First-year festival a success
Monday, January 26, 2015
Elizabeth Dohms, Leader Telegram staff
Wally the walleye managed to elude his wannabe captors this weekend, although the fish, worth a $5,000 prize at the Northwest Wisconsin Winter Fest and Games in Altoona, had plenty of chances to take the bait during an ice fishing contest that was part of the event.
Nearly 7,200 people crowded Lake Altoona during the celebration, Friday through Sunday, according to event organizer Brian Sandy, marketing and promotional manager for Eau Claire Press Co., which publishes the Leader-Telegram.
"We were hoping to get 6,000 (people)," Sandy said. "We surpassed that for sure."
Winter Fest included a variety of activities, from ice fishing to snowmobile and car races on the ice to softball to disc golf.
"It was a ton of fun," Eau Claire resident Gary Julson said of Winter Fest. "There were lots of different activities, so it appealed to lots of different people."
Both Sandy and Gene Amann, campaign development director for United Cerebral Palsy of West Central Wisconsin, attributed much of the the event's success to the relatively warm weather. The temperature topped out at 39 degrees on Saturday and was followed up by an above-average 34 on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
"We couldn't have asked for better weather," UCPWCW Executive Director Dr. David Piltz said.
United Cerebral Palsy was a major benefactor of the event, as UCP tied in its traditional Snow Biz fundraiser into Winter Fest because of space limitations at its former location in Brackett.
"On behalf of UCP and the 800 families we serve, there were many heroes this weekend and it starts with the community of Brackett handing the torch to the community of Altoona," Amann said.
Amann and Piltz hope to join forces with Winter Fest again for next year.
"I thought that everything went surprisingly smoothly, given it was a first-time event," Piltz said.
Sandy praised the efforts of Altoona police and the Eau Claire County sheriff's office for their help in making the event successful. As crews worked Monday to clean litter from the lake's frozen surface and took down tents from the site, Sandy was focused on next year's Winter Fest.
"We have some big ideas for next year," Sandy said.
Dohms can be reached at 715-833-9206, 800-236-7077 or elizabeth.dohms@ecpc.com.
Read more about this article »
|
