It is the Eve of 2022. Reflecting and resolving are things many are doing around this time. We at Lake Country Family Fun do those things as well. Our reflections of our work at Lake Country Family Fun bring us joy. Celebrating 10 years in this community is an honor. We love this community. We resolve to keep bringing all things fun to our community.
Will the new year bring more family fun? You betcha! Lake Country Family Fun turned TEN this past year and grew in many ways. We love what we do and are excited to do it more in 2022. We are blessed with over 30,000 followers across our social channels. We have interactions of over 100,000 per WEEK on Facebook and love interacting with YOU all! ❤️ We’ve worked with over 300 local businesses this past year. We completed over 30 local giveaways and had so much with them all! You can still enter the last giveway of 2021 here (Ice Castle tickets, anyone?) Our hard work pays off when we receive feedback (like the below), which is the sunshine to our souls!
The Lake Country Family Fun Team
The Lake Country Family Fun team has been a joy to work with this year. You can tell they all put their ❤️ into what they do. Lake Country Family Fun turned TEN in April – it was so fun celebrating.
Erin, owner – is the heart and soul of Lake Country Family Fun
Stephanie, Sales Manager and contributor – enjoys helping local businesses succeed with their business goals through LCFF and enjoys writing local “guides” for every season of fun
Megan – event planner for Lake Country Currents and LCFF events
Other Team Members, Facebook Admin or Guest Contributors
Ashley Hoover – Facebook Group Admin, toddler and mom of 2 extraordinaire
Angela Fischer – Facebook Group Admin, teen mom and mom of 2 extraordinaire
Catherine (NEW in 2021 to LCFF) – You can read her posts HERE.
Shweta Panda – Tik Tok maker and Team Player
Jann Fujimoto – You can read all of Jann’s past series HERE
Jessica Mieden – You can read her posts HERE.
Are you in our Facebook groups? These two different groups have different purposes and I could not run them without the help of our admins and moderators! Thank you!
- Lake Country Parents and Community
- For overall parenting and local questions about anything
- Moms and Dads are invited!
- Admins are local moms, Ashley H. and Angela F. – aren’t they the best!?!
- Lake Country Currents
- This group is for members of our Lake Country Currents events.
- We continue the learning and push each other on our weekly goals.
- Admins are local entrepreneurs, Claire Lauer, Leepa Mittal and Dr. Vanessa Fritz.
Thank you ALL for your support! Find the whole team + our mission statement on our ABOUT PAGE.
Lake Country Family Fun 2021 Events
It was great to bring back Hartland Kids Day in July 2021 to an in person outdoor event. You can read the full recap here and watch the video recap above.
Swim with a Mermaid in September of 2021 sold out quickly and was so fun to watch. See the image below of our donation to the Christmas Clearing Council from 10% of the proceeds from this event.
In January 2019, Lake Country Family Fun birthed a side venture, Lake Country Currents. Lake Country Currents is the birth child of an Instagram Friday Follow series come to life. Lake Country Currents continued strong throughout 2021. We love meeting with fellow Lake Country entrepreneurs, creatives and bloggers. You can follow LCC on Facebook HERE, and we’d love to have you join us at one of our events in 2022 starting with an event on Saturday, January 8th – 12 Primary Inner Strengths of Resilience for the Entrepreneur.
Lake Country Family Fun Top 10 Posts
If you are here for the stats, then know that we published over 200 posts in 2021. In looking over which posts received the most views this year, we thought we would share our top ten posts of 2021 with you! Please note that our most visited pages are our home page and popular events calendar.
Here are the top 10 posts:
LAKE COUNTRY FAMILY FUN’S FAMOUS WEEKEND GUIDE
In 2021, we moved the weekend guide to a new format and you can always find it in the same spot, just updated for EVERY single weekend (yup – all 52!). Just tap the “Weekend Guide” graphic on our home page to find things to do with kids.
LOCAL 4TH OF JULY EVENT GUIDE
We know where to find the fireworks 🙂
BALLOONS OVER MUKWONAGO
This spectacular three-day event in Mukwonago in July was a blast for many local families.
BEST OUTDOOR DINING SPOTS
From igloos and snow globes spots in winter to best patios and lakefront dining in the warmer months, this guide was viewed a ton!
ICE CASTLES
We just love telling families all about the Ice Castles and our experience there. Plus, this giveaway is one of our favorites (and it’s going on now, enter here).
LAKE COUNTRY BRUNCH GUIDE
Brunch is the best meal of the day, right? Especially when we keep it up to date for the various holidays that specialize in brunch. All to simplify your life ❤️
BEST LOCAL FISH FRY
We’ve proudly maintained an awesome Fish Fry Guide to Lake Country over 7 years now! And it’s still a fan favorite. Yum!
SE WISCONSIN STRAWBERRY PICKING GUIDE
Sweet summertime fun kicks off each June with Strawberry picking.
SUMMER CAMP GUIDE
Every year we help campers find campees and vice versa. In February you can find the Summer Camp guide for 2022!
TRICK OR TREAT GUIDE
Only in Wisconsin do you need a guide to tell you when to trick-or-treat. Good thing we have one, and thousands used it.
Posts in the close running for the top 10 included:
Cheers to 2022!
16 Things to do in January
Brought to us by ULS in Hartland.
In January 2019, Lake Country Family Fun birthed a side venture, Lake Country Currents. Lake Country Currents is the birth child of an Instagram Friday Follow series come to life. We love meeting with fellow Lake Country entrepreneurs, creatives and bloggers. You can follow LCC on Facebook HERE, and we’d love to have you join us in person!
The Lake Country Family Fun Team
The Lake Country Family Fun team has seen changes over 2019. Madi left to follow her passion of being a foster parent, but she came back to help us out with Hartland Kids Day and our Holiday Instagram Challenge 2019. She’s since moved out of Lake Country, but that doesn’t mean you won’t still see her pop up helping us out. Madi lives near and dear to our hearts ❤️
Megan joined us in December 2018, and we are so happy to have her with us for the past year. Megan has written some articles and made sure that our events have gone off without a hitch! She has planned the logistics for our Lake Country Currents events, our 8th Birthday Bash, and our second annual Swim with a Mermaid. We could not have pulled any of these fun events off without Megan!
Stephanie continues to run our sales at Lake Country Family Fun, ensuring the lights stay on so we can keep bringing you all the family fun at your fingertips for FREE! She loves writing some of our most popular guides, too.
You might have noticed a fresh face on our Instagram from July through October and that would be Heather. Heather was instrumental in giving our Instagram the kick it needed and a fresh look. Pop over and follow Heather on her Instagram page HERE.
Martha part-time blogged at Lake Country Family Fun in 2019, and we love the wisdom she brings us in her writing.
Lake Country Family Fun had another guest contributor series written by Jann Fujimoto, who chronicled her visit to ALL of the Waukesha County Libraries in summer 2019. You can read them here. Jann has also started writing a series, reviewing our favorite local coffee shops. Don’t miss this one!
Plus, we had additional guest bloggers. Lindsey wrote about being a parent with Type 1 Diabetes. Maria wrote about 9 organizing tips with your children. Lydia gave a review of what she really thinks about the Crafty Cow. Sarah gave us 6 reasons to love Mukwonago. And Amy found us 20+ Things to do with a Dog in Lake Country.
I am so inspired and encouraged to know these amazing women and for you to follow along on all of the different journeys they take. They all bring a different style to Lake Country Family Fun, and I cannot wait to enjoy them more in 2020.
And then there’s me. I’m still here! I love running Lake Country Family Fun and engaging with readers on and offline. Thank you ALL for your support!
Events
As mentioned above, we added quite a few events this year. First there’s our monthly Lake Country Currents events. Then we threw an amazingly fun 8th Birthday Bash for ourselves in April at the Delafield Brewhaus. Thank you to everyone who came and celebrated with us!
In July, we had another successful HARTLAND KIDS DAY. It was our biggest event yet! We had local celebrities and partnered with FM 106.1. Plus, a shuttle to ease parking. Stay tuned for the 2020 date!
Lastly, we hosted our second annual Swim with a Mermaid at Goldfish Swim School in September. Thank you to all the little mermaids who came to swim with our real life mermaids!
Top 10 Posts
We published just shy of 200 posts in 2019. In looking over which posts received the most views this year, we thought we would share our top ten posts of 2019 with you! So here they are:
LOCAL 4TH OF JULY EVENT GUIDE
We know where to find the fireworks 🙂
EASTER EGG HUNTS AND MORE!
An ever-popular spring favorite!
BEST LOCAL FISH FRY
Lake Country Family Fun loves continuing this fan favorite vote! Who will win in 2020?
77 Things to do in Lake Country in the Summer + FREE SUMMER FUN GUIDE
Summer is my favorite and appears to be yours, too!
WHERE KIDS EAT FREE OR CHEAP IN WAUKESHA COUNTY
Lake Country Family Fun updates this post regularly as it is so popular with our readers!
INDOOR PLAY GUIDE
This guide is great year-round for escaping the cold and heat!
“GO PICK SOME STRAWBERRIES” GUIDE
Picking strawberries is the best part of early summer!
Lake Country Brunch Guide
Brunch is the best meal of the day, right?
Summer Camp Guide
We know where to find the fun for your family. Summer has never been easier!
SOUTHERN WISCONSIN BIRTHDAY PARTY GUIDE
Our favorite local venues to make your child’s special day!
LAKE COUNTRY FAMILY FUN Year in Review: 2020
December 29, 2020 / 2 Comments / Local Family Fun / By Erin Guenterberg
Another year gone – was it the longest year ever or does it just seem like it? 2020 brought a unique set of challenges to life. Some of us lost our jobs. Some of us lost loved ones. Some of us came in contact with the dreaded virus. And yet, some of us thrived. Some of us went back to the basics.
Some of us stopped taking life for granted and started living in the moment. Some of us started counting our blessings instead of our trials. Some of us still have hearts on our windows (me!). Some of us sat on the floor and giggled with our kids until our sides ached. Some of us hiked more miles than ever in the fresh air. Some of us gained a new perspective on what it really means to be healthy. This year was an impactful one. One that impacted some negatively, some positively, and most like a rollercoaster of ups and downs.
Yet, despite being physically separated from others for most of the year, Lake Country Family Fun has never felt more connected. We crafted some really handy guides for helping others throughout the spring and early summer. We watched creativity unfold locally and showcased 10 ways the community was creatively adapting. We used our platform to spread positivity, hope, and connection. No false positive vibes, because some days did suck, but taking a step back to look at the bigger picture and the good in all things. We want to thank everyone who joined in on our virtual playdates! You can watch the recap of them on our YouTube channel. And throughout the year, especially in these last few months, we’ve really highlighted our favorite local charities so that all Waukesha County families could have a happy holiday season.
And yet, here we are celebrating New Year’s Eve. Many are saying, “good riddance!” to 2020 and cautiously awaiting what 2021 will bring. Will the new year bring more of the same? Will it bring relief? Will it bring more family fun? We think so. Lake Country Family Fun has been doing some reflecting as one does at this time of the year. Despite all that 2020 tossed our way, it has been a year of growth for Lake Country Family Fun, and we could not be more content.
THE LAKE COUNTRY FAMILY FUN TEAM
The Lake Country Family Fun team has seen a few changes over 2020 – additions! The main smiling
faces behind the name continue to be Erin, Stephanie, and Megan. But we could not be more happy
with our growing team of contributing writers and Facebook Group moderators ❤️
Stephanie is my right hand. She has amazing ideas that she brings to life. And she continues to run our sales at Lake Country Family Fun, ensuring the lights stay on so we can keep bringing you all the family fun at your fingertips for FREE! She loves writing some of our most popular guides, too. If you’ve enjoyed the addition to maps in our Amazing Lights Guide or in our Sledding Guide or the new Showshoe Trail Guide, please send a thank you to Stephanie! ❤️
Megan has continued to plan all the fun Lake Country Currents events throughout 2020. She secures our guest speakers with their topics and when in person, our venue and yummy treats. We could not have pulled any of these fun events off without Megan! She’s also written some great
articles this year. Tap that link to read them! ❤️
Have you met Shweta? Shweta Panda was a senior in Brookfield when she contacted Lake Country Family Fun in last spring. She has been an amazing addition to our team and we love the young perspective she brings. She also helped us pull off Hartland Kids Day 2020, which was no easy task with a completely different format. Read Shweta’s posts HERE. ❤️
Also from the Brookfield area, is Waukesha County mom, Alex Blanchard. Alex is fully bilingual and lives with her mom, grandma, husband, and daughter. She is a rockstar on Instagram, and we love her toddler mom tips, as well as her tips for raising a bilingual child. Read Alex’s posts HERE.
While Jann Fujimoto didn’t write a contributor series in 2020, she did add one post to her Waukesha County Parks series – Ryan Park in Pewaukee. And she has plans for a new series in 2021 – stay tuned!! You can read all of Jann’s past series HERE.
We first met Jessica Mieden at the very first Lake Country Currents event at Mama D’s in January 2019. Fast forward and she is a new mom. We hope to officially have her join our team in 2021, but she’s written some guest posts this year for new moms. You can read them HERE.
Speaking of guest writers, we had a few.
Chelsey AKA theWisconsinista wrote a hiking post.
Jenna Overbaugh, Lake Country therapist, wrote a post on parenting while sick.
Jill Fuller, from Bridges Library Systems, reminded us how important our libraries are for free family fun and resources.
Ashley Hoover, helped us write about Books to Diversify our Children’s Bookshelves at home.
Lastly, Pam Whyte, who we met through Lake Country Currents, wrote an entire camping guide for us, a 4 part series!
Plus, when the virus hit in spring 2020, we had numerous community members add their perspective. You can read the varied perspectives HERE.
Are you in our Facebook groups? We now have 3 Facebook groups! I have found through the years that the key to success is cultivating community and giving people a place to share their voice. These three different groups have different purposes and I could not run them without the help of our
admins and moderators! Thank you!
Lake Country Parents and Community
For overall parenting and local questions about anything
Moms and Dads are invited!
Admins are local moms, Ashley H. and Angela F.
Lake Country Seasonal Spot
This group grew to create community and hope in the late spring with our first giveaway for participating in the great Lake Country Easter Egg Hunt and then the 40 day stay at home challenge. Most recently, it was our Holiday Hot Spot. Stay tuned for all our seasonal goodies and giveaways here!
Lake Country Currents
This group is for members of our Lake Country Currents events.
We continue the learning and push each other on our weekly goals.
Admins are local entrepreneurs, Leepa Mittal and Dr. Vanessa Fritz. Claire Lauer was the admin in early 2020, but stepped down when she welcomed a beautiful baby girl!
I am so inspired and encouraged to know these amazing women {and dad} and for you to follow along on all of the different journeys they take. They all bring a different style to Lake Country Family Fun, and I cannot wait to enjoy them more in 2021. And then there’s me. I’m still here! I love running Lake Country Family Fun and engaging with readers on and offline. One milestone event that happened for me, was that I was officially inducted
into the inaugural Milwaukee KNOW Book. You can read and learn more about it HERE. Thank you ALL for your support!
Find the whole team + our mission statement on our ABOUT PAGE.
LAKE COUNTRY FAMILY FUN EVENTS
What a year for in person events – ha! Event planners must be able to change course at any minute. When we saw SO many community events cancel in 2020 and so many of our readers sad, but understanding, we put our heads together and made Hartland Kids Day 2020 happen. It was completely different. It was a drive through ticketed (free) event, but it happened and was successful. It was successful in seeing the happy faces in the cars that drove through. It was successful in seeing the attending businesses adapt and be creative. It was successful in that the charity took in online donations to support families in the community versus a physical item drive. You can watch the recap video HERE and we thank the Waukesha Freeman for the write up!
However, we did need to cancel other events. We are looking forward to celebrating our 10th Birthday Bash and bringing back our Swim with the Mermaid event in 2021!
In January 2019, Lake Country Family Fun birthed a side venture, Lake Country Currents. Lake Country Currents is the birth child of an Instagram Friday Follow series come to life. Lake Country Currents continued strong throughout 2020. We moved some of our in person events to Zoom. We
continue to grow, to learn, to find ways to connect. We love meeting with fellow Lake Country entrepreneurs, creatives and bloggers. You can follow LCC on Facebook HERE, and we’d love to have you join us at one of our events in 2021!
LAKE COUNTRY FAMILY FUN TOP 10 POSTS
If you are here for the stats, then know that we published just around 240 posts in 2020. In looking over which posts received the most views this year, we thought we would share our top ten posts of 2020 with you! Please note that our most visited pages are our home page and popular events
calendar.
Here are the top 10 posts:
WAUKESHA COUNTY AREA PUBLIC SCHOOL UPDATES: FALL 2020
In-person, hybrid, virtual schooling – these were all hot topic buttons in 2020.
LOCAL 4TH OF JULY EVENT GUIDE
We know where to find the fireworks 🙂
HIGHWAY 18 DRIVE IN MOVIE THEATER GUIDE
Drive-ins were HUGE in summer 2020!
BEST LOCAL FISH FRY
Lake Country Family Fun loves continuing this fan favorite vote! Who will win in 2021?
RESTAURANT GUIDE TO WAUKESHA COUNTY
Thank Stephanie for creating this guide and updating it daily from March through June…and then converting it into it’s current format. This was SO valuable when many restaurants were only doing curbside or takeout or closed for 2 weeks and then opened again.
LAKE COUNTRY BRUNCH GUIDE
Brunch is the best meal of the day, right? Especially when we keep it up to date for the various
holidays that specialize in brunch. All to simplify your life ❤️
BEST OUTDOOR, LAKE FRONT, AND PATIO DINING IN LAKE COUNTRY
I’m sensing a food theme. You love to eat! Outdoor eating was HUGE in 2020 as well as dome dining.
14 SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN APPLE PICKING ORCHARDS
Outdoor activities were just what families were looking for in fall 2020. Bonus, if they included picking fresh yummy apples!
WHERE TO FIND SUNFLOWER FIELDS IN AND AROUND WAUKESHA COUNTY
This was a new post for 2020, and WOW, in the top 10 right off the bat. Those beautiful sunflowers are just to amazing to go without.
12 LAKE COUNTRY BEACHES
Thank heavens for our amazing natural resources of beautiful lakes and beaches. We staycationed A LOT on these 12 beaches this summer.
And one bonus highlight – the Christmas in Okauchee event was the #1 most viewed event of
2020.
CHEERS TO 2021!
Best wishes to you, Erin, and everyone connected with Lake Country Family Fun. For the New Year! Tom THRUN in Oconomowoc.
Best wishes to you, Tom! Happy New Year!!