Destination Sturgeon Bay’s 2025 Fire & Ice Festival begins on February 14 at Crossroads at Big Creek with a “Valentine’s Day- themed Luminary-Lit Hike” from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. Thanks to our sponsor, the Door County Medical Center, visitors of all ages are invited to hike free of charge in the enchanting glow of candlelight. Luminaries will guide hikers through the forest and back to the nature center where they can warm up around the FIRE with hot chocolate, cookies courtesy of Tadych’s MarketPlace Foods, and the company of good people – a magical, memorable, and for some, hopefully, a romantic winter experience.
We continue the Fire & Ice theme with a very special Science Saturday session between 2:00 and 4:00. The volunteers from the Madden Tool Museum will present “ICE Harvest Demonstrations” in the rock garden outside the Collins Learning Center, while historical videos of ice harvest will be screened indoors.
We still have no idea how Sturgeon Bay’s winter festival got its name, but it seems appropriate because, in a real way, ice sculpted the bay of Sturgeon Bay, and fires ignited the city as we know it.
Geologists explain that the lobes of ice from the last Ice Age Glacial Advance created Lake Michigan and Green Bay. Between them, the smaller lobe of ice carved a passage that, over the years, filled with sand. But when the passage was opened, it transformed a quiet settlement into a bustling town.
The excavation of sand from that passage—now the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal–was partly financed by land sales of fire-ravaged timberland cleared by the Peshtigo Fire. Occurring the same day, the Chicago Fire resulted in Chicago’s “Great Rebuilding,” creating a huge demand for Door County lumber. Sturgeon Bay quarries shipped out the stone that helped rebuild Chicago. And the “Ice Harvest” became a huge industry.
While impressive, Chicago’s “Great Rebuilding” did not include the establishment of a sewage system, which meant the city disposed of its raw sewage in the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. To obtain unpolluted ice for meat packing and home use (iceboxes), Chicago imported enormous quantities of ice from Sturgeon Bay. Also, Milwaukee desperately needed clean ice for its breweries.
So, while this is hard to imagine, newspapers of the time estimated that in the late 1800s, at least 700 Door County men cut acres and acres of ice from the bay of Sturgeon Bay each winter. The “cutters,” primarily local farmers, sawed and extracted the blocks of ice, which were transported to and hoisted into the vast “ice houses” that once lined the shores. Sawdust (Sturgeon Bay had three large sawmills) was piled between ice layers for insulation, keeping the ice solid enough to be exported in the summer.
The strenuous work was done using hand tools. So the “tool guys” will offer hands-on demonstrations of the tools--- ice saws, pulleys, tongs, pike poles.—used to harvest ice. Learners of all ages will use these “simple machines” while forming memories and enjoying a timely lesson in local history.
When conditions are adequate, Crossroads will offer our Ski-for-Free program. Check the ticker on the Crossroads at Big Creek website, www.crossroadsatbigcreek.org, for current trail conditions and the hours during which Crossroads will lend skis, poles, boots, snowshoes, and kicksleds to Door County residents and visitors free of charge.
Friday, February 14
5:00-6:30 FIRE & ICE Luminary Lit Hike
Help kick off Sturgeon Bay’s Fire & Ice Festival weekend with a candle-lit walk. Join us for a half-mile walk on our trails, guided by the enchanting glow of candlelight. Once the luminaries guide you back to the nature center, take some time to warm up around the fire with hot chocolate, cookies (courtesy of Tadych’s MarketPlace Foods), and the company of good people. Well-behaved dogs (on leashes) allowed. Registration is not required. Free and open to the public thanks to our sponsor, the Door County Medical Center.
Saturday, February 15
2:00-4:00 Science Saturday: “Ice Harvest”
As part of Sturgeon Bay’s Fire & Ice Festival weekend, volunteers from the Madden Tool Museum will demonstrate how ice was harvested in Sturgeon Bay in the 1800s.
Demonstrations will be held in the Collins Learning Rock Garden, and historical videos will be screened in the Learning Center throughout the afternoon.
Meet at the Collins Learning Center. Registration is not required. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, it is open to the public and free.
Monday, February 17
1:30 Wild Ones Webinar- “The Beauty and Benefit of Hedgerows”
Enjoy this pre-recorded webinar, “The Beauty and Benefits of Hedgerows.” Learn how low-maintenance and sustainable plantings of shrubs, trees, and groundcovers can enhance biodiversity, provide critical habitats for wildlife, and contribute to climate resilience.
Free and open to the public. Meet at the Collins Learning Center. Sponsored by Wild Ones-Door Peninsula
Tuesday, February 18
3:30 Environmental Exploration-Big Creek in Winter
Geared for elementary-aged students but open to learners of all ages, this will be a hike along Big Creek to see how weather conditions affect the water and observe signs of the creatures visiting the creek in winter. Dress for the weather.
Meet in the lab at the Collins Learning Center. Registration is not needed. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, it is open to the public and free.
Wednesday, February 19
1:30 Wandering Wednesday
Join a naturalist-led hike. Easy walking. About an hour. Meet at the Collins Learning Center. Registration is not needed. Open to the public and free thanks to our donors.
photo credits for Luminary Hike Rebecca Ann Struck
