Goats, lighthouses, fire balls, beer, wine and LGBTQ+ pride: June festivals in Door County

DOOR COUNTY - If it's June in Door County, it must be time for a festival.

As visitors flock to the Peninsula this month for the art galleries, theater companies and concert series that ramp up each summer, so, too, do they also come for the festivals put on by organizations and community groups, each with a wide range of themes: lighthouses, goats, the fiery (literally) start of Scandinavian summer, beer and wine, and pride.

Here's a quick look at these six Door County festivals this month.

June 9 to 11: Door County Spring Lighthouse Festival

This 30th annual event traditionally draws thousands of lighthouse buffs from across the country and around the world to the Peninsula to get an up-close look at these iconic structures they otherwise might not get in Door County and nearby areas.

The festival offers airplane, trolley, luxury van, boat (some aboard the schooner Edith Becker) and adventure (kayaking or hiking) tours that give guests the chance to reach all of Door County's 11 lighthouses, along with the Algoma Pierhead and Kewaunee Pierhead lights in Kewaunee County and Grassy Island Range Lights in Green Bay. Visitors also can take a self-guided tour of seven of the lights on their own. At the lights, visitors engage with knowledgeable docents and volunteers to learn stories of past lightkeepers, their duties and their families.

It's the only chance for guests to go inside some of the lights that otherwise aren't open to the public, such as Chambers Island, Plum Island and Sherwood Point. Tours are available for all levels of activity and accessibility. Boat tours depart from a variety of locations around the Peninsula, including Sturgeon Bay, Sister Bay, Gills Rock, Fish Creek and Baileys Harbor.

The festival is sponsored by the Door County Maritime Museum & Lighthouse Preservation Society, which also operates the museum at the famous Cana Island Lighthouse off Baileys Harbor. Reservations are recommended for all tours, some of which may be sold out; proceeds from tour tickets support the museum. Those visiting the lights on their own, who aren't part of a tour, will need to pay regular admission fees at Cana Island, the Baileys Harbor Range Lights (on the grounds of The Ridges Sanctuary) and Eagle Bluff Lighthouse (in Peninsula State Park, operated by the Door County Historical Society).

For tickets, schedules or more information, call the museum at 920-743-5958 or visit dcmm.org/door-county-lighthouse-festivals. Tickets also are available at doorcountytickets.com. The museum also sponsors a Fall Lighthouse Festival with similar tours at the end of September.

June 10: Roofing of the Goats Parade/Goat Fest/Play it Forward concert, Sister Bay

This festival may not be the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) of Door County festivals, but it's definitely the goat-iest.

The ninth annual Roofing of the Goats Parade celebrates the hooved creatures' annual climb to their summer home on the sod-covered roof (weather permitting) of Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant, where they're one of the best-known Door County attractions across the country. There's even a goat cam on the restaurant website from which people can watch them even if they're not in Sister Bay.

To get to the sod roof, the goats really will walk there through downtown Sister Bay, heading out from the intersection of Mill Road and State 42 at 11 a.m. and along State 42 to the restaurant, accompanied by handlers and marchers who might be in goat-related or Scandinavian costumes. Parade watchers are asked to not bring dogs because they can scare goats.

The goats on the roof that have become a trademark of Al Johnson's first went up there in 1973 following a birthday prank. Today, Al Johnson's keeps several dozen goats on a Sister Bay farm, where its goat barn features a live feed of soothing Wisconsin Public Radio broadcasts.

Part of the fun during the parade is a Goat Drop Contest. Participants can buy a goat drop sticker for $10 at roadside booths in the village and place the sticker somewhere along the parade route. If, during the parade, a goat leaves its post-digestive marker on your sticker, you could win a prize. The drawing for prizes is immediately after the parade at the Stabbur Beer Garden outside the restaurant; proceeds benefit Koinonia Kupboard, a food pantry managed by First Baptist Church of Sister Bay.

After the parade, at noon, the fun moves to the Stabbur Beer Garden for Goat Fest with live music, kids games, a Swedish pancake eating contest and a contest to see who can hold a beer stein in front of them at arm's length for the longest period of time. Special food and beverages will be served.

For more information, call 920-854-2626 or visit aljohnsons.com.

Also in the beer garden is the annual Play it Forward concert presented by Door Community Auditorium. Starting at 3 p.m., the free concert brings together an eclectic mix of well-known Door County musicians to perform mostly original songs. Although the concert is free, donations are encouraged for the Go Bo! Foundation, a local organization that helps fund research and support treatment for children with life-threatening medical conditions and helps their families during times of financial need.

In case of rain, the concert will be held at the auditorium, 3926 State 42, Fish Creek. For more information, call 920-868-2728 or visit dcauditorium.org.

June 17: Fyr Bal, Ephraim

Here's how to send out winter out and welcome summer in a blaze of glory, Norwegian-style.

Fyr Bal, Norwegian for "fire ball" or "bonfire," re-creates customs of early Scandinavian settlers celebrating the summer solstice. The 57th annual community festival is highlighted by the old tradition of a ceremonial lighting around dusk of a large bonfire representing winter to make room for summer to come in.

Plus, the bonfire will be lit by the newly named Fyr Bal Chieftain, a village resident honored by the Ephraim Business Council for his or her service to the community. The name of the new chieftain isn't known to the public until the ceremony, and residents consider it a great honor.

The ceremony kicks off with Scandinavian dances and music outside Village Hall at 8:15 p.m. At 8:30, the chieftain, whose name is still secret at this point, makes his or her way into Eagle Harbor by boat and is presented with a medallion before lighting the bonfire. Fire performers then show their skills on the jetty across from Village Hall, and fireworks cap the festivities at around 9:30.

But there are reasons to be in Ephraim all day before the nighttime fires, too. Fyr Bal offers a day full of live music, food and beverages (starting with pancakes at 8 a.m.), an artisan market, a used book sale, and activities and entertainment for adults and children. A raffle is taking place with drawings held at Village Hall at 8 p.m., right before the chieftain ceremony.

A Fur Ball pet parade starts at 9 a.m. (pets will be judged for prizes). Ice cream and cherry pie eating contests will be held, along with a cornhole tournament and axe throwing. To add to the Scandinavian experience, visitors also can watch wooden shoe carving demonstrations at Harborside Park and make a medallion, rosemale an ornament or make a flower crown at Village Hall. A benefit for Big Brothers Big Sisters also is taking place at The Red Putter mini golf course on the north side of the village.

For a full schedule or more information, visit ephraim-doorcounty.com.

June 17: Door County Beer Festival, Baileys Harbor

More than 40 breweries from across the Midwest are bringing 150-plus beers and ciders to the grounds of Maxwelton Braes Resort for this outdoor beer extravaganza.

Bringing their beverages for the more than 1,000 guests who traditionally attend to sample are popular Door and Kewaunee county microbreweries as well as brewers from across the state, Chicago, Minneapolis and elsewhere. Besides being able to taste a variety of brews, guests can chat with brewmasters and other representatives who will be on hand. Four food trucks will be on site and live music will be played by Frank Maloney and His Big Country Unit.

The Door County Beer Festival is open from noon to 4 p.m. at Maxwelton Braes, 7680 State 57; VIP admission (which is limited) begins at 11 a.m. Parking is not allowed at the resort for this event, but free shuttles will run from five locations in Baileys Harbor (parking is available at Recreational Park, 2623 Summit Road, one of the pickup points) and locations in Sister Bay, Fish Creek and Egg Harbor.

General admission is $50 and includes a commemorative 3-ounce tasting glass; $70 for VIP admission, which includes not just early admission but also entry to the VIP Lounge with seating and other exclusive beers. Designated drivers admission is $15. IDs are required for all guests to enter; no one younger than age 21 is admitted and no dogs are allowed. For advance tickets or more information, visit doorcountybeerfestival.com.

June 24: Door County Wine Festival, Baileys Harbor

Same organizers, same location, different beverage − the group that put together the beer fest the week before returns with their annual wine fest, also at Maxwelton Braes Resort.

The Door County Wine Festival offers samples from the eight wineries along the Door County Wine Trail. Wineries in Door County and Northeast Wisconsin have been known for years for their fruit wines, notably from cherries and apples, but now are equally known for award-winning grape wines, both from longer-established wineries and more recently established vintners.

The featured wineries are Lautenbach’s Orchard Country in Fish Creek; Door Peninsula and Red Oak, both in Carlsville; Door 44 and Simon Creek, both in Sturgeon Bay; Harbor Ridge and Anchored Roots, both in Egg Harbor; and von Stiehl in Algoma. Food vendors will be on hand and live music will be provided by country-rock cover band Got Wisco?

Tasting tents will be open from noon to 4 p.m. Tickets are $70 in advance, $75 at the gate, $15 designated drivers, and admission is limited so advance purchases are recommended. As with the beer fest, IDs are required to enter; no one younger than age 21 is admitted and no dogs are allowed. Also as with the beer fest, no parking is allowed at Maxwelton Braes for the festival but shuttles will run from Baileys Harbor, Egg Harbor, Fish Creek, Ephraim and Sister Bay.

For tickets or more information, visit doorcountywinefest.com.

June 24: Open Door Pride Fest, Sturgeon Bay

All are welcome to this seventh annual celebration of inclusion sponsored by Open Door Pride not just for Door County's LGBTQIA+ community but for all during the national recognition of June as Pride Month.

Running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Martin Park on South Third Avenue, the festival kicks off with an opening Indigenous invocation of pride by Colleen Bins of Chief Oshkosh Native American Arts in Egg Harbor. A DJ will spin music throughout the day, games for young and old will be held, art activities will be offered at the Miller Art Museum's Gallery M3 across the street (including cookie painting), and vendors will be on hand with food, beverages and other goods.

Open Door Pride also will have its "What's My Pride?" selfie station set up at the gallery, where visitors can jot their thoughts on pride on a chalkboard and have their photo taken with it.

Open Door Pride's annual Sandy Brown Award will be announced during the festival. Named for its inaugural winner, who created the Door County Chapter of National PFLAG in 1997, the award honors a community member or business that exemplifies the organization's mission. A Door County artist designs and creates a new trophy for the winner each year.

Another award announced during the fest is Open Door's annual IDEA (Inclusivity, Diversity, Equality and Accessibility) Scholarship, which is offered to a graduating Door County senior who demonstrates a passion for inclusivity, diversity, increasing sensitivity and building community.

Popular Door County singer-songwriter Katie Dahl performs at 3:30 p.m., and a family-friendly drag show starts at 4 p.m.

Finally, after darkness sets in, the 10-story-tall Jim Kress Maritime Lighthouse Tower at the Door County Maritime Museum will be lit with rainbow colors to symbolize the pride movement.

For more information, visit opendoorpride.org or email info@opendoorpride.org.

Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com.

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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Here's how to celebrate at six Door County festivals in June