Lake Geneva’s always been kind of a buzz-worthy town, with plenty of festivals and events, but this city’s latest pop-up festival will literally be buzzing.
Cicadapalooza is coming to the Lake Geneva Public Library and Library Park (918 W. Main St., Lake Geneva) this Saturday, June 8 during the once-in-221-years double hatching of the 17 year and 13 year broods of cicadas who have erupted in the lakeside city. “If you like cicadas, Lake Geneva is the place to be,” says Carla Minsky, spokeswoman for Visit Lake Geneva.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
The idea to embrace the bugginess instead of avoiding it came from listening to the Garden Talk Show on Wisconsin Public Radio, hosted by Larry Meiller. Minsky is a big fan, and on one show, she heard PJ Liesch, aka the “Wisconsin Bug Guy” of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Insect Diagnostic Lab, say that Lake Geneva is ground zero for cicada activity in Wisconsin.
So, she and Stephanie Klett, CEO of Visit Lake Geneva, reached out to see if Liesch might want to come to check out the cicadas and maybe do a talk. Well, Liesch, as well as Russell Groves, chairman of the entomology department at UW-Madison, thought they should do something more to honor genus magicicada, and Cicadapalooza was born.
The festival, which runs from noon to 4:30 p.m., is hosting guided walking tours to see the bugs, which especially like to hang out in the Lake Geneva Cemetery. Topsy Turvy Brewery has brewed a special, limited edition Magicicada Buzz, a nut brown ale that includes dehydrated, ground cicadas. “Apparently, cicadas have a nutty flavor that works perfectly in a nut brown ale,” Minsky says.
The chef at Pier 290 restaurant is going to be serving a special cicada-laden dessert. “If you Google cicadas and recipes, most of them are savory so this is more unusual,” she says. (Note: Those with shellfish allergies should not eat cicadas.)
The entomology department has also created some special mugs, t-shirts and other souvenirs to commemorate Cicadapalooza. “It’s kind of like a rock concert with really cool merchandise,” Minsky says. “I think a cicada mug would be great for a holiday white elephant gift.”
The event is attracting bird watchers and avian enthusiasts, as the birds love cicadas, and they make birdwatching even more interesting. Other naturalists are also interested in the event, but then there’s the novelty factor, too.
“It will be novelty versus nature,” she says.
Visit Lake Geneva is also giving away free ear plugs. “It is going to be loud,” she says, adding that people from areas in the state without cicadas won’t understand just how loud until they get there.
