On Friday, June 13, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Alumni Association announced changes to its board of directors for the 2008-2009 school year; seven members retired and six new members were added. Altoona resident Andrew Schlafer is one of the board’s new members.
   “It’s a nice chance to give back to the institution that’s provided me with the opportunity to have the career that I’ve had,” said Schlafer, a 1992 graduate of UW-Eau Claire who now works as a financial advisor for Edward Jones.

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At Cinder City Days Doll & Pet Parade on Saturday, June 7, two bicycles were given away to a local boy and girl. Donated by Rolly’s Coach Club, the bikes went to 9-month-old Altoona resident Meili Stabe and Mondovi resident Chandler Plank.

   Altoona resident Ted Theyerl was a guest speaker at a first-time manufacturing event at UW-Stout on Wednesday, May 21.

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Altoona firefighters Troy Stoneberg and Tim Lange were recently promoted from firefighter to Lieutenant, an entry-level

officer position within the Altoona Fire Department. Stoneberg has eight years of experience with the department, while Lange has been with the department for three years.

    In March 2008, former Altoona resident Cory Udler was featured as an extra in the gangster movie “Public Enemies,” which features actor Johnny Depp and is currently filming in Darlington.

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   On Saturday, March 29, longtime Altoona resident Burma Walker was awarded March’s “Senior Salute” by the Alzheimer’s Association of the Greater Wisconsin Chapter of Eau Claire, MiracleEar, and WQOW-TV 18.

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   From February 24 to February 28, Altoona Director of Public Safety Todd Chaney attended a law enforcement conference in Charleston, S.C. Chaney was one of 30 law enforcement officers nationwide that was chosen to attend this conference.

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Altoona resident Gabrielle Dahl resembles other 8-year-old girls in many ways: she loves to play video games, run around outside, and play sports. Unlike most children her age, however, Gabrielle has spent the past two years battling something no young person should have to face: osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer so rare that it only occurs in every second or third person per million people every year.

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Longtime Altoona resident and former Altoona city council member John Marcon is about to receive national recognition for his extensive model train collection. He will be featured in an upcoming issue of Classic Toy Trains magazine in late 2007 or early 2008.

Marcon’s train collection spans one entire room in his basement. Trains circle from one side of the room to the other, passing painstakingly crafted buildings and scenes in the small city he has created. 181 MTH scale train cars and 265 people call this city their home. Everyone from construction workers to bums to a postman and a dog go about their daily business in this late ‘60s-to-early ‘70s town. GTOs, a Camaro, and a period VW van complete the setting.

A couple of highlights of this 11 foot-by-22 foot city are the Altoona water tower and Altoona train depot, built to actual scale.

Not only is the hobby a source of pride for Marcon, but it is also therapy for him. Marcon’s numerous health problems are a cause of constant pain for him. The pain used to wake him up at night so he decided to put his sleepless hours to work. Much of the work and many of his best ideas came between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.

“Working on my hobby was therapy to me. It kept my mind off the pain.”

With a glance at Marcon’s work, it is easy to tell that a lot of time and effort went into his hobby. “30,000 hours wouldn’t be an exaggeration,” he laughs. Even the wiring alone took hundreds of hours. He declined to comment on how much money has gone into his project, due to the fact that his wife will be reading this article.

Most of the buildings were built from scratch by Marcon himself using bits of PVC pipe and other materials lying around the house. He even created train cars that clean the tracks, lifting the dirt and dust off the rails.

The meticulously painted people of the town were nearly all painted by Marcon. The Altoona water tower was painted by his son, Michael, who works expertly with acrylic paints and mixed media. Not only is John going to be featured in a magazine, but Michael was recently published in the July 2007 issue of national art magazine Decor.

Marcon developed an interest in model trains when he was nine years old and his parents bought him his first train set. Over the years, his interest in trains waxed and waned until 10 years ago when he started this current project. Originally, the city was 4 feet-by-8 feet before it branched out to the size it is today. When asked if he has more plans to build on, he replied with a grin, “Always, always.”

J&F Buildings, Inc., located at 827 S. Hillcrest Parkway, was opened by Tom Huse on June 1, 2006. J&F Buildings, Inc. has a staff of five employees that specializes in general contracting.
They have in-house drafting and construction management services. They specialize in agricultural, commercial, industrial, and specialty buildings, standing seam metal roofing products, and asphalt shingles. J&F Buildings, Inc. looks to further expand their customer base in the area.
To add a personal touch to your building needs, please contact J&F at 833-8557.