SMALL TOWNS PREVIEW: The woman behind the revitalization of downtown Oconto Falls

OCONTO FALLS, Wis. (WBAY) - An Oconto County woman has made it her mission to give back to make her downtown a vibrant place.

Thursday in Small Towns, we introduce you to Barb Salscheider at the downtown holiday festival in Oconto Falls.

In 1976, Barb and her husband John took a leap of faith by taking over the Antique Bar.

Five years ago, John passed away and Barb started a fund to revitalize the main street. Other businesses joined the effort.

Barb’s to-do list included building facelifts, flowers, and decorations. She hired a local artist to paint colorful murals. She continues to race money for the fire department, humane society, and other community organizations.

Two years ago, Barb revived the Memorial Day Parade.

“That kind of died off there for a few years and people are like, ‘oh it’s the same old thing.’ And I said, OK. So I started offering prize money and make some floats besides honoring our veterans. let’s do some floats and we took a theme and it went off from there, and it like just kind of snowballed,” Barb said.

Thursday on Action 2 News at 6, Jeff Alexander introduces us to Barb and takes us on a trip to her beloved Oconto Falls.

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