Music, Medallion Hunts & More at 2016 Aquafest in Rice Lake, WI

Celebrate the 52^nd Annual Aquafest June 3^rd-12^th in Rice Lake, Wisconsin! This year, there will be 10 days of fun with plenty of activities for kids and families – including a parade, bike race, fishing contest, luau, music & concerts, and the annual Aquabug medallion hunt! Read up on the bands that are performing this year as well some tips to help you find this year’s Aquabug!

The Bands

This year, Aquafest is ready with an amazing line up of bands and artists from all music genres.

Thursday, June 9^th 2016: Young MC, Coolio, and Sir Mix-A-Lot

Young MC: Born Marvin Young in 1967, Young MC moved from London to Queens, New York when he was 8 years old. In 1989, he collaborated with other artists to make the song “Wild Thing” and “Funky Cold Medina”, but rose to fame with his song “Bust a Move”. This song put him towards the top of the billboard charts and earned him a Grammy in 1990 for Best Rap Performance.

Coolio: Coolio has sold over 17 million records worldwide. Rising to fame in 1996 for the song “Gangsta’s Paradise”, Coolio has won 6 Grammy’s and been nominated for several other awards. Since, Coolio has started an acting career and wrote a New York Times best selling cookbook “Cookin’ with Coolio: 5 Star Meals at a 1 Star Price”. He is currently touring worldwide and working on a new cookbook.

Sir Mix-A-Lot: Born Anthony Ray in Seattle, Sir Mix-A-Lot is the essential success story. At the time, Seattle barely had a hip-hop scene. Sir Mix-A-Lot co-founded his own record label, produced and promoted all of his own work. Mix-A-Lot got his mainstream success with “Baby Got Back”. Since his big break, Sir Mix-A-Lot has continued recording and touring.

Friday June 10^th  :Montgomery Gentry

Montgomery Gentry have been playing together for over 15 years. Troy Gentry and Eddie Montgomery both grew up in Kentucky and found a passion for music at a young age. Over the years, Montgomery Gentry has embraced the change of country music while remaining true to their signature sound. Since they began in 1999, they have represented the working man and the joys and struggles that people face throughout their life. Montgomery Gentry are really “Folks Like Us”.

Saturday June 11^th: Blind Melon and Smash Mouth

Blind Melon: Blind Melon formed in 1990 with five members who came from all around the country. With the growing grunge scene in the 90s, Blind Melon fit right in and found huge success with their single “No Rain”. Tragically, in 1995 the lead singer of the band passed away. In 1999, the remaining band members officially parted ways. After almost a decade long break, Blind Melon formed again with a new lead singer and now play worldwide.

Smash Mouth: Smash Mouth formed in 1994 and started playing shows right away. In 1997, Smash Mouth signed with a record label after hearing their song “Walkin’ on the Sun”. Through the years, some of the members of the band have changed – but today’s members are the “best ‘Mouth ever”. In recent years, the band has focused on touring and entertaining the troops overseas.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS TO SEE THE MUSIC AT THE 2016 AQUAFEST

RCU AQUABUG “MEDALLION” CLUES

Of course, this year’s Aquafest will have the annual Aquabug medallion hunt! Clues will be given out daily at 10:30AM and 3:30PM on radio stations WJMC, WAQE and WKFX. Clues will also be posted at RCU and aquafestonline.com. Clues start on Friday, June 5^th. Winners will win $1,000 but must be wearing an Aquafest button.

Want to look for the Aquabug but aren’t sure where to start?  Here are some tips to help you hunt for the medallion:

1. Knowing the area (and rules for the hunt) is going to be the most beneficial to you when hunting for the medallion – so get out and explore! Be sure to familiarize yourself with parks, shops, businesses and other places of interest, you never know where the Aquabug could be hidden.

2. Don’t be afraid to talk to people about it! Although you want to be the one to bring home the $1000, it can be helpful to discuss clues’ meanings with other people. Everyone’s brain works a little differently, so having a nice discussion about the Aquabug might open your eyes to a new way of looking at clues…and you might just make a new friend to two in the process!

3. The clues with take you down a path. No, not necessarily an actual path. What we mean is that typically first few clues aren’t going to lead you directly to the spot where the Aquabug is. The presenters want you to play for a few days and be able to connect all the clues they put together. However, the first clues will help get you to the general area of the Aquabug and will continue to get more specific as the days go on.