Eelpout Festival! My Favorite Time Of Year!!

Well, its almost that time of year! The International Eelpout Festival is almost upon us. For those of you who don't know what A) a Eelpout is, or B) what Eelpout Festival is, let me fill you in. The eelpout is a fresh water fish that closely resembles a Eel. They are very slimy, and anyone who has caught a big one will tell you that they will wrap around your arm if you give them the chance. Super gross fish. Eelpout Festival is a magical celebration that celebrates this super gross fish. It is held in Walker MN on Leech Lake. Leech is one of MN biggest lakes. Eelpout Festival has grown in popularity so much that even Jay Leno did a segment from Eelpout Festival last year. You can find more info about Eelpout Festival here and they also have the Late show clips on the homepage

http://www.eelpoutfestival.com/


This will be my eighth year attending and I don't ever want to miss it. It started out on a whim. While we were at a friends cabin fishing only about a hour away, we decided to grab our gear and head over and try and catch us some Pout. Once we got there and saw what was happening, we quickly realized that our fishing gear would do us no good. One problem, my lonely case of beer was not going to be enough for the day.


The first thing we witnessed was the Polar Plunge. A giant hole cut into the lake, where people throw on some crazy outfits and jump in the freezing water for a chance to raise some cash for charity. There was also, helicopter rides, a rugby game happening on the lake, a ice fishing bikini show, lots of vendors selling Winter gear, and the official Eelpout weigh center. Once we saw the mild stuff, it was time to see where everyone else was going.


We headed onto the lake and around the point and the first thing we saw on the ice was a 30 foot tall inflatable Gorrilla. I knew it was going to be a good day. Everything is set up similar to Vegas is the best way to describe it. There is a giant road on the ice, and on each side are themed encampments. These encampments are usually around 30' x 30' big and inside they have dance floors, fully stocked bars, couches, beer pong tables, flip cup tables, hot tubs, you name. All you do is walk up and down the row and go encampment to encampment to party.



There really is no way to accurately describe Eelpout festival besides some of the most fun you could ever have on a frozen lake! Everyone we have ever brought has loved it and come back with us. I think our group was around 30 people last year! Maybe we will make our own encampment next year! Check It Out!!

This Weird Winter

So, the temp today is 0, -8 with the windchill. Just 38 hours ago, it was 52 degrees. In a Minnesota Winter where anything can happen, a 60 degree turnaround in 2 days is just another one of those odd quirks we are finding this Winter. Along with the crazy temp, we are still snowless. At the almost middle of January, it makes me a little worried. A few years ago, our first snowfall was on my birthday (Jan 21st).

This bad Winter makes me worry for a bunch of things. Eelpout Festival which is only a month away. A giant party held on the ice. Last year no cars could drive on the lake because of ice conditions. This year may be no different. I am worried about all the fishing contests coming up. A lot of these non profit organizations really rely on these in order to support their causes. Further out, I am worried for the farmers. No snow could equal a severe drought this Spring. Lakes and Rivers will be down majorly, poor fishing, poor Summer recreation. Come on Winter, lets get going!

Guinness

I have come to the conclusion that it takes a special kind of person to drink Guinness. I'm not talking someone who handle drinking a strong dark beer, I am talking about that kind of person who thinks they are better than you because they drink or have something that a lot of people don't. Example.

Part time aside from my regular job, I work behind the scenes at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival and I bartend at the Trail of Terror (MN Ren Fest's Halloween Attraction). We just serve beer, a couple malt beverages and wine. The 3 beers we have on tap are Grainbelt Premium, Schells Firebrick, and Guinness. I had a guy budge in line last night when we had a long line of people just to critique my tap pour of his Guinness. "You need to pour it slower", "Your Doing It All Wrong", "What's wrong with you", "Haven't you ever pored a beer before" and my favorite that I have heard multiple times "When your in Dublin, they know how to pour". Usually when I hear people drop that one, I follow up with "I am sorry, but you are in a large parking lot in the Minnesota River Bottoms at a Halloween show where beer is poured in mass quantity. Not Ireland". I try to pride myself on my positive customer service, but sometimes people just push a person to far.

So, I implore you, if you drink Guinness, don't be one of those people. Your better than that!