‘Discover Wisconsin’ shines spotlight on Plover area
By Sirena Mankins
For Point/Plover Metro Wire
PLOVER – A dairy farm. A floating bar. And a racetrack.
While they might not seem to have anything in common, all are featured in an upcoming episode of the long-running TV show, “Discover Wisconsin.”
The travel series was conceived in 1986 by Dick Rose and future Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson while the pair were fishing in the Northwoods, said Lisa Meyer, the show’s destination marketing manager.
“They said, ‘Let’s do a show on all things Wisconsin,’ ” Meyer said during a Nov. 18 screening of the episode at the Food + Farm Exploration Center in Plover.
And for almost four decades, that’s exactly what the show has done, with the ultimate goal of drawing in visitors – and tourism dollars.
“When the Plover Area Convention and Visitors Bureau first began working with the ‘Discover Wisconsin’ team, the board and I were thrilled, but I’ll be honest, we quickly identified a problem,” said Malorie Paine, executive director of the Visitors Bureau, during the screening. “We realized that narrowing down all of the incredible experiences in this area to a 30-minute episode would be nearly impossible.
“How do you capture fully a place that offers so much?” she added. “How do you choose between the incredible eats, the countless things to do, and the vast outdoor recreation opportunities that bring people back again and again?”
It took about a year for the Visitors Bureau and “Discover Wisconsin” to hammer out the details, and the producers spread out the filming over about eight days in July and August of this year, capturing more than 80 hours of footage. They then cut that down to 20 minutes, Meyer said.
The episode takes viewers on a whirlwind tour of Plover, paying homage to the area’s agricultural roots with stops at Feltz Family Farms, Rooted in Red, and Plover’s newest addition, the Food + Farm Exploration Center.
There, visitors can reconnect with the origins of their food, which is part of the Exploration Center’s mission.
“People don’t go back to the family farm like they used to, and so we want to be that community gathering place to give people a chance to dig in the dirt and pull a potato right out of the ground,” Center staff explain in the episode.
The Exploration Center takes what’s grown into the kitchen, too, serving up homegrown dishes in the on-site restaurant, the Colorful Plate Café.
A segment on Plover wouldn’t be complete, of course, without highlighting outdoor activities, including a unique business that can be found on the Wisconsin River – and the only way to get there is by boat.
The Sandbar, the double-decker floating bar, is near the Galecke Boat Launch and open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Zac Langlois explained they got their inspiration for the bar from trips to Florida while the name came from something that happens naturally in Wisconsin.
“For as long as I can remember, people have been going to these sand bars, hanging out, relaxing and, you know, having a couple drinks on the weekend,” he said in the episode. “And it just felt right to name it, The Sandbar.”
It’s an extension of the Langlois family’s other businesses: The Lake House Beach Club and Ridgewood on the River.
While watching the episode, Meyer said she was amazed at all the Plover area has to offer.
“I hope that after this episode airs, you will see a huge lift in your community,” she said. “That is our goal. It is to get tourism, to get people here. It’s about workforce development, it’s about quality of life, it’s all of those things.”
Paine agrees, adding there are small businesses and organizations in Plover that haven’t had the chance to share their stories.
“What I love most about this episode is that it wholly reflects who we are. Plover is a community that works hard, but we also know how to enjoy the moments that matter,” she said. “We celebrate our natural spaces, and we continue to grow, evolve, and welcome new visitors who are discovering what we’ve all known all along, that the Plover area is a great place to live, work, play, and explore.”
How to Watch
- What: “Discover Wisconsin,” featuring Plover
- When: 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 30
- Where: WAOW Channel 9
- Sneak peek: Wednesday, Nov. 26, on Discover Wisconsin’s YouTube channel
- Hyperlink: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBSpJgEHpQo7VnLUFp8ry_w
- Featured sites: Golden Sands Speedway, Feltz Family Farms and Dairy Store, Rooted in Red, The Sandbar Riverboat, Lake House Beach Club and The Sandbar, Sentry Pickleball Complex, Hostel Shoppe, O’so Brewing Co., Fall Line Outfitters, Standing Rocks Park, Tomorrow River Trail, Lake Pacawa Park, Food + Farm Exploration Center, Colorful Plate Cafe