Things to Do in DeForest, Wisconsin
The DeForest/Windsor area has over twenty active and passive recreation areas maintained by the DeForest, Windsor, and Dane County Parks departments. Fireman’s Park in DeForest is the site of many exciting softball games all summer long as well as our soon to be famous 4th of July celebration. Western Green Park, DeForest’s largest community park at 34 acres, has a bike trail which winds through a picturesque restored prairie along the Yahara River. A park shelter, volleyball courts, soccer field, and a top-notch playground area complete the park’s fine facilities. Token Creek Park has an extensive trail system, camping, picnic areas, hiking, walking, cross-country skiing in winter, and some of the best trout fishing around. More fishing, camping and boating is available on Lakes Mendota and Monona in Madison, Devil’s Lake State Park in Baraboo, or Lake Wisconsin to the north.
Programs ranging from youth and adult sports programs, clinics, camps, and enrichment classes (including theater, crafts, and languages) are available year round by the DeForest Parks/Recreation and Natural Resources department. Other community groups sponsor youth football, softball tournaments, competitive soccer programs, concerts in the park, and other special events in the larger community parks.
Lake Windsor Golf Club provides a challenging day on the course for golfers of all skill levels. A driving range and miniature golf course are also nearby. DeForest has a bowling center which hosts league competition and recreational bowling throughout the year and an indoor swimming pool at the high school which offers lessons to young and old.graphic
The DeForest Youth Center provides a safe and secure “hang out” for youth teens and caters to their special “interests” – foosball and air hockey tables, computers, video and board games, and a place to sit and talk with friends, read or study. The Center also offers movie days, field trips, and special events throughout the year.
The DeForest Area Community and Senior Center hosts numerous events throughout the year and is available for community or non-profit organization meetings. The Center provides service to senior citizens living in the community. These services include volunteer opportunities, a meal site, transportation, health screening, adaptive equipment, educational and social activities, and information to help older adults remain independent.
Annual Events in DeFortest Wisconsin
The DeForest Area Chamber of Commerce sponsors a variety of warm-weather festivals, including the annual 4th of July celebration, featuring food, music, and fireworks.
The Concerts in the Park series is scheduled for Monday evenings during June in Market Square Park. The Chamber Community Golf Outing takes place in August. The community also boasts the Heather Rae Anderson annual softball charity tournament and an annual car show at Fireman’s Park. The community comes together annually for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. Don’t forget to bring your appetite for the numerous Church festivals and Brat Busts held within our community.graphic
Big Ten sporting events at the University of Wisconsin supply year-round entertainment for the sports lover. Nature lovers and gardeners enjoy trips to Olbrich Botanical Gardens and the UW Arboretum. In Madison, the Henry Vilas Zoo is a free facility that offers kids and grown-ups an up close and personal view of animals from around the globe. Dane County Farmers Markets, scheduled throughout the county, provide a morning or evening worth of fun as local vendors gather fresh picked produce and flowers.
Arts and Culture in Deforest Wisconsin
The mission of the Public Library is “to create a community of learners by providing access to services and materials in a variety of formats that meet the informational, educational, and recreational needs of a community.” The DeForest Public Library is a nationally recognized innovator of family literacy and children’s services. The library has been the Recipient of many grants and the incubator of many new ideas in materials and service.
The DeForest Public Library moved into its current quarters at 605 S. Main Street in 1992 in the Plaza mall. The 9,000 square foot facility houses 42,000 volumes of fiction, non-fiction, and reference books, 4,000 videos, 2,000 audio compact discs, over 150 software programs, and 166 magazines and newspaper titles. The library provides public Internet access on 5 computers and is part of a shared circulation system which provides access to all the materials held in each of the member libraries. This access when combined with a daily delivery service between the member libraries guarantees that if the material or information wanted is available in any library in the South Central Library System, it can be in DeForest in a matter of days. The library sponsors a summer and winter reading program that is aimed at all age groups in the community as well as offering community concerts, special events, speakers, and an outreach program to over 25 local child care providers.
DeForest is home to the DeForest Area Historical Society and Museum whose mission is to preserve and conserve the historical heritage of the area and to make available to local patrons educational and informational materials relating to this heritage. It relies on a group of dedicated volunteers from the area who have an abiding interest in local history.
The museum of the society, the Hansen-Newell-Bennett House, located at 119 East Elm Street in DeForest, is the primary repository in the area for a growing collection of historical manuscripts, photographs, and artifacts. Displays in the museum include a parlor, kitchen, and bedroom interpreted from the late 1800s and early 1900s, and photographic and text information on the schools, churches, and businesses from the area. Plans are in progress to expand museum space at a second location in the village.
DeForest area residents enjoy a full schedule of cultural events at a variety of venues in nearby Madison, including performances by the Madison Repertory Theater, Madison Opera, and Madison Symphony. Touring companies and musical entertainers take the stage at the Madison Civic Center and at the University of Wisconsin. The Alliant Energy Center hosts conventions, fairs, and music fests. Madison’s Museum Mile, running along State Street and on the UW campus, is home to six museums, including the Madison Art Center, the Madison Children’s Museum, the State Historical Museum, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, the Elvehjem Museum of Art, and the UW Geology Museum.