Earlier this week, I drove over the Hoan Bridge and my eye caught the Summerfest grounds with the marquee blinking "See ya next year!" Instantly, I felt a little sad because it's such an amazing space, and it's too bad it can't be utilized year-round.
That got me wondering: Could the city support a winter activity on the Summerfest grounds even though it seems that most Milwaukeeans hate winter? My first response was "no." Didn't we try this with Winterfest -- an outdoor music festival which took place in a variety of locations including Cathedral Square that lost too much revenue to continue after a seven-year stint?
But maybe something else could be a success, because not everyone in Milwaukee despises winter. In fact, I like it a lot, as long as I'm wearing a hat and gloves. (It took the first 25 years of my life to realize winter wasn't half as miserable when I dressed for it. Gee, what a concept.)
As I continued to drive, I babbled about the possiblity of a newfangled winter festival to my husband, and he jokingly suggested "Finnish Fest" -- the city's first winter ethnic festival -- which would include ice fishing, dog sled pulls, sauna/sweat lodges, lutefisk, snowshoeing and lots and lots of vodka. Let's get ridiculously clever and say only bands with low-temperature-sounding names can perform, like Coldplay, The Decemberists and Ice T.
Hey, it's just a thought.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
