No, that's not a Wisconsin sneeze. It is a festive celebration of autumn, Wo-Zha-Wa Days. Wo-zha-wa is a Ho-Chunk phrase meaning, basically, "Let's have some fun!" There are elements of Mardi Gras silliness about it, I guess, as indicated by the cheeseheads on the marching band in the photo, but it is a very family-oriented thing and nothing for anyone to worry about.Traditionally it has come to mark the end of the season in the Dells, a couple of weeks after Labor Day. There is an arts and crafts fair, antique flea market, live entertainment, a 100-unit parade, a street carnival with refreshment concessions and the Wo-Zha-Wa Run. Most of the activities are free, since it is mostly a local community celebration (although the businesses are hoping to wrest a few more shekels from the participants.)
Many of the shops along the main strip will close for good after this, and Wo-Zha-Wa is also a way to try to get rid of the last bits of inventory if possible before putting up the shades for the winter.
There is another Fall Festival in October, so I guess the tourist-hunting never quite dies in Wisconsin Dells. The R&GN has special pumpkin trains in October. All the kids who ride get a free pumpkin, and it is apparently the biggest month of the year for the gift shop business.
(I probably told you all this last year. Well, as I told someone recently, I no longer have senior moments. Now I have junior moments. Senior is pretty much all the time.)
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