It is my hope that everyone and your families continue to do well during these challenging times. Every year in May, thousands of school children throughout the state come to Madison and visit your Wisconsin State Capitol. They get the chance to walk through the halls getting a hands-on history lesson of our state. I hope that the building will be open again soon to the public, but in the meantime, there are still ways to that you can enjoy the rich history the “People's House” has to offer with your children.

As part of Wisconsin’s centennial celebration, a website was created to allow people, either through their computer desktop or through an at-home virtual reality headset, to take a private tour of the Capitol. The tour includes waypoints to let people learn more about what they are seeing. For example, when you select the Liberty mosaic in the rotunda, you learn that it contains over 100,000 glass tiles. Also, you can see that liberty is holding a ballot box with her finger up, signifying the concept of one-person, one-vote.

But as your elected State Representative, I need to highlight the part of the virtual tour that takes you to the beautiful Assembly Chambers. The Assembly Chambers is where the Assembly conducts its floor sessions. The chamber is big enough to hold all 99 State Representatives for Wisconsin, with each one representing about 57,000 people.

The best part of the Chambers, besides having the honor of representing you there in Madison, is the view from my seat. The natural lighting for the room is provided by a gorgeous 36-foot diameter skylight. This light emphases “Wisconsin,” a 16-foot by 37-foot mural painted by Edwin Blashfield which adorns the wall behind the Speaker. In that mural, a woman representing Wisconsin interacts with figures representing the state's past and future. When looking at this mural I can always find the “Ghost of the Assembly.” This was a civil war soldier who was painted over to make way for a badger, but over time, the oil has faded and you can see his original outline.

But it would not be the Assembly Chambers without the Chippewa Valley making its mark. In front of the mural is a replica of “Old Abe,” a bald eagle from the Civil War who was the mascot for the 8th Infantry Regiment from Eau Claire. Old Abe witnessed 37 battles and skirmishes in the War. After the war, he lived in the “Eagle Department” of the Capitol for 20 years until he passed away because of a fire.

With such a rich history around every corner of the building, there is always something new to be found in the Capitol. I would encourage you to visit my Facebook page www.facebook.com/Rep.Petryk where I posted a quick video overview of what the Capitol has to offer. You can also visit https://capitol.wisconsin.gov/ to take the full virtual tour of the Capitol. As always, stay safe, stay well, and remember that my office is open and my staff and I are available to serve you, the people of Western Wisconsin.