Ringle Harvest Day–Saturday

I haven’t been blogging on Dicky Bird's Nest this week.  I’ve been finalizing the details for our small town’s annual celebration.  I have however, been blogging on Ringle Harvest Day (button on side).

When we moved out here in 1995, I already had plans on having my own antique or junk shop on our farm.  We had a huge barn – all a hoarder needs is “space.”  I went to some auctions and had a small “buy out” estate and set up a huge barn sale on the 2nd weekend in October.  That kinda was my plan, that weekend was the “end” of my craft and antique show “season” so it was a nice time to “get rid of” my older stock.  So, it grew…., my sisters, friends started setting up their own spots on the grass, in the garage, in an old machine shed.  We joined our 4-H club in 1996, the kids started to make crafts for sale, then added the pumpkins and cornstalks and finally the food booth.  The week it falls in happens to be 4-H Awareness Week.  Our neighbor has a hay ride business and they would come down with their horses and wagon and give rides up the road.   Each year it got bigger.   Soon, I ran out of places to put the vendors that wanted to set up.  Not to mention that my home owner’s insurance agent was concerned about the possibility of injury.  So, I approached the Town of Ringle and they said we could move the event to the “downtown” – the town hall is about 1 mile from our farm on the same road.  We are able to set up about 100 vendor booths.  Many residents also set up their own rummage sales.  It has become an annual event and fund raiser for our 4-H group – Popplewood 4-H.

Popplewood 4-H has been blessed with many businesses who donate to our raffle prizes, 4-H families who donate our food (Country Fresh Meat) (RC Pavers, Ron Christiansen Trucking – buns), Burgoyne’s Toilet Rental, Veolia (dumpsters), Scotty’s Enterprises (use of land for vendor booths) Ringle Fire Department (EMT/Safety), Marathon County Parks Department (use of Mountain Bay Trail parking lot) and the Town of Ringle.

Ringle is a SMALL town with BIG ideas and hospitality.   Ringle also has a nice corn maze just about 2 miles south on Cty Hwy Q.  This year the maze is donating $1 per entry toward Honor Flight.  Honor Flight is an organization that sends WWII Vets to Washington D.C. so they can see the WWII Monument.  The maze is a plane – B52 Bommer type.  So, if you come to the Farm & Flea Market – you might want to go thru the corn maze too. 

The weather so far looks like it will be a nice day, thank you Lord!


Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.