Letter from the Editor

I’m proud to call myself a Wisconsinite. As a little girl, I remember eating brats and fresh corn on the cob for dinner and playing freeze tag in the nearby field. On windy days in high school the smell of the dairy farm down the road was hard to miss. Now that I’m older, there are few things I appreciate more than sitting down to watch a Green Bay Packer game armed with cheese curds, a cold beer, and the camaraderie of my fellow cheeseheads.

Wisconsin has shaped me, just as it has shaped all of the generations that came before. Most outsiders look at Wisconsin and see only cows, beer, people who are immune to sub-zero temperatures and cheese headwear. But as Wisconsinites know, that’s not all our state is.

As our staff and I began to explore what makes this state unique, I was both amazed and inspired by what I saw. We uncovered the lives of Wisconsin legends, saw children with autism express their creativity onstage, found teens fighting to be the voice of change for their people. We discovered a town fueled by the power of cheese. We witnessed the heartbreak of a prairie lost.

At the center of these stories is Wisconsin in its many forms. At the heart of them, however, are its people.

Our state is filled with dedicated people who make, create and innovate. Business owners and workers, farmers and manufacturers, native people and immigrants; the state of Wisconsin has left its legacy on each.

Wisconsin’s people have left their impression on the state too. Our state is a place where unique cultures and legacies come together. It’s home to rapidly changing industries and complex and diverse communities. It’s where people stay true to tradition but continue to move forward.

I invite you to look past the ordinary Wisconsin and unearth the communities, cultures and legacies within. People and ideas are irrevocably linked to Wisconsin’s identity. Join us in uncovering that connection and discovering what it truly means to be “Made by Wisconsin.”

Katelyn Youngblood

Editor, Curb Magazine