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VIDEO | Cicadas have hatched in Louisiana and it is deafening

By
Judy
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0
July 30, 2021 –  Shreveport, LA – The high-pitched din was noticeable the minute I left the airport in Shreveport. After checking out Elvis Presley Ave the sound was deafening.

After 17 years the cicadas have hatched and mating is underway.

cicada

fun factClyde chopped off two of his toes in prison. While serving a 14-year sentence in Texas for robbery and automobile theft in January 1932, Clyde decided he could no longer endure the unforgiving work and brutal conditions at the notoriously tough Eastham Prison Farm. In the hopes of forcing a transfer to a less harsh facility, Clyde severed his left big toe and a portion of a second toe with an ax, although it is not known whether he or another prisoner wielded the sharp instrument. The self-mutilation, which permanently crippled his walking stride and prevented him from wearing shoes while driving, ultimately proved unnecessary as he was released on parole six days later.  Klein, C. (2019, May 31) 10 Things You May Not Know About Bonnie and Clyde history.com https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-bonnie-and-clyde

Have I not commanded you? …  Be strong and courageous. … Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

The 2021 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raising money this year for music programming for seniors at Cedar Community, a 501c3, so all donations are tax-deductible.

Donate via the secure website through Cedar Community.  Donations should be marked “Amazing Ride 2021.” Click HERE to make a secure online donation.

Checks may be made payable to “Cedar Community Foundation” with “Judy Bike Ride” in the memo line and mailed to 113 Cedar Ridge Dr., West Bend, WI 53095

Be sure to include the Federal Tax ID Number for the Foundation: 39-1249432

You may also find a downloadable donation form HERE.

Cedar Community is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, and donations are tax-deductible.

VIDEO | Visiting the famous Bonnie & Clyde Ambush Museum

By
Judy
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0
July 30, 2021 – Gibsland, LA – It was about 17 miles from Minden, LA to Gibsland, LA and the famed Bonnie & Clyde Ambush Museum.

clyde

The museum is located in the building formerly home to Canfield’s Cafe. It’s where Bonnie & Clyde picked up their last meal; a fried baloney sandwich and BLT.

Perry and his cat Wallace are the curators. Perry reminded me of an old rock n roll star. He’s had his share of the media spotlight as the museum is known around the world… and his collection of artifacts is impressive… along with the generous amount of fake blood used to depict the death of Bonnie & Clyde.

“It’s vampire blood,” said Perry. “I buy it by the gallon at Party City.”

The display would get a 5-star rating from Slinger High School macabre makeup artist Griffyn Albers.

This was one of my favorites: a Bonnie & Clyde diarama constructed in an empty aquarium


It was unique the amount of blood splattered on various displays.

fun factDuring her school days, Bonnie excelled at creative writing and penning verses. While she was imprisoned in 1932 after a failed hardware store burglary, she penned a collection of 10 odes that she entitled “Poetry from Life’s Other Side,” which included “The Story of Suicide Sal,” a poem about an innocent country girl lured by her boyfriend into a life a crime. Two weeks before her death, Bonnie gave a prescient poem to her mother entitled “The Trail’s End” that finished with the verse (see photo above). Klein, C. (2019, May 31) 10 Things You May Not Know About Bonnie and Clyde history.com https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-bonnie-and-clyde

Have I not commanded you? …  Be strong and courageous. … Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

The 2021 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raising money this year for music programming for seniors at Cedar Community, a 501c3, so all donations are tax-deductible.

Donate via the secure website through Cedar Community.  Donations should be marked “Amazing Ride 2021.” Click HERE to make a secure online donation.

Checks may be made payable to “Cedar Community Foundation” with “Judy Bike Ride” in the memo line and mailed to 113 Cedar Ridge Dr., West Bend, WI 53095

Be sure to include the Federal Tax ID Number for the Foundation: 39-1249432

You may also find a downloadable donation form HERE.

Cedar Community is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, and donations are tax-deductible.

Photos printed with permission from The Bonnie & Clyde Ambush Museum.

 

VIDEO | Everyone has stories about Bonnie & Clyde

By
Judy
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0
July, 2021 –  Minden, LA – Hot on the trail of the final days of Bonnie and Clyde as I pedal through northern Louisiana on this year’s Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s.

In Shreveport, LA there used to be a diner at 422 Milam Street. In 1934 it was called the Majestic Cafe.
bonnie clyde
Now the building’s interior has been gutted to the stud. The front door looks original to the building from the 1930s.

 

According to a post in LouisianaTravel.com Bonnie and Clyde met with one of their gang at the cafe in the spring of 1934.

The young outlaws left and Henry Methvin stayed behind. He apparently tried to dine and dash but got busted.

Police grilled Methvin and he apparently narked on Bonnie and Clyde’s hideout on his family farm.

That scenario was one of the key turning points to the demise of Bonnie and Clyde.

Pedaling closer to Gibsland and the area of the ambush more people have families that have some sort of tie to the story of Bonnie and Clyde.

Another woman at the Dorcheat Historical Museum said the woman kidnapped by Bonnie and Clyde, Sophie Ston, was her mother’s home ec teacher.

Everl Adair said her grandmother was stopped by law enforcement as she traveled on the same road where the ambush was about to take place and another woman in Minden, LA said her grandparents spoke about how kind Bonnie and Clyde were.

Clyde’s first arrest came from failing to return a rental car. The notorious criminal fun factwas first arrested in 1926 for automobile theft after failing to return a car he had rented in Dallas to visit an estranged high school girlfriend. The rental car agency dropped the charges, but the incident remained on Clyde’s arrest record. Just three weeks later, he was arrested again alongside his older brother Ivan “Buck” Barrow for an even more farcical crime—possession of a truckload of stolen turkeys.  Klein, C. (2019, May 31) 10 Things You May Not Know About Bonnie and Clyde history.com https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-bonnie-and-clyde

Have I not commanded you? …  Be strong and courageous. … Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

The 2021 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raising money this year for music programming for seniors at Cedar Community, a 501c3, so all donations are tax-deductible.

Donate via the secure website through Cedar Community.  Donations should be marked “Amazing Ride 2021.” Click HERE to make a secure online donation.

Checks may be made payable to “Cedar Community Foundation” with “Judy Bike Ride” in the memo line and mailed to 113 Cedar Ridge Dr., West Bend, WI 53095

Be sure to include the Federal Tax ID Number for the Foundation: 39-1249432

You may also find a downloadable donation form HERE.

Cedar Community is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, and donations are tax-deductible.

Amazing Ride for Alzheimers | Pedaling into Louisiana Downs

By
Judy
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0

July 28, 2021 – Bossier City, LA – Left Shreveport about 9 a.m., and within about 10 miles I was standing in front of Harrah’s Louisiana Downs. The entrance was open so I drifted in.

Louisiana Downs

Grandstand at Washington County Fair
The grandstand was majestic and empty. It reminded me of how the grandstand at the old, old Washington County Fair Park looked.

The neatest thing at Louisiana Downs was the vintage starting gate that sat in a field in the back.

Louisiana downs

It too had a look like the old buildings at the Slinger Fairgrounds.

Louisiana Downs horse racing track officially opened in 1974. It’s a 1-mile dirt track; there’s also a turf course.

Sitting behind the vintage starting gate was the new start gate. Much more schnazzy.


There was also a Raceway gas station. $2.69 for a gallon of regular unleaded. It was $2.99 in West Bend when I left Tuesday and $3.09 in Hartford.

 

The Navy rejected Clyde. As a teenager, Clyde tried to enlist in the U.S. Navy, but lingering effects from a serious boyhood illness, possibly malaria or yellow fever, resulted in his medical rejection. It was a hard blow for Clyde, who had already tattooed “USN” on his left arm. Klein, C. (2019, May 31) 10 Things You May Not Know About Bonnie and Clyde history.com https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-bonnie-and-clyde

Have I not commanded you? …  Be strong and courageous. … Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

The 2021 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raising money this year for music programming for seniors at Cedar Community, a 501c3, so all donations are tax-deductible.

Donate via the secure website through Cedar Community.  Donations should be marked “Amazing Ride 2021.” Click HERE to make a secure online donation.

Checks may be made payable to “Cedar Community Foundation” with “Judy Bike Ride” in the memo line and mailed to 113 Cedar Ridge Dr., West Bend, WI 53095

Be sure to include the Federal Tax ID Number for the Foundation: 39-1249432

You may also find a downloadable donation form HERE.

Cedar Community is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, and donations are tax-deductible.

VIDEO | Frescoes and dioramas at Louisiana State Exhibit Museum

By
Judy
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0
July 28, 2021 – Shreveport, LA – It was the brown Historic Site sign that made me pull over.
LouisianaWhat looked like a boring government building held a fascinating story of history once through the entryway. And that story was told simply through beeswax.

It was the Louisiana State Museum Building constructed in 1937. The sign said there were frescoes over the main entrance and the place was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

The four-panel fresco at the entry was composed by Conrad Albrizio and it represented south and north Louisiana and the respective industries during the late 1930s.

The painting measured about 710 ft.; the size and scale match the style of the architecture.

According to information from the museum, “the mural is a true fresco. it’s a technique rare in the United States and one of the things the mural does is introduce people to the natural resources of the state. Inside it is enhanced by 22 dioramas that were designed by a team of artists between 1939 and 1942.

What’s really fascinating about the dioramas, aside from each showing the industry of the state which included agriculture, farming and mining − each figure was constructed out of beeswax.

The artist behind the figures is Henry B. Wright or H.B. Wright and the figures he made are 1/8 scale and just accurate in every detail.

It includes individual stalks of corn in a field, men straining under heavy sacks of potatoes, minute details on farm tractors and horse halters, and ladies in the kitchen packing salt or strawberries.

Each figure has a unique face; the women are wearing lipstick and the men straw hats. There are frowns on the faces from fatigue and working in the sun.

Atop the window to the dioramas are a series of black-and-white photos depicting related scenes from the era.

Weariness and exhaustion are evident in the masterpiece that highlights the industry and strong work ethic of the fabric that is Louisiana.

Bonnie died wearing a wedding ring−but it wasn’t Clyde’s. Six days before turning 16, Bonnie married high school classmate Roy Thornton. The marriage disintegrated within months, and Bonnie never again saw her husband after he was imprisoned for robbery in 1929. Soon after, Bonnie met Clyde, and although the pair fell in love, she never divorced Thornton. On the day Bonnie and Clyde were killed in 1934, she was still wearing Thornton’s wedding ring and had a tattoo on the inside of her right thigh with two interconnected hearts labeled “Bonnie” and “Roy.” Klein, C. (2019, May 31) 10 Things You May Not Know About Bonnie and Clyde history.com https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-bonnie-and-clyde

Have I not commanded you? … Be strong and courageous. … Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

The 2021 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raising money this year for music programming for seniors at Cedar Community, a 501c3, so all donations are tax-deductible.

Donate via the secure website through Cedar Community.  Donations should be marked “Amazing Ride 2021.” Click HERE to make a secure online donation.

Checks may be made payable to “Cedar Community Foundation” with “Judy Bike Ride” in the memo line and mailed to 113 Cedar Ridge Dr., West Bend, WI 53095

Be sure to include the Federal Tax ID Number for the Foundation: 39-1249432

You may also find a downloadable donation form HERE.

Cedar Community is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, and donations are tax-deductible.

Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s | Adventures already in Shreveport

By
Judy
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0
July 28, 2021 – Shreveport, Louisiana – Something must be wrong because everything is going right with this ride since arriving.

rideArrived at the Shreveport airport and so did my luggage. Assembling my bike and Reed Cartwright of West Bend, WI comes up behind me. “What’s the news, Judy Steffes?” Flattering and creepy at the same time.

Reed was in town on business. His friend took a Napoleon Dynamite full-body shot of us.

Found my Louisiana license plate lickety-split. Bigg Al from Bigg Boyz Toyz was generous with the donation. It was an honor to receive the plate from a man who carried the same name as my dad.

His shop was industrial and authentic. I thought a Rottweiler with a spiked collar would jump out from around the corner at any minute.

The sign on the side of the building read “No trespassing. I own firearms and a backhoe.”

It was a bit of an interesting ride passing through very old neighborhoods with buildings that seemed the city had forgotten as I made my way towards downtown Shreveport … but I understood Elvis had been there and had to find the street sign and memorial statue.

The Rockin’ Elvis statue was on Elvis Presley Ave. In 1954 Elvis made his debut on the Louisiana Hayride Radio Show.

The announcer introduced him, “Ladies and gentlemen you’ve never heard of this young man before but one day you’ll be able to tell your children and grandchildren that you heard musical history made tonight.”

Elvis

With these prophetic words, Elvis Presley was introduced to the country from the stage of the Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium on the Louisiana hayride radio program in October 1954.

From a working-class background, Elvis would grow to become the king of pop culture and an ambassador of a new age, and arguably the most beloved artist of the 20th century.

The sculpture was dedicated on October 16, 2004.

Following in the footsteps of Bonnie & Clyde

There are still a lot of decrepit buildings and dated signs that dot the landscape leading to downtown Shreveport. I snapped some photos wondering if they were there in the era (1932-1934) of Bonnie & Clyde.

Have I not commanded you? … Be strong and courageous. … Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

The 2021 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raising money this year for music programming for seniors at Cedar Community, a 501c3, so all donations are tax-deductible.

Donate via the secure website through Cedar Community.  Donations should be marked “Amazing Ride 2021.” Click HERE to make a secure online donation.

Checks may be made payable to “Cedar Community Foundation” with “Judy Bike Ride” in the memo line and mailed to 113 Cedar Ridge Dr., West Bend, WI 53095

Be sure to include the Federal Tax ID Number for the Foundation: 39-1249432

You may also find a downloadable donation form HERE.

Cedar Community is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, and donations are tax-deductible.

Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s 2021 hitting the air, and the road, today

By
Judy
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2
July 27, 2021 – Milwaukee, WI – Today, the first day of The Amazing Ride For Alzheimer’s 2021, Judy Steffes will be traveling to Shreveport, Louisiana to kick off the bicycling fundraiser in tribute to her dad, Al Steffes (photo below), who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.

ride

Steffes is currently at Mitchell International Airport waiting to board her flight for Shreveport and says, “I hear it’s a little warmer there. My tour plan this year is to chase the history of Bonnie and Clyde and then pedal home from Lousiana.”

Steffes rides each year to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s and as well as funds for programs in the local area for those who suffer from the disease. 100% of the proceeds of the bike tour will be given this year to Cedar Community to support their music program.

“Follow along with me and enjoy the adventure,” said Steffes.

Checks should be made payable to “Cedar Community Philanthropy” with “Judy Bike Tour” in the memo and sent to 113 Cedar Ridge Dr., West Bend, WI 53095

You can also donate online by clicking HERE.

Cedar Community is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization and donations are tax-deductible.

9 Fire departments currently battling house fire in Town of Barton | Video

By
Judy
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0
West Bend, WI – The West Bend Fire Department has just requested (7/23) MABAS BOX 15-2-2 to FIRST ALARM LEVEL for a working structure fire at 3149 Norman Drive in the Town of Barton.

Below is an audio interview with Vicki Hopp and Jeff Dreher. They are neighbors to the house that exploded on Norman Drive. Hopp said the explosion was due to a gas dryer. Three people were in the home at the time.  Jeff Dreher helped pull them out. The victims were severely burned. There is no water resource/fire hydrants so tankers are bring water.

Eye witnesses:

Agencies responding to the request are from:
Jackson Fire Department
Allenton Volunteer Fire Department
Newburg Fire Department
Germantown Wisconsin Fire Department
Kewaskum Fire Department
Kohlsville Fire Department
Slinger Fire Department
Boltonville Fire Department
Fillmore Fire Department
Norman Drive House Fire
Photo courtesy Vicki Hopp
Photo courtesy Vicki Hopp
Norman Dr. Fire Copyright WashingtonCountyInsider.com
Norman Dr. Fire Copyright Washingtoncountyinsider.com
More details will be posted when information becomes available.

VIDEO | Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s | Touring the African Queen

By
Judy
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0
February 8, 2021 – Key Largo, FL – The adventure film “The African Queen” directed by John Houston, hit the big screen in December 1951. The movie starred Humphrey Bogart as Captain Charlie Allnut and Katharine Hepburn as missionary Rose Sayer.

Now 70 years later, while pedaling The Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s – the Florida Keys, I found the famed boat as the African Queen in Key Largo is now an historic tourist attraction docked next to the Holiday Inn.

Waiting for the captain quite a few tourists from around the United States stopped and shared their favorite memories from the film.

“Probably the part everyone remembers is when he gets out of the water and has the leeches all over him,” said Terry Sharon from Bay View, Wi. “How well Bogie and Katharine got along and arguing and pouring out the booze, going past the fort and getting shot at… it was great.”

Patty Sharon remembered the costumes. “Katharine Hepburn had a hat on and the period dress and trying to stay so prim and proper through all the heat,” she said.

Jerry Wicker from Florida recalled the movie was filmed in Africa which led to some unpleasant illness behind the scenes. “Katharine Hepburn was so sick and in the scenes she had they kept a bucket to throw up in because the first time she ran to the outhouse there was a black mamba in it and she wouldn’t use that anymore,” he said.

African Queen

Susie Beck remembered the dynamic between Hepburn and Bogart. “For a movie to be centered around just two characters and carry it off, the scripting was really amazing,” she said.

African Queen

African Queen

Amy Deutl from Vermont remembered the sound of the steam engine on the African Queen. “The sound and the clunk, clunk, clunk and how he kicked it and banged on it to make it work and just the tenacity to stick with it,” she said.

Deutl also remembered the tension between the stars. “Was she going to throw him overboard… I can’t remember,” said Deutl. “The tension and the love affair… that was pretty cool.”

Just before noon Captain Jeff Jeffrey arrived and provided a brief look back at the origins of the African Queen. “This is the original boat from the movie and it was constructed in Lytham, England in 1912,” he said.

The original name for the 35-foot boat was the Livingston.  In 1949 the director of the movie, John Houston, was in Africa and as he was writing the screenplay for the movie he saw the boat working in the river. “He thought it would be a great asset for the movie so he asked the government if he could use it and they agreed and he slapped on the name African Queen.”

African Queen

After the movie the boat went back into service. “There was no market for movie memorabilia at the time so it was put back into work for several decades,” Jeffrey said. “In 1968 a man from San Francisco was traveling in Cairo, Egypt and he saw the boat sitting in the weeds and he bought it for $1.”

The boat was brought to the U.S. and later owned, most notably, by a man named Fess Parker who was hired by Disney and starred in the “Davey Crockett” series.

In 1982 the boat was found in a pasture in Ocala, Florida by a hotel mogul Jimmy Hendricks Sr.  The boat suffered a lot of decay and rust and sat on blocks of a while on Highway 1 in Florida. In 2012 the boat was purchased by Captain Lance and his wife Suzanne Holmquist who restored it and are now using it for tours.


After a brief history on the boat, Jeffrey brought out a weary white 3-ring binder with photos taken behind-the-scenes while filming “The African Queen.”

In an attempt to pedal 500 miles and share stories from the road I’m also throwing down a challenge to raise $10,000 for Alzheimer’s music and exercise programs at Cedar Community in West Bend; 100% of the money raised will go to Cedar Community so you will be able to see your donation at work.
HOW TO GIVE:

Cedar Community is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and is therefore supported solely by the gifts and contributions of friends like YOU. All gifts are tax-deductible to the extent of the law.

Checks made payable to “Cedar Community” with note “JUDY’S BIKE RIDE” can be mailed to: Cedar Community Philanthropy, 113 Cedar Ridge Dr., West Bend, WI 53095. You may also click here for a downloadable donor form. (In “additional comments” add the note “Judy’s Bike Ride”

OR

CLICK HERE to donate securely online. (In “comments” section” add the note “Judy’s Bike Ride”)

Thank you note

Thanks to Lee and Sandy Stehling from Ace Canvas for kicking in the first $200. I’m currently working on a $10,000 match should the challenge goal be reached.
Thanks, also, in advance for your kindness and support; adventure suggestions are welcome on the 2021 tour of the Florida Keys.

Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s | Must stop at ‘Robert is Here Fruit Stand’

By
Judy
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0

February 5, 2021 – Homestead, FL – Pedaling into the Everglades to camp overnight I needed to stock up on supplies and “Robert is Here Fruit Stand” was the perfect stop.

The corner fruit stand was started by then 6-year-old Robert Moehling. Now, nearly 60 years later, the salt-and-pepper Moehling has built a small empire of fresh produce, acclaimed sandwich-and-shake masterpieces and an environment that carries personal service to a new level.

Clerks don’t ring up your order; they add it by hand, putting yellow pencil to brown paper bag. There’s also assistance at the ready to transport boxes of groceries to a vehicle.

“My family thought I was dyslexic because I had a hard time reading,” said Robert.  “But doing math came easy. That is what I teach my employees. There’s not a calculator on site.”

 

“Robert is Here” is not a five-minute grocery visit; it is an experience.

Robert and his staff are knowledgeable and personable. Robert is first to arrive at 5 a.m. and generally last to leave. It is a routine he keeps seven days a week.

On my return visit from the Everglades, Robert offered a welcome. “You’re back. How was camping with the crocs?”

I didn’t know he was watching me. Nothing gets past Robert.  He greets all customers by name. “Have a good day, Erma,” he said to a tiny, older woman with white hair and glasses. “Don’t rob any banks today.”

He is grandfatherly in his demeanor and welcoming with his interactions. For West Benders, he was very George Prescott.

During my return visit I tried the lunch counter with a fresh Cuban sandwich and strawberry with coconut milkshake.

The Cuban was the best sandwich I ever had with warm bread, a healthy helping of ham, slow-roasted pork and Swiss cheese.  The best part was the blend of mustard, mayo and sweet pickle.

Robert took a break from the front counter and came over and surprised me with a slice of key lime pie and an autographed copy of his autobiography “Robert is here: looking East for a lifetime.”

So kind.

If you ever visit southern Florida, make sure “Robert is Here” is part of your trip.

In an attempt to pedal 500 miles and share stories from the road I’m also throwing down a challenge to raise $10,000 for Alzheimer’s music and exercise programs at Cedar Community in West Bend; 100% of the money raised will go to Cedar Community so you will be able to see your donation at work.
HOW TO GIVE:

Cedar Community is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and is therefore supported solely by the gifts and contributions of friends like YOU. All gifts are tax-deductible to the extent of the law.

Checks made payable to “Cedar Community” with note “JUDY’S BIKE RIDE” can be mailed to: Cedar Community Philanthropy, 113 Cedar Ridge Dr., West Bend, WI 53095. You may also click here for a downloadable donor form. (In “additional comments” add the note “Judy’s Bike Ride”

OR

CLICK HERE to donate securely online. (In “comments” section” add the note “Judy’s Bike Ride”)

Thank you note

Thanks to Lee and Sandy Stehling from Ace Canvas for kicking in the first $200. I’m currently working on a $10,000 match should the challenge goal be reached.
Thanks, also, in advance for your kindness and support; adventure suggestions are welcome on the 2021 tour of the Florida Keys.

 

 

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