I have never seen so many people turn out for an ice fishing tournament when there wasn't even enough ice to actually fish. It is one of the things I love about this area - the community support.
Though it helps when the organization you are supporting is doing great things and knows how to throw a party!
Who doesn't want to support a group that has raised enough money to purchase a weed harvester that pulls weeds from the bottom of the lake? Then gives those weeds to farmers to put on their fields in lieu of chemical fertilizer, which could get into the waterways. Last year they took 62.5 loads of weeds out of the lake equaling 125,000 pounds! They also won the Chamber of commerce Community Impact Award and the Top Rural Development Initiative award from Wisconsin Rural Partners.
The Guardians of Lake Decorah (GOLD) started the ice fishing tournament to raise money to keep their cleanup efforts going. You would think that January in Wisconsin would be a safe time to be on the ice, but that wasn't the case this year. They had to cancel the fishing, but everyone still came out to support them, have some chili and beers around the fire, and hope to win one of many prizes they had available.
I didn't win anything, but the chili was great!
If you are interested in the tournament next year, watch GOLD's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/LakeDecorah/