I truly live in the land of Cows and Plows     From Scott Larson of Towne Square Realty in Monroe, Wisconsin “Your Realtor of the Region” E- Mail scott@greencountyhomeguide.com On the web at http://www.greencountyhomeguide.com I think you will be surprised how affordable the Dairyland is, so come to my land of cows and plows and visit for a day, but stay for a lifetime 608-2124-9844 Direct 07/02/2009

~ Have you made reservations for this month's Famous Fossil Wine Down and Cookout? Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 the day of. The July menu includes rib eyes on the grill, seasonal salad, Mrs Mike's chips, wine specials and Famous Fossil Sangria, all served on the patio at the winery overlooking the vineyards. ~ Enjoy live music at Tofflers in New Glaurus on Friday night. Enjoy the sounds of Mark Harrod on the patio. On Sunday, the Alex Wilson Band will perform at Caribbean Coffee and Cream in Brooklyn from 2 until 5 pm. ~ There is still time to sign the kids up for Fairy Tale Theatre through Monroe Theatre Guild, and scholarships are still available. Visit the MTG website for details. ~ Washington Church in Monticello celebrate their anniversary with an annual music fest on July 4. Th... 07/02/2009

If you are starting to think of renewable energy sources for your home or business, start the easy way. Instead of jumping straight into solar panels or wind turbines, take a look at your electricity provider. If you get your electricity from Alliant Energy, sign up for their Second Nature program. When you enroll in Second Nature, you are doing your part to encourage the growth of renewable energy sectors. If you use X kilowatt hours a month, Alliant will purchase at least X kilowatt hours from renewable energy sources. There is a surcharge on your electrical bill for the program. In our family, it amounts to about $15 per month. Alliant does offer the choice of particiapting at different levels too. You can commit to have 100% of your electricity come from green sources, or you can se... 06/29/2009

Up, down, down some more, up a little, down a little. Interest rates have been zigzagging in recent months. One thing is for certain, these current levels are historically low. Mortgage interest rates are based off of prime rate. Looking at the history of prime, going back to 1947, is amazing. Prime has flucuated from 1.75 to 21.5. Take a look at the figures in that chart. The levels we saw in recent months are incredibly and buck the historical averages. As of June 1, prime was 3.25. This is a level we saw in December 2008 for the first time in 54 years. If you are waiting for the housing market to hit bottom and interest rates to drop before taking the plunge to getting your mortgage, it is a risk. Looking at history, we are in a golden period right now. The period after WWII had issu... 06/29/2009

UP!!! UP!! And AWAY!!!!!     From Scott Larson of Towne Square Realty in Monroe, Wisconsin “Your Realtor of the Region” E- Mail scott@greencountyhomeguide.com On the web at http://www.greencountyhomeguide.com I think you will be surprised how affordable the Dairyland is, so come to my land of cows and plows and visit for a day, but stay for a lifetime 608-2124-9844 Direct 06/29/2009

Fiire up the flash bulbs!  The Monroe Arts Center is sponsoring the 20th Annual Photography Contest and Exhibit. This popular contest draws on the best of our local talent and culminates in an exhibit in Frehner Gallery at MAC throughout September. Who will take home the grand prize this year? There are three classifications: Junior, for youth under age 18 Beginner, for people who have no formal training and/or minimal experience Advanced, for people who have experience, training or who have been published. Everyone may enter up to two photographs. All entries must be framed suitably for exhibit at MAC. Sizes must be between 8x10" and 16x20". All photographs must have been taken after January 1 of 2008. The entry fee is $20 per person, and the deadline for submission is August 14.  For... 06/26/2009

Annual Balloon Ralley in Monroe last week. "NIGHT GLOW"   From Scott Larson of Towne Square Realty in Monroe, Wisconsin “Your Realtor of the Region” E- Mail scott@greencountyhomeguide.com On the web at http//:www.greencountyhomeguide.com I think you will be surprised how affordable the Dairyland is, so come to my land of cows and plows and visit for a day, but stay for a lifetime 608-2124-9844 Direct   06/26/2009

It is so hot here in Monroe Wi that I saw the Tin man taking a a break with a cool one on Abley Rd just north of town. Did you know that the yellow brick road went through Green county WI.?     From Scott Larson of Towne Square Realty in Monroe, Wisconsin “Your Realtor of the Region” E- Mail scott@greencountyhomeguide.com On the web at http//:www.greencountyhomeguide.com I think you will be surprised how affordable the Dairyland is, so come to my land of cows and plows and visit for a day, but stay for a lifetime 608-2124-9844 Direct 06/25/2009

beep, beep, beep*  That is going to be the summer soundtrack for Monroe's Downtown Square this year as the construction crews get to work. You don't quite need to bring your own hard hat, but do prepare for a few extra minutes when heading downtown. Look out for the signs indicating which side of the square is closed for construction, and beware the sidewalks that are being redone. If you want to plan before heading Downtown, visit Monroe Main street's website for a map of the current traffic flow routes. Pop by the Under Construction Gallery for photographs of the current work if you are curious and can't make it downtown. Downtown is far from shut down just because of a few traffic cones and a little dust. Stores and restaurants are still open for business. The farmer's market is stil... 06/23/2009

  From Scott Larson of Towne Square Realty in Monroe, Wisconsin “Your Realtor of the Region” E- Mail scott@greencountyhomeguide.com On the web at http//:www.greencountyhomeguide.com I think you will be surprised how affordable the Dairyland is, so come to my land of cows and plows and visit for a day, but stay for a lifetime 608-2124-9844 Direct 06/22/2009

What's shaking, bacon?  There is a lot  ~ Sign the kids up for free junior golf lessons at the Monroe County Club. All kids 13 and under are eligible for a free lesson to introduce them to golf. Call the Pro Shop at 325-3159 to register. I just spoke with them to sign up our children a little bit ago, and there are plenty of open slots still. ~ Don't forget the traditional balloon glow at the Fairgrounds this Friday and Saturday evening. All the festivities for the balloon rally take place over there this weekend, and walk-in admission is free. ~ Laugh away at the antics of Felix and Oscar in Monroe Theatre Guild's production of The Odd Couple. There will be shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, along with next weekend as well. Tickets are $10 for member, $12 for non-members. You can pu... 06/17/2009

I cannot believe that it is mid-June already. Somehow I missed doing the market report so far this month.  First, the number of single family homes that sold in Green County in May of 2008: 33 homes sold in May of 2009, The average sale price was $189,363, The median sale price was $155,700, The highest priced property sold was $765,000, The lowest priced property sold was $20,500. Things have dropped a little bit since April of 2008: 30 homes sold in April of 2008, The average sale price was $1148,946, The median sale price was $127,250, The highest priced property sold was $395,000, The lowest priced property sold was $54,000. The median home price and average home prices both jumped up from the April numbers, and the number of homes sold increased dramatically too. I find it very int... 06/16/2009

Realtor Scott Larson's Green County, WI In Real estate you have to do like the farmer, "Make Hay When The Sun Shines" The market is hot is certain price ranges and you and I need to act while this is active. Add it up and this applies to all Realtors  across the country, Tax Rebates, Low interest rates, and Homes for sale and on sale. In my area there is now about 400 listings with about 60 just added, and 16 of those sold or pended last week. If you break this down further you will find the home type and price that is driving the Hot spot of your market. (Like 3BR, 2bath, Ranch for $135,000.) What will you do with the information? If you are listing properties, do they fit the Hottest part of the market? If you are advising those already listed how are you showing them the path to the ... 06/16/2009

DON’T KNOCK HANDOUTS www.monroeballoonrally.com June 19 & 20 M.A.S.E. (MONROE AREA SKATEPARK ENTHUSIASTS) has qualified Honeycreek Skatepark to be one of 50 skateparks in the U.S. that are eligible to participate in a contest that is giving away (2) $5,000 grants. During the Balloon Rally, M.A.S.E. will have a booth set up handing out Mattel’s X-Games fingerboards to ages 8 -13. (Mattel’s X-Games Fingerboards are not recommended for children under 6 years of age.) Also available will be fingerboard skatepark equipment for you to use to try out your fingerboard skills. The 2 skateparks that can advertise for ESPN, Mattel, and X-games the best, will each win a $5,000.00 grant for skatepark improvements. During both evenings, MASE will ask all kids who are approximately 8-13 year olds to h... 06/15/2009

  All Rights Reserved, photographed in Monroe, WI in June of 2008 06/14/2009

Good food.  Good conversation.  Good music.  Any regular reader know that I love all three, so I am excited about the community picnic series beginning this week. This week starts the first of a three-part series of free community picnics. “Stirring the Pot: Dialogue, Discussion and Dinner in the Dairyland,” is sure to be an engaging and fun forum for area residents to gather and learn more about creating a healthy, green and sustainable local food system. Come sit on the Monroe Arts Center lawn on a blanket and enjoying your picnic. Watch area chefs share secrets for cooking fresh, tasty dishes. Wander over to the MAC parking lot area enjoy local music and various activities to prompt discussion about food. This first picnic on Wednesday, June 17 features a spring theme, with discussi... 06/14/2009

All Rights Reserved.  Photographed in Monroe, Wisconsin at the Wednesday Farmer's Market on the Historic Downtown Square during the month of June, 2009.  Featured is our own honey of a beekeaper, Mr Didier.  Stop in and check out his honey bee hat!  The honey hard candy is a winner too if you want more than just pure honey. 06/10/2009

Time for another great weekend here in Cheese Country! ~ Come Downtown on Thursday evening for the first Concert on the Square of the summer. Horsefeathers takes the stage at about 6:30. There is still time to book a boxed supper from Cafe Claudeen, Turner Hall or Garden Deli. ~ Young Professionals, come join me as I take the YPs of Green County on a tour of a local home. I will be talking as an EcoBroker about green home ownership, specifically environmental features that make sense for every home owner. ~ Stop in at The Green Door between noon and 7 pm on Thursday for their summer entertaining open house event. Stop in before you come to the Concert on the Square. Have some nibbles, browse the entertainment collections, chat with Judy and Nancy. ~ Chicago Ave in Downtown Freeport is t... 06/10/2009

The summer heat is a treat after the cold of winter. If you give your body time to adjust naturally to the heat, 85 or even 90 degree days can be enjoyable even without high air conditioning bills. Our grandparents knew the basics: Close blinds and curtains on the east side of your home in the morning and on the west side of your home in the afternoon. This will reduce the amount of solar gain - the energy of the sun entering your home and heating it up. An awning over southern windows can substitute for deep eaves, giving your home shade over these windows and reducing the solar energy coming into them. For the long term, deciduous trees planted to block southern or western afternoon sun can help tremendously. The leaves will fall off in winter, allowing for solar gain in the months wh... 06/10/2009

Things change, but some local businesses have been around for years.  One of these is Europa. Europa has been a mainstay business in Monroe for years. The store is well known for heritage lace, stocking items of a quality that is difficult to locate in this pre-fab world. The inventory also has always included a variety of collectibles and interesting items. Europa has had some changes in recent months, though. After moving to the Downtown Square, Europa then changed owners. New ownership always alters a store slightly, and the new owner, Heather, has been busy updating the stock at Europa, so if you have not been in lately, stop by for a peek at what is new.  Naturally, the heritage lace items are still present. If you are looking for lace curtains, tablecloths or runners, Europa shou... 06/09/2009