NEWS TO USE
Here are some of the more interesting events, deals, websites and other travel tidbits that have come across our desk recently:
Bundle up: The Illinois Snow Sculpting Competition will be held Jan. 16-19 in Rockford’s Sinnissippi Park. Teams from around the state will vie to represent the Land of Lincoln in the 2020 U.S. National Snow Sculpting Competition. High school teams also will compete. tinyurl.com/y96yn389
Hardy competitors will tackle the elements Jan. 12 during the Arctic Warrior Race in St. Germain, Wis. There will be 3.1- and 6.2-mile snowshoe races and obstacle course races of the same length. The obstacle course includes a tire shuffle, arctic switchback climb and fat-tire bike trek. tinyurl.com/yd2udqu9
A Christmas re-creation of a page from the 1969 Sears Wish Book is on display until Jan. 4 at the McHenry County Historical Museum in Union, Ill. It includes original plastic angels, a snowman, a 10-foot-wide building and more. There’s also a quilt show and a collection of rocking horses dating from the 1930s through the ’60s. tinyurl.com/y8rqprgq
South Haven, Mich., will be celebrating New Year’s Eve in the Haven. Downtown streets will be closed for music and dancing, there will be family and kids’ activities and ice skating. At midnight, a beach ball drops to bring in the New Year. tinyurl.com/ ydx2bhhv
Winter thrill seekers should head to Pokagon State Park, west of South Bend, Ind. The park has toboggan runs that drop 90 feet in elevation over a quarter of a mile, with sleds clocked at more than 30 mph. Hours are 5:30-9 p.m. Fridays, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays through Feb. 25. Extended hours over Christmas. Toboggans are available to rent. tinyurl.com/ y9pg77k7
Winter Iowa Games will get underway in January with competitions scheduled across the state. More than 20 sports will be represented including basketball, cross-country skiing, indoor paddling, pickleball, skiing and snowboarding, trapshooting and volleyball. tinyurl.com/ybcpacz3
The International Wolf Center in Ely, Minn., is offering a North Country by Dogsled program Jan. 11-13. Participants will spend a day dogsledding and a night camping in a heated yurt. Number of participants is extremely limited. If this outing is filled, the center operates a variety of other adventure programs throughout the year. tinyurl.com/ydf8f8kc
Soulard Mardi Gras will run from Jan. 6-March 5 in the historic Soulard area of St. Louis. Among the activities will be a Family Winter Carnival, Cajun Cook-off, Taste of Soulard and the Grand Parade. www.stlmardigras.org
Holiday Mansion Tours are held through Dec. 29 at Brucemore, a 19th century mansion on a 26-acre estate in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The four-story mansion is decorated for the holidays, showcasing 13 Christmas trees. tinyurl.com/y88tdylb
The Knox Winter Jazz Series at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., will include two free events Jan. 12 featuring the Luciano Antonio Brazilian Quartet. An afternoon workshop will show how to play Brazilian percussion instruments. No musical experience is required to participate. In the evening there will be a concert. tinyurl.com/y8onoyrg
The 20th annual Tahquamenon Country Sled Dog Race will be held Jan. 5 from Muskallonge Lake State Park in Newberry, Mich. The race attracts mushers from the U.S., Canada and beyond. There will be pro and amateur races, including a youth category, with distances ranging from 4 to 51 miles. www.tcsdr.org/home.html
Chicago, Detroit and Minneapolis represent the Midwest in the listing of Best Things to Do in 25 of America’s Most Fun Cities from Thrillist. Listed as best Under-the-Radar Thing for Chicago is Pilsen. The list is at tinyurl.com/ydbak5n9.