Anniversary Celebrations

An anniversary is commonly associated with weddings. Married persons who regard the date of their marriage as important may mark the yearly date of their wedding in some special way.

Broader groups in society, especially the families, and even more especially the children of such a couple, may help to celebrate such occasions; this is particularly common on the 40th, 50th, and 60th annivs.

Retailers (especially jewellers), sensing a profit opportunity, have encouraged gift-giving on such special days, and may often suggest a hierarchy of types of gifts to reflect the importance of longer years of marriage (and perhaps of greater ability to purchase more expensive gifts).

Wisconsin is a state in the United States, located in the Midwest. The rural economy was originally based on furs, then came lumber, farming, dairy, and vacationing. Industrialization began in the late 19th century in the southeast, with Milwaukee as the major center. In recent decades service industries, especially medicine and education, have become dominant. The state has always been ethnically heterogeneous. The Yankees arrived first and long dominated industry, finance, politics and education. Large numbers of Germans arrived between 1850 and 1900, centering in Milwaukee, but also settling in many small cities and farm areas in the southeast. Scandinavians settled in lumbering and farming areas in the northwest. Small colonies of Belgians, Swiss, Finns and other groups came to the state. Irish Catholics mostly came to the cities. After 1900, Polish immigrants came to Milwaukee, followed by African Americans from 1940 on. Politically, the state was a Republican stronghold that supported the Union during the Civil War. Ethnoreligious issues regarding schools split the Republican coalition briefly in 1890. From 1900 to the 1940s, Robert La Follette and his sons dominated state politics using the Republican Party and then their own Progressive Party. Since 1945, the state has maintained a close balance between the Republicans and Democrats. The Republicans put forth conservative-to-moderate Governor Tommy Thompson in the 1980s and 1990s, while the Democrats have produced liberal Senator Russ Feingold in the 2000s. Economy Greetings from Wisconsin According to the 2004 U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis report, Wisconsin’s gross state product was $211.7 billion. The per capita personal income was $32,157 in 2004. The economy of Wisconsin is driven by agriculture, healthcare and manufacturing. Although manufacturing accounts for a far greater part of the state's income than farming, Wisconsin is usually recognized primarily as a farming state. Wisconsin produces more dairy products than any other state in the United States except California, and it leads the nation in cheese production. Although California has overtaken Wisconsin in the production of milk and butter, Wisconsin still produces more milk per capita than any other state in the Union. In addition to dairying, Wisconsin ranks first in the production of corn for silage, cranberries, ginseng, and snap beans for processing. Wisconsin is also a leading producer of oats, potatoes, carrots, tart cherries, maple syrup, and sweet corn for processing. Given Wisconsin's strong agricultural tradition, it is not surprising that a large part of the state's manufacturing sector deals with food processing. Some well known food brands produced in Wisconsin include Oscar Mayer, Tombstone and Jack's frozen pizza, and Johnsonville Bratwursts. Kraft Foods alone employs over five thousand people in the state. Milwaukee is a major producer of beer. In addition to food processing, Wisconsin is home to several transportation equipment and machinery manufacturers. Major Wisconsin companies in these categories include the Kohler Company, Rockwell International, Briggs & Stratton, Miller Electric, Milwaukee Electric Power Tools, Oshkosh Truck, and Harley-Davidson. Wisconsin also ranks first nationwide in the production of paper products; the lower Fox River from Lake Winnebago to the Bay of Green Bay has twenty-four paper mills along its 39-mile (63 km) stretch. The largest paper companies with operations in Wisconsin are Kimberly-Clark and Georgia-Pacific, both of which rank among the state's top ten employers. Healthcare is a growing sector of the economy with key players such as Tomotherapy and GE Healthcare. Tourism is also a major industry in Wisconsin. Tourism destinations such as the House on the Rock near Spring Green, Circus World Museum in Baraboo, and the collection of attractions around Wisconsin Dells each draw thousands of visitors every year, and festivals such as Summerfest and the EAA Oshkosh Airshow always attract large crowds. Wisconsin collects personal income tax based on 4 income level brackets, which range from 4.6 percent to 6.75 percent. The state sales tax of 5 percent. Fifty-eight counties have an additional sales tax of 0.5 percent. Retailers who make sales subject to applicable county taxes must collect 5.5 percent sales tax on their retail sales. Sales of motor vehicles, boats, snowmobiles, mobile homes 45 feet (13.7 m) or less in length, trailers, semi-trailers, all-terrain vehicles, and aircraft are subject to the county use tax rather than county sales tax. The most common property tax assessed on Wisconsin residents is the real property tax, or their residential property tax. Wisconsin does not impose a property tax on vehicles but does levy an annual registration fee. Property taxes are the most important tax revenue source for Wisconsin's local governments, as well as major methods of funding school districts, vocational technical colleges, special purpose districts and tax incremental finance districts. Equalized values are based on the full market value of all taxable property in the state, except for agricultural land. In order to provide property tax relief for farmers, the value of agricultural land is determined by its value for agriculture uses, rather than for its possible development value. Equalized values are used to distribute state aid payments to counties, municipalities, and technical colleges. Assessments prepared by local assessors are used to distribute the property tax burden within individual municipalities. Wisconsin does not assess a tax on intangible personal property. Wisconsin does not collect inheritance taxes. Wisconsin's estate tax is decoupled from the federal estate tax laws; therefore the state imposes its own estate tax. Badger State State Animal: Badger State Domesticated Animal: Dairy Cow State Wild Animal: White-tailed Deer State Beverage: Milk State Bird: Robin State Capital: Madison State Dog: Spaniel State Fish: Muskellunge State Flower: Wood Violet State Fossil: Trilobite State Grain: Corn State Insect: Honeybee State Motto: Forward State Song: "On, Wisconsin!" State Tree: Sugar Maple State Mineral: Galena (Lead sulfide) State Rock: Red Granite State Soil: Antigo Silt Loam State Dance: Polka State Symbol of Peace: Mourning Dove