Crystal Falls Lions Club Hosts Freeze Your Bass Off Event March 14

The Crystal Falls Lions Club kicked off its revived "Freeze Your Bass Off" fundraiser at Runkle Lake Park complex Saturday morning, bringing Yooper Curling, kids' activities, and a long-dormant community tradition back to life in support of the club's Children's Cancer Fund.

Festivities began at 11 a.m., centered on a curling competition with a decidedly Upper Peninsula twist. Instead of regulation granite stones, players slide 30-can boxes of beer fitted with handles across the ice toward a bull's eye target. Two-person teams compete on two courts simultaneously, allowing four teams to play at once, according to details club member Jake Nurmi posted on the Crystal Falls Lions Club Facebook page.

For Nurmi, the event carries more than competitive spirit. "The event is a nod to our long-running Bass Festival that has taken place every July for more than 60 years in Crystal Falls," he said. "Winter can be long and cold, so what better way to break up the winter months than by getting outside with great company and great food — all for an excellent cause."

All proceeds benefit the Crystal Falls Lions Club Children's Cancer Fund.

The name "Freeze Your Bass Off" stretches back to 1983, when the Iron County Running Club organized an event by that name at Crystella Ski Hill featuring relay races. Two years later, in 1985, the Crystal Falls Lions Club introduced its own winter gathering called Winter Fest at Camp Christine on Lake Mary, positioning it as an off-season complement to the Bass Festival. Saturday's event represents the Lions Club's resurrection of that winter fundraising spirit under the original name.

The club has recruited several younger members in recent years but is still looking for more. "We have tons of ideas and want to do many more community projects," Nurmi said. "The club really needs more members to accomplish all these things." Membership is open to anyone regardless of whether they live in Crystal Falls.