The S.S. Badger at its dock in Manitowoc, ready for its first sail of the season, Michigan, May 11, 2018. PC: Fox 11 Online
MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The S.S. Badger will once again be sailing into Manitowoc this summer. The car ferry that runs between Ludington, MI and Manitowoc was forced to cut its season short last year, after a portion of its docking equipment on the east side of Lake Michigan broke.
Signs welcoming people to Manitowoc bear its image.
“It’s a huge piece of Manitowoc and a huge piece of just the State of Wisconsin. I mean, it’s a historic landmark,” said Courtney Hansen with Visit Manitowoc.
The S.S. Badger has been a summer staple in the city for decades, sailing seven days a week, from about mid-May to October, the ship brings about 1200 people into the community every single day.
Hansen said, “They’re having lunch here, they’re sneaking in to go tour the Cobia before they can board the ship, they’re shopping in our shops so definitely a huge impact even if they’re just here for a short period of time.”
Last summer, when sailings abruptly ended because of an equipment failure in its port on the east side of Lake Michigan, the impact of the grounded ship was felt city-wide.
“We saw a decline in business. Business was good, but it usually is great when the Badger is running. It was a disappointment to see it wasn’t,” said Scott Scheurell, owner The Fat Seagull.
But according to the Lake Michigan Carferry website, which runs the S.S. Badger, and confirmed by Visit Manitowoc officials, the Badger will once again be full steam ahead.
“We’re excited that right now the sailing season is booking, starting June 14, so that is confirmed when we will see sailings begin,” added Hansen.
The announcement is encouraging for businesses, like The Fat Seagull, that not only serve the residents of Manitowoc and the surrounding areas.
According to Scheurell, “Our lunch when the Badger is here is solid from 11 until 3, every single day until the day it stops running.”
And also for new shops that make sure they’re catering to the tourists too.
“We had always noticed there’s no fresh cheese curds or meats, things like that that we know people are drawn to Wisconsin for. So, we have Pine River cheeses, Miesfeld Meats and this weekend we’re adding Konops,” said Meagan Stegemann, owner of On the Surface. She added, “So we hope that will draw people in as well.”
While the S.S. Badger is booking trips starting on June 14th, it could set sail before that, if all the dock repair work is completed earlier than expected.
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