Action Tracks, Winter 2013-’14
Page 9
Klondike Days returns in 2014
with turn-of-the-century activities
___________
BY GARY RIDDERBUSCH
NEWS-REVIEW EDITOR
___________
Klondike Days, billed as one of the
state’s most multifaceted winter events,
will return to Eagle River the first weekend in March.
The 2014 event will be held Saturday
and Sunday, March 1-2, at Northland
Pines High School and Rocking W Stable
on Eagle River’s north side.
The annual event is a two-day
panoply of outdoor and indoor winter activities, exciting competitions and turnof-the-century exhibits, according to
Klondike Days Executive Director Amy
Young.
All of the Klondike Days activities will
be headquartered on the grounds of
Northland Pines High School and Rocking W Stable on Pleasure Island Road
just off Highway 45 North. Most of the
events will last from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both
days.
Highlights of the festival will be River
Country Red’s Rendezvous and Living
History Encampment, the North Woods
Championship Dog Weight Pull, a lumberjack competition, a chain-saw carving
contest, the Native American cultural exposition, a huge winter crafts show and a
snowshoe challenge.
Klondike Days typically attracts more
than 8,000 people and is sponsored by
Trig’s stores in Eagle River, Rhinelander,
Minocqua, Stevens Point and Wausau.
Admission to Klondike Days, which
includes free parking and entrance to all
venues, is $15 for adults, $6 for children
ages 6 to 16 and is free for those younger
than 6. A family pass is available for $40,
which is good for two adults and up to
three children.
“That also includes free bus and
hayride shuttles, horse-drawn sleigh
rides through the woods, dogsled rides on
the junior mushers’ oval, a chance to try
snowshoes and lots of entertainment,”
said Young.
The following is a rundown of Klondike Days activities:
Rendezvous camp
River Country Red’s Rendezvous and
Living History Encampment will amaze,
entertain and educate festivalgoers. Nestled in the woods on the festival grounds
is a re-enactment camp specially constructed to transplant visitors back in
time to learn about the fur trade era and
buckskinning.
Native American shows
The Native American cultural exposition will be held Saturday in the Northland Pines High School auditorium.
The Waswagoning Dance Theatre will
perform Saturday. The exposition will
feature traditional dances and storytelling. A Native American powwow
featuring Blue Winds Dancing is planned
for the high school auditorium Sunday.
Other activities in the high school
field house will include the Teaching
Drum exhibit, a mineralogical display,
the Klondike Kids coloring contest, a
trappers exhibit, the Northwoods
Wildlife Center Raptor Education Group
and gold-panning exhibit.
Dog weight pull
Professional and novice dogs will compete in a weight pull both days just behind the high school. Dogs must pull a
sled, with loads of as much as 4,000
pounds, a total of 16 feet.
Lumberjack contests
Teams and individual lumberjacks will
go head-to-head in a Hayward-style lumberjack competition at Rocking W Stable.
It’s the Midwest’s largest lumberjack competition and the only competition in the
winter. Events will range from the standing chop block and ax throwing to Jackand-Jill sawing and the springboard chop.
There also will be a cut, split and
stack contest Saturday sponsored by
Husqvarna chain saws.
Buckskinners will take Klondike Days
visitors back to the fur trade era.
Snowshoe challenge
The Klondike Snowshoe Challenge
will take place in the woods behind Rocking W Stable and the high school, with
three- and six-mile challenges, a noncompetitive tromp and children’s races. The
The Waswagoning Dance Theatre will be putting on several shows as part of the Native
American cultural exposition during Klondike Days.
—NEWS-REVIEW PHOTOS
competition will take place Sunday with
prizes for the top finishers.
The chain-saw carving competition
will be held on the grounds of the high
school, with as many as 10 carvers competing head-to-head both days. Watch as
6-foot tall pieces of wood are carved into
works of art. A team of judges will present cash awards sponsored by First National Bank.
Winter crafts show
The high school field house will be the
home of the expanded Klondike Kraft
Show, with hundreds of crafters and artisans displaying their work.
Food will be available in Northland
Pines High School and on the festival
grounds at Rocking W Stable. Festivalgoers are reminded the school building and
grounds are alcohol- and tobacco-free.
For more information about Klondike
Days, contact Young at (715) 617-0270 or
[email protected]
or
visit
klondikedays.org.
The sawdust will be flying at the lumberjack competition at Klondike Days.