Jim Mulleady

Eagle River Area Events - June 2008

Riverside Raceway - Stock car racing

Monday, May 26, 2008 - Monday, September 01, 2008

Racing every Tuesday evening Memorial Day - Labor Day. Hot Laps at 7:30 pm with racing at 8:00 pm. For more information contact 715-479-8199 or 715-891-2012

Fishing Has No Boundaries

Friday, May 30, 2008 - Sunday, June 01, 2008

6:30 am - 5:30 pm. Start from the Wild Eagle Lodge. For more information contact Wil Campbell at 715-479-9309

Chain Skimmer's Special Memorial Day Water Ski Show

Wednesday, May 25, 5008 - Sunday, May 25, 2008

5:00 pm, Held on Lake Pleasant in Conover. For more information contact 715-547-6156

Bingo-Kalmar Center

Sunday, June 01, 2008 - Monday, October 27, 2008

Held every Monday night at 6:00pm May - October. For more information contact 715-479-2633 or Don Anderson at 715-479-4877

Classic Car & Cool Bikes Show and Ride

Sunday, June 01, 2008 - Sunday, August 31, 2008

Held at the Eagle River Derby Track on Wednesdays from 5-10pm - June through August. For more information contact Todd Achterberg at 715-479-4424

Farmers Market

Sunday, June 01, 2008 - Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Fresh grown produce and other fresh items available every Wednesday from 9:00 am - 1:30 pm. Market located on the snomobile trail on Hwy 45 N.(just north of the bridge) For more informatin contact Rita Fritz at 715-477-0645

Riverside Raceway - Stock car racing

Sunday, June 01, 2008 - Monday, September 01, 2008

Racing every Tuesday evening Memorial Day - Labor Day. Hot Laps at 7:30 pm with racing at 8:00 pm. For more information contact 715-479-8199 or 715-891-2012

TNT Speedway

Sunday, June 01, 2008 - Saturday, September 13, 2008

Racing every Saturday night, mid May through mid September. Racing starts at 7:45 pm. For more information contact Patti Rutzen at 715-546-2539

Chain Skimmers Water Ski Show

Tuesday, June 03, 2008 - Monday, September 01, 2008

Held every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evening at 7:00 pm at Lake Pleasant just north of Conover, WI on Hwy 45 N. For more infomration contact 715-547-6156

Flea Market and Farmer's Market

Saturday, June 07, 2008 - Saturday, August 30, 2008

Held every Saturday (June through August) from 9am - 2:00pm at the Hi-Pines Eagle River Campground. For more information contact 715-479-9124.

Wisconsin Regional Artists Show Workshop

Saturday, June 07, 2008

9am- 3pm. Olson Memorial Library. For more information contact Eleanor Lapp at 715-547-3595

Trees for Tomorrow - Canoe Adventure

Sunday, June 08, 2008 - Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Times to be announced. For more information contact Troy Walters at 715-479-6456.

Summer Library Program Registration

Monday, June 09, 2008 - Saturday, June 14, 2008

Held at the Olson Memorial Library. For more information contact 715-479-8070.

Free Kids Fishing Tips

Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Held on Tuesday evenings at 6:30pm at Heckel's Eagle River Marina. For more information contact Art Anderson at 715-479-1758

Olson Memorial Library - Summer Library Program

Wednesday, June 11, 2008 - Friday, August 15, 2008

For more information contact Pat Lamon at 715-479-8070.

Trees For Tomorrow - Watching for Wings

Wednesday, June 11, 2008 - Saturday, June 14, 2008

Visit multiple habitats to view many different species, from song birds to water fowl. For more information contact Troy Walters at 715-479-6456. Fee: $225.

Craft & Flea Market

Thursday, June 12, 2008 - Thursday, August 28, 2008

Held at the Eagle River Derby Track. For more information contact Linda Hale at 715-479-4424

Eagle River Sport & Home Show

Friday, June 13, 2008 - Saturday, June 14, 2008

Friday Hours: 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm, Saturday Hours: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm. To be held at the Eagle River Ice Arena. For more information contact Jeff Wagner at 715-479-4451.

Website: http://www.wrjo.com

Callie Rohr Memorial Canoe Race - 4th Annual

Saturday, June 14, 2008 - Sunday, June 15, 2008

Held at Rohr's Wilderness Tours. 7:00 am. For more information and registration contact Jeff or Marcia Rohr at 715-547-3639.

Eagle River Memorial Hospital Health Fair

Saturday, June 14, 2008

8:00 am - 2:00pm, to be held at the Eagle River Memorial Hospital. For more information contact Elizabeth Purtell at 715-546-8048

Eagle River's Great Northern Beer Festival

Saturday, June 14, 2008

2-6pm. Held at the Hi-Pines Eagle River Campground. For more information and tickets contact Bill Summers at 715-479-4545.

Website: http://www.greatnorthernbeerfestival.com

Spring Classic Musky Tournament - 28th Annual

Saturday, June 14, 2008 - Sunday, June 15, 2008

Held on the Eagle River Chain of Lakes. For more information contact Jim Heffner at 715-477-2667.

Trees For Tomorrow - Baskets from Nature

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Learn to make a basket using birch bark and twigs at Trees For Tomorrow. Time: 8:00 am until 5:00 pm. Bring a picnic lunch. For more information contact Trees For Tomorrow at 715-479-6456. Fee: $75.

Website: http://www.treesfortomorrow.com

Eagle River Airport Fly-In & Aviation Day

Sunday, June 15, 2008

8:00 am - 3:00 pm to be held at the Eagle River Union Airport. For more information contact Scott Volberding at 715-479-7442

Take A Kid Fishing

Sunday, June 15, 2008

11am - 3pm at the Conover Town Park. For more information contact 715-479-4928.

Eagle River Recreation Association Summer Figure Skating School

Monday, June 16, 2008 - Friday, June 27, 2008

8:00 am. Held at the Eagle River Ice Arena. For more information contact Marilou Niemczyk at 715-477-1781.

Trees For Tomorrow - Reptiles and Amphibians Workshop

Monday, June 16, 2008 - Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Times to be announced. For more information contact Cheryl Todea at 715-479-6456.

Boaters Safety Class

Tuesday, June 17, 2008 - Friday, June 20, 2008

5-8pm at the Masonic Temple. For more information contact Art Anderson at 715-479-1758.

Trees For Tomorrow - Summer Nature Program - Turtles

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Wisconsin Turtles + June = Turtle Nesting! - Speaker: Rebecca Christoffel. 7:00 pm. Free to public. For more information contact Trees For Tomorrow at 715-479-6456.

Website: http://www.treesfortomorrow.com

Trees For Tomorrow - Bats Workshop

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - Friday, June 20, 2008

Times to be announced. For more information contact Cheryl Todea at 715-479-6456.

Trees for Tomorrow Interpretive Trail Hikes

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Open to the public every Wednesday, late June - mid August. Tours start at 2:00pm. For more information contact 715-479-6456 or 800-838-9472.

Wild Eagle Corner Store Fishing Seminars

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Every Wednesday evening from June to August. 7:00pm at Boondockers at the Wild Eagle Lodge. For more information contact Brian Uttech at 877-479-6198.

Eagle River Memorial Hospital Auxiliary Card Party

Thursday, June 19, 2008

11:30 am, held at the Eagle River Memorial Hospital Auxiliary Hall. For more information contact Mary Carter at 715-479-4255.

Antique and Classic Boat Show - 4thAnnual

Friday, June 20, 2008 - Saturday, June 21, 2008

Times to be announced. Held at the Wild Eagle Lodge. For more information contact Jo Daniel at 877-945-3965 or 715-479-3151..

Forest County Potawatomi Cup & Brush Run Races

Saturday, June 21, 2008 - Sunday, June 22, 2008

To be held at the Crandon Raceway. For more information contact Tiffany Landru at 888-611-6092 or 715-478-2222.

Website: http://www.crandonoffroad.com

GRABAAWR

Saturday, June 21, 2008

To be held at the Northland Pines High School. For more information contact Eric Schramm at 608-843-8412.

Website: http://www.bikewisconsin.org

Professional Musky Tournament Trail (PMTT)

Saturday, June 21, 2008 - Sunday, June 22, 2008

2 day tournament to be held on the Eagle River Chain. For registration information contact Tim Widlacki at 815-464-8412. For lodging information contact the Eagle River Area Chamber of Commerce at 800-359-6315.

Website: http://www.promusky.com

Trees For Tomorrow - Birds, Blooms and Bikes Day Outing

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Meet at the Eagle River entrance to the ThreeEagle Bike Trail - 6am. Bike a leisurely 10 mile route as you learn about the birds, trees, & plants. For information contact Troy Walters at 715-479-6456. Fee:$25/person - paid in full in advance.

Website: http://www.treesfortomorrow.com

Trees For Tomorrow - Birding by Habitat Workshop

Monday, June 23, 2008 - Friday, June 27, 2008

Times to be announced. For more information contact Cheryl Todea at 715-479-6456.

Trees For Tomorrow - Summer Nature Program - Owls

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Owls of the Northwoods - Speaker: Troy Walters. 7:00 pm. Free to public. For more information contact Trees For Tomorrow at 715-479-6456.

Website: http://www.treesfortomorrow.com

Customer Appreciation Day and Classic Car Run

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Custom Appreciation Day Downtown Eagle River - 9am-9pm. Classic Car Run - 5pm-7pm at Steggy's on Wall Street across from Trig's. For more information contact Sally Kemp at 715-479-6312

Eagle River Street Dance

Thursday, June 26, 2008

7pm Downtown Eagle River. For more information contact Sally Kemp at 715-479-6312

Chain Skimmers Bake Sale/Car Wash Fund Raiser

Friday, June 27, 2008

Bake Sale at Trig's from 9am - 2pm Car Wash at Pamida from 10am - 2pm. For more information contact 239-572-4543

Old Fashioned Street Dance and Cake Walk- Conover

Saturday, June 28, 2008

6:00pmat the Conover Town Park. For more information contact Jim Hedberg at 715-479-4928 or 715-479-8688.

Trees For Tomorrow - Canoeing the Northwoods Day Outing

Saturday, June 28, 2008

8:30am Canoe a remote lake home to loons, bald eagles, beavers, & more. Total route distance is about 6 miles. For more information contact Troy Walters at 715-479-6456. Fee: $35/person-includes transportation & equipment - paid in full in advance.

Website: http://www.treesfortomorrow.com

USFSA/ERFSC Figure Skating Test Session

Saturday, June 28, 2008

8:00am. Held at the Eagle River Ice Arena. For more information contact Marilou Niemczyk at 715-477-1981

Taste of Conover - 2nd Annual

Sunday, June 29, 2008

11am - 3pm. Conover Town Park. For more information contact Sharon Olander at 715-479-5757.

Northern Freeze Hockey School

Monday, June 30, 2008 - Thursday, July 31, 2008

8am at the Eagle River Ice Arena. For more information contact Jack Fredricks at 715-479-1428.

Website: http://www.erra.com

On this chart, we are tracking units listed in Vilas and Oneida Counties, the Northwoods' of Wisconsin. The blue line represents units listed while the pink line represents units sold. The trend has been remarkably consistent in good years and in not so good years. The unit sales line for 2008 February through April has dropped from previous years. Listings have been a bit off so if the inventory seems low, it actually is.

It should be noted that the weather in 2008 has been significantly worse than the previous winters. The overall economy in the Northwoods' is behind. It is my opinion that some of the sluggishness in unit sales can be attributed to poor weather here and in our largest buyers' market (southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois).

Its not easy trying to gauge trends using the Days On Market Report. There simply are not enough sales to make the data reliable. Days on Market for both On Water and Off Water are reasonable for late spring.

The one noteworthy point is the huge difference in the Average List for Active Listings vs. the Average List for Sold Listings for Off Water homes. There is a $50,000 price difference. The market simply is not accepting high priced off-water homes.

Days On Market Report

Active Listings

On Water Off Water

Avg. DOM 188 200

Avg. List $518,682 $185,848

# of Listings 647 761

Sold Listings

On Water Off Water

Avg. DOM 247 201

Avg. List $564,150 $133,652

Avg. Sell $497,750 $127,384

Sell/List % 88.2% 95.3%

# of Listings Sold 10 39

Some good news is that average list and sell prices continue to rise. Wall Street is up 200 points this week. The Fed cut prime again this week. Unemployment claims went down slightly. It is the opinion of many that the worst is actually behind us.

A very belated spring this year in the Northwoods. Ice out on Catfish Lake should be sometime today (May 1). That is about 3 weeks late due to global warming.

We'll soon forget this very long winter as I now have other elements of spring to enjoy. I saw my first loon of spring 2 weeks ago but my lake has not had any open water for the loons to come to. They finally have enough so I hear my favorite sound again. The loon yodel is something worth experiencing.

At dusk, the owls start there chorus of "who's". I suspect that it is some sort of mating thing but I must admit that I have never tried the line.

Finally, the bears have come out too. Our bear feeder, cleverly disguised as a bird feeder is being raided nightly as there isn't much for the very hungry bears in the woods. If we get some rain, the berries will start coming out but this time of year is tough for bears. They will go for rotting logs looking for bugs. Thank god for bird feeders and garbage!

The Masters is on, the course appears to be its fabulous self and we are getting loads of snow. Its just wrong.

On a brighter note, the activity here in the Northwoods is picking up. I suspect that the tulips down below the Arctic Circle we know as Hwy 8 are coming up and buyers are dreaming of a summer at the lake! There has not been a ton of on-water activity as are water remains quite hard and quite buried. It is difficult to show lakefront with an snow shoes and an ice auger.

With that, I have Jim's theory of Northwoods business at this point. 80% of our market is recreational properties. That is, they have a primary residence elsewhere (i.e. warmer). Those with money seem to be quite content to watch the market from the sidelines but not participating. Those with less money are less patient and are asking about price reductions and similar questions. The dividing line at this moment in time seems to be around $500,000. Many above are willing to wait for the market to go back to its usual robust self. Those below are stuck with a market with a lot of competitive listings and not many buyers (thus far).

Now, back to building my 25th snowman of the year.

First quarter results are in for Vilas and Oneida Counties. The number of sales is disappointing when compared with previous years. It is my opinion that the sales are the result of the harsher than normal winter weather here and in markets where our buyers come from (Milwaukee, Madison, and Chicagoland).

Some positive news is the reduction in the number of listings. The gap between the number of sales and listings is getting smaller which is a sign of a market getting healthier.