Lake Superior Ice Festival slides onto Barker's Island Jan. 26-27

Maria Lockwood, Superior Telegram, Wis.
Updated ·4 min read

Jan. 19—SUPERIOR — A winter celebration will sweep onto Barker's Island Jan. 26-27. The annual

Lake Superior Ice Festival

promises icy treats as well as warm surprises. There will even be some dad jokes.

"Despite a slow start to winter, we are excited to see snow and ice," said Jodi Saylor, the volunteer, events, and program coordinator for the city of Superior. "While some events will not be on the ice this year, we have created a concentrated area at Barkers Island Festival Park to bring you the same great experience with your favorite events and some new ones."

There will be, she said, "a little something for everyone."

New this year will be a cornhole tournament by Twin Ports Cornhole, ice fishing with the Western Lake Superior Trolling Association and the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, and portable saunas provided by North Sauna. One of the saunas will serve as more of a warming shack, while the other will be positioned closer to the water for visitors who want to take a plunge into the bay. The first 75 kids to try their hand at ice fishing will receive a free fishing rod, Saylor said.

Returning events include blacksmithing demonstrations by Stackpole Forge, Northern Wisconsin LiveWell! Conversation Coves and ice skating rinks. Visitors can try out a round of disc golf, mini golf or Kubb, with instruction provided to newcomers. Ice-carving demonstrations will take place on both days. Indoor activities, including a kids zone and craft show, will also be part of the festivities. Nearly all the events are free, including a photo booth at Barkers Island Inn and s'mores around outdoor fires.

The family-friendly festival kicks off at 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26, as Superior Mayor Jim Paine reveals the name of the new Lake Superior Ice Festival Polar Bear. The cuddly mascot took part in the Spooktacular parade this year and was the focus of a local naming contest.

Following the announcement, Superior Police Chief Paul Winterscheidt and Fire Chief Camron Vollbrecht will showcase their comedic skills.

"We're excited to participate in another fun Lake Superior Ice Festival," Winterscheidt said. "Our agencies enjoy a very good relationship, and this event is always a great opportunity to get together and share some laughs. This year, Chief Vollbrecht and I will be turning up the funny with our first chief versus chief dad joke contest. We're looking forward to a well-attended event, and we hope to see everyone there."

The battle of the laughs will be followed by the third annual Guns and Hoses Kubb tournament, which pits members of the fire and police departments against each other. SPD won the first year; SFD claimed the trophy last year.

"We hope to bring strong competition and bring the Kubb trophy back to SPD for 2024," Winterscheidt said.

Some weather-dependent events have yet to be determined, including the ice carousel and Midwest Ice Racing Association races. While some sections of ice around the island are 6 to 8 inches thick, others are thinner. The ice must be at least 13 inches thick to allow for ice racing.

"So we'll be watching that over the weekend to see if we can get out there to measure and see what's out there," Saylor said.

A decision on both is expected to be made Monday. Visit the

Lake Superior Ice Festival website

(lakesuperioricefestival.com) or

Facebook page

for updates and a full list of events and times.

More than 50 local partners have worked with the city to put together the ice festival, Saylor said, with new partners joining every year. The event will branch out into the community again, with 24 ice sculptures at local businesses. A trivia contest involving the sculptures will kick off Friday night.

Saylor said she especially enjoys seeing people gather for the fireworks that cap off the festival.

"Everybody kind of comes together and you hear them all talking about how much fun they had, and then we watch this great show and it's just kind of a really neat ending to the event," Saylor said.

This year's display will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 27 off of the city dock.