a leader in AI-powered data science solutions is thrilled to announce the appointment of Jeff Dillenburg as Chief Operating Officer (COO) Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Joe graduated from De La Salle High School in 1953 Joe joined the Air Force and served at the end of the Korean War as an Air Traffic Controller at Hamilton Air Force Base in Novato California and had two children in California worked nights as a hotel business manager and finished classes at the University of San Francisco Joe & Margaret settled in Willmar specifically to be closer to Margaret’s mother Hazel Campbell and provide a midwestern upbringing for their children Joe worked as an auditor at a CPA firm with Bob Latham and Tom Eischens and after discovering a financial fraud during an audit he was conducting Joe was hired by the Willmar Clinic as its Administrator when the clinic was just 7 doctors located above the JC Penney store in downtown Willmar Joe was proud to manage the clinic as it grew over the next twenty years from a small doctor’s office to the Willmar Medical Center with a modern surgery center and several satellite offices in surrounding small towns Joe served as a business consultant to other medical and surgical companies in Florida He served as Chairman of the Board of Med Centers Health Plan in Minneapolis at a time when HMOs and employer paid health plans were growing in Minnesota and became the standard for similar health organizations across the country Joe was elected President of the Medical Group Management Association a nationwide association of business professionals who lead medical group practices in the United States and spent many happy weekends exploring the state parks through Minnesota and in the Black Hills of South Dakota Joe was famous for enjoying long car rides (many without a/c!) and took family and friends on car trips to the Oregon coast the Berkshire Hills in the fall in Massachusetts and summers on the coast of Maine Joe and Margaret spent more than 10 summers as boy scout camp volunteers in Northern Minnesota Joe and Margaret moved temporarily to Connecticut and Pennsylvania doing volunteer work for two different Catholic church schools After making many friends in Pennsylvania at their last volunteer assignment just in time to start driving regularly to Washington DC to play with their twin grandsons Joe and Margaret enjoyed many travel adventures searching the origins of their extended families in Scotland and boating along the Amalfi coast in Italy Many of these vacations included grandsons Michael and Joseph and Joe was a fantastic and patient grandfather including on a group pilgrimage to Lourdes France with two 6-year-olds and a group of friends and relatives Joe was active and healthy for all of his 88+ years and was seriously ill for just the two weeks leading up to the day he went to heaven He was a faithful and devoted church member and head of our family and he spoke often of being truly saddened in life only by the fact that his parents both died very young and didn’t get to enjoy our family adventures from Willmar and beyond Margaret’s death ten years ago was his hardest transition but Joe was stoic and stayed positive despite losing our beautiful Mom’s companionship Dad stayed with Peggy and helped care for Joseph and spent many hours checking in on cousins and friends via phone and working on our family tree He spoke often of how wonderful it will be to someday get to heaven and be with our mom We are grateful to God for Dad’s long and faithful life and we know we will see him again in heaven Joe is also survived by two beloved grandsons as well as many dear cousins and lifelong friends Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Receive emails when new obituariesare published to our website OUR FUNERAL HOME IS PROUD TO BE FAMILY OWNED & OPERATEDWhen you have experienced the loss of a loved one you can trust Powers Funeral Home to guide you through the process of honoring their life we pride ourselves on serving families in Creston Our staff is experienced in a variety of funeral services and can help you celebrate your loved one no matter your religion dbaPowers Funeral Home | (641) 782-7036601 New York Avenue © Powers Funeral HomeCrafted with care by Frazer Consultants & TA Your browser may not work with certain site. Upgrade now. or “Bomar” as many knew him by was born May 24 the son of the late Philip J and Beverly J (DeWolf) Dillenburg Bill graduated from Fredonia Central School 19768 and received his honorable discharge July 26 Survivors include seven brothers all residing near: Daniel “Dilly” Charles (Debra) and Robert Dillenburg; stepdaughter Stacy (Peter) Szukala; and step-grandsons: Joshua and Jayden Also surviving are nieces and nephews that Bill was so very proud of and always had bubble gum for Stacy Dillenburg Daniel Dillenburg; and blessed with great-nieces/nephews and cousins Special friends that Bill was so thankful for Bill is predeceased by two of his favorite aunts: Hildegarde Krzal and Norma DeWolf Family and friends are invited to gather for the celebration of life Copyright © 2025 Ogden Newspapers of New York | https://www.observertoday.com | PO Box 391 US states and employers recently pushed for younger workers to be hired These recent debates echo themes that emerged in discussions about child labor throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries Hine, Lewis, photographer. “[Overseer supervising a girl (about 13 years old) operating a bobbin-winding machine in the Yazoo City Yarn Mills, Mississippi.]” Photograph. 1911. From Library of Congress: National Child Labor Committee collection, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division (LC-DIG-nclc-02093). https://www.loc.gov/item/2018675170/ Elizabeth Dillenburg we are still grappling to understand its far-reaching impact on young people’s lives as children have struggled with illness and the death of family members and lost valuable opportunities for socialization and education In addition to its tremendous psychological the pandemic has also reshaped children’s involvement in the economy Children have been forced to carry a greater share of their family’s financial burden and work in high-risk jobs especially in the early months of the pandemic when many parents were left unemployed When the economy began to reopen in late 2020 and 2021 workers were either unable to return to work due to caring responsibilities and the effects of COVID-19 or hesitant to do so because of poor working conditions and low wages governments and employers eschewed tackling the systemic causes of the crisis by providing workers with higher wages They instead turned to hiring younger workers the state legislature passed a bill that expanded the hours people under the age of sixteen could work who expounded: “Not only would this bill have gone a long ways [sic] towards assisting many of the small businesses throughout the state but it would have opened up more opportunities for these teens Extending the potential hours of work for these young employees would have given them a greater head start in earning money for the future and a better chance to develop a strong work ethic.” Children have long been regarded a source of cheap labor and the development of child labor regulations has often been marked by a tension between economic interests and children’s best interests While child labor laws were passed in England and Germany in the 1830s and in France in the 1840s it would take another century for the US to enact regulations on a national level When the US finally did pass the first federal child labor law it was due in part to concerted efforts by organizations like the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC) The NCLC and other reformers argued that childhood should be devoted to play and education and children needed to be protected from exploitation they helped enshrine elements that define childhood today and the endurance of these ideas is reflected in contemporary debates on child labor.Stephanie Bloomingdale explained her opposition to the recent bill by asserting that “the priority for young teens must remain their education Wisconsin kids deserve adequate time to study to sleep and to imagine the road ahead of them.” the NCLC utilized the medium of photography Lewis Hine’s iconic images of children in mines and agricultural fields raised greater awareness of the hardships and dangers faced by young workers the US Congress needed to target companies’ bottom lines which it effected through the Keating-Owen Child Labor Act of 1916 The Act restricted the interstate commerce of goods produced by factories and mines that employed children under fourteen and sixteen respectively and limited the hours children could work the Supreme Court declared the Act unconstitutional stating that it violated states’ rights to control trade It took another twenty years and the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938 for the federal government to regulate youth employment more effectively The context of its passage is of course important The Great Depression and large number of unemployed adults meant that children were no longer as valuable to the economy and thus expendable The protracted efforts to pass federal child labor laws in the US illustrate how economics often takes precedence in the struggle between what is best for the economy and what is best for the child we see the negotiation of different ideas of childhood The development of laws like the Keating-Owen Act and Fair Labor Standards Act centered around key questions about the nature of childhood: How does one define a child What role does the state have in safeguarding children’s welfare Recent debates in Wisconsin and other states over loosening restrictions on child labor show that the answers to such questions remain deeply contested “Governor Vetoes Bill for Small Businesses.” Website for the Office of Rep. Amy Loudenbeck -31st Assembly District. February 4, 2022. https://legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/31/loudenbeck/news/press-releases/governor-vetoes-bill-for-small-businesses/ “Gov. Evers Stops Roll Back of Wisconsin Child Labor Law.” Wisconsin State AFL-CIO. February 4, 2022. https://wisaflcio.org/news/gov-evers-stops-roll-back-wisconsin-child-labor-law “Keating-Owen Child Labor Act (1916).” National Archives. Accessed July 14, 2022. https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/keating-owen-child-labor-act “The Fair Labor Standards Act Of 1938, As Amended.” U.S. Department of Labor. Accessed July 14, 2022. https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WHD/legacy/files/FairLaborStandAct.pdf Todd Ellman (left) crashes into a competitor in the first heat of the Demolition Derby at the Chautauqua County Fair in 2019 Chuck Dillenburg’s name has been on the competitors board of the Demolition Derby at the Chautauqua County fair for the last 40 years Dillenburg took second place in the Wire Compact heat and while that may not normally be a completely satisfying finish Dillenburg was more than happy taking the back seat to the heat’s victor “I was almost going to shut the car off for him,” said Emily Dillenburg Both Emily and Chuck think they have only ever been in the same heat three times Despite both her and her dad’s success in these events “I always feel like I’m going to barf before it starts,” Emily Dillenburg said Chuck Dillenburg meanwhile feels nothing but proud of his daughter “Taking second to my daughter couldn’t be any better,” said Chuck Dillenburg Todd Ellman was the best finishing non-Dillenburg in the second heat The familial ties didn’t stop there though edged out his son Nate to take first place The two put on quite the show as they came down to the last two standing Nate Smith (left) and his dad Pat (right) pose after a tense duel for first place in the third heat of Tuesday night's demo Pat Smith just edged out his son to take home first place “We usually do,” Nate Smith said The father and son duo chased each other up and down the track narrowly evading the other’s car at every turn until Pat Smith finally delivered the knock out blow Both Nate and Pat Smith like the thrill of competing against each other so you can make a few mistakes,” Nate Smith said This was a bit of a redemption year for Pat Smith It was his son Nate who beat him last year “It was nice to get him back this time We like to switch it up,” Pat Smith said Emily Dillenburg (left) and her father Chuck (right) hold their trophies after taking first and second in the second heat at the Demo Tuesday night Brett Kolassa followed Nate and Pat Smith at the top of the leaderboard Finishing in first place in the opening heat was Wayne Clemens who noted that Tuesday afternoon’s rain made things a little difficult but I snuck out like a greased pig,” Clemens said Clemens took down Todd Ellman and Steve Lahnen on his way to victory in the first heat which featured several safety stoppages as cars caught fire a handful of times during the match Taking first place in the final heat of the night narrowly escaping Johnathan Skrok and Mike Deering amongst the scrap heat This final heat featured the most fast-paced action and hard-hitting collisions as the drivers went full speed at each other from the opening horn The Mad Dog winners of each event were Todd Ellman in the Full Size Wire The Championship heat will be held Sunday at 4 p.m. back at the Chautauqua County Fair grandstand Every Celeb at Met Gala 2025 - See All Red Carpet Photos & Full Guest List (Updating Live All Night) Lily James & Dominic Cooper Look Elated to Run In to One Another, Share Some Sweet Exchanges NFL's Joe Burrow Fuels Romance Rumors with This Model The Apple Original Films and Sony production just debuted the first trailer for the Greg Berlanti-directed space race movie, starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum Keep reading to find out more…More Here! » Tatiana Maslany is all smiles as she poses alongside her partner Tom Cullen at the opening night party for her new Second Stage Theatre play Mary Page Marlowe held at Churrascaria Plataforma on Thursday (July 12) in New York City That same day, the 32-year-old actress got news that she’d again scored a 2018 Emmy Award nomination in the Lead Actress in a Drama category for her work on Orphan Black “I didn’t think people remembered the [TV] show And there’s just so much amazing television right now Handmaid’s Tale — which I find really difficult to watch A lot of my friends are watching it and saying it resonates so much with what’s happening in our culture as well as Tatiana‘s co-stars Susan Pourfar The cast of Orange Is the New Black was nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series FYI: Dascha is wearing a Bibhu Mohapatra Couture dress, Lena Erziak shoes, an MCM bag, and Sydney Evan jewelry. Selenis is wearing an Ericka Weise dress, Christian Louboutin shoes, and Coomi jewelry. Adrienne is wearing a ZAC Zac Posen gown. Jackie is wearing a Rami Kadi gown with Le Vian diamond stud earrings and a L’Dezen by Payal Shah diamond cuff bracelet. Emily is wearing an Amanda Navarra by Bon Sach dress. Julie is wearing a Milly blazer and pants. whom you probably remember as being Mormon He made his acting debut as an officer on Law & Order and we didn't see Dillenburg in anything else for four years until he appeared as a cop again in the show Elementary He continued his man-in-uniform tour as an armed guard on Person of Interest. After that, he played a detective on Blue Bloods, a show that another OITNB character also appeared in Dillenburg appeared in the 2017 short The Bracket Theory (and actually wasn't a police officer) Since it doesn't seem like Dillenburg packs his schedule with too many acting gigs SHERIDAN — Susan Dillenburg Bigler is announcing that she is seeking the office of Sheridan Town Clerk on the Democratic line in the Nov She has received the endorsement of the Sheridan Democratic Party and the current Sheridan Town Clerk Bigler graduated from Silver Creek Central School and from SUNY Fredonia with Summa Cum Laude honors earning a BA degree concentrating in Psychology and Economics She was a member of the last class to attend one of Sheridan’s one-room schoolhouses which became part of the Silver Creek district They raised two daughters and when she was suddenly widowed she continued living and working in Erie to support them as a single parent she first worked as an office assistant for a small family-run manufacturing business She then worked in retail; for six years part-time at TJ Maxx while also working for Country Fair She worked for Country Fair for a total of 16 years starting as a clerk and going into management She was manager of 3 Erie area stores and assistant manager in several more she worked for a short time in the Fredonia store Upon being hired by the US Postal Service in 2000 Bigler moved back to Sheridan to reoccupy her childhood home on Center Road which belonged to her parents Bigler’s mother had held the position of Postmaster in Sheridan for many years and Bigler was able to also work there as an acting postmaster she worked in multiple offices around the area over her 16 year career and many may recognize her from her service in these offices Bigler recently retired from the postal service and is currently employed on a part-time basis in the office of a local Sheridan business She remains involved in community organizations is treasurer for the Sheridan Cemetery Association a member and past treasurer of the Sheridan post 6390 VFW auxiliary and a member of the Sheridan Historical Society Bigler says she now has the time to devote to the duties required by the town clerk position She feels able and willing to take on the responsibilities and lives in close proximity to the town offices to facilitate accessibility Her experience in customer service gives her a solid background for the position of town clerk and her employment history she says shows that she is hard working and responsible She will be committed to serving the people in the town she grew up in and loves Receiving the endorsement of the current town clerk who is looking forward to retiring after 30 years of dedication Bigler gratefully considers as a special show of confidence Bigler was entrusted with the town’s mail and now hopes the town will trust her with their votes The Dunkirk Board of Education went over some 2025-26 budget items in an extremely brief meeting .. – In recognition of the importance of mental health for individuals of all ages Are those rumbles the dozens of cars participating in the Chautauqua County Fair Demolition Derby clapping and shouting of the crazed fans on the bleachers The Chautauqua County Demolition Derby is one of the most-attended events of the year This year’s first round of the derby did not disappoint While it was safer compared to last year — no fires no concussions and no rollovers — it did not leave anybody wanting more This year there were five heats — A Heat and smoke was emanating from a number of vehicles One car had its back bumper all the way to the ground and it still managed to drive like a maniac even winning the “Mad Dog” award (or “Hardest Hitter”) in the end She’s done the fair for the past six years and has even qualified to move onto the Sunday round for a few years participating in demo derbies is not only in the genes “It’s exciting to let other little girls know they can do stuff like this Every year I have little girls come up to me and I’ll walk up onto the bleachers — one girl last year came up to me and yelled ‘girl power!’ …Last year a whole little girls’ softball team … they were screaming for me the whole time,” Dillenburg grinned “I think if there was a powder puff (match) It shouldn’t matter that I’m a girl.” Dillenburg’s father has participated in demolition derbies for 37 consecutive years He instilled it in us; we can’t quit now!” Dillenburg said Chautauqua County Fair Director Dave Wilson said that the fair has been holding the derby for as long as he can remember Since God created the very first derby car,” Wilson joked He is incredibly pleased with how the fair is going so far and hope the rest of the week can stay just as pleasant and I think that’s the important thing,” Wilson said The Mad Dog award was given to Brad Dillenburg (727) The Mad Dog award was given to Mike Earnest (138) Winners of the C Heat were: Kevin Parker (C2X) Dunkirk; and Matthew Childs (C4); Fredonia The Mad Dog award was given to Patrick Sweeny (C201) Winners of the D Heat were: Pat Smith (28) All three winners plus the fourth participant Dunkirk will be advancing to the next round on Sunday The winner of M Heat Large was Cory Near (99) Cassadaga will be advancing to the next round on Sunday The Fair and Derby committees would also like to thank the following sponsors for making the Demolition Derby possible: Shultz Auto Group Mom and Pops Recycling and Stores Container Service Inc KQED Live EventsPRX Podcast Garage EventsEvents Around the Bay AreaMember Benefits with KQED LiveVideos from KQED LiveWatch recordings of recent KQED Live events FeaturedThat's My WordAn ongoing exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history See Senior Director of TV Programming Meredith Speight’s recommendations from this month’s KQED 9 Watch recordings of recent KQED Live events Support KQED by using your donor-advised fund to make a charitable gift and Nick Dillenburg (Ralph) in Berkeley Rep’s production of White Noise. (Alessandra Mello/Berkeley Repertory Theatre)The willingness of audiences to suspend disbelief gives live theater the ability to explore unfamiliar and speculative terrain even from a stage set prosaically with the trappings of a middle-class household we’re thrown headfirst into the improbable scenario of four friends embarking on an experiment with modern-day slavery It’s the kind of experimental philosophical puzzle that live theater feels especially suited to exploring two white—are busy confronting the ways in which their reality is falling short of their aspirations Leo (Chris Herbie Holland) is a visual artist who’s finding it increasingly impossible to sleep His girlfriend Dawn (Therese Barbato) is a lawyer who feels like she should be hired as a partner but doesn’t want to stay with her dead-end firm fellow mixed-race couple Ralph (Nick Dillenburg) and Misha (Aimé Donna Kelly) are similarly frustrated as an adjunct professor passed over for tenure and a livestream personality But mundanity is not a hallmark of Lori-Parks’ work and almost without warning she has Leo propose the preposterous during a friendly round of bowling What if he were to sell himself temporarily as a black slave to Ralph his white friend who just happens to have a large trust fund at his disposal It’s an audacious proposal that immediately elicits a panicked reaction from his friends But Leo’s mind is made up; he’s even had a contract drawn up For the biblically-significant number of 40 days Leo will exile himself to the wilderness of servitude he’ll gain the peace of mind that being under the “protection” of a “big dog” will bring him Consent isn’t really a central theme in the play but a question this scenario inadvertently raised for me is: What if the characters had taken the time to include some sort of safeword in Leo’s slave contract Master-slave relationships are a working reality in the kink community which might have supplied a blueprint for Leo’s idea Leo gets his contract drawn up by a lawyer who specializes in prenups This leads to a series of escalating abuses of power on the part of Ralph that Leo has no way to check and has not prepared himself mentally to face Practically before the ink is dry on the signed contract Ralph begins adding “amendments” to it and granting himself the unconditional permission to “discipline” his new property Scratch the surface of any frustrated white man and you’ll find a supremacist waiting to emerge Where this production falters is in its effort to make that idea feel revelatory each character’s emotional disconnect is so profound that even the most charged lines are sapped of strength When an aggrieved Ralph describes his university’s decision to deny him tenure he announces that he’ll “kill them all” with the affectless delivery of a man asking for salt When Leo tries to justify his radical proposal by referencing his “unarticulated self-loathing,” he sounds as if he’s quoting from a textbook on race relations rather than a genuine place of personal pain the actors’ character-defining monologues sound partly contrived partly rote—and whether by accident or design the play’s downward spiral into depravity feels strangely quotidian The strongest statements tend to be made visually rather than uttered An antique slave collar of rusted spikes and malevolent intent A video projection (designed by Alexander V Nichols) of the white noise that once helped Leo to sleep and now prevents him from accessing his creativity—spreading across the walls and eventually encompassing the whole stage A calendar of 40 days dominating the living area slashes of a black marker indicating each day closer to freedom What never feels commonplace are the questions the play tackles How do the traumas of the past carry themselves into the future and what will it take to get us as a nation to that place Our own inflated expectations of what it means to be free we’re confronted by two major transgressions on the part of Ralph But because we never developed much in the way of empathy for him Like the white noise referenced in the play’s title Ralph’s actions feel as if they could just blend into the background And perhaps that’s the play’s biggest shock—that such blatant evil can feel so ordinary ‘White Noise’ plays through Nov. 10 at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Details here Fly Me to the Moon will hit theaters on July 12 marking fourth Apple Original Films title to get a wide global release after Killers of the Flower Moon Find out who is the richest Avengers MCU star, including Scarlett Johansson. Natasha Dillenburg's daughter won't be 2 forever.  Perched in a Fort Collins tattoo shop chair Saturday afternoon held out her iPhone to show me a video of the toddler "She'll be 3 in a couple months," Dillenburg said "The way she says ('I love you') is just adorable right now."  So adorable that Dillenburg wants to remember it forever. With the help of a new tattoo trend that's finally made its way to Fort Collins Sound wave tattooing has been around for about a year and is picking up steam in tattoo shops across the country It allows people to select an audio clip and get its sound waves tattooed on their skin.  With the help of new technology and an app called Skin Motion, they can then hold their phones over the tattooed waves and hear their chosen sound clip whenever they want.  it's a song lyric or a clip from an old voicemail of a loved one who's passed away.  Dillenburg's husband plans to eventually get a sound wave tattoo of Rhythm saying Daddy." And when the couple's young son starts talking they'll do the same with a sound wave of him Dillenburg had first seen something about sound wave tattoos on Facebook a year ago.  I think it was just kind of an idea," Dillenburg added "Then I saw that people were actually getting them."  She ended up reaching out to Fort Collins tattoo shop owner Jen Wagner who had done a tattoo for one of Dillenburg's friends After Dillenburg reached out about the idea Wagner went through an online process to become a Skin Motion-certified sound wave tattoo artist — learning where to place the sound wave stencil on a client and how to ensure the tattoo is done correctly so the Skin Motion app can read it.  Watch: Mom holds premature son for first time at UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital She's currently the only tattoo artist between Laramie and Denver certified through Skin Motion.  "I think it's an amazing thing," Wagner said Saturday, sitting among colorful sketches, tattoo gear and unicorn memorabilia in her Old Town tattoo shop, Genuine Tattoo but I think for memorial tattoos and stuff like that it might be something that kind of holds on."  It's already picking up steam in Northern Colorado "I've actually had quite a few people in the last couple of weeks calling about the Skin Motion tattoos," Wagner said.  Dillenburg sat with her left arm outstretched as Wagner transferred the sound wave stencil onto her inner forearm She would transfer it on and wipe it off a few times adjusting the angle until it was just right.  the steady buzz of her tattoo machine filling the room The whole tattoo — including a cursive line with Rhythm's name and birthday below — would only take about 30 to 45 minutes It's nothing compared to the big pieces she's done sitting for 10 hours at a time to work on certain tattoos After the tattoo was finished and Dillenburg had gone home she sent me an email with another video.  which now featured a dark sound wave perfectly centered between her elbow and hand.  it spit out a sound — one Dillenburg would carry forever.  Staff awards: Coloradoan reporter Erin Udell honored for Fort Collins history coverage SHAWANO - Many of the artisan suppliers of goods to the War Bonnet Native American gift shop in Shawano still live and work much in the same way people did hundreds of years ago Owners Karen and Leo Dillenburg said some of the hunters and trappers they do business with are so off-grid that sometimes the only way to contact them is through a very old-fashioned system “Most still live in the bush and it’s really hard to find them,” Leo Dillenburg said These rugged tradespeople live in the wild in Canada’s remote Yukon and Northwest territories or Alaska the Dillenburgs have to leave a note containing an order for fur and leather goods at the nearest small village on an Indigenous reservation with the hope that the outdoors people will eventually come into town and fulfill the order But the Dillenburgs believe it’s well worth the wait because the artistic pieces produced are some of the finest and most unique in the world is one of the few artisans they’ve found who still produced leather Indigenous jackets in the traditional way Even at that age she still hunts and shoots her own moose and then tans softens and smokes the hide in a structure near her home Artistic designs using beads and other materials are then added in a process that can take up to a year to make a jacket from start to finish it’s practically impossible to find someone who can still make them like that,” Leo said He said there are commercially produced jackets but it involves a process of dipping hundreds of hides at a time in large vats “It’s not at all the quality of hand-tanning,” Leo said The War Bonnet currently has 15 hand-tanned jackets for sale ranging from $600 to $5,000 that the Dillenburgs picked up through the years from their travels in Canada The shop also sells traditionally made moccasins mittens and animal pelt hats that are popular for use at Packers games The Dillenburgs are expecting a large shipment of caribou hides that they say are popularly used as rugs for their extreme softness Local Indigenous artists also have an outlet in selling their wares at War Bonnet which include jewelry and canvas paintings Another form of art available at the shop are called birch bark bitings in which an artist takes a piece of folded birch bark and literally bites into it and it unfolds to reveal designs The shop used to be connected to their bar and grill in Keshena that they had owned for 10 years but the new owners decided they didn’t want to operate the shop so the Dillenburgs moved their inventory to their new shop in Shawano Karen Dillenburg said it’s important for her to provide an outlet for traditional Indigenous artists and craftspeople “Because I’m Native American," she said "I have a personal desire to make sure the old crafts and arts are still continuing on." Villages-News.com The finishing touches are being put on a new Lake Sumter Landing restaurant with a goal of taking elegance to new level in The Villages The Chop House at Lake Sumter, located next to Barnes & Noble is scheduled to open in late July or early August and will feature a variety of prime steak choices And a full-service bar in the back of the restaurant will offer a variety of drink choices as well as craft cocktails that are being developed prior to the grand opening “I’m excited to see it open,” said the eatery’s owner well-known Villages restauranteur Fred Karimipour said he’s excited because the new restaurant will be much different from others in The Villages “This is really going to blow it out of the water “We’re going to offer the best steaks that we can possibly get.” But Dillenburg quickly added that the Chop House shouldn’t just be thought of as a steakhouse because it also will a varied menu that includes seafood “We want everybody to be able to come and enjoy their meals,” he said “And it doesn’t necessarily have to be steak.” Dillenburg said he’s aware that three prior restaurants in the location – Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen and Bar Honest John’s Whiskey and Provisions and TGI Fridays – all ended up closing their doors I don’t feel the location had a whole lot to do with it,” he said of the failed ventures Dillenburg said it’s important to note that all three of the failed restaurants offered menus based largely around burgers and chicken wings He said Cody’s Original Roadhouse and RJ Gator’s offer the same items in Lake Sumter Landing while nearby Johnny Rockets specializes in burgers “It was oversaturated with the same kind of concept,” he said We want folks to know that we are actually listening to the people that come into our restaurants and we’re going to provide exactly what they want Ultimately they’re giving us the answers and we’re listening.” Dillenburg said he’s also aware that Villagers had complained of the noise levels in the three failed restaurants there was polished concrete throughout the entire thing and it was wide open You had a giant bar and usually a bar atmosphere is always going to be a little bit louder,” he said of the Guy Fieri eatery Dillenburg said Karimipour and the design team that worked on the Chop House took all of the noise issues into account and came up with several ways to fix the problem – carpet; padded high-back booths; draperies and barrel lighting “It’s not about one change for this restaurant,” he said “It’s about the million tiny little things that people had to think about to get it to work the way we envision it to work.” “My best effort is to make sure that we find a team that is surrounded by like-minded “Because if you get an entire group like that working toward one main goal it makes it very easy to do what we’re doing.” Dillenburg said he tell prospective employees that he wants guests at the Chop House to have an unforgettable experience and an emotional connection with the staff taking care of them “Hospitality is giving for the sake of giving rather than receiving,” he said “And those guests need to know that they’re truly important to us.” it’s all about treating every guest the way he or she wants to be treated they’re going to walk out and say one of two things,” Dillenburg said ‘I can’t believe I spent that much money.’ Or they’re going to say ‘I can’t believe I had that great of an experience and I only spent that much money.’” “When I walked into this place I was literally at a loss for words,” he said I feel like this is going to be the next favorite in The Villages.” Both of my parents are from neighboring small towns in Germany (Haiger and Fronhausen, to be exact, not that this means anything to 99.9999999% of people) about an hour from Frankfurt. So for the trip to Germany with my parents While my mom and her partner stayed with her sister, my dad and I stayed at the nearest hotel, which is Hotel Bartmanns Haus this isn’t some aspirational points hotel that I expect many OMAAT readers will flock to The 26-room Hotel Bartmanns Haus is quite a big hotel for the area. For example, during my last visit to family, I stayed at the five-room Hotel Fiester Hannes Burbach-Holzhausen though that wasn’t quite as conveniently located for my purposes I booked us two rooms at Hotel Bartmanns Haus directly with the hotel and the rate was €97.50 per room per night including breakfast (really the rate was €89 It’s interesting to note that the hotel has the same prices year-round and the only difference is whether you’re staying on a weekday or weekend (we were staying on a weekday since the hotel is mostly targeted at local business travelers) Online travel agencies take huge commissions from small hotels like this (because they can) Hotel Bartmanns Haus is located right in the center Dillenburg so the nice thing is that you can walk out of the hotel and be in the center of the town though the catch is that there are only eight spots out front and they’re available on a first come I had no issues getting a spot until the last evening when we returned from dinner and the parking lot was full as you can park overnight for free on the street and we were leaving the following morning anyway You’ve gotta love how trusting small hotels are in Germany When I checked in I was just immediately given my key with no need to provide a credit card until check-out It was explained to me that I was assigned room 103 and that breakfast would be served from 6:30AM until 10AM in the breakfast room The hotel doesn’t have any other amenities to be aware of — there’s no other restaurant so with a key in hand I just headed down the hall and to my room located on the first floor (one floor up from the lobby — the hotel has one more floor above that) my room was located about halfway down the hall and on the left I was pleasantly surprised by how modern the room felt though not the most charming accommodation on earth and I liked how a candy was placed on the pillow almost like what you might expect with turndown service The desk had a couple of bottles of complimentary water (still and sparkling) though tap water is of course drinkable in Germany There was a sign on the desk with the Wi-Fi code a “make a green choice” slip to decline daily housekeeping (which is otherwise provided automatically) and a suggestion to save energy and not use the thermostat much while the hotel in theory has air conditioning it’s obviously not quite up to American standards Fortunately it was a bit cool at night during our stay but it did get a bit stuffy during the day In the closet by the entrance was a kettle with tea and instant coffee The bathroom was also back by the entrance There was body wash in a wall-mounted container The room had a peaceful view of the street just outside the hotel which didn’t cause any sort of noise issues I found the room to be quite functional and comfortable The only other thing I found noteworthy about the room was how you not only needed a key to enter the room but also needed the same key to lock the door from inside I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before in a hotel in the hallway there was a mini-fridge with beer and soda and you could help yourself to a drink for €2-3 You could pay either by leaving money on the table which you could take with you if they interested you You were also encouraged to leave any books you finished reading breakfast is served daily from 6:30AM until 10AM in the breakfast room One of the hotel employees would periodically come from the kitchen to offer coffee The breakfast buffet was roughly what you’d expect from a continental spread in Germany every summer I spent a significant amount of time with family in this part of Germany so it’s always fun and a bit surreal to return here and I always imagine how different life would be if they had just stayed here (not necessarily in a good or bad way My dad hadn’t visited this part of Germany in over a decade So he loved being able to walk around and see how things have changed which is frankly… not very charming There’s one main road that leads through town with houses on each side and there are quite a few buses and trucks that pass through here He enjoyed going by the house he grew up in… my dad hadn’t visited in a long time so it was funny to walk down the street with him and have him run into two acquaintances from decades ago just 30 seconds apart and we had a lovely dinner at a great steakhouse in Herborn another small town in the area (by far my favorite town in the area) What a treat it was to return to the Dillenburg area with both of my parents I also appreciate how you can walk right out of the hotel and be in the town of Dillenburg Don’t expect much in the way of amenities but this is as good as it gets in the area Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Some of my best travel experiences have been in small One of my all time favourite travel memories is in a hotel like this in Paris which was run by an older gentleman from Normandy Whenever I passed through the lobby and ran into him we always had these great conversations with each other I stay there when I visit my hometown Dillenburg I absolutely adored this review of both the hotel and the surrounding areas; and I must say that the breakfast looked fabulously gorgeous - my idea of a perfect morning spread I do agree for your purpose the hotel was good and perhaps better than expected I have found many hotels in Germany or Austria functional room with a decent breakfast for $100 these days The only hotels over there that can get expensive are in the mountain tourist areas where $300+ is not uncommon (and many don't even have a/c) I was looking into a stay in Vienna next week and the rates were around 200€ at least at most chains I enjoy your reviews of independent or boutique hotels I appreciate you focus primarily on aspirational points redemptions I'd rather read about hotels like these than yet another Four Seasons Great review and I love the insight into your and your family's background did you grow up in Germany and then your family moved to the US or you were born in the US and "raised german" with frequent visits You mentioned before that your husband is now also almost fluent in german are you planning to carry on the "tradition" with Miles I always find it fascinating when people who you experience and see exclusively as this english-speaking persons suddenly speak a different native language It's often the case in Hollywood for example where suddenly you find out that Sandra Bullock or recently (black) Phil from the show Last Man on Earth speak native-level german or are german It is a delight to read this kind of report I for one tend to stay at local hotels in Europe more than I stay at the big name brands So its nice to see a report about a place like this I recognize its not practical for you to do that Most folks come to this valuable page for advice on how to make the.. So its nice to see a report about a place like this I recognize its not practical for you to do that Most folks come to this valuable page for advice on how to make the best use of their award points But it is nice to sometimes remind folks that there are other options that shouldn't be ignored I appreciate that the buffet items were hygienically enclosed I make this point simply because a lot of hotels esp the larger chains have the food fully exposed with no covers or lids It only takes ONE buzzing fly to spread at least sixty-five known diseases to humans So many lovely towns like this in this part of Germany And that outweighs everything in my opinion It's pretty standard to offer daily housekeeping in Europe I've so far only experienced two hotels (Holmes Hotel in London and a small independent property at Isle of Man) that didn't all you had to do was put a sign on the door and your room was cleaned They are just so comfortable and you get a better sense of the town or city where they are My husband and I often stay in these types of establishments when we are over visiting That corner of Germany looks much more appealing than I anticipated given that it's not exactly on the beaten path I can't believe this hotel makes me feel more excited than any big hotel out there I would be very happy to stay at this place I often stay in similar small independent hotels all over France Have enjoyed all your reviews on the Germany trip with the three amigos It’s been great hearing about the trip - what a great family they all are It's nice to hear about small independent hotels sometimes this place looks more like 2/5 than 4/5 in my book :) Given the pricing and amenities vs quality That type of lock where you have to use the same key to lock from the inside is not uncommon in smaller hotels in Germany We stayed at the Goldener Hirsch in Bayreuth a couple of weeks ago Did the room have these awful feather filled square German cushions that Germany is known for the feathers "flee" in every direction so that you are basically resting on a piece of cloth I grew up with them in Germany and "fondly" remember them Looks like a typical family run hotel in most small German towns…..clean and functional Wouldn’t put it past the Germans to call that AC Your feedback is important in helping us keep our community safe The comments on this page have not been provided approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered You have successfully joined our subscriber list Editorial Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any entity mentioned herein. 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