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Frederic
Village of Frederic
Celebrate the Fun Activities in Frederic
Frederic is a wonderful place for someone raising a family, for young entrepreneurs, and for persons wishing to retire.
We value the arts in our community, which is supported by the all-volunteer membership group Frederic Arts, Inc. They host a number of art, craft and design classes led by skilled instructors throughout the year. Most classes are held at the Frederic Art Center, 310 Lake Ave., South. Check out the sculpture, “Circle of Stones,” by Minnesota artist Fuller Cowles and another sculpture, “Partners,” by Sarah Balbin, as well as works by our local talented metal sculptor, Michael Route.
There are lots of fun things to see and do in Frederic. Lakes are nearby, or within an easy drive, for fishing and boating, along with beaches and parks to work on a summer tan or for the kids to swing and slide. Nearby also are the Gandy Dancer State Trail and the Ice Age National Scenic Trail for those who like to hike and bike.
Winter activities include snowmobiling, ice-skating on the public rink, cross-country skiing and ice fishing. The Trade River Trail offers 10 km of groomed trails, and the Coon Lake Trail has 5.3 km of packed trails for winter hiking and snowshoeing. The “big feet” crowd will also want to try the Somers Lake Trail where there are three wooded loops totaling almost five miles for snowshoeing.
The Frederic Area Museum is an interesting place to visit. The original Frederic Depot was built in 1901 for a sum of $1,525. Passenger service through Frederic ended in 1961 and scheduled freight service ended in 1980. Renovated in the early 1990s, the depot was converted into a museum. In 2003 the depot was formally listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Since the museum opened in 1997, several additions to the depot have been made. Adjacent to the depot/museum is a log cabin handcrafted by Syver Torkelson.
Frederic Family Days is held annually in June. Whether you are hitting dingers in the annual softball tournament, walking the classic car show, enjoying the parade, fireworks, or any of the other fun activities there is something for everyone! In the past, they have held the annual Frederic Festival on the Gandy where local and regional artists display and sell their works of art. July brings the Indianhead Gem & Mineral Show. You don’t have to be a rockhound to enjoy the colorful agates and minerals on display and for sale. For more information on events, visit www.discoverfrederic.com.
Originally a logging community, Frederic was founded in 1901 and over the next 70 years grew into a retail and service hub serving northern Polk County and southern Burnett County. FREDERIC
Polk County welcomes hikers to experience the 60 miles of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail (IANST), which falls within the county. The IANST in total stretches approximately 1,200 miles from Interstate State Park on the St. Croix River near St. Croix Falls, down as far as Janesville in Rock County in southern Wisconsin, and then up to Potawatomi State Park on Green Bay in Door County. IANST lies entirely within Wisconsin and is one of only 11 National Scenic Trails.
The Ice Age Trail is more than a path through the woods, according to those who manage and support the IANST. “It is a place for mental and physical rejuvenation, a place to unwind after a hard day and enjoy the landscape of Wisconsin,” says the iceagetrail.org website. “More than 2.3 million people use the Ice Age Trail each year to hike and snowshoe, to backpack, to disconnect and reconnect.”
St. Croix Falls, known as “The City of Trails,” is where the Ice Age National Scenic Trail ends or begins, depending on where you start your journey. It is the home of the Western Terminus and was designated an Ice Age Trail Community in 2019
The western terminus overlooks the St. Croix River in Interstate State Park. Glacial potholes are featured trailside with the trail’s terminus perched above the riverway and the Dalles of the St. Croix gorge. A brief walk clockwise on the Pothole Trail leads to the western terminus marker. The state park is an Ice Age National Scientific Reserve unit with an interpretive center containing educational displays about the Ice Age.
The Polk County portion of the trail leads hikers through the glacial features of St. Croix Falls, onto the Gandy Dancer multi-use state trail, past the basaltic outcroppings and glacial formations of Straight Lake State Park, through vistas of massive white pine overlooking McKenzie Creek, and into several county forests. The Gandy Dancer State Trail from Centuria to Milltown is on a glacial outwash plain along some of Polk County’s best cropland.
Key glacial features include eskers (narrow glacial ridges) in St. Croix Falls and along Long Lake, a tunnel channel carved by glacial meltwater that the Straight River follows through the park of the same name, and numerous kettles (mounds) and hummocks (depressions). Eagles and trumpeter swans may be spotted in Straight Lake Park.
For more information about group hikes and other trail events, check the Facebook page of the Ice Age Trail Alliance - Indianhead chapter. Resources for planning a hike are available at iceagetrail. org. The Polk County Information Center in St. Croix Falls has Ice Age merchandise, including the guidebook, atlas, t-shirts, pins/ medallions and patches for sale.
