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.

It’s officially time to launch into another exciting year of learning, leading, and fun! Enrollment for the 2026-2027 Iron County 4-H year is now open on 4HOnline.

Whether you are a returning family ready to jump back into your favorite projects or a brand-new family curious about what 4-H has to offer, we can’t wait to welcome you to our community!

We are here to help you get connected! Feel free to call our office at 715-561-2695 if you need assistance or have questions. 

Let’s make the 2026-2027 4-H year the best one yet!

It’s not too late to join! Pre-registration is still open for the Iron County 4-H Shooting Sports Club. Youth ages 8 and up can build confidence, precision, and marksmanship safety in a supportive environment—offering Archery and Air Rifle for ages 8–11, plus .22 Rifle and Shotgun for youth ages 12+.

Sessions meet on select Sundays at 4:00 PM at the Snaketrack Shooting Range in Iron Belt, WI. Equipment is provided, but members are welcome to bring their personal firearm or archery equipment. All personal gear must pass a safety inspection by certified leaders prior to use.

Don't miss out on an exciting season—pre-register here to secure your spot!

For questions, contact Shooting Sports Leader Peter Thewis at 715-681-0176 or email peter.thewis@gmail.com.

We're exploring starting a 4-H Photography project for the 2026–2027 year led by local photographer Jake Ring, and we're gauging interest to see if youth members are excited to join!

Meetings would tentatively take place on the last Saturday of the month from 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM, exploring everything from smartphone photos and cameras to drone photography (you can bring your own gear or use ours!).

If this sounds like something your child would enjoy, please complete our quick interest form to help us plan and see if we have enough interest to get started!

We’ll review the responses and reach out with more details in the coming weeks!

The Iron County Green Team held their September meeting at the Iron County Courthouse on September 15, at 5:30-7:00 pm. Several new members attended as this was the first meeting of the new 4-H year. Business meeting included setting a schedule of meeting activities for the year. These included cooking, pottery at the Downtown Art Place, woodworking at St. Maud’s, and completing our roadside cleanups.

After the business meeting the club moved to the kitchen and with guidance from Emily Moore, 4-H project leader, we made a dinner of Gyros and Tzatziki sauce. The kids enjoyed a dinner together and the meeting was adjourned.

If you would like to learn more about the Iron County Green Team, please contact 4-H Youth Development Educator Neil Klemme at 715-561-2695. 

The Penokee Range Livestock Club has been busy making an impact both on and off the fairgrounds! Back on August 29, members got a head start on fairgrounds beautification to prep for next year’s historic 100th Iron County Fair—giving the cattle barn a crisp, fresh coat of white paint.

Following up on September 13, the club hosted a lively meeting and potluck filled with laughs, teamwork, and outdoor fun during their AG Olympics, featuring feed sack races, team straw bale races, and games. The meeting was also a time of celebration and transition as the club welcomed 6 new members, said a fond farewell to outgoing senior members, and nominated their new officers:

Check out the full photo recap and stay updated on the Penokee Range Livestock Club Facebook Page! 

Adventurers of the North 4-H Club Meeting (mushroom foraging in Bayfield)
Sunday, October 11 - Time TBD
Location: TBD

Iron County Shooting Sports Club Meeting
Sunday, October 11 - 4:00 pm
Location: Snaketrack Shooting Range

Iron County Green Team Meeting
Tuesday, October 13 - 5:30 pm
Location: Iron County Courthouse

Penokee Range Livestock Club Meeting 
Date: Sunday, October 18 - 9:00 am
Location: Hurley School District

2025-2026 Iron County 4-H Achievement Banquet
Sunday, October 25 - 12:00 - 2:00 pm
Location: TBD
*The 4-H Leaders Association will briefly meet at noon, banquet to follow.

The United Way of Wisconsin will visit Iron County on Wednesday, October 7 to distribute no-cost laptops to Wisconsin residents through their grant-funded Techquity Wisconsin program. Laptops provided through the program are mid-tier devices refurbished by a Microsoft-registered non-profit refurbisher based in Milwaukee. For some reason, not many people from Iron County took advantage of the program the first time around (back in May) and we shipped almost half of our allotted devices back with our United Way friends.

If you missed out on our first distribution, you’re in luck! The United Way of Wisconsin will be at the Iron County courthouse distributing no-cost laptops to Wisconsin residents.

Don’t miss out again—if you or someone you know needs a laptop, contact Joseph via phone at 715-561-2695 or by email at joseph.w.miller@wisc.edu.

Did you know that in 2024, the video game industry in the United States generated nearly $60 Billion in revenue? Globally, that number was $190 Billion! That’s a lot of moolah, especially considering the number of companies developing and publishing video games.

Here in Wisconsin, the number of studios releasing video games can be counted on two hands with enough fingers left over to hold a bag of Cheetos. However, despite the clustering of video game companies, the art and business of video game development has evolved so much since the not-so-humble origins of Bertie the Brain that a studio can be run from home. In fact, video games have evolved so much that we’ve finally stopped placing a premium solely on the slick looks of today’s modern console games and have begun to accept (and even seek out) games with simplified or crude graphics.

With that said, it’s difficult to imagine such a studio existing in Iron County. Although the tools available have greatly democratized video game development, a lack of access to skill development and in-the-flesh experts leave our little corner of Wisconsin underserved. This is a shame, because there’s bound to be a million-dollar development idea lying dormant here.

If you’re interested in creating or learning more about video games, the video game economy, and the joy of creating a game, join us for the launch of Dev’s Club on Thursday, October 22 at 5:30 pm. Sign up below: 

On October 27, 2026, the Hurley REV Team will host an Entrepreneur Fair at the Iron County Memorial Building to bring together aspiring entrepreneurs, established business owners, local commercial property owners, and regional business development organizations. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served, doors open at 5:00 pm.

More information can be found on the Iron County website.

The Mercer REV Team is getting its ducks in a row by establishing goals and mapping stakeholders to each goal. The team is interested in creating a transition plan or assisting local businesses up for sale find new owners. Additionally, the team is aiming to address local issues regarding access to auto and truck repair, logistics issues with summer package deliveries, and creating solutions for elder care needs. If you’ve got ideas or an interest in addressing these issues, the team is interested in hearing from you!

In the last year, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Bob Jacquart—Owner and Chairman of Jacquart Fabric Products and President of Copper Peak—present a few times on his incredibly successful entrepreneurial career and vision for Copper Peak. I greatly appreciate Mr. Jacquart’s plucky perspective and unshakeable belief in the greatness of our region’s people. More than once, his presentations highlighted world class biathlete Lowell Bailey overcoming the odds to win big under one of the brightest spotlights in his sport. As far as motivational tools go, I certainly understand the appeal and resulting zeal. There are few things more inspiring than seeing a master at work with a look of determination on his or her face, pushing internal and external boundaries. It’s a look I’ve seen on many a-Marine’s face, as well as many an artist’s face, and even on computer programmers deep inside their task. Most folks call it a “flow state”, a state of being in which the outside world falls away and the only thing left is the work and the self. It is a beautiful place to be.

My own motivational video is a little different but exhibits the same remarkable traits. I’ve always loved boxing, and simply put, no other sport rivals the stakes and simplicity of pugilism. And no other sport provides space for underdogs quite like boxing does. Muhammad Ali’s 8th round knockout of George Foreman in Zaire, Buster Douglas shocking Mike Tyson (and the world) in 1990, and “Cinderella Man” James J. Braddock giving the working man hope by taking down Mighty Max Baer in 1935 are all examples of the greatest story that will ever be told in sports: David versus Goliath.

Although there are many fight recordings and examples of longshots winning big, few light a spark for me quite like Jack Dempsey’s almost-demonic dismantling of Jess Willard in Toledo, Ohio on July 4, 1919. Dempsey, half a foot shorter and 50 pounds lighter than his opponent, is an animal. He attacks with probing flurries of savage hooks and vicious uppercuts, knocking Willard down seven times in the first round. There isn’t a single moment that Willard appears in control, from before the opening bell when he looks like a confused child in a giant’s body to the moment the ref raises Dempsey’s gloved hand. In this matchup, David didn’t need to rely on workarounds and outsmarting Goliath—Dempsey did it with pure tenacity and overwhelming aggression.

Jack Dempsey, at right, landing a right hook on Jess Willard's chin, at left.

Of course, outside the ring Dempsey was a bit of a villain himself, drawing the color line after this bout and refusing to defend his new title against any boxers of color. Additionally, many speculated that he couldn’t possibly have won the match against Willard “fair and square”, though no evidence has ever been found to suggest cheating. He lived as a hardworking hobo and allegedly participated in a hundred prizefights between ages 16 and 19. He washed dishes, worked in mines, hopped cross-country freight trains, and even worked as a logger. In other words, Jack Dempsey was a folk hero of his time—for white, working-class Americans, anyway.

I love to see underdog stories. They serve us in times of great need, because no matter who you are, you’ve felt like an underdog at some point. Fortunately, life is not solely about winning and losing (we all lose in the end, anyway). It’s about the amount of fight we have deep inside us, how much we’re willing to give to overcome our setbacks.

If you haven’t been to Copper Peak lately, few places offer a more spectacular view of one of our most phenomenal temporal assets: fall colors!

Iron County Economic Development Committee Meeting
Wednesday, October 7 - 6:00 pm
Location: Iron County Courthouse Board Room

Hurley Area Entrepreneur Fair
Tuesday, October 27 - 5:00 pm
Location: Iron County Memorial Building

Visit the Iron County website to view meeting agendas. 

UW-Madison Division of Extension provides valuable programs and resources to all Wisconsin residents, not just those in Iron County! Explore statewide opportunities that can support your family, business, farm, or community, no matter where you are in the Badger State. This month, we are highlighting:

Build your strength, energy, and overall well-being from home with the StrongBodies Fall 2026 Virtual Series. This evidence-based strength training program is designed for aging adults, beginners, and people of all fitness levels looking to improve muscle mass, bone density, and vitality.

Classes run October 6 through December 17, 2026, meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 to 10:15 AM via Zoom. Signing up is easy (follow the online registration button below)!

For questions, reach out to strongbodies@extension.wisc.edu or visit UW-Extension's Health & Well-Being's Strongbodies website for more details.

Mark your calendars for our upcoming distributions:

To learn more about the Iron County Mobile Food Pantry program or other food security resources available to our community members, visit our website! 

Follow Extension Iron County on social media or by visiting our website linked below!

The University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming in compliance with state and federal law.