22nd Annual

Klondike Days
Voted Wisconsin's #1 Winter Family Fun Festival!

March 3rd and 4th, 2012
Eagle River, Wisconsin

CLICK HERE FOR KLONDIKE DAYS LOCATION OF EVENTS MAP

Klondike Days, a family-oriented gala event featuring a variety of turn-of-the-century activities, is planned for Eagle River Saturday and Sunday, Mar 3 and 4, 2012. Making our new home the first weekend of March. Highlights of the weekend long festival will be River Country Red's Rendezvous and Living History, North Woods Championship Dog Weight Pull, the one and two-horse  Log Pull Classic, Hayward style lumberjack competition, a chain-saw carving competition, the Native American cultural exposition and a huge winter art and craft show.

The entire event was developed to encourage families to enjoy the Northwoods, according to sponsoring organizations. The festival is billed as Trig's Klondike Days due to the sponsorship of Trig's food stores in Eagle River, Rhinelander, Minocqua, Wausau and Stevens Point. All the Klondike Days activities will be headquartered on the Eagle River High School and Rocking W Stable off Highway 45 North . Food will be available at two locations.

Most events are held from 9 AM to 4 PM both Saturday and Sunday. The Native American Cultural Exposition will be at 12:30 PM and 2:30 PM. The Northwoods Championship Weight Pull is 11 AM to 4 PM. The Lumberjack Competition is from 9:00 AM to 3 PM Saturday and 10:00 AM to 3 PM Sunday. The Horse Pull is from 11 AM to 3 PM. Saturday is the One-Horse Pull; Sunday is the Two-Horse Pull. Competition event times are subject to change.

While Klondike Days is an outside event with many animals, we ask that you leave your pets at home.

Klondike Days History

A dog run originally started in February of 1981 by the Tri-State Alaskan Malamute Club, with help Jim Tiplady and Bill Nellie and took place at Lake Forest on a track laid out on the grounds and over the lake is the background event responsible for the birth of Klondike Days.

This race grew to attract teams from all over the US, Alaska, and Canada and with help from Tuffy Dog Food the major contributor it grew by leaps and bounds.

This first race was the called the Eagle River Freight Race and was a race where the sleds were weighted down with the appropriate amount dog food based on the number of dogs on the team. The number of dogs on the team and the weight being pulled then determined the length of the run anywhere from 5 – 10 miles. It was a point A to point B type race and caught on quickly with those in the circuit.

With Bill and Mary K Rogers, as well as many others they experienced tremendous growth and considered adding sledding, tobagoning, skiing and snow shoeing and making a full fledge winter festival surrounding the dog run.

In the late 80’s Perry Pokrandt approached Jim and Bill about moving the event to the Derby Track so that it had more exposure. A meeting took place with all that were contributing to discuss the possibilities of such a move and preparations were started.

Perry worked with then Chamber president Sue Mirwald, and the late Pete Mauer to move the event into town to create more tourism which would be great for business as well as showcase the community’s decades-long reputation for providing outstanding, family-orientated experiences in its pristine environment.

The first name considered for the event was "Ice Fest" but Conover resident John Jasper told the organizers that he believed the name should reflect the history and pioneering spirit of Eagle River’s original settlers and Native American culture, and suggested "Klondike Days", which was immediately adopted.

Upon its move into town, Eagle River business owner, Trig Solberg became a major contributor to the competitions now to be held at the World Championship Snowmobile Derby Track. The first "Klondike Days" featured dog sled races and dog weight pulls, along with Native American programming provided by Nick Hocking’s Waswagoning Dance Theatre from Lac du Flambeau.

Today, the budget is measured in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, with many loyal sponsors and hundreds of equally loyal volunteers, many working year-round to make Klondike Days a success.

Perry suggested a "History of Logging" event, where loggers would cut, split, and stack wood. It was a great success and has grown into a full fledge lumberjack competition boasting over 12 different individual and team events called the Great Northern Lumberjack Competition which is the third largest competition of its kind in the Midwest and the only one that takes place in the winter.

Then when Perry was in Wausau visiting an outdoor event, he noticed a group of hobbyists/re-enactors who were providing a voyageur-type encampment.

Since he knew one the group’s principals, he soon convinced the powers-that-be to do a full winter encampment at Klondike Days – something never done before. Thus came about the world-famous and historically faithful River Country Red’s Rendezvous and Living History Encampment.

They also strived to include the rich culture and heritage of the Native Americans who were an integral part of the settling and expansion of the Eagle River area, fur trading, logging, fishing, hunting and commerce. To this day, the Native American Exposition relates in ever-growing detail the culture and heritage of our connection with the Native Americans.

Each year Klondike Days draws more people, visitors and participants alike – even from around the world. Our weekend crowds have been anywhere from 6,000 to 12,000 people and now encompass the Northland Pines High School, Rocking W Stables, and Kartway grounds.

Since that time the event has grown into what has been dubbed by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism as Wisconsin’s # 1 winter family fun festival.

Today, Klondike Days is the home to over 25 different and unique events making Klondike Days the only, most unique and diverse festival to be found anywhere in the surrounding states.

And what does the future hold?

Klondike Days' current Executive Director, Christine Schilling puts it this way: "We want to continue our quest to bring joy, fun, and education to those thousands of families who come to Klondike Days -- and that means even better and more meaningful family events in a warm, affordable, and constantly upgraded and comfortable setting."

Eagle River, in northeastern Wisconsin, is about 241 miles north of Milwaukee; about 327 miles north of Chicago; and about 239 miles northeast of the Twin Cities.

For more information, contact the Eagle River chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center at 800-359-6315; e-mail them ; or visit Eagle River's website EagleRiver.Org

Most pictures on the website are provided courtesy of the Vilas County News Review. 

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