Upcoming Events:

• Next Gathering.  Please join us for a group pot-luck at Mary Maller's house - 6:00 p.m., Thursday, March 4th.  Mary's address is 7630 Rolling Hills Road.  If coming from Highway 10, turn north on County Road K about 1/2 mile, then east on Rolling Hills Road (can only go east) about 1 mile.  Hope to see you there.
  
• Winter Film Series.  You're invited to attend the next FREE movie in our green-themed, winter film series:  Fresh.  This documentary will be shown on Thursday, February 11, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. at the Midwest Renewable Energy Association at 7558 Deer Road in Custer.  The film, Fresh, addresses the adverse effects of our current industrialized food system, and proposes a practical vision toward a healthy, sustainable future food system.  Please join us in learning more about the foods we eat.  Free popcorn available - bring your own beverage.  Questions: 592-4501
  
  Our last film in the winter series will be:
  March 11, 2010, Mad City Chickens - a sometimes serious, sometimes whimsical documentary about raising chickens in your backyard.
  
• Local Food Fair - The Local Food Fair (sowing the seeds of the local food future...) will be held on Thursday, February, 25, 2010, at SPASH, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.  Join in the celebration of local food, fun, and community learning.  All events are free with the option of purchasing gourmet baked potato toppings from area restaurants for $1/serving.
  
      5:30 p.m. - Local Potato Bar - potato, basic toppings, drinks are free; gourmet toppings from area restaurants are $1/serving.
      7:00 p.m. - Entertainment featuring the original production, "The Mystery of the Future-loom Seeds."
      7:30 p.m. - Free desserts, local food information fair, and featured presentation, "An Economic Solution That's Hiding in our Fields."
  
  Do you have a local food related business, farm, or organization?  If so, you're invited to have a table at the Local Food Fair.  Space is only $10.  Details can be found at www.farmshed.org.
  
  Food Fair sponsorships are also welcome.  This is a great opportunity to support local foods in the community.  If you're interested in being a Food Fair sponsor, contact Jeremy at 342-4643 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
  
  There also will be lots of opportunities to volunteer on the day of the Food Fair.  If you're interested, e-mail John Sheffy at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
  
  This is a premier local foods event in Central Wisconsin.  You won't want to miss it!
  
• Wisconsin Grazing Conference.  Woody Tasch, founder of the Slow Money Alliance and author of Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money: Investing as if Food, Farms and Fertility Mattered, will be the key-note speaker at the Wisconsin Grazing Conference in Wisconsin Rapids in February.  Tasch is a pioneer in merging investing and philanthropy to find ways to support local food that is sustainably grown. 
  
  His presentation is scheduled for 4:00 p.m., Saturday, February 20th at the Mead Hotel.  Organizers will allow people not attending the conference to attend Tasch's key-note.  The fee will be a donation of five dollars ($5) or more or a donaiton to the local food pantry.  There also may be a possibility for people from Stevens Point to meet more informally with Tasch ... perhaps a dinner in Wisconsin Rapids or some event here is Stevens Point.  If you're interested in finding out about a possible meeting with Woody Tasch before or after the conference or for more information regarding car-pooling options for the key-note, please call Mary Maller at 592-4051.
  
• Voluntary Simplicity Discussion Group.  The Voluntary Simplicity Discussion Groups have begun, January 25th and January 27th respectively.  These are the seven-session series groups focusing on "living more with less."  You can still participate in either group if interested, just stop in at the next group meeting.  The Monday group is meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Emy J's.  The Wednesday group is meeting at 6:45 p.m. at the Portage County Library.