Waters,” about Wisconsin’s prehistoric past that illustrates Native American culture that stretches back more than 12,000 years. The exhibition also celebrates the survival of Wisconsin’s Native nations and the state’s federally recognized 11 tribal groups.

The museum is open 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays and 1-4:30 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors 62 and older or college students with a valid ID, $4 for ages 4-17, and free for kids 3 and younger and museum members.

For more information, call 920-236-5799 or the recorded line at 920-236-5761, or go to oshkoshmuseum.org.

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Afternoon Tea celebrates youth

The Boys & Girls Club held its 13th annual Afternoon Tea event July 18 at The Gibson Social Club. The event is part of the Character & Empowerment program for girls ages 7 to 10.

About 60 girls join the program each summer and attend classes that help build character and leadership skills. The tea was the program celebration.

Women from the community sip tea with club participants, have lunch and get to know one another. Each girl was given a new sundress and flip-flops and had their hair styled.

This year’s speaker was Allison Garner, a certified professional coach, published author and owner of Thoughtly.

For more information, visit bgcosh.org.

First English hosts National Night Out party Aug. 1

First English Lutheran Church will host a Neighborhood Block Party to celebrate National Night Out from 5 to 7 p.m. Aug. 1. It will be on Minnesota Street between 10th and 11th avenues.

The Oshkosh K-9s will be there along with police and fire equipment. Attendees can learn about neighborhood programs, and stuffed animals will be distributed to the kids, while supplies last.

Treats available will be shaved ice, popcorn, hot dogs, chips and lemonade.

For more information, contact the FELC church office at 920-231-9890 from 9 a.m. to noon weekdays or email office@firstenglish.org.

Library program talks about history of 'Yellowstone Trail'

The Winnebago County Historical & Archaeological Society will sponsor “Blazing the Yellowstone Trail” at 6 p.m. Aug. 1 at the Oshkosh Public Library, 106 Washington Ave., on the lower level.

According to the library website, the program is about a group of small-town businessmen in South Dakota who were challenged to create a useful driving route across America in 1912. At a time when roads were poorly marked and maps were scarce, they persevered and paved the way for the future of travel.

For more information, visit oshkoshpubliclibrary.org.

Women's basketball playoffs set Aug. 5 and 6 in Oshkosh

The Global Women’s Basketball Association Playoffs will return to the Oshkosh Arena Aug. 5 and 6.

Games are scheduled for 2 and 5:30 p.m. Aug. 5 with the championship game at 1 p.m. Aug. 6.

Ticket prices vary with options for both days or Aug. 6. To purchase, visit the box office at 1212 S. Main St. or online at ticketmaster.com.

Oaklawn Elementary gets $130,000 five-year CLC grant

Oaklawn Elementary is the newest school in the Oshkosh Area School District to offer after-school programming. It also is the first site to provide summer programming thanks to a 21st Century Community Learning Center grant.

Jefferson Elementary also has a CLC program and that grant, at $80,000, has been renewed for another five years.

The OASD will have nine CLCs for the 2023-24 school year.

Working with more than 40 community organizations, the OASD’s CLCs have brought valuable services to low-income neighborhoods. These programs can lead to improved academic achievement and social development.

Oaklawn expects to serve nearly 100 students on school days with its $130,000 five-year grant. Staffing and support will be provided by the Oshkosh YMCA. Jefferson anticipates serving 50 students each school day with support from the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh.

Community Learning Centers at the elementary schools are at Emmeline Cook, Merrill, Oaklawn, Roosevelt and Washington elementary schools.

At the middle school level, the programming is offered at Perry Tipler and Vel Phillips middle schools.

For more information, visit oshkosh.k12.wi.us.

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Evans hired to lead enrollment at UWO

Amber Evans has been hired as associate vice chancellor of enrollment management at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, effective July 31.

Evans has extensive experience in enrollment management and admissions from universities and colleges in Wisconsin, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Minnesota.

According to a statement from UWO, she most recently served as vice president for enrollment management at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois. In her first year, she achieved a 2.5% enrollment increase, including a 16.7% increase in new entering freshmen. She also has extensive background in developing and using data to drive marketing and recruitment/retention goals.

Timm honored by WIAC for promoting athletics

Kennan Timm is the 2023 recipient of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tom Butler Award. He served as sports information director at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse from 1983 to 1985 and UW-Oshkosh from 1986 to 2022.

The award is presented to a representative of the print or electronic media for outstanding coverage of WIAC athletics (former WIAC sports information directors may also be considered). The award is named after Tom Butler, who served as the conference’s sports information director from 1967 to 1996.

Timm’s 40-year association with the WIAC, from UW-La Crosse and UW-Oshkosh, is one of the longest durations in league history.

In addition to coordinating publicity, keeping statistics, managing the website and producing publications for UW-Oshkosh’s 19-sport athletics program, Timm organized and was chairman of three major fundraising activities, including the Titan Extravaganza Party, which raised nearly $300,000 for the athletics department from 1992 to 2019. These are just a few of the many things he did to boost Wisconsin athletics.

Timm, an Oshkosh West High School graduate, was a member of the wrestling media relations staff at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He was the official statistician for the Wisconsin High School All-Star Football Classic at J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium from 1985 to 2021 and the official scorer of the WIAA State Baseball Tournament in Appleton from 1998 to 2020.

Timm, a 1990 graduate of UW-La Crosse, was inducted into the College Sports Information Directors of America Hall of Fame in 2012 and the UW-Oshkosh Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021. He also won CoSIDA’s Warren Berg Award in 2009.

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This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Oshkosh Public Museum awarded for 2022 Helen Farnsworth Mears exhibit