Posts Tagged ‘devils lake’

Years ago I was taking a summer’s evening walk through the Ice Age campground at Devil’s Lake State Park. I heard some people singing around a campfire.  It took a minute for me to properly focus on the words. The song went something like, “Baraboo, Baraboo.. .What’s there to do in Baraboo?…” and ended with a lot of laughter.

Some suggest there is plenty to do in our little town. I realize it’s an issue of perspective.  It all depends on what you want to do, and of course if you know about it. Some believe catering to outdoor enthusiasts isn’t worth it since they stay within the park or recreational areas and don’t support the communities they are in. Others suggest even those that do are so few in number that it’s still not worth the effort. That has me thinking about the 1.4 million visitors each year to our local state park. Shouldn’t they be lighting up the town, at least in the summer months? Are parks and natural areas simply self contained islands?  Where’s the disconnect?

As you can imagine, here in the heart of the Baraboo hills this is a topic worth discussing.. Do outdoor enthusiasts go shopping?  Do they visit restaurants?  Do they buy little mementos? The answers of course seem obvious.. but for some reason they are not.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.