Chippewa Valley Music Festivals
Cadott, WI

by Kristine Lendved

Wisconsin knows how to party. That is a known fact. In the summertime we like to party at outdoor music festivals. If you globally position yourself halfway between the North Pole and the Equator, you’ll encounter two of the biggest and the best— Country Fest and Rock Fest, in Cadott, Wisconsin.

These four-day festivals have loyal followings. People plan their vacations to coincide with their festival of choice. People have come from all over the country, all over the WORLD to hear bigname acts like Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Faith Hill,Alan Jackson, Brooks and Dunn, Carrie Underwood and Gretchen Wilson at Country Fest and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Kid Rock, Motley Crue,Alice Cooper, ZZ Top, STYX, Boston, Heart, Lynyrd Skynyrd,Ted Nugent, Sammy Hagar, George Thorogood at Rock Fest... and many, many more!

Country Fest got its start 21 years ago when Cadott local Lyle Goettl returned from a music festival and told his then employer, Mike Asher,“We gotta build one of these things back here in this area!” They hooked up with Duane Crank, an area farmer who provided the 300-plus-acre site.These three men, along with co-founder Ron Hager, put up a stage, booked some acts and started a festival! There were some major challenges the first few
years, but they successfully navigated their learning curve and have all those wrinkles ironed out. They and their staff are ready for you to come and have the time of your life.

The stage that started out as a large pole barn was upgraded in 1992 to the state-of-the-art facility you see today, a permanent stage that’s big enough to handle any act out there. Sound and lights are contracted out to one of the region’s leading professionals. They ensure that the sound is always crystal clear, and with huge video monitors on either side of the stage, no matter where you’re sitting, you’ll feel like you’re in the front row.

A variety of food vendors serve up gyros, barbecued ribs, Indian tacos, funnel cakes, French fries and that classic of Wisconsin cuisine, the deep-fried cheese curd.There are, of course, beer tents.This is Wisconsin after all.

Two conveniently located convenience stores supply necessities, including morning coffee, firewood, cameras, sun tan lotion and everything in between. The security staff is on duty 24 hours a day and the festivals are prepared to deal with medical emergencies, as well, with an on-site portable hospital and an on-call doctor.

There are a variety of attendance options, from one- and four-day general admission seating where you bring your own lawn chair or blanket to a VIP ticket, which entitles you to reserved seating and all the delicious chow you can eat in a special hospitality area.When your favorite artist is onstage, make a point of getting into the picture taking line, which will get you to the front of the stage for a close-up shot.

And then there are the campgrounds. Filled with everything from pup tents to custom painted campers and RVs, this is where the party’s at when the main stage show is over. The campgrounds are filled with crazy and elaborate campsites. There are many contests for the best campsite and you might encounter a mechanical bull on the grounds. (Take a tip from a veteran fester and wait until the last night to ride it, because your legs will get sore.) Leinenkugel’s beer has run their own contest for the best campsite decked out like a little Leinie’s Lodge. (If you don’t know what that is you are definitely not from around here!) Rock Fest spawns its own brand of wild sites.There’s the Kiss Army with a dunk tank and sexy shadow dancers. The Party Bus has a water slide and a famous wet T-shirt contest. The Bong Patrol (that’s a beer bong, people) is right next door.

There is a scheduled time when campers are expected to turn the volume down and it is strictly enforced, so, if you want to, you can get some sleep. You will, also, find fresh water, hot showers, an RV dumping station and a sufficient number of porta-potties.

With daily attendance of around 25,000, the Chippewa Valley Music Festivals are some serious fun.Visit their websites, www.countryfest.com or www.rock-fest.com for information about ticket packages and camping. You’ll also find festival performance schedules, travel and sponsorship information, FAQ, and an opportunity to purchase a Country Club or Rock-It Club membership card, which can score you some great swag, and get you into backstage tours, meet ‘n greets, and offers other great benefits besides. FIW

Cadott is located on Highway 29, 75 miles west of Wausau.The Chippewa Valley Music Festivals are located on County Road S, a few miles north of Cadott. Contact them and arrange ticket purchase by calling 1.800.326.FEST or 715.289.4401, or by connecting to their websites, www.countryfest.com or www.rock-fest.com.