It's Pride weekend in the Northwoods. Saturday, Wausau Pride takes over the 400 Block and the Northwoods Pride Festival runs at ArtStart in Rhinelander -- two celebrations, one weekend. Saturday also brings the June Bloom Art & Craft Fair to Torpy Park in Minocqua and the Jack Lake Crazy Eights mountain-bike race out at Langlade County. Friday's the wet one -- better than two-in-three odds on rain at 82, so keep the big outdoor plans off it if you can. Saturday dries out nicely (still 82, just a stray-shower kind of day), and Sunday's the keeper: sunny, 85, and rain nowhere in sight.
Friday
Trig's FORK on the River Charity Paddle -- Wildwood Outdoor Adventures, Eagle River
A Friday-evening recreational paddle on the Wisconsin River, presented by Wildwood Outdoor Adventures, benefiting Feed Our Rural Kids and their family food helpline. A good cause, an easy float, and a fine reason to be on the water -- rain in the forecast or not, it's a paddle.
Saturday
Wausau Pride -- 400 Block Wausau
Saturday's centerpiece. Wausau Pride fills the 400 Block with a daytime festival -- community vendors, live entertainment, and an evening show to follow. It's the Northwoods showing up for its people, out in the open, all day long.
Northwoods Pride Festival -- ArtStart
Rhinelander's Pride celebration lands at ArtStart -- a welcoming, all-ages day of live entertainment, community resources, food, and programming. Pairs naturally with Wausau Pride if you're moving around the region.
June Bloom Art & Craft Fair -- Torpy Park
More than 50 booths of handmade work -- paintings, pottery, jewelry, woodturning, photography -- spread through Torpy Park in downtown Minocqua. Held rain or shine, so Saturday's stray-shower odds aren't a reason to skip it.
Jack Lake Crazy Eights Mountain Bike Race -- Langlade County Veterans Memorial Park
A real mountain-bike event on a 12-mile, mostly-singletrack course -- fast and flowing without being too technical. Race solo or as a team, in 3-, 6-, or 10-hour formats, with a 10K trail run for the non-bikers. Jack Lake Campground is right there to make a weekend of it.
Fishing Has No Boundaries -- Chanticleer Inn
The 30th year of Fishing Has No Boundaries on the Eagle River Chain of Lakes -- a weekend built for anglers with physical or mental disabilities, run entirely on a people-helping-people spirit. Genuinely one of the most meaningful things on the Northwoods calendar.
Tomahawk Farm & Flea Market -- Qualheim's True Value, Tomahawk
A Saturday-morning farm and flea market in Tomahawk -- the kind of thing where the best finds are gone by mid-morning. Bring cash and come early.
Flying Blind -- Black Bear Bar & Grill
The live-music pick. Flying Blind closes out Saturday night in Minocqua -- veteran players working through rock and roll from the '50s to the '80s, in a bar built for exactly that.
Sunday
Sunday's the clear one -- sunny and 85, no rain in sight. After a soggy Friday, it's the day to just get on the water: the Northwoods is at its best when you point a boat, a board, or a fishing line at one of ten thousand lakes and let the afternoon go.
The Full Lineup
Find everything happening this weekend at northwoodslineup.com/events/.
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