Art & Sculpture #3: International Snow Sculpture Championship (Lake Geneva, WI)

What kid doesn't like to play with snow?  When kids go to the beach, they can't wait to sculpt the sand.  Why not try sculpting snow?  You can do more than build a snowman.  If you want to see the professional art, inspire your kids at the International Snow Sculpture Championship in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.  Lake Geneva has hosted the event for 26 years.

Winterfest in Wisconsin, Photo by Krenda

Sculptors tend to dream a theme, draw it, and begin with a blank 8 feet or 12 feet blocks of snow.  It takes days to create the sculpture.  If you go to the competition early in the festival, you can see their drawings and watch them work with shovels, hand saws, and wooden spoons.  I like to return to see their finished art.  I timed it right to stay for the award ceremony and cheering.

Sculptors hope for quality snow block and the right temperature.  They wish for snow without dirt, ice, or rocks.  They hope for Goldilocks weather, not too frigid and not too warm.  Too cold makes it hard to carve and melting, slushy snow makes it difficult to keep the details crisp.

Some sculptures look so smooth.  Other sculptures so intricate.  Some had humor.  Others tried to convey deep meaning.  With approximately 15 teams and 15 sculptures, everyone strolls along the pathways finding their favorite. 

If you go to Lake Geneva, just pay for parking.  One year people decided to park on the lake, but the lake didn't totally freeze and cars and trucks sank.  With a free event, paid parking doesn't seem too much.

What if you don't live close to Lake Geneva?  Find earlier events, ones that may decide which sculptors participate in the National competition or just bring joy at winter festivals.  Here's seven other snow sculpting events:

1.  Illinois Snow Sculpting Competition - Rockford, IL, Sinnissippi Park, 10 sculptures

2.  Minnesota State Snow Sculpting Competition - St. Paul, Vulcan Snow Park

3.  Wisconsin Snow Sculpting Competition - Fond du Lac, WI, compete and possibly win a trip to the U.S. Championship

4.  Ely's Snow Sculpting Symposium - Ely, MN, Ely's winter Festival at Whiteside Park, lit by candles at nigh

5.  Zehnder's Snowfest - Frankenmuth, Michigan, fireworks every night

6.  Woodstock Flurry - Vermont, state contest, free

7.  Winter Arts Snow Sculpting Festival - Dubuque, Iowa, Washington Park

If you want to go beyond U.S. competitions, consider a trip to Breckenridge, Colorado for the International Snow Sculpture Championships.  Often combined with the Viking inspired week of winter games called Ullr Fest, you can see approximately 16 teams hand-carve 20-ton bricks.

Animal Lesson #14: Winter the Dolphin at Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida

Winter, the dolphin movie star

 If your kids grew up watching Dolphin Tale movie (2011)  about a boy and a dolphin whose tail was lost in a crab trap, they likely have special interest in visiting Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida.  The authors wrote the story based upon Winter the bottlenose dolphin and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium acted as the hero in creating a prosthetic so she could swim well.  The movie had such success that producers made a sequel called Dolphin Tale 2 (2014).  This sequel introduces a new dolphin superstar named Hope.  There's two other movie charters that live at the aquarium in real life - 1) Nicholas, a stranded dolphin briefly featured in Dolphin Tale and filmed in Dolphin Tale 2, 2) Rufus, a great white pelican trained for both movies and lives with 3 other great white pelicans.  Winter passed away in Nov. 2021, but you can still visit Hope at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

We visited during Spring Break and the place had quite the crowd.  My daughter even found a classmate from Illinois!  However, the facility significantly expanded since our trip, so enjoy the space.  There's no doubt that Winter was the star of the show and handlers showed the prosthetic and how well she could swim.  However, the aquarium offered other shows too and the animals showed off impressive stunts.  Kids will learn about conservation too.  The facility hosts many free talks throughout the day including 

Turtle Talk, Otter Talk, Resident Dolphin Talk, 

Stingray Talk, and Shark Talk.  

Turtle photo by Krenda

We listened to most of them and visited all the exhibits which included river otters, turtles, stingrays, sharks, and pelicans.

If you want to extend your experience, the aquarium offers a stingray feeding experience in which you can feed fish to stingray for $10 extra fee.  You can also purchase a 60-minute dolphin and wildlife tour boat ride, $20 for child or adult, which travels around a bird sanctuary island while the crew discusses local wildlife.

Aquarium entrance fee cost nearly $40 for adults and $30 for kids, but the fee supports a good cause.  The aquarium is run by a non-profit organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of sick and injured marine animals.  Marine animals not fit to release remain at the aquarium.  Hats off to the aquarium employees, real heroes of the marine world.

Clearwater Marin Aquarium lists as a dolphinarium in wikipedia.  I didn't realize the special term for an aquarium for dolphins at marine parks, zoos, or theme parks.  I realized we have visited many other dolphinariums including Sea World, Georgia Aquarium, Indianapolis Zoo, Brookfield Zoo, Shedd Aquarium, and Texas State Aquarium.  See also my blog article about a dolphin encounter in Honduras.  Our family just can't get enough of these smart creatures.

 

Music Lesson #3: Summerfest, The World’s Largest Music Festival

 If you love music and want to share the love, take your family to Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  This festival features a wide variety of music and spans generations.  You will see fans of all ages. 

This festival offers such a memorable experience that author Patricia Schultz include Summerfest in 1,000 Places to See Before You Die book.  She describes the history: “It all began in 1961 with Summerfest, an 11-day celebration of music and food that gets bigger and better every year.  Yesterday’s tents have been replaced by a dozen permanent stages…”

I’m old enough to reflect on attending concerts as a child and bringing my kids to the festival.  When I was a kid, we spent most of our time at one big stage.  We had one concert to target.  I still remember fondly the excitement of seeing Tina Turner singing and dancing at high energy, Janet Jackson’s showmanship, and my mom’s excitement over hearing Julio Iglesias sing live.  Now you don’t even need to visit the biggest stage; you can hop from one stage to another.

With concerts overlapping at multiple stages, deciding which concert to attend can be a challenge.  You’ll want to check out the Summerfest website and map out the concerts you want to see.  Map out the timing and stage locations.  We walked quickly walked from one stage to another to see four concerts in one night.  We danced and sang with the Village People, KC and The Sunshine Band, The Commodores, and Third Eye Blind, all in one night.  Even our kids had spelled out YMCA at so many wedding receptions that it felt surreal to do it with the band.  We had great conversations about early decades, especially the 1970s.

Single day tickets cost $26, 3-day pass $62 (any 3 days), or 9-day pass ($130).  None of these entry tickets include concerts at the American Family Amphitheater.  You can enter with a purse, tote, or cinch bag 9”x 10” x 12” or smaller.  Don’t try to enter with a backpack or cooler.

Geography Lesson #4: Stingray Encounter in Cozumel, Mexico

I've always found stingrays fascinating.  If an aquarium has a stingray exhibit, I know I'll spend extra time just watching their graceful movement.  Often the aquariums will make the stingray section a hands-on exhibit and you can feel their softness.  

Stingrays at Singray Beach, photo by Krenda

Stingrays have existed since the Jurassic period 150 million years ago.  They belong to the cartilaginous fish family like sharks because they have cartilage skeletons rather than bones.  Also similar to sharks, they have Lorenzeni sensors to pick up electrical signals from their prey.  Stingray prey include bivalves, worms, and crustaceans.  The stingray defend themselves with camouflage light colored bellies that reflect the ocean floor, barbs at the base of their tail, and venom.  Stingrays classify as dangerous sea creatures and thousands of injuries occur each year, so pay attention to the safety talks of the experts.  We learned that you should shuffle your feet in the sand, so you don't accidently step on a resting stingray.  Stingrays are bottom dwelling sea animals, bury themselves in sand, and like the shallow warm water.

We took a Spring Break cruise and I felt excitement about the Stingray Beach excursion which allows you to feed stingray in the ocean. In researching the facility, they take care of their animal health, especially watching for healthy babies or 'pups' each year.  The Ray Encounter excursion includes 30 minutes for an educational orientation and feeding.  The employees break the group into smaller groups and you enter a shallow area.  Tourists take turn feeding stingrays, feeling their mouth suck up food.  Kids may even giggle or squeal to feel the stingrays.  One of the stingrays even gave me a kiss.  After the feeding, the excursion includes 30 minutes for snorkeling in the deeper portion of the fenced ocean section.  After the guided snorkeling, the instructor let us stay longer in this section.  At up to 18 feet deep, we enjoyed both observing stingrays and fish.  The kids also liked the inflatable trampoline and the resident iguana.

In the wild, I don't think you'd likely see so many stingray gathered.  Stingray tend to have solitary behavior and then they gather for breeding and migration.  Their dark brown or gray flattened topside and sand burying behavior could make them undetected if not looking carefully.  Plus they are nocturnal.  Many other cruise ports offer stingray experiences including Antigua, Balmoral Islands Bahamas, Discover Cove Jamaica, Shark Alley in Belize, and the most visited stingray city in Cayman Islands.

Transportation Lesson #9: U.S. Largest Wooden Passenger Collection at Mid-Continent Railway Museum

One of the thrills of traveling in China was the opportunity to take the Shanghai Maglev (magnetic levitation train), which we called to bullet train, from the Shanghai Pudong International airport to Longyang Road Station.  We could have take a taxi, but the $13 round-trip ride on the fastest commercial electric train in the world offered an adventure.  It has a maximum speed of 430 kmph.  The passenger train had an electric sign that announced the train speed, so we had fun just watching the speed climb.  It began service in 2007 and my co-workers and I took a ride in 2011.  The train has transported over 50 million passengers, so there's many people around the world sharing the story of adventure this high-speed passenger train.

You don't need to travel to China to teach your kids about the Golden Age of U.S. train travel (1900-1940's).  You can travel to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin.  Owning 34 passenger cars, this museum earns the title of the United States largest wooden passenger museum collection.  The museum offers public visitation May thru October on weekends with no admission (donations appreciated).  They also offer train rides for a fee, three times a day.

The indoor/outdoor museum has two coach sheds.  In these sheds, I appreciated the historical stories and ability to peek into the glamorous interiors.  I found three passenger cars especially interesting:

1) Copper Range 

Difficult to miss this train with it's orange color.  The museum restored the car to the standard Milwaukee Road orange paint, the color it would have donned in 1911.  The American Car & Foundary (Jeffersonville, Indiana) built the train in 1903.  The train transported people during the Golden Age in Copper Country of Upper Michigan and operated until 1946.  Peek inside and see the restored gold leaf striping and oak veneer ceiling.

2) Milwaukee Lake Shore & Western Railway

Built by the Barney & Smith Co. in Dayton, Ohio, this train first served the northeast regions of Wisconsin (1872-1893).  The Chicago & North Western Railway purchased the train and the train retired in 1930.  Peek inside to see the polished cherry wood and curved panels.  Since I worked in Dayton and traveled by train into Chicago for work years later, I found this train story feeling close to home.

3) Wisconsin Fish Commission (labeled Badger #2)

The sign for this train especially caught my attention, connecting trains, fish, and the World's Fair.  The introduction explained need that led to the combination of passenger transportation with fish transportation, using steel under frames to carry fish.  The story begins with the problem "In 1873 the U.S. Fish Commission began experimenting with shipping live fish across the country by rail.  Like many other states, Wisconsin began hauling eggs, fry and fingerlings in milk cans stacked in baggage cars hauled by local railways.  It was an expensive and labor-intensive journey often complicated by heat, cramped conditions, and missed connections.  A better means to safely transport more fish, greater distances, was needed..."  The restoration of the car cost nearly $1 million and you can see it for free.

State Park #8: Wekiwa Spring State Park & 10 Other Florida Natural Springs

Florida has more to offer than just theme parks.  While the theme parks create a lot of excitement, your family may want a break from the crowds and high costs.  Save a day from your vacation for some natural entertainment.  You don't need to drive far from Orlando.  Only 20 miles from Orlando, Wekiwa Springs State Park has an amazing emerald green spring fed freshwater pool for old time fun.

Patricia Schultz's book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die features Wekiwa Springs State Park as part of Florida's Natural Springs, "In Apopka, 7,800 Wekiwa Springs State Park is located at the headwaters of the Wekiva River, only 20 minutes northwest Orlando, but 1,000 miles away in spirit.  The Wekiwa spring ("bubbling water" in Creek) offers swimming and snorkeling, while the river it feeds is popular for canoeing and kayaking below a lush canopy of trees."

No matter the time of year, you'll cool down at the freshwater pool.  The spring expels approximately 43 million gallons of water per day.  The water temperature measures at approximately 72 degrees year-round.  Despite the popularity, you'll find plenty of room to swim.  The pool has over a half-acre area for swimming.

You'll also find space around the pool for your family to relax.  If you plan ahead, bring a picnic.  Otherwise, the park has a concession stand open 9AM-5PM.

I could only relax for so long, so I took up hiking.  Considered the most diverse parks in Florida, I easily saw many types of trees and animals.  The park has 25 miles of trails.  I took a boardwalk trail which led me to their canoe rental station.  

You can rent canoes, kayaks, or SUPs for a reasonable cost (respectively $35, $35-40, $40, per two hours).  The short trip to Wekiva Island takes 1.5 hours round-trip.  However, the island has a bar (Tooting Otter) and other amusements such as volleyball, so factor that into your time.  Wekiva River is 16 miles.  You can take longer trips such as the Otter camp and back.  The National Wild and Scenic River System created by Congress in 1968 and signed into law by Lyndon Johnson protects these rivers.  Wekiva River is one of only two Florida rivers Federally designated 'Wild and Scenic Rivers'.  Enjoy the beauty!

I've heard some campers choose to drive outside Wekiwa Springs State Park and begin their canoe trip from Weikiva Island to the State Park.  This begins the trip paddling with the current.  Weikiva Island is privately owned and charges $2/person entry fee.  Their watercraft rents by the day and varies (canoes $50, kayak $45-55, and paddlebaord $55).  If you time it right, you could paddle during the day and listen to live music at a Friday or Saturday night at Tooting Otter.

A few tips:

- The pool does not have a lifeguard.  It also has signs to watch for alligators.  There's been no recorded attacks - yet.

- You should not swim in the river.  It's known for alligator sightings.  Otters are also active in the morning.  I'd rather see the otters.

- You should arrive early.  It opens at 8AM.  Given the proximity to Orlando and low cost ($6/vehicle), you could encounter long lines just to enter the park.  Plus, if you want to camp, the policy is first come, first serve.

- You can rent a locker near the pool.

I'm mesmerized by the crystal clear water and I've been to other springs in Florida including Homosassa Springs, Weeki Wachee SpringsPark, and Crystal River.  Here's 10 places to visit Florida springs other than Wekiwa Spring State Park:

1.  Wakulla Spring State Park

2.  Juniper Springs Silver Springs

3.  Rainbow Spring State Park 

4.  Madison Blue Springs State Park

5.  Ichetucknee Springs & River State Park (Fort White, FL)

6.  Ginnie Springs High Springs

7.  Fanning Springs

8.  Devil's Den Willison

9.  Blue Springs (Gilchrist) High Springs

10.  Blue Spring State Park (north of Orlando)

Transportation Lesson #8: Illinois Railway Museum & 6 Other Midwest Rail Museums

Here comes the train

You probably recall the American folk song "I've been working on the railroad" from your childhood.  Kids still hear it today on Loony Tunes or Barney.

The Golden Age of Railroading was considered to take place from period of 1880 to 1916.  That's when the United States had an unprecedented rate of expansion from 93,000 to 254,000 miles of track, according to Iowa University Libraries.  You may not be able to go back in time, but you can get close to trains.  Do you know that you can still work on trains, even without experience?  Most train museums operate with mostly volunteers.  You could greet visitors, demonstrate technology, help organize archive & collections, sell items in the gift shop, work in the office, sell tickets, and/or refurbish locomotives. 

All aboard

"Can't you hear the captain shouting , 'Dinah, blow your horn."  If you don't have time to volunteer, take your kids to the train museum and meet the engineers.  One of our family outings took us to the Illinois Railway Museum.

Location:  Union, Illinois (approx. 1 hour Northwest of Chicago, IL)

Cost:  $15 or less per person, depending on season and age; Free parking

Includes unlimited train rides (except for special-fare days) and access to all the exhibits

If you go, wear your walking shoes for the self-guided tour.  This museum holds the largest collection of historic railway equipment in America from restored Pullman sleeping cars in Barn 3 to trolleys in Barn 7.  We visited every barn and took both the train rides (street car that loops around the property for 15 minutes and the transfer to main line diesel train - available in summer).  Don't miss the Nebraska Zephyr, the only remaining articulated streamliner of it's type and star of the move "A League of Their Own."  I also recommend this movie!

Photo by Krenda

Tip:  We ate at the diner, but you could save by bringing your own food and using a picnic table.

"Fee, fie, fiddy-i-o, Strummin' on the old banjo"  Perhaps you are looking for a smaller or different experience.  Here's other Midwest Railway musuems to consider:

1.     Hooiser Valley Railroad Museum (North Judson, IN) - 1.5 hours Southeast of Chicago

- free admission, but train rides cost $12

- Guest Engineer Program, 18 and over $240 learn how to pull back on the throttle, ring the bell, blow the horn in the cab of a diesel, 1 hour of operation

2. National New York Central Railroad Museum (Elkhart, IN) - 2 hours Southeast of Chicago

- $6 admission, family membership $40, largest surviving example of a NYC Steam locomotive

- The New York Central was once the second-largest railroad in the U.S.

3.  Monticello Railway (Monticello, IL) - 2 hours South of Chicago

- Wabash depot, Nelson Crossing depot, locomotives, cabooses, passenger cars, freight cars

- Housing for volunteers to stay overnight at The Villas at Hodge Park

The train returns

- $10 train rides Sat. & Sun. in summer; $20 surcharge for cab ride; max 2 cab riders per trip

4. Mid-Continent Railway Museum (North Freedom, WI) - 3 hours Northwest of Chicago 

- largest collection of wooden passenger cars in the U.S., 13 steam, 7 diesel locomotive

- 7-mile heritage railroad passing through the former mining community of La Reu, special 1 hour rides from $22 (Coach in Sept., Harvest Limited, Santa Express in Nov./Dec.)

5.  Galesburg Railroad Museum (Galesburg, IL) - 3 hours Southwest of Chicago

-$6 admission Fri./Sat/Sun. or by appointment, Galesburg history where once >3.3K rail employees

-Visit during Railroad Days, a festival with 300 tables of model trains, >50 vendor tables of toys, arts & crafts market, Firefighter's water fights, car cruise in, festival has extra fees

6.  National Railroad Museum (Ashwaubenon, WI) - 3.5 hours North of Chicago, near Green Bay, WI

- popular museum with over 100,000 visitor per year and 300 volunteers

- $11 entrance, $2 for a 25-minute train ride with museum admission 

- Don't miss the Union Pacific #4017 Big Boy, only 25 constructed & weighs 1.1 million pounds

 "Can't you hear the whistle blowing.  Rise up so early in the morn."  It's your cue to get up early and listen to the sounds of the whistles and clickety clack of the rails.