NORTHWEST REGION

Northwest

Region Calendar

Discover the Ice Age National Scenic Trail in Polk County

June 3-4 Rice Lake – Chalk & Bubble Fest June 3-12 Rice Lake – Aquafest June 3-4 Amery – Amery Trails Day June 4 St. Croix Falls – 5K & 10K Walk/Run June 4 Milltown – Dairy Breakfast June 4 Chetek – Museum Hosta Fundraiser June 4 Barron – Dairy Breakfast June 4 Grantsburg – Big Gust Day & Car Show June 4-5 Milltown – Youth Fishing Contest June 4-5 Cable – Borah Epic June 6 Chetek – Taste of Chetek June 11 Osceola – Rhubarb Fest June 11 Deer Lake – Youth Fishing Contest June 11 Rice Lake – Coin Show June 11 Cable – Chequamegon 100 Mtn. Bike Race June 11 Bayfield–GardenTours June 16 Madeline Island – Chequamegon Chef’s Exhibition June 17-19 Frederic – Family Days June 17-19 Clayton – Clayton Cheese Days June 18 La Pointe – Inline Skate Marathon June 18 Amery – Arts & Crafts Fair June 18 Rice Lake – Fly-In Celebration June 21-23 Chetek – Wine Walk June 23-26 Clear Lake – Heritage Days June 24-26 Hayward – Musky Festival June 25 Amery – Triathlon June 25 Milltown – Bass Tournament June 25 Superior – Superior Vista Bike Tour June 25-26 Rice Lake – Steam & Gas Engine Show June 25-26 Milltown – Fisherman’s Party June 25-26 St. Croix Falls – BBQ & Blues Car Show

Polk County is blessed with 62 miles of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, a footpath that winds for more than a thousand miles across Wisconsin, following the edge of glaciation that shaped the state’s terrain.

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. Interstate State Park is the trail’s western terminus, serving as the start or finish for those who hike the entire statewide trail, whether in one go or in segments. Nearby St. Croix Falls, which calls itself the City of Trails, features other local intersecting trails. The city was the first in western Wisconsin to be designated by trail officials as a Trail Community, offering economic development and health benefits. 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. The trail in Polk County was built by crews of local volunteers supplemented by others from across the Midwest. Segments of the trail are maintained volunteer labor. 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 www. iceagetrail.org. The Polk County Information Center has Ice Age merchandise, including the guidebook, atlas, t-shirts, pins/medallions and patches for sale.

Hayward’s Musky Festival is a Northwoods Favorite

HAYWARD – There are not many communities that can boast their premier celebrations have endured and even grown over more than seven decades. Yet, Hayward can with its Musky Festival entering its 72nd year of providing loads of fun and food to one and all. This year’s mega-celebration will be held Thursday through Sunday, June 23-26. With the exception of the fishing contest, everything is held conveniently in downtown Hayward. There will be much to see and do. There will be some 120 booths offering handmade art and crafts, sidewalk sales, car show (Sat-

urday), canoe/kayak/SUP races, kids’ games (including watermelon and ice cream-eating contests) and carnival. The long list also includes live music, Native American dancers, run/walk, Minnow Run, Grand Parade, Musky Queen Scholarship program and the Hayward Lions Club’s fishing contest. There will be food and beer tents. Bands will perform on the main stage in the downtown Friday afternoon and night, and Saturday afternoon and night. Admission to the musical performances is free. The 5K run/walk and 10K run will take place Sunday morning. The top male and female finishers in the 5K and 10K will receive special prizes. Age class winners will also take home a prize. The festival finale is the Grand Parade, which takes place Sunday. It sets off at 1 p.m. and goes through Historic Main Street. The Grand Parade features area business and non-profit floats, area high school and professional marching bands, clowns, horses and more.

2596 STATE HWY 35 715 472 4700 GANDY DANCER TRAIL ACCESS

4 PM - Close Opening May 27th

Don’t Miss a Highlight of the Summer – a Lumberjack Show

HAYWARD – It was 40 years ago Fred Scheer and his brother, Robert, created a new form of family entertainment, a lumberjack show, for northern Wisconsin visitors.

The two brothers and their four sisters had spent numerous summers as kids balancing and rolling on the logs on Lake Hayward in the bay of North Wisconsin Lumber Company. Their summer fun trained them to become fierce competitors in the logrolling event (birling) of the Lumberjack World Championships (LWC) held in Hayward every July. The young Scheers expanded their activities and became skillful at the boom run and pole climbing, as well as other events that were part of the LWC. In 1981, the two brothers established the original Scheer’s Lumberjack Show and used their lumberjack skills to entertain area tourists.

More than a demonstration, the show features a competition between two lumberjack teams as they do 10 different events, including logrolling, pole climbing and crosscut saw. Cheering the teams on gets the crowd involved in the show and down home humor has everybody chuckling. The original venue for the show in 1981 was a small dock on the shore of Lake Hayward, behind what was then Windmill Square. The show’s lumberjacks delighted small crowds and it soon became apparent the production needed more space. With encouragement from Tony Wise, the legendary Hayward promoter, Fred and Robert Scheer moved the show to its present location, Lumberjack Village. After that the Woodruff location opened up. Fred is now the sole owner of Fred Scheer’s Lumberjack Shows and the Lumberjack Village. Training young athletes to be lumberjacks is still a fulfilling role for Fred. Through the years many lumberjacks have come, performed and moved on to other careers. Numerous world champion logrollers, pole climbers and boom-runners had their start as apprentices in Fred Scheer’s Lumberjack Show and the cast has always included world champion lumberjacks. A world champion log roller himself, Fred occasionally delights audiences by personally participating in a show. For all the years Scheer’s Lumberjack Shows has been in Hayward, it continues to draw crowds. One might say that a visit to northern Wisconsin isn’t complete without seeing a Scheer’s Lumberjack Show. Northwest Region

All In for Taste of Chetek, Wine Walk

CHETEK – A couple of food and wine events in Chetek have been announced for the month of June, including Taste of Chetek on Monday, June 6. Taste of Chetek runs from 5-7 p.m. at Main Street Park, 624 Second Street. Hosted by the Chetek Chamber of Commerce, it showcases local restaurants, who set up booths and sell samples of their signature dishes and foods. In case of inclement weather, the event will be moved inside The Center. Later in the month, visitors can enjoy wine while shopping the local retail and specialty shops in Chetek. The annual Wine Walks runs from Tuesday, June 21 through Thursday, June 23 in Chetek.

Participating Chetek area businesses will offer wine samples, extended hours for a fun downtown dining and shopping experience. For those shops participating, regular business hours will be observed Tuesday and Wednesday, and open until 7 p.m. Thursday. For $20, attendees get a wine glass, a carrying bag and a coupon book for local businesses (while supplies last). For every $10 spent at participating retail businesses, wine walkers will get a ticket entered into the prize drawings.

Pro Rodeo Comes to Rice Lake

RICE LAKE – Mark the calendar and get advance tickets to the “Cadillac of Rodeos” when the county fairgrounds in Rice Lake hosts the Barron County Pro Rodeo Event on Sept. 9 & 10. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. with both nights’ pre-shows starting at 6 p.m. and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeos at 7 p.m. The schedule includes the band “Seconds” at 5 p.m. and the Hometown Heroes Drill Team at 6 p.m., followed by the Jr. Bucking Bull Riders from Mississippi. Additional intermission entertainment will be the “One Arm Bandit – Night of the Horse” and the Rodeo City Riders final. For more information, visit barroncountyprorodeo.com or call 715-403-5162. Northwest Region

Book a Wisconsin Great Northern Train Ride

Whether you’re a dedicated train rider or wondering what a train ride is like, this is the year to hop aboard the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad. After a two-year hiatus (due to COVID) the Wisconsin Great Northern is back with some special surprises to delight passengers. The family-operated excursion train is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Among the new features is the introduction of America’s only all-private dining aboard the “dinner train.” Accommodating up to six people, each enclosed dining room is especially suitable for birthday and anniversary celebrations. A favorite of many, the “bed & breakfast train” returns with all firstclass accommodations. Like other trips, this one travels at a leisurely pace as it makes its way through farm fields, deep woods and along the scenic Namekagon River. Their renowned “family pizza train” will now feature pizzas made fresh onboard the train. Wisconsin Great Northern also has other train rides, including the “wine & cheese train,” and later in the year, the “Santa pizza train.” The lull in luring visitors the past two years has allowed them to complete a major track improvement and upgrades to many of their cars. They are also putting the finishing touches on the complete rebuild of the Mark Twain Zephyr, a gleaming Art Deco passenger train from 1935. The Mark Twain Zephyr was one of nine stainless steel streamlined trains built by the Budd Company for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy in the 1930s. These shovelnose trains forever changed train travel as they ushered in a new era of passenger railroading in North America.

You can learn more about the project at the website, marktwainzephyr. com. The train depot is located four miles north of Spooner along U.S. 53-63. For more information and reservations (required) call 715-6353200 or visit spoonertrainride.com.Northwest Region