Optimist Club of Mount Horeb, Wisconsin
The Mount Horeb Optimist
Vol. 1 · No. 1 · May 2026
April was a month of quiet, steady work — scholarship applications in, the Frolic just over the horizon, a Mount Horeb voice headed to Milwaukee. Here's what happened, who we honored, what's coming, and one of the friends behind it all.
What happened
April in the life of the club
April brought a happy correction. The March meeting had been snowed out, so when we gathered at the Mount Horeb Public Library on the third Monday of April, four Someone You Should Know honorees came through the door instead of the usual two — Maddie Hadac and Molly McCue from March, joined by Kaylen Hastings and Barret Kreul from April. Four students, four families, four stories. It may have been the best meeting of the year. The kids are always the best part of these meetings; to have twice as many of them was a quiet gift. We also welcomed John as a new member that evening — he's agreed to help the club start a website and a newsletter.
Elsewhere in the month: on a Sunday afternoon in Verona, Brittany Walton — one of our January Someone You Should Know students — gave the oratorical presentation that earned her a spot at the SWIS District zonal in Milwaukee on May 16.
Someone you should know
Honored at the April meeting
March
Senior. Hosts international exchange students; dance teacher at Forte Studios. Heading to Edgewood College for pre-law in the fall.
Senior. Tuesday Jazz, Club Interact VP, NHS Officer. Hurricane Helene relief in North Carolina; eyeing the Peace Corps after college.
Read their full stories at someone you should know · march 2026.
April
Senior. Chamber Choir, Madrigal, POWER, Yearbook. Mission trips, Concerts in the Park at Rennebohm, Sugar Creek Bible Camp.
Senior. Vocal Jazz, Madrigal, choreographer. Forte Studios dance teacher, Mount Horeb Summer School volunteer.
Read their full stories at someone you should know · april 2026.
What's coming up
May
Saturday, May 16
Brittany goes to Milwaukee
Brittany Walton, one of our January Someone You Should Know students, takes the stage at the SWIS District zonal oratorical contest in Milwaukee. Presentations run 9:00 to noon at the Hilton Garden Inn Northwest. A Mount Horeb voice at the microphone — go, Brittany.
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.
The full slate at events.
Meet an optimist
Ellen
Three questions for one of the friends who keeps the club going.
What got you to your first meeting?
I was chatting with Charlie Jefko at a function, who is one of the founding members of the Optimist Club of Mount Horeb, and he was sharing all the great things that the club does in the community. He was also telling me that he thought I would be a great Optimist member, and he invited me to be a guest at their next meeting to "just check them out." Well, I heeded his advice and remember leaving that meeting thinking, I have never attended a meeting where I had so much fun and we accomplished so much! It's still that way! We always have a lot of laughs at our meetings but also accomplish so much!
What do you wish more people in Mount Horeb knew about the club?
I wish people in Mount Horeb knew that to be a member it's not a huge commitment. We only meet once a month, and our meetings are only 75 minutes. Of course, we have events throughout the year that require a little bit of time out of our members' schedules, but they are spread out and they aren't full-day commitments. It's a great way to give back to your community, make friends and have fun in the process!
What's something the club has done that meant more than you expected?
A couple of years ago we started setting up a Kid's Zone station at the Norsk July 3rd Celebration. I had recognized a need for something to keep the kids occupied while waiting for the fireworks to start. The first year we served approximately 20–40 kids, but then our fabulous club member Emily Powers was able to contribute her creative juices toward the cause, and last year we served at least 200+ kids with 3 different patriotic craft projects, 3 different yard games and at least 10 face painting stations! We were able to offer all of this at no cost thanks to the club's fundraising efforts.
Buy a raffle ticket from any Optimist. Forward this to a neighbor. Come to a meeting — third Monday, 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. 1