To the Oregon-based business Wood Cycle, using and repurposing local wood is called “logs with a zip code.”

Wisconsin-sourced logs, even those with damage or things buried in them, have memories instilled in them.

Using wood that would go to waste and turning it into something meaningful is what Wood Cycle has been striving to do since 2001, owner Paul Morrison told the Observer. As the business approaches its 20th anniversary, Morrison said Wood Cycle has always exclusively used Wisconsin woods from trees in people’s yards — particularly if the trees have to come down because of storm damage or disease.

The business, located at 1239 South Fish Hatchery Road, then turns that wood into a variety of products like tables, chairs and fireplace mantles, he said.

He said the concept of hyper-local resources and shopping has only gained steam over the past few years, he said, with movements like farm-to-table or shop local. But Wood Cycle has always known that sometimes all we need is right “in our own backyards,” he said.

And through using local resources, Morrison said Wood Cycle has cultivated connections to the community through “personal stories.” For example, when a tornado went through Stoughton, they took those trees, turned them into furniture.

Or when the trees outside of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Memorial Union had to come down, Oregon-based business Wood Cycle turned them into drink rails and a mosaic art piece for the inside of the building.

“To be able to use that wood back in something that’s going to go into that same home or that same neighborhood is just a special memory for people,” he said. “Beyond the fact that it utilizes a resource that historically was landfilled or turned into firewood, because traditional sawmills just didn’t want to cut that wood.”

The business also participates in the Habitat for Humanity ReStore project to supply it with wood taken from local communities to give back to construction efforts in Dane County.

The connection to wood stems back to Morrison’s childhood.

He said he grew up in Oshkosh on a farm that had been in his family since 1853.

Its trees represented generations of his family — they grew as he did. So for Morrison, cutting down the farm’s trees wasn’t about getting rid of them, but rather giving new life and meaning to them, he said.

“I fell in love with the sounds and smells and the character of those trees as they would be sawn,” Morrison said.

He had always loved woodworking, and so two decades ago, he quit his desk job, recruited his nephew and made a business out of it. Since then, the team has expanded to eight employees, and they are always looking to reach out to young and aspiring woodworkers.

There are no solid plans for how Wood Cycle plans on celebrating its 20th anniversary, but Morrison said they are aiming for an art fair near the end of July.

As for the coming years, Morrison said he is looking forward to connecting to other like-minded companies through groups like the Urban Wood Network, where hundreds of woodworkers with the same ethos as Morrison can share ideas and support one another’s business.

“So to me, it’s that story, that personal connection, that buy-local economy, that this all creates,” he said. “And all from what was traditionally a waste product, but it’s a waste product that literally contains our memories.”

Deb Compton, dog groomer at the Fitchburg location of Pet Supplies Plus, paid homage to Wisconsin in a way that she said has never been done.

With some fur dye and scissors, Compton transformed a pup into the emblematic Badger during the first episode of ABC’s dog grooming competition “Pooch Perfect,” which premiered Tuesday, March 30.

Compton told the Star that filming the show was a great experience to push herself as a groomer and an artist. And as the show continues to air at 7 p.m. each Tuesday on ABC, Compton said she hopes viewers can get a sense of the dedication groomers have for their career and canine clients, she said.

The title of the show was inspired by “Pitch Perfect” star Rebel Wilson, who serves as both the executive producer and host. The hour-long program showcases 10 experienced pairs of groomers fighting to keep their spot and, if they make it to the finale, win a $100,000 grand prize.

Compton is teamed up with her son Jordan, 19, who is also a dog groomer at a Pet Supplies Plus location in Austin, Minnesota.

Working alongside Jordan helped her keep her cool while grooming in front of the judges and under a time restraint, she said.

“He had been working with me for a few years and helping me at some of the grooming competitions,” Compton said. “So he kind of gets it, you know? He knows one look on my face, and he’s like, ‘OK, OK, it’s gonna be fine.’”

Together, the pair take on the two challenges per episode. An Immunity Puppertunity challenge where the best team can earn immunity from the second challenge, the Ultimutt Challenge. During Ultimutt, groomers are expected to take artistic risks, show off technical skills and showcase it all down the ‘dogwalk’, she said.

Pushing the limit

The show features challenges like turning dogs into different animals – like Compton’s badger, a fire ant, goldfish or skunk to name a few.

For Compton, this style of grooming is right in her wheelhouse, she said.

“Oh man, my artistic style is pretty extreme,” Compton said. “Bright colors, loud, depth, dimension, mostly scissor work and clipper carving.”

And while “Pooch Perfect” is her first reality show, she is no stranger to competition or the camera. Compton has competed in (and won) dozens of grooming competitions, and a few years ago, she was featured in the documentary “Well Groomed,” which followed groomers through a competition season.

Though the process of being cast and filming the show was still intense for her, she said.

Producers contacted Compton through Facebook in February 2020. Then after nearly a year of background checks, pre-filming and interviews, she and Jordan flew out to Los Angeles for five weeks of filming in January and February.

Despite the long days and nerves, Compton said it was a great experience. And by the end of it, she surprised herself, pushing the limits of what she thought was possible.

“I thought I had done everything,” Compton said. “No, I did stuff I’ve never done before, so I loved the challenge.”

Compton said she was able to learn from the other contestants by just watching their techniques and observing what tools they used. While most of the groomers knew each other from social media, she said doing “Pooch Perfect” together was a bonding experience.

Getting her start

Blake Hernandez, one of Compton’s friends and a fellow contestant on the show, flew out to Madison to practice “bedazzling” techniques. Hernandez, who manages a San Diego dog salon, said he hopes audiences can get a better sense of what it means to be a groomer.

“ I hope that viewers realize how much joy a true groomer has for their job,” Hernandez said. “We make an instant bond with a brand new dog – that is how we live our lives every day.”

Compton agrees, saying that marrying her passion for art and a love of dogs is her favorite aspect of grooming. She said that many people may not understand that grooming is a real, meaningful career with artistic value.

It was a value that Compton herself didn’t understand until two decades ago when dog grooming became a temporary way for her to make ends meet.

She started at Petco in Tamarac, Florida, where she was working in the retail industry to save money to pay for schooling to become a firefighter. Eventually, Compton moved into the grooming department and “never looked back,” she said.

She said that at first, some family members didn’t understand that dog grooming could be a permanent job. But Compton said she hopes shows like “Pooch Perfect” can change that and showcase the talent and energy that go into grooming.

It can also help customers stop stressing when dropping off their dogs, she said, because they know what they are doing.

“I think that’s one of the appeals to doing these shows is if you can showcase your skills with this kind of work, it sets in people’s mind that your little yellow fluffy Shih Tzus is easy, ‘’ Compton said. “If we can put a monkey on our dog’s back, like, your Shih Tzus is fine.”

To check out some of Compton’s work, visit her Instagram page @makograms.

While sipping on a beer outside a Colorado restaurant more than 10 years ago, Stoughton resident Lynn Perez-Hewitt noticed a man dressed in a dated brown suit and fedora crossing the street.

“That just doesn’t fit,” Perez-Hewitt thought to herself.

So, she grabbed her journal — always on hand — and began to outline the man who would later serve as the inspiration behind the time-traveling protagonist in her novel “Measured Time.” Published in October, Perez-Hewitt told the Hub the 267-page fiction book is full of rich characters, each inspired by people in her life.

The novel, which Perez-Hewitt said is appropriate for all audiences, follows World War II physicist Nick Nishimura, who teleports from a military intelligence base in Los Alamos to Arizona in 2008. Amongst the shock, Nick must figure out, who is still alive? Will he be pulled back in time? How can he adjust to the societal changes?

Perez-Hewitt said she uses her characters to explore topics about human nature and relationships such as loyalty, courage and marriage. Some of the more fantastical elements stem from sci-fi movies. The way she writes intense character relationships and development is inspired by renowned authors like Isabel Allende and Gabriel García Márquez, she said.

But her greatest inspiration is those around her.

“There are bits of me and bits of probably everybody I know scattered throughout this book,” Perez-Hewitt said. “My husband jokes that I collect people like other people collect salt and pepper shakers.”

Whether that is observing a perfect stranger on the street, like the brown suit man, or looking inward to herself, Perez-Hewitt said she combines different elements of real people to construct rounded characters.

Like Perez-Hewitt herself, Nick is an observer who can’t part with his handy notebook, she said. Readers get a glimpse into his mind through his written notes. But unlike Nick, Perez-Hewitt said she isn’t so scientific in her writing process.

A self-proclaimed gardener — a term coined by George RR Martin — she plants an idea, not quite knowing where it will take her until she writes it down. And sometimes, it’s the characters who tell her their next move, she said.

“My books have a lot of dialogue in them because my characters talk to me, and my characters surprise me,” she said. “Sometimes things come out that I don’t expect, which is really kind of exciting.”

A life-long journaler, vivid storyteller and public relations specialist, Perez-Hewitt said she’s always considered herself a writer. But it wasn’t until “Measured Time” that she embraced an element of ambition, which she said has pushed her into a space as an author.

While Perez-Hewitt first encountered the brown-suit-man in 2009, life got busy and she didn’t have much of an interest in writing a novel after seeing some of her friends struggle with the arduous process. But, by 2017, she said she couldn’t stay away from the characters and knew that Nick “needed more than a short story could give him.”

“When I picked it up again, I just fell in love with the characters again,” she said. “I just began to see how everything connected and to see what might happen.”

Perez-Hewitt said she has received wonderful feedback from readers and is nearly halfway done with the sequel, which she hopes will be on shelves by December. The book is available online and the Stoughton Public Library carries a copy.

In March, Stoughton resident and birdwatcher Glenn Van Rossum observed an osprey nest on the centerfield light pole at the Jackson Street baseball diamond.

The osprey family has since vacated the nest for the winter, Van Rossum told the Hub. But now that the nest is empty, the City of Stoughton is expected to take down the light poles within the next few weeks, Stoughton parks and recreation director Dan Glynn told the Hub in an email.

Though the baseball and softball diamonds are Stoughton Area School District property, the city is responsible for removing the light poles now that they are no longer in use, SASD Groundskeeper Luke Butz said.

But Van Rossum worried about the ospreys’ adaptability given they may return in the spring to find their nest would be gone. He was especially concerned since the state’s Department of Natural Resources classified this fish-eating, large raptor as a protected species — the level above endangered.

The city reached out to DNR staff, who passed on ways to best handle the nest and cause minimal disruption to the birds. An initial plan was to remove the light, leave the pole in place and attach a platform. Van Rossum hoped this could work so the birds might return to Jackson Street in the spring.

The school district was not against this plan, but wanted the city to manage the upkeep and eventual removal of the pole and plank once the birds had left, Butz said. For the city, having to maintain something on school district property was a “deal breaker,” Glynn said.

Because of this, the city is expected to continue with the original plan of removing all of the poles as stated in the contract. The DNR advised the city to wait until the osprey family vacated the nest for the winter, and now the city is waiting for the ground to be firm enough in the coming weeks for minimal grounds disturbance, Glynn said.

Though the species is adaptable and should be able to find a new nest, Van Rossum thinks the community is losing out on a valuable learning experience. In his experience, raptors such as osprey typically nest near water and farther from people.

Waking up early over the summer and using his binoculars to watch the family grow was an unbelievable experience, he said.

“I think it’s just an incredible educational opportunity for viewing the habitat of raptors in a neighborhood,” Van Rossum said. “To be that proximal is just rather surprising and amazing.”

click on the picture to use the interactive map I made during my internship with the Office of the Wisconsin State Treasurer

At the beginning of each virtual Mosaicos Cultural Enrichment tutoring session, Charles Payne checks in with how his student is feeling.

They take a few minutes for deep breaths and reflection before getting into school work, which typically involves reviewing lessons from class and ensuring the student is not falling behind on assignments.

The Stoughton-based nonprofit aims to celebrate diversity and support underrepresented youths and their families, founder and executive director, Yoli Rangel-FitzGibbon told the Hub.

One of the ways the organization does so is by pairing up students with tutors like Payne to help deal with navigating online school, and to form a healthy adult-student relationship.

Since Rangel-FitzGibbon moved to Stoughton 15 years ago, she has seen the community become more diverse; however, there was a need to help people, especially students of color, feel seen and represented in a way that a classroom setting may not provide. So, Mosaicos pairs up tutors and students who may feel underrepresented at school or in Stoughton, whether that be their race, sexuality or disability.

Mosaicos fosters connections and a feeling of belonging for those students and their families by bringing in tutors with different backgrounds and identities. The nonprofit pays for each tutor to attend training at an outside academy and does background checks through a partnership with Stoughton Area School District.

The nonprofit facilitates conversations and brings in speakers to talk about topics such as social justice and anti-racism.

Tutors are taught to use trauma-informed care, which means they look for symptoms of distress and methods to address these feelings. With school being online, students are struggling with the transition and having a difficult time dealing, Payne said.

“So that is what we’re really focused on right now is just providing another wall of support during what has been a very weird year,” he said.

Pre-pandemic, Mosaicos would place tutors directly in schools to work in the classroom with students and teachers. Now, they log in for 30-minute sessions to check in on students’ emotional well-being and help them stay organized with assignments and go over confusing concepts.

Payne, who has a background in education, feels that now more than ever, the program is integral to Mosaicos’ core mission of creating a more inclusive community. Virtual learning can set back children in terms of development, especially for students who already needed additional support, Payne said.

He sees the program as a preventative measure to make sure students are not left behind. COVID-19 disproportionately affects low-income and racial or ethnic minorities, in terms of health and economic factors, according to the National Institute of Health.

While also addressing the COVID-19 related challenges, the program is designed to provide a positive adult relationship with students. Payne said that having a positive relationship with an adult is important for development, especially when students have someone they can relate to on a personal level.

“And I know the fact that I don’t look like their teachers,” said Payne, who is Black. “ I look more like the students that I tutor, so it makes it easier for me to develop that relationship because we have a similar understanding of what it’s like to grow up looking like us.”

For more information, visit mosaicos.us or email contactus@mosaicos.us

On the corner of State Street and the Capitol Square last summer, people could grab a beer and some food, and spend their Wednesday evening enjoying free jazz by local performers.

For the first time since opening in 1993, nonprofit Jazz at Five canceled its 2020 summer performances for the safety of performers and patrons during the pandemic. But the Stoughton-based nonprofit, which aims to support jazz and young musicians, received a $10,000 COVID-19 relief grant which it expects to use for a virtual concert trial run.

The grant comes from the COVID-19 Cultural Organization Grant Program launched by Gov. Tony Evers and the Department of Administration, which would distribute money to organizations within cultural disciplines like dance, music, theatre and visual arts. Since the overall cancellation of large gatherings in March, Wisconsin’s arts, music and entertainment sector has been financially struggling, according to a Wisconsin Policy Forum report.

The nonprofit plans to use the money for the equipment, space and performers that would go into creating three to five livestreams. Jazz at Five has yet to choose a streaming platform, but the performances are expected to take place sometime between now and March 2021, board member Ken Johnson told the Hub.

Johnson said he envisions the livestreams looking as close to a normal show as possible — there would be a professional stage that is large enough for musicians to physically distance themselves from one another. The performers would be able to enjoy themselves on stage while audiences view from their own homes.

Jazz at Five’s business model depends on sponsorships to fund events and pay musicians, Johnson said. With over half of its money coming from sponsors, the success of the livestreams is contingent on whether or not companies are still willing to sponsor a virtual event.

Johnson said these live streams will be used to gauge the interest sponsors have in funding a virtual series for 2021. The grant is only enough to cover the first few livestreams, so sponsors will be needed if this is how Jazz at Five chooses to replace their summer performance series.

At live performance series, sponsors may have a table set up to interact with and advertise to the large crowds on State Street. Johnson is unsure if companies are willing to support without this element.

“But let me tell you, if it goes another year, it would be really hard. I mean, our sponsors aren’t sponsoring because there is no event,” Johnson said.

For now, there are no in-person plans for 2021, but Johnson hopes sponsors like the livestreams so Jazz at Five can sustain itself and pay performers until live music events are safe.

For information, follow Jazz at Five on social media or check out their website jazzatfive.org.

For artist and Fitchburg resident Christy Grace, drawing mythical animals, such as an “opossumicorn,” was a way for her to work with her daughter and try to create steady income from home.

Those drawings turned into a coloring book, titled “Alphabeticorns” — a collaboration between Grace and her five year old, Eliana that features an alphabetized series of horned animals. The book’s theme is based on Eliana’s bedtime routine, where her mother conceptualizes creatures to protect her at night, Christy told the Star.

The book showcases 27 creatures with fun facts and discussion questions about each animal. Grace said it can be purchased by pledging at least $15 to her Kickstarter: “Alphabeticorns! The Coloring Book” which runs until Thursday, Nov. 19. Eventually, the books will be available on Christy’s website and Etsy shop, “ArtofChristy.” Grace is hoping the book will provide sustainable income for herself and her family. As of Tuesday, Nov. 10, the Kickstarter campaign has 100 backers and just over one-third of it’s $21,500 goal.

For now Christy’s priority is to get the Kickstarter campaign fully funded to cover costs such as shipping, processing fees and the work that went into creating the designs. The books are expected to deliver to campaign supporters before Christmas, she said.

Before COVID-19 reached Wisconsin, Christy said she would attend public art shows and markets to showcase her work, which includes paintings and jewelry often inspired by nature. Since then, Christy has had to rely on virtual means to sell her art, one of those being her Etsy shop, which features custom orders.

But Christy said there isn’t a lot of time to satisfy the orders, since she is home all day with her daughter, helping her with virtual schooling. She said she needed to restructure the way she makes art, so that’s how the coloring book concept was born.

And so the book’s concept spawned out of a nighttime tradition between Christy and her daughter, after Eliana moved into her own room.

To make her feel less nervous about the change, Christy began conceptualizing Eliana imaginary animals with Eliana before bed, telling her they would protect her. Eliana would then “put” the animal on decorative branches and paper birds that hang above her bed to watch over her while she slept.

It soon became that Eliana asked for a new animal every night, Christy said.

Over the past few months, the animals had started to take on some variation of a unicorn. A “toadicorn” and a “platypusicorn” are just some of the creatures the mother and daughter conjured up that can be seen brought to life on the pages of the coloring book.

“We were trying to find a way to bring about the peace and silliness that we felt at night into the world, because it’s kind of a challenging world right now,” Grace said.