---

I received a nice note from Mary Rowe, Dodgeville High School graduate, the other day. She wrote: "Hi Mike-Glad to hear you're on the mend!! Keep up the good work. You just have to know when to shut it down - that's the hardest part. I also wanted to thank you for the nice piece on my birthday party in March at the Red Room. I had a great time. Thanks for the piece on my Sports Days. I was born too soon. Wish we had the sports for the girls then that they have now. Take care and keep up the good work."
*****
As I said before, Mary would've been probably one of the best athletes to come out of Dodgeville High School if she would've played sports the past few decades! I hope she can make it to another "Class Luncheon" that is held at the Red Room the first Friday of every month!
*****
During two weekends ago it was "Love Dodgeville" and there were a lot of projects going on. One big one was the clean up of the high school arboretum. Check out the mother and daughter team working to collect brush and dead limbs from the trees in the above photo.
*****
It's going to be a lot of fun watching the coverage area high school sports teams as they soon hit the tournament trail. We probably have five very good softball teams that could make good runs and there are also five baseball teams that could do so also. Track and field from our teams should produce some state qualifiers (Dodge-Point, Pecatonica-Argyle, River Valley). Soccer and golf may have more of a struggle, but golf might produce a qualifier or two - a team going to state may be a little tougher! Good luck to all area athletes as they begin their state ventures!
*****
I do have a couple of driving stories, however, this week. I was coming out of the courthouse parking lot and turning left (east). As I was moving down the street a yellow car pulled into a parking spot in front of the former State Farm Insurance building. As I got closer to it, the driver pulled right out in front of me. It was a good thing I had my eye on it from the start as I thought they were lost. Oh, and it bore an IOWA license plate!
*****
The next day I was crossing the main street at the Courthouse Inn/courthouse corner and a WISCONSIN driver stopped for me coming from the south. I began walking out and a driver coming from the north just whizzed right on by me. That vehicle carried an IOWA license plate! I guess the tourist season is beginning!
*****
Highland is our first "coverage area" school to graduate. That happens this Saturday. Good luck to the Highland graduates and good luck to all graduates. There are many that we will miss promoting and covering in their school and sporting ventures while they were in high school!