Keweenaw Report Your Source for Local News and Sports
Morning winds Saturday pushed the Baraga County Lake Trout Festival indoors to the Meadowbrook Arena in L’Anse, but the day was still entertaining for the whole community.
The festival gets its name from Baraga County’s reputation as the Lake Trout Capital of the Great Lakes and it has been providing low-cost family friendly fun to the area for twelve years.
Festival Organizer Tracey Barrett said, “We as parents got tired of taking people -kids- our kids- to events and it costing an arm and a leg to take your child there. So, we started it twelve years ago with the support of the community and it’s been great ever since.”
The day-long festival is free for everyone to enter and hosts a variety of events, including a coloring contest, bouncy houses, a craft fair, face painting and of course, food.
Barrett said “It’s fun. It’s a good time. Get out, be with people. You get free cotton candy and popcorn, where else can you get that?”
The festival is also known for The Little Miss Superior Pageant and a pie eating contest.
The festival coincided with Michigan’s Free Fishing Weekend, and despite the wind, it was perfect for the Keweenaw Bay Classic Fishing Tournament.
Here are some results from Saturday:
Pequaming Run
Ray Sharp of Atlantic Mine won the half marathon at the Pequaming Run in L’Anse Saturday. Kelly Menge from Negaunee was the top women’s finisher.
In the eight-mile Pequaming Run, Ryan Towles from Dollar Bay placed first. Missy Rhenlund from Ironwood was the top women’s finisher. Jim Cihak from Amasa won the 5k, with Martina Jahfetson of Baraga placing first among women. See times and full results here.
Keweenaw Bay Classic
Gusty winds and 10-foot waves forced many of the teams competing in the Keweenaw Bay Classic fishing tournament to return to port early Saturday. Still, some good catches were reported. The Smurf’s Up team claimed first place in the Lake Trout Division, with a catch of 54.1 pounds. Wobbly Bobbers reeled in the biggest lake trout, at 22.33 pounds. The Sniper team took first place in the salmon division, with a catch of 30.84 pounds. Skinny Water caught the largest salmon, at 11.25 pounds.
