Racine & Me October 8, 2017: Racine Mayoral Race, Foxconn, St. Paul Church 160-year-anniversary, and Zombies
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Racine County officially announced the location of a planned $10 billion Foxconn plant – and it’s in Mount Pleasant. The Racine County Economic Development Corporation says the massive 20 million square foot facility will be built off I-94 between Highway 11 and Highway KR. The company also announced that it has hired its first Wisconsin worker. In the city of Racine – an area being looked to for housing and a workforce – voters will soon decide who will take over as Mayor. The choice on the ballot is between State Representative Cory Mason and Alderman Sandy Weidner. The election is scheduled for October 17.
Moving on to community news, Jacob Kittilstad welcomed members of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church to the studio. The church is celebrating its 160th anniversary (meaning that the church was founded all the way back in 1857. Church leadership says the Wisconsin Historical Society identifies the church as the oldest African-American church in the state. Its origin traces back to a time when Wisconsin had active stops for the Underground Railroad – and leadership suspect the founders may have had connections to that. Click here to learn more about the church
The Christmas House is getting into the Halloween spirit this month. The people who operate the mansion are holding a weekend of dinner and games that are inspired by a Zombie Apocalypse scenario. Organizers describe it as being similar to murder mystery dinners they’ve held in the past – but this dinner puts guests at risk of “becoming” zombies if they don’t work together to solve a series of puzzles. Jacob also got a chance to taste-test parts of the menu for the event which includes “Zombie Boogers” and (delicious) mini pumpkin pies. Click here for more information on the event
And lastly, a special visitor crept into the studio while Jacob interviewed the bar manager of Evelyn’s Club Main. They are promoting their upcoming Zombie Pub Crawl which is in its 9th year. The bar asks people to dress-up as zombies as the hoard moves its way through downtown Racine. There’s no cost to participate but organizers ask “zombies” to bring along two canned food items to donate before walking in the event. Jacob also introduced a guest Halloween-inspired weatherperson for this week’s Racine & Me. Click here for more information on the event
Guests: Bishop Lawrence Kirby- St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, Dr. James Kinchen- St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church Member, Anne Yust – The Christmas House Director of Operations, Jessica Larson – Evelyn’s Club Main Bar Manager