Simple Gifts

by Rick Brown

About 40 miles west of Green Bay, Shawano County welcomes a traveler to a landscape beyond scenic. Spacious farms dot a countryside adorned with rolling hills, thriving acres, stately barns and lots and lots of greenery. Following a long train trip to the Badger State, Jackie and I rented a car and explored the backroads of Wisconsin’s farmland.

Those barns resemble the classic ones idealized in children’s books or Fisher Price toy sets. Known as Bank Barns, these classic outbuildings possess an entrance built into hillsides to give the farmer ground-level access to both the main floor for hay and a lower level for livestock.

The landscape offers more than just beauty; it reflects well-kept farms and resilient communities that endure harsh winters and thrive each summer with abundant water and sunshine.

Corn and soybean fields neatly divide the land into organized plots. A compelling sense of nostalgia for simpler times accompanies the traveler while maneuvering down two-lane country roads. Of note, are the accompanying hedge rows that foster a diverse collection of wildlife.

The rural roads, free from billboards and mini-marts, wind through green, orderly landscapes that evoke an idealized rustic past.

Almost as if upon signal, an Amish family passes by in their horse-drawn buggy, moving in the opposite direction. The driver was a young woman; her passengers included other women wearing a head coverings, aprons and capes.

Driving these fertile backroads brings to mind Aldo Leopold, the “father of wildlife ecology.” Leopold, a renowned Wisconsin naturalist, restored a depleted farm near the Wisconsin Dells by putting his ecological principles into practice. As both a forester and a University of Wisconsin professor, he embodied his teachings through hands-on restoration work. He saw such landscapes that we witnessed as a biotic community, not just a resource to be used. Leopold urged us to treat the land as a living organism of which we are a part. He highlighted that these rural areas have a “vast pulsing harmony,” reflecting the cycles of life, death, and changing seasons.

Leopold’s teachings hold a special place for me due to my brother David’s adherence to the naturalist’s principles related to wildlife biology and land management. In fact, in my youth David gave me Leopold’s masterpiece, A Sand County Almanac, and noted the author’s call for a “land ethic” – a philosophy that was a guiding light throughout my brother’s career.

Shawano’s rural landscape mirrors Leopold’s principles, with farmland preservation supported by tax credits for eco-friendly management. The county also prioritizes wildlife habitat protection, groundwater conservation, and sustainable forestry.

In addition to environmental policies, a delightful art form enriches the countryside. Driving through backroads and small towns, one will notice an artistic flare represented by adornments mounted on the barns. Throughout the county we noticed stunning large, painted, wooden squares featuring traditional quilt patterns. These panels (often 8x8 ft) painted with vibrant quilt designs, transform the barns into public art. The colorful blocks honor local history, family tributes, even historical sites like the Underground Railroad. The project started in 2010; now there are about 350 “barn quilts” mounted on barns and even small towns throughout the county.

Descendants of Shawano County’s agricultural heritage, Jim and Irene Leuenberger came up with the vision of dotting the farmland with colorful artwork on the stately barns. Some of the outbuildings are in use; others have been emptied for years. The idea was to revitalize old barns and boost community pride in Wisconsin’s dairy region.

Jim, a retiree raised on a dairy farm, saw barn quilts in Kentucky and Ohio and wanted to bring the idea to his county. He and Irene persuaded the Shawano Chamber of Commerce to provide workspace and quickly got started. Their energy sparked strong community support, soon drawing in volunteers like farm families, 4-H and FFA members, and business owners. Now Shawano County is the self ‘proclaimed Barn Quilt Capital of the state, possibly the nation.

Now hundreds of barns display a form of abstract art, an art form that has led to bicycle tours, barn quilt maps and even docent tours.

Each eight square foot quilt pattern is painted with a minimum of three layers. Once the project began, high school students from various Future Farmers of America groups joined in using the effort as arts projects in their high schools’ curriculum.

Irene said the volunteers “put two coats of primer on the barn quilts, both sides because you want it on the backside to preserve the wood, especially it is against a barn.” She added, “Then we put three coats of paint on the front side so that is five coats of paint.”

“Quilter” Jim said some barn owners made improvements to their properties once they realized tourists were coming to view the outdoor folk-art gallery.

The hedge rows, the neat rows of crops and the colorful barn quilts promote an awareness of simpler times. Add to those impressions a trotting horse pulling a buggy with Amish folks heading down a country lane.

That feeling of simple contentment was enhanced on the train ride home when an Amish family sang early morning hymns in the observation car. One of those songs was “Das Loblied“ (The Hymn of Praise), which is the second song in every Amish church service. As the sun rose across the Nevada desert, their a cappella song filled the car with a sweetness that was both compelling and immediate. A young man stopped looking at his laptop and listened intently. The voices echoed a past of simplicity, community connection and avoidance of material distraction.

The setting complemented that pleasant ride along a rural backroad known for tradition, environmental awareness, and folk art.

Upon returning to Meadow Vista, I will begin pruning the fruit trees on our property, appreciating the tranquility of the rural setting and thoughtfully reflecting on insights gained from my experiences along that country road

Barn Quilt Video

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