Now available at the Wooden Spoon on the north side of the Square in downtown Monroe is a Cat's Meow® wooden keepsake of the Turner Hall of Monroe. The very detailed rendition of the south entrance of the Turner Hall is approximately 5-3/4" wide, 4" tall, and 3/4" thick. It is so finely detailed that the use of a magnifying glass will allow you to actually read the Swiss verses written above the center window in the balcony! The back of the collectible provides some historic information about the building. (See below.)

The Wooden Spoon is one of nine retailers in Wisconsin (and many, many more throughout the country) that carry Cat's Meow® collectibles, which can always be identified by the little black cat, Casper, located on the keepsake. (See Casper just to the left of Turner Hall's main doors?)

The Wooden Spoon specifically carries Cat's Meow® keepsakes that are of historical significance to Monroe. The first in the set was the Green County Courthouse, which came out in 1994, followed by the Courthouse Civil War Statue (1995), the Monroe Arts Center (1995), the former Arabut Ludlow Memorial Library (1996), the Goetz Theatre (1996), Baumgartner's Tavern and Cheese Store (1996), the City Bandshell at Twining Park (1998), the Chenoweth House (1999), the Monroe Middle School (1999), the Depot Welcome Center/Historic Cheesemaking Center (2004), the Green County Historical Society Museum (2005), and now, the Turner Hall of Monroe (2006). All of the previously released Monroe collectibles are still available except the Chenoweth House, and plans are being made for production of other Monroe buildings.

The price for each Turner Hall collectible is $20.99 (without tax), with $1 of each sale going to benefit the Turner Hall of Monroe. The Wooden Spoon is located on the north side of the Square at 1609-10th Street; phone 608-325-3110. Supplies of the Turner Hall collectible, as well as the other Monroe buildings, are limited.

The Turner Hall keepsake, as well as many of the other Monroe buildings in the collection, make wonderful gifts for friends who visit Monroe or family who perhaps no longer live in the area. And, if you don't have any of the Monroe collection yourself, maybe now is the time to start!