April 10, 2009

The Piers Are In – Can Summer be Far Behind?

Posted to Area Attractions & Events, Geneva Lake Area , Janet Giovannetti, Williams Bay, WI

I drove past the lakefront in the City of Lake Geneva today and noticed the municipal piers were in! I can be one of the most unobservant people, so, my immediate reaction (after joy) was to wonder how long they’d been there. It was a beautiful afternoon, so I decided to drive around the lake and check the state of the piers. It’s been said that the only things that are certain are death and taxes. Lakefront owners might also add to that list “putting in the piers”. I’m happy to report (if only for my own reassurance) that the piers are in the process of being installed even as I write. Williams Bay’s piers are in, Fontana’s piers are about half-way installed, and a quick check of the shoreline near Fontana indicates some associations’ piers are in, and some are not.



The piers are removed from the waters’ edge in the fall to avoid being damaged by the heaving of the ice as it freezes and thaws during the winter. Then, in an annual rite of passage, the skeletal piles of metal and wood are transformed into what some might call a thing of beauty.

So, is it too much to ask for the grass to turn green?

For more information on pier services, check the following links: www.austinpierservice.com
www.gageboats.com/pierservice.php
www.reedsconstructionllc.com

Posted By: Janet Giovannetti



April 06, 2009

Badger High School Jazz Band is finalist in Essentially Ellington Jazz competition in New York City

Posted to Geneva Lake Area , Janet Giovannetti

For many home buyers, the quality of the school system is an important element in the selection of a home.

As an 18-year member and current vice president of the Lake Geneva-Genoa City Union High School (Badger) Board of Education, I have seen many positive events in our local high school district. However, few are as exciting as the recent news that our Jazz Band was named a finalist and is headed for New York to compete in the 2009 Essentially Ellington Jazz Band competition on May 8, 9, and 10.

The selection process begins with the band learning 3 of 6 original Duke Ellington jazz transcriptions (not simplified scores), and submitting a CD recording. According to the Essentially Ellington website,

“All entries are judged in a blind screening process by professional jazz educators/musicians and every submission receives a thorough written assessment and a certificate signed by Wynton Marsalis… Fifteen bands are selected at finalists and, to prepare, each finalist band receives an in-school workshop in their community led by a professional musician. Essentially Ellington culminates in a three-day festival in May for the finalist bands. Students, teachers, and musicians from across North America participate in workshops, rehearsals, and performances. The festival concludes with an evening Concert and Awards Ceremony open to the public at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall featuring the three top-placing bands and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis in an all-Ellington concert.”

Certainly, as one of fifteen schools selected from applicants across the nation, band members and their teacher, Greg Bunge, deserve the highest accolades.

If you wish to contribute to the band’s fundraising efforts, please call me at 262/949-3570 or e-mail me at jangio@keefrealestate.com.

For further information about Lake Geneva schools or the Essentially Ellington competition, check the following sites:

www.lakegenevaschools.com
www.jalc.org

Congratulations and good luck to all at the May performance at Lincoln Center!

Posted By: Janet Giovannetti