The 2011 Hogsback Cross Attack is in the books. For those of you whom don’t know what a Hogsback Cross Attack is, don’t feel bad. The Hogsback Cross Attack is a bicycle race that is held in Tomahawk’s Bradley Park. It is a timed event that runs through the woods on trails and over manmade obstacles. After the time limit is up the competitors have to complete one more lap, then the winner is announced by the combination of whom is in the lead at the end and how and how many laps they have completed.
The Hogsback race is the brainstorm of Tomahawk resident Justin Lund. Lund was challenged by the city to come up with an idea to help Tomahawk find a way to raise funds to improve the Bradley Park Trail system. Some of the other benefits that the race brings is a better awareness of the beautiful natural areas that are in and around the city of Tomahawk where people can go to enjoy themselves and the number of interesting events in Tomahawk that you can both participate in and enjoy as a specator. Justin also credits Liz Millender from the Tomahawk Mainstreet Inc. and by Tamra and Diane from theTomahawk Chamber of Commerce who helped get the word out, provide resources and helped with some organization of the event.
If you wish to see just what a Hogsback Cross Attack is I have posted a short highlight video. I will also be posting another video shortly that will consist of some more footage and interviews with both Justin Lund and several competitors. Next years race has already been scheduled for 9/29/12 so mark your calendars and attend the race.
The face of the Northwoods is about to get a fresh splash of color. The green, yellow and reds of the fall are now gone, only a pleasant memory etched in our minds and in a few digital photographs we took while mother nature painted her canvas. It is now time for the whites of winter to burst on the scene, but first, the landscape will take on an unearthly hue as the color of blaze orange will dominate the state for a two week period starting this coming Friday.
The Annual Gun Deer Hunt is only days away and with the hunt comes boat loads of tradition. For the past 45 years the town of Tomahawk has taken it upon itself to welcome any and all hunters to the area and what a better way to welcome them than with a free meal. Starting just before noon and running until the food runs out, any hunter, non -hunter, or camp support person can wander down to the end of Wisconsin Ave and stand in line to get themselves a free venison burger! There are raffles going on, tall tales being swapped and a sense of comradarie that can only happens with the help of a small town atmosphere. By the end of an hour you will see Tommy Tomahawk, watch the Mayor flip burgers and hear about the big one that got away at least a dozen times. So if you are hungry and up for a couple of interesting hours stop by the 46th Annual Venison Feed.
If you enjoyed the Venison feed and you still have a taste to find out more about the Tomahawk area and what the traditions of deer camp are all about, you might want to checkout Tomahawk native Jay Leggett and his colabarator Charles Ketchabaw’s documentary film To The Hunt. The film takes a fun and very in depth look at both the sport itself and the family traditions using several local families and their deer camps as the back drop for the film. So much for my shameless plug for Jay’s new film.
If you can’t make it to the feed the following video will help you get the feel for what it is like. Now get out there and have a safe and successful hunt.
Frost on the pumpkin, no wait, that is snow on the pumpkin! Our first snowfall of the year and it wasn’t a light dusting. I woke up this morning to a deck covered in the white stuff and for the first of many times to come, I had to break out the shovel. To see it snow in the first part of November is not unusual, but to get six or seven inches is a bit much. It wouldn’t have bothered me at all to not see any of the white stuff until the start of deer hunting when it could have made a brief appearance for the hunters sake and then melted away for another three weeks. It could then start again the week before Christmas giving Santa plenty of snow for his sleigh and giving the rest of us a very white Christmas, as it should be.
Sara Park
As the boys of summer have now been officially put to rest, soon the sights of ice fishing shanties and snowmobiles racing across the frozen lakes will be a common sight. Thus signals the end of Tomahawk’s time as a summer/fall getaway destination. The good thing about the end of a season is the beginning of another and so with this first blanket of snow begins an amazing transformation into the holiday season and out the out the other end into a winter wonderland where snowballs will fly, snowmobilers will hit the trails and skiers will take to the hills.
First Snow Fall Hwy D
Winter is about to begin and a whole new world will be yours to enjoy, so as the slogan for Nike says; just get out and do it!
Strange were the sights on the streets of Tomahawk the Saturday before Halloween, as ghosts, goblins and zombies mixed with the likes of Scooby Doo, Darth Vader and Snow White. There were plenty of treats for all and I am sure a few tricks were played as well. But overall the streets were filled with parents and their children getting into the spirit of things and spending quality time together. We put together this little photo montage for all to enjoy. So just hit play and see if you can figure who is who?
Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger, Chips, no Coke, Pepsi. While not the Olympia Restaurant from the Saturday Night Live Skit, the Tomahawk Dairy Queen, Huey’s Drive In and whatever other names the business has had during its existence, it has left an indelible impression in my mind. It is with a tear in my eye today that I sat across the street watching as the building breathed its last breath.
Since the late 70s this building/business has been serving up ice cream, fast food and memories to generations of people from Tomahawk. I can remember being one of a line of cars leaving the high school parking lot during fourth hour study hall as we used our senior privileges to take a two hour lunch and be the first to get their Special of The Day at the old Huey’s Drive In. I believe that on occasion there may have been some of us who even broke the speed limit getting there. I also remember when I asked one of my best friends to throw me the ketchup, and he did.
Passing into the Night
Progress happens around us everyday and from the rumors I have heard, new gererations of tourists and Tomahawk youth will have their chance to get a tasty treat and make some memories of their own at a new Dairy Queen Grill & Chill?
It is great to see this small town slice of Americana live on, but it is with a tear in my eye that I bid the old lady next to the river a fond adu.
Just in case you haven’t had time to get out and enjoy the fabulous fall colors we have had here in Tomahawk, I have posted a short video that will give you a taste of why this is the best time of the year in Tomahawk and the Northwoods.
The 30th Annual Tomahawk Fall Ride has come and gone. Over twenty thousand motorcycles came to the Tomahawk area over the four day event. There were bands, there were vendors, there was fun to be had and all for a worthy cause. This is the biggest fund raiser of the year for the Muscular Dystrophy Association usually raising well over $100,000.00 for the organization.
A lot of disabled boys and girls get their first chance to go on what for many, is their first motorcycle ride. Smiles abound and memories are made, and for those brief 15 miles all their physical limitations and restrictions blow away in the breeze as it rushes by their faces.
This video will give you a look at the Friday Night Thunder Parade as it takes off from the Tomahawk High School for a 15 mile run and ends up downtown on Wisconsin Avenue.
This year marks the 30th anniversary for the Tomahawk Fall Ride for MDA. Not only is this the largest motorcycle gathering in the state, but it is also one of the biggest fund raisers for the Muscular Dystrophy Association here in Wisconsin. An estimated 30,000 to 40,000 people ride north to the tiny town of Tomahawk to get away, have fun and help out a worthy cause. We want to take this moment to thank everyone from the people who organize the event, to the many volunteers that help out. We also want to throw out a special thanks to all the riders who come north. May you have a great weekend and a safe ride.
You’ve gotten to the end of another long week and you just don’t feel like cooking supper. But hey, it’s Friday night and you live in Tomahawk Wisconsin or maybe you are just up vacationing! Friday is fish fry night here in Wisconsin and you can go to any one of Tomahawk’s restaurants or taverns and find a delicious, reasonably priced fish dinner.
You’ll find baked, broiled and fried fish. The restaurants range from upscale establishments to basic diners. Most taverns and even churches also partake of this Friday night ritual. The dinners commonly include potatoes done a variety of ways including baked, French fried, or potato pancakes, coleslaw with a mayonnaise or vinegar-based dressing, fresh bread, and of course plenty of beer.
Serving styles range from buffet, family style, by the plate and if you are truly dog-tired you can get yours to go. The fish itself comes in many varieties: perch, walleye, bluegills, Atlantic cod, haddock and during certain months of the year smelt.
Deep Fried Fish Dinner
Not only is a fish fry a reasonably priced meal, but it is a Wisconsin event where strangers break into conversations with locals at the bar and friends, family and neighbors mingle while talking about the week that was. The Friday night fish fry is an escape from the long week.
Tomahawk and Harrison have many places to enjoy the tradition; like the Happy Snapper, Pine Tree, Silver Birch, Bootleggers, Billy Bob’s, Rivers Edge, Nut Zee’s and many more.
Whether you live here or vacation here, get out and enjoy the tradition. As the evening comes to a close you’ll hit the dusty trail with doggy bag in hand satisfied and content knowing that the weekend is officially begun.
The Tomahawk area has many parks and recreational areas. In my last blog we told you about Bradley Park the oldest park in town. In this entry we are going to take a look at one of the new and improved parks in the city.
Veterans Memorial Park recently got a big face lift when the new fourth street bridge was built this past year. Located on the Wisconsin River in t he heart of Tomahawk, Memorial Park served as a base camp of sorts for materials and the headquarters for the construction crew while they built the new fourth street bridge. With all the extra traffic, storage of equipment and materials, the west end of the park needed to be refurbished when the construction was winding down. As part of the bridge construction, a tunnel was built under fourth street so people could now avoid walking across the street and connect to a nature trail that runs along the river from the park to the Tomahawk Libary. The old World War II tank had to be moved during the construction. When it was moved back in place a very nice memorial stone and flag pole display was built to honor the veterans who served our country to preserve our way of life.
New Music Pavilion
While construction was going on at the west end of the park, the east end of the park was also seeing great improvement. With the help of donations from many Tomahawk residents and businesses a new pavilion was built. The design and construction was done by Tomahawk Log Homes. On June 29th the Tomahawk Music on the River committee dedicated the new pavilion where locals and tourists can gather to enjoy free musical concerts on Wednesday.
Fishing Pier
Veteran’ s Memorial Park also has a nice pier if you want to fish or maybe grab an ice cream cone from Dairy Queen and just sit quietly and watch the river roll by. With the Kwahamot water ski show every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday night, the park also provides a great view of the action without having to fight a crowd.
Whether you’re up here on vacation or just need to get out of the house, Veteran’s Memorial Park is a great place to enjoy life in this Northern town.
