We invite you to catch up on the impactful work our Extension Iron County educators and staff provide to the community in the form of this monthly newsletter! Below are highlights from each of our program areas.
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A Night Under the Stars: Drive-In Movie at the Iron County Fairgrounds |
Kasey Klemme, youth member of the Iron County Fair Board and Iron County Youth Leadership Council, partnered with Northern Iron County Engaged Residents (NICER) to offer a drive-in movie experience at the Iron County Fair Grounds.
Happy Gilmore was the movie, and everyone was excited about the turn out. 26 cars showed up for the event, with an estimated attendance of around 100 people. Watch for a new list of movies coming next year.
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| Iron County Youth Leadership Council Makes Plans for Baldwin Grant Funds |
Neil Klemme, Youth Development Educator with the University of Wisconsin Madison Division of Extension, will be working with colleagues from around the state to implement a grant of $120,000.00 with the Iron County Youth Leadership Council.
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The local group will be made up of youth who have been placed in service sites throughout the community. Some will be serving in local government through the Iron County Board of Supervisors as well as various county departmental committees, while others will be serving on the boards of local nonprofits.
Through this grant, youth will be given various roles including two research interns, two video production interns, and six community based project interns. Each of these interns will receive a $1,000.00 stipend for their work.
The research interns will be working with UW-Madison Professor Dr. Annalee Goode to learn participatory action research methods for conducting a local needs assessment to identify needs and collect data in support of a community service project to address those needs. The video production interns will be working with a documentary film maker to create a video about our community to show the youth perspective and attitudes about where they are from.
This is a grant that is being used by four counties across Wisconsin and will bring the youth together at various points to share their community work.
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Get ready for a great year - 4-H Enrollment is OPEN! |
It’s time to enroll for the 2025-2026 Iron County 4-H year on 4HOnline. Whether you're a returning family or brand new, we can't wait to see you!
Reach out to our Youth Development Educator Neil Klemme at 715-561-2695 or neil.klemme@wisc.edu to learn more.
You can also visit our website for more information on member and adult leader registration.
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Volunteer to Help Grow True Leaders |
Remember that one teacher, coach, or mentor who helped you discover a new passion? You could be that person for a young person in Iron County.
This year, we have a BIG goal: to add another chartered club to our area. If you're passionate about working with kids and interested in starting a new club, we want to hear from you!
Iron County 4-H is also seeking passionate volunteers to lead our next round of project meetings and workshops. Whatever your skill—from gardening to robotics, public speaking to origami—we have a project waiting for you to bring to life. By sharing your talents, you'll help local kids develop the confidence and skills they need to become tomorrow's leaders.
Join us and help shape the future. Reach out to Extension Iron County 4-H Youth Development Educator, Neil Klemme at 715-561-2695 for details.
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Pictured: The Penokee Range Livestock Club kicked off their new year with get-to-know-you interviews and welcomed four new members during their meeting that took place on Sunday, September 14. Leaders and members also said a huge thank you and goodbye to graduating member, Brodie Erickson, and passed the president's torch to Nick Walesewicz. Follow the Penokee Range Livestock Club Facebook page for more club happenings!
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Iron County 4-H Green Team Meeting
Monday, October 13 - 5:30 pm
Location: Iron County Courthouse
Spooky Halloween Trail Walk
Saturday, October 18
Trick or Treat Trail - 1-2:30 pm
Terror Trail - 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Location: Hurley School Adventure Trails
*Iron County 4-H members are encouraged to volunteer. If interested in joining in on the fun, contact Neil at 715-561-2695 for more details.
Penokee Livestock Club Meeting
Sunday, October 19 - 9:00 am
Location: Hurley School District
Iron County 4-H Achievement Night
Sunday, October 26 - 4:00 - 6:00 pm
Location: Kimball Community Center
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Join FoodWIse for their last StrongBodies virtual strength training series which will be taking place Tuesdays and Thursdays, September 23-November 20 from 9:00 - 10:30 am.
StrongBodies has been shown to increase strength, muscle mass, and bone density. Classes are held twice weekly and include progressive resistance training, balance training, and flexibility exercises.
Questions? Contact Ashland, Bayfield, Iron County FoodWIse Coordinator Stephanie Bakker at 715-682-7017.
Come and get strong with FoodWIse!
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Want to stay up to date on what the Ashland, Bayfield, Iron County FoodWIse team is up to? Be sure to check out their monthly FoodWIse newsletter, designed in partnership with Extension Iron County Office Manager, Rebecca Holm.
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Two Final Zine Workshops at the Iron County Farmers Market |
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Join Extension Iron County Community Development Educator Joseph Miller and illustrator/designer Zoe Botes on Saturday, September 20, from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm at the Iron County Farmers Market for the second-to-last zine workshop!
It’s Pie Day at the Market, so come make a zine and enjoy some delicious pumpkin pie. We’ll talk a little about the history of zines while we collage, color, and create.
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5 Simple Tips for a Successful Digitization Project |
Digitization, or the process of converting analog media (like sheets of paper, photographs, or even digitally encoded objects such as music CDs) to digital records, is a subject very dear to Joseph’s shriveled little librarian heart. He’s currently working on digitizing Iron County’s Code of Ordinances—the collective ordinances, procedures, and guidelines that serve as Iron County’s administrative skeleton—to make it accessible to folks online. Using a desktop document scanner and readily available software, the Code of Ordinances book has been scanned using Optical Character Recognition and is undergoing a formatting process to ensure a clean, readable, and easily navigable digital document. Once the digital document is complete, it will be added to the county’s new website.
While a relatively small accomplishment, digitizing our county’s Code of Ordinances will provide a greater level of government transparency and information access for residents and stakeholders. It is a small but necessary step toward ensuring responsible digital citizenship. If you can believe it, Iron County is among a small handful of Wisconsin counties that have not made their Code of Ordinances available in full online.
Stay tuned for more information!
And if you’re considering your own digitization project, here are five tips to keep in mind:
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Start with a full inventory – to best understand your collection, a full inventory is vital. When digitizing records, it is extremely helpful to know how many files you’re converting. This will save you from headaches later. If possible, try to categorize your files to help with file naming and hierarchy (for example, organize photos by event or season).
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Gather your tools – the bare minimum for digitizing analog files into digital records is a scanner and computer. It may be annoying to try scanning a thousand photos with your iPhone, but it’s possible! Work with what you have and keep your costs low. That said, a quality scanner that can output JPEG or PDF files at 300dpi (dots per square inch, a measure of pixel resolution/image clarity) or greater is invaluable. For the Code of Ordinances project, I’m using a CZUR Shine Ultra Pro and the results are fantastic. Prioritize a scanner with Optical Character Recognition capabilities. If using a mobile phone for scanning, test out your settings and opt for a tabletop tripod for steady scanning.
- Stick to widely used file formats – PDF, JPEG, MP3, and MP4 formats aren’t going out of style anytime soon and are incredibly versatile, allowing for various levels of compression, encryption, and other detailed settings. Again, test out settings and capabilities in your scanning software—Google Drive is a free tool that is highly effective, includes digital storage, and supports a wide range of file types for a wide range of media.
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Plan your workflow – do a test batch! Start by gathering a few items for digitization (say, 10 photos), then set up your workspace. Think about the best place to set your pre-digitization items, where you will put them once they’re complete, and consider a file-naming and organizational structure. For example, will you name your photos based on the event they were captured at, the date they were captured on, the main subject, or something else? Will you include a sequential number or other designator? The better you streamline your process now, the smoother your project will move when it’s time to start digitizing.
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Process > Product – don’t get bogged down by the technology you’re using (or can use). These days, an iPhone that is five years old is going to be plenty powerful to scan and post digital photos to social media or websites. What’s important is the process you use, standardization of file type and workflow, and information management once you have digital records to store. Remember that if you do a little extra work up front, you’ll have a better, more organized collection of digital records that you can browse later along with the added peace of mind that comes from knowing you have backups of your most important personal documents and treasured memories.
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| Area 1 Extension Director - Mary Pardee |
Mary Pardee serves as the Area Extension Director (AED) for Area 1, which includes Iron, Ashland, Bayfield, and Douglas Counties. With over 25 years of experience in Extension, Mary brings a wealth of knowledge and a deep commitment to community engagement.
With a deep appreciation for the incredible work happening across the region, she supports a talented team of Extension staff who address critical issues in our rural communities. Besides developing and supervising staff, Mary’s role includes nurturing strong partnerships with counties and tribal communities, managing financial resources, and ensuring that partners understand the value of Extension programs.
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Mary’s role is rooted in connection and stewardship. Whether she’s working alongside educators or engaging with community leaders, she brings a thoughtful, grounded approach to leadership. Her passion for the work of Extension and the Wisconsin Idea has been a cornerstone of her career.
Outside of work, Mary enjoys life on a small blueberry farm with her husband, where they also tend to a lively crew of animals including a dog, cats, and chickens. Depending on the season, she spends her free time gardening, kayaking on Lake Superior, making maple syrup and soaking in the rhythms of life on the Chequamegon Bay. These hobbies reflect her love for nature, sustainability, and the simple joys of living close to the land.
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IRON COUNTY MOBILE FOOD PANTRY |
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Upcoming Iron County Mobile Food Pantry Distribution Dates |
- Monday, September 29
- Monday, October 27
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If you would like to learn more about the Iron County Mobile Food Pantry program or other food security resources available to community members, visit our website!
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Follow Extension Iron County on social media or by
visiting our website linked below!
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An EEO/AA employer, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title VI, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requirements.
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