This town put itself on the map as the nation’s bratwurst capital long ago. But every September since 1988, the city of 50,000 on Lake Michigan’s western shore has packed a crowd for reasons that have little to do with encased meats.
Lee “Waterflea” Williams and his twin brother, Larry “Longboard” Williams, have hosted the Corona Dairyland Surf Classic, reportedly the world’s largest freshwater surf competition, for 21 years. The three-day event draws about 200 dedicated surfers, plus a slew of supporters and baffled onlookers, to Sheboygan’s Northside Beach with live bands, a cookout and — weather permitting — some of the fiercest lake-surfing competitions in the world.
“Sheboygan is one of the best places for freshwater surfing; it’s known as the Malibu of the Midwest,” Lee says as he shows off the spotless golden beach where the Eastern Surfing Association-led competition takes place Sept. 4-6. The crescent of soft sand receding into almost-azure waters makes the comparison believable. Lee’s look — a toned physique, summer tan and sun-bleached hair — also suggests a California pedigree, at least until the wave-riding dad’s elongated north Wisconsin vowels give him away.
“My brother and I started surfing here [in 1967] when we were about 13,” he says.
The twins, 55, grew up near the beach in the halcyon days of Jan and Dean and the Beach Boys. “We were always water rats,” Lee recalls. “But on my paper route one day, I saw a board in someone’s garage and knocked on the door to ask about it.”
The gear belonged to a University of Southern California student who was home in Sheboygan for the summer. Intrigued, the Williams brothers asked to rent it for 25 cents an hour. They were instantly hooked and soon bought their own surfboards.
Not long after, they became the youngest members of Sheboygan’s Lake Shore Surf Club. The group eventually disbanded when members left for college or the Vietnam War, but a small, tight-knit clan remained and still surfs together. One pal, Teek Phippen, runs the Weather Center, a surfer-friendly riverfront cafe in a historic fisherman’s shed near the beach.
Having such a close, reliable crew with you in the water is a must for lake surfers, Lee says. “The conditions can be rough out there; you could get killed.”
Visitors wanting to catch a wave should take heed. The violent wave-making weather systems required to create good surfing conditions also make the freshwater sport inherently risky. The uninitiated should stop by the EOS Expedition Outdoor Supply shop along the riverfront to ask about conditions before heading out. Surfboard and wet-suit rentals are available here too, as well as kayaks and stand-up paddle-surfing equipment. The latter is an ancient Hawaiian tradition and much more beginner-friendly.
Of course, storms aside, freshwater surfing has its challenges. For one, because the massive lakes act like inland seas, they are prone to the same brutal riptides as the oceans but offer less buoyancy and shorter intervals between waves. More frequent waves mean surfers have less time to swim out or to recover if they bail. And all that doesn’t even touch on the obvious: the cold.
“In the early years, we had to wear dive suits,” Lee says. “You couldn’t even buy wet suits with that kind of insulation at the time.”
These days, when the water temperatures drop each month in fall, lake surfers upgrade to increasingly thicker neoprene suits. “A lot of people in Sheboygan don’t even know there’s surfing here because we’re only out on what normal people consider the worst beach days, the days when everyone else stays away,” Lee says.
This brazen embrace of extreme conditions has earned the brothers the respect of surfers on an international level. After the twins appeared in two surf documentaries — “Unsalted,” which chronicled Great Lakes surfing, and “Step Into Liquid,” which explored unexpected surf spots around the world — other surfers started to recognize them.
“When we’d go out to California or wherever, guys would say, ‘Hey, I know you — you’re those crazy guys who jump off icebergs!'” Lee says.
Each year, the Williamses pray for lousy weather over Surf Classic weekend, but Larry concedes, “You never know exactly when that’s going to happen.” He says the chances are about 50-50, less than ideal odds when you have surfers — even occasional pros such as California-based longboard champ Colin McPhillips — making the trek from all over the Great Lakes region, the East and West Coasts, Canada and even Australia. “But if we can get those perfect conditions, we’ll have waves almost as good as in California.”
If not, the brothers expect the partylike atmosphere, entertainment and camaraderie among surfing’s lost tribe to satisfy everyone, and the stand-up paddle-surfing competitions are slated to take place regardless.
The Surf Classic aside, Sheboygan offers plenty of other outdoor adventure: There’s fishing and kayaking on the river and lake, and biking on the 17-mile Old Plank Road Trail.
One of the country’s best golf courses, scenic Whistling Straits, calls Sheboygan home too, rimmed by sweeping dunes and the Lake Michigan coastline. Wisconsin’s top-ranked spa, the Kohler Waters Spa, is just 4 miles away in Kohler, on the grounds of the Midwest’s only AAA five-diamond resort, the American Club.
The arts are alive and well in Sheboygan too. The historic movie theater downtown now houses the Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts, which hosts everything from the Moscow Ballet and Chinese acrobats to NPR’s Garrison Keillor and Abba tribute acts.
Also in town is the nationally recognized John Michael Kohler Arts Center. Its performance theater and 10 galleries of visual art present works by artists from around the world — but the most buzz is about the men’s bathroom: It has a series of three impressive, specially commissioned mosaic urinals depicting the evolution of architecture through the ages. (Docents escort curious women into the bathroom when the coast is clear.)
As for the lake, Larry points out one other benefit: “Did I mention we’ve never had a shark attack?”
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If you go
General information
The Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau provides guidance on dining, accommodations, entertainment, attractions and fishing charters. sheboygan.org, 800-457-9497, ext. 500; 920-457-9491
You also can get general information from the City of Sheboygan. visitsheboygan.com, 800-689-0290, and Sheboygan County, visitsheboygancounty.com.
For information on the Corona Dairyland Surf Classic, go to visitsheboygan.com/dairyland.
Lodging
Most surfers convene at the affordable but unremarkable Fountain Park Motel near the beach. fountainparkmotel.com, 930 N. 8th St., 866-880-4641, $79-$99
For a less rowdy stay, check in at the moderately priced Harbor Winds Hotel. pridehospitality.com/hotels/HARWH, 905 S. 8th St., 920-452-9000, $99-$129
For deluxe post-surfing indulgence, reserve a room at the Lake View Mansion Bed & Breakfast, which overlooks the lake and harbor. lakeviewmansion.com, 303 St. Clair Ave., 920-457-5253, $200-$370
Dining
To keep the surf vibe going, order overstuffed sandwiches and house-made Greek desserts at the surfer-owned Weather Center Cafe. 809 Riverfront Drive, 920-459-9283
For dinner, sit down to a relaxing glass of wine to complement northern Italian specialties at Trattoria Stefano. 522 S. 8th St., 920-452-8455
Attractions
Cooking shows, comedians, ballet and other entertainment are all on the bill at the Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts. weillcenter.com, 826 N. 8th St., 920-208-3243
Visit the John Michael Kohler Arts Center to take in works by a range of artists — or just make a beeline for the famous urinals. jmkac.org, 608 New York Ave., 920-458-6144
Massages, facials or other treatments await at the Kohler Waters Spa at The American Club, Kohler. destinationkohler.com, 501 Highland Drive, 800-344-2838
Outdoor sports
Bike or walk the Old Plank Road Trail (enter trail at the west end of Erie Street, about a half-mile west of Memorial Mall; travelwisconsin.com, 920-459-3060) to the village of Greenbush, where you can tour the Wade House, a restored stagecoach inn (wadehouse.wisconsinhistory.org, 920-526-3271).
For water sports gear rental, head to EOS Expedition Outdoor Supply. eosoutdoor.com, 668 S. Pier Drive, 920-208-7873
Follow the path of PGA pros at Whistling Straits Golf Course. destinationkohler.com/golf, N8501 County Rd., 920-565-6056
