Head to Vilas County in northern Wisconsin and you’ll discover a wonderful summer tradition: for decades, talented youngsters have performed tricks and amazing acrobatic displays as members of local communities’ water ski show teams. Visitors line the shores of some of the Northwoods’ most scenic lakes to take in these free shows all summer long—here are three water ski shows you shouldn’t miss in Vilas County.
Chain Skimmers, Conover
The Chain Skimmers water ski team wows spectators on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays on Lake Pleasant on U.S. Highway 45 north of Conover in northeastern Vilas County. The group originally started in Eagle River in 1970 but moved to Conover after purchasing more than 100 acres of land surrounding Lake Pleasant in the late ’70s.
Skiing Skeeters, Manitowish Waters
One of the oldest amateur water ski clubs in the U.S., Manitowish Waters’ Skiing Skeeters perform on Rest Lake on Wednesdays and Saturdays from mid-June through mid-August every summer (they also hold a special performance on the Fourth of July every year). The club was established in 1954, and the first statewide barefoot skiing tournament in the country was sponsored by the Skeeters in 1964.
Plum Ski-ters, Sayner-Star Lake-Cloverland
Plum Lake in central Vilas County is home to the Plum Ski-ters Water Ski Show Team, which has been dazzling Northwoods visitors since the 1960s. The Ski-ters perform on Wednesdays and Saturdays throughout the summer (head to Statehouse Point just off Razorback Road on the north side of the lake to catch the free show).
Find more summer events in Vilas County and the Northwoods of Wisconsin here.
