Classic boats, tractors, booyah, blues and BBQ: Here's what to do in Door County in August
DOOR COUNTY - The month of August legendarily is thought to bring the sluggish "dog days" of the year. But there's no similar sluggishness in the number of festivals and special events taking place this month in Door County.
The Peninsula plays host to events focused on a wide range of interests during August, from classic boats to antique tractors, cherries to barbecue to booyah, visual art to the blues. And it happens from one end of the month to the other, from one end of Door County to the other.
And that's not to mention events for music aficionados with the 71st annual Peninsula Music Festival Symphony Series through Aug. 19 and the 32nd annual Washington Island Music Festival through Aug. 11. Plus, there's the homespun fun of the Door County Fair from Aug. 9 to 13.
So, here's a look at how you can spend your August weekends in Door County.
Aug. 5 to 6: Classic & Wooden Boat Show, Sturgeon Bay
Classic boats are joined by newly handmade boats (that may or may not float) at this weekend's 32nd annual Door County Classic and Wooden Boat Show.
The show takes place on the grounds of, and in the water bordering, the Door County Maritime Museum, which sponsors the event each year. It features plenty of classic vessels to view on land and water as well as the popular Sikaflex Build-a-Boat Challenge that includes a water trials competition.
As for the watercraft on display, one can expect to see fiberglass and mahogany runabouts, sailboats, kayaks and canoes. Some are built professionally while others are handcrafted, but all registered entrants are competing for awards and ribbons that will be announced at the end of the show, including People's Choice awards. Featured this year are Thompson boats, built by the Thompson Brothers company in Peshtigo starting in 1904.
Some boat owners will offer rides on the water to children and parents Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning (check at the information tent). Children's and family activities and crafts will be available Saturday, and demonstrations will be given both days.
Then there's the Sikaflex Challenge. The contest has two-person teams spend Saturday building and decorating a boat with limited materials and Sikaflex nautical adhesive, usually with some sort of fun, creative theme flair.
The teams then put their newly built boats into the Sturgeon Bay channel for the in-water sea trial/race at 1 p.m. Sunday, which usually brings varied results on their float-worthiness. Prizes are awarded for the boats themselves and their ability to stay above the water's surface.
The United States Coast Guard, which has its only Wisconsin station in Sturgeon Bay, will have its response boat in the DCMM parking lot from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and is offering tours of the cutter Mobile Bay from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday.
To help celebrate, the Peninsula Symphonic Band is playing a "Salute to the Coast Guard" program at 4 p.m. Saturday on the waterfront, and a boat parade between the Michigan Street and Maple-Oregon bridges takes place at 6:30 p.m.
The Boathouse Sale and Nautical Market features gently used maritime gadgets, printed materials and items of all sorts.
A concession stand will be open throughout the festival, with fresh whitefish sandwiches joining the usual brats, burgers and beverages on the menu.
The museum, and its 10-story Jim Kress Maritime Lighthouse Tower with an observation deck on top, will be open during the festival for its normal admission prices, with an additional charge to tour the tug John Purves docked outside the museum.
The show also leads into Maritime Week, a traditional celebration from Aug. 4 to 12 of Sturgeon Bay's status as one of 30 official Coast Guard cities in the U.S. and its long maritime history. The week's events include free tours of Coast Guard vessels that will be in the city Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and the 2022 Mariner and Coast Guard Person of the Year awards dinner Monday evening, Aug. 7, at the Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club; reservations are required for the dinner.
The Classic and Wooden Boat Show runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 6 at the Door County Maritime Museum, 120 N. Madison Ave., Sturgeon Bay. Show admission is free. For a complete schedule or more information, call 920-743-5958 or visit dcmm.org or dcclassicboatshow.com.
Aug. 5: Cherry Fest, Jacksonport
More than just small red fruits will be celebrated when the Jacksonport Historical Society holds its 28th annual Cherry Fest from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Lakeside Park on Wisconsin 57.
Of course, cherries are the food focus of the festival. The bakery booth will have homemade cherry kolaches, cherry pies and cherry sundaes for sale, while a variety of cherry jams, pie fillings and other cherry products will be for sale at a nearby booth to benefit the historical society. The lunch booth opens at 10 a.m. and features beverages, burgers and cherry brats.
Joining the cherries, the Erskine Rest Area plays home to the annual Cherry Fest Vintage Car Show, with cars, trucks and tractors on display from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A juried arts and crafts fair will run throughout the day, featuring a wide range of artists and craftsmen from all across the Midwest.
A live music tent in the park offers a mix of tangos, Gypsy jazz and vintage pop standards by the band Kaleidoscope from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by local country favorites Modern Day Drifters from noon to 4 p.m. Picnic table seating will be available around the tent; bring folding chairs or blankets for additional seating.
A penny hunt will be held on the beach at Lakeside Park for children in age groups 3 to 5 and 6 to 8 years old. Preregistration is required; times for registration and the hunt are to be determined.
All proceeds from sales in the festival benefit the nonprofit historical society. For more information, visit jacksonporthistoricalsociety.org.
Aug. 6: Bloodys, Brews & Bacon, Sturgeon Bay
Check out the unique bloody Marys created by local establishments, sample craft beers and – mmm, baconnnn, as Homer Simpson once said – when Destination Sturgeon Bay holds its third annual Bloodys, Brews & Bacon on the patio at Sonny's Pizzeria.
Guests can cast their votes for Best Bloody Mary and Best Garnish when they sample bloody Marys from five Sturgeon Bay restaurants. Along with the Sunday morning pick-me-ups, Bridge Up Brewing of Sturgeon Bay and One Barrel Brewing of Egg Harbor will have craft brews to try, and admission includes five strips of premium bacon and one piece of Sonny’s Breakfast Pizza. Paul Taylor & The LLT Organ Trio provide live music.
Bloodys, Brews & Bacon runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Sonny’s Italian Kitchen & Pizzeria, 129 N. Madison Ave., Sturgeon Bay. Tickets are $40 per person. For tickets, visit doorcountytickets.com; for more information on the event, call 920-743-6246 or visit sturgeonbay.net.
Aug. 12: Door County Festival of the Arts, Sister Bay
This 20th annual festival is the only one of the many art fests in Door County to feature solely Wisconsin artists, according to the sponsoring Sister Bay Advancement Association.
Those artists will not only show their artworks but also give demonstrations throughout the day. An all-ages art activities tent will feature well-known local stained glass artist Gary Chaudoir. A raffle will be held for art pieces as well.
The Door County Festival of the Arts runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Waterfront Park, next to Sister Bay Village Hall, 10693 State 42. For more information, call 920-854-2812 or visit sisterbay.com/events.
Aug. 18 to 20: Valmy Thresheree
This is the 40th year the Northeastern Wisconsin Antique Power Association will hold its Valmy Thresheree and Antique Machinery Show, and organizers are doing something unique to mark the anniversary.
Normally, a particular manufacturer or type of machine is the featured marquee in this annual celebration of classic and vintage tractors, farm machinery and power equipment. This year, though, the Thresheree is spotlighting tractors that have been owned by the same family for at least 40 years.
The tractors and machines on hand, large and small, will go on display throughout the weekend, with most of them still running and working. Many will demonstrate how they work, from threshers, a sawmill and shingle mill to hit-or-miss engines and a 1926 Sno-Go snow blower.
The Thresheree opens at 6 p.m. Aug. 18 with free admission that day to celebrate the 40th anniversary. Activities on Aug. 19 include a pancake breakfast, a chainsaw competition and an antique tractor pull (machines from 1955 or earlier). Also, the Jerry Voelker Orchestra provides polka music for a "barn dance" from 2 to 5 p.m. and a polka mass at 5:30 p.m.
The closing day of the Thresheree features a Lutheran church service; a children's pedal tractor pull, "Little Farmer" dress-up contest and a straw stack hunt; a tractor pull; and popular Cavalcade of Power antique machinery parade.
It also includes one of the weekend's most popular attractions – the mud pig wrestling competition, with teams of four humans attempting to catch a pig and place it on top of a barrel in less than one minute. Judges keep their eyes on the pigs to keep their heads above water and keep them as safe as possible. Preregistration is required for participants.
A craft and flea market takes place during the weekend, and food and refreshments are served throughout the event (no carry-ins allowed).
The Thresheree takes place on the grounds at 5005 Country View Road, Valmy (north of Institute). Admission is $5 per day or $10 for all three days for ages 13 and older, which includes a souvenir button. For more information, including registration for the tractor pulls or mud pig wrestling, call 920-559-0466 or visit valmythresheree.com or facebook.com/TheValmyThresheree.
Aug. 20: Belgian Kermiss, Brussels
If you need a dose of booyah, trippe or jutt, the Belgian Heritage Center provides the chance to eat like a Belgian and honor the first Belgians to reportedly settle in Door County from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at its annual Belgian Kermiss.
A kermiss is a traditional Belgian celebration open to the whole community to give thanks after the harvest is completed, featuring Belgian food, beer, music and camaraderie. Relatives and friends would come from neighboring areas to partake of the abundance of food.
Belgian cuisine at this kermiss includes booyah, a type of slow-cooked chicken soup that's more hearty and vegetable-loaded than the usual soup; trippe, a Belgian sausage similar to bratwurst but with cabbage ground in to give it its unique flavor; jutt, a sort of Belgian mashed potatoes with cabbage, veggies and other foods blended in; and traditional Belgian pie. Hamburgers and ice cream will be available, and craft breweries Thumb Knuckle Brewing Co. in Luxemburg and Noble Roots Brewing in Green Bay will offer beers.
This year's kermiss also marks the 170th anniversary of "Aux Premiers Belge" (The First Belgians), the name of the first Belgian settlement in Southern Door County. Exhibits in the Heritage Center celebrate the 10 farming families who left the Brabant Province in Belgium to form the settlement in 1853.
Also, antique farm equipment will be on display and tours will be given of the historic 1894 schoolhouse on the campus. Classic rock band Mad Cats performs at noon.
The Belgian Heritage Center is in the former St. Mary of the Snow Church at 1255 County DK, Brussels. Kermiss admission is free, and all proceeds benefit the center and its ongoing projects. For more information, call 920-825-1328 or visit belgianheritagecenter.org or the "Belgian Heritage Center" Facebook page.
Aug. 26: Blues on the Bay, Ellison Bay
Door County's only blues festival offers sets by three Peninsula-based blues-rock artists whose work is known across the state and the country, along with a Chicago blues legend and one of Milwaukee's most popular blues bands.
And it's for a cause, too, with all funds going to Door County Secret Santa, a local group that raises money to anonymously pay heating bills for struggling Door County families.
The lineup features local artists Cathy Grier and the Troublemakers, Thy Dirty Deuce and Mighty Mouth, joined by Milwaukee band Jonny T-Bird and the MP's, and Billy Flynn, the Green Bay native who made his name in Chicago slinging his guitar alongside blues greats like Jimmy Dawkins, Sunnyland Slim and the Legendary Blues Band.
Blues on the Bay takes place from 1 to 8 p.m. at Community Park in Ellison Bay. Free parking with shuttle service is at the Liberty Grove Historical Society Museum, 11871 State 42 (at the top of the hill just south of Ellison Bay). Concertgoers should bring their own lawn chairs and are welcome to bring picnic items, although food and beverages are available. Admission is free, although a $20 donation is suggested for Door County Secret Santa.
For more information, visit facebook.com/ellisonbayblues.
Aug. 26: Death's Door Bar-B-Q, Washington Island
Thousands of barbecue fans head to Washington Island each year to watch top grilling teams from across the country not only compete against each other but also taste what they've grilled in the Death's Door Bar-B-Q.
This 11th annual competitive barbecue event is sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS), with more than $8,000 in prize money and other awards to be distributed among the winners. The contest will be judged only by KCBS-certified judges in chicken, beef brisket, pork and pork ribs with winners in each category as well as an overall grand champion, all following KCBS rules and regulations. Besides money and prizes, grillers also earn points toward the society's 2023 Team of the Year standings.
The public is welcome to visit the Saturday of the contest to watch the chefs at work and talk with them. Most of the competing teams and other vendors will sell their grilled meats, rubs, sauces and other grilling items.
The weekend also features a Steak Cookoff Association-sanctioned steak grilling contest and a brandy cocktail contest on the Sunday of the event, Aug. 27.
Visitors can take part in a raffle to win barbecue items and other prizes, as well as a 50/50 raffle. Children's games and live music also are part of the entertainment.
The public is invited to Death's Door Bar-B-Q from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 26 at Washington Island Airport, 1535 Airport Road. The island is accessible by the Washington Island Ferry, and for those who don't want to drive to the airport, a free BBQ Train will run from the ferry dock to the airport and back during the event. Admission to the barbecue and parking are free.
For more information, visit deathsdoorbbq.com or the "Death's Door Barbeque" Facebook page. For ferry information, call 800-223-2094 or visit wisferry.com.
Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Door County August festivals feature boats, tractors, booyah, BBQ, more
