FOND DU LAC, Wis. (WFRV) – Organizers bill it as a celebration of winter and really big fish.
The ‘Sturgeon Spectacular’ kicked off in Fond du Lac on Friday evening. The three day festival has become a staple of the sturgeon spearing season for over a decade.
The ‘Sturgeon Spectacular’ festival plays host to the Wisconsin State Snow Sculpting Competition. Beginning on Friday afternoon, sculptors have 48 hours to turn a block of snow into a piece of art. Organizers said they had to do things a bit different this year becaue of the warm weather.
“We had the snow brought in on Monday and then packed in the cold (at night when it’s colder),” Fond du Lac Festivals Executive Director Pete Wilke told Local 5 News. “And then we cover the snow blocks to create a cooler environment. Snow sculptors were able to start today.”
“We’re going to leave a little extra material on there tonight,” Mikhail Becker, one of the participants in the snow sculpting contest, told Local 5 News. “More so than we would normally so we can account for some snow melt.”
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Becker said his parents were snow sculptors and that’s how he got into the activity. He’s competed in many of these tournaments and this time around says they will be making a muskie out of their snow block.
“That’s probably my favorite part seeing all the kids come by and as long as they get the concept, you’re on the right track,” he told Local 5 News. “It’s fun to see them go by and say that’s a fish or that’s a turtle.”
The first day of the ‘Sturgeon Spectacular’ also featured many activities for the kids including sledding, bingo, balloon art, and even a sturgeon mascot that the kids could ‘spear’ with foam spears.
“There’s thousands of people who come to the Fond du Lac area during the ‘Sturgeon Spectacular’ and sturgeon spearing season,” Wilke told Local 5 News. “Tons of downtown businesses that will see an increase in foot traffic.”
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The ‘Sturgeon Spectacular’ continues through the weekend. For a full schedule of events, please click here.
Sturgeon spearing season officially kicks off Saturday at 7 a.m. For more information, please click here.
