CRANDON, Wis. — Roughly 100 miles north and west of Green Bay, the small City of Crandon, Wisconsin, is no stranger to having a lot of visitors over the Labor Day weekend.
“This is the 54th year of the off-road raceway in Crandon where they’re hosting their world championship — it’s always a huge event,” said Mary Belland, the associate director of the Forest County Chamber of Commerce. “The last few years, it’s drawn over 50,000 people.”
But there’s more than just a world racing championship helping to pack people into a community with a year-round population of less than 2,000 Wisconsinites.
Rock icons KISS are bringing their current “End of the Road” tour to Forest County.
“We’re just excited that Forest County Potawatomi was able to get this underway for us,” Belland said. “It stemmed from [Milwaukee, where the Potawatomi Business Development Corporation is based] and then they filtered it north here to Crandon, Wisconsin, so it’s a really big opportunity for us.”
Belland said having KISS will help lots of businesses in the area.
“To get a band of this caliber in this small town of 1,700 to 1,800 people, it’s quite impressive,” said Belland.
And she said it’s not too late to join in on the fun in Crandon this weekend.
“Put your kids in the car, your family in the car and come on up and enjoy the festivities,” Belland said.
The big weekend started Wednesday with a few smaller races, but the big day is Friday with a parade at noon, followed by the KISS concert.
Watch the full interview above.