| Green Bay Press-Gazette
DOOR COUNTY: You have your dinner reservations for December 31st, so it’s better now, but what comes next? How will you sound in 2021 in Door County?
Of course, it can be celebrated at home or in many bars and clubs on the peninsula that have planned New Year’s Eve parties. Then there are all the college football games, both December 31st and January 1st, to consider.
But there are some unique ways to go out in public to welcome the new decade in Door County, both the night before and the day of your arrival. Here’s a look at special events to celebrate the New Year with your partner, friends or family.
Countdown to the cherry
Sister Bay welcomes 2021 with an explosion, then with a big cherry falling from the sky.
In just its third year, The Cherry Drop Lodge has become one of Door County’s highlights of winter. Sponsored by rock radio station FM 106.9 The Lodge, the Dec. 31 event lifts a 300-pound lighted metal cherry, about 150 feet, at Husby’s Food and Spirits.
Then, at ten seconds past midnight, the cherry will fall to the ground with a countdown to bring the New Year, like the giant ball falling in Times Square in New York. The radio station will broadcast live songs from Husby’s and Sister Bay Bowl from 10:30 p.m. to the countdown.
For more information on Cherry Drop, call 920-854-3400 or visit the “fm 106.9 The Lodge” Facebook page.
But that’s not all the fun of Dec. 31 in Sister Bay. The county’s only New Year’s Eve fireworks show, sponsored by the Sister Bay Advancement Association, is at 8 p.m. on the Sister Bay Sports Complex, next to Mill Road at 2124 Autumn Court. The sports complex will have a bonfire and is open for ice skating and the village’s restaurants and bars will offer special menus and specials before and after the fireworks.
For more information, call 920-854-2812 or visit cometosisterbay.com.
Take part in a show: there are two to choose from
Two Door County theater companies are celebrating the final performances of their holiday shows on Dec. 31, with one planning a special event for the occasion.
For a musical snack, Fish Creek’s Northern Sky Theater presents the last of its six “Home for the Holidays” concerts for 2020 at 4 p.m. The annual concert series stars local musicians Katie Dahl and Rich Higdon this year, with Memphis headquarters String Instrumentalist Eric Lewis joins.
As in the past, the concerts offer an evening of intimate seasonal songs, instrumentals and festive humor. The shows have had a rotating cast of actors and musicians over the years and each year is different. Each show also includes a drawing of gift certificates from local businesses.
Next, Third Avenue Playhouse, in Sturgeon Bay, is planning a New Year’s Eve celebration after finishing its three-week series of stage comedy “A Tuna Christmas”. After the last curtain of the show, which begins at 7:30 p.m., the entire cast: Alan Kopischke and Noah Simon; it’s a two-person show, and TAP staff will join theater attendees in the lobby for food, drinks, and some surprises.
Kopischke and Simon play 22 characters together in this fast-paced comedy set in the fictional small town of Tuna, Texas, “where the Lions Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies.” In this follow-up to the similar comedy “Greater Tuna,” the two actors bring a quick scoundrel and a quick silver solitaire to city residents as they tackle a disastrous Christmas pageant, a sabotaged garden decoration contest, and a mysterious ghost that extends on Christmas Eve.
“Home for the Holidays” takes the stage at 7pm on December 27th, 4pm and 7pm on December 28th and 4pm on December 29-31 at the Gould Theater in Northern Sky , 9058 County A, Fish Creek. Tickets are $ 29 for adults, $ 14 for ages 17 and up; all places are reserved. For tickets or more information, go to the Northern Sky box office at the theater, call 920-854-6117 or visit northernskytheater.com. The remaining tickets will be sold at the theater from one hour before each performance.
“A Tuna Christmas” is on stage through Dec. 31 at Third Avenue Playhouse, 239 N. Third Ave., Sturgeon Bay. The show is open from 19:30 to Wednesday to Saturday and from 14:00 on Sundays. Tickets cost $ 32 for adults and $ 12 for students. For tickets or more information, visit the TAP box office, in front of the theater at 234 N. Third Ave., call 920-743-1760 or visit thirdavenueplayhouse.com.
RELATED: Northern Sky Theater will hold holiday concerts at the new Gould Theater
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FOR MORE THINGS IN DOOR COUNTY: See our homepage
Take a hike in the snow
Several state parks and nature parks offer the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors and take advantage of some of the calories from holiday celebrations with guided tours.
Crossing Big Creek in Sturgeon Bay offers free New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day excursions. To get out of 2020, a New Year’s Eve sunset walk leaves at 3:30 pm on December 31 from the Collins Learning Center to the Utah Street Bridge to see the latest sunset of the year and then should return before dark.
Then people can take a New Year’s Eve walk to observe birds and wildlife at 11 a.m. on Jan. 1 at the Ida Bay Reserve on Crossroads; hikers should park next to Zenith Street.
Crossroads is in Michigan, 2041, just east of State Roundabout 42/57, Sturgeon Bay. For more information, call 920-746-5895 or visit crossroadsatbigcreek.org.
In addition, several Wisconsin State Parks are organizing first-day hikers and snowshoe excursions, weather permitting, on Jan. 1, including the peninsula at Fish Creek and Newport, near Ellison Bay.
The walk through the Peninsula runs from 10 a.m. to noon. Hikers should park in Lot 5 and gather at the Highland Road Warming Shelter for a family trek of 1 to 3 miles, with hot chocolate and cookies at the shelter. Participants must bring a bottle of water and may bring binoculars and field guides. Pets are not allowed.
In Newport, hikers can park in Lot 1 and meet at the Nature Center, where there will then be hot cider and hot chocolate. Canes or canes are recommended.
In addition, trails will be opened in Whitefish Dunes and Potawatomi State Parks, as well as in the county parks and Ridges Shrine in Baileys Harbor.
A sticker is needed to enter the state parks. Excursions may be canceled due to weather conditions. For more information, call Peninsula at 920-868-3258 or Newport at 920-854-2500 or visit dnr.wi.gov/Calendar/Events/Parks.
Take the polar bear’s path home
If you want to tackle the elements and run or jump into the icy waters surrounding the peninsula on New Year’s Day, Gate County offers you two possibilities.
The best known of these, one of the best known and longest lasting in the country, is the January 1 annual swim at the Jacksonport Polar Bear Club on Lake Michigan. Another such event is the Bi-Polar Plunge at Mary’s Waterfront Bar & Grill in Sturgeon Bay.
This is the 34th time for the fall of Jacksonport, with more than 500 people expected to participate, making this polar bear swim among the largest in the country.
The club first started in Jacksonport in 1986 with a swimmer, 14-year-old JR Jarosh, who ran into the lake to establish a losing bet with his father. It was not until 1989 that the number tripled to three swimmers.
The club has experienced substantial growth since then, with an estimated maximum of 900 swimmers in 2010. Over the years, they have come from 38 states and 10 foreign countries. The pass was also a focal point of the 2009 film “Feed the Fish,” filmed primarily in Door County and starring Tony Shalhoub.
Last year’s event drew approximately 600 swimmers, with hundreds of more crowded spectators who witnessed the event and cheered on the participants.
“It’s amazing how the event has grown over the years,” Jarosh said. “Seeing how so many people have embraced the opportunity to fight the elements and celebrate the new year by taking a bath is fantastic.”
Those who plan to participate and have not done so before should visit the club’s website, which has a “Tips and Forms” page. The mandatory download for swimmers can be downloaded from the site, which Jarosh said will save time if completed in advance. No costumes are required for participants, but it is definitely recommended. While swimmers need to be careful of temperatures, the Jacksonport fire department does what it can to make sure they are unharmed.
The festivities at Lakeside Park will begin around 10:30 a.m., with food and drinks served from 11 a.m., reaching the 10-second countdown just before noon to send the swimmers into the water. There will be a variety of Jacksonport Polar Bear Club products, including t-shirts, hoodies and other items, at the registration pavilion and online. Certificates of achievement will be available to all swimmers when they register.
The Jacksonport Polar Bear Club Plunge takes place quickly at noon on January 1 in Lakeside Park, State 57 in Jacksonport. Registration begins at 10:30 a.m. at the park’s nearest lake refuge. There is no charge to participate, although divers and spectators are asked to bring non-perishable food to give to Feed My People, a food pantry in Door County. All swimmers must sign the disclaimer form before participating in the event.
For more information, visit jacksonportpolarbearclub.com or the “Jacksonport Polar Bear Club Ltd” Facebook page.
Meanwhile, Mary’s Waterfront has people entering the Sturgeon Bay Canal at noon for their annual bi-polar dive. Participants get a free t-shirt and the event also features blues and bloody velvet-laden music.
Waterfront Mary’s is located in Beach Harbor Resort, 3662 N. Duluth Ave. For more information, call 920-743-3690 or visit the “Waterfront Mary’s Bar & Grill” Facebook page.
Go to a parade
Of course, there’s this big flowery parade in Pasadena, California, to see on the morning of January 1st. But for a quirky, local-flavored parade where everyone can leave, head to Egg Harbor after lunch.
The village and the Egg Harbor Business Association hold their 42nd annual New Year’s Eve parade at 1 p.m., regardless of the weather.
To participate, dress up, bring your pets, decorate an old car, motorcycle or any other heavy building material (the only limit is ingenuity and practice) and line up at Stella Maris Parish, 7170 state 42. No need to register.
The parade runs north through the village in state 42, starting at Harbor School Road and marching toward Door E. County.
For more information, call 920-868-3717 or visit eggharbordoorcounty.org.
Contact Christopher Clough at 920-741-7952, 920-562-8900 or [email protected].