Governor’s Opener Banquet
BY BILL THORNLEY
SPOONER– Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker might be going through some tough times with opponents statewide seeking to recall him, but in Spooner on Friday, May 4, at the Northwest Sports Complex, he found a lot of support and hometown hospitality.
Walker was in Spooner for the 47th annual Governor’s Fishing Opener banquet, and he was cheered long and loud. Like other governor’s before him, Gov. Walker was there to try his luck fishing during the Wisconsin Fishing Opener.
Walker and many others fished the waters of the Trego Flowage, fishing out of Bay Park Resort & Campground. The governor hooked a nice crappie, but it spit the hook before it could be netted … the frustrating string of governors not getting fish continues.
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| Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker | Governor Scott Walker wets a line on the Trego Flowage. |
Also attending the opening banquet on Friday were Cathy Stepp, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and Stephanie Klett, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. The event was emceed by Peter Dake, president of Wisconsin Indian Head Country.
Michelle Voight, Washburn County Tourism Association president, presented Gov. Walker with a gift basket provided by Schmitz’s Economart in Spooner. The governor also received several other gifts from local residents, and in turn had some wonderful things to say about the Washburn County area and the people who call it home.
Joe Weiss provided entertainment, performing original songs about hunting, the outdoors, the people of Washburn County and – of course – fishing. It was an evening of good will and anticipation of good fishing to come.
Spooner area fisherman Joe Weiss entertained at the Governor’s Opener Banquet
Spotlight on Washburn County
Travel writers, television reporters, and even an outdoor show arrived at the Wisconsin Canoe Heritage Museum on Friday in Washburn County to celebrate the 47th annual Wisconsin Indian Head Country Governor’s Fishing Opener. The event was started in 1965 by Wisconsin Indian Head Country and then-Gov. Warren Knowles to promote fishing, the outdoors, and the beauty of Northwest Wisconsin.
“Washburn County is always delighted to host media events such as the fishing opener,” said Voight. “One of the best forms of marketing is through the media, and we are incredibly pleased with the support of the businesses, organizations, and residents of Washburn County.
“This event was last held in Washburn County in 2006. We look forward to hosting the event again in future years.”
Attendees included TV stations from Duluth, Eau Claire, and La Crosse; Kurt Walbeck of Outdoor Bound TV who will be doing a 30-minute show on the opener and the area; the Spooner Advocate and local papers; and a number of freelance writers from Wisconsin and Illinois who write for various sport magazines and tabloids.
In addition, representatives from a number of radio stations, fishing clubs, businesses, government, and the state were there.
Tourism has a huge impact in Washburn County, and it brought in $3.1 million in taxes and fees to state and local government in 2011. In fact, on Friday the Wisconsin Department of Tourism released the 2011 Economic Impact numbers for the state.
“I am thrilled to report that from 2010 to 2011, tourism expenditures in Washburn County increased by $1 million,” said Voight.
She said the Washburn County Tourism Association works throughout the year to promote the amazing natural resources, attractions, and businesses in Washburn County and has launched many new marketing projects in the last couple of years, including a recent marketing plan with the film maker Discover Wisconsin. The final episode on Washburn County is set to air in September.
Going fishing
“The purpose here is to have fun,” said Peter Dake, president of Wisconsin Indian Head Country, emcee at the Friday banquet. “We’re here to enjoy what the Spooner area and Washburn County has to offer us. That’s why we’re here. We’re here to enjoy that and to promote this great area.”
Introducing Gov. Walker, Dake said, “He could have chosen to be anywhere else, speaking to a bigger crowd tonight, and I for one would have said I understand. But he chose not to do that. He chose to be here with us in Spooner, to promote this area and promote tourism here because he cares about us up here.”
“We’re celebrating the fact that from last year to this year we saw an 8 percent increase in the impact of tourism on the state’s economy,” said Gov. Walker. “Certainly when it comes to opening of fishing, that is a key part of it. We’ve seen in the past almost 400,000 non-resident anglers that come in here besides all of us. People who come here from outside our state spent almost 4 million hours of time here in Wisconsin. That equates to more than a quarter-billion dollars of retail sales to the state. That’s big business. Fishing alone relates to about 30,000 jobs in Wisconsin.
“This is tradition. It’s a key part of our heritage. You think of fishing, you think of hunting, you think of trapping – it’s who we are, it’s what we do.”
As it turned out, Saturday morning was heavily overcast, which to a fisherman is not bad news. But the governor went home without a fish.
What he did leave with, however, was a feeling that he had spent some quality time in a northern place called Washburn County.
He might be a politician, but for a couple of days, at least, he was just one of us, a regular guy getting up before dawn to go fishing.
Scott Walker is like that, but his surroundings also had something to do with his good mood and easy-going manner.
Getting “Up North” tends to have that impact on people, even people with the weight of the world – or at least a state – on their shoulders on a daily basis. For at least awhile he was able to escape the grind in Madison and recharge his batteries. He heard loons wail instead of protestors chant. He watched Canada geese fly lover over the treetops and whitetails gracefully bound across back country trails.
Washburn County and everybody involved in rolling out the red carpet and helping to promote this great part of the state did a great job. No wonder folks from Madison, the infamous “30 square miles surrounded by reality” enjoy heading “Up North.”