Maywood welcomes Melanie Radzicki McManus as the guest speaker for the Maywood Benefit Banquet on Thursday, November 8. The event will be held in the newly renovated Younger Family Campus Center at Lakeland University.
McManus is the author of the memoir Thousand-Miler: Adventures Hiking the Ice Age Trail (Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2017). She will share stories of the 1,100-mile record setting trek of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. She will also discuss the trail’s history and future development. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event.
The Ice Age National Scenic Trail is one of just 11 National Scenic Trails in the United States and lies entirely inside Wisconsin. Individuals who traverse the entire trail on foot are recognized as Thousand-Milers. The trek can be completed as a thru-hike or in segments to qualify for this recognition. At the time of McManus’s thru-hike in 2013, only 22 individuals had completed a thru-hike of the trail, and only three of those hikers were women.
McManus has worked as a news reporter at a Green Bay radio station, as a press secretary at the Wisconsin State Capitol and as editor of two Madison publications. Since 1994, McManus has worked as a freelance writer and editor, specializing in travel and fitness. She has won numerous awards for her writing, most notably prestigious Lowell Thomas Gold and Grand Awards for her travel journalism.
Proceeds of the event will support further development of the Generational Forest at Maywood. Funds will also assist with reforestation efforts at Maywood to replace ash trees lost to the emerald ash borer. The Generational Forest, established in 2016, serves as a living reminder that conservation is part of our entire lives and the lives of future generations. The forest began when a kindergarten class sprouted oak trees from acorns and then planted the saplings at Maywood with members of the OWLS group. OWLS (Older, Wiser, Livelier Seniors) is a group that meets seasonally to learn about natural history and experience hands-on conservation. Additional plantings by community organizations have expanded the forest’s footprint. Trails and signage are planned for the future.
The evening’s activities include a reception with cash bar, silent auction, dinner, and presentation by McManus. Tickets for the banquet are available through November 1. For more information, call Maywood at (920) 459-3906, email maywood@sheboyganwi.gov, or visit www.gomaywood.org/Banquet.