Civil Municipal Magazine - Dec 2023

181 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 12 LADYSMI TH, WISCONSIN businesses are the true economic backbone of the community, Christianson says that the city council created a business emergency relief fund program and partnered with the Ladysmith Community Industrial Development Corporation to assist its local small businesses while they were closed down. The fund helped pay for utilities, insurance, etc. to offset lost sales. “That was at a time when some of the states and federal programs were still just rolling out, or hadn’t even rolled out yet,” he notes. “One of the nice things about being in a small community where everybody cares about their neighbors is that we were able to hit the ground running and offer that assistance to see them through that tough time when COVID was first hitting.” Small town, big amenities While Ladysmith may be a relatively small community, there is nothing small about its abundant offerings of vibrant cultural and community events that take place throughout the year. “Our centerpiece event is the Northland Mardi Gras, organized by the Northland Community Club, which happens the third full weekend in July,” Christianson reports. “It’s your traditional small-town festival with carnival rides and games, food vendors, live music, a beer garden, arts and crafts, and a street parade. One of the unique things about the event is the Venetian Night Parade down the Flambeau River on Friday and Saturday nights. There are floats on the river and a fireworks show both nights.” “We’ve also got a county fair and rodeo that happens about a month later and smaller events that happen through the summer,” Christianson continues. “We have a downtown music series called Music on Miner that our local Chamber of Commerce puts on; Music in the Park that our local arts alliance puts on; Winter Magic, where our downtown businesses have different activities; and happening just outside the city in the winter, our local Lions Club puts on Fun on the Frozen Flambeau, which features an ice fishing contest. So, when you incorporate the entirety of Rusk County, it’s hard to find a weekend