MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Spending time on a frozen lake is a rite of passage for many of Minnesotans. But for military families, that tradition got a unique twist Saturday as technology connected families to ice fishing.

The third-annual Holes for Heroes event took place on Medicine Lake in Plymouth, where deployed military personnel from Minnesota got a chance to see their loved ones ice fish via Skype.

Watch the video above to see WCCO-TV photojournalist Dave Wertheimer’s story on this special festival.