Our 25th Anniversary Celebration (2008 Theme)

We are celebrating the 25th Anniversary of our Festival.  It will be fun and full of excitement. Some of the highlights of the festival are the 10th Annual Wisconsin State Queen Pageant; Wisconsin State Home Made Kolacky Contest; Squeeze Box Jamboree; Lidice Service; Entertainment; Vendors; and lots of music for everyone.  Ethnic Food that will remind you of the "Old Country."   Come and help us celebrate!

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  Squeeze Box Jamboree (2007 Theme) 

Come and enjoy our Squeeze Box Jamboree on Saturday night at the Phillips High School.  We are hoping to get up to 24 different players playing for the honor of being considered the best Squeeze Box player in our region.  The Squeeze box is a colloquial expression referring to any musical instrument of the general class of hand held bellows-driven free reed instruments such as the accordion and concertina.  The term is used because they are normally in the shape of a rectangular prism or box and the bellows is operated by squeezing.

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Lupines in Wisconsin (2006 Theme)

Lupines are being planted through out the Phillips area as part of our efforts to beautify our countryside and to help nature reintroduce the almost extinct Karner Blue butterfly.  These plants are quite lovely but have a very short blooming season, beginning in the middle of June and ending the first week or two in July. The wild Lupines are necessary for the Karner Butterfly to reproduce.

http://www.wbu.com/chipperwoods/photos/karner.htmhttp://www.esf.edu/resorg/rooseveltwildlife/research/ karnerblue/karnerblue.htm

About the Karner Blue Butterfly     

The Karner blue was federally listed as an endangered species in 1992. Although the species is rare nationwide, it is relatively common in central and northwestern Wisconsin, especially where pine barrens, oak savannas, and mowed corridors support wild lupine, the only food of the Karner blue caterpillar. (From: Wisconsin DNR: http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/forestry/karner/)