By Chris Spangler
Fort Atkinson’s been on a roll this month as a giant beachball makes the rounds through town.
The multicolored 6-foot-tall beachball has been showing up in parks, front yards and everywhere in between, and just when you learn where it is, it’s gone with the wind.
The jumbo beachball is the brainchild of Travis Paulsen, whose friend in Stoughton sent him a Snapchat picture of an oversized beachball after it rolled into his yard last month.
The ball apparently had escaped a family’s fence, and a neighborhood association posted on its social media page, “Hey, is this huge ball yours? It’s at the end of Hyland now.”
After that, the ball took on a life of its own, with residents of the traditionally Norwegian community adding their signatures and taking selfies with the ball as it rolled through their neighborhoods and downtown. They even named it: Rolie Polie Ole.
Back in Fort Atkinson, Paulsen thought that looked like fun, so he ordered a 6-foot-tall beachball on Amazon.com., inflated it, attached a marker for people to sign the ball and debuted it on Sunday, Aug. 1.
“I walked it down to Jones Park,” he said.
The ball immediately garnered attention, with passersby stopping to snap photos and add their John Hancock on the brightly colored plastic.
From there, it moved on.
“I’m not really sure (how it travels),” Paulsen said. “Either the wind can blow it, or people can push it around.”
Once in a while, the ball gets a ride to a new destination by pickup truck.
So people would know the ball’s locale at any given time, Paulsen set up a social media search keyword.
“I looked up the hashtag #fortatkinsonbeachball and saw zero results, so I decided to use that,” he said. “Not all people use it when they post, though.”
Pictures and comments also are being posted on various Facebook pages, such as the Fort Atkinson Community Network and Vern Zech’s Taking a Stroll Down Memory Lane, Then and Now.
With so much action, it is no surprise that the ball loses a little air periodically.
“I’ve brought it back home (several) times for repairs,” Paulsen said, noting that the severe storms a couple weeks ago took their toll on the ball.
“Sunday night, the 8th, it got damaged a bit; there were several pokes in it,” he said.
While there have been other folks who have given the beachball a shot of air when needed, Paulsen is the ball’s main caretaker.
“To my knowledge, yes, I don’t see any patches I don’t recognize, but if anybody wants to patch it, they are welcome to,” he said.
When all are fixed, he takes the ball to a park or schoolyard.
“I only place it somewhere else if I have to bring it home for repairs,” Paulsen said.
Among the places the beachball has visited are Jones Park, Barrie Park, Rockwell Elementary School, Trailway Park and the Fort Atkinson Aquatic Center in Rock River Park. This past weekend, it got a little TLC and then was driven to Memorial Park near the Wisconsin Army National Guard Armory.
The farthest it has traveled on its own, Paulsen believes, is north of Purdy School on McComb Street.
One weekend, it sheltered in St. Paul’s Lutheran School after custodians apparently thought it belonged there. They released it upon learning that the beachball was a free spirit.
Paulsen said there just is something about seeing the giant beachball that makes people smile and brings both neighbors and strangers together.
“It’s different. One night when I was driving it to Trailway Park, I saw many people looking and pointing at it. Several kids ran to the side of the road as they saw it coming down the street.”
But it’s not just children who are having a ball. Among the hundreds of signatures are those of employees of businesses such as Bender, Kind & Stafford (BKS) Dental and at least one daycare center.
It’s been three weeks, and Paulsen isn’t certain how long the beachball will stay on the move.
“I have supplies to keep fixing it as needed and have even had people offer money to help with the upkeep,” he noted.
And what happens when it finally must be retired?
“One person has asked about starting a second ball already,” Paulsen said. “If and when this is damaged too far for repair, maybe I’ll lay it out, take pics of all the signatures and share them.”
The jumbo beachball “hunt” has been as much fun for Paulsen as it has been for the community at large.
He describes himself as “just a regular guy who loves making people smile.
“I try to follow a couple different ways of looking at life,” he said. “A lesson my dad taught me when I was about 10 (was) ‘always take care of the people that take care of you.’ Pay it forward, Random acts of kindness (RAK) and leaving someone/something better than you found it (give someone a compliment or pick up some garbage).”
With that philosophy, it is no surprise that Paulsen has been dressing as Santa Claus for about eight years now, offering to visit people’s houses, daycares and assisted-living centers, which he calls “some of my favorites.”
And, this year, Paulsen revised that role by creating Christmas in July — well, August — and placing a colorful, giant beachball in Fort Atkinson’s stocking.
After returning to the home of Fort Atkinson resident Travis Paulsen for puncture repairs, a 6-foot-tall beachball, which has become a focus of joy and fascination as it rolls around the city, is left at the Wisconsin Army National Guard Armory. Over the last month, the ball has visited several parks and public spaces within the city.
Members of the Martin-Chuppa family, having found the ball in a public place, wait their turn to sign. Spotting and signing the ball has become a pastime in Fort Atkinson. The ball has been rolling around the city since Aug. 1.
Those interested in joining the fun will find this pen attached to the ball. Travis Paulsen, who got the ball rolling and serves as its caretaker, says he plans to keep the ball in play for as long as it brings joy to the community.
Fort Atkinson resident and caretaker of the community’s giant beachball Travis Paulsen and his 4-year-old granddaughter, Kinzlee Selsing, poise with the ball.
Fort Atkinson resident Travis Paulsen stands with what has become the community’s beachball. Paulsen introduced the ball into the community earlier this month.
Submitted photos.
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