District makes tough decision - Community Shoppers, Inc.

JANESVILLE
4 MESSENGER ■ Sunday, September 14, 2008
communityshoppers.com
BUSINESS
I N THE S POTLIGHT
CUSTOM CREATIONS
Man uses salvaged
wood to create
one-of-a-kind pieces
Lynn Vollbrecht/staff
Barnwood Creations owner Randy Westbrook works on a new piece of one-of-akind
barn wood furniture in his rural Beloit workshop.
Business: Barnwood Creations Furniture and
Kitchen Cabinetry.
Owner: Randy Westbrook.
Address: 8304 W. Beloit Newark Road, Beloit.
Web site: www.barnwoodcreations1.com.
Phone: (608) 361-WOOD.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday; 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday.
Type of business: Custom-built furniture
and cabinetry created from salvaged barn wood.
When business opened: May 1999.
How did you initially get into this business?
When I was a kid, I loved working with
wood. Before opening my own business, I
worked for
The Particulars
Barnwood Creations
Furniture and Kitchen
Cabinetry
■ 8304 W. Beloit Newark Road,
Beloit
■ 361-9663
■ 9-5, Mon-Fri; 9-noon, Sat
■ www.barnwoodcreations1.com
another barnwoodfurniture
company.
What
types of
products or
services
does your
business
offer? I build
custom furniture
and cabinets
to suit
any customer’s specifications. I use antique-style
square nails.
What is the biggest challenge you face in
your business? Letting people know that I’m
just a couple of miles west of Beloit, out in the
country. Also, I have more to offer than readymade
pieces; I can design and build whatever
my customer wants.
What aspect of your business do you
enjoy the most? Working with customers to
create and build the furniture and kitchen cabinetry
that they want. These are one-of-a-kind
creations made to customer specifications out of
beautiful, weathered wood. There’s character in
every piece.
From what cities do the majority of your
customers come? They come from all over,
because of my Web site, but most come from
Beloit, Chicago, Roscoe, Rockton, Janesville,
Madison and Rockford.
What are your future plans for the business?
To continue to grow and offer custom furniture
to people who want quality, one-of-a-kind
furniture and kitchen cabinets.
BUSINESS BRIEFLY
■ Rondon joins Evergreen State bank:
Liz Rondon recently
joined Evergreen State
Bank as its marketing
coordinator. In her new
position, Rondon is
responsible for the
bank’s marketing,
advertising, public relations
and promotional
activities. She is a
Janesville native and 1986 graduate of
Parker High School, a Forward Janesville
ambassador and a Southern Wisconsin
AirFEST volunteer.
■ Robson to speak at JARPA meeting:
State Sen. Judy Robson, D-Beloit, will be the
guest speaker at the Janesville Area Rental
Property Association meeting at 6:30 p.m.
Thursday. The meeting, which is free and
open to the public, will take place in the
lower level of Commercial Bank, located at
1400 Black Bridge Road, Janesville.
Robson will speak about her fire-safe cigarette
bill, which has been signed into law
and will take effect in October 2009. A
general question-and-answer session will
follow the meeting. For more information,
visit www.jarpa.org or call (608) 757-1610.
■ Hospital to offer nutrition program:
Edgerton Hospital and Health Services will
offer a free nutrition-education program
from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday at the
hospital, located at 313 Stoughton Road,
Edgerton. The hospital’s registered dietician
will teach participants how to budget
the amount of fat consumed; participants
will receive tips on how to use food labels
for a balanced, healthy diet. Registration is
recommended. For more information, or to
register, call (608) 884-1489 or visit
www.edgertonhospital.com.
■ Rescue squad to transport Mercy patients:
Mercy Health System no longer will offer its
Mercy in Motion service, which transported
patients to and from medical appointments.
Instead, the company has partnered
with Delavan Rescue Squad Medical
Inc., which will offer alternative transportation
to patients in Rock County. To accommodate
the extra passengers, the rescue
squad plans to purchase three vehicles
owned by Mercy. “Delavan Rescue Squad
is excited to begin offering door-to-door
transportation services for Janesville residents
who need to get to and from their
medical appointments,” said Todd Bluhm
of DRS Medical Inc. “By ... expanding our
services to Mercy’s patients, we ensure the
best possible care for our community.” For
more information, call (866) 996-3729.
AREA OFFERS ABUNDANCE OF AUTUMN ACTIVITIES FOR ALL AGES
Fall definitely is in the air. Every year,
I have this dreamy idea that life will slow
down and I’ll have more time — enough
time to pick apples and watch the leaves
fall from the trees.
This year, the dream didn’t even last a
day, and I’m not sure I’d ever want it to
completely come true. There are just too
many great things going on in our community
to slow down too much. Here is
just a sampling of what this fall has to
offer for you, your family and all of your
visitors:
Fall marks the return of original productions
to the stage at The Armory. The
dinner theater’s production of “Sweeney
Todd” runs Thursdays through Sundays
through Oct. 19. In addition to the shows
in the Drill Hall Theater, The Armory
hosts Cabaret Night after every Friday
and Saturday evening performance and
Sundays in the Bunker, featuring a special
brunch menu. Upstairs at
Lieutenants Restaurant, watch for intermittent
wine dinners featuring masterfully
paired wines and foods.
Need more entertainment? The
Janesville Performing Arts Center’s annual
gala, scheduled for Sept. 26, features
CHRISTINE HRISTINE REBOUT EBOUT
JANESVILLE AREA CONVENTION
AND VISITORS BUREAU
Susan Egan, the original Belle in Disney’s
“Beauty and the Beast.” JPAC’s fall season
continues with Simply Sinatra in
October and Route 3 in November.
Ready to roll up your sleeves and get a
little dirty? The Rotary Gardens Fall
Plant Sale runs through today (Sunday)
at the gardens’ Horticulture Center. On
Sept. 21, the gardens will host a free concert
featuring Southwind, a local
folk/bluegrass band. Watercolor in the
Garden, an introductory course in painting,
will be held Saturday (Sept. 20) and
Sept. 27. While you’re there, stop by the
gift shop, where all items are marked 20
percent off throughout September.
Looking for some exercise and to support
a good cause? The Alzheimer’s
Support Center will hold its 10th anniversary
Walk to Remember and Dogs on
Parade Saturday (Sept. 20) at Beloit’s
Riverside Park. After all that walking,
treat your dog to Pooch Fest at the
Palmer Park wading pool from 9 a.m. to 4
p.m.
If all that sitting still in school has your
little ones a bit restless, take them to see
some heavy equipment at Monster
Machines in Motion Sept. 21 at the corner
of Wright Road and Delavan Drive.
ArtsFEST 2008 will take place Oct. 3-4
at the Janesville Performing Arts Center.
This free, two-day event is open to school
groups and the public, and will feature
hands-on activities, daytime performances
for school groups, evening performances
for the public, as well as demonstrations
and musical performances throughout
the event.
If you need more information about any
of these events, or the many more I don’t
have space to list, visit the Janesville
Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
Web site at www.janesvillecvb.com. The
site is full of special events and information
on attractions that promise to make
your fall just as spectacular as your summer.
Editor’s note: Christine Rebout is the executive director
of the Janesville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc.
Contact her at (608) 757-3171.
Rondon
Sarah Zeller/staff
Rotary Gardens volunteer Kristine
Zaballows arranges plants Tuesday during
the Rotary Gardens Fall Plant Sale. The
sale runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through
today (Sunday) at the gardens’ Horticulture
Center.