By Steve Weisman

(photo by David Thoreson) One of the popular areas at the Okoboji Blue Water Festival is the Exhibitor’s Row along the Promenade.

For the past six years, I have enjoyed being a part of the Okoboji Blue Water Festival. Established in 2016, the Festival has truly become celebration of water quality of not only the Iowa Great Lakes, but also across the state of Iowa. This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, August 13, and promises to be an awesome day for adults and kids alike.

While it is a celebration, the Festival also takes the opportunity to raise awareness of water quality issues that need to be addressed. After all, what we do and how we do it will be a huge determiner of what type of water quality our future generations will be left with. My hope is that we will “take the bull by the horns” and forge a true clean water path to our future!

Is there a better place to host the Okoboji Blue Water Festival than at Preservation Plaza on the shores of West Lake Okoboji? I think not! This year I look forward to so many wonderful opportunities. The countdown is on!

• First, the opportunity to watch the artists at Chalkstock (8 a.m.) provide both beautiful and meaningful clean water-themed murals along 60 squares of the Promenade sidewalk.
• An exciting new keynote address at 8:30 a.m., under the big tent by James L. Please, Associate Professor Emeritus at Iowa State University. He will discuss an extremely important topic: “Connecting Wildlife and Water Quality.”
• Like a huge fair, the winding sidewalk along the Promenade will host Exhibitor’s Row (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.), where lake protective associations, non-profits and conservation organizations will share their clean water expertise with visitors to the Festival.
• Oh, and for the kids! Yes, a designated area will host Kids’ and Family Activities all about clean water. After all, these youth are the next generation of waterkeepers!
• Ah, yes, the fishing seminar (under the big tent)! I can’t wait to hear Keith Kavajecz share his knowledge and new “hot” information about fishing walleyes! Thanks to the Iowa Great Lakes Fishing Club, Kavazecz will be under the big tent at 10 a.m. Following the seminar, Keith will hang around for Q & A and will also spend time at the Club’s booth on Exhibitor’s Row!
• Then we gear up for the 3 p.m. keynote speech (under the big tent) by environmentalist Chad Pregracke. He embraces the festival’s theme of clean water, and he will share his impassioned journey with us. He is the president and founder of Living Lands & Waters (LL&W) and for more than two decades has devoted himself wholly and tirelessly to cleaning up the nation’s rivers. Yes, certainly an opportunity to learn more about what we can do to protect and improve our waters.
• What a day, but that’s not all! Each year, the Festival has featured tremendous evening entertainment as a culmination of the clean water extravaganza. This year is no exception, and it will be showcased on the newly completed stage. The Firm will kick off the evening at 6:30 p.m. and The Nadas will follow at 7:30 p.m, all leading to the highlight of the evening. At 9 p.m., Melissa Etheridge, one of rock music’s most enduring and favorite female singer-songwriters, will take the stage. What better way to end the day!
• Gotta give a shout out to chief organizers Greg Drees and Julie Peterson, along with all of the volunteers, sponsors and those who donated time, talent and money.

After all, the Okoboji Blue Water Festival is ALL DAY – FREE! Yup, doesn’t get much better than that!

Schedule of Festival Events 2022

• 8 AM-Chalkstock
• 8:30 AM-Dr. James L. Pease presentation “Connecting Wildlife and Water Quality”
• 9:30 AM-Kid’s Storytime
• 10 AM -2 PM-Kid’s & Family Activities
• 10 AM-3 PM-Exhibitors
• 10 AM-Fishing Seminar with Keith Kavajecz
• 3 PM – Chad Pregracke Keynote Address
• 6:30 PM – The Firm in Concert
• 7:30 PM – The Nadas in Concert
• 9 PM – Melissa Etheridge in Concert