The Kickapoo Valley Reserve will host its 21st annual Winter Festival on Saturday, Jan. 8.
Activities will begin at 10:30 a.m. and will include guided ice hikes, a mutt run, a snow sculpture carving, children’s adventures and games, horse-drawn sleigh rides, sledding and hiking with the Midwest Llama Packing llamas. New this year will be the Driftless Fire Dancers. Additionally, there will be activities at other local venues, such as a candlelight hike/ski/snowshoe at Wildcat Mountain State Park and food and drink specials in La Farge to round out the evening. Full event schedules will be available at the Winter Festival.
The 21st Anniversary Winter Festival Raffle Grand Prize is a pair of Green Bay Packer tickets and signed football. Other raffle prizes include a pair of custom fur super mittens from Wildthings Fur Co. of La Farge., a 60-quart Polar Cap cooler from Cabela’s, Larry Fest music festival tickets, gift certificates and cash.
A variety of outdoor races will be offered during the event, including a 5K Resolution Run/Walk on Saturday morning and the Smoosh Races, a multiple team event in which four participants strap themselves onto 2x4s and attempt to travel 25 yards, swing around a cone, and be the first team to make it back the 25 yards to the start/finish line with everyone still on the smoosh boards. Smoosh boards will be provided for each team. If you would like to make your own Smoosh board, contact the KVR office for Smoosh board specifications. A 5K or 1-mile Dam Phunski ski race also will be offered. Registration is required for each of the races.
Several outdoor presentations will take place throughout the day as well, including a morning and afternoon presentation featuring live owls.
Concessions will be available for purchase throughout the day.
Admission to the festival is free and open to the public. There will be several warming fires throughout the grounds. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Winter Festival is almost completely outdoors this year.
Winter Festival Coordinator Jackie Yocum said, “Bundle up, wrap up, scarf up, layer up, mitten up and join us for a day of free, outdoor family fun. We all deserve it!”
For more information and an up-to-date schedule of all activities, visit kickapoovalley.wi.gov or the KVR Facebook Winter Festival page.
The Kickapoo Valley Reserve is an 8,600-acre tract of public land between La Farge and Ontario. Proceeds from the Winter Festival event support stewardship on the KVR.
