Lake Country Weekend Post

2 • LAKE COUNTRY POST • JULY 11, 2015 GMTODAY.COM HEALTH Submitted photo A photo of one of Racing For Kids' past events. The nonprofit will be in Oconomowoc this Friday. START YOUR ENGINES Nonprofit waving the checkered flag for YMCA Special Program kids By Eric Oliver Enterprise Staff OCONOMOWOC — On Friday, the Special Pro- gram kids of the YMCA at Pabst Farms, 1750 Val- ley Road, are going on a once-in-a-lifetime ride made possible by Racing For Kids. The nonprofit group is holding a fun fair for the kids in the special needs program, but they aren't stopping there. The group is bringing a show Indy- Car and two IndyCar drivers to meet the kids. The fair will culminate in a softball game where the kids will play ball with the drivers. Senior Program Direc- tor at the YMCA at Pabst Farms Kim Schooley said the program is a great opportunity for the kids. "They will bring out a race car they will get to take pictures in, get auto- graphs from the driver and get to see what that IndyCar looks and feels like," Schooley said. Schooley said a lot of the kids in the special programs department are racing fans and are excit- ed for the chance to meet the drivers. "On Saturday, 30 of the kids from the program will be offered a pass to attend time trials where they'll get lunch and a behind the scenes tour of the racing experience," Schooley said. "It's a really cool expe- rience they wouldn't have had without Racing For Kids giving them this opportunity," Schooley said. Marketing Director for Racing For Kids Kathleen Conway said when the nonprofit heard about the program at the YMCA they knew it was some- thing they had to do. It's different from their usual outreach program of vis- iting children at a chil- dren's hospital. "There will be a lot of kids there," Conway said. "It's a good outreach pro- gram for us. It's going to be an almost carnival like atmosphere." Conway said the non- profit has been hosting events for kids for the past 26 years. "Wherever there is an IndyCar race during the season we schedule a hos- pital visit," Conway said. "We make about 22 visits a year." Email: eoliver@conleynet.com Stella & Chewy's issues recalls of dog food products OAK CREEK — Stella & Chewy's issued a volun- tary recall Saturday after the Oak Creek-based com- pany was informed that some Chewy's Chicken Freeze-Dried Dinner Pat- ties for Dogs tested posi- tively for listeria. According to Stella & Chewy's, it was notified by the Maryland Depart- ment of Agriculture that it has issued a stop sale order on a single lot of Chewy's Chicken Freeze- Dried Dinner Patties for Dogs, 15 oz. bags (Lot # 111-15) because MDA detected Listeria monocy- togenes in the product. No reported pet or human illnesses associat- ed with this recall have been reported. "Since learning this news, we have been work- ing quickly to review the situation to find answers to the important ques- tions on our customers' minds. As a precaution- ary measure, we are vol- untarily recalling all products from Lot # 111- 15 which are listed below," reads a letter posted on Stella & Chewy's website. Several other products are being recalled although they have not tested positive for Liste- ria monocytogenes for caution's sake. For a full list of recalled items, go to www.stellaand- chewys.com. — Enterprise Staff GI Associates announce merger WAUKESHA — GI Associates has merged with Gastroenterology Specialists to form a group with 15 offices in southeastern Wisconsin. This new group will have six ambulatory surgery centers, more physicians, access to research and successful collaboration and part- nerships with many local hospitals, according to a recent announcement. "Gastroenterology Spe- cialists provided excel- lent service to Waukesha County residents for 42 years," said Dr. Michael Schmalz, board-certified gastroenterologist with GI Associates in Milwau- kee, in a statement. "This merger will give our patients the same high- quality care, but with the added convenience of several new locations in the area." GI Associates is the largest independent gas- trointestinal practice in Wisconsin as well as one of the largest in the nation, according to the announcement that fol- lowed last week's merger. Established in 2000, GI Associates is the largest single-specialty GI group in Wisconsin. GI Associ- ates is home to 31 gas- troenterologists, includ- ing pediatric subspecial- ists and a transplant hep- atologist, who work together to offer person- alized care to patients of all ages. www.wigia.com Gastroenterology Specialists will join to form large group Listeria detected in freeze-dried chicken patties for dogs Propane tanks cause explosions, fires at recycling facility WAUKESHA — Employees at the recy- cling facility shared by Waukesha County and the city of Milwaukee continue to have prob- lems with small propane cylinders, even after officials warned resi- dents against recycling such items. The Waukesha County Department of Parks and Land Use sent out a press release June 15 warning of dangers posed by small propane cylinders often used for cooking or space heaters. Since then, there have been two explosions at the joint county/city facility in Milwaukee's Menomonee Valley. The first occurred June 18 in the baler. It caused a small fire that was quickly put out by staff. On June 25, there was a second explosion after a tank was compressed in the recycling process. The ensuing fire was unmanageable and required the fire depart- ment to be called. "Luckily, there was no major damage and no one was injured at these two recent incidents," Kelly Mehring with the department's Land Resources Division said in an email, although she added that she had received an image from the plant manager on Thursday of 50 propane tanks pulled from the line. "While we depend on the staff at the facility to identify and pull non-recyclable and dan- gerous materials from the line, we also need the residents to be aware of the serious risk and danger placing compressed tanks into the recycling bin," Mehring said. The tanks are particu- larly dangerous if they are put in the recycling stream when they are not empty. Residents are better off playing it safe when disposing of these tanks. Some local propane sup- pliers have exchange programs. In some cases tanks can be refilled. In others the supplier will provide a new tank and properly dispose of the old one. — Enterprise Staff Where to dispose of propane tanks The Waukesha County Department of Parks and Land Use provided this list of dealers who dispose of old propane tanks. Some only take empty tanks and residents are encouraged to call ahead for fees or any changes in policy. For more information, visit www.waukeshacounty.gov/ recycling. Ace Hardware 144 W. Main St., Waukesha 262-542-5323 Amerigas 6034 S. Howell Ave., Milwaukee 414-483-3341 Ferrellgas 1301 E. Main St., Waukesha 262-542-4461 H&R Scrap Metal (also accept other gasses e.g helium) 9000 W. Fond du Lac Ave., Milwaukee 414-353-4333 Home Depot 2320 W. Bluemound Road, Waukesha 262-717-0344 Johnny's Petroleum 17871 W. Janesville Road, Muskego 262-679-0580 Lakes Gas Co. 2200 Badger Court, Waukesha 262-542-3002 Menards 2315 Bluemound Road, Waukesha 262-798-1911 A high-tech scavenger hunt By Jeanette Michalets Special to the Enterprise OCONOMOWOC — Have you ever wondered what geocaching is all about? Do you like histo- ry and wish to learn more about historical sites in Oconomowoc? Do you rel- ish a treasure hunt with your family & friends? On July 25, the Ocon- omowoc Area Geocache Committee will host an event that will take par- ticipants to 25 historical points of interest in the Oconomowoc area. The event is being orga- nized with the support of the city of Oconomowoc & the Oconomowoc His- torical Society Museum. Geocaching is a free high- tech scavenger hunt that uses a GPS receiver to find hidden treasures through- out parks & other places. According to the Ocon- omowoc Committee, there are over 4 million geocaches in over 235 countries. Laurie Muffler, the organizer of the commit- tee, along with family members & friends, has been working hard for several months to get the event off the ground. Already, about 40 teams, comprising 100 people, are signed up to partici- pate & more will register the day of the event. Laurie & her family have participated in simi- lar geocache events in other communities over the past eight years. "I thought what better way to learn about the history of Oconomowoc & make it fun, too," she said. "People will be get- ting out & about in their own community." She & her committee have solicited funds & donations from the city, the Oconomowoc Area Historical Society & local businesses to cover print- ing costs & other expenses. The city of Oconomowoc is providing use of the pavilion in Roosevelt Park, where the event will con- clude. Many local busi- nesses are donating gift certificates for raffle prizes, including Sher- pers, Parker's Place, Jack Safro Toyota & the Inn at Pine Terrace. Donna J. Schlender, Accounting Services Unlimited, the Oconomowoc Junior Woman's Club, First Bank Financial Centre & Wisconsin Harley-David- son have also given their support. Other business- es will also donate certifi- cates & gift baskets & even some local restau- rants will participate. Geocachers will be on a mission to collect 25 points, a couple of which may be earned at local restau- rants if participants so choose. The hunt will offer challenges for both novice & experienced geo- cachers. Those who earn 25 points can redeem them for a special commemora- tive coin which repre- sents the city of Ocon- omowoc on one side & the old armory building on the other. The event will kick off at 9:30am at the Oconomowoc Area His- torical Society Museum, 103 W. Jefferson St. Bill "Mister Greenthumb" Taves will demonstrate the basics of geocaching. Registration for the actu- al event begins at 10am. Booklets & coordinates will be handed out at this time. Participants will geocache throughout the day, ending up at Roosevelt Park Pavil- ion where booklets may be turned in starting at 4pm. The raffle drawings will take place at 5pm

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