Tomahawk Chamber of Commerce: After nearly 25 years the Bearskin and Hiawatha Trails are connected

Contact:
Tamra Anderson
800-569-2160
Tomahawk Chamber

Join us for a celebration 25 years in the making


TOMAHAWK, WI, August 12, 2014 – The Tomahawk Chamber of Commerce , Minocqua Chamber of Commerce and Rhinelander Chamber will be hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the first phase of the Bearskin and Hiawatha trail completion on Saturday August 23 starting at 9a.m. at the Bearskin Trail south entrance about ¼ of a mile east of HWY K and HWY 51.

You can come by car, bike or foot, group rides will be leaving Changing Gears Pedal and Paddle at 8am and from Mel’s Trading Post in Rhinelander. Both stores will also have demo bikes and maintenance at the event. If you would like to start a little later and for a shorter ride you can meet up with the group from Tomahawk Community Bank at 9am at the HWY 8 wayside. Since this trail is a multipurpose trail the Northwoods Passage and the Cross Country Cruiser will also be there with some of their equipment. The Tomahawk Dance Team will be serving some light refreshments at the ribbon cutting ceremony as a fundraiser for them.

“We have several guest speakers coming to our ribbon cutting from the WI DNR, the WI Dept. of Tourism and local legislators, “said Tamra Anderson, executive director, Tomahawk Chamber, “all of the communities that are involved couldn’t be happier that we can work together and celebrate this great accomplishment that so many people have been working on for over 25 years.”

The 18 mile Bearskin trail was completed in the late 70s and the Hiawatha Trail was completed in 1989. Both trails use an old railroad corridor and are used in the summer for biking and hiking and in the winter as a snowmobile trail. The 6 mile missing section between the 2 trails was partially completed last summer and the DNR is near finishing the final connecting mile at this time.

“Everyone is excited to see this trail nearing completion, “said Jim Wise, Tomahawk Surplus Store, “We have been working on this for over 25 years and it really exciting to see something that you have dedicated so much time and effort to become reality, this is a great opportunity not only for Tomahawk but Rhinelander and Minocqua as well”.

For more information, please contact Tamra Anderson with the Tomahawk Area Chamber of Commerce at 715- 453-5334 or tamra@gototomahawk.com. Or Jim Wise at Tomahawk Surplus at 715-453-3676 or cell at 715-966-5724