Wollersheim Winery & Distillery in Prairie du Sac, Wis., will host Concerts At The Cave Series, two summer-evening concerts in its wine garden with food, wine and cocktails, July 18 and Aug. 10, 2016. Relax and enjoy music amid the beauty of the hillside overlooking Wollersheim’s vineyards and its recently renovated, historic wine cave, built in 1847 by the winery’s founder, Hungarian nobleman Agoston Haraszthy.
Check-in begins at 5:00 p.m. and music at 5:30 p.m. Tickets include a complimentary glass of wine or a cocktail, and are available for $20.00 online at www.wollersheim.com.
Vintage Brewing Co.’s Woodshed Ale House in Sauk City, Wis., will sell specialty food items in the garden through the evening. Wollersheim will also provide a variety of artisan cheeses, cheese curds, sausage, crackers and pretzels. The Winery and Distillery stores will stay open until 8:00 p.m.
- Monday, July 18: Gin, Chocolate & Bottle Rockets performs. It’s a power-pop trio of veteran musicians from Madison, Wis., featuring tight, three-part harmonies, honest and gritty song writing, and riveting performances for a little sass and sweet, and a lot of fire. Find more about the group here.
- Wednesday, Aug. 10: Lou Shields is a solo musician and artist from Chicago, Ill., who relocated to Wisconsin’s driftless region. His original music has a deep appreciation for Delta blues, country blues, folk, early country and beyond and may be best described as Americana and American-roots music. Learn more at www.loushieldsart.com.
The concerts will move indoors if the weather doesn’t cooperate. There are a limited number of chairs and tables, so please bring a lawn chair or blanket.
Wollersheim Winery is a National Historic Site along the Wisconsin River where eagles soar overhead, overlooking the south flank of the renown Baraboo Range. In its 43rd year of production, it’s one of the oldest wineries in the country. Julie Wollersheim-Coquard and her husband, Philippe Coquard, a French-raised and Wisconsin award-winning winemaker, operate the winery, now with their children, continuing Julie’s parents’ endeavor.
In 2015 Wollersheim opened a new distillery to add spirits fermented from Wisconsin-grown grapes to its offering, including Garden Gate Gin and Dancehall Absinthe Blanche. In preparation, in 2012 Coquard began distilling brandy from estate-grown grapes with the winery’s original Portuguese copper-pot still, returning Wollersheim to its pre-Prohibition roots. These new developments were possible because of a 2009 change in Wisconsin law that allowed wineries to again have licenses for distilled spirits.
During the 1800s wineries used brandy to fortify wine for transport. Wollersheim Winery made wine and brandy since 1876, shipping its wine as far as Maine. The winery stopped making wine and brandy in 1919 due to the Prohibition. After the Prohibition’s repeal in 1933, Wisconsin allowed wineries to resume making wine only.
Wollersheim Winery & Distillery hosts its New Brandy Release June 17–18, 2016 when it will uncork its newest brandy, 1876 Press House Brandy, and Coquard Brandy Batch No. 4. Learn more about the celebration here.
- Wollersheim is open daily year-round for tours, tasting and shopping: the winery 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and the distillery 12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
- The Inn at Wawanissee Point bed and breakfast is 20 minutes from Wollersheim Winery.
Book your guest room HERE or call us at 608-355-9899.
Some Events Around July 18
- For Devil’s Lake State Park events, call the Nature Center at 608-356-8301 ext. 140 or e-mail SusanA.Johansen@wisconsin.gov with questions and to register.
July 15: Friday Night Fish Fry at Devil’s Lake State Park, 5:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m., at the north shore Chateau by Baraboo’s Elite Catering. $11.50 per person for two pieces of fish, one piece of chicken and three side dishes. Dine under the oaks or inside if it’s raining. Purchase beverages and an ice cream cone for dessert from the from the park’s North Shore Concessions.
July 15: Downtown Portage Beer Walk, 6:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m. Explore this historic Main Street while sampling various beers. For more information visit the Portage Area Chamber of Commerce.
July 15–16: Learn The Early Wisconsin Fur Trade at Devil’s Lake State Park, Baraboo, 9:00 a.m. p.m.–5:00 p.m. Join the people from the Fox of the River Voyageur Canoe for a hands-on experience in history and the camaraderie of the fur-trade era with its colorful participants, the Voyageurs. Step back in time with guides Jean Paul Pauquette and Jacques Largillier and play a role paddling a Voyageur canoe. Meet at the north shore’s boat launch, five minutes west of the Inn.
July 16: Build A Burger Train at Mid-Continent Railway Museum, North Freedom, 23 minutes west of the Inn. In addition to the regularly scheduled daytime coach trains, enjoy two Burger Trains: the same fantastic ride with snacks followed by a grilled burger delivered to your table that you build into a masterpiece with the toppings of your choice, two side dishes, dessert and your choice of beer, wine or soda, at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Reservations are required for the burger train, tickets $35.00 for one burger, $40.00 for two burgers. Reserve and learn more at www.midcontinent.org. Museum grounds open 9:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
July 16: Margarita & Taco Train at Mid-Continent Railway Museum. At 5:15 p.m. a coach train with salsa, chips, ice-cold margaritas (nonalcoholic, too), tacos served family-style with toppings of your choice, dessert and your choice of beer, wine or soda. Reservations are required for this dinner train, tickets $40.00. Reserve and learn more at www.midcontinent.org. See additional Museum details above.
July 16: Kayak Tour at Devil’s Lake State Park, Baraboo, 6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m. A guided paddle of Devil’s Lake to explore for birds, fish, mammals, geology and history. Tour begins at the Park’s north shore Chateau boat launch, five minutes west of the Inn. Space is limited and prior registration is encouraged, see note above. Kayak rental $25 single, $45 double.
July 16: Witwen Concert At The Campground, 25 minutes southwest of the Inn, 6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m. Harmonious Wall performs, a local jazz trio with intoxicating vocals and enticing arrangements that push the boundaries of Gypsy swing with a mandolin, guitar, female vocals and drums. Learn more about the band at wail.com. Grounds open at 4:00 p.m., food for sale at 4:30 p.m. and you are welcome to bring a picnic supper. Bring lawn chairs. If raining the concert is held in the tabernacle on the grounds. More at www.witwenpc.com.
July 16: Universe In The Park at Mirror Lake Sate Park, Lake Delton, 8:45 p.m.–10:00 p.m. Explore the night sky with University of Wisconsin-Madison astronomers. Slideshow presentation, discussion, question-and-answer session and a large telescope for viewing the night sky. Meet at the beach shelter. Call 608-254-2333 or e-mail rebecca.green@wisconsin.gov with questions. Learn about the park here.
July 19: Night Paddle at Devil’s Lake State Park, Baraboo, 8:30 p.m.–10:30 p.m. By Buck Full Moon’s light and glow sticks illuminating our crafts, we’ll explore the lake. Paddle begins at the park’s north shore boat launch, five minutes west of the Inn. Bring your kayak, canoe or boat, and register with the Nature Center to ensure there are enough glow sticks available, see note above.
July 20: A Hike Back In Time at Devil’s Lake State Park, Baraboo, 9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Meet at the Steinke Basin parking lot, five minutes west of the Inn. Join the delightful retired 30-year Park naturalist, author and Baraboo Range geology expert Ken Lange for a 3.5-mile geology hike through the Park. After orientation hike onto the end moraine of the Wisconsin glacier and talk about rocks transported by the glacier, then to the top of the south end of the east bluff to see rocks transported by glaciers, potholes, Devil’s Doorway, an Indian marker tree, a 200-year-old red cedar, a quartzite glade and pygmy forest unique to Wisconsin. Some sections of the trail are steep. Wear appropriate footwear and bring plenty of water.
July 20: Learn To Kayak at Devil’s Lake State Park, Baraboo, 6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m. Designed with fun in mind come learn basic strokes, how to get in and out of a kayak safely, and what to do if you capsize. Try your new skills. Be prepared to get wet. Bring your craft or rent one, only single kayaks allowed for this workshop, $25.00. Space is limited to 10 people and registration is required, see note above.
July 20–23: International Edsel Club Rally Convention at the Best Western Resort & Conference Center, Portage. Produced 1958–1960 and named after Henry Ford’s son, the Edsel is a vehicle with unique history. Edsel owners bring their beloved cars to this annual convention held in different cities each year. Various tours planned for the car owners around the city. Car Show awards on Saturday. More details will be forthcoming here.
Some Events Around Aug. 10
Aug. 6: Cyantotype Demonstrations at the H. H. Bennett Studio, downtown Wisconsin Dells, 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Learn about this photographic process that prints photos using the sun’s power. Studio open daily April 30–Oct. 30, 2016, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., with extended hours mid June through mid August. Visit hhbennettstudio.wisconsinhistory.org.
Aug. 6: Explore The Night Sky at Devil’s Lake Sate Park, Baraboo, 7:00 p.m.–10:30 p.m. Meet at the north shore boat launch parking lot, behind Rock Elm Shelter, five minutes west of the Inn. Join the Madison Astronomy Society to learn about the night sky. Telescopes will be available to view the moon and winter constellations. Informal program, come anytime.
Aug. 10: A Hike Back In Time at Devil’s Lake State Park, Baraboo, 9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. See details above in July 20 description.
Aug. 11: Kayak Tour at Devil’s Lake State Park, Baraboo, 6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m. ee details above in July 16 description.
Aug. 11–12: Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks…snuggle by the fire with a s’mores kit on the Inn’s secluded prairie terrace. The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe, producing up to 60 meteors per hour at its peak, even 90. The Perseids are famous for producing a large number of bright meteors. The shower runs annually from July 17 to August 24. The waxing gibbous moon will set shortly before midnight leaving fairy dark skies for an excellent early morning show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Perseus, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
Aug. 12: Friday Night Fish Fry at Devil’s Lake State Park, 5:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m. See details above in July 15 description.
Aug. 12–13: Heroes For Honor Badger Honor Flight Fund-raiser, Westwynde Park, Prairie du Sac, Softball and bean-bag tournaments, dodge ball, tractor and H.O.G. poker run, raffles, wagon rides, large craft fair, music by four local bands (polka, country, 1950s–60s and blue grass) with a large dance floor, food and beverage stands though no alcohol but you may bring yours, and fireworks at dusk. Saturday morning breakfast in the park and veterans eat free. Details here.
Aug. 13: 32nd Annual Susie The Duck Days, Lodi, Wis., 12:00 p.m. Begins with the Lodi Rotary Parade followed by the Duck Derby, launching 3,000 rubber ducks into Spring Creek to begin their journey traversing waterfalls and rapids to the finish line. Festivities continue at Lodi’s Habbermann Park with the Taste of Lodi-Lake Wisconsin, an assortment of tasty treats, live music and a beer garden. Admission is free. Learn more here.
Aug. 13: 50TH Anniversary Celebration of Mirror Lake State Park, Lake Delton, 25 minutes north of the Inn, 10:00 a.m.–8:30 p.m. In the outdoor amphitheatre 10:00 a.m. Swing Crew, an interactive acoustic band performs; 10:30 a.m. guest speakers; 11:30 a.m. unveil the landmark rock; 1:30 p.m. Ho-Chunk dancers and singers perform; and 7:00 p.m. Patchouli performs, a folk group with pure, haunting lead vocals and beautiful harmonies, whose sound, depth and virtuosity is described as “Simon and Garfunkel meets the Gipsy Kings”. A state-park vehicle admission sticker for the day is required, but the events are free. Donations are welcome. Make it day: hike, bike and paddle this 2,200-acre park, rentals available, then have supper at Ishnala Supper Club, a historic, traditional Wisconsin supper club nestled in the woods on a rock ledge overlooking the lake. Or enjoy supper in Reedsburg, 18 minutes west, at one of many restaurants along one of the prettiest, historic downtown Main Streets in the county including the state’s smallest microbrewery, Corner Pub Brewery. Call 608-254-2333 or e-mail Rebecca.green@wisconsin.gov with questions. More details here.
Aug. 13: Big Band Dance In The Park at Devil’s Lake Sate Park’s north shore Chateau, Baraboo, 7:30 p.m.–10:30 p.m. Dance to the big-band sounds of The Hal Edwards Orchestra in Wisconsin’s most romantic dance pavilion. Tickets: $10.00.
Aug. 14: Shakespeare In The Park at Mirror Lake State Park, Lake Delton, 25 minutes north of the Inn, 7:00 p.m. In the outdoor amphitheatre: This traveling, seven-member theatre troop created a short workshop for children and adults followed by a tight, 75-minute minimal production with mayhem, character switches and hilarity with a focus on actors per the style of Shakespeare’s time. It is committed to presenting short, accessible, classical theatre in Wisconsin’s state parks. A state-park vehicle admission sticker for the day is required, but the event is free. See park details above.
