Lupine Junefest: Bikes, birds, barbecue

By TOM LAVENTURE

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MERCER, Wis. - A frequent comment in Mercer on Saturday was that the weather was "just right" for birding, bike rides and barbecuing at Carow Park.

The 15th annual Lupine Junefest Bike Tour and Mercer Bird Festival on Saturday attracted bike riders from several states. The riders said they weren't disappointed, or overheated with morning temperatures in the 70s and a high of 82 degrees.

"It was a beautiful day. I don't think the weather could have been any better," said Michelle Gill, of Marquette.

Gill rode the 28-mile route for the bike tour that started and ended at Carow Park on County Road J. She enjoyed riding alongside the lakes and rivers and looking at the lupine flowers along with other natural beauty.

"This was my first time," Gill said. "It was a beautiful ride. It was really enjoyable. Nothing too challenging, but nice rolling hills."

Gill and her husband, David, have a Presque Isle area cabin and they also visit family while up here. David is an avid biker and rode the 50-mile route with his riding group as he is in training for the "One Day Bicycle Ride Across Michigan" bicycle event in August.

"I was pretty much on my own today and I'm waiting for him," she said. "This is our first time here and we really enjoyed it."

Riders also had the options of 10- and 28-mile routes, and a new "choose your own distance" ride on paved bike trails for families and casual riders. The annual ride is to celebrate the blossoming lupines and the start of summer

Gary and Carla Mulvey, of Neenah, rode with a group from Neenah and Winneconne. This was their second year of riding the 28-mile route and credited the organizers with putting together a great event.

"We had a group of about eight or nine of us and so it was fun," Gary Mulvey said.

"We came to camp for the week," said Carla Mulvey.

Barbecue

The Mercer Area Chamber of Commerce held an amateur barbecue event in the afternoon this year, hoping to capture the interest of people returning from their early morning birding and bicycling events. Following the barbecue cook-off competition the guests were able to sample the food along and chat with the grillers.

Jim Bianga, of Mercer, helped to organize the cook-off. He's competed as an amateur griller for around eight years.

As a first year event the competition had no restrictions on the cooks, he said. The cooks could use commercial sauces along with their homemade methods.

"They can do almost anything they want," Bianga said, noting that a sanctioned event would require everything, including the rubs and sauces, to be made from scratch.

"Eventually, maybe, one day (we) might get there," Bianga said.

Jeremy Blevins from the Chicago area, said his father lives in Mercer, but is attending his first lupine festival as a cook-off contestant. He recently got more serious about barbecuing and entered all three categories - brisket, pork shoulder and spare ribs.

"I'd say the key to it for me is all about the rest," Blevins said. "The meat and the muscles need to rest at the end to relax and soak all the juice back up."

Brent Schulze, of Marshfield, said he thought it would be something fun to do while visiting grandparents in the area. He competes in a couple of competitions near home, but said he is pretty much a "backyard barbecue king." The elements of temperature and cooking are most important, he said.

"Low and slow, and some good secret seasonings," Schulze said.

There were a half dozen contestants for the first year. The three judges included Kevin Danley, of Mercer, and Richard and Tammy Knapp, of Appleson. They all have experience with barbecue food service.

It was important to have experienced judges, said Bianga. The judges also have the "palette for different flavors" and understand the subtleties that differentiate good from excellent barbecuing, he said.

Birds

The morning eagle banding and separate bird banding events were enjoyable in terms of bird watching, but too warm and windy to do a lot of banding, said Zach Wilson, a conservation specialist with the Iron County Land and Water Conservation Department. The birding hike was very exciting with trumpeter swans, young signets and black terns - a species of special concern, he said.

"It was a beautiful morning, with no bugs, and it was pretty cool," he said.

Getting people out in the woods to capture and band some birds is part of that effort to get people excited about the diversity of species here and the importance of protecting the ecosystem, Wilson said. It teaches the idea that protecting the ecosystem is essential for maintaining property values

"It's all tied in," Wilson said.

The displays illustrated the importance of controlling cats as they are the biggest killers of songbirds. Decals on home windows will also reduce bird collisions.

Materials on climate change showed the impact on altering the bird migrations. Blue birds are coming earlier and before insects emerge and many die from early spring frost.

Wilson was present in his capacity with the Mercer Bird City designation committee. The county was part of the application and a requirement is providing educational opportunities along with the North Lakeland Discovery Center.

Mercer's self-described "Loon Capital of the World" designation means more than a fiberglass statue on the highway, he said. Invasive species eradication is part of that as well as research, education programs and building loon platforms.

There is an actual loon population, he said. The increase in shoreline development is threatening loon habitat.

"We don't want the shorelines mowed down," Wilson said. "We've got to think about loon habitat. Water quality is our biggest asset up here."

Ian Shackleford, a board member of the Iron County Outdoor Recreation Enthusiasts, was present to talk about local, county and DNR trails. The ICORE booth also offered an Iron County trivia challenge.

For information on other summer events in Mercer visit mercercc.com.