The family-friendly Sturgeon Spectacular returns this weekend. Here's what to know
FOND DU LAC - It's almost time again for a Lake Winnebago-area festival celebrating winter and big fish.
The Sturgeon Spectacular kicks off Friday and runs through Sunday, marking the start of the sturgeon spearing season on Lake Winnebago. The festival celebrates Wisconsin winters, lake sturgeon and the city of Fond du Lac itself.
The event, which was started by Destination Lake Winnebago Region president Craig Molitor, is a way to "get people out in winter ... and help small (downtown) businesses survive and thrive," he said. "It's something positive to represent what Fond du Lac is all about."
This year's spectacular comes with new events, many of which are geared toward children ages 3 to 10.
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"We have upped our game" making the festival more family-friendly, Molitor said, to "have fun and let kids be kids."
The festival also will have both indoor and outdoor activities, an acknowledgment are Wisconsin Februarys "rarely pleasant," Molitor said.
"Regardless of what Mother Nature throws our way, it's going to be a good time," he said.
The result of these efforts is a full weekend ahead for festivalgoers in downtown Fond du Lac, Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts (51 Sheboygan St.) and Lakeside Park (555 N. Park Ave.).
Many events are free, but not all, and some require pre-registration or paid tickets. For a complete schedule and ticket information, visit sturgeonspectacular.com.
Go on sturgeon-themed scavenger hunts, enter to win prizes
Destination Lake Winnebago is hosting two scavenger hunts in the days leading up to the Sturgeon Spectacular, with both games ending on Feb. 13.
The first one is the quest to find Stella, a stuffed sturgeon whose home is at Destination Lake Winnebago. But instead of an actual stuffed fish, locals are encouraged to hunt for a QR code. The tourism board and local radio station Sunny 97.7 will release clues Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until the Feb. 13. Those who find the QR code can enter to win a $100 cash prize.
The second scavenger hunt is a little more complicated, but the stakes are higher. If you find 20 pieces of sturgeon-spearing equipment and turn in a completed scavenger hunt form to Destination Lake Winnebago by 3 p.m. Feb. 13, you can enter to win $567.
You can find more information and the contest rules at fdl.com/sturgeon-spectacular-contests.
Friday: Kickoff parties and music from Sam Luna & Friends
Contestants in the Wisconsin Snow Sculpting Championship start creating their entries outside THELMA Friday morning, but the Sturgeon Spectacular officially kicks off late Friday afternoon.
This year, the festival will host two kickoff parties. The first is a Kids Kickoff from 4:30 to 6:15 p.m. at Brick House,161 S. Main St., with games, food, drinks and a chance to "spear" Jerry the Sturgeon, a mascot in a full-sized fish costume.
Later, THELMA's Great Hall Ballroom will host another kickoff celebration with a cash bar and a free concert featuring Sam Luna & Friends. The party starts at 6:45 p.m. outside, with the lighting of a giant sturgeon.
Saturday: Contests, curling, chili crawls, carriage rides and more
While sturgeon spearers will head out to the ice before dawn Saturday, the Sturgeon Spectacular starts at 9 a.m. with a 5K Run/Walk, a free kids' fun run and an outdoor curling tournament at Lakeside Park.
After the races, families can enjoy the winter wonderland at the park with indoor and outdoor games and activities, like photo ops with local baseball mascots Fang and Weaver (12 to 2 p.m.), ice and snow castles (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), children's entertainers (4 to 8 p.m.) and indoor crafts (12 to 4 p.m.).
The arts center has a full schedule of free activities for families, with mini games and crafts (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.), princess photo ops (12 to 2 p.m.), a "Frozen" movie showing (2 to 4 p.m.), and a kids' craft (4 to 5 p.m.).
There's also plenty to do throughout the city. You can try your hand at curling (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) outside the arts center, ride a horse-drawn carriage (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) or watch snow and ice sculptors at work downtown (all day), test your sheepshead skill at a tournament at Top Shelf (90 S. Main St., 2 to 6 p.m.) or watch lucky spearers register their sturgeon catch at Wendt's on the Lake (N9699 Lakeshore Drive, Van Dyne, 12 to 4 p.m.).
The day ends with a bonfire and s'mores roast from 5 to 8 p.m. at Lakeside Park and a free concert from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at THELMA's Great Hall Ballroom featuring Oshkosh quartet Copper Box.
And if all that fun makes you hungry or thirsty, you can eat and drink downtown, stop in a bar set up at Lakeside Park Pavilion (10 a.m. to 8 p.m.) or buy tickets to the downtown Chili Crawl and Sweet Stroll (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and vote for your favorites.
Sunday: a jazzy brunch and the festival finale, as bartenders battle for the best Bloody Mary
From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at THELMA, you can enjoy brunch while listening to jazz music from singer Erin Krebs, watching bartenders compete to create the best Bloody Mary or stop outside to watch snow sculptors put the finishing touches on their work.
At 1:30 p.m., the winners for the following contests will receive awards: the Chili Crawl, the Sweet Stroll, the ice sculpting competition, the Sturgeon Fun Run and 5K Run/Walk, the Outdoor Curling Funspiel and Kids Snow Sculpting Competition. The Wisconsin Snow Sculpting Championships will start their awards ceremony at 2 p.m.
Rebecca Loroff is a breaking and trending news reporter for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. Contact her at 920-907-7801 or rloroff@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Sturgeon spearing: Fond du Lac kicks off with Sturgeon Spectacular
