Snowfest

People like beer. People like music. People like food that is bad for them and people like lots of other people. Therefore, an excuse to do all of the above was needed, and the “fest” was invented.

During a Wisconsin summer, festivals proliferate every weekend. There’s Summerfest, Germanfest, Irishfest, Fly-In-Food Fest, Butterfly Fest, Venetian Fest, Owl Fest and Brat Fest…plus many, many more.

Up here along the lake, we work hard to dig up ideas to start a fest. Sputnikfest, for example, celebrates the “momentous” night of September 5, 1962, when a small burning chunk of Sputnik landed on a downtown Manitowoc street.

The other day, we were driving to Two Rivers, a town north of us, and spotted numerous signs for something called “Snowfest”. Since snow is not a common occurrence here in July, our curiosity was piqued. What could they possibly be celebrating?

A local newspaper article enlightened us. Snowfest began way back in 1937, paused during the Second World War, resumed from 1958 to 1999 and was revived again in 2021. The event celebrates the July day in 1936 when workers in Two Rivers were digging a hole and discovered “the most perfect pile of snow underground.” This unexpected cache made national news and committees were formed to plan festivities. A parade was held, a queen was crowned and snowball fights ensued. (Snow was buried in winter as a stash for the summer snowballs).

This year’s Snowfest has come and gone, but yesterday I saw a sign for the upcoming “Moosefest”. Note that a moose has never been spotted even remotely near our town. Beer drinkers, however, seem to be everywhere.

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