(Catholic Herald photo/Kevin Wondrash)
WISCONSIN DELLS — With the summer months winding down, hundreds of disabled and elderly guests took part in their own fun in the sun at one of Wisconsin’s most historic attractions.
It was the Apostolate to the Handicapped’s annual “Day at the Dells” on the grounds of the Tommy Bartlett Water Show in Wisconsin Dells.
The yearly event drew guests from all over the Diocese of Madison and beyond for a day filled with Mass, lunch, and a free showing of the world-renowned water show.
Hundreds of guests arrived on the morning of Friday, Aug. 22, as the anticipation of rain became the reality of a hot and humid day.
Volunteers and workers from the water show took every measure possible to make sure all the guests were comfortable as they arrived and were taken by cart to the show’s grandstands before Mass started.
Whether they were fully able to walk, needed the assistance of a cane or walker, or got around in a wheelchair, the volunteers escorted everyone to the shade-covered viewing areas, even going as far as gathering a few volunteers to carry a guest in his or her wheelchair.
George and Elgreta Schutte from Monroe have been attending the event for more than 20 years. They look forward to it every year as a chance to relax and be around other people.
“You never go away not thanking God for what for you have,” said George.
Walter and Ava Schlieckau from Loganville have been attending for at least 10 years. They keep coming back to “enjoy the message” and “enjoy the show.”
Welcome from Father Bakke
“It’s so exciting to welcome you,” said Fr. Larry Bakke, director of the apostolate and pastor of St. Clare Parish in Monroe. Father Bakke was met with loud applause from those who see him every Sunday on the apostolate’s TV Mass on WISC-TV Channel 3.
Almost two dozen of his fellow priests from the diocese concelebrated Mass with him. The priests helped to distribute Communion to the hundreds of guests as they made their ways through the crowds during Mass bringing the Eucharist to them.
Prior to and during Mass, music was led by choir members from St. Joseph Parish in nearby Baraboo.
During his homily, Father Bakke remarked on the “great word” of “love” as something we want “so much to be part of our lives” and experience it more every day.
“It is in that love that we’ve gathered again today,” Father Bakke said. “It’s because we really celebrate the presence of our God, who is perfect love. The presence of our God who wants us to know his presence in so many ways.”
He thanked the Tommy Bartlett staff who have been welcoming guests every year for almost three decades. He also thanked nurses and other support staff on hand to help the guests and make the day run smoothly.
“Thanks for your goodness. Thanks for being here today,” Father Bakke said to everyone.
Lunch and water show
Following Mass, volunteers carried huge boxes of bag lunches around the stands to hand out to the guests. The biggest treat for some was the plentiful supply of water bottles also distributed. Volunteers happily handed out two or three of them to help the guests refresh themselves in the hot and humid day.
As lunch was served, the Bartlett show stage transitioned from the shade-covered altar appropriate for an outdoor Mass to a performance platform for the water show.
This summer’s show had the theme: a “Salute to the Movies,” and the Day at the Dells guests got to see the full show presented all summer long by the performers.
The afternoon was filled with water skiers, boat jumpers, and other aquatic and aerobic men and women performing their stunts in mid-air.
During the intermission, some guests got to have their picture taken with some of the performers, including the annual Bartlett comic relief ambassador, “Aqua” the clown.
It was a “nice beautiful summer day,” as Father Bakke put it.
For more information on the Apostolate to the Handicapped, visit, https://apdmadisondiocese.com/