Pedal Down Promotions

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Acme Armature Works sets open house, ribbon cutting event

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) May 15, 2017 – Acme Armature Works Inc. will celebrate its grand opening with a special open house and ribbon cutting event Thursday, June 1, at its facility at 2727 North 21st St. in Sheboygan.

The open house, which will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., will also feature a Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony set for 12:10 p.m.

The drop-in event format will give attendees an opportunity to view the Acme Armature facility and interact with staff members in a comfortable, informal setting.

“People will be able to roam through the shop and check out the machinery at their leisure,” Acme Armature Works Inc. owner Chad Bahrs said. “Our employees will also be spread out throughout  the shop to answer questions and offer additional insight.”

A complimentary lunch menu comprised of brats, burgers, potato salad, soda and water will be available throughout the open house.

In September 2016, Bahrs purchased Sheboygan Armature Works from Dale and Dave Kautzer. Bahrs has inherited a business with a long and successful history dating back to 1951, when Sheboygan Armature Works Inc. opened in a small downtown Sheboygan shop before moving to its current location at 2727 North 21st St. in Sheboygan in 1971.

Acme Armature Works Inc. services all types of electric motors, spindles, servo motors, and electro-mechanical devices for industrial, commercial and agricultural customers.

It also features additional value-added services such as an in-house machine shop, computerized precision dynamic balancing, vibration analysis, predictive/preventative maintenance, welding and light fabricating.

“My goal is to grow the business and take it to the next level by providing a wider range of services in-house,” Bahrs said. “I’ve added quite a bit of new equipment. We now have a full machine shop and welding department in-house, which allows us to provide fast turnaround times and maintain competitive pricing. Now we can do more in our shop, rather than having to outsource certain types of work.

“I hope to expose the Acme name to maintenance workers, purchasing agents and small business owners,” he said. “Our main goal is get commercial and industrial companies familiar with what we do. The open house should be a nice way to connect with a few more people as we work toward our goal of growing the business.”

Acme Armature Works features several bonus offerings for customers, including 24-hour emergency services, free pickup and delivery, same-day repairs and no evaluation charges if items are recycled onsite. Other key features are modern computerized repair reports, job documentation and tracking.

For more information on Acme Armature Works Inc., email info@acmearmature.com, call the 24-hour service line at 920-452-3389 or visit www.acmearmature.com.

Pedal Down Promotions is a full-service public relations and media services company devoted to helping its clients effectively communicate with targeted audiences through press releases, newsletters, profile and feature articles, website and social media content development, printed media, editing and layout, graphic design and book publishing services.

For more information on Pedal Down Promotions, email pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, visit www.pedaldownpromotions.com or call 920-323-7970.

May 15, 2017 / by Jeff Pederson

Wenninger, Schmidt, Loehr, Green, Bogar top PDTR A mains

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) May 13, 2017 – With spring-like temperatures yielding pleasant spectating conditions and another impressive collection of 108 competitors in the pit area, the second Plymouth Dirt Track racing program of the 2017 season took to the third-mile  Sheboygan County Fairground  track  Saturday, May 13.

The evening’s A main events featured plenty of green-flag action, including some good battles at the front of field. On top of that, two of the five A main events were contested in impressive, caution-free fashion.

In the 25-lap Sprint Car A main, Kewaskum’s Shane Wenninger completed his comeback from a serious back injury last June by capturing his second career PDTR A-main triumph.

Also claiming A-main hardware courtesy of trophy sponsor Cellcom were Jim Schmidt of Cleveland (Late Model), Matt Loehr of Dotyville (Grand National),  Justin Green of Sheboygan Falls (B Mod) and Chad Bogar of Sun Prairie (Micro Sprint).

Lance Fassbender of Burnett led the Sprint Car A main to the green flag from the pole position flanked by outside front row starter Paul Pokorski of West Bend. Fassbender bolted  out to a solid cushion in the early stages of the race, building up a half straightaway lead over Wenninger by lap 5 on the predominately  one-groove racing surface.

As the track began to take rubber, passing came at a very high premium. Fassbender caught up to the rear of the field on lap 8, which made  things quite interesting for several laps as the leaders attempted to find a way by the lapped cars.

With Fassbender boxed in behind slower cars, Wenninger was able to close the gap considerably by lap 10. One lap later, Wenninger managed to dive past Fassbender entering turn one before powering into the lead exiting turn two.

Wenninger, who was steering his own 53 machine after wheeling the 51M Mayer Automotive car normally driven my Jim Melis on opening night, maintained control  as he worked through heavy  lapped traffic. On lap 14,  the first caution of the race came out when Cascade’s Mitchell Yurmanovich and Robbie Pribnow of Lomira made contact in turn three.

After the restart,  Wenninger maintained control and was just about to enter lapped traffic again when the second caution flag appeared on lap 18 for  Fassbender, who slowed to a stop on the backstretch. After exiting to make repairs in the pits, Fassbender was able to rejoin the race at the rear of the field.

Wenninger, who missed most of the 2016 racing season after breaking two vertebrae in his back in an accident on June 11, held on over the final seven laps to record his second career PDTR Sprint Car A main victory over Brandon McMullen of Appleton, who placed second after starting sixth.

Pokorski wound up third, opening night A-main winner Tim Haddy of Waupun charged from the 11th starting spot to take fourth and 14th starter Kurt Davis of West Allis placed fifth.

Outside front row starter Chris Carlson of  North Cape grabbed the lead on the opening lap of the 25-lap Late Model A main followed by polesitter Randy Markwardt of Sheboygan, who is marking his 40th year of racing in 2017.

Carlson wasted no time building up a solid lead over Markwardt by lap 4. On lap 7, Jim Schmidt, who started third, moved in to take second place from Markwardt.

Three laps later, Schmidt closed in on Carlson and began to apply heavy pressure for the top spot. Schmidt worked the high side of the track to pull off the winning move in turn  four on lap 13.

Once ahead, Schmidt would not be denied as he sliced his way skillfully through lapped traffic en route to his 10th career PDTR Late Model A main victory in the caution-free race.

Defending PDTR Late Model champion Tim Buhler placed second after starting fifth, 2014 PDTR Late Model champ Mitch McGrath came up from his eighth starting position to take third, Carlson wound up fourth and after capturing the  opening night A-main victory and three-time PDTR Late  Model  champion Brad Mueller placed fifth after starting 11th.

Outside front row starter Matt Loehr seized the lead on the opening lap of the 25-lap Grand National A main with third starter and 2011 PDTR Grand National champion Mark Fieber of Cascade falling in line in second.

The first caution of the race appeared on lap 7 when  polesitter Steven Weber of Plymouth suffered a flat right rear tire. When the race returned  to green  flag action, Loehr held a solid lead over Fieber as 2010 PDTR Grand National champ Brian Gilles of Plymouth moved in from his sixth starting spot to pressure Fieber for the runner-up position.

The second  and final caution of  the race  appeared on lap 13 when Justin Erickson of  Plymouth  spun in turn three. On lap 15, Fieber pulled in to pressure Loehr and remained within striking distance, but was unable to wrestle the lead away from Loehr in the closing laps.

Loehr rolled on to his fourth career PDTR Grand National A-main triumph. Fieber had to settle for second, Gilles placed third, Tyler Kulow of Plymouth moved up from  the eighth starting spot to finish fourth and fourth starter Jeff Lammers of Plymouth finished fifth.

Polesitter Rick Kretschmann of Sheboygan Falls grabbed the lead at the drop of the green flag of the B Mod A main. On lap 2, third starter Cody Eickberg of  Plymouth slipped past Mark Hoeppnar to take second.

Eickberg quickly reeled in Kretschmann and appeared ready to strike when the first of four caution flags appeared on lap 5 for a spin in turn two involving Jonathan Singer. On the restart,  Kretschmann spun in turn two while leading, which gave the top spot over to Eickberg on the ensuing restart.

When the race returned to green flag action, Green, who started seventh, began to make his presence felt in a big way. Green started to pressure fifth starter Brandon Berth of Cascade for second place beginning on lap 7. Green and Berth battled side by side until the third caution appeared on lap 8 when Brad Carman spun in turn two.

The duel between Green and Berth raged on until Green finally inched ahead in turn one on lap 12. Green then set his sights on Eickberg, ducking low in turn  one on lap 14 and emerging with the lead later in the lap in turn four. However, Eickberg would not back down and held tough on the high line as the two dueled side by side over the next two laps.

Green finally surged ahead  for good on lap 16 before the final caution flag flew on lap 17 for a spin involving Glen Blanke of Sheboygan Falls and opening night A-main winner Chad Vetting of Valders exiting turn four. Blahnke accepted responsibility for causing the accident, which placed him at the rear of the field and allowed Vetting to keep his spot in the top five.

Green held on over the final eight laps to secure his first career B Mod A main victory. Eickberg held on for second, Berth took third, Vetting placed fourth after starting 11th and Elijah Koenig of Beaver Dam finished fifth after starting sixth.

Outside front row starter Chad Bogar of Sun Prairie cruised to a flag-to-flag victory in the non-stop 15-lap Micro Sprint A Main.

Defending PDTR Micro Sprint Champion Zach Boden of Madison took second, followed by fourth starter Tory Strauss of Waterloo in third, polesitter Denver Larsen of Shiocton in fourth and seventh starter Dylan Larsen of Shiocton in fifth.

Butch Hafemann of Cambpellsport won the special Wingless Super Modified A  main. B main victories went to Justin Miller of Plymouth (Sprint Car), Will Sorce of Franklin (Grand National) and Craig Gessner of Beechwood (B Mod

PDTR racing action will continue next Saturday, May 20, with racing schedule to begin at 6 p.m. The evening will honor all police, fire and EMT personnel with free admission to all personnel showing a credential.

The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth is located at 229 Fairview Drive in Plymouth. For more information, visit www.plymouthdtr.com or check out Plymouth Dirt Track Racing on Facebook

Pedal Down Promotions is a full-service public relations and media services company devoted to helping clients effectively communicate with targeted audiences through a diverse array of promotional strategies and methods, including press releases, newsletters, profile and feature articles, website and social media content development, printed media, editing and layout, graphic design and book publishing services.

 For more information on Pedal Down Promotions, email pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, visit www.pedaldownpromotions.com or call 920-323-7970.

May 14, 2017 / by Jeff Pederson

Tough luck slows Pokorski Motorsports in season opener

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Those spirits were dampened just a few hours later, when an opening lap accident in the PDTR Sprint Car A main sent the team scrambling to formulate a plan to repair a damaged chassis and chisel together a back-up car for this Saturday’s event at Plymouth.

The evening began with Pokorski starting on the inside of the second row in the second PDTR Sprint Car heat race. While running third behind Tony Wondra on the final lap of the heat race, Pokorski lost control of his 2016 Maxim in turn four.

The spin relegated Pokorski to a fifth-place finish and a spot in the B main.

After starting fourth in the B main, Pokorski slipped past Doug Wondra to move into second on the opening lap. Over the final 13 laps, Kevin Karnitz and Robbie Pribnow snuck past Pokorski to push the 2014 Midwest Sprint Car Association Masters Series champ back to fourth.

Pokorski held on to secure a fourth-place finish in the B main, which locked him into the 20th spot in the A-main starting lineup.

“Saturday night was the second-worst opening night in the 25-year history of Pokorski Motorsports,” Pokorski said. “The heat race was going okay until the driver tried too hard and messed things up. The B main went okay. I was running kind of conservatively, so that I didn’t make another stupid mistake and make things worse . The mistake in the heat race ultimately was the reason we started near the back of the A main, which put us in a bad spot.”

On the opening lap of the 25-lap A main, disaster struck as Pokorski was unable to avoid an accident in turn three involving Lance Fassbender and Andrew Westphal.

“I saw the wreck happening up in front of me, but I couldn’t get stopped in time,” Pokorski said. “Initially, I couldn’t go left either because of the other cars there, so I ended up getting involved in the accident. It was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

The accident relegated Pokorski to a 22nd-place finish in the A main and sent the team into high gear work mode to strip down the primary car and set up the team’s backup J&J car for action this weekend.

“I have to thank my crew and the guys at R&H Enterprises for working on the chassis,” Pokorski said. “We have switched everything over to the backup J&J car for this Saturday at Plymouth. We will get the Maxim back out in a week or two.”

This Saturday the team will return to The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth for the second race of the 2017 season. Racing begins at 6 p.m.

The Pokorski Motorsports sponsors for the 2017 season include: Acme Armature Works Inc., Goeden’s Auto Body, Goodwin Racing Engines, Jens, Reinbold & Pfeffer Family Funeral Services & Crematory, Kettle Moraine Landscaping, Novak’s Service Center, Pedal Down Promotions, Christel Sign, Tisler Salvage Inc. and The Cawley Company.

For more information on Pokorski Motorsports, check out Pokorski Motorsports on Facebook or visit www.pedaldownpromotions.com.

Pokorski Motorsports Sponsor Showcase

Pokorski Motorsports will like to welcome Acme Armature Works Inc. of Sheboygan as a new sponsor for the 2017 racing season.

Acme Armature Works Inc. debuted last September when Chad Bahrs purchased Sheboygan Armature Works. Located at 2727 North 21st St. in Sheboygan, Acme Armature Works specializes in electrical and servo motor repair and sales for industrial and commercial customers.

Bahrs, who resides in Elkhart Lake with his wife Jamie and three children, describes Acme Armature Works as a one-stop electrical apparatus service shop.

“We specialize in all types of electric motors, spindles, servo motors, and electro-mechanical devices for industrial, commercial and agricultural customers,” Bahrs said. “We are a factory-authorized warranty service center for a wide range of manufactures. We also offer value-added services such as an in-house machine shop, computerized precision dynamic balancing, vibration analysis, predictive/preventative maintenance, welding and light fabricating.”

When it comes to diagnosing problems, providing proper repair analysis and delivering top-notch service for servo motors, Acme’s repair team boasts over 100 years of combined experience working with a wide selection of complex motor systems.

“We specialize in fast, accurate repair, rewind and re-manufacture of all brands of servo motors,” Bahrs said. “During our repair process, every encoder or all feedback devices are checked for proper signals and alignment

Acme Armature Works is PDTA (Power Transmission Distributors Association) and EASA (Electrical Apparatus Service Association) certified. In addition, Acme recently earned the Recommended Practice for the Repair of Rotating Electrical Apparatus (ANSI/EASA AR100-2015) accreditation.

Bahrs says Acme’s ability to provide unique in-shop services sets it apart among its competition.

“I think the fact that we do balancing, machine work and welding in our shop sets us apart,” Bahrs said. “We have the ability to do blower wheel balancing, provide a wide range of machine work and weld cast iron, which you don’t see in every other shop.”

Acme Armature Works also sells many makes and models of electric and servo motors.

We invite you to contact Acme Armature Works Inc. via email at info@acmearmature.com, by calling the 24-hour service line at 920-452-3389 or visiting www.acmearmature.com.

Pedal Down Promotions is a full-service public relations and media services company devoted to helping its clients effectively communicate with targeted audiences through press releases, newsletters, profile and feature articles, website and social media content development, printed media, editing and layout, graphic design and book publishing services.

 For more information on Pedal Down Promotions, email pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, visit www.pedaldownpromotions.com or call 920-323-7970.

 2017 Pokorski Motorsports Upcoming Schedule

Saturday, May 13 – Plymouth Dirt Track Racing (MSA)

Saturday, May 20 – Plymouth Dirt Track Racing (MSA)

Saturday, May 27 – Plymouth Dirt Track Racing (MSA)

Sunday, May 28 – 141 Speedway in Francis Creek (IRA)

 2017 Pokorski Motorsports By The Numbers

Total Events – 1

MSA events – 1

IRA events – 0

A Main Victories – 0

Top Five A Main Finishes – 0

Top 10 A Main Finishes – 0

Heat Race Victories – 0

May 11, 2017 / by Jeff Pederson

Mueller, Haddy, Sorce, Vetting, Larsen score in PDTR opener

Cold weather doesn’t deter huge car count

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) May 6, 2017 – A huge field of 109 cars and a hearty contingent of race-starved fans braved blustery weather conditions to ring in the 13th season of Plymouth Dirt Track Racing (PDTR) action at The Plymouth Dirt Track at Sheboygan County Fairgrounds on Saturday, May 6.

For most competitors, the night marked the first opportunity to test their prized, finely-tuned machines after a long winter of preparation. On average, the results were expectedly uneven as all opening nights tend to be. Some drivers hit on all cylinders right out of the box, while worked through a bit of rust and a few first-night jitters.

At the end of the night, there were plenty of pleased race teams in the pit area, while a handful of others left the track with some work to do before strapping in for week two.

In the Late Model headliner, three-time PDTR champion Brad Mueller kicked off his 30th season of racing in grand style by capturing the 25-lap A main. Waupun’s Tim Haddy, who is marking his 25th season of racing this year, led flag-to-flag to claim the 25-lap Sprint Car A-Main, while Dan Sorce of West Allis (Grand National), Chad Vetting of Valders (B Mod) and Shiocton’s Denver Larsen (Micro Sprint) also opened the season with A main victories.

After an aborted start, polesitter Charlie Schmidt of Cedar Grove grabbed the lead at the drop of the green flag of the Late Model main event with third-starter Randy Markwardt of Sheboygan trailing in second and defending PDTR Late Model champion Tim Buhler of Greenbush, who started fourth, moving into third.

As Markwardt began to reel in Schmidt, Mueller moved up from the seventh starting spot to work his way past Buhler into third place. Mueller then set his sights on Markwardt, quickly reeling in the 40-year veteran and executing a low move in turn one on lap 10 to assume the runner-up spot.

Meanwhile, Cleveland’s Justin Schmidt was making a similar charge to the front from his 12th starting position. On lap 11, Schmidt claimed third in the running order and began closing in the lead two of Mueller and Charlie Schmidt.

On lap 15, Mueller ducked underneath Charlie Schmidt in turn four to gain the top spot. Close behind, the Schmidts (Justin and Charlie) engaged in a short duel for second place before Justin prevailed to move into second place in turn two on lap 18.

The leaders approached heavy lapped traffic on lap 20, which made things challenging for Mueller and Justin Schmidt, but both drivers worked skillfully through the slower cars.

Sporting a throwback 1991 paint scheme for his 30th season, Mueller went on to post his 17th career PDTR Late Model A main victory in the non-stop, caution-free race over Justin Schmidt, who had to settle for second. Charlie Schmidt came home third, followed by fifth-starter Rick Scheffler of Waukesha in fourth and Buhler in fifth.

“This is a brand-new car and the first night for me in the car, so it was a little up in the air as to how we would be tonight,” Mueller said in victory lane. “Since we had nothing to go by with this car, we went back to our book and used some of our old knowledge to find some speed.

“It was a really nice track for us tonight,” he said. “It was a very smooth track, which usually is good for Late Models. The quality of the track showed tonight with no cautions for us. All of the Late Model guys did good job.”

The 25-lap Sprint Car A main got off to a rocky start as Andrew Westphal of Fond du Lac got sideways and flipped in turn three on the opening lap before collecting Paul Pokorski of West Bend. Both cars suffered heavy damage in the incident and retired to the pit area.

On the drop of the green flag, Tim Haddy outpowered outside front-row starter Brandon McMullen of Appleton to lead the opening lap. McMullen held tight with Haddy throughout most the race, following Haddy’s wheel tracks in close quarters on the predominately one-groove surface.

As the leaders encountered lapped traffic on lap 11, McMullen moved in to look under Haddy on a couple of occasions by the 25-year vet did not budge from his line, refusing to give McMullen an opening to pounce.

On lap 22, fifth-starter Justin Miller of Plymouth slipped past two-time PDTR Sprint Car champion Danny Schlafer of Sussex, who started fourth, to gain third.

Haddy held strong as the leaders approaches slower traffic in the closing laps to nip McMullen at the finish line to record his sixth career PDTR Sprint Car A-main victory and 18th career A main triumph in Midwest Sprint Car Association competition. McMullen finished second, followed by Miller in third, Schlafer fourth and 2010 PDTR Sprint Car champ Kurt Davis of West Allis fifth.

The scheduled 25-lap Grand National A main was limited to 18 laps as six caution flags pushed the race past the time limit.

The race was controlled throughout by polesitter Dan Sorce of West Allis, who held off the valiant attempts third starter Kurt Davis for the entire race. Tyler Kulow of Plymouth charged from the 18th starting spot to place third, followed by St. Peter’s Tim Simon, who started 11th, in fourth and outside front row starter Matt Jackson of Sheboygan in fifth.

Likewise, the scheduled 25-lap B Mod A main completed just nine laps following four caution flags.

Chad Vetting, who started fourth, took over the lead on lap two and never looked back en route to his first B Mod victory in PDTR competition.

Brandon Knepprath of Kewaskum notched a strong runner-up showing from his outside front row starting spot, defending PDTR B Mod champ Brandon Berth of Plymouth took third, followed by J.J. Walvoord, who started sixth, in fourth and Brian Bruechert of Kewaunee, who placed fifth after starting 11th

Denver Larsen prevailed in the non-stop Micro Sprint A main to notch his first career PDTR A main triumph.

Larsen, who started third, engaged in an intense side-by-side battle with Dylan Larsen to take over second place on lap 5. Denver Larsen then started to close on outside front row starter Tory Strauss, who had led from the drop of the green flag.

However, Strauss slowed and retired to the infield on lap 12 to relinquish the lead to Denver Larsen, who then cruised to the victory.

Emily Portschy of Plymouth place second, followed by Preston Ruh (third), Tyler Davis (fourth) and Strauss fifth.

B main victories went to Dannon Tessmer (Sprint Car), Dick Hed of Plymouth (Grand National) and Patrick Hanson (B Mod).

PDTR racing action will continue next Saturday, May 13, with racing schedule to begin at 6 p.m.

The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth is located at 229 Fairview Drive in Plymouth. For more information, visit www.plymouthdtr.com or check out Plymouth Dirt Track Racing on Facebook.

Pedal Down Promotions is a full-service public relations and media services company devoted to helping clients effectively communicate with targeted audiences through a diverse array of promotional strategies and methods, including press releases, newsletters, profile and feature articles, website and social media content development, printed media, editing and layout, graphic design and book publishing services.

 For more information on Pedal Down Promotions, email pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, visit www.pedaldownpromotions.com or call 920-323-7970.

May 7, 2017 / by Jeff Pederson

EWSC to promote races at Outagamie Speedway in 2017

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) May 5, 2017 – Eastern Wisconsin Stock Cars has reached an agreement with the Outagamie County Fair Association to promote a Sunday night racing program at the renamed Outagamie Speedway in Seymour, Wisconsin, during the 2017 season.

Despite exhaustive efforts to put together firm plans for the 2017 racing season, both entities found themselves facing an uncertain future.

After 12 years of staging a Friday night racing program at the Manitowoc Speedway, the track property was sold following the 2016 racing season, leaving the 58-year-old racing organization without a home track.

The former Seymour Raceway Park ran a shortened schedule in 2016 and had been in search of a promoter to make the 2017 season a reality.

“We were originally contacted by the Outagamie County Fair Association and due to the distance from most of the EWSC members, we were hesitant at first,” EWSC President Todd Humphrey said. “After further discussions, we determined that we could put together a race program utilizing people that were already in place in Seymour.”

While EWSC had pursued other possibilities for racing this season, none had come to fruition.

“The EWSC Board had considered the race track at the fairgrounds in Chilton and we had also talked with Bob Schneider at Gravity Park near Chilton as well,” Humphrey said. “Those possibilities did not advance out of the discussion stage for 2017.”

The weekly Sunday night racing program will feature familiar divisions at Seymour track, including IMCA-sanctioned modifieds, sport mods, stock cars, and sport fours, along with street stocks.

The 2017 season is set to begin Sunday, May 28 and continue through Sunday, Sept. 3.

“We are planning on running 14 nights in 2017,” Humphrey said. “We will not be running during the Outagamie County Fair July 25-30. We may also consider having a sprint car show and a late model show and possibly an end-of-season special, which may be the September 3rd show. We are still working on final schedule.”

Pit gates open at 4 p.m. with the grandstand opening at 5 p.m. and racing set to begin at 6 p.m.

Grandstand admission will be $10 for adults, $8 for seniors 60 and over, $5 for students 12-15 and free for children 11 and under.

Humphrey says EWSC is looking forward to the opportunity to continue its long history of successful race promotion at a new facility.

“We are very excited to provide racing in the Seymour area,” Humphrey said. “This is currently a one-year deal with the option to renew an extended contract should 2017 prove to be profitable.

“We did have some reservations with the travel distance for most of our board members and those that choose to travel with us, since most of them are based in the Sheboygan area,” he said. “However, we have been invigorated by everyone that has expressed their willingness to assist us on a weekly basis.”

Eastern Wisconsin Stock Cars, Inc. was established after the 1959 race season and began sanctioning races in May 1960 at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth. Starting in 1961, EWSC promoted races on Wednesday nights at the Calumet County Fairgrounds in Chilton. In 1966, the club began making weekly appearances at the 141 Speedway in Francis Creek, first racing on Thursday nights and switching to Wednesday nights after discontinuing weekly shows in Chilton in 1974. EWSC members voted to end the club’s partnership with 141 Speedway in 1981.

In addition to Plymouth, Chilton, and 141 Speedway, the club has sanctioned races at Beaver Dam, Slinger and Fond du Lac. In 2005, EWSC started promoting weekly racing at the Manitowoc County Expo grounds. In 2016, EWSC promoted races under the title of Manitowoc Speedway, running weekly shows featuring seven divisions of regular competition, including 360 Sprint cars, Late Models, Modifieds, Grand Nationals, Sport Mods, Sport Fours, and Thunder Trucks. EWSC also hosted two IRA Bumper to Bumper sprint car shows and the Street Stocks visited the track on three occasions in 2016.

Additional information on the 2017 EWSC racing season at the Outagamie Speedway will be available at www.outagamiespeedway.com, via Facebook at Outagamie Speedway and on Twitter @outagamiespdwy.

Pedal Down Promotions is a full-service public relations and media services company devoted to helping its clients effectively communicate with targeted audiences through press releases, newsletters, profile and feature articles, website and social media content development, printed media, editing and layout, graphic design and book publishing services.

For more information on Pedal Down Promotions, email pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, visit www.pedaldownpromotions.com or call 920-323-7970.

May 5, 2017 / by Jeff Pederson

Pokorski Motorsports set to push off silver anniversary season

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) April 27, 2017 – After a long winter of preparation, the Paul Pokorski Motorsports team will open its 25th anniversary season in full throttle with an action-packed, three-race weekend.

The team will fire up the 2017 season by entering the Interstate Racing Association (IRA) 410 Sprint Car Series Battle on the Bay event at the Luxemburg Speedway Friday, April 28. Pokorski and his crew will then head south to kick off the Midwest Sprint Car Association (MSA) season at the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing opener Saturday, April 29. The team will then round out its three-race weekend excursion by competing in the MSA portion of the Harry Neitzel Memorial event at Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam on Sunday, April 30.

Pokorski, who began his racing career in the Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car (EWSC) Winged Super Modified division in 1993, is looking forward to the opportunity to get the 2017 season off to a strong start.

“The goals for the weekend are to have some fun at Luxemburg running with the IRA guys and hopefully shake out any little bugs from the car and the driver,” Pokorski said. “On Saturday and Sunday things get a little bit more intense. We finished pretty strong the last few nights at Plymouth last year, and we’ve had a few good runs at Dodge County lately. I’m hoping that we can build off those recent showings and kick our season off right.

In 21 Midwest Sprint Car Association (MSA) 360 sprint car events last year, Pokorski posted five top-five finishes in A-main competition, along with 12 top-10 A-main finishes and seven heat race victories. The team also competed in four Interstate Racing Association (IRA) 410 Sprint Car Series events, highlighted by a 19th-place A-main finish at the now defunct Manitowoc Expo Speedway on July 1.

The team’s best A-main finish of the 2016 season was a second-place showing in MSA competition at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam on July 8th.

The 2014 MSA Masters Series champ and a three-time EWSC Winged Super Modified champion, has penciled in a total of 33 races at six different tracks in 2017, including 20 races at the Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds – the home track of the MSA.

IRA qualifying at Luxemburg Speedway is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, April 28. Racing is set to start at 6 p.m. at the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing opener on Saturday, April 29. A special early start time will be in effect at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam on Sunday, April 30, with warm ups at 4 p.m. and racing at 5:30 p.m.

The Pokorski Motorsports sponsors for the 2017 season include: Acme Armature Works Inc., Goeden’s Auto Body, Goodwin Racing Engines, Jens, Reinbold & Pfeffer Family Funeral Services & Crematory, Kettle Moraine Landscaping, Novak’s Service Center, Pedal Down Promotions, Christel Sign, Tisler Salvage Inc. and The Cawley Company.

For more information on Pokorski Motorsports, check out Pokorski Motorsports on Facebook or visit www.pedaldownpromotions.com.

Pedal Down Promotions is a full-service public relations and media services company devoted to helping its clients effectively communicate with targeted audiences through press releases, newsletters, profile and feature articles, website and social media content development, printed media, editing and layout, graphic design and book publishing services.

For more information on Pedal Down Promotions, email pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, visit www.pedaldownpromotions.com or call 920-323-7970.

2017 Pokorski Motorsports Upcoming Schedule

Friday, April 28 – Luxemburg Speedway (IRA)

Saturday, April 29 – Plymouth Dirt Track Racing (MSA)

Sunday, April 30 – Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam (MSA)

2017 Pokorski Motorsports By The Numbers

Total Events – 0

MSA events – 0

IRA events – 0

A Main Victories – 0

Top Five A Main Finishes – 0

Top 10 A Main Finishes – 0

Heat race victories – 0

 

April 26, 2017 / by Jeff Pederson

Acme Armature Works Inc. powers ahead

Bahrs takes helm of Sheboygan Electric Motor repair shop

by Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Coupling over 100 years of combined staff experience in the electro-mechanical motor repair industry with the customer-friendly manner and drive to succeed of new owner Chad Bahrs, Acme Armature Works Inc. is clearly a business on the rise in the city of Sheboygan.

In September 2016, Bahrs purchased Sheboygan Armature Works from Dale and Dave Kautzer.

Bahrs inherits a business with a long and successful history dating back to 1951, when Sheboygan Armature Works Inc. opened in a small downtown Sheboygan shop before moving to its current location at 2727 North 21st St. in Sheboygan in 1971.

After accumulating 16 years of prior experience in the field at various electro-mechanical repair shops in the area, Bahrs enters the world of business ownership determined to advance Acme Armature Works forward to new heights, while retaining the expert encyclopedia of knowledge provided by longtime Sheboygan Armature Works owners Dale  and Dave Kautzer.

“My goal is to grow the business and take it to the next level by providing a wider range of services in-house,” Bahrs said. “I’ve added quite a bit of new equipment. We now have a full machine shop and welding department in-house, which allows us to provide fast turnaround times and maintain competitive pricing. Now we can do more in our shop, rather than having to outsource certain types of work.

“Doing more work in our shop will help us provide better efficiency to our customers,” he said. “It is also nice to have Dale and Dave still here to give customers the best possible service. As all of the Sheboygan Armature Works customers know, those two guys really know what they’re doing.”

Bahrs, who resides in Elkhart Lake with his wife Jamie and three children, describes Acme Armature Works as a one-stop electrical apparatus service shop.                                                                             

“We specialize in all types of electric motors, spindles, servo motors, and electro-mechanical devices for industrial, commercial and agricultural customers,” Bahrs said. “We are a factory-authorized warranty service center for a wide range of manufactures. We also offer value-added services such as an in-house machine shop, computerized precision dynamic balancing, vibration analysis, predictive/preventative maintenance, welding and light fabricating.”

When it comes to diagnosing problems, providing proper repair analysis and delivering top-notch service for servo motors, Acme’s repair team boasts extensive experience working with a wide selection of complex motor systems.

“We specialize in fast, accurate repair, rewind and re-manufacture of all brands of servo motors,” Bahrs said. “During our repair process, every encoder or all feedback devices are checked for proper signals and alignment

Acme Armature Works is PDTA (Power Transmission Distributors Association) and EASA (Electrical Apparatus Service Association) certified.

In addition, it recently earned the Recommended Practice for the Repair of Rotating Electrical Apparatus (ANSI/EASA AR100-2015) accreditation.

According to Bahrs, the Acme Armature Works staff doesn’t shy away from pushing themselves beyond the limit to meet the needs of its customers.

“With our extensive database and strategic partnerships, we can locate hard-to-find motors and related equipment,” Bahrs said. “We maintain an extensive inventory of bearings, brushes and other replacement parts so that our customer’s equipment can received our immediate attention.”

In addition, Acme Armature Works features several bonus offerings for customers, including 24-hour emergency services, free pickup and delivery, same-day repairs and no evaluation charges if items are recycled onsite.

Other key features are modern computerized repair reports, job documentation and tracking.

Bahrs says Acme’s ability to provide unique in-shop services sets it apart among its competition.

“I think the fact that we do balancing, machine work and welding in our shop sets us apart,” Bahrs said. “We have the ability to do blower wheel balancing, provide a wide range of machine work and weld cast iron, which you don’t see in every other shop.”

While it is mainly a repair shop, Acme Armature Works also sells many makes and models of electric and servo motors.                                                                                                                           

“Repair work is really our bread and butter,” Bahrs said. “We really excel at motor repairs by utilizing better-than-original materials and doing everything by hand.

“We aren’t just about repairs though,” he said. “We also sell new electric and servo motors from many different manufacturers. In particular, we specialize in tracking down hard-to-find motors and electro-mechanical parts. Motors and parts can be found on our website, but if people don’t see it there, I encourage them to call and we can more than likely get it for them.”

For more information on Acme Armature Works Inc., email info@acmearmature.com, call the 24-hour service line at 920-452-3389 or visit www.acmearmature.com.

April 12, 2017 / by Jeff Pederson

Unity Music Festival gears up for lucky 13

UMF organizer looks forward to successful event

by Jeff Pederson

The last few weeks leading up to the 13th annual Unity Music Festival to benefit the Sheboygan County Cancer Care Fund have been jam packed with a flurry of activity for UMF founder Mary Ann Waldbauer of Sheboygan Falls.

Being busy is a good thing to be as the organizer of a major local cancer fundraiser, just asked Waldbauer.

It means people are taking notice and have stepped up in a variety of ways to assist those in great need throughout Sheboygan County.

This year’s show will take place Saturday, April at the Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts in Sheboygan beginning at 7 p.m.

Waldbauer, who founded the Unity Music Festival in 2005 as a way to support local cancer patients struggling through financial hardships caused by large medical bills,

Over the past 12 years, the event has drawn top-notch area musical talent, as well as a loyal contingent of dedicated sponsors and supporters.

While the majority of UMF supporters have lending a helping hand for many years, the Sheboygan County Tavern League recently jumping on board as a first-time UMF supporter, much to Waldbauer’s delight.

“We are very pleased to have The Sheboygan County Tavern League get involved in helping with the UMF this year,” Waldbauer said. “I hadf ribbons designed by Amanda D’Amico from the LTC art graphic design program. There are 13 bars that are helping sell the ribbons through donations. Meyer’s Lakeview Pub in Sheboygan is in the lead thanks to all of Judy Meyer’s’ efforts.

“The Sheboygan County Tavern league donates to a lot of different charities, and this is their first year helping out the UMF,” she said. “We are just thrilled to have them with us this year.

True to form, this year’s show features four highly talented and diverse musical performers, including soloist Allison Stauber, The Rice Family, The Eldorados and The Rick Raybine Band.

“We have some spectacular entertainment in store for a truly action-packed night you do not want to miss,” Waldbauer said.

Fundraising activities will kick off the festivities begin at 5 p.m. with silent and live-auction viewing, as well as dollar and 50/50 raffles.

In addition, there will be two gala appetizer buffet events this year one of which will run prior to the show upstairs at the Weill Center starting at 5 p.m.

The other buffet will take place beginning at 5:30 p.m. next door to the Weill Center with Chef Clint and Miesfeld’s staff providing the appetizers.

“Both galas are sold out,” Waldbauer said. “Due to fire codes, we can only have so many people at each facility. We have 50 silent auction items that will line the halls at the Weill Center, 11 dollar raffles, seven live auctions and a 50/50 raffle. There’s something for everyone.

“The auction items are amazing and are 100 percent donated,” she said. “It just warms my heart to see all of this stuff come in. We already have $20,000 collected this year due to the generosity of the whole community. I can’t wait to see the end results of this years event

A full 100 percent of the money raised at the show will go to support the Sheboygan County Cancer Care Fund, which assists cancer patients exclusively within Sheboygan County.

“One hundred percent of the proceeds go to help cancer patients and their family members in Sheboygan County,” Waldbauer said. “Anyone suffering a financial hardship due to cancer can benefit from this fund.

“We can help with heat, light, water, house mortgages, wigs, rent, uninsured medical bills, groceries or gas cards, quality of life classes, etc.,” she said. “We help make their quality of life better while going through this devastating time in their lives.

In 2017, the SCCCF is celebrating the 15-year anniversary of the very first gesture which was made in 2002.

Established in 2000, The Sheboygan County Cancer Care Fund is the brainchild of local medical oncologist, H. Marshall Matthews, who recognized the need to help cancer patients through their cancer journey; it was established in 2000.

In 2002, 17 gestures totaling $2,700 were approved. Since then, hundreds of gestures, amounting to more than one million dollars, have been accepted by the SCCCF.

This year’s event will feature new faces leading the evening’s events, including master of ceremonies Randy Schwoerer and  Re/Max Realty Plus & Cain Auctions Realtor/Auctioneer Nick Cain, who will be the auctioneer for the live auction during the show’s intermission.

General admission tickets are currently on sale for $20 per person.

Tickets are available in advance at  Blattner’s Piggly Wiggly in Sheboygan Falls 1166 Fond Du Lac Ave. in Sheboygan Falls, 467-0477), Mary Ann or Rick Waldbauer (998 Huron Trail in Sheboygan Falls, 467-3303), Midwest Dental of Plymouth (1415 Eastern Ave. in Plymouth, 893-8458), Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts (826 North Eighth St. in Sheboygan, 208-3243), Matthews Oncology (1621 North Taylor Drive in Sheboygan, 458-7433), Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic (1222 North 23rd St. in Sheboygan, 457-6800), Plymouth Piggly Wiggly (141 Eastern Ave. in Plymouth, 893-0741), Oostburg Piggly Wiggly (944 Center Ave. in Oostburg, 564-2234), Howards Grove Piggly Wiggly (714 South Wisconsin Drive in Howards Grove, 565-4421), Northside Piggly Wiggly (2905 North 15th St. in Sheboygan, 458-9991), Sheboygan Falls Chamber-Main Street (504 Broadway St. in Sheboygan Falls, 467-6206), Festival Foods (595 South Taylor Drive in Sheboygan, 694-6260), Oostburg State Bank (905 Center Ave. in Oostburg, 564-2336) and Trilling True Hardware (901 Michigan Ave. in Sheboygan, 457-5541).

The Sheboygan County Cancer Care Fund is a publicly supported 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Contributions by the public are fully tax-deductible.

“Where can you go see such great entertainment for only $20?” Waldbauer said. “ All proceeds stay local to help cancer patients suffering a financial hardship due to cancer. Who does not know someone going thru cancer?

“We still have a lot of show tickets left, so I encourage everyone to come on out for a great night of entertainment and community support,” she said.

For more information on the Unity Music Festival visit  unitymusicfestival.org or the Unity Music Festival Facebook page.

More information on the Sheboygan County Cancer Care Fund can be found at www.scccf.org

For additional information or to purchase gala appetizer buffet tickets, call Mary Ann Waldbauer at 467-3303 or email umfmaryann@charter.net

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 4, 2017 / by Jeff Pederson

Pokorski Motorsports preps to fire up silver anniversary season

By Jeff Pederson, Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) March 9, 2017 – On the heels of a solid 2016 season, the Paul Pokorski Motorsports 360 sprint car racing team is looking to make some noise as it celebrates its 25th season of competition in 2017.

Armed with a brand new 2016 Maxim last year, the team endured plenty of trial and error in learning the subtle nuances of an unfamiliar car.

In 21 Midwest Sprint Car Association (MSA) 360 sprint car events last year, Pokorski posted five top-five finishes in A-main competition, along with 12 top-10 A-main finishes and seven heat race victories. The team also competed in four Interstate Racing Association (IRA) 410 Sprint Car Series events, highlighted by a 19th-place A-main finish at the Manitowoc Expo Speedway, the team’s home track, on July 1.

The team’s best A-main finish of the 2016 season was a second-place showing at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam on July 8th.

In addition, the Pokorski team fell just short in its quest to capture the Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Sprint Car championship in the final season of racing at the now defunct Manitowoc Expo Speedway, eventually finishing four-points behind Brandon McMullen in the chase for the title.

“Our 2016 season was decent,” Pokorski said. “We didn’t get a feature win, but we had a few strong seconds and thirds, and won some heat races. Most importantly, we got better on the dry slick tracks. Since dry slick seems to be the way race tracks are trending, that is really important.”

Just as it has done for the past 24 years, the team has spent the offseason preparing meticulously for what Pokorski hopes will be a successful 25th season of action.

“This year’s approach is pretty much like each of the last 24,” Pokorski said. “We have been getting everything as fresh as we can afford to, while making sure we have the spares ready to go to make any hiccups during the season easier to cope with when the schedule is tight.

“I am hoping that this year starts out consistent,” he said. “Last year, it took until about mid-season to really start clicking. That is when we found a good baseline to work from. We’ll start there this year and hope to improve on it as we go.”

After coming up dry in the chase for an A-main victory last season, Pokorski has set a return to victory lane as his main goal for 2017.

“My goal as a driver is to win some races and not wreck stuff,” Pokorski said. “Above all, I have to confess that I’ll be disappointed if we don’t get at least one A-main win this year.”

As far as the team’s 2017 schedule is concerned, Pokorski has tentatively penciled a total of 33 races at six different tracks, including 20 races at the Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds – the home track of the Midwest Sprint Car Association.

Pokorski Motorsports is also tentatively scheduled to run a handful of Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series races, including three events at the 141 Speedway in Francis Creek and one at the Luxemburg Speedway.

“We will run 100 percent of the races with MSA, if all goes as planned,” said Pokorski, who captured the 2014 MSA Masters Series championship. “The team is also planning to run a select few IRA shows.”

Reflecting on his lengthy career in racing both EWSC Winged Super Modifieds and MSA sprint cars, Pokorski has accumulated many cherished memories.

“Where has the time gone? I don’t feel that much older,” Pokorski said. “I can remember starting out in 1993 very clearly. I certainly remember the first few career feature wins in 1996. We destroyed my first race car on opening night after preparing it all winter long. We thrashed to replace it with a new chassis we put together from scratch in two weeks. Then we proceeded to have a break out year and win the last two features of the year. The championship years of 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2014 in general terms were all memorable for their own reasons.”

Along with the team’s many highlights, which includes 44 A-main victories (35 EWSC Winged Super Modfieds and 9 MSA Sprint Car), Pokorski recalls one significant low point.

“I recall destroying my second car on the front stretch in a collision with Pete Ostrowski at Plymouth, in I think it was 2001,” Pokorski said. “That still hurts when I think about it. I’m glad Pete and I both walked away from that wreck.”

Overall, Pokorski enters his 25th season thankful for the assistance he has received through the years.

“Finally, I’m just grateful to have had all the friends and family that have supported me, and continue to do so,” Pokorski said. “I couldn’t do this without them.”

Pokorski Motorsports is set to open the 2017 season with a three-race weekend April 28-30. The team will begin by running with the IRA at Luxemburg Speedway on Friday, April 28, followed by the MSA opener at the Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, April 29 and another MSA event at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam on Sunday, April 30.

For more information on Pokorski Motorsports, check out Pokorski Motorsports on Facebook or visit www.pedaldownpromotions.com

Pedal Down Promotions is a full-service public relations and media services company devoted to helping its clients effectively communicate with targeted audiences through press releases, newsletters, profile and feature articles, website and social media content development, printed media, editing and layout, graphic design and book publishing services.

For more information on Pedal Down Promotions, email pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, visit www.pedaldownpromotions.com or call 920-323-7970.

2017 Pokorski Motorsports Tentative Schedule

Friday April 28           Luxemburg Speedway, Luxemburg (IRA)

Saturday April 29      Plymouth Dirt Track Racing at Sheboygan Co. Fairgrounds

Sunday April 30         Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam

Saturday May 6         Plymouth Dirt Track Racing at Sheboygan Co. Fairgrounds

Saturday May 13       Plymouth Dirt Track Racing at Sheboygan Co. Fairgrounds

Saturday May 20       Plymouth Dirt Track Racing at Sheboygan Co. Fairgrounds

Saturday May 27       Plymouth Dirt Track Racing at Sheboygan Co. Fairgrounds

Sunday May 28          141 Speedway in Francis Creek (IRA)

Saturday June 3         Plymouth Dirt Track Racing at Sheboygan Co. Fairgrounds

Saturday June 10       Plymouth Dirt Track Racing at Sheboygan Co. Fairgrounds

Sunday June 11          Angel Park Speedway in Sun Prairie

Saturday June 17       Plymouth Dirt Track Racing at Sheboygan Co. Fairgrounds

Friday June 23           Spring Valley Speedway in Unity

Saturday June 24       Plymouth Dirt Track Racing at Sheboygan Co. Fairgrounds

Saturday July 1           Plymouth Dirt Track Racing at Sheboygan Co. Fairgrounds

Sunday July 2             141 Speedway in Francis Creek (IRA)

Friday July 7                Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam

Saturday July 8           Plymouth Dirt Track Racing at Sheboygan Co. Fairgrounds

Saturday July 15        Plymouth Dirt Track Racing at Sheboygan Co. Fairgrounds

Saturday July 22        Plymouth Dirt Track Racing at Sheboygan Co. Fairgrounds

Saturday July 29        Plymouth Dirt Track Racing at Sheboygan Co. Fairgrounds

Sunday July 30           Angel Park Speedway in Sun Prairie

Saturday Aug. 5         Plymouth Dirt Track Racing at Sheboygan Co. Fairgrounds

Saturday Aug. 12       Plymouth Dirt Track Racing at Sheboygan Co. Fairgrounds

Sunday Aug. 13          Angel Park Speedway in Sun Prairie

Saturday Aug 19        Plymouth Dirt Track Racing at Sheboygan Co. Fairgrounds

Friday, Aug. 25           Spring Valley Speedway in Unity

Saturday Aug. 26       Plymouth Dirt Track Racing at Sheboygan Co. Fairgrounds

Sunday Aug. 27          Angel Park Speedway in Sun Prairie

Saturday Sept. 2        Plymouth Dirt Track Racing at Sheboygan Co. Fairgrounds

Sunday, Sept. 3          141 Speedway, Francis Creek (IRA)

Saturday Sept. 9        Plymouth Dirt Track Racing at Sheboygan Co. Fairgrounds

Saturday Sept. 16      **Rain date only for PDTR Sept. 9th date

Saturday Sept. 30      Plymouth Dirt Track Racing at Sheboygan Co. Fairgrounds

Saturday Nov. 11      MSA awards banquet

 

March 9, 2017 / by Jeff Pederson

John Wirth, author of “Days Gone By – Growing Up in Small Town Wisconsin” talks about Pedal Down Promotions

John Wirth and Jeff Pederson

In February of 2007, I started writing articles for The Sheboygan Falls News. It didn’t take long before Jeff Pederson, the editor of The Sheboygan Falls News, asked me to continue writing for the paper. I enjoyed writing them and before long it was 2016, and I had 39 stories written. I knew I wanted to have the stories published, if nothing more than as a bucket list project. I just didn’t know how to go about getting this project done. After searching the internet for anyone that could help me, it became apparent that this was going to be a long and costly undertaking.

When Jeff told me that he was branching out into a new business endeavor, Pedal Down Promotions, I knew I had hope. Working with Jeff proved to be the person I needed to successfully get my book publishing under way. Without ever actually speaking to one another, we got everything done via emails. I provided all of the stories and photos that went along with each story. We decided on the title was going to be “Days Gone By,” the same as the newspapers column. With the title finalized, Jeff took care of the rest. He designed the covers both front and back. He set up all of the main pages, wrote the foreward and proofread the contents to perfection. Jeff also found a printer that would print what we needed at a very reasonable price.

When I received the first proof copy, I was amazed at the quality of the book. The front and back covers looked perfect, as well as the layout of the contents. Jeff truly knocked it out of the park and I was thrilled to have the book of my dreams in my hands. With both of our approvals, we went forward to final print. Jeff set up contacts for placing the book. He did the advertizing both in print and contacting businesses. The biggest surprise came when Jeff emailed me to check out my book on Amazon. He got everything set up for me on Amazon.com, which has proven to be very rewarding.  My wife and I flew up to Wisconsin to thank Jeff and to do a promotion article for the press. With Jeff’s connections and his expertise, my dream of having a book published has come true.

February 19, 2017 / by Jeff Pederson

Unity Music Festival to support Sheboygan County Cancer Care Fund

If ever there was an opportunity to sample a wide variety of music at the same event on the same night, the 13th annual Unity Music Festival to benefit the Sheboygan County Cancer Care Fund (SCCCF) will provide that and more Saturday, April 8, at the Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts in Sheboygan.

Mary Ann Waldbauer of Sheboygan Falls founded the Unity Music Festival in 2005 to support local cancer patients in need.

Over the past 12 years, the event has grown substantially while drawing some of the best area musical talent, as well as a loyal contingent of dedicated sponsors and supporters.

This year’s show, which begins at 7 p.m., will feature four highly talented and diverse musical performers, including soloist Allison Stauber, The Rice Family, The Eldorados and The Rick Raybine Band.

“We have been so blessed with another great line up,” Waldbauer said. “We have a very multi-talented soloist, Allison Stauber, The Rice Family from Oostburg will be playing bluegrass. The Eldorados will be on hand playing 50s and 60s music and The Rick Raybine Band will do country. There will certainly be something for everyone.

“If you do not like an act, sit tight because the musical style is about to change with the next act,” she said. “Also, the big bands will be coming together for never-before-done grand finale, which will be spectacular.”

Fundraising activities will kick off the festivities begin at 5 p.m. with silent and live-auction viewing, as well as dollar and 50/50 raffles.

In addition, there will be two gala appetizer buffet events this year one of which will run prior to the show upstairs at the Weill Center starting at 5 p.m.

The other buffet will take place beginning at 5:30 p.m. next door to the Weill Center with Chef Clint and Miesfeld’s staff providing the appetizers.

All proceeds from the show will go to support the Sheboygan County Cancer Care Fund, which assists cancer patients within Sheboygan County.

“One hundred percent of the proceeds go to help cancer patients and their family members in Sheboygan County,” Waldbauer said. “Anyone suffering a financial hardship due to cancer can benefit from this fund.

“We can help with heat, light, water, house mortgages, wigs, rent, uninsured medical bills, groceries or gas cards, quality of life classes, etc.,” she said. “We help make their quality of life better while going through this devastating time in their lives.”

In 2017, the SCCCF is celebrating the 15-year anniversary of the very first gesture which was made in 2002.

Established in 2000, The Sheboygan County Cancer Care Fund is the brainchild of local medical oncologist, H. Marshall Matthews, who recognized the need to help cancer patients through their cancer journey; it was established in 2000.

In 2002, 17 gestures totaling $2,700 were approved. Since then, hundreds of gestures, amounting to more than one million dollars, have been accepted by the SCCCF.

According to Waldbauer, the Unity Music Festival has made great strides in raising funds to assist cancer patients in Sheboygan County, but much more needs to be done.

“With the donations of time, great talent, generous contributions and the sponsorships of local businesses, this cancer benefit has raised at total of $329,700.28 over the past 12 years,” Waldbauer said. “The need for assistance is growing, so I hope the community will turn out to support this cause.

“I encourage people to call their friends, neighbors, church groups, red hat groups, co-workers, or clubs and enjoy a fun evening together,” she said.

This year’s event will feature new faces leading the evening’s events, including master of ceremonies Randy Schwoerer and Re/Max Realty Plus & Cain Auctions Realtor/Auctioneer Nick Cain, who will be the auctioneer for the live auction during the show’s intermission.

General admission tickets are currently on sale for $20 per person and gala buffet tickets are also available for $30.

Tickets are available in advance at  Blattner’s Piggly Wiggly in Sheboygan Falls 1166 Fond Du Lac Ave. in Sheboygan Falls, 467-0477), Mary Ann or Rick Waldbauer (998 Huron Trail in Sheboygan Falls, 467-3303), Midwest Dental of Plymouth (1415 Eastern Ave. in Plymouth, 893-8458), Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts (826 North Eighth St. in Sheboygan, 208-3243), Matthews Oncology (1621 North Taylor Drive in Sheboygan, 458-7433), Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic (1222 North 23rd St. in Sheboygan, 457-6800), Plymouth Piggly Wiggly (141 Eastern Ave. in Plymouth, 893-0741), Oostburg Piggly Wiggly (944 Center Ave. in Oostburg, 564-2234), Howards Grove Piggly Wiggly (714 South Wisconsin Drive in Howards Grove, 565-4421), Northside Piggly Wiggly (2905 North 15th St. in Sheboygan, 458-9991), Sheboygan Falls Chamber-Main Street (504 Broadway St. in Sheboygan Falls, 467-6206), Festival Foods (595 South Taylor Drive in Sheboygan, 694-6260), Oostburg State Bank (905 Center Ave. in Oostburg, 564-2336) and Trilling True Hardware (901 Michigan Ave. in Sheboygan, 457-5541).

Sponsorships are currently being sought for this year’s event. Show ($4,000), gold ($1,000), silver sponsor ($500), bronze ($500) and friend ($50) level sponsorships are currently available.

Gold sponsors will receive four complimentary tickets to the show and the Gala Appetizer and Wine Buffet.

Silver sponsors will receive two complimentary tickets to the show and to the  Gala Appetizer & Wine Buffet.

The sponsorship deadline for inclusion in the event program is March 17.

The Sheboygan County Cancer Care Fund is a publicly supported 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Contributions by the public are fully tax-deductible.

“When you come to this fundraising event for the Sheboygan County Cancer Care Fund you will get great music, live auctions held on stage during the show, silent auctions, dollar raffles and a 50/50 raffle,” Waldbauer said. “The night is guaranteed to provide action-packed fun. The best part of it is it’s all about people helping people.”

For more information on the Unity Music Festival visit unitymusicfestival.org or the Unity Music Festival Facebook page.

More information on the Sheboygan County Cancer Care Fund can be found at www.scccf.org

For additional information or to purchase gala appetizer buffet tickets, call Mary Ann Waldbauer at 467-3303 or email umfmaryann@charter.net

January 25, 2017 / by Jeff Pederson

Despite unclear future, EWSC celebrates 2016 racing season

Eastern Wisconsin Stock Cars honored its 2016 champions at the 56th annual EWSC Awards Banquet Saturday, Dec. 10, at City Limits Bar and Banquet Hall in Manitowoc. Pictured left to right are Brad Lubach (Grand National), Shaun Bangart (Sport 4), Brian Bruechert (Sport Mod), Brandon McMullen (Sprint Car), Tim Buhler (Late Model) and Jamie Schmidt (Modified). – Photo by Samantha Kohls

Seven champions honored in final season at Manitowoc Speedway

By Jeff Pederson, Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) December 12, 2016 – With its future hanging in limbo, Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car racing officials, drivers, pit crew members, supporters and fans gathered at City Limits Bar and Banquet Hall in Manitowoc to toast a highly competitive 2016 racing season at the Manitowoc Speedway, during the 56th annual EWSC Awards Banquet Saturday, Dec. 10.

While the mood was predominately festive with champions, hard charger and rookie of the year award recipients officially recognized for their standout performances during the 2016 season, there was an underlying feeling of melancholy and uncertainty as expressed by EWSC President Todd Humphrey in his opening remarks.

“Going back to last year around this time we had just wrapped up our 2015 season awards banquet when things took a turn in mid-December,” Humphrey said. “Not long after that, the reality set in that the Expo grounds had been sold and the 2016 would be our last at the Manitowoc Speedway.

“We started the season with a string of rain outs, but once we got through that, our season really got running good,” he said. “I could never have imagined that on our last night at Manitowoc, we would have a field of 173 cars. The success of the 2016 season is a testament to all of you guys gathered here tonight. I want to thank you all for putting on a hell of a show throughout the year.”

Humphrey paid tribute to the EWSC staff members who gave their time to ensure the final season of racing at the Manitowoc Speedway was one to remember.

“I want to recognize our staff of volunteers who gave so much of themselves during the season,” Humphrey said. “From the flagman, to the corner workers to the lineup people, the scorers the concession stand works, the list goes on. It was a true team effort. We couldn’t have asked for a better staff.

“I can’t go without mentioning our track prep crew,” he said. “I think all of us can agree that we had great tracks all season long. I would say we had zero bad tracks all year. Maybe we had a couple of nights that were not quite as good, but not many. No matter what, there was always plenty of racing surface for our drivers to put on an awesome show for the fans.”

After several months of waiting for the official word to come down about the final sale of the track, Humphrey spoke about the efforts of staff volunteers to clear out EWSC’s equipment from the track grounds in advance of the Manitowoc County-mandated Dec. 16 vacancy deadline.

“The last three weeks have been a whirlwind for everyone,” Humphrey said. “Without the help of our members, especially people like last year’s Sport Mod champ Rick Kretschmann, Dale Bauer and this year’s Late Model champion Tim Buhler, I don’t know where we’d be. I also have to thank Dennis Hill and Vetting Transport for all they have done in the past few weeks to help us vacate the track property.”

All seven 2016 EWSC champions were then honored for their stellar seasons.

Brian Bruechert of Kewaunee collected his first ever EWSC championship in the Sport Mod division.

Bruechert, who topped runner-up Travis Arenz of Sheboygan by two points (498-496) in the final standings, finished the season with one A-main victory, seven top-five A main finishes, 11 top-ten A main showings and four heat race victories in 12 events.

“I didn’t set out to run for the championship, but everything fell into place,” Bruechert said. “I had fun all year long and in the end it turned out to be a blast. I remember getting my first win at Manty back in 1990 in a stock car on the half mile.  It was really nice to come back to Manitowoc and meet a lot of great people in the process.

“I’ve raced for 27 years at a lot of different tracks and the track prep this year at Manitowoc was second to none,” he said. “It is saying something when you can go out in your heat race and run three and four wide and not worry about sliding into the guard rail. The track was always smooth and really racy.”

John Rothmund of Manitowoc, who finished third in the Sport Mod points standings, picked up the Sport Mod Rookie of the Year Award and Travis Arenz was also honored with the 2016 Sport Mod Hard Charger Award for passing 60 cars in 11 A-main events.

Rounding out the top five in the Sport Mod point standings were Cody Schroeder of Manitowoc in fourth and Jayden Schmidt of Seymour fifth.

Jamie Schmidt of Seymour notched the 2016 Modified championship with five top-five A-main showings, eight top-10 A-main finishes and three heat race triumphs in nine races.

Schmidt topped runner-up Randy Markwardt Jr. of Sheboygan Falls by a 23-point margin (368-345) in the final point standings. Matt Jackson of Sheboygan was third, followed by Kyle Kudick of Two Rivers (fourth) and Eric Scribner of Kiel (fifth).

“I would like to thank everyone at Manitowoc Speedway,” Schmidt said. “It was a great place to race.”

Kyle Kudick was the 2016 EWSC Modified Hard Charger Award winner for passing 25 cars in seven A-main races.

Brad Lubach of Kiel, who recorded two A-main victories, nine top-five and nine top-10 A-main showings to go along with five heat race victories in 11 events, captured the Grand National title by a slim two-point margin over Justin Erickson of Plymouth.

“I want to thank my wife, mom and dad, as well as my great crew and all of my sponsors for a great year,” Lubach said. “I also want to recognize EWSC for all that they did this year. Manitowoc Speedway has been one of my favorite tracks. It sucks that it’s going to be gone.”

Ryan Minster of Sheboygan, who finished third in the final point standings, captured the Grand National Hard Charger Award for passing a division best 56 cars in 11 A-main events.

Steven Weber of Plymouth finished fourth and Tim Simon of Fond du Lac rounded out the top five in the Grand National point standings.

The 2016 EWSC Late Model championship hardware went to Tim Buhler of Glenbeulah for the second consecutive year. Buhler, who also picked up the Late Model Hard Charger Award for passing 30 cars in A-main action, posted two A-main victories, four top-five A-main finishes, seven top-10 A-main showings and two heat race wins in eight nights of competition.

“I’ve been to a lot of different tracks in my career and one of the main things I learned from racing at Manitowoc is that the track crew for EWSC is pretty darn good,” Buhler said.

Rounding out the top five in the 2016 EWSC Late Model point standings were Jim Schmidt of Cleveland (second), Justin Schmidt of Cleveland (third), Turk Letizia of Milwaukee (fourth) and Taylor Scheffler of Waukesha (fifth).

Brandon McMullen of Plymouth picked up the 2016 Sprint Car championship, topping West Bend’s Paul Pokorski by four points (247-243) in the final point standings.

McMullen claimed one A-main victory, three top-five A main finishes, six top-ten showings and three heat race victories in six races in 2016.

“My family has been racing with EWSC for a long time,” McMullen said. “Eastern has had its ups and downs over the years, but it has definitely been on the upswing in the past couple years with this group of board members and staff. Manitowoc is definitely one of the best tracks I’ve ever been on.

“I have to thank my family for all of their support,” he said. “It means a lot to have them be there every night for me. It was fun racing with Paul [Pokorski] for the championship. It was fitting with our EWSC backgrounds that Paul and I were racing for the championship right down to the final night of the season. Paul raced me clean all year. He is a great guy on and off the track.”

Rounding out the top five in the final Sprint Car point standings were Kurt Davis of West Allis (third), Danny Schlafer of Sussex (fourth) and Doug Wondra of Oakfield (fifth).

Danny Schlafer was recognized with the Sprint Car Hard Charger Award for passing 24 cars in six A-main events and Tyler Brabant of Waupun earned the Sprint Car Rookie of the Year Award.

Shaun Bangart of Chilton claimed six A-main victories, 10 top-five and top-ten A-main showings and five heat race wins in 11 races en route to the Sport 4 title. Bangart also claimed the Sport 4 Hard Charger Award by passing a total of 43 cars in 10 A-main races.

Mitchell Meier of Chilton, who placed second in the Sport 4 point standings, earned the 2016 Sport 4 Rookie of the Award. Mike Meier of Chilton (third), Matt DeWilde (fourth) and Jason Dondlinger (fifth) completed the top five.

Walker Bergene of Whitelaw claimed the Thunder Truck track title and Rooke of the Year Award on the strength of eight A-main victories, 10 top-five and top-10 A-main finishes and six heat race triumphs in 10 events.

Humphrey assured those in attendance that EWSC leaders plan to keep the club alive in hopes of finding a new home track.

“Our future is up in the air at this point,” Humphrey said. “I strongly believe that we will continue somewhere in the future. We will be holding our Bowling Bash at Odyssey Fun Center in Sheboygan Falls on February 4th, so we encourage everyone to come out on that day and celebrate Eastern. Maybe we will have some good news to share at that point.”

Founding EWSC member Kermit Schulz of Manitowoc closed the award ceremony with some final words on the longstanding racing organization.

“I was around in 1960 when Eastern first formed,” Schulz said. “I don’t think there are too many original members still around from back then. I think Jerry McMullen is one of them, but not many others are still here. I want to take this time to thank Eastern for keeping racing going in this area for 56 years. I hope it goes on, but right now one never knows.”

The 2016 EWSC Board of Directors includes Todd Humphrey (president), Mark Petrie (vice president), Rick Minster (treasurer), John Tienor (secretary), Andra Humphrey (director), Jonathan Otte (director) and Sheila Leamer (director).

EWSC sponsors for the 2016 season included A&W of Manitowoc, Affordable Auto Rental, Associate Insurance/Secura Insurance, Baleigh Industrial, Bank First National, Best Western Stanton Inn, Brixius Manufacturing, Budweiser/Larry’s Distributing, Buffalo Wild Wings, Calbre, City Limits, Custom Craft Trophies of Plymouth, Fastenal, Fricke Ready Mix Concrete, Gibbsville Cheese, Hager’s Half-Pounder Cookies, Harbor Town HD/Polaris, Hoban Cycle, Hubbartt Electric, J.Johnson and Associates, Just Orthodontics, Kaeden Services, Lakeside Pepsi, Manitowoc Automotive Supply, Manitowoc Pattern and Machine, Mark Petrie Fabrication, Masonic Lodge 65, MMPA, MX Megastore, Nelson Truck and Equipment, Odyssey Fun Center, O’Reilly Auto Parts, PDQ Car Wash, Pietroske Auto, Pizza Ranch, Pomps Tire, Professional Plating Inc., Reinbold Pfeffer & Jens, Rick’s Auto Doctors, Riverside Landscaping, Rummele Jewelers, Satori Automotive, Smiling Moose, Spielvogel Excavating, Suburban Drywall, TA Motorsports, Terry’s Whitelaw Auto, Vetting Transport, Vogel Auto Body/John’s Auto Sales, Wild Inc. and Zabel Monuments.

To stay up to date on all news related to EWSC, visit www.manitowocspeedway.com or the Manitowoc Speedway Facebook and Twitter pages.

Eastern Wisconsin Stock Cars honored its 2016 rookie of the year award winners at the 56th annual EWSC Awards Banquet Saturday, Dec. 10, at City Limits Bar and Banquet Hall in Manitowoc. Pictured left to right are Tyler Brabant (Sprint Car), Mitchell Meier (Sport 4) and John Rothmund (Sport Mod). – Photo by Samantha Kohls

December 12, 2016 / by Jeff Pederson

EWSC rules out Chilton

Eastern Wisconsin Stock Cars ends talks for return to Chilton

Manitowoc, WI – At this point in time, Eastern Wisconsin Stock Cars, Inc (EWSC) has determined it is in the best interest of the club and its members for its Board of Directors to end discussions with the Calumet County Agricultural Association (CCAA) regarding the possible return of weekly racing to the Calumet County Fairgrounds.

The EWSC Board of Directors has met with CCAA President Jeff Wunrow on several occasions over the past 10 months and we feel that the he has no intentions of negotiating fairly. We had hopes when the CCAA Board formally requested information that there was a possibility that EWSC’s weekly racing program would return to Chilton after 43 years. However, as we set out to gather the requested information, we have constantly been met with resistance from Mr. Wunrow.

In the wake of all that has transpired, the EWSC Board of Directors has reached the conclusion that it will no longer actively seek to promote weekly racing at the Calumet County Fairgrounds. If there is a desire for those in the Chilton community and the members of CCAA to work in conjunction with EWSC to improve the grounds and discuss a fair and just contract between the two entities, we would entertain those plans at a future date. EWSC thanks county leaders for the opportunity and we wish them all the best

Eastern Wisconsin Stock Cars, Inc. was established after the 1959 race season and began sanctioning races in May 1960 at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth. Starting in 1961, EWSC promoted races on Wednesday nights at the Calumet County Fairgrounds in Chilton. In 1966 the club began making weekly appearances at the 141 Speedway in Francis Creek, first racing on Thursday nights and switching to Wednesday nights after discontinuing weekly shows in Chilton in 1974. EWSC members voted to end the club’s partnership with 141 Speedway in 1981.

In addition to Plymouth, Chilton, and 141 Speedway, the club has sanctioned races at Beaver Dam, Slinger and Fond du Lac. In 2005, EWSC started promoting weekly racing at the Manitowoc County Expo grounds. In 2016, EWSC promoted races under the title of Manitowoc Speedway, running weekly shows featuring seven divisions of regular competition, including 360 Sprint cars, Late Models, Modifieds, Grand Nationals, Sport Mods, Sport Fours, and Thunder Trucks.

EWSC also hosted two IRA Bumper to Bumper sprint car shows and the Street Stocks visited the track on three occasions in 2016.

EWSC also worked with Pink Heals of Manitowoc County, Manitowoc Youth Hockey, Big Brothers – Big Sisters, Holiday House, and other local organizations to raise money for those groups.

EWSC board of directors,

Todd Humphrey, president

Mark Petrie, vice president

Rick Minster, treasurer

John Tienor, secretary

Andra Humphrey, director

Jonathan Otte, director

Sheila Leamer, director

November 22, 2016 / by Jeff Pederson

Pedal Down Promotions releases new book by John Wirth

New book recalls ‘Days Gone By’ in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin

days gone by book cover

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) – Long before smart phones, video games and the internet arrived to serve the nation’s youth with idle gratification, young people relied on a vivid imagination and a keen spirit of adventure to create experiences ripe with exhilarating adventure and a lifetime of memories.

Such is the case for author John Wirth, who draws on those special youthful memories in his new book recently released by Pedal Down Promotions.

“Days Gone By The Falls – Growing up in small town Wisconsin” is John Wirth’s poignant, colorful account of growing up in Sheboygan Falls, Wis. in the 1950s and 1960s.

The book features a collection of 39 newspaper columns, which have appeared on a regular basis in The Sheboygan Falls News weekly newspaper since 2007. The book takes readers back to a time when imagination, creativity and the pursuit of good, clean fun ruled the lives of youngsters long before the clutches of modern technology swooped in to stifle such endeavors.

Wirth, who now resides in Largo, Fla., paints a whimsical portrait of an era in time when people worked hard without question and played hard without considering the possible dangers of youthful exuberance. Readers will meet several unique characters who inhabited many memorable locales in the quant, picturesque, Midwestern city of Sheboygan Falls.

While the book touches on the people, places and things located in Sheboygan Falls, Wirth says the themes of that by-gone era can resonant with one and all, regardless of their place of origin.

“These stories are not a reflection of one small town, in one state,” Wirth said. “I have found that what I experienced could have happened in ‘Anytown USA.’ Since the release of the book, I received an email from a friend who lives in Byron Bay, Australia. He said that reading my stories brought back memories of those days even in Australia.

“Writing these stories was an opportunity to share some of the memories with others, and putting them in book form was the best way I could think of,” he said. “Having Jeff Pederson, from Pedal Down Promotions put this all together for me made my dream come true.”

The book is currently available for $10 at the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center (518 Water St. in Sheboygan Falls, online at schrc.org), Sheboygan Falls Chamber-Main Street (504 Broadway St. in Sheboygan Falls) and the Sheboygan Falls News-Plymouth Review office (113 Mill St. in Plymouth).

It is also available by mail order through Pedal Down Promotions, 517 South St. 27th in Manitowoc by emailing pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com or calling 920-323-7970.

In addition, the book can be ordered online via Amazon.com.

For more information on “Days Gone By – Growing Up in Small Town Wisconsin,” contact Jeff Pederson at Pedal Down Promotions via email at pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com by phone at 920-323-7970 or online at www.pedaldownpromotions.com.

About the Author

John Wirth grew up in Sheboygan Falls, and after graduating from Sheboygan Falls High School, he served two years aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer. In 1967 he married his high school sweetheart, Marilyn Verhage. They lived in Sheboygan Falls for three years. In 1970, John and Marilyn left the cold Wisconsin winters and moved to their new home in Largo, Florida They have two sons Robert and Donald and two grandchildren. John worked in the telecommunications business for 40 years, working for three large corporations before retiring. Marilyn followed him in retirement from a long teaching career two years later. John enjoys his passions of photography, travel and writing.

“Days Gone By – Growing Up in Small Town Wisconsin” is John’s first book. He welcomes any comments or just a friendly hello at his email address john@solarbright.com.

 

 

 

 

 

November 15, 2016 / by Jeff Pederson

The Village at 170 debuts new look, live music

The Toys ready to rock The Village at 170 on Thanksgiving Eve

Kohler, WI – Since assuming ownership in January, Jeff and Mel Romanoski, owners of The Village at 170, have transformed the former Range Line Inn into a fresh, modern, multi-purpose, full-service banquet hall and entertainment complex.

The fruits of their labor are now on full display at 170 Range Line Road in Kohler.  A recently completed exterior upgrade features several eye-pleasing features, including two brand new lighted signs, patio area, brick facade, classic brown and gold siding and illuminated window treatments.

“We wanted to freshen up the outside of the building,” Jeff Romanoski said. “It was kind of dark, so we have done quite a bit to light up the building with new signs and window lighting. We think the changes have made the building look more inviting from the outside.”

The interior of the facility has also been updated to offer a relaxed and comfortable ambiance.

“The inside has been redone with new lighting and new ceiling tiles in the grand ballroom,” Jeff said. “Our goal was to give the whole facility a warmer feeling.”

The Village at 170 includes a 1,200-square-foot grand banquet hall, which features a capacity of 800 people, along with a dance floor, stage and full bar area. The facility also features the Badger Room, which includes seating for 300, a large dance area and full bar.

The grand ballroom will be rocking on the night before Thanksgiving Wednesday, Nov. 23, when popular regional band The Toys will perform for what Jeff and Mel hope will be the first of many live music events at The Village at 170.

The Milwaukee-based band showcases a diverse catalogue of songs, which includes a blend of modern rock, pop, Top 40 and classic rock music.

“Our plan is to have four live music nights a year with top bands from the area playing,” Jeff said. “The Toys are a great band with a big following, so we are hoping for a good turnout.”

Doors for the event will open at 7 p.m. with The Toys scheduled to be on stage from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. There will be an $8 cover charge for The Toys performance. This will be a 21 and over show.

The event will also feature a free shuttle service ride to residents of Sheboygan Falls, Sheboygan and Kohler between 8 p.m. and 1:30 a.m.

“We want to provide people with a safe ride home,” Jeff said. “It is another extra thing that we want to provide for our guests. The shuttle will bring people right to their home from The Village at 170.”

For more information on the shuttle service call Tim at 920-547-0338.

Interest in the facility has been high and business has been booming in the first year of operation.

“We’ve been blessed with a lot of support during our first year in business,” Mel said. “We’ve had all kinds of events, including weddings, banquets, benefits, fundraisers, business meetings, school group meetings and other types of community events. We are booking out a year in advance and even into 2018. The word of mouth has been outstanding and the response from the people that have been to an event with us has been remarkable.”

To book an event at The Village at 170, call Mel Romanoski by phone at (920) 467-2584, e-mail thevillageat170@gmail.com or visit www.village170.com.

 

November 9, 2016 / by Jeff Pederson

Pokorski Motorsports closes book on 2016

Pokorski team eyes silver anniversary season in 2017

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) November 1, 2016 – On the heels of two consecutive rock solid and highly successful campaigns, the recently completed 2016 racing season featured plenty of peaks and valleys for Paul Pokorski and his Pokorski Motorsports 360 sprint car team.

After capturing the Midwest Sprint Car Association Masters Series championship in 2014 and backing that up with a strong runner-up showing in the MSA series standings in 2015, Pokorski elected to park the team’s trusty 2011 J&J in favor of a brand new 2016 Maxim chassis.

The chassis change kept the team on its toes throughout a roller coaster 25-race 2016 campaign.

“Heading into 2016 with the new car, we knew that there would be a learning curve,” Pokorski said. “The learning curve was a little steeper than I thought it would be, but we are pretty happy with what we learned. I am glad that we found some consistency at the end of the year.”

In 21 MSA events, Pokorski posted five top-five finishes in A-main competition, along with 12 top-10 A-main finishes and seven heat race victories. The team also competed in four Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series events, highlighted by a 19th-place A-main finish at the Manitowoc Expo Speedway, the team’s home track, on July 1.

The season marked just the third campaign since 1995 in which Pokorski failed to record an A-main victory.

The team’s best A-main finish of the 2016 season was a second-place showing at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam on July 8th.

“The highlight of the season for me was when we ran second at Dodge County,” Pokorski said. “That finish is something I would not have predicted for us at that track. We also had several good runs at Manitowoc. Smooth, dry, slick race tracks have never been my thing, so those nights when we can do well in those conditions are memorable for me. The final night at Plymouth was also a solid night on a slick track.”

The team also found itself in the thick of a championship points battle in the final season of Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car racing action at the Manitowoc Expo Speedway.

Pokorski entered the final race night ever at the Manitowoc Expo Speedway on Sept. 3 just three points behind 2015 MSA champion Brandon McMullen in the chase for the EWSC sprint car title.

After running in close quarters throughout the final A main event, McMullen came home seventh and Pokorski placed ninth, with McMullen prevailing to capture the track championship by a four-point margin over Pokorski.

“I was really happy to have a shot at the Manitowoc track championship, especially since it was the final season of racing there,” Pokorski said. “We had some good runs there leading up to that night, so I felt pretty confident we would go out and run well.

“The heat race was great,” he said. “We had to start 10th in the feature and I was fine with that. It became a little frustrating when I couldn’t go forward during the main. I could see Brandon was just in front of me and I noticed that he was also having trouble making up any ground. The carrot was out there and I just couldn’t grab it. That was frustrating. It still is.”

The 2016 season was also dotted by a handful of disappointments for Pokorski and his team.

“We had a header come loose causing a fire while we were leading a feature at Plymouth,” Pokorski said. “I really think it cost us a win that night. That was definitely the low point of the year.

“We got caught up in a few incidents around the end of July, beginning of August that were really not caused by us, which was a frustrating stretch,” Pokorski said. “When that type of thing happens, I just try to remind myself that when you race there are going to be those periods of bad luck, and it can always be worse. Luckily, we have people and parts in place to deal with a few bumps here and there.”

Despite missing a race at Plymouth to attend a wedding, Pokorski wound up sixth in the final MSA point standings and placed 11th in the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing point standings.

Pokorski gave special recognition to his pit crew for their dedication during a challenging season.

“I want to thank Dave Schultz, Randy Leamer, Dan Hoerig and the rest of the crew for their support,” Pokorski said. “They always do a fantastic job.”

Pokorski would like to thank sponsors Goeden’s Auto Body, Goodwin Racing Engines, Jens, Reinbold & Pfeffer Family Funeral Services & Crematory, Kettle Moraine Landscaping, Novak’s Service Center, Pedal Down Promotions, Christel Sign, Tisler Salvage Inc. and The Cawley Company for their support during the 2016 season.

The 2017 season will mark the 25th silver anniversary season of racing for Pokorski Motorsports.

“I am really looking forward to 2017,” Pokorski said. “It is going to be our 25th season of racing, which is a pretty big milestone. We are hoping to make it special for our fans and sponsors.”

Pokorski Motorsports is seeking sponsorship partners for the 2017 season. For information on how to join the team for its silver anniversary season, contact Paul Pokorski via the Pokorski Motorsports Facebook page or by email at pokorskiracing@sbcglobal.net.

Pokorski Motorsports Sponsor Showcase – Tisler Salvage

For the past 50 years, Tisler Salvage, located at 11530 County Road NN in Reedsville, has been your top source for used and aftermarket auto parts in the Manitowoc County area.

Tisler Salvage, which opened its doors in 1966, also buys scrap iron.

Contact Tisler Salvage by phone at 920-864-7631 or 920-732-3669, Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. Tisler Salvage can also be reached by email at sales@tislersalvage.com

Paul and the Pokorski Motorsports team would like to thank Gary and the folks at Tisler Salvage for their support over the years.

The Pokorski Motorsports sponsors for the 2016 season include: Goeden’s Auto Body, Goodwin Racing Engines, Jens, Reinbold & Pfeffer Family Funeral Services & Crematory, Kettle Moraine Landscaping, Novak’s Service Center, Pedal Down Promotions, Christel Sign, Tisler Salvage Inc. and The Cawley Company.

For more information on Pokorski Motorsports, check out Pokorski Motorsports on Facebook or visit www.pedaldownpromotions.com

Pedal Down Promotions is a full-service public relations and media services company devoted to helping its clients effectively communicate with targeted audiences through press releases, newsletters, profile and feature articles, website and social media content development, printed media, editing and layout, graphic design and book publishing services.

For more information on Pedal Down Promotions, email pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, visit www.pedaldownpromotions.com or call 920-323-7970.

2016 Pokorski Motorsports By The Numbers
Total Events – 25
MSA events – 21
IRA events – 4
A Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 5
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 12
Heat Race Victories – 7

 

November 1, 2016 / by Jeff Pederson