Big Week at Devil’s Lake: Ho-Chunk Dance & Triathlon - Devil's Lake State Park Area Visitor's Guide

We’re looking ahead (through the rain) at a couple of big events coming up at Devil’s Lake State Park this week.

Thursday, Sept. 17 — Ho-Chunk Dance: Teewakacak Cultural Performance
6:00–7:00 p.m. | North Shore
Forecast: Cloudy and dry, around 72°F as of today.

Elliott Funmaker, Sr. (Ho-Chunk) and his group will present a family-friendly cultural performance featuring the music and dance of the Ho-Chunk Nation.

Along with the performance, Elliott will explain the symbolism and meaning of the drum and the regalia worn by each dancer.

The program will be held behind the Rock Elm Shelter on the park’s North Shore, near the boat launch.

The performance is free, although a valid Wisconsin state park vehicle admission sticker is required to enter the park.

Presented by the Little Eagle Arts Foundation (LEAF).

A parking note for Thursday: Construction continues in the North Shore parking lots, so parking will be more limited than usual. If mobility is an issue, you may want to arrive extra early and try to park across from the park office near the Visitor Center. From there, it’s roughly 300 yards to the performance area. Additional parking will be available in the lots across the railroad tracks.

Then comes Sunday…

Sunday, Sept. 20 — Devil’s Challenge Triathlon
Forecast: Partly sunny, around 67°F, with about a 20% chance of rain.

Devil's Lake Triathlon — Devil’s Lake Triathlon

The triathlon begins at 8 a.m., but expect the park to be busy from the time the gates open and through much of the day.

In a normal year, the event brings runners and cyclists throughout the park and can make getting around a little challenging for other visitors. With the current North Shore construction and reduced parking, Sunday could be especially busy.

If you’re just coming to visit the park, we recommend heading directly to the South Shore for a better shot at parking.

And wherever you’re driving in the park Sunday, slow down and pay extra attention to signs, flags, runners and bike traffic.

For everyone participating in the Devil’s Challenge — good luck and have fun!

For the rest of us: plan ahead. Sunday is going to be a busy, busy day at Devil’s Lake.

Derrick Mayoleth

For over 30 years, the Skillet Creek blog has focused on 3 main goals: to inspire you to visit and explore the Devil’s Lake region, to help you get the most out of your visit by sharing tips, events, and other helpful information. Lastly, to advocate for our environment & wildlife and talk about how we can keep our natural areas amazing now and into the future! That last goal can sometimes cause controversy, but it’s the only way we can accomplish the first two. – Derrick Mayoleth, Owner.