Aryn Henning Nichols

“Quirky and happy, that’s every day at The Lemon Door,” says Melodie Betts, owner of the eclectic coffee house located in Fennimore, Wisconsin, that offers fresh, fast fare, and elevated catering.

As an adult, Melodie lived primarily in Wisconsin, but moved to Montana, where she was born, to be close to relatives. She met and married her husband, but not long after, lost him to a mine accident. 

“It was time for a change,” says Melodie. “Moving back to Wisconsin, with the encouragement of friends, helped me decide this is where I needed to be. I looked all over the state for the right property that ticked all the boxes.”

She found what she was looking for in a building in Fennimore and made the purchase in 2017. Over the next two years, Melodie slowly worked to remodel both the upstairs living space and the lower-level shop, although she was unsure what would occupy that space.

Over time, the idea for a coffee shop formed. Melodie saw a need in the community, and, having worked in the service industry on and off since she was 14, she decided to give it a go.

“At the time, there was no coffee shop on a highway for over a 50-mile radius,” Melodie says. “No one doing fresh sandwiches or salads that you could build your own, with locally sourced items. I vowed not to duplicate what anyone else was doing in the area. I worked with so many wonderful people to get the doors open.”

The Lemon Door, located on Lincoln Avenue, opened to the public in June of 2019. True to its quirk, the business name was inspired by a randomly assigned Yahoo password from the 90s.

Customers at The Lemon Door walk in, grab a menu, and then circle items they’d like on their sandwiches or salads, with many fresh and from-scratch ingredients.

“That way they get exactly what they want, so when people ask if we have specials, I tell them everything is, because you make it!” says Melodie.

Much of Melodie’s inspiration for her space came from The General Store in Spring Green, one of her favorite places in Wisconsin. Open since 1976, The General Store is half cafe, half general store, with lunch served Thursday-Sunday, and breakfast on the weekends. Melodie has fond memories of visiting for breakfast in the 1990s.

“The Sunday State Journal would be scattered with everyone reading and exchanging sections, making comments on what we’d read. I loved it and that memory stuck with me,” Melodie says.

Melodie inherited an appreciation for all things food from her mother. Both her parents were born during the depression, and taught Melodie the basics early: Use everything, no wasting, and be creative. That creative, ingenious spirit shines through at The Lemon Door.

“I wanted it to be eclectic, full of color, kid friendly, and welcoming,” says Melodie, who also set up a tourist information counter and rack in the shop to help promote the Driftless area, with fun The Lemon Door branded stickers as well. 

“There really isn’t anywhere to pick up information on the area. And every new person who comes in gets a sticker. If they are traveling, I give extra. Each year I give out 1000 stickers!”

The Lemon Door was met with an outpouring of community support when it opened in 2019. When COVID hit, Melodie, like everyone, was worried about the future. “I didn’t know what was going to happen, and the ugly crying of the day we closed had an uncertainty I’ve never felt before,” Melodie says.

But the community rallied. “People bought gift certificates, sent money, dropped off envelopes without names,” she says. “It was so unexpected, but they wanted to see me reopen.”

So The Lemon Door adopted an online ordering system, switched over from dishes to paper for curbside pickup, and got through a year in that manner. Melodie was grateful for the strong community ties of Fennimore.

“This community cares about each other without need for recognition,” Melodie says. “We reach out if someone is in need or has fallen on hard times and give what we can.”

Melodie also added another income source to get through those hard times then and in the future. She applied for grants, with the help of the local chamber and her bank, and was able to introduce a catering option.

“I picked the type of catering that wasn’t offered in the area and ran with it,” Melodie says. “At holidays I offer cheeseballs, grazing boxes, and dip trios. Lots of grazing trays, party carry-outs, and build your own sandwich set ups.”

Melodie says her favorite part of building this business has been the people she’s met and bonded with over the years, coming in day after day to partake in The Lemon Door’s welcoming space. She also says her two part-time employees are a huge part of that warm environment.

“I don’t like the word ‘boss’, I tell them, ‘We work together, we are co-workers,’” she says. “I can’t do it without them. I have the best people ever. If they’re happy, so are the customers.”

And happy people are at the heart of what Melodie has built. She wants the community – and the travelers who pass through – to experience all the quirky fun that’s to be had at The Lemon Door in Fennimore.  

The Lemon Door serves breakfast & lunch Tues-Fri from 8am-2pm & Sat from 9am-1pm. You can also call 608-822-0002 or visit the-lemon-door.square.site to order.

The Mississippi River is not just a geographical boundary for the city of La Crosse, Wisconsin; it’s also its pride and joy. Boaters, paddlers, anglers, and bird enthusiasts visit La Crosse every year to enjoy its waters. Much of the community’s identity revolves around its natural beauty – a majestic landscape of bluffs and rivers. 

That’s why preservation of the Mississippi, and adjacent waterways, has become the mission of River Clean Up (RCU), a dedicated group of volunteers that has been cleaning area rivers for more than three decades

RCU was co-founded in La Crosse by residents Russ Wilson and Wayne Ellefson. Russ, a former Wisconsin State Game Warden, was painfully aware of the pollution impacting the area’s rivers, destroying habitats and poisoning the water that plants and wildlife rely on. His first attempt at a group cleanup in 1992 drew only his colleagues. Afterward, Russ consulted with his friend, Wayne, who has a background in marketing, on how to make a bigger impact on the community. “I agreed to help him get the volunteers and the rest is history – going on 33 years!” says Wayne. “We wanted to make an event that volunteers would want to come to every year and tell their friends about.”

RCU’s cleanup efforts have definitely grown, drawing helpers from across the community. In 2025, they had more than 580 volunteers participate in their two annual clean up events: Community River Clean Up Day (always the Saturday before Mother’s Day; 2026’s date is May 9), and Corporate River Clean Up Day.

“When a local company reached out, wanting to have their employees volunteer, we got the idea to start the annual corporate day clean up for businesses,” says Wayne, sharing that last year’s corporate day drew more than 200 volunteers from area businesses. 

Cleanup events are big undertakings, needing all those volunteers. Boaters and walkers remove trash from the water and shorelines, working along the main channel of the Mississippi, as well as the La Crosse River, Black River, the local marsh, and many backwaters. Volunteers are spread out among local landings (Clinton Street West Landing, 7th Street Landing, Goose Island West Landing, or Fred Funk Landing on Brice Prairie), given trash bags, and put to work. They return to their landing with the trash so it can be disposed of properly. 

In the early days – when railroad traffic was more abundant – cleanup crews sometimes found containers of toxic waste in the river. Though this isn’t typical these days, RCU still finds a lot of large, discarded items such as appliances, barrels, tires, water heaters, propane tanks, bikes, car parts, and more. In 2025, they removed more than 30,000 pounds of trash, recycled more than 200 barrels and nearly 50 tires, and disposed of a massive amount of non-renewable plastic.“The secret to River Clean Up’s longevity is its narrow vision and wide impact,” says RCU committee member Sam Przywojski. “We gather 500+ of our closest friends for one weekend and reap the benefits all year long.” 

Sam also attributes the success of the group to the community’s deep connection to the river and its local tributaries. “To live in this area is to benefit from the beauty, resources and economic benefit of these unique features of our planet,” he says. “Our community is located here because of the river, our families are here because of the river, and many businesses are supported by the river. There is a natural inclination to reciprocate and RCU provides that opportunity for the people of the Coulee Region.” 

Despite the large amount of work that goes into cleanup events, the organization is entirely volunteer-run. Currently, a small committee of five – David Abts, Wayne Ellefson, Chris O’Hearn, Sam Przywojski, Russ Wilson – oversees events and donations. RCU operates under the fiscal sponsorship of La Crosse Neighborhoods, Inc, a 501(c)3 public charity, and all donations go directly toward RCU operating costs: trash disposal, safety measures, Clean Up event logistics, and recycling fees.

RCU is also available on-call, and has helped clean up abandoned structures and watercrafts, too. For example, when they learned of a mess about 20 miles south of La Crosse, with docks and other materials left abandoned, RCU volunteers tracked down the family of the deceased owner, and a team was able to go in and remove the waste and debris. Another time, they were contacted by landowners to help coordinate the removal and disposal of a sunken boat. 

It’s not just the clean up of large items that matters, though. One of the most important ways people can protect the Mississippi and its surrounding waters is to not litter, says Wayne. Another is to be prepared to clean up, even on your own. “Always have a trash bag in any boat you’re taking out on the river,” suggests Wayne. This simple act is an easy way to help with the pollution problem. 

And a problem it is. Since 1993, RCU has removed nearly 900,000 pounds of trash from area waterways. Wayne knows that overall enjoyment of the river is significantly increased because of these efforts. “Our local beaches are so much cleaner for everyone to enjoy,” says Wayne. He also knows that RCU’s work has improved life downstream, ensuring that this waste never traveled further south to impact the lives of those who enjoy life along the Mississippi. “That trash did not make it down river to spoil it for those people,” Wayne says. 

Even after 33 years, River Clean Up’s mission to keep local waterways clean, beautiful, and healthy is going strong. As committee member Sam says, “River Clean Up is a small but mighty force to preserve this area’s splendor.”

The next Community Clean Up Day is planned for Saturday, May 9, 2026. Find details at rivercleanuplacrosse.com.

These flower chains are perfect for manifesting spring vibes in your house (or for decorating at an early spring backyard get-together)! Give your egg cartons a whimsical second life with this fun paper project, created by the organizers of the Gays & Faes music festival.

What is Gays & Faes?

Learn more about Gays and Faes from the organizers themselves:

Gays and Faes is more than a music festival – it’s a queer dreamscape brought to life. Set on the serene acres of South Bear School in rural Decorah from May 29-31, this grassroots, DIY celebration invites attendees to step out of the ordinary and into a weekend devoted to art, community, and queer joy.

At its heart, Gays and Faes is a queer music festival built by and for queer people and their faerie friends. “Queer” is an inclusive, fluid term for anyone who falls outside of heterosexual or cisgender norms. It rejects rigid, traditional, or binary labels, such as solely “gay” or “straight,” favoring a flexible approach to identity in both sexuality and gender.

Gays and Faes centers creative expression, mutual care, and the radical act of gathering simply to exist – loudly, softly, and fully authentic. The festival features indie musicians from across the Midwest, highlighting both emerging and established artists. Genres span intimate folk, dreamy pop, gritty rock, and experimental electronic.

But music is only part of the story. Gays and Faes is a fully immersive experience, shaped by the rolling hills, limestone bluffs, and winding rivers of of the Driftless area. Forest clearings become stages, open fields invite frolicing, and onsite camping creates a temporary village beneath the stars.

The festival embraces play as a form of resistance and healing. Whimsy is encouraged through costumes, sparkles, and expansive fashion, opening up an opportunity to reconnect with imagination and delight in a world that often tells queer people to shrink themselves and their self expression. 

Gays and Faes is proudly grassroots and community driven. Built through collaboration, volunteer labor, and local support, the festival prioritizes accessibility and intentionality over scale. Art installations, interactive elements, and shared spaces are crafted with love, resourcefulness, and belief in a brighter future.

More info

Follow @gaysandfaes on instagram to see the 2026 music line-up, get tickets, become a vendor, join the volunteer team, or check out photos from previous years.

Make Your Own Flower Chains!

Supplies:

Egg cartons
Paints in colors of choice (or spray paints)
Paint brushes (if painting with brush)
Sturdy scissors
Darning needle
Thick yarn

Paint your egg cartons. Pick vibrant, flower-based colors, or go wild and do your own surrealist look!

Paint the inside, then flip the egg carton over and do the other side.

Pro tip: If you want to speed this process up (and you have the space / ability), spray paint the cartons instead!

Let your egg cartons dry and grab some sturdy scissors. First, cut out the middle knobs on the carton. 

Then separate each row down the middle and get ready to cut out each individual egg cup. 

Once you’ve cut out and separated each egg cup, you can start cutting the edges so the cups look like flowers.

Round edges seem to work well with the egg carton design. But remember, just like nature, each flower will look slightly different!

Pro tip: You can add little flower details and artistic flourishes to the flower forms, if you’d like (this is totally optional).

Grab a large darning needle and a string of your choice. Cut about 4-6 feet of string or yard. The Gays and Faes team went with a thick chartreuse yarn.

Tie a loop at the top end of the yarn (you’ll use this for hanging later), then thread the other end through the needle.

Time to assemble your flower chain! Stab the needle through the top of the flower and pull it down the yarn about three inches.

Make a knot at the bottom of this flower form to hold this cup in place.

Repeat for the remaining flower cups, spacing them along the thread. Finish your flower chain when it’s the length you desire.

After you’ve added the last knot on your last flower cup, trim excess yarn. Make as many flower chains as you like – these tend to look best in groupings.

Decorate your space with fun Flower Chain vibes!

P.S. Thanks to Blazing Star in Decorah for letting us use their sunny space to shoot this Flower Chain tutorial!