June 23, 2014 at 4:16 p.m.
Chamber pleased with turnout for inaugural Boom Lake Log Jam
Chamber pleased with turnout for inaugural Boom Lake Log Jam
The weather didn't fully cooperate on the first full day of summer but chamber officials were thrilled to see the public embrace the new festival which celebrates Rhinelander's rich logging history.
Large crowds came out to enjoy the lumberjack shows, citizen logging competitions, police department dunk tank, food, music and much more.
"It was a very successful weekend," said Dana DeMet, executive director of the chamber of commerce. "Friday night started a little slow. I would have loved to see more people come out on Friday to enjoy their evening here, but I think the weather probably had a little something to do with that. It was foggy and chilly, but it was really nice seeing (everyone) right away Saturday morning. We probably, at one point, had 1,000 people at the park. That was a really nice start to the day and I think in the afternoon the crowds even got a little bigger, or at least maintained."
Given that the Log Jam is a new event, DeMet said he couldn't be more pleased with the community reaction.
"For the first year, it's really encouraging just because we got a lot of positive comments," he said. "Obviously, there are little things that we'll work out as we go forward, but the event as a whole, and even the activities, it's all gone great. There's a lot of enthusiasm for it, so we're looking forward to improving upon this year and making it even better next year."
A state grant will help fund the Log Jam as it grows. The chamber was awarded a $10,000 JEM (joint effort marketing) grant to promote the event, a grant that will be available to the Log Jam during its first three years.
"Most definitely (the Log Jam will continue). We got the state support to promote the event this year and as part of that we're eligible for further grants for the next two years of this event, so we'll definitely make use of that in terms of trying to grow it," DeMet said.
"Knowing what we know now after this year, I think it will be easier to put it on in future years and be successful with it."
Judging from the enthusiasm showed by the community, that success should be easy to find.
"This is really cool. I love being able to take the kids here to see all the neat equipment and play around with it, but they also get to learn something," said Log Jam attendee Laura Heckanforth. "It's great that the kids can come and have fun but also learn about the history of Rhinelander, of their home. I can't wait to keep coming back."
The opportunity to learn more about the logging history of Rhinelander was a strong selling point for many in the crowd, but there were others who preferred to focus on the fun.
"I got to saw a log with my dad, which was pretty awesome, and actually a lot harder that it looks," Kelli Stevens said. "It fun when you can go around and actually do stuff instead of just sitting and watching or shoping or whatever. It's interactive. It's great. It's perfect for Rhinelander."
In gearing up for the event, organizers have said they hope the Log Jam becomes a summertime hotspot for the public much like the Art Fair on the Courthouse Lawn, Hodag Country Festival and the Oneida County Fair. The thousands who gathered at Hodag Park hope so, too.
"I'd love for this to become a yearly thing. We have so much beauty in our city, so many great parks, it's nice to see them being used for stuff like this," said Tom Morton. "We need more events like this. I really hope it sticks around. It really seems like people are having a great time. I know I sure am."
Marcus Nesemann may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.