STEVENS POINT, WI (WSAU) — As Stevens Point wraps up yet another successful Riverfront Rendezvous, the city is already planning the 2023 event, which will be held under different circumstances.
And not in the way we’ve been used to the term “different circumstances” being defined in recent years.
Next year the city will hold its signature celebration alongside the USGA’s 2023 US Senior Open at SentryWorld Golf Course, which Mayor Mike Wiza expects will be a rousing success.
“I anticipate that we are going to be pulling off the best USGA Men’s Senior Open that the world has ever seen,” said Wiza. “That’s what I expect from this community.”
While he did stop just short of pulling off a Joe Namath and guaranteeing that would be the case, he did say the community has the gumption to get the job done while also pulling off Riverfront Rendezvous at the same time.
“I know the people here. Remember when we had the [USGA Girl’s Junior] Championship, two days before we had a massive storm that took out trees on the golf course. The community showed up with pickup trucks and chain saws. By the time the tournament started, you would have been hard-pressed to know that a storm hit.”
Preparations that are already underway for the tournament include logistical planning for things like signage along Interstate 39, off-site parking and shuttles for spectators, and hotel arrangements for participants and their entourage. Wiza adds that the city is also bending the rules for short-term rentals to allow residents to rent out their homes for spectators and others that will be in town for the tournament.
Hotel space for the week is expected to be booked in a wide radius around Stevens Point. Additionally, the event will be broadcast nationally by NBC Sports and worldwide by multiple other broadcast partners.
Wiza adds that planners with the USGA are already on the ground in Stevens Point working with local officials on the logistics of the event.
In addition to discussing the planning for next year’s events, Wiza also discussed the upcoming city referendum question that would require all street projects of $1 million or more to be approved by voters. Hear more on that in the attached video.
