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Photos: A look back at past Lake Geneva's Venetian Festivals
Venetian Fest - 3
Alexis Guerrero, from left, Nicole Bonnier and Lilly Haydam, all of Lake Geneva, take a ride on the Tilt-A-Whirl during last year’s Venetian Festival.
Bumper cars
Carnival rides-- such as bumper cars- are a popular attraction at the Venetian Festival each year.
Fun and games
Carnival games-- which are a staple of the Venetian Festival-- will not be occurring in downtown Lake Geneva this summer, as representatives from the Lake Geneva Jaycees have decided to cancel the festival this year.
Lake Geneva's Venetian Fest
Organizers say the Lake Geneva Venetian Festival's mix of food, music, carnival rides and other attractions generally draws crowds estimated in the tens of thousands.
R.J. Sommerfeld peformed at last year's Venetian Festival.
Singer R.J. Sommerfeld of the Chicago reggae group Concrete Roots performs live on stage during the 2019 Venetian Festival in downtown Lake Geneva.
Venetian Fest - 5
Members of the Lake Geneva Jaycees joins with supporters in 2019 for a ceremonial ribbon-cutting marking the start of the Venetian Festival, one of Lake Geneva's premier summer events.
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A spectator watches from ground level Aug. 16 as thrill-seekers experience the Zero Gravity thrill ride at the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Fest in downtown Lake Geneva.
Venetian Fest - 4
Volunteer Chuck Schlehlein, left, grills some food at last year's Venetian Festival, as the food vendors are one of highlights of the festival.
Nathan and Sawyer Gorhl
Nathen Gorhl and his son, Sawyer Gorhl, enjoying a ride at the annual Venetian Festival.
Luke Elliot
Luke Elliot enjoys the bungee jump at the annual Venetian Festival event.
Venetian Fest - 26
Guido, a combination French bulldog and Boston terrier, makes his appearance Aug. 18 on the grounds of the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Festival in downtown Lake Geneva.
Venetian Fest - 24
Amy Poull, left, of Antioch, Illinois, and Jaden Mueller, of West Bend, take a spin Aug. 18 on the Catch ‘N Air ride at the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Festival.
Venetian Fest - 22
Stella Philpot, left, of Chicago, and her cousin, Lincoln Keefe, of Lake Villa, Illinois, watch the Tilt-A-Whirl ride Aug. 18 at the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Festival.
Venetian Fest - 23
Jeff Cline, of the town of Geneva, catches a rest Aug. 18 with a stuffed animal he won for his daughter after spending $40 on the ring toss game at the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Festival in downtown Lake Geneva.
Venetian Fest - 21
Members of the Chicago reggae group Concrete Roots take the stage Aug. 18 at the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Festival, including, from left, Rolan Velasquez, R.J. Sommerfeld and Noel Velasquez. Not shown is drummer Joe Campobasso.
Venetian Fest - 20
A girl who could not be identified enjoys riding solo on the Catch ‘N Air ride Aug. 18 during the final day of the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Festival in downtown Lake Geneva.
Venetian Fest - 17
It is all smiles in the beer garden Aug. 16 at the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Festival for New Lennox, Illinois, friends Mary Hastings, from left, Michele Grimmer, Cindy Conrad, Kim Molloy and Melinda Lombardo.
Venetian Fest - 10
Cheese curds are among the food treats available, along with burgers, brats, corn on the cob, and much more at the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Fest in downtown Lake Geneva.
Venetian Fest - 15
Sylvia Paprzyca, left, and her husband, Marc Paprzyca, of Lake Geneva, make their way across the festival grounds Aug. 16 during the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Festival.
Venetian Fest - 8
John Craiger of Lake Geneva works on a corn on the cob Aug. 15 at the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Festival in downtown Lake Geneva.
Venetian Fest - 2
Twin sisters Anna Shepherd, left, of Woodstock, Illinois, and Dana Shepherd of Milwaukee settle in for a cold beer Aug. 14 during opening day of the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Festival in downtown Lake Geneva.
Venetian Fest - 7
Miranda Stigall, center, takes aim Aug. 15 at the shooting gallery game, assisted by Ryan Kormanak, left, while Autumn Wolf watches, as the Badger High School students enjoy the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Festival.
Venetian Fest - 18
Leiland Scheithe, 8, of Burlington, is making tracks Aug. 16 on the bumper cars at the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Festival in downtown Lake Geneva.
Venetian Fest - 9
Riding the Air Max thrill ride Aug. 15 at the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Festival in downtown Lake Geneva are Mary Kate Cambria, left, of Arlington Heights, Illinois, and Mikayla Calandra of Lake Geneva.
Venetian Fest - 11
Dorian Roemer, 9, of Lake Geneva, goes airborne Aug. 15 on the Gravity Storm bungee cord ride at the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Festival in downtown Lake Geneva.
Venetian Fest - 16
John McClellan, left, and Brianna Stoll, both of Delavan, settle in for their ride on the Ferris wheel Aug. 16 during the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Festival in downtown Lake Geneva.
Venetian Fest - 6
Kingston Bowler, 2, of the town of Lyons, gets his hands on a big blue balloon Aug. 15 at the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Festival in downtown Lake Geneva.
Venetian Fest - 1
Worker Armando Catalina waits for customers to try the Buzzer Beater basketball game Aug. 14 on opening day of the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Festival in downtown Lake Geneva.
Venetian Fest - 13
Tracy Loland, of Evanston, Illinois, joins the fun on the bumper cars last year during the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Festival in downtown Lake Geneva.
Venetian Fest friends
Addi West, left, of Lake Geneva, and Charlet Riley, of Madison, are joined by Addi’s dog Floura on a stroll around the grounds in August at the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Festival, in one of the top local news photos of 2019. See pages A3 and A4 for a complete list of the year’s top local news stories and local news photos.
Venetian Fest - 14
Under a blue evening sky, the Ferris wheel stands tall Aug. 16 among many carnival rides available at the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Festival on the lakefront in downtown Lake Geneva.
Venetian Festival 2018 -- 18
Steve and Nancy Norys of Janesville enjoy a funnel cake from Mr. Ed’s Magical Midways after Geneva Lake Family YMCA stops selling the cakes at last year's Venetian Fest.
water skiing for 2019 Venetian story
The water skiing show is Sunday, Aug. 18, followed by the lighted boat parade and fireworks.
Funnel cakes free photo
Geneva Lakes Family YMCA, once again, will be selling funnel cakes during this year’s Venetian Festival in Lake Geneva.
Venetian Festival events 2019 1
The Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Fest returns.
Venetian Festival firework display
Fireworks are part of the Venetian Festival in August, but the Fourth of July holiday has not seen fireworks in downtown Lake Geneva in many years. (File photo/Regional News)
Miss Lake Geneva
Contestants in the Miss Lake Geneva contest pose on a pier in Lake Geneva. Miss Lake Geneva, at the time, was chosen during the Venetian Festival pageant. The contestants are, from left to right, Terry McDonald, Carol Storzbach and Kathy Koenen. This picture was originally published in the Aug. 18, 1966, edition of the Lake Geneva Regional News.
Venetian Festival 2018 -- 20
Friends Marjorie Hayes and Anne Stefan, both of Lake Geneva, take their turn on the Spin Out ride Aug. 18 during the Venetian Festival in Lake Geneva. (Photo by Scott Williams/Regional News)
Venetian Festival 2018 -- 11
William Hobday, 11, takes a spin around the bumper cars Aug. 18 during the Venetian Festival in Lake Geneva.
Venetian Festival 2018 -- 14
Tracie Wilcox, left, of Elgin, Illinois, and Emalee Doyle, of Lombard, Illinois, dance to the music Aug. 18 during the Venetian Festival in Lake Geneva. (Photo by Scott Williams/Regional News)
Venetian Festival 2018 -- 9
Guitarist Jason Nelson joins other members of the band Dirty Canteen on stage Aug. 18 during the Venetian Festival in Lake Geneva.
Venetian Festival 2018 -- 12
Enjoying pleasant weather near the music stage Aug. 18 are Leo Host, left, and Glenn Duda, both of Lake Geneva, during the Venetian Festival in Lake Geneva. (Photo by Scott Williams/Regional News)
Venetian Festival 2018 -- 19
The annual Venetian Festival in Lake Geneva, presented by the Lake Geneva Jaycees, is just one of the nonprofit events worthy of receiving a waiver from city fees. (File photo/Regional News)
Venetian Festival 2018 -- 10
Festival goers find plenty of food and beverage options Aug. 18 on the festival grounds at Venetian Festival in Lake Geneva. (Photo by Scott Williams/Regional News)
Venetian Festival 2018 -- 13
Watching the rubber ducks float past at the Lucky Ducky game Aug. 18 at Lake Geneva’s Venetian Festival is Aria Bondinell, 5, of Schaumburg, Illinois.
Venetian Festival 2018 -- 15
Emalee Doyle, left, of Lombard, Illinois, and Tracie Wilcox, of Elgin, Illinois, dance to the music Aug. 18 during the Venetian Festival in Lake Geneva. (Photo by Scott Williams/Regional News)
Venetian Festival 2018 -- 7
Mariama Kondeh, 9, of Elkhorn, enjoys a private ride on the Tilt-A-Whirl on Aug. 17 at the Venetian Festival in Lake Geneva.
Venetian Festival 2018 -- 3
Disembarking after a Ferris wheel ride Aug. 17 are, from left, Katie Karcher, and her sons, Josten Karcher, 7, and Dylan Karcher, 11, all of Williams Bay, assisted by operator Chavis Zerbach of Mr. Ed's Magical Midway at the Venetian Festival in Lake Geneva. (Photo by Scott Williams/Regional News)
Venetian Festival 2018 -- 1
Taking a spin on the Tilt-A-Whirl ride, above, are friends Grace Bush, from left, Heather Pohlman and Jake Lasch, all of Lake Geneva, while Tracie Wilcox of Elgin, Illinois, and Emalee Doyle of Lombard, Illinois, inset, dance to the music during the Venetian Festival in Lake Geneva, which ran Aug. 15 to Aug. 19. See more festival photos on page 6B. (Photos by Scott Williams/Regional News)
Venetian Festival 2018 -- 8
Ferris wheel operator Chavis Zerbach waits for riders Aug. 17 on the midway at the Venetian Festival in Lake Geneva.
Venetian Festival 2018 -- 5
Judy Miskie, left, and her husband, Scott Miskie, both of the town of Geneva, enjoy a spot on a park bench to watch the excitement Aug. 17 at the Venetian Festival in Lake Geneva.
Venetian Festival 2018 -- 6
Bruce Gingrich of Lake Geneva tries his hand throwing darts at balloons to win prizes Aug. 17 at the Venetian Festival in Lake Geneva. (Photo by Scott Williams/Regional News)
Venetian Festival 2018 -- 4
Ray Blood prepares another round of teriyaki beef sticks at the American Legion food cart Aug. 17 at the Venetian Festival in Lake Geneva. (Photo by Scott Williams/Regional News)
Venetian Festival 2018 -- 2
Kayden Predick, 4, of Delavan, enjoys a stuffed animal wolf prize Aug. 17 at the Venetian Festival in Lake Geneva. (Photo by Scott Williams/Regional News)
Emma Czyznik and Sherri Baker at YMCA booth at Venetian Fest
YMCA volunteer Emma Czyznik, left, and associate executive director Sherri Baker wear their “I Love Meatballs” aprons at the YMCA’s food cart during the Venetian Festival in Lake Geneva. (Photo by Scott Williams/Regional News)
Ribbon cutting 1
Walworth County Chairwoman Nancy Russell prepares to cut the ribbon at Venetian Fest last Wednesday. This ceremony marks the start of this five day event. (Photo by Jen Gragg/Regional News)
Ferris Wheel
Another sight synonymous with Venetian Festival is the Ferris Wheel. (File photo/Regional News)
dolls
Young attendees could peruse the doll accessories at Steve and Pam Mastricola’s booth during last weekend’s Venetian Fest. The Mastricolas say they got into the craft after they began making pieces for their granddaughter. (Photo by Jen Gragg/Regional News)
ride 2
People watch as a ride tilts and spins its passengers at Venetian Fest. (Photo by Jen Gragg/Regional News)
Ribbon cutting 2
Alderman, the mayor, Walworth County Chairwoman Nancy Russell and many others smile after the ceremonial ribbon cutting that marked the beginning of Venetian Fest last Wednesday. (Photo by Jen Gragg/Regional News)
face painting
A young girl smiles as she shows off her face painting at this year’s Venetian Fest. (Photo by Jen Gragg/Regional News)
Ride 1
Kids enjoy a ride at this year’s Venetian Fest. (Photo by Jen Gragg/Regional News)
venetian fest 2
The carnival games at every Venetian Festival proves to be fun for all ages. (File photo/Regional News)
basket weaving
Gary Oslage weaves a basket at his booth at Venetian Fest last weekend. Gary and his wife Carol have been weaving baskets for about 30 years. (Photo by Jen Gragg/Regional News)
Venetian Festival Ferris wheel
This year, the Lake Geneva Jaycees bring back Venetian Festival for a 56th year. See story Page 19. (File photo/Regional News)
Venetian Festival overview
Venetian Festival begins on Aug. 16. (File photo)
Venetian Fest skiing
The skiing show is a popular attraction during Venetian Festival. (File photo)
