An update to Clean Lakes Alliance’s vision and mission
By Linda Nedelcoff, Clean Lakes Alliance Board Chair
In May of 2010, a small, one-day festival received a large donation from Lands’ End. The Clean Lakes Festival, run by the very popular Mad-City Ski Team put on the event with a goal of “raising money for the lakes.” Quickly, it was realized that many businesses and community members wanted to invest in the lakes more than just one day a year. Born out of that festival was Clean Lakes Alliance.
We had so much fun throughout the nine days of Frozen Assets 2023 and we hope you did too! More than 8,000 lake enthusiasts from near and far joined us for science demonstrations, musical performances, ice skating, food and drinks, ice sculpture carving, a chance to try new winter activities, face painting, networking, a chance to run or walk in the only 5K on a frozen lake in North America, and more! We THANK YOU for supporting lakes Mendota, Monona, Wingra, Waubesa, and Kegonsa!
Join Clean Lakes Alliance on Saturday, February 4th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for Frozen Assets! The family-friendly festival on frozen Lake Mendota and at The Edgewater helps connect the community with the lake through free winter activities.
Festival attendees can see skydiving, figure skating, dance, speed skating, science, and large show kite demonstrations. Festival goers can also try pond hockey, snowshoeing, and skating; meet Bucky Badger, see the Mary B. Iceboat up close, and more!
The day will start with the annual Frozen Assets 5K Run/Walk on frozen Lake Mendota. Starting and finishing at The Edgewater, the run/walk is the only 5K in North America held entirely on a frozen lake. Registration includes a soft t-shirt compliments of Lands’ End and a post-race beer/seltzer (21+) compliments of Michelob Ultra. Kids 10 and under can participate for free with a registered adult.
Each year, this FUNraiser, FRIENDraiser, and FUNDraiser highlights the year-round value of our lakes, while raising money to protect our waters through lake improvement projects, educational programming, and our volunteer water quality monitoring program.
When the lakes freeze in Greater Madison, they become our largest parks. Clean Lakes Alliance hopes community members and visiting guests can interact with our “frozen assets” and appreciate their importance, even in the middle of the winter. For more information about Frozen Assets, including events and times, visit: cleanlakesalliance.org/frozen-assets.
