LIVING HERE
Winterfest has become a seasonal tradition for Lake Geneva.
It is drawing families, day-trippers, and winter enthusiasts who come to watch the sculptors at work and enjoy the town’s cold-weather offerings. The Lake Geneva Winterfest will take place from Wednesday, January 28, 2026, through Sunday, February 1, 2026, primarily at Riviera Plaza and Flat Iron Park in downtown Lake Geneva. The event is free to attend and includes an ice sculpture walk throughout downtown.
The festival’s main attraction is America’s Snow Sculpting Invitational, which features 15 professional teams from across the country transforming massive blocks of snow into detailed sculptures along the lakeshore. The sculpting competition runs from Wednesday through Saturday, with an awards ceremony on Saturday, January 31, at 3 pm in the Riviera Ballroom. The finished sculptures remain on display through Sunday, February 1 (weather permitting).
The Downtown Ice Sculpture Walk ice displays are placed throughout local shops and public spaces. This helps spread the crowd out and promotes local businesses. Gather around bonfires at Riviera Beach, with concessions available for purchase. Enjoy various musical performances throughout the festival, including in the Riviera Ballroom Warming Center. Sample food and drinks from various vendors. Vote for your favorite snow sculpture from 10 am on Saturday, January 31, through 3 pm on Sunday, February 1.
Don’t click that link. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection is warning consumers about online account takeovers.
Scammers can gain access to accounts through phishing attacks, malware, and data breaches. In other cases, victims are tricked into providing login and personal information. Online account takeover (ATO) is a form of identity theft where a threat actor gains unauthorized access to a user’s financial, social media, or other personal accounts, typically by using stolen login credentials. Attackers use these accounts to steal funds, purchase goods, or harvest data, often acting undetected by changing settings and passwords.
The FBI got 5,200 complaints last year about account takeover fraud, with losses exceeding $262 million. State officials say the takeovers often start with a link in an email that appears to be from a trusted source. Clicking the link could load malware onto your computer or direct you to a page requesting personal information. An email from a friend asking you to support a charity. A warning from a bank that your account has been compromised. These could be legitimate messages. Or they could be a scammer trying to steal your identity. When a hacker is successful, users may notice unauthorized transactions, password resets, unusual emails, or being suddenly locked out of their accounts.
Beyond direct financial theft, ATO can lead to severe reputational damage, long-term identity theft, and loss of access to critical services. To protect against ATO, users should enable multi-factor authentication (MFA), use unique passwords for every account, and monitor account activity regularly.
