(BEAVER DAM) Fireworks will once again light up the sky in Beaver Dam this summer.
BeaverFest, a long-running community festival that disappeared last year, is set to return the second weekend of July 2026. The event will take place July 10–11 and is being revived through a Leadership Beaver Dam group project led by Patty Sanchez-Walker.
For Sanchez-Walker, the goal was to bring back what people missed most.
“A lot of people missed the fireworks and missed a community event,” she said. “We said, why not bring back the one event people really miss?”
The festival has gone by several names over the years, including Lake Days and Best Dam Fest, before ultimately ending in 2025 due largely to a lack of volunteers. Sanchez-Walker said her group started planning by first learning the event’s history, speaking with past committee members and representatives from the city, the chamber and the recreation department.
From there, they decided not to overreach in the first year.
“We’re trying not to reinvent the wheel or overwhelm ourselves,” Sanchez-Walker said. “So we decided not to have a carnival initially and instead focus on fireworks and core events.”
Planning is still in the early stages, but a six-member committee from the Leadership Beaver Dam class is already working behind the scenes on permits, fireworks logistics, sponsorships and community partnerships. Help has also come from city staff, including recreation department support with paperwork and rentals.
Community involvement will be key to making the event happen.
Organizers have launched a Facebook page, BeaverFest, Wisconsin, where they will post updates and fundraising information. One fundraiser is scheduled for May 31 at Thirsty Beaver, with more expected to follow. The Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce will also host a BeaverFest weekend webpage with event updates and sponsorship forms.
Sanchez-Walker said the response so far has been encouraging.
“You’d be surprised how many people have come out and said they can help,” she said.
Beyond next summer, organizers are hoping BeaverFest can grow into something sustainable. Part of the Leadership Beaver Dam project includes creating long-term structure, including forming a nonprofit organization, establishing bylaws and building a volunteer base to carry the festival forward.
“We’re hoping to grow it year over year,” Sanchez-Walker said. “We’ll see how it turns out and go from there.”
For now, organizers say the focus is getting BeaverFest back on the calendar — and reminding the community that it will take shared support to keep it there.
“We’re just hoping for community support,” Sanchez-Walker said. “By attending, volunteering and helping with sponsorships.”
–Photo courtesy of the BeaverFest – Beaver Dam, Wisconsin Facebook page / click HERE to visit the page
