Optimist Club of Mount Horeb, Wisconsin
The Mount Horeb Optimist
Vol. 1 · No. 2 · June 2026
May was a month of summer planning. The school year ended at senior awards night with five Optimist scholarships handed out. Here's that night, the students we honored, what's coming this summer, and one of the friends behind it all.
What happened
May in the life of the club
The school year ended at senior awards night this May at Mount Horeb High School. The club handed five $500 scholarships to graduating seniors — Eleanor Guenther, Kaylen Hastings, Lily Nelson, Kyle Frischman, and Barret Kreul. Each of these extraordinary students was featured this school year on our Facebook page as Someone You Should Know.
Mount Horeb Optimist Cynthia Jefko presented the awards. A special, emotional night — for the kids, for their families, for the village.
Someone you should know
Honored at the May meeting
Senior. Cross country, high school musical, drama club. Co-founded the Writers' Collective; works at Children's Community School.
Senior. Percussion in four bands, four years of soccer, esports. Vacation Bible School, Camp Invention counselor, drums for Immanuel Lutheran's praise band.
Read their full stories at someone you should know · May 2026.
What's coming up
Summer
Drawing Sunday, June 14
Summer Frolic raffle
Twenty dollars buys a ticket. The grand prize is ten thousand. Fifteen cash prizes in all, drawn at 5:30 in the afternoon in the beer tent at Grundahl Park. You don't need to be there to win. Tickets at Miller & Sons Supermarket, the Mount Horeb Area Chamber of Commerce, or any Optimist.
Friday, July 3
Kid's Zone at the Norsk July 3rd Celebration
The village gathers at the Norsk Celebration on July 3rd — picnic blankets, food, fireworks at dusk. The wait can be hard on little kids, so the club fills it. Crafts, yard games, face painting, the bouncy house. Last year 200+ kids came through. Free, thanks to club fundraising. Look for the Kid's Zone tent on the afternoon and evening of July 3.
Coming this summer
Cops & Bobbers
Kids fishing with Mount Horeb police officers at Stewart Lake. We bring the poles and the bait; you bring the kid. Date to be announced.
Late summer
Self-defense workshops
Two workshops late in the summer — one for women and girls, and one new this year for boys. Dates and registration details to come.
The full slate at events.
Meet an optimist
Kurt
Three questions for one of the friends who keeps the club going.
What's an Optimist event you look forward to each year?
The Silent Auction in February takes a lot of work to pull off for sure. But walking around talking with the bidders gives me energy. The financial results are always big and they make my heart smile. Seeing familiar faces also walking around the brunch area makes me feel very close to our great community. The Fiddle Band fills the space with beautiful music and has become an annual part of the day. Finally, there is always at least one person who asks me “So, what does the Optimist Club do?” — and I love answering that question with great joy that everything we do focuses on the kids in Mount Horeb.
What do you most enjoy about being part of the club?
I believe with all my heart that my purpose in this life is to care for the children and help them thrive and find happiness. I have the gift of being approachable and fun with kids — it just comes naturally. I lean into this more so since joining the Optimist Club.
What's a moment from a club event this past year that still makes you smile?
A kiddo told me last year at our Cops & Bobbers event at Stewart Lake something close to “Wow! You must catch a lot of fish because you put that worm on my hook in like one second!” — Haha!
Buy a raffle ticket from any Optimist. Forward this to a neighbor. Come to a meeting — third Monday, September through May, Mount Horeb Public Library, 6:45 in the evening. We'd be glad to see you.
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End of Vol. 1 · No. 2