07/17/2026
The Golden Age of the Oconto Water Carnivals
by Pete Gabrielson
Before there were theme parks and before most homes had televisions and air conditioning, one of the biggest summer attractions in communities across Wisconsin was the Water Carnival.
They were community celebrations that often lasted several days. Visitors enjoyed swimming and diving competitions, speedboat races, โsurf ridingโ and water skiing exhibitions, parades, dances, beauty contests, live music, fireworks, and countless other activities.
The tradition reached Oconto County over a century ago. One of the earliest known local water carnivals was held at Kelly Lake in August 1914, featuring swimming contests, diving, and other events that drew visitors from around the area.
By the late 1930s and throughout the 1940s and 1950s, water carnivals on the Oconto River grew into one of northeastern Wisconsin's biggest summer celebrations. Sponsored by local groups like the Oconto Civic Club, Lions Club, Sportsmen's Club, and Yacht Club, these multi-day festivals drew massive crowds of 5,000 to 6,000 people!
Bleachers were erected on both sides of the Oconto River near the city docks, packed with spectators eager to witness high-speed boat races, high-diving exhibitions, swimming competitions, and the cutting-edge sports of water skiing and "surf riding."
While world-famous champions and entertainers came to Oconto to perform, the real heart of the Water Carnivals was our outstanding local talent. Our community members weren't just watchingโthey were pioneering the sport.
One of our local performers Red Maloney, developed a thrilling act called the "Arch of Flame", in which he ski jumped through an "ring of fire". Often done at night to enhance the effect. It was one of the most highly anticipated acts of the show.
In 1942, they added a special eventโ"The Drowning of Hi**er," one of the most talked-about events of that year's carnival. It was held just seven months after the attack on Pearl Harbor and America's entry into World War II. It was staged by two veterans, one of whom was a survivor of the Pearl Harbor attack. (๐See the accompanying image contents for more information.๐)
Five years later, a creative promotion in 1947 had airport manager Robert Jubin dropping thousands of cardboard advertising discs from an airplane over Green Bay, Marinette, and Oconto to publicize the carnival!
These Water Carnivals helped launch a local tradition of water sports that stretched across generationsโfrom the early speed boat racers, โsurf ridersโ, and ski pioneers of the 1930s and 1940s to the Skiing Patriots of the 1970s, '80s, and '90s, including performers who later entertained audiences at professional water ski shows such as Tommy Bartlett, SeaWorld, Lake of the Ozarks, and other shows around the world.
๐ Be sure to check out the historical photos and the comments below to learn more about Ocontoโs local water sports pioneers! I included as many names and stories as I could find, but Iโm sure there are more. Let us know
