If you are thinking of starting a business  in Tomahawk, then you should take a look at this video. The Tomahawk Main Street organization asked both people on the street and current business owners, What kinds of businesses would you like to see locate to downtown Tomahawk?  

2011 Hogsback Cross Attack

The 2011 Hogsback Cross Attack is in the books. For those of you whom don’t know what a Hogsback Cross Attack is, don’t feel bad.  The Hogsback Cross Attack is a bicycle race that is held in Tomahawk’s Bradley Park. It is a timed event that runs through the woods on trails and over manmade obstacles. After the time limit is up the competitors have to complete one more lap, then the winner is announced by the combination of whom is in the lead at the end and how and how many laps they have completed.

The Hogsback race is the brainstorm of Tomahawk resident Justin Lund. Lund was challenged by the city to come up with an idea to help Tomahawk find a way to raise funds to improve the Bradley Park Trail system. Some of the other benefits that the race brings is a better awareness of the beautiful natural areas that are in and around the city of  Tomahawk where people can go to enjoy  themselves and the number of interesting events in Tomahawk that you can both participate in and enjoy as a specator. Justin also credits Liz Millender from the Tomahawk Mainstreet Inc. and by Tamra and Diane from theTomahawk Chamber of Commerce who helped get the word out, provide resources and helped with some organization of the event.

If you wish to see just what a Hogsback Cross Attack is I have posted a short highlight video. I will also be posting another video shortly that will consist of some more footage and interviews with both Justin Lund and several competitors. Next years race has already been scheduled for 9/29/12 so mark your calendars and attend the race.

Wisconsin Housing Statistics – Wisconsin REALTORS® Association.

Check out the above link. Do you think the market is better this year or worse?

The face of the Northwoods is about to get a fresh splash of color.  The green, yellow and reds of the fall are now gone, only a pleasant memory etched in our minds and in a few digital photographs we took while mother nature painted her canvas. It is now time for the whites of winter to burst on the scene, but first, the landscape will take on an unearthly hue as the color of blaze orange will dominate the state for a two week period starting this coming Friday.

The Annual Gun Deer Hunt is only days away and with the hunt comes boat loads of tradition. For the past 45 years the town of Tomahawk has taken it upon itself to welcome any and all hunters to the area and what a better way to welcome them than with a free meal. Starting just before noon and running until the food runs out, any hunter, non -hunter, or camp support person can wander down to the end of Wisconsin Ave and stand in line to get themselves a free venison burger! There are raffles going on, tall tales being swapped and a sense of comradarie that can only happens with the help of a small town atmosphere. By the end of an hour you will see Tommy Tomahawk, watch the Mayor flip burgers and hear about the big one that got away at least a dozen times. So if you are hungry and up for a couple of interesting hours stop by the 46th Annual Venison Feed.

If you enjoyed the Venison feed and you still have a taste to find out more about the Tomahawk area and what the traditions of deer camp are all about, you might want to checkout Tomahawk native  Jay Leggett and his colabarator Charles Ketchabaw’s documentary film To The Hunt. The film takes a fun and very in depth look at both the sport itself and the family traditions using several local families and their deer camps as the back drop for the film. So much for my shameless plug for Jay’s new film.

If you can’t make it to the feed the following video will help you get the feel for what it is like. Now get out there and have a safe and successful hunt.

Early Wednesday Morning

Frost on the pumpkin, no wait, that is snow on the pumpkin! Our first snowfall of the year and it wasn’t a light dusting.  I woke up this morning to a deck covered in the white stuff and for the first of many times to come, I had to break out the shovel. To see it snow in the first part of November is not unusual, but to get six or seven inches is a bit much. It wouldn’t have bothered me at all to not see any of the white stuff until the start of deer hunting when it could have made a brief appearance for the hunters sake and then melted away for another three weeks. It could then start again the week before Christmas giving Santa plenty of snow for his sleigh and giving the rest of us a  very white Christmas, as it should be.

Sara Park

As the boys of summer have now been officially put to rest, soon the sights of ice fishing shanties and snowmobiles racing across the frozen lakes will be a common sight. Thus signals the end of Tomahawk’s time as a summer/fall getaway destination.  The good thing about the end of a season is the beginning of another and so with this first blanket of snow begins an amazing transformation into the holiday season and out the out the other end into a winter wonderland where snowballs will fly, snowmobilers will hit the trails and skiers will take to the hills.

First Snow Fall Hwy D

Winter is about to begin and a whole new world will be yours to enjoy, so as the slogan for Nike says; just get out and do it!

Statistics: Homeowners are five times more likely to file an insurance claim for water damage than they are for fire damage during the life of their homeowners’ insurance policy.

Avoidance of frozen pipes should begin well before freezing conditions occur. At the first onset of cold weather in the Fall, make sure that all garden hoses are removed from the outdoor spigots, the spigots and hoses drained and properly stored, and any outdoor water consuming devices made ready for the Winter. If you have an occasion to use a garden hose during the winter months, remember to disconnect the hose and drain the water from the hose and the spigot to avoid freezing damage. Homeowners should do regular inspections on the inside and the outside of their home to make sure that any plumbing lines that might get exposed are properly and adequately protected from becoming frozen once the weather does turn cold. If you have water lines in a crawl space, get into the crawl space with the door closed and the lights off and see if you can see daylight coming into the space.

If you do, locate those spots and make necessary corrections to avoid cold air getting in during freezing weather and causing frozen pipes and possible water damage.

If the light is coming through a ventilation opening, make mental note of the opening, and remember to close the opening when cold weather does come. Also, remember to remove the closure once warm weather returns. Proper ventilation of basements and crawl spaces is important. If the opening is supplying air needed for combustion to a heating appliance, you can have your heating and cooling professional install flexible duct work to convey this air directly to the appliance requiring combustion air, but it should never be completely blocked.

Inspect all the pipes inside your home to identify those that are located in exterior walls. If possible, insulate the areas such that the pipes are isolated toward the heat of the house, in other words, so that the insulation is placed between the cold side of the wall and the pipes you’re trying to keep from freezing.

If insulation is not practical, consider installing small air vents in the wall so that the pipes will receive some heat from inside the home during freezing conditions. If none of the above is practical, and the pipes are located in a cabinet underneath a sink, keep the cabinet doors open when it gets extremely cold outside so that the area below the cabinets stays warm.

When it gets real cold outside, disable the night time set back capability of your thermostat, or keep the home’s temperature at a constant 65 degrees F. Don’t forget to re-enable the set back program when warmer weather returns.

If you will be away from home for an extended length of time during cold weather, turn the main domestic water supply off where it enters the home, turn the thermostats down to not less than 55 degrees F and open all cabinet doors where there is plumbing located inside. Have a friend or relative come by daily during extremely cold weather to make sure that everything is okay. Leave the name of your plumbing and heating contractor with the temporary caretakers in case an emergency arises while you are away. If you have a fire protection line, make certain it is not affected by turning off the domestic water supply line. Also, be sure that you don’t have a hydronic heating system that requires a constant supply of water.

If you have an older home or live in a geographic area prone to extreme cold weather, you may want to consider contacting your professional plumbing contractor for an inspection of your plumbing system and more information on ways to reduce your risk of frozen pipes.

Actions to take if your water lines do freeze:

Turn off the domestic water supply where it comes into the house. All responsible household members should be aware of where this emergency shut off valve is located prior to needing it to shut off the water. Know the difference between the domestic water supply and the fire protection supply. The fire protection supply should only be shut off if water is coming from a freeze break and there is no fire, or by a fire protection specialist.

Turn up the heat. Raise the thermostat to 75 or 80 degrees. You need to drive heat into every nook and cranny of the home to avoid any damage occurring, and eliminate the chances of another water line becoming frozen.

Open all faucets in the house. When water freezes, it expands by 1/5th its original volume. By relieving the expanding water, you may avoid doing additional pipe damage and needed repairs.

Open all cabinet doors with plumbing below them. This is to allow the heated air to circulate around the pipes in an effort to thaw them out and keep them from freezing.

Call your professional plumbing expert to come assess your situation as soon as possible. Try turning the water on for short periods to see if the frozen line has thawed. If it has, close all taps and listen to see if you can hear water running in inaccessible crawl spaces. If you do hear water running, turn off the water, open all faucets and wait for help to arrive.

Our prices on second homes and investment properties are so low I truly think this is the bottom of the market for some time to come. I just can’t believe how low the interest rates are right now. My cousin just posted on face book that she got 2.5%!!!  Wow. If you are not buying real estate right now but own a home with some equity RUN to your leader and see if it is a good move for you to refinance. You could save thousands of dollars. I just closed on my loan last month. I took 5 years of my loan and kept the same payments. Were talking $20,000!!! I have many per-retirement couples refinancing and using the equity to by their retirement home or vacant lot. What a great investment in something that you can SEE, not just on paper.  Who knows what prices are going to do in the northwoods in a couple of years. Interest rates can NOT get lower! I my self as a real-estate agent am going to buy a property with my investment account this year. I know real-estate! I do not get wall street. Call me for more information of how you can build your retirement fund with real-estate.

Click to check out rates in your area.

Loins, Tigers and Bears, OH MY!

Strange were the sights on the streets of Tomahawk the Saturday before Halloween, as ghosts, goblins and zombies mixed with the likes of Scooby Doo, Darth Vader and  Snow White. There were plenty of treats for all and I am sure  a few tricks were played as well. But overall the streets were filled with parents and their children getting into the spirit of things and spending quality time together. We put together this little photo montage for all to enjoy. So just hit play and see if you can figure who is who?

Dairy Queen's last days

Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger, Chips, no Coke, Pepsi. While not the Olympia Restaurant from the Saturday Night Live Skit, the Tomahawk Dairy Queen, Huey’s Drive In and whatever other names the business has had during its existence, it has left an indelible impression in my mind. It is with a tear in my eye today that I sat across the street watching as the building breathed its last breath.

Since the late 70s this building/business has been serving up ice cream, fast food and memories to generations of people from Tomahawk. I can remember being one of a line of cars leaving the high school parking lot during fourth hour study hall as we used our senior privileges to take a two hour lunch and be the first to get their Special of The Day at the old  Huey’s Drive In. I believe that on occasion there may have been some of us who even broke the speed limit getting there. I also remember when I asked one of my best friends to throw me the ketchup, and he did.

Passing into the Night

Progress happens around us everyday and from the rumors I have heard, new gererations of tourists and Tomahawk youth will have their chance to get a tasty treat and make some memories of their own at a new Dairy Queen Grill & Chill?

It is great to see this small town slice of Americana live on, but it is with a tear in my eye that I bid the old lady next to the river a fond adu.

Just in case you haven’t had time to get out and enjoy the fabulous fall colors we have had here in Tomahawk, I have posted a short video that will give you a taste of why this is the best time of the year in Tomahawk and the Northwoods.