By Lynn Welch
Historic flooding last month brought more than devastation. It brought out the very best in Wisconsinites, who worked to keep the state's destinations open and fairs on schedule.
When Lake Delton emptied, the owners of
Baker’s Sunset Bay Resort took inventory.
“It’s very sad sometimes, but at the same time we did not sustain any damage, no one got hurt and we've been here a long time,” said Dawn Baker Philippe, who runs the family resort on Lake Delton with her mom, Jo Baker.
Though record rainfall eroded the lakeshore, pushing water across a highway and into the Wisconsin River, Baker Philippe kept open the 74-room resort they have owned for 28 years. Without the lake, she focused on highlighting the property’s other amenities. “Our lake doesn't have water but our pools sure do,” said Baker Philippe. “Plus our beach is huge!”
It’s just one of the many demonstrations of how Wisconsinites have used their creativity, resourcefulness and passion to bounce back following historic floods June 8 through 12. In the Wisconsin Dells area, 99 percent of tourism-related businesses remained open.
Many counties hit by flooding, some two years running, have stepped up to keep attractions and parks open, and make certain that fairs and festivals happen as planned.
The Show Must Go OnA circus never cancels a performance. As the old saying goes, “The show must go on.”
So it’s not surprising to hear about the measures those at Baraboo’s
Circus World Museum took to save historic circus wagons, artifacts and buildings housed along the banks of the Baraboo River.
Not once, but twice, workers repositioned about a dozen wagons and moved everything from animals to instruments to higher ground as they watched water rising on their grounds. To save a circus car tipping on sinking flooded rail tracks, workers counterbalanced the car with three pieces of heavy equipment.
“I’m 6’5” and I was up to my knees in water,” explained Executive Director Steve Freese of rapidly rising water June 12. “We hooked up tractors and took the wagons to the hills.”
Water rose several feet in 15 minutes, explained Freese. Crews worked fast to sandbag low-lying buildings that held artifacts too frail to safely move.
Still, Circus World was cleaned up and reopened within days of the flooding. Circus World Grounds Superintendent Harold “Heavy” Burdick said they were just being cautious, recalling when the river last flooded in 1993.
“We got it bad, but others got it worse,” Burdick said. “It was difficult to watch. You can’t control Mother Nature. When she gets going, it can be non-stop. The big thing was making sure everything was safe.”
Higher GroundFor the second time in 10 months, downtown Gays Mills was under water last month, prompting officials in the village to consider relocating the business district. But flooding didn’t stop the Crawford County Fair which occurred July 9 through 13. Fair grounds are on high ground, according to Crawford County Tourism Coordinator Eric Frydenlund.
The same is not true, however, for Beauford T. Anderson Park in Soldiers Grove, where the
Driftless Area Art Festival is set for Sept. 20 and 21.
The park flooded last August when the Kickapoo River overflowed the levy protecting the park, which was, until the early 1980s, the downtown. The village was moved, and a park built in its place. Last month, the raging river broke the levy ripping up the parking lot and exposing the foundation of old town buildings.
Art festival co-chair Liz Quebe said within less than a week, the Soldiers Grove village president said “they were going to ‘move heaven and earth’” to get the grounds prepared for the festival.” Already, excavators have cleared the site and prepared it for seeding. Grass seed was laid, then straw, and work crews picked up glass and rubble strewn all around.
Quebe said the commitment and progress with the work is encouraging and she expects the festival to go on as planned, as well as affiliated events including the
Kickapoo BRAVE Ride. The first ever ride will take beginning to expert cyclists on a 20- to 80-mile route through the gorgeous driftless region of Crawford County.
“There’s an amazing amount of resiliency around here,” Quebe said. “These are incredible people. They just don’t sit around. They dive in to fix it again and that’s a pretty extraordinary characteristic of the area.”
Rescue DucksMany have heard the story of the
Original Wisconsin Ducks, the WWII amphibious vehicles that now shuttle visitors up and down the Wisconsin River. But few have seen them in action the way 200 Baraboo residents did in June.
Ducks General Manager Dan Gavinski responded to a police call for help from the fleet June 12. Eight Ducks drove to the city in heavy rain to help evacuate residents stranded in their homes due to rapid flooding.
Gavinski realized the seriousness of the flooding when he pulled the Duck he was driving up to check the second house. “The water was just raging through yards near houses and I pulled up where I thought the driveway was close to the front porch of this house,” related Gavinski. “There was six feet between the Duck and the porch and water was flowing so fast.
“We put a rope and life jacket on an older lady, and when she took two steps into the rapids she stumbled. We had someone go in to help her.”
The Ducks and 19 of the attraction’s employees rescued people from 4:45 to 11 p.m. Two workers stayed overnight in Baraboo with a vehicle to handle emergencies. The Ducks were back on the river for visitors the next day.
“We’re certainly happy to help people out in situations like this. It is a testament to the type of vehicle we have here in the Wisconsin Dells, which is so durable. For this situation it worked out extremely well,” Gavinski said.
Most roads and state parks in Wisconsin are open. If you have any questions about upcoming travel to areas that may have been affected by June weather events, be sure to call first.
Lynn Welch is a Madison writer who enjoys telling unique and inspiring stories. Contact her at lmrwelch@gmail.com