Sun Drop Dayz returns after prolonged absence

Visitors brave the heat to enjoy a weekend of fun
By: 
Luke Reimer
Reporter

One Shawano community event made its much anticipated return on June 4-5.

Sun Drop Dayz was once again back in order to help Shawano County residents kick off the summer season.

Like usual, the events were held the first weekend in June on Elizabeth Street and at Memorial Park. Sun Drop Dayz activities ranged from listening to live music to enjoying a bite to eat at various food trucks to playing bean bags and other games. These events and activities attracted hundreds of visitors from Shawano County and beyond, young and old alike.

The flea market and the lumberjack competition were major draws for visitors.

“With the lumberjack competition, those competitors come from all over the states,” said Rochelle Jahnke, Sun Drop Dayz board president. “For them traveling from outside of the state, that brings a crowd.”

With temperatures above 90 degrees both Friday and Saturday, many people made their way through the crowds to help themselves to a cold beer inside the beer tent. Others were able to beat the heat by standing inside one of the cooling tents, which contained hoses that misted cool water on people who walked inside.

The live music stage was another popular place to be as visitors found a spot where they could listen to Green Bay cover band Johnny Wad’s rendition of “Ballroom Blitz.” Other performances came from Beer Goggles, TravAce and The Generators, Chad Przybylski and His Polka Rhythms and Grand Union.

New to Sun Drop Dayz this year were members of the Menominee Indian Tribe performing a song and dance for those in attendance to see.

On the other side of Elizabeth Street, at Memorial Park, families had the opportunity to play games that were set up. These games included giant Jenga and bean bag toss. Inflatables were also available for young children to play on.

Volunteers from the Sun Drop Dayz board gave up a majority of their weekend to make sure everything ran smoothly and that guests felt welcomed.

Jahnke pointed out that the free event, which was established in 2016, plays a big role in the Shawano area community.

“We hold this event as a community fundraiser,” said Jahnke. “All of the proceeds that we raise are put back into the organizations that help us.”

For the 2021 event, the organizations that helped with the event were Backpack Blessings of Bonduel, Leadership Shawano County, Toys for Tots — Shawano, Divine Savior Lutheran Food Pantry and The FRESH Project.

As the event was canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jahnke mentioned that it was a good to have an event that allowed for organizations to hold their fundraisers.

“Especially, snapping back from COVID, a lot of the organizations were not able to hold their fundraisers to keep their programming on their feet,” said Jahnke. “I think that this is just an extra boost to pull back from that.”

Even though Sun Drop Dayz was back after missing last year, Jahnke noticed that there weren’t as many visitors as in previous years.

“We have seen less people this year,” said Jahnke. “I think the weather plays a factor into that with the extreme heat.”

Despite the decrease in attendance, Jahnke added that there were actually more attendees than she’d predicted.

As vaccinations are becoming more readily available and more residents are feeling comfortable enough to gather again, Jahnke said that she had primarily noticed positive feedback from those in attendance.

“From the things that I can see, people are happy to get back to a somewhat normal event,” said Jahnke. “People are happy to get outside with their friends and family. They are happy to gather and socialize and just enjoy the weather.”

lreimer@newmedia-wi.com