Mercer library to host Hokkaido wildlife photography presentation

By TOM LAVENTURE

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MERCER, Wis. - The Mercer Public Library will host a photography presentation of Hokkaido, Japan, at 4:30 p.m. today, in the adjoining community center and the program is free and open to the public.

Gary and Ginny Theisen, part-year residents of Mercer, and longtime supporters and volunteers with the library, will offer a photo presentation of Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan. The couple were on the island in February, and the talk will be a cultural understanding of experiences with photographs of encounters with wildlife and people, architecture and food, according to Teresa Schmidt, director of the Mercer Public Library.

The wildlife photos include the rare dancing red-crowned cranes, Stellar's sea eagles feeding in ice strewn seas and snow monkeys in warm geothermal springs to fight the cold winter air, she said.

"We definitely have a lot of people interested in wildlife photography in this area and it's interesting to see stuff from as far away as Japan," Schmidt said.

Gary Theisen spent a career working internationally and that background makes his presentations culturally informative as much as they are entertaining, she said. He has presented on other topics and teaches classes for Fe University, but this will be his first photo presentation since taking up photography in retirement, she said.

"Gary is very skilled and his work is beautiful," Schmidt said. "He is a great presenter and always has interesting stories to tell. He brings a great international perspective on traveling and relates it with things that are going on in world."

There are still tickets available for the 22nd annual library Fall Celebration at 5 p.m. Saturday. The event will include an Italian dinner, auction and raffle.

For more information, call 715-476-2366, or visit mercer.wislib.org.