http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/balsam-lake/ Balsam Lake, WI News http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/balsam-lake/content/a75481286ab57c17a4392afcbb68bdc1.html Madison Edgewood39;s girls golf team is doing its thing once again at University Ridge So is Osceola39;s Lynn Danielson The Crusaders are on pace to win their unprecedented eighth straight WIAA state girls golf team title as they took a commanding 49stroke lead over ArcadiaCochraneFountain City in the Division 2 bracket at the midway point of the 36hole event that concludes Tuesday at the Ridge I39;m very proud of the girls39;39; said Edgewood coach http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/balsam-lake/content/61de9e339915726bebe9bd64fcdb45cb.html GM to end local SUV production in December http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/balsam-lake/content/2fb2bbc26deee108a8f1a8715a1e6d43.html DEER PARK When it comes to gardening Joe Ailts thinks bigHis 2acre garden contains some of Wisconsin's biggest fruits and vegetablesThe St Croix County gardener said growing giant pumpkins gourds and tomatoes combines his competitive streak with his interest in horticultureGiant pumpkins are his specialty The owner of Joze Giants Pumpkin Farm near Deer Park Ailts has been competing in giant pumpkin weighoffs across the Upper Midwest since 2000He's a twotime champion of the Nekoosa Giant Pumpkin Fest which is considered Wisconsin's premier pumpkin weighoffThe event held the first weekend in October draws 50 to 60 gigantic pumpkins each year Their owners vie for a top cash prize of 2000The whole reason we grow these things is to put them on the scale at that event Ailts saidThe largest pumpkin he has ever grown was a 1056pound state winner in 2003 He followed that up the next year with a 1016pounderAnything over 1000 pounds is kind of regarded as the Holy Grail he saidBut Ailts has his sights set higher: the state record He would have to grow a pumpkin weighing more than 1400 pounds to beat the recordThe world record is a 1600pound pumpkin grown in Rhode IslandGrowing seasonAlthough poor growing conditions have kept Ailts out of competitions the past couple of years he returned this fall He placed 12th on Oct 4 in Nekoosa with a 903pound pumpkin measuring 13 feet aroundThe winner was a 1323pound pumpkin grown by Glen and Margaret Martin of Combined LocksAilts took 10th place Sept 27 at the St Croix Growers Association weighoff in Stillwater MinnSize mattersHe stresses these are not beauty pageants it's all about size and scaleAilts has had a green thumb since childhood when he spent many hours pulling weeds alongside his greatgrandmother in her garden She grew everything under the sun he saidHe still gets satisfaction from digging in the dirt Working in the garden relieves stress after work he saidAilts who has a degree in biotechnology from UWRiver Falls is director of physician education at NeuroScience in rural Osceola He said his background in science helps him better understand many of the technical aspects of growing giant pumpkinsConsidering all the forces of nature working against those pumpkins such as weather disease insects and wildlife it's a miracle the pumpkins survive to reach such epic proportions Ailts saidHe begins planning for competition in the spring planting varieties that are known to produce ultraplump pumpkins such as Atlantic giantHe selects one pumpkin per plant and removes the rest Each pumpkin is allowed about 500 square feet of growing spaceA few years ago before his two young sons were born Ailts grew as many as 16 big pumpkins a year This year he grew fourWinning formulaPlant pruning and vine burying are keys to success he said Burying vines encourages root growth and directs the plant's energy into nurturing the pumpkinHis pumpkins are grown organically Compost cow manure and other natural fertilizers such as fish emulsion and kelp are used to enrich the soilWe don't feed it milk; that's an old wives' tale he said and I don't rotate itThe pumpkins grow fast Typically only the size of a marble in early July they can gain as much as 45 pounds a day at the height of the season Ailts saidGreat care must be taken when the fruits reach that size; their tender skin and hollow cavity make them vulnerable to damage so he moves cautiously to avoid separating the pumpkin from the vine too soonAilts said the biggest threats to the giants are his own clumsiness and vandalismWhen temperatures hover near freezing Ailts covers his prized pumpkins with blankets to trap the heat and ward off bugs and nibbling wildlife such as mice and deerThere's a lot of luck involved in this hobby It's kind of a crapshoot he saidAfter competition Ailts often sells the pumpkins to a professional carver for about 1 a pound to be transformed into largerthanlife jacko'lanternsHe's also experimenting with long gourds Big Zac tomatoes and dinner plate dahliasAn 865inch gourd from his garden took first place at Nekoosa this fall edging out the next nearest competitor by 5 inches His garden this year also has yielded a dahlia measuring 10 inches in diameter and a tomato weighing more than 2 poundsClausen writes for The Country Today a rural life newspaper published by the Eau Claire Press Co She can be reached at clausenamerytelnet http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/balsam-lake/content/85213a2f3a12b933d7dfcba66f38a8ed.html MANITOWOC Blong Lee had been reeling in empty casts along the Manitowoc River until a strong tug caught his attention http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/balsam-lake/content/0cc949c63169baf141f9b775e5ede442.html DEER PARK When it comes to gardening Joe Ailts thinks bigHis 2acre garden contains some of Wisconsin's biggest fruits and vegetablesThe St Croix County gardener said growing giant pumpkins gourds and tomatoes combines his competitive streak with his interest in horticultureGiant pumpkins are his specialty The owner of Joze Giants Pumpkin Farm near Deer Park Ailts has been competing in giant pumpkin weighoffs across the Upper Midwest since 2000He's a twotime champion of the Nekoosa Giant Pumpkin Fest which is considered Wisconsin's premier pumpkin weighoffThe event held the first weekend in October draws 50 to 60 gigantic pumpkins each year Their owners vie for a top cash prize of 2000The whole reason we grow these things is to put them on the scale at that event Ailts saidThe largest pumpkin he has ever grown was a 1056pound state winner in 2003 He followed that up the next year with a 1016pounderAnything over 1000 pounds is kind of regarded as the Holy Grail he saidBut Ailts has his sights set higher: the state record He would have to grow a pumpkin weighing more than 1400 pounds to beat the recordThe world record is a 1600pound pumpkin grown in Rhode IslandGrowing seasonAlthough poor growing conditions have kept Ailts out of competitions the past couple of years he returned this fall He placed 12th on Oct 4 in Nekoosa with a 903pound pumpkin measuring 13 feet aroundThe winner was a 1323pound pumpkin grown by Glen and Margaret Martin of Combined LocksAilts took 10th place Sept 27 at the St Croix Growers Association weighoff in Stillwater MinnSize mattersHe stresses these are not beauty pageants it's all about size and scaleAilts has had a green thumb since childhood when he spent many hours pulling weeds alongside his greatgrandmother in her garden She grew everything under the sun he saidHe still gets satisfaction from digging in the dirt Working in the garden relieves stress after work he saidAilts who has a degree in biotechnology from UWRiver Falls is director of physician education at NeuroScience in rural Osceola He said his background in science helps him better understand many of the technical aspects of growing giant pumpkinsConsidering all the forces of nature working against those pumpkins such as weather disease insects and wildlife it's a miracle the pumpkins survive to reach such epic proportions Ailts saidHe begins planning for competition in the spring planting varieties that are known to produce ultraplump pumpkins such as Atlantic giantHe selects one pumpkin per plant and removes the rest Each pumpkin is allowed about 500 square feet of growing spaceA few years ago before his two young sons were born Ailts grew as many as 16 big pumpkins a year This year he grew fourWinning formulaPlant pruning and vine burying are keys to success he said Burying vines encourages root growth and directs the plant's energy into nurturing the pumpkinHis pumpkins are grown organically Compost cow manure and other natural fertilizers such as fish emulsion and kelp are used to enrich the soilWe don't feed it milk; that's an old wives' tale he said and I don't rotate itThe pumpkins grow fast Typically only the size of a marble in early July they can gain as much as 45 pounds a day at the height of the season Ailts saidGreat care must be taken when the fruits reach that size; their tender skin and hollow cavity make them vulnerable to damage so he moves cautiously to avoid separating the pumpkin from the vine too soonAilts said the biggest threats to the giants are his own clumsiness and vandalismWhen temperatures hover near freezing Ailts covers his prized pumpkins with blankets to trap the heat and ward off bugs and nibbling wildlife such as mice and deerThere's a lot of luck involved in this hobby It's kind of a crapshoot he saidAfter competition Ailts often sells the pumpkins to a professional carver for about 1 a pound to be transformed into largerthanlife jacko'lanternsHe's also experimenting with long gourds Big Zac tomatoes and dinner plate dahliasAn 865inch gourd from his garden took first place at Nekoosa this fall edging out the next nearest competitor by 5 inches His garden this year also has yielded a dahlia measuring 10 inches in diameter and a tomato weighing more than 2 poundsClausen writes for The Country Today a rural life newspaper published by the Eau Claire Press Co She can be reached at clausenamerytelnet http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/balsam-lake/content/267bfc44c34fa8f23c8812962202708f.html TOWN OF OMRO For some town of Omro residents Sunday was a time to gather with friends at the town hall on Rivermoor Road share a meal and some memories and listen to some campaigning by candidates for state offices http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/balsam-lake/content/b832d000b73da17885a99330b59240a8.html University of Wisconsin junior forward Scott Lorenz managed a rare feat Sunday scoring just the third goal this season allowed by No 2 Northwestern But it wasn39;t enough for the Badgers whose Big Ten Conference winless streak reached 11 matches with a 21 setback to the unbeaten Wildcats before a crowd of 788 at the McClimon Soccer Complex Northwestern 1002 30 Big Ten took a 20 lead when sophomore Matt Eliason tallied his 10th and 11th goals http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/balsam-lake/content/d3c0b23529044678d27f02228b0f2029.html Fans from both Penn State and the University of Wisconsin were on their best behavior before Saturday night39;s showdown at Camp Randall Stadium In fact one fan who drove all the way to Madison from Pennsylvania gave me the shirt off his back ReallyI was assigned to look into whether Badger fans still act like what a scolding editorial in our competitor39;s paper dubbed drunken louts What better way