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Other stories in "Winter"

• Readers say Ely is the coolest town
  It's got wolves, it's got bears, it's got character.
• Vacations for the brain
  Go to a summer school, and you'll come home with a skill.
• Sightseeing by bicycle
  This summer's tours include an extra quota of scenery.
• Go, dogs, go
  Watch an elite field of mushers and huskies in the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon.
• Walking on ice
  To stay safe and have fun, buy a pair of crampons.
• Volunteering on Lake Superior
  Be keeper of the light or a watcher of wolves.
• Serious reservations
  Here's a guide to the lodgings, campsites and permits you should nail down now.
• Best bets in ski country
  Trails in the south bask in snow; a hostel reopens in state forest.
• Skiing in the city
  On the trails of Duluth, a cappuccino never is far away.
• Cheap winter retreats
  Spend a weekend mushing dogs or tracking wolves at bargain prices.
• Happy holidays from MidwestWeekends
  Here are our wishes (and gifts).
• How to make ice luminaries
  With homemade lanterns, make your front walk sparkle.
• A peek into an inn
  During holidays, B&Bs in four tourist towns open for tours.
• Holiday house calls
  On tours, see where the rich and famous celebrated Christmas.
• Magic under the moon
  In winter, plan a trip around a candlelight ski or snowshoe.
• A very merry city
  At Christmas, Chicago brims with good will.
• All eyes on eagles
  In winter, tourists and birds alike head for open water.

Wacky winter festivals

Some folks really know how to throw a party — and a lot of other things, too.

When people in Wisconsin are happy, they throw things – and we’re not just talking confetti.

In the Mississippi River town of Pepin, a wooden catapult hurls fruitcakes during Hometown Holidays in December.

For New Year’s Eve celebrations in Prairie du Chien, farther down the river, a frozen 29-pound carp called “Lucky’’ drops 100 feet — after everyone's had a chance to kiss him first. In Plymouth, an 80-pound wedge of cheese drops 100 feet at midnight.

In Spooner, frozen turkeys are flung at bowling pins during Jack Frost Fest in January (pictured). In the Lake Superior village of Cornucopia, turkeys roll during Cornyval in early March.

Teams toss frozen bluegills back and forth during February's Knickerbocker Ice Festival in Lake Mills. During Bockfest at Capital Brewery in Middleton, the brewmaster lobs smoked chub (like carp, a rough fish) off the roof at the beer-guzzling crowd.

For Winter Festival in Fish Creek in early February, adults toss toilet seats and bikes, and the kiddies sling tubes.

In Gilman, a forest village west of Medford, there's a frying pan toss during February's Sniegfest.

Other tossing towns

Just across the Wisconsin border near Iron Mountain, Mich., Norway Mountain ski area celebrates Yooper Days in February with chainsaw-throwing (and a frozen T-shirt contest).

In Iowa’s Amana Colonies, pigs fly in January during Winterfest, where people with strong arms compete in the Great Amana Ham-Put. Weaklings can heave wienies at the University of Okoboji Winter Games the same month.

Minnesota is too polite to do much flinging, but folks in International Falls do bowl turkeys during Ice Box Days in January.

And if you’d rather push than pitch, head to north-central Wisconsin to compete in the Perkinstown Outhouse Race in late February. Prefer to pull? Compete in the Human Dogsled Races during Winter Festival in Houghton.

Summer flings

People like to toss things in summer, too. The central Wisconsin town of Princeton kicks off the summer season with the Memorial Day weekend Rubber Chicken Fling, which features a chicken-flinging contest.

And then there's the Minnesota port town of Two Harbors, where Heritage Days in July includes a lutefisk toss. 

Last updated on July 10, 2010