Wow, what a summer
From bull riders to classic cars and boat parades to rock bands, summer in Taylor County was packed with plenty to see and do.
Just as the Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of the summer season in Wisconsin, Labor Day weekend marks its close. In the 14 weeks between the two, Taylor County residents and visitors had plenty of options for things to keep them busy and to appeal to a wide range of tastes.
After the solemness of the Memorial Day services, area residents got busy in the outdoors with trail activities, library programs, dairy breakfasts, dog shows and Dairyland baseball games. The second half of June continued with Gilman Dairy Days including a car show, parade and dairy delights, the Pride Stride, golf outings and more classic cars, camping opportunities and the start of library programs for the young and young at heart.
July came in with a bang with bands, games, pulls and plenty of fireworks shows during the 4th of July weekend in Medford, Rib Lake and Jump River. Residents on Sackett Lake held their annual boat parade while others cooled off with dips in the water of the city pool or their favorite swimming hole.
The fun did not stop there with the inaugural Grass on the Black Bluegrass Festival bringing more than 20 musical acts to venues in and around the city of Medford. Nestlé Pizza celebrated the anniversary of Tombstone Pizza in style with a picnic for employees and their families.
The annual Horns and Hooves Challenge was a highlight of the summer for many craving rodeo excitement, while area farmers markets brought the bounties of fields and gardens to shoppers.
July also celebrated the reopening of the Mondeaux Lodge after a multi-year federal renovation project for this county tourism anchor. The month ended strong with the annual running of the Taylor County Fair, bringing with it the food, animal competition, pulls, music and fun. Classic car enthusiasts got their fill from the annual Rumblefest car show in the Medford City Park with events ranging from a drivein movie to rock bands.
August rolled in with the Frances L. Simek Memorial Library sidewalk chalk contest before roaring into Rib Lake Ice Age Days weekend, the Friends of the Downtown Chair Affair celebration and the Back in Time antique tractor show.
The fun didn’t stop there, as the Medford Area Chamber of Commerce, with the help of area businesses, hosted the annual Parkfest celebration headlined this year by country-music veteran performer Jerrod Niemann. This was followed up by crowd-pleasing horse pull action of the Chelsea Fall Festival.
Things didn’t slow down from there as ultra-marathon runners set up camp for the first running of the Midwest States 100 trail run which took place over 34 hours on the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.
The fun is set to continue in the next few weeks with church festivals, homecoming celebrations and the Kiwanis Bucktoberfest and Rotary Club’s annual Oktoberfest celebrations all scheduled to take place in the next few weeks.
In between these activities, the area offers trails for walking, riding, hiking and biking; quiet lakes for kayaking and fishing; and many miles of motorized trails and routes.
Taylor County residents should be proud of the wide array of summertime fun offered here. They should likewise thank the many volunteers who plan and help host these events as well as the generosity of the business community in helping support these endeavors.
Well done Taylor County residents for putting on a summer of fun with a mixture of new events that look forward as well as breathing new life into traditional favorites.
