> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.newglarus360.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Community Update: 9/24/2026 - URL: https://www.newglarus360.com/community-update-9-23-2026/ - Published: 2026-09-24T10:15:56.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T13:24:04.000Z - Author: Todd Klassy - Tags: Newsletters, #staff, #newsletter There are weekends when New Glarus simply feels a little more like New Glarus. Oktoberfest weekend is one of them. This is our biggest festival of the year, a weekend when the streets fill, music drifts through downtown and our community welcomes friends, neighbors and visitors from near and far. It is an opportunity to celebrate the traditions that make this place special — even if, alas, Oktoberfest is a little more German than Swiss — while also showing off the warmth, hospitality and character of the community that lives here year-round. And this year, it appears Mother Nature may be joining the celebration. The forecast looks beautiful, setting the stage for what should be a wonderful fall weekend in New Glarus. Festivals this large do not simply happen. They require countless hours from organizers, businesses and volunteers. If you are one of the people giving your time this weekend to help New Glarus shine, thank you. And if you are not working? Get downtown, enjoy yourself, welcome a visitor and soak it all in. It should be a good one. ### Biggest Stories of the Week | MOST READ | SHARE | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | | [**New Glarus, Monticello Crews Battle House Fire Overnight**](https://www.newglarus360.com/new-glarus-monticello-fire-crews-respond-to-house-fire/) | 17% | | | | | [**New Glarus Bakery Listed at $549,000 as Owner Seeks Buyer**](https://www.newglarus360.com/new-glarus-bakery-listed-at-549-000-as-owner-seeks-buyer/) | 7% | | | | | [**New Glarus Hotel Enters Final Stretch Toward Reopening**](https://www.newglarus360.com/new-glarus-hotel-enters-final-stretch-toward-reopening/) | 6% | | | | | [**Five New Glarus Alumni March with UW Band**](https://www.newglarus360.com/five-new-glarus-alumni-march-with-uw-band/) | 5% | | | | | [**Dorflinde Tavern Sign Marks New Chapter**](https://www.newglarus360.com/dorflinde-tavern-sign-marks-new-chapter/) | 5% | | | | ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/42/15/42151ede-2549-41f4-ba04-813a77809ffc/content/images/2026/09/2026-09-10_ads_car-show-ad_01.png) ### What We’re Working On Construction has officially started on **Prairie Haus Phase II**, marking another major expansion of senior housing in New Glarus. We have **photos from the site and the details on what is being built, the timeline and what the project will add to the community**. **Two New Glarus students have been named National Merit Semifinalists**, an extraordinary academic achievement. We’ll introduce you to both students and take a closer look at **what it takes to earn this national recognition**. Cheese Days has passed and Oktoberfest is underway, bringing thousands of people together while a **measles outbreak continues nearby**. We’re asking **Green County health officials how closely they are watching the situation and what they are doing to help prevent the spread of one of the world’s most contagious diseases**. A **long-awaited facelift may finally be coming to a prominent downtown New Glarus building**. We have the information on what is being proposed and will share the details yet this week. **New Glarus Oktoberfest kicks off today and continues through the weekend**, and we’ll be there to document it. Look for **photos, video and coverage of one of New Glarus’ biggest annual traditions**. There are **Swiss and German words and phrases all over New Glarus**, painted and carved onto buildings that many of us pass every day. We’re translating them into English and explaining **what they actually say and, where possible, the stories behind them**. Fall color season is nearly here, and we’re putting together our **Top 10 Places to See Fall Colors Near New Glarus**. We’ll highlight some of the best drives, trails, parks and scenic locations for enjoying autumn close to home. **Property tax levies jumped substantially across Wisconsin**, but New Glarus followed a different path. We’ll dig into the numbers and explain **how local tax growth compares with the statewide trend and what it means for New Glarus taxpayers**. Monroe has been the **Green County seat for generations**, but that outcome was not always inevitable. We’re digging into the history of how Monroe became the county’s governmental center and **the alternative locations that were once considered**. The **small rural schoolhouses that once dotted the New Glarus countryside are gone as schools, but many of their stories — and some of the buildings — remain**. We’re tracking them down and looking back at the students, teachers and neighborhoods they once served. Even as current road projects wind down, planning is already underway for what comes next. We’re **looking ahead to Green County road and highway projects planned for 2027** and what drivers should expect. State demographers have projected how Wisconsin communities could change in the years ahead. We’re examining **population estimates for New Glarus and neighboring communities** to see where growth is expected — and what those projections could mean locally. The recent death of a high school football player has renewed attention on **player safety and the rules designed to protect young athletes**. We’re taking a closer look at **WIAA practice requirements, equipment standards, heat and contact rules, and advances in protective gear** that have changed high school football. ### Photo of the Week ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/42/15/42151ede-2549-41f4-ba04-813a77809ffc/content/images/2026/09/Rural-Green-County-Sunset.jpg) Beef cattle graze beneath a glowing sun in rural Green County. **\- Photo by Bruce Alan Hansen.* ### What You May Have Missed [Texas Man’s Spotted Cow Discovery Goes ViralMore than 530,000 people have watched a Texas beer enthusiast explain how one trip to Wisconsin introduced him to Spotted Cow — and why learning he could not buy it back home in Texas only made New Glarus Brewing Co.’s signature beer more memorable.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/42/15/42151ede-2549-41f4-ba04-813a77809ffc/content/images/icon/Favicon-7cb78306-fe6d-4bbf-b1cf-8a646de9e59a.png)New Glarus 360Todd Klassy![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/42/15/42151ede-2549-41f4-ba04-813a77809ffc/content/images/thumbnail/Spotted-Cow-Table-1-29bf724f-78f0-46ed-8c59-c2e2182b9c06.png)](https://www.newglarus360.com/texas-mans-spotted-cow-discovery-goes-viral/) [On the Horizon: When New Glarus Changes HandsAs a generation of longtime owners retires, sells, and passes property to heirs, homes, farms, businesses and downtown buildings may change hands faster — reshaping who can afford New Glarus, who owns it, and what the community becomes.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/42/15/42151ede-2549-41f4-ba04-813a77809ffc/content/images/icon/Favicon-c6fbd2cc-829e-46ff-8033-bd6dc41372e1.png)New Glarus 360Todd Klassy![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/42/15/42151ede-2549-41f4-ba04-813a77809ffc/content/images/thumbnail/Aerial-View-of-New-Glarus-2a4fdcc9-6de9-482d-99f6-615bde9b3b72.jpg)](https://www.newglarus360.com/on-the-horizon-when-new-glarus-changes-hands/) [Poms Return to New Glarus Football SidelinesAfter a seven-year absence, poms are back on the sidelines at New Glarus High School, where coach Ava Krause has helped rebuild the program, bring new energy to Friday nights and give students another way to be part of the school community.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/42/15/42151ede-2549-41f4-ba04-813a77809ffc/content/images/icon/Favicon-67798a67-796a-46e8-8a84-97a359f5dc94.png)New Glarus 360Todd Klassy![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/42/15/42151ede-2549-41f4-ba04-813a77809ffc/content/images/thumbnail/New-Glarus-Pom-Pom-Girls-89f4480b-a41f-4e46-901f-8d1e39acdcaf.jpg)](https://www.newglarus360.com/poms-return-to-new-glarus-football-sidelines/) [New Glarus Native Dave Zweifel: A Lifetime in JournalismNew Glarus native Dave Zweifel built a journalism career rooted in truth, open government and local values, from his high school paper to The Capital Times.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/42/15/42151ede-2549-41f4-ba04-813a77809ffc/content/images/icon/Favicon-21540f1b-ff4e-4f74-8711-844e0057a184.png)New Glarus 360Todd Klassy![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/42/15/42151ede-2549-41f4-ba04-813a77809ffc/content/images/thumbnail/Dave-Zweifel-01-8c3a8d6a-f7ba-4812-bd7a-005d30769b88.jpg)](https://www.newglarus360.com/new-glarus-native-dave-zweifel-a-lifetime-in-journalism/) [A New Glarus Airman’s Escape from One of Europe’s Darkest POW CampsA Green County-born airman who later made New Glarus home survived a crippled B-24 over enemy territory, internment at a notorious Swiss prisoner-of-war camp — then he repeatedly escaped captivity on a dangerous journey back toward Allied lines during World War II in Europe.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/42/15/42151ede-2549-41f4-ba04-813a77809ffc/content/images/icon/Favicon-9347442a-01c4-4980-a5db-d4acc555cef9.png)New Glarus 360Todd Klassy![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/42/15/42151ede-2549-41f4-ba04-813a77809ffc/content/images/thumbnail/ChatGPT-Image-Aug-30--2026--01_33_36-AM-fc19867e-d6ba-4cd9-b8d4-9bccbd29c423.png)](https://www.newglarus360.com/new-glarus-airman-survived-switzerlands-notorious-pow-camp/) [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/42/15/42151ede-2549-41f4-ba04-813a77809ffc/content/images/2026/09/DorflindeDebutWeekendAd-1.png)](https://www.facebook.com/dorflindetavern) ### Something We Noticed I watched Rocky II and recently. There's a scene where Rocky Balboa runs through Philadelphia during that classic musical montage and, one by one, children begin following him. By the time he reaches the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art at the scene's climax, an entire pack of kids is charging along behind him. To a Gen Xer, the scene feels natural. Would kids ever actually do that? No. But might they? Sure. Suspension of disbelief wasn't necessary. They were outside. They saw something interesting. They went. That was childhood for many of us. You wandered the neighborhood, rode your bike across town, disappeared for hours and learned things the old-fashioned way: trial, error, fix, repeat. As long as you were home by curfew, no one cared. The same thing happened on the streets of New Glarus. Kids moved through town largely on their own — from Candy Cane Park to the pool, from Roy's candy counter to a friend’s house...or wherever something interesting was happening. There is nostalgia in remembering that freedom, but also something sadder. As a Gen Xer, I think I speak for all of us, we miss it for ourselves, certainly. But we also wonder whether younger generations will ever know quite what it felt like to have a town — its sidewalks, alleys, parks and streets — feel partly like it belonged to them. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/42/15/42151ede-2549-41f4-ba04-813a77809ffc/content/images/2026/09/HarvestFest3x2Revised-2.png)](https://www.facebook.com/events/4462425267413223) ### Past Issues Need to reference a past issue of Community Update? No problem. We’ve got you covered. Previous editions are easy to find, so whether you want to revisit a local story, catch up on something you missed, or go back and check a link, the archive is there when you need it. [Past Issues](https://www.newglarus360.com/tag/newsletters/) ### How to Reach Us Have a story idea, tip or announcement? Just reply to this email or submit a story idea at our website. We read every message. You can upload a photo, a file, or news tip by clicking on the button below. Or you can email us anytime at [editor@newglarus360.com](https://www.newglarus360.com/r/e995a2c8?m=1c91bf1f-2fd8-41dc-9475-d0affc8e3e4f). [Submit News](https://www.newglarus360.com/news-tips/) Thanks for supporting local journalism and for helping us tell the story of New Glarus and the people who make this community what it is. *Todd Klassy* *New Glarus 360*