FOURTH ANNUAL STURGEON CELEBRATION
Today from 10am-2pm, the Princeton Chamber of Commerce and the Princeton Library are holding an event that celebrates the Fox River, local wildlife, and Wisconsin's coolest fish, the Lake Sturgeon!
Every spring, these huge, armored "dinosaur fish" spawn just a couple of blocks from us here at the Princeton Public Library. They are AMAZING to watch! Each year, we always hope that our celebration will coincide with the sturgeon spawn, but this is highly dependent upon water temperatures, so we can't guarantee live sturgeon. However, we CAN guarantee lots of fun!
Our event activities include incredible displays, educational presentations, crafts, giveaways, prizes, and more! Please stay tuned for more information on specific times.
There is no charge to attend. For more information about the sturgeon, please visit the Princeton Chamber of Commerce website: https://princetonwi.com/sturgeon-celebration/
Sturgeon & Princeton Souvenirs
Purchase T-shirts, tumblers, wine glasses, keychains, and more featuring Princeton-area themes, including our famous fish!
All proceeds benefit the Princeton Historical Society.
Nature Bags Giveaway
The Princeton Chamber of Commerce will be giving away string backpacks with a compass, stickers, brochures for local outdoor adventures, maps, and other fun swag!
Sturgeon Taxidermy, Spearing Gear, & Sturgeon Art by Mark Kanitz
Check out these amazing displays! Mark Kanitz is a sturgeon spearman as well as a member and supporter of "Sturgeon for Tomorrow." Touch real tanned sturgeon skin, admire his handmade lures and art, and ask him about his battles with river monsters.
Snacks & Sturgeon Crafts
Sturgeon Slurp
Can you feed like our favorite fish? Sturgeon have "protrusible mouths" which suck up prey from the bottoms of lakes and rivers. However, we'll try it with straws and M&Ms! See how many candies you can move in one minute, or compete against other players to see who's fastest. Green Lake County 4-H coordinator Brandon Springer will be supervising this tasty game.
Sturgeon Scavenger Hunt at Local Businesses
What's more fun than watching the sturgeon spawn? Winning CASH!
Pick up a scavenger hunt sheet at the library, and tour local businesses to find the sturgeons hidden inside. Once you find a sturgeon, the business owner will stamp your scavenger hunt sheet. Collect a stamp from enough businesses, and you'll be entered to win one $100 prize, two $50 dollar prizes, and three $25 prizes. The deadline for people to turn in their sheets at the library will be 2:15pm, and the prize drawing will be held at 2:30pm.
Presentation by Wild Rose Fish Hatchery
Learn about spawning and the sturgeon life cycle. Why do these giant fish come to the same places every year, and create such a spectacular display?
Baby Tree Giveaway
For the fourth year in a row, the Friends of the Library has decided to sponsor a giveaway of 150 trees to help ensure a green and shady future for our city. For the first time, this day will coincide with our Sturgeon Celebration.
Trees will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. However, we are asking that people take only 1-3 trees each to start with, so that at least 50 people are able to have some. We will let you know if there are extras to adopt.
All trees are native to North America, and were propagated by the Marquette County Conservation Department.
All trees will be bare root seedlings, and will need to be planted ASAP. Until they can be planted, they should be kept in a shady area in a bucket of water to keep their roots moist. Planting instructions will be included with every tree. After planting and mulching, water your baby tree every day throughout the summer to give it the best chance at a long life.
Available Trees (please note, this is subject to change):
Blue Spruce - these will be 12-16" tall. Prefers full sun. Once established, it can tolerate most soils. Moderate to slow growth rate, grows 50-75' tall, lives up to 600 years. Short, sharp blue-green needles with medium-sized sticky cones. Beloved by many as Christmas trees, these make great wind breaks.
High Bush Cranberry - these will be 1-2' tall. Prefers sun or semi-shade, and is successful in most soil types but does best in well-drained, moist soil that is rich and loamy. Moderate growth rate, matures at 8 to 15 feet tall by 8 to 10 feet wide with dense shrubby branches. Lives up to 30 years. Produces pretty red-purple leaves in fall, and after 4-6 years it will produce bright red "drupes" (fruit). These are not a true cranberry, but are edible for humans (though sour). Birds and other wildlife love these trees! Great for hedges.
Red Bud - these will be 1-2' tall. Prefers sun to semi-shade, successful in most soils but needs some watering in dry spells. Fast to moderate growth rate, matures at 20-30 feet tall. Often has divided, shrub-like trunk. Lives 20-30 years. Produces masses of stunning dark pink blossoms for 2-4 weeks in early spring, providing great food for pollinators. Seed pods can get messy.
Red Maple - these will be 1-2' tall. Very adaptable, this tree will grow in sun or shade, wet or dry conditions. Matures at 90-120 feet tall, lives 75-150 years. Produces scarlet red or red-orange leaves and small "helicopter" seeds in fall. Sometimes tapped for maple syrup, but not as sweet as Sugar Maples. Deer love to eat these, so cage yours if necessary.
White Birch - these will be 1-2' tall. These trees need shady, moist (but not soggy) areas, preferably near water. They like deeper, slightly acidic, well drained soils but can grow in many soil types. Because they grow an extensive near-surface root system, these trees should not be planted near sidewalks or in other places where you don't want the ground disrupted. Birch trees grow very quickly, but only live 20-50 years.