PLOVER – Thousands of people will gather this weekend to Celebrate Plover.
The event will run from 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to midnight Saturday. Celebrate Plover will feature a variety of events like live music, a marketplace, a volleyball tournament, water fights with the fire department, youth activities, food, drinks, fireworks and more at Lake Pacawa Park.
There’s a lot going on at Celebrate Plover. Here are the highlights.
Test out the Taste of Plover.
Food and beverages will be available at Celebrate Plover, provided by local businesses and nonprofit organizations. Taste of Plover food will include cheese curds, hamburgers, brats, homemade french fries, pizza, sesame chicken, crab rangoon, ice cream, cotton candy, kettle corn and more.
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There’s a 5K for everyone.
The Lake Pacawa Run, Walk + Roll 5K will kick off Friday at Lake Pacawa. The fourth annual 5K offers something for everyone.
A Kids Fun Run for children 10 years and younger will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday.
A 5K timed run and walk will start at 6 p.m. Friday. Registration for this portion of the event will end at 1 p.m. Friday.
If running, walking or rolling isn’t your thing, you can support the race by buying a T-shirt. Concessions, entertainment, swag bags and prizes for top racers will also be part of the event.
The purpose of the 5K is to encourage physical activity and overall health for everybody. All proceeds from this event will go toward maintaining the park at Lake Pacawa.
Check out the car show.
New to Celebrate Plover this year is a car show at Lake Pacawa Park on Friday, presented by Jack Stand Racin' Car Club.
The show is free to enter, and plaques will be presented to "Kid's Choice" and "People's Choice" winners. Basket raffles and 50/50 raffles will be available at this event, as well, and all funds will be divided equally among all K9 units in Portage County.
A "cruise in" to Lake Pacawa Park will gather between 4:15 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Antique Up parking lot at 3256 Church St. in Stevens Point, leaving for the park at 4:45 p.m. to arrive at 5 p.m. Event organizers say there is room for about 100 cars, so they encourage pre-registration, but it is not required. You can reach Tim Hoerter at 715-347-0904 or Sheri Hoerter at 715-630-6665 by leaving a message or texting. Registration will be available the day of the car show, as well.
Enjoy the balloons.
Another new event at Celebrate Plover is the Balloon Glow, running both Friday and Saturday.
At 6:30 p.m., six hot air balloons will lift off, and at dusk, the balloons will glow. Event organizers recommend guests bring lawn chairs to watch. Balloon pilots will have trading cards available to pass out to guests.
Catch the volleyball tournament.
The Pacawa Pounder Volleyball Tournament will start at 9 a.m. Saturday. The competition is the event's eighth annual grass volleyball tournament. Entry fees are $100 per team, and registration begins at 8 a.m. Saturday.
Cheer on a water fight.
Fire departments will compete in a water fight tournament starting at 1 p.m. Saturday. An empty beer keg barrel will be strung up 15 feet in the area across 100 feet of cable. Two teams of firefighters will take their places on either side of the barrel and spray their fire hoses at the barrel, pushing it toward the other team. Each matchup will compete for the best two of three rounds. The winning team will advance through the tournament.
As firefighter teams compete, guests can cheer on their favorite teams.
Take in the other entertainment.
You'll find all sorts of entertainment throughout both days of Celebrate Plover, ranging from a polka band, songs from Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Neil Diamond, Ray Price, classic country, rock and pop music and more.
- The Ramble will perform from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday
- Veteran's Tribute will perform at 11 a.m. Saturday in the bandshell
- Dance Dynamics will also perform at 11 a.m. Saturday
- Ultimate Polka Band will perform from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday
- Grand Union will perform from 8 p.m. to midnight Saturday
Something for the youth, too.
Celebrate Plover is family-friendly, offering activities and games for children, as well. You'll find inflatable rides, face painting, balloon twisters and other games and events from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday.
Browse the market.
A Market Place featuring craft vendors will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. You'll find a variety of vendors offering arts, crafts, antiques, a flea market and more.
Learn more about local businesses.
An Outdoor Business Expo will be set up from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Celebrate Plover. Local businesses and nonprofit organizations will showcase their business and offer free samples and more information about what they do or provide.
Awe at the fireworks show.
A choreographed fireworks show will start at dusk Saturday at Lake Pacawa. The show lasts about a half hour and is choreographed to music.
Admission is free.
The two-day event has free admission and free parking. Carry-ins are not allowed at the event, and organizers ask guests to leave all animals at home.
It’s entirely sponsored.
According to the village’s website, the two-day festival is entirely sponsored by local business owners and individuals. A small committee works to raise funds for the annual event, and it’s run by volunteers, donations and sponsors.
Where do profits go?
All proceeds from the event support the event or are directly donated to public uses of Plover, according to the village’s website.
For more information, visit ploverwi.gov/337/Celebrate-Plover-Event or find Celebrate Plover on Facebook.
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Contact Caitlin at cshuda@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @CaitlinShuda.
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