Posts Tagged ‘Flake Out Festival’

If it weren’t for the Green Bay Packers and regular snow fall, we’d be hard pressed for headlines here in central Wisconsin this time of year.  Yesterday’s storm closed schools early and made roads treacherous as usual.  There was one very tragic accident  at Mirror Lake which left one person dead and closed the Interstate highway all day and through last night.  During the summer months we paddle under that bridge regularly and that certainly gives you a unique perspective on this accident.

The weather over the next few days will be colder than usual, but not really the arctic freeze you’re hearing about in the papers. Well, other than Friday anyway when the day’s high will struggle to reach 3f.   Most outdoorsy folks won’t be slowed down. In fact, I expect to see a few campers at Devil’s Lake State Park regardless of temps.  The good news is that the long range forecast is calling for a warmer than usual second half of the season which should kick off not long after the Packers-Bears game this Sunday.

I’d bet attendance this Sunday at the annual Wisconsin Dells Flake Out festival may be a little down.. Unless they come up with some winter weather-proof big screens.

After the last Christmas ornament is taken down and the last of the New Year’s confetti is swept from the corners of the floor, the “Now What?” season begins.   We’ve entered the time of year when few events take place, when the cold begins to really sink in and day dreams of summer begin to interrupt our work days. Let’s face it, for many of us it’s hard to be a big fan of winter.  I’m feeling it too..

Well, don’t despair, spring is just a few short months away.  In the mean time, there are a few local events coming up to take your mind off the gray days.  Eagle Watching Days kicks off Jan. 14-15 in Sauk-Prairie. January 21-23 will be the 21st anniversary celebration for the Flake Out Festival in Wisconsin Dells.  The Flake out is a good time and certainly worth a drive up to Wisconsin Dells.  The event offers lots of food & drink, an ice sculpting contest, live music, wagon rides and much more. Click here for details about the Flake Out Festival.  On February 5, many Wisconsin state parks will be holding another candlelight ski event including Mirror Lake State Park again.   Then, February 11th-13th the annual snow train will be running at Mid-Continent Railway Museum.  You’ll need to get your reservations in soon for that.  Taking in a local event whenever possible brings a bit of cheerful change to the long winter months.

Of course it helps to learn to enjoy outdoor recreation in the winter months as well. Why not learn to downhill ski this year at Devil’s Head Resort or Cascade Mountain.  We’ve promised our son he’d get to sample snowshoeing, downhill skiing and be able run the tube hill at Cascade Mountain before the season is up.  (One thing is sure, we’ll go during the week when the cost is $22 all day, as opposed to the weekend when they charge $22 for 2 hours!) Setting activity goals for the winter helps provide something to look forward to.

Kayak Sledding at Devil's Lake State Park

You could also head out to Devil’s Lake State Park for a bit of sledding on the big hill in the Quartzite Campground. We like to take our plastic kayaks out there for an occasional run.  What a blast! Oh, and of course there’s all those miles of trails to explore by ski or snowshoe!  It’s worth renting gear to see if you like it, but gear for either sport is not that expensive and it’s best to buy as soon as you feel committed. (Locally it costs about $15 to rent snowshoes for a day.)  Of course lots of folks are out snowmobiling and ice fishing as well this time of year.  We’ve had a bit of snow overnight so let’s hope the snowmobile trails will open up again here soon!

The real trick to surviving the “Now What?” season is simply staying busy.  Get outdoors, even if you’re not a big fan of winter.  Play, walk, take a long drive, explore…  If you just stay active, the late grey months of winter will soon be over.   I promise.

The Flake Out Festival is coming to Wisconsin Dells this weekend, Jan 22 – 24th.  We’ll certainly be there! In honor of their 20th anniversary and to save you the effort of reading every last page of the festival website.. Here’s our list of “10 things you may not know you can do at the Wisconsin Dells Flake Out Festival this weekend”…

Number 10 – Watch Winter Fireworks on Saturday Night!

Number 9 – Read the full menu & beverage selections on the website!.. ah, no..forget that!

Number 8 – Meet the critter who said, ” “How bout that, I go to sleep a bear, and wake up an octopus!”

Number 7 – Eat chicken with your mittens on!!

Number 6 – Listen to Swing Crew.. and request songs by Insane Clown Posse just for fun! (Must be a Baraboo thing!)

Number 5 – Take a class.  Ah, never stop learning…

Number 4 – Watch dogs pull stuff.

Number 3 – Get lost in an ice maze!

Number 2 - Ride A Pony!

Number 1 – Make BBQ Snow Cones! Well, probably not but with that silliness out of the way, be sure to check out the website for details and daily events, then check out the festival this weekend. We’ll see ya there!

* Today’s Image is from a great Wallpaper created by Michael M. Knight and can be downloaded here.