Bluegrass at The Lake to take place June 8-10 at Lake Wazeecha
WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. (WSAW) - A 3-day music festival will begin Thursday at Lake Wazeecha’s Red Sand Beach. Music will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday with Southbound performing. Friday, music starts at 4 p.m and events happened all day on Saturday.
“We have food, raffles, merchandise, all sorts of fun things. And then on Saturday is our big day. That’s our community day. It’s the first time we’ve ever done this. So in the morning, we have free events that include Touch a truck for EMS vehicles from all over Wood County,” explained Carolyn Saylor, the event’s secretary.
On Saturday, the event will continue until midnight.
The event not only has a regional draw, but people from all over the state attend as well.
The festival is also a fundraiser for Wood County Critical Incident Stress Management. The team helps first responders deal with traumatic events following on-the-job situations.
“So it’s for all first responders. From paramedics, tow truck drivers, dispatch officers, firefighters, law enforcement... it helps them come to terms with what they see on the job,” Saylor explained.
Saylor said the event has helped them with their own trauma.
“Our daughter had a form of muscular dystrophy. And we went through a lot with that, as many families do with other traumas. But bluegrass music was something that helped us come back together as a family and as a couple. And we just decided Wisconsin Rapids needed a festival and our daughter was at the very first one,” Saylor said.
Her daughter, Brittany Saylor, died in 2018. Saylor said that’s when they made it a memorial festival.
The festival is held in the same are where the water ski show take place for people that are familiar.
Thursday there is a $5 cover charge. On Friday, there is a $28 cover charge and Saturday is a $32 cover charge.
The economic impact from the event in 2021 was $65,000. Last year, it was $85,000. Saylor said they are again hoping to break that record.
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