Three-day festival goes on despite weather conditions

L’ANSE — A Saturday morning wind pushed the Lake Trout Festival indoors to the Meadow Brook 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 has been providing low-cost family friendly fun to the area for 12 years.

“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,” said Tracey Barrett, the festival organizer.

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. This year, the Lake Trout Festival coincided with Michigan’s Free Fishing Weekend, and despite the wind, it was perfect for the Keweenaw Bay Classic Fishing Tournament.