From the Editor

Earlier this summer, our Coulee Region Women team had the chance to reminisce and relive some ’80s nostalgia as we gathered to cheer on La Crosse’s newest women’s sport, the La Crosse Steam softball team, for a special themed night. We sported our best Cyndi Lauper, Olivia Newton-John or Pretty in Pink looks, answered ’80s trivia questions on the field and cheered the Steam to a victory. We laughed our way through the most fun and outrageous aspects of that “Decade of Excess.” Yet in the midst of the big hair, neon colors and blue mascara, we saw that while the ’80s were a decade to remember fondly (at least in the foggy rearview mirror of hindsight), what matters more is where we are now and the team we have created to keep moving forward supporting women and our community.

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Nostalgia is a powerful force. It keeps us tied to our roots and our past, often drawing us back to memories that are foundational in who we are, not only as individuals, but as families and communities. Keeping those memories alive can be essential.

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It is a theme found in many of the stories in this issue: the past—sometimes burnished with the soft glow of time to something a little more idyllic than it really was—is really just the foundation for what comes next. And while we want to reclaim the positive parts of that past, the most important aspect is how we reshape those places and ideas to benefit the future.

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As you peruse this “Reclaim It” issue, you will see several physical manifestations of capturing the best of the past and turning it into not what it was, but what it can be for the future. 

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Michelle and Andrew Elliott loved their 19th-century historic home—the landmark Martindale House, one of the oldest in La Crosse’s Historic District—but rather than feel it must remain static through time, they worked closely with MK Redesign to find the solutions that both honored that history and made the home more functional for their 21st- century family. 

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On a smaller scale, Karla Doolittle helps families do the same with those heirloom jewelry pieces that have meaning and memory, but no longer fit, literally or style-wise. By recreating them into new custom pieces, she helps families preserve the past without locking it away. 

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Habitat for Humanity and its partners in the ReNew the Block project recognize that change has already occurred throughout the neighborhood on La Crosse’s North Side, but it can be channeled toward a positive outcome for all with the right perspective on seeing the potential.

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In some of our “reclaim” stories, today’s generation is simply building on the foundation put in place by those who came before, often in ways that previous generations might never have been able to envision. Ecker’s Apple Farm has been a staple near Centerville for decades, but today’s vision of a beer garden and gathering place is something that wouldn’t have been imagined when that first roadside stand opened. 

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And, in the case of our cover woman, Elizabeth Fryseth, the path is purely forward, not looking back at what she may have lost, but focused on paving a way to make life better for everyone. As she navigates life and La Crosse having lost her eyesight, she doesn’t focus on what it was like before. Instead, she continually offers ways to make the community better for all who may face challenges like hers, advising the city’s transit system, advocating for measures that benefit all and finding a new career that channels what she has learned both about living on society’s margins and advocacy. Her approach to reclaiming independence and helping others do the same is inspirational.

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In many ways, this issue has given us a reason to look back, not just to reminisce about what was, but to recognize the positive advances we all have made. 

In a paraphrase of an ad slogan that permeated society from the late 1960s through the 1990s: We’ve come a long way.