One-eyed hawk star of Mercer Lupine Junefest

MERCER, Wis. - Mercer's annual Lupine Junefest went to the birds on Saturday.

It was the ninth celebration of the colorful lupine plants, but first year of the bird festival at the Loon Capital of Wisconsin.

Mercer was named one of Wisconsin's Bird Cities and Saturday featured a large tent devoted to birds and building wooden houses for them.

The star at the bird tent was 3-year-old Ruby, a red-tailed hawk that resides at the Wild Instincts Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Rhinelander.

Ruby was struck by a car and after efforts to rehabilitate her were unsuccessful by a private party, the Department of Natural Resources took away the bird, which lost an eye.

The bird has since become a pet at its wildlife rehab home and it's comfortable with human contact.

Wild Instincts rehabilitates animals ranging from mice to bears.

In addition to offering information of all sorts, the bird tent was a popular place to construct bird houses. Little Ethan Schikora, of Lemont, Ill., was getting a hand in the use of power tools from Tom Leidenheimer, as other youngsters awaited turns at building the wooden houses.

There were dozens of vendors' tents set up at Carow Park for the lupine festival and bicyclists set out in tours ranging from 10 to 50 miles.

Under another tent, Sydney Thompson was painting the face of Shelby Fink, both of Mercer, in one of the many kids' activities that were offered.

Around noon, when the rain became heavy, outside the main pavilion one-man band leader Mike Keating played "Rainy Day Woman," a song he said he didn't have to play in more than a year.

The Lupine Junefest also featured a classic car show, a silent auction and plenty of food and beverages.

The real attractions of the day, however, were the colorful lupine wild flowers that were in full bloom among U.S. 51 and throughout Iron County.