For the second year in a row, Winter Break Milwaukee invites people to come out of hibernation and find ways to enjoy the deep winter.
To learn more about the festival, Lake Effect’s Xcaret Nuñez spoke with Kate Pociask, the founder and organizer of Winter Break Milwaukee. Pociask says the event is meant to bring people together during one of Milwaukee’s quietest seasons.
“Sometimes it's easy to think that everything's dead in the winter, that everything's hibernating, but it's really that we aren't outside as much, and so we're not seeing the things that are going on,” Pociask says. “So that's the kind of joy that I want to help bring to other people.”
Winter Break Milwaukee will feature a variety of winter activities on two separate Saturdays this month, in two different Milwaukee parks. Both weekend events are free to attend, but those interested in attending are encouraged to RSVP through Winter Break Milwaukee’s website.
The first event will be held on Feb. 8, from 12 to 4 p.m. at Bradford Beach, 2400 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive. Here’s a sample of activities this event will offer:
- Surfing: An experienced winter surfer will tell attendees about Great Lakes surf culture, how to read waves and how to “pop up” on a surfboard.
- Nordic Walking: Attendees can go Nordic walking with walking poles. Attendees can either bring their own poles or borrow one of the 15 sets MKE Rec will provide.
- Cold Dip: Experienced and first-time polar plungers can take part in a cold dip in the lake at 2 p.m.
- Tea Workshop: Tootsies Teas will lead a workshop about various plants used to make tea and teach attendees preparation and brewing techniques.
- Duck Watch: Milwaukee Birders will lead a duck watch along Lake Michigan and will teach birders how to observe ducks through a scope.
The second event will be held on Feb. 15, from 12 to 4 p.m. at Havenwoods State Forest, 6141 N. Hopkins St. Here’s a sample of activities this event will offer:
- Dog Sled Rides: The Milwaukee Mushers will be on hand to visit with attendees and will give out dog sled rides if weather permits.
- Fat Tire Bike Rides: Wheel & Sprocket will bring five fat tire bikes for attendees to test drive. Or attendees can bring their own bike for a 2.3-mile trail loop.
- Nordic Walking: Attendees can go Nordic walking with walking poles. Attendees can either bring their own poles or borrow one of the 15 sets MKE Rec will provide.
- Animal Tracks: An animal footprint scavenger hunt will be set up with simulated animal tracks and attendees will learn about the animal that made them.
- Fireside Poetry: Johnny Types Ink will be inside the Havenwoods Education Center composing poems for visitors on the spot.
If weather conditions are right, Winter Break Milwaukee will offer other activities such as snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and a snow sculpture competition. To learn more about the activities at each event date, visit Winter Break Milwaukee’s website.
