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With a Driftless area bed and breakfast as your home base, enjoy any of the many festivals all summer and fall.
Festivals begin in mid-May with the Syttende Mai in Westby and continue every weekend in at least one town within an hour’s drive of Justin Trails Resort until the end of Oktoberfest in La Crosse. Butterfest in Sparta, Cornfest in Holmen, Sunfish Days in Onalaska and Trempealeau, Gasoline Alley Days in Tomah, Cranfest in Warrens, Applefest in Gays Mills and La Crescent, MN, Fall Festival in Cashton. Each community chooses a queen and royalty, grills delicious food outdoors, listens to the local high school marching band, watch horses strut and view floats decorated by local organizations, cheer the clowns, kids race for tossed candy, bargain hunters revel in the flea market, and vendors sell their wares. Wisconsin Festivals are safe, friendly places to enjoy a relaxing weekend.
Musicals and Arts & Crafts fill winter weekends.
2009 Festivals & Events December 31: Skyrockers New Year’s Eve Fireworks- From Grandad Bluff 6 p.m. & midnight
May 2009
May 15-17: Syttende Mai-Norwegian festival celebrates the “17th of May.” (Norwegian Independence Day) Arts & crafts, flea market, Norwegian smorgasbord, music, quilt auction, baking, stage show, auto & truck show, and more Westby, WI 608-634-4011.
May 21-24: Onalaska Sunfish Days- Onalaska Omni Center and Van Riper Park. Parade starts at noon Saturday. Kid’s fishing derby, men’s & women’s softball tournament, volleyball, food stands, beer garden, clowns, music, dancing, carnival. www.tourism.onalaska.wi.us/events.html
June 2009
June 5-7: June Dairy Days - A kick-off breakfast, carnival, live music and dancing, clowns, dairy tents, big wheel races, petting barn, stage coach rides and speedway racing. West Salem Village Park. 608-786-1910. www.westsalemwi.com/jdd.htm
June 2-3: Garden Fest 2004 – La Crosse. 800-658-9424
.June 20: Minds In Motion Bike Tour – Onalaska 608-783-2212. Choose from 10, 16 or 31 miles along rolling hills or 62 miles with two major climbs.
June 20 & 21: Midsummer Fest-Celebrate the summer solstice Scandinavian style with entertainment, refreshments, wagon rides, demonstrations, gift shop and more. 10a.m.-4p.m. Norskedalen, Coon Valley. 608-452-3424. www.norskedalen.org
July 2009
July 1-5: Riverfest-River activities, top name entertainment and continuous events highlight this family festival on the Mississippi River. Fireworks, food, beverage tent, crafts, live music and dance. La Crosse Riverside Park, 608-782-6000. July 16-20: La Crosse Interstate Fair-La Crosse Interstate Fairgrounds, West Salem, WI. Carnival, livestock, 4-H judging exhibits, food, auto races, live entertainment. 608-786-1525 or 786-1616.
June 6-8: Butterfest -Carnival, live entertainment, arts and crafts exhibits, music, food booths, quilt show and classic car show. Parade on Sunday. Sparta Memorial Park, 800-354-2453.
July 8: Karner Blue Butterfly Festival- Downtown Black River Falls. 1-800-404-4008.
July 4-6: Trempealeau Catfish Days-Catfish sandwiches, food, music, flea market, arts & crafts. Trempealeau.
July 21: Rail Fair- Railroad show, flea market, swap meet, buy-sell-trade, model and toy trains. Railroadiana, exhibits and displays. Copeland Park, 608-784-0036
July 27-28: Prairie Dog Blues Fest – La Crosse. 800-567-1567.
July 26-27 : Art Fair on the Green – UW-La Crosse.
August 2008
August 7-10: Great River Jazz Fest-Featuring great music, on grounds food and beverage, after hours jam sessions and jazz liturgies. La Crosse, 608-791-1190, www.centurytel.net/jazzfest
August 15-17: Holmen Kornfest-Corn on the cob, music, carnival, fun run, bingo, tractor pull, parade on Saturday, fireworks display, Village Park, 608-526-4444.
August 14-17: Viroqua’s Annual Wild West Days-East of the Fairgrounds. 1800’s Boom Town, Civil War Reenactment, Fur Traders Rendezvous, Indian Village, Children’s Games, State Coach Rides and much more. www.viroqua-wisconsin.com
September 2008
September 10-14: Vernon County Fair- The last County Fair in Wisconsin each year boasts over 10,000 exhibit entries, a Super Large Midway, over 100 commercial exhibitors and a real Olde Fashioned County Fair atmosphere. Viroqua.
September 12-14: Applefest-Annual celebration of the apple industry. Orchard tours, live music, carnival rides, golf tournament, food, arts, crafts, flea market and Sunday parade. La Crescent, MN, 800-926-9480.
September 20: Threshing Bee-Celebrate the harvest of old with many working farming and harvesting demonstrations, wagon rides, home-style meals (reservation required) and a buzz of activity surrounding rural life. 10 a.m.-4p.m., Norskadalen, Coon Valley, 608-452-3424. www.norskedalen.org
September 26-28: Cranberry Fest-Over 1,000 booths of arts and crafts, antique, flea and farmers’ markets. Warrens, WI 608-378-4200. www.cranfest.com
September 26-October 4: Oktoberfest- the best of family activities offered include the Grand Maple Leaf Parade and Torchlight Parade. Carnival rides, ethnic foods, authentic German entertainment, as well as local and regional country, pop, rock music and children’s acts. La Crosse north and south side fest grounds. 608-784-3378, www.oktoberfestusa.com
September 27-28: Gays Mills Applefest- Gays Mills, WI 608-735-4810.
October 2008
October 11-12: Civil War Heritage Weekend- Norskedalen, Coon Valley,608-452-3424.
October 23-24: Ghoulees in the Coulees- Haunted Halloween hike through the woods experiencing the man spook stations. Hot cider and treats at the end. Reservations required. Norskedalen, Coon Valley, 608-452-3424.
October : Jaycees Haunted House, Clearwater Farms, Onalaska. 608-792-9850
November 2008
November 1: Sparta Monroe County Historical Society Arts and Craft Show at Sparta Senior High School 506 N. Black River St. 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. 300 vendors. Joan Cook 608-269-3233
November: Annual Country Christmas Shopping Tour. Take a unique Christmas shopping trip at studios of artists & crafters from Liberty Pole to Genoa. Brochures/maps available at participating businesses. Contact Nora Soltau 60-675-3237 or 608-675-3565 .
November 25-December 31: Rotary Holiday Lights-More than a MILLION Holiday Lights illuminate La Crosse’s Riverside Park from 5-10p.m. daily. Among the splendor is a 140 foot Christmas tree and animated light displays that fill the park. Live nativity scene presentation for the first three weekends in December. Santa is here until Christmas Eve. 800-658-9424. View the beautiful light display reflected in the Mississippi River from Pettibone Park across the Cass Street Bridge to the island. www.rotarylights.org.
December 2008
December 1-31 Holiday lights continue
December: Holiday in the Park-Evans Bosshard Park, Hwy 16 & East Ave., Sparta. Rotary lights, entertainment, refreshments, over 125,000 lights on display. Visit with Santa.
February 2009
February 7-8, 2009: Westby Snowflake Ski Jump.Starts at 11 a.m. Westby WI E7940 County Road P. 1-608-634-3211
Friday & Saturday, February 20 & 21, 2009 Family Sports Show at Coulee Region Christian School, West Salem. Disc golf demo and snowshoeing, snow sculpting demo and contest, dog sledding 101 and 201, photo contest, youth turkey/duck calling/owl hooting and huntin’ hound baying contest, scrap booking. MC Ray (Kicking Bear) and Karen Howell. Door prizes, silent auction, archery shoot, children’s games, minnow races, air soft gun shoot, outodoor eductiona and more. Visit their website at: www.couleechristian.org. Proceeds from the event are used to fund the senior class mission trip to the Dominican Republic April 9-20, 2009.