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Mary Bergin -- features reporter

The Capital Times  —  4/25/2008 12:09 pm

Mary Bergin is a cheerful presence who bounces into the Lifestyle department with a smile and hello (and often a treat) for everyone. She's done stints as a reporter, assistant editor and features editor in her 19 years at The Capital Times.

She's the person who introduced Barbara Quirk, geriatic-nurse-practitioner-turned-columnist to Cap Times readers, as well as columns by local members of the clergy on the issues of the day, and the "Would You ..." feature that offered school children a chance to comment on an array of questions.

Mary offered readers a chance to try new edibles with "Taste Testers" and she's made a specialty of covering Wisconsin's relationship with food. Her topics have ranged from it's Madison's ethnic markets to the state's specialty food industries -- cheese to ginseng to horseradish -- to her Friday columns: Culinary Clips and Special Requests.

But Mary may be best know for her long-time column, "Roads Traveled," which appears on the cover of the Saturday Lifestyle section. She's traveled the state's highways and byways, kept tabs on the tourism industry here and elsewhere, and provided an endless source of ideas for folks looking for new destinations.

Those columns have been collection in a book, "Sidetracked in Wisconsin: A Guide for Thoughtful Travelers." Wisconsin, she says, is her "favorite place on the planet." A new book, "Hungry for Wisconsin," will be out this summer. And "Roads Traveled" will continue to appear, starting next Thursday, as "Road Trip" in the new 77 Square magazine.

Mary's own photos illustrate her columns. She was 2007 Photographer of the Year for the Society of American Travel Writers, Central States Chapter. Keep track of her on her Web site: www.roadstraveled.com.

From Linda Brazill, features editor

The Capital Times  —  4/25/2008 12:09 pm