There is little doubt that Lake Geneva is a town that was made for summer. In that same vein, there is little doubt that the fourth of July weekend was made for Fontana. Yes, while there are thousands of celebrations taking place this weekend to celebrate our independence, there is only one fourth of July celebration that matters. The Lake Geneva area will absorb tens of thousands of tourists and vacation home owners this weekend (more like hundreds of thousands probably), and the lake will gladly accommodate any of these pleasure seeking weekenders. The lake will be abuzz with happy water lovers, dedicated shore path hikers, and lazy window shoppers, and all that is wonderful about Lake Geneva will be on display. It’s supposed to be hot, which is my preferred summer weather of choice, and you can see further proof of that statement by staring intently at the captivating orbiting suns.
With most people taking Monday off work, and many more also taking back Friday, it’s going to be a long weekend of epic proportions. Fontana hosts its “Fourth Fest” at the Fontana lakefront, complete with some bands you’ve never heard of and concessions. For those wanting to watch the fireworks, there are several options this weekend, but really only one that matters. The Fontana fireworks are scheduled to blast off at dusk on the fourth. Fontana launches their fireworks off of barges parked just off the Fontana beach, and hundreds- or thousands- of boats dot the water anxiously waiting for the display to begin. The village of Fontana will be jam packed, making viewing easiest accomplished from boat, or from any one of the hundreds of piers that line the Fontana and Cedar Point shoreline. I’ll be out in the boat with my family, making sure to follow in the grand yet slightly annoying tradition of blaring the horn when I see an explosion that fits my eye.
There are other firework displays this weekend as well, including the Saturday night display at the Lake Geneva Country Club. While the Club is private, you can easily view those fireworks from boat if you wish. These are on July 3rd, so for anyone not satiated by only one batch of controlled explosions, you have two nights in a row of potential viewings. The Grand Geneva will also have fireworks on July 4th at dusk, so anyone watching the Fontana fireworks will have the surround sound of fireworks, as the Grand Geneva festivities echo about 10 miles east of Fontana’s.
The City of Lake Geneva fireworks will coincide with Venetian Fest in August, and the Williams Bay fireworks (consisting of some of those snap pop things and some M80’s) will be held in August in conjunction with the Corn and Brat Roast.
It’s going to be a terrific weekend to be at the lake. There are some raucous concerts at Alpine Valley, including Dave Matthews, so area hotels are sure to be filled to overflowing. This hotel room shortage further proves my theory that not only do Germans love David Hasselhoff, but that true lovers of the lounge need to own a Lake Geneva vacation home. See you at the lake- oh, and don’t forget to pick up a free copy of Summer Homes For City People at cool stores around the lake.