February 15, 2018 at 11:34 a.m.
By Mike Reilly-mreilly@thedodgevillechronicle.com
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I missed wishing people a Happy Valentine's Day since it was yesterday (Wednesday). I didn't get any cards or presents for my "sweetheart(s)" because there are just way too many of them so I would've gone broke buying!
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The Dodgeville Girls Basketball team clinched the Southwest Conference (SWC) Championship Friday night with a come from behind win at Platteville - who was in second place a game behind the Dodgers. Congratulations to the team and Coach Josh Busch. The lady Dodgers have won two conference championships since girls basketball began in Wisconsin and both are under the coaching of Busch. They have quite a leader in University of Sioux Falls in South Dakota recruit Hannah Jones!
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Good luck to area wrestlers as they enter sectional competition Saturday in Mineral Point (Division 3) and Richland Center (Division 2). There are seven from River Valley and four from Dodgeville in Division 2 and five from Pecatonica/Argyle, four from Mineral Point and three from Iowa-Grant/Highland in Division 3. We hope to see a bunch of you at state the next weekend!
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Kramer (Butch) Rock, of Green Bay and a 1965 Dodgeville graduate who played on the 1964 state championship team, shared a story with me about his connection to "The Summer Kitchen" house that burned last week between Highland and Monfort. Here's an excerpt: "I'd take her (his mom) on rides through the county. She so enjoyed them. One trip was to Highland and Centerville. I recognized the property and she concurred, it was Uncle Ray and Aunt Clara's old farm. I arbitrarily stopped. Mom was likely in her '80's. She, as you can picture, didn't want to "bother" anybody. I insisted. We were the sole folks there. Jim Schroeder greeted us and was so engaging. We shared the ties to Ray and Clara Niebur and he almost danced. He was so proud of what he had built and sustained. He took us down memory lane through every nook and cranny of the house. I remember going up a very narrow stairway to the upstairs bedroom/living area. Mom, tho' kinda pooped, so smiled. I could see her joy in remembering all that came before.
So, it is with real sadness I learn an incredible memory of my youth and of my mom has literally gone up in smoke.
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This Sunday (February 18) from 8-noon the Dodgeville Lions Club will be holding a FREE community breakfast at the Dodger Bowl. It's a way of saying thank you to everyone for their support over the past year. Besides pancakes, eggs, sausage and more being served the club will have vision screening and diabetes testing available. The Lioness will also have a table with information and nuts for sale. It is free, but any donations will be given to the Dodgeville Food Locker!
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Check out the above photo of several Dodgeville Lions serving food at last year's breakfast.