Contributing photo
Photo caption
Pictured (top of Zamboni—L-R): Jeff Huntington, Shawano Hockey League President; Ron Schumacher,
Tourism Development Fund Committee Member; Monique Knope, Shawano Hockey League Board Member
and John Miesbauer, Shawano Hockey League Vice President. (Standing L-R): Mayor Ed Whealon, Tourism
Development Fund Committee Member; Sally Jo Stevens, Chairman of the Tourism Development Fund
Committee and Patti Peterson, Shawano Country Tourism Manager. Not pictured, Town of Wescott
Chairman Brian Moesch, Tourism Development Fund Committee Member.
Sally Jo Stevens, Chairman of the Tourism Development Fund Committee, announced a
$60,000 Tourism Development Grant has been awarded to the Shawano Hockey League. The funds will be
used to replace 38+ year old dasher boards at the Crawford Center, the only indoor skating rink in Shawano
County.
According to John Miesbauer, Shawano Hockey League vice president, an estimated 125-160 room nights
are generated per hockey tournament. In 2019 four regular tournaments plus the Bantam State Tournament
were held at the Crawford Center January through March.
Shawano Hockey League (SHL) is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization created solely for the
purpose of promoting youth hockey in the Shawano County region. SHL is governed by the Wisconsin
Amateur Hockey Association (WAHA) and USA Hockey. They are classified as a Division 4 level club
playing in WAHA Region 3. All SHL Teams (Squirt level and higher) are entered in regional playoffs to
qualify for WAHA State Tournaments held in March.
SHL serves girls and boys ages 4 to 14 and they are a 100% volunteer organization. Parents manage the rink
and the hockey organization on a volunteer basis, which keeps player fees much lower than neighboring
associations.
“We are pleased to assist the Shawano Hockey League with the purchase of new dasher boards and believe
the improvement to the facility will generate more opportunities to expand the number of tournaments, said
Stevens.” “The Crawford Center is a tremendous asset to Shawano County and the outlying communities.”
The purpose of the Tourism Development Fund is to develop new or expanded visitor attractions that will
encourage overnight stays and tourist spending in Shawano and Menominee Counties. The primary source of
financial support for the fund is revenues from a 1½% room tax collected by lodging properties within the
City of Shawano and Wescott Township. Entities eligible to apply for grant funding include any municipality
or Indian nation currently contributing to the Tourism Development Fund, and any qualified nonprofit
organization proposing a project to be located within a contributing municipality.
