Extract from the 1940 Census:
Name: Harold R Altenburg
Age: 6
Estimated birth year: 1934
Birthplace: Wisconsin
Race: white
Sex: male
Relation to head-of-house: son
Home in 1940: Plover, Portage, Wisconsin
Marital status: single
Highest grade of school completed: 0
Living on farm: no
City of residence in 1935: rural, Portage, Wisconsin
Occupation: attending school
Siblings living at home: Eugene K (age 10), Neal W (5), and Olive (1)
Census place: Plover, Portage, Wisconsin; Roll: T627_4513; Page: 19A; Enumeration District: 49-23
Date: 6 May 1940

Extract from the 1950 Census:
Name: Harold R Altenburg
Age: 16
Estimated birth year: 1934
Birthplace: Wisconsin
Race: white
Sex: male
Relation to head-of-house: son
Home in 1950: Plover, Portage, Wisconsin
Address: 2¾ miles south
Living on farm: yes
Marital status: single
Occupation: none
Siblings living at home: Eugene K (age 21), Neal W (15), Olive I (11), Thomas P (9), and Mary L (3)
Census place: Plover, Portage, Wisconsin
Date: 8 Apr 1950

Article from the "Stevens Point Journal" dated 29 Jun 2004:
Strawberry fields provide families more than just fruit
Plover - For many local residents, June means strawberry-picking season, and this year was no exception. Despite a smaller crop and a shorter picking season, strawberry pickers at Altenburg's Country Strawberries enjoyed finding, picking, and of course, sampling the strawberries.
This year marked Turner and Carson Kedrowski's second visit to the strawberry patch. Turner, 5, estimated he picked about eight strawberries - but somehow he ate about 12. Carson, 7, was a bit more ambitious, picking an estimated 105 strawberries and eating only five, at least according to his estimations.
"I originally wanted to buy strawberries at the store," said Linda Kedrowski, mother of the strawberry-picking duo. "But, (Turner and Carson) convinced me to come out and pick our own. We came up last year, and the boys had so much fun they wanted to come out again this year," she said.
Before heading to Altenburg's Country Gardens or Altenburg's Country Strawberries, call 421-2943 to make sure they're still open for the day.
Harold Altenburg, who owns the business with his wife, Jean, said working with families is one of the best parts of his job.
"I enjoy working with people, and the kids are great," he said. "Our business is aimed at creating a place where families can have fun together."
Harold takes this year's smaller crop in stride, and believes "it's just the nature of the beast."
He believes it's more important that families have a chance to spend time together and get away from the stress of daily life for awhile, he said.
It was this goal that prompted him to go into the "pick-your-own" business 40 years ago, Harold said.
"We knew that people do a lot of strawberry picking, so we decided to grow them. Plus, I love strawberries; I could eat them 365 days a year," he added.
The two began their Wisconsin Rapids business, Altenburg's Country Gardens, 7020 Plover Road, in 1966 and expanded to Plover in 1989, with the establishment of Altenburg's Country Strawberries, 5300 Prairie Dr.
Sandy Zastrow, a customer of Altenburg's Country Strawberries for 14 years, enjoys the friendly, carefree atmosphere, she said.
"It's fun talking to people in the patch," Zastrow said. "And Harold is a great guy, the whole experience is just lots of fun."
Zastrow, who picked 130 pounds of strawberries this year, plans to make jam and ice cream out of the delectable fruit, she said.
Maxine King, 67, also plans to make jam, as well as strawberry shortcake and pie with marshmallows.
Arriving at 6:30 a.m., King and her niece, Jody Slowinski, 34, picked six flats in less than three hours.
"I used to grow strawberries in my garden, but it was too much like work, so I started coming here," King said with a laugh.
King doesn't shy away from hard work, however. With pants thoroughly soaked from the damp ground, she worked her way through the patch, battling the thorny weeds.
The work is worth it, however, when she comes across the perfect strawberry, King said.
King, who comes to the strawberry patch every year, enjoys the time she gets to spend with her family, including her daughter who travels from Arbor Vitae, five minutes north of Minocqua.
"I brought my two grandchildren out last week," King added. "They're getting to the point where they can out pick me."
The eight acres of strawberries, which sell for $1 per pound, will be available for picking every day at 6:30 a.m. until the end of this week or next, Harold said. He'll see how the strawberries hold up before making a decision.