Two Rivers plans to bring back pro volleyball tournament

TWO RIVERS - The EVP Professional Beach Volleyball Tour is likely to return to the sands of Neshotah Park Beach in 2018, a city leader said.

The pro volleyball event, held July 21-23 this year, along with the Two Rivers Fish Derby and Festival, made for one of the busiest weekends for the city.

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“We’ve earned a good reputation as an excellent place to host an event,” City Manager Greg Buckley said. “We’ve proved we’re able to host two lar ge events at the lakeshore very successfully.”

The volleyball tourney attracted people from throughout Wisconsin, while the fishing contest brought in fishermen from throughout the Midwest, Buckley said. That meant good business for hotels and restaurants in the Manitowoc area.

Buckley estimated 2,000 to 3,000 people were at Neshotah Beach each weekend day, but he noted the tourney doesn’t keep track of visitors, so some of them also were beach-goers.

Still, the tournament was a success, and organizers have expressed interest in renewing their contract to continue the tradition.

“We have a committee that’s going to meet next week to discuss the contract,” Buckley said. “They’ve said they definitely want to come back.”

During the tournament, volleyball athletes from across the country participated in the event, including more than 80 teams of professional and amateur players, who competed for prizes. The event, named the EVP Coolest Coast Pro Am, was held for the first time last summer.

Jason Ring, executive director of the Manitowoc Area Visitor and Convention Bureau, praised the event.

“The weather was great, and we had more amateur and youth teams participate in this year’s event,” Ring said. “Players commented on the beautiful breeze off the lake, and the really soft sand that Neshotah Beach offers.”

City leaders want to bring more events to the beach, Buckley said. This weekend, a wedding and a youth volleyball tournament are planned for the park, and he said it’s a popular venue for weddings, wedding photos and family events.

A new pavilion and a concrete walk make it a great place for public events, he noted, and officials hope to bring more regional activities to draw tourists.

Two Rivers’ feather in the cap is the fall Kites Over the Lake Michigan, now more than a decade old, held each Labor Day weekend. That event attracts 40,000 people, Buckley said.

“Kites reminded us what a great asset we’ve got with the lakeshore,” he said. “We want to keep building on that tradition and reputation.”

Patti Zarling: pzarling@gannett.com; phone: 920-686-2152; Twitter: @PGPattiZarling