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There were 49 individuals who  attended the 2025 Pancake Breakfast and Annual Meeting, hosted by Friends of Wild River State Park (FWRSP), March 8 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Almelund. Attendees enjoyed a free breakfast of scratch-made pancakes with maple syrup tapped at Wild River State Park, along with sausage links, coffee and juice.

During the post-breakfast annual meeting, several park and FWRSP representatives provided updates on past and future activities, as well as park facilities and natural phenomena. Notable highlights of this year’s meeting included an audiovisual presentation by guest speaker James (J.G.) Everest, Wild River State Park’s new artist-in-residence. He shared details about the vision and plans for his unique “sound garden” installations at upcoming park events, including Maple Syrup Day (April 5) and EarthFest 2025 (April 26).

The morning concluded with a posthumous presentation of the 2025 Wild Friend Award to North Branch resident Duane Fisk. Receiving the award for Mr. Fisk, who passed away in August 2024, were his wife Eileen and other family members.  Fisk was born and raised on a property that became part of Wild River State Park, and the family home’s fieldstone foundation stands to this day. The park was “near and dear to his heart throughout his life,” according to Fisk’s obituary. Memorial donations to the Friends of Wild River State Park made in his honor will be used to enhance the park’s visitor experience. 

The 2026 Pancake Breakfast and Annual Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, March 14. 

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