Unusual Winter, Unfamiliar Activities

This time of year, finding a topic for the Drink Wisconsinbly Week in Review typically involves scanning the news wires for popular winter activities like ice fishing, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, or driveway shoveling. However, this year’s El Niño winter has done to those stories what the band of warm ocean water originating in the east-central Pacific has done to the snow and ice here in Wisconsin.

In the process of frantically clicking and scrolling as our deadline approached, we came across the story of Dorene Michaels, co-host of 96.5 WKLH’s Hometown Morning Show with Dave & Dorene. Early last January, as her 50th birthday approached, she pleaded on the air to try 360 new things before December 31.

Each day, she did something she’d never done before, ranging from the simple, like making homemade pasta and having a Mint Julep, to the bold, like skydiving and trying Dave’s Hot Chicken Reaper Challenge.

Then it hit us: What better time to try something new than a winter that isn’t allowing us to enjoy our usual pursuits? The whole DW ethos is celebrating all the people, places, and things that make Wisconsin unlike any other state. So let’s lean into it.

Stop at that restaurant you’ve been driving past for years. Sign up for a class for that thing you’ve always wanted to try. Visit that town you keep hearing about. Order that entrée with the thing you’ve never heard of before. Even if you hate the experience, there’s a good chance you’ll get a fun story out of it.

Dorene didn’t end her journey into the unknown once 2023 came to a close. In fact, she’s still taking suggestions. So, as thanks for inspiring us to inspire the DW faithful to follow your lead, we suggest you stop by the DW Pub and try a Brandy Slushy.