Two families have recently made generous donations to the St. Germain Bike and Hike Trail for the placement of memorial benches. These benches are a great addition to the recently expanded paved trail that winds its way through the town of St. Germain.

One of the donations was made by the family of Conrad Slowinski in memory of his wife Camile, who passed away in 1999 at the age of 61. Conrad and his wife began making trips to St. Germain in 1954, and it became a favorite destination for them and their family. The growing family now resides in both Michigan and southern Wisconsin, but they make annual trips to the St. Germain area. The Slowinski bench is located across the highway from entrance to Fath’s Resort, their favorite place to stay in St. Germain.

The second bench was donated by the Mike and Kelly McGill who wanted to memorialize Mike’s father, Fred E. McGill (1930 – 2000). Fred was an avid fisherman in his younger days and fished throughout Northern Wisconsin. His passion for fishing was passed along to both of his sons. Fred fell in love with St. Germain and eventually fulfilled his lifelong dream of living on a lake when he retired when he bought a home on Moon Lake. Mike and Kelly moved to St. Germain in 2011 with their two boys, Andrew and Matthew. Mike is a cardiologist at Marshfield Clinic. Their bench can be seen on the new section of bike trail east of town.

The new benches with plaques are being installed by trail volunteer, Scott Small. There are a variety of other locations on the twelve mile trail that have been chosen as future bench locations. The minimum donation for a bench installation is $500.

If you are interested in donating a bench, please call the St. Germain Bike and Hike Trail Committee chairperson, Anne Small, at (715) 614-3711.