All of your winter blues were burned away in Ephraim on Saturday night as the 57th Annual Chieftain Ceremony and Bonfire Lighting lit up the night sky. 

As the Chieftain was escorted on boat from Eagle Harbor to the Ephraim Town Hall and then to the fire, the event capped off what was a full day of activities during Fyr Bal. From a cornhole tournament to a pancake eating contest to the finale of the fireworks, people from around the state and even from different states flocked to the small village of Ephraim for the festival. The fire “ended the feeling of winter and burned away the winter witch” giving summer its official feel in northern Door County. 

The two-day festival kicked off on Friday night and ran from 8:00 am to 9:30 pm on Saturday, as thousands of people made their way through the main drag of Ephraim. One of the bigger events of the summer in Door County held up to its title, and showed the Scandinavian tradition to not only tourists, but to community members as well.