Where there’s a puddle … Photo by Dennis Chick.
Greetings from the North Shore, where there has been enough rain to make puddles and water our gardens and forests. Thankful for that.
The art festival season is on pause after a great run so far this summer. Thankful for that.
And now for flower shows, theater, Fisherman’s Picnic, and the Rendezvous and Celebration Pow Wow. Summer’s delights.
And art-making continues.
First up is Art Night at Joy and Company. This week, participants will play with water-soluble pencils.
Water-soluble pencils are on tap for Art Night this week.
Art Night runs from 3:30-5 pm on Thursday at the shop and is open to all. Supplies will be provided as well as some instructions. Free, with a suggested $5 donation.
Thursdays in summer are the time to get locally grown produce, baked goods, fresh flowers and more from the Grand Marais Farmer’s Market.
Look for lots of vegetables at the Grand Marais Farmer’s Market.
The market is held from 4:30-6 pm in the Parking lot of the Cook County Community Center.
Snap is available. Open to all.
Also on Thursday, the Grand Marais Playhouse opens Summer Repertory Theater 2025, with the show, The Spitfire Grill.
The Spitfire Grill opens at the ACA on Thursday.
The Spitfire Grill, by James Valcq and Fred Alley, is based on the movie of the same name and is a heartwarming and inspirational musical tale of redemption, perseverance, and family.
The cast for this production includes Emma Tweten-King, Elunia Steckleberg, Karen Blackburn, Bre Tweten-King, Jonathan Hedstrom, Israel Moreno, and Ben Fitzgerald-Wells. The play is directed by Sue Hennessy with Karina Roth as Music Director. A live band will accompany this musical.
Spitfire Grill will open at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts at 7 pm.
The second play in the summer repertory is The Foolish Fishgirls and the Pearl, a comedy opening on Friday at the ACA at 7 pm.
The Foolish Fishgirls and the Pearl opens at the ACA on Friday.
The play by Barbara Pease Weber tells the tale of two former deep-sea divas, Coral and Oceana, who didn’t exactly have the “happily ever after” storybook lives the erstwhile mermaids envisioned. This feisty fairy tale explores a mermaid’s life on dry land after true love is found, lost, and found again.
The cast includes Alexys Hillman, Brittany Lilienthal, Michelle Lewis, Kevin Kager, Signy Sherman, Jeffrey Shockley, and Sandra (Lou) Leonard. It is directed by Sue Hennessy, assisted by Josh Hinke.
The festival continues through Aug. 17. To see the schedule and buy tickets, click here. Tickets are also available at the door.
On Friday, the Gunflint Trail’s Biggest Blueberry Contest begins.
The Biggest Blueberry Contest starts on Friday.
This is always a great contest, sponsored by many of the lodges and resorts on the Gunflint Trail. There are prizes for the biggest blueberries (First place is $100), plus you’ll have lots of blueberries to eat. The contest continues through mid-August. To find out more, click here.
The North Shore Artists League Member Show opens at the Johnson Heritage Post on Friday with a reception from 5-7 pm.
The North Shore Artists League Member Show opens July 18 at the Johnson Heritage Post.
This should be an impressive show, with works from artists up and down the North Shore. Look for paintings and pottery, glass, fiber art, multi-media work, and more. The exhibit continues through Aug. 10.
Also on Friday, the old-time film series held at the Cook County Community Center continues with the screening of The Iron Mask, a silent film from 1929, starring Douglas Fairbanks and Marguerite De La Motte. Here’s the trailer:
The film is free and starts at 6 pm.
Saturday opens with the Cook County Market, which is held in the parking lot of The Hub from 10 am to 2 pm.
Gina Adams is one of the artists who will be featured at the Market. She has paintings, cards, and art tea towels.
There is a great selection of works by local artists and artisans at this market, including paintings, hand-dyed fabrics, woodwork, jewelry, balms and lotions, beeswax candles, pottery, stonelamps and more. Fred Anderson will play from 10:30 am to 2 pm.
Also on Saturday, Care Partners will hold a Brain Health Fair outside of Drury Lane Books from 10 am to noon.
The Brain Health Fair is outside Drury Lane Books on Saturday.
The event features tips and tricks for loving your brain. Explore habits and activities for all ages that encourage brain health across the life span, as well as information and support for those living with memory loss. In case of inclement weather, the event will be moved indoors to The Hub. The public is invited to attend this creative event.
On Saturday afternoon, the West End Garden Club will hold its annual Flower Show at Surfside Cafe and Ballroom in Tofte.
The West End Garden Club will hold its annual Flower Show on Saturday.
The show will be held from 1-5 pm. The theme this year is “Aurora florealis.” Refreshments will be served. Free and open to all.
On Sunday, the Cook County Invasives Team will hold a presentation at Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center at 2 pm. The Invasives Team coordinator and Agricultural Inspector, Tia Parks, will speak.
The Cook County Invasives Team will give a presentation at Chik-Wauk on Sunday at 2 pm.
The discussion will include:
- Identifying Common Noxious Weeds – Minnesota noxious weeds are annual, biennial, or perennial plants that the commissioner of agriculture designates as having the potential or are known to be detrimental to human or animal health, the environment, public roads, crops, livestock, or other property. Cook County also has an additional list of species that are not listed as state noxious weeds.
- Managing Invasive Species on Your Property – Best management practices for controlling invasive species on private property and resources available to you through Cook County.
- Planting Responsibly – Briefly highlight common gardening species that tend to spread and alternative species that you can plant instead.
To learn more, click here and here.
On Tuesday, Chik-Wauk will present a special program about Monarch butterflies.
A presentation on Monarch butterflies will be held at Chik-Wauk on Tuesday. Photo by Kenneth Dwain Harrelson.
Learn about Monarchs and flowers to plant to help sustain this beautiful butterfly. The presentation starts at 2 pm, is family-friendly, and free.
Exhibits:
Duluth pastel artist Alberta Marana is showing her Earth-centered pastel works at Studio 21.
Alberta Marana has an exhibit at Studio 21 through the end of July.
Marana’s works are reflections on place, home, and the effects that our environments have on us.
The Grand Marais Art Colony’s summer exhibition, Movement, continues at Studio 21.
The Waters of Tomorrow, acrylic, by Moira Villiard, is one of the works on exhibit at Studio 21.
Studio 21 is open from 10 am to 4 pm Thursday through Saturday. Free.
The Duluth Art Institute is exhibiting work by Minnesota-based artist Heidi Wanzek entitled Within the Threshold.
An exhibit of multi-media work by Heidi Wanzek is on view at the Duluth Art Institute.
Her sculptural works explore the fragile and powerful connections between life and death. The exhibit continues through mid-August.
A mural by Zamara Cuyún is currently on view at the Minnesota Museum of American Art.
A mural entitled El Vaivén by Zamara Cuyún is currently on view at the Minnesota Museum of American Art.
The artist, Zamara Cuyún, welcomes members of the public traversing the skyways into a sacred dreamscape based on an actual Maya landscape in Guatemala. A vibrant series of images leads viewers along a continuum of colorful design from warm tones, aimed at energizing the spirit during the cold Minnesota winter, to the cool blues of primordial waters, encouraging moments of contemplation and relaxation.
Cuyún is a self-taught, “Gringindia” artist of de-Indigenized Guatemalan Highland Maya ancestry—born and raised in Minneapolis. Themes inspiring her include histories of colonization and resistance, decolonization, and the central role of women in this process. Color and light are of the utmost importance in her work, inspired and informed by Guatemalan Maya textiles, as well as European stained glass.
The exhibit continues through the end of October.
The exhibit, Benjamin Chee Chee: Modernist Painter, continues at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery.
Untitled by Benjamin Chee Chee. The Thunder Bay Art Gallery is currently exhibiting his works.
The exhibition shines new light on a significant and underexamined series of abstract paintings in the permanent collection by self-taught Ojibwe artist, Benjamin Chee Chee (1944-1977). These works signal new intersections of modernism and Woodland style in his practice and express how he wished to be seen: as a modern painter. It continues through Sept. 14.
Kudos:
WTIP’s Tyler Howell named Broadcaster of the Year
Tyler Howell named Broadcaster of the Year by AMPERS.
Tyler Howell, a long-time WTIP volunteer, has received the 2025 Jo McMullen Boyer Broadcaster of the Year Award. The award was announced at the AMPERS annual meeting in St. Cloud on July 14.
Tyler has been a volunteer music host at WTIP for 17 years. A regular host of the programs Wednesday Night Jazz, Boomer Jam, and Musical Chairs, Tyler eagerly jumps in to help with many other tasks at the station, from stuffing envelopes to emceeing the Radio Waves Music Festival. He was also a co-host for the award-winning series “It Happens Here: The Roots of Racism on the North Shore.”
WTIP executive director, Matthew Brown, noted that, “Tyler is always the first to say, ‘I’m ready. Let’s do this.’ We’re thankful for his commitment to the station and for his many contributions to local radio.”
The Jo McMullen Boyer Broadcaster of the Year Award recognizes outstanding individuals in public radio within Minnesota. AMPERS is an association of 17 independent community radio stations in Minnesota, serving more than 300,000 listeners. WTIP is part of the AMPERS network of stations, serving as a non-profit, public media outlet on the North Shore of Minnesota.
Ox-Cart Brooms and Woodworks wins Best of Show at the Grand Marais Arts Festival
Ox-Cart Brooms and Woodworks, with Marybeth Garmoe, won the Best of Show Award at the Grand Marais Arts Festival.
FYI:
Fisherman’s Picnic is just around the corner, and it is time to order your Buffet in a Box, a fundraiser for WISE projects to benefit the community, and launch the event with a delicious meal.
Fishcakes are on the menu for the WISE fundraiser, Buffet in a Box.
This year, WISE (Women’s Initiative for Service and Education) is only serving 225 dinners, so it is important to order ASAP. Pickup will be from 4:30 to 6:00 on Wednesday, July 30, at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts parking lot by the Culinary Kitchen at the school.
The price is $25 per box, which includes:
- Lena’s Fishcakes
- Birch Terrace Tartar Sauce
- Homemade Spry Swedish meatballs with gravy and mashed potatoes
- South of the Border Coleslaw
- Dessert
All profits and donations support Cook County organizations and causes, including two $2,000 scholarships and grants to teachers for Student Enrichment Programs at all Cook County Schools.
Artists at Work:
Betsy Bowen, artist, acrylic, by Jan Attridge, one of her paintings from her Grand Marais Matriarch series.
The mural on the Cook County Co-op begins to emerge.
Painters Adam Swanson and Sam Zimmerman have started working on the mural at the co-op in Grand Marais.
Untitled, inks, by Marty Harris.
The Queen by Rachel Rae Rae Klesser.
Flying Fish, acrylic, by Eric Klepinger.
The Hjordis, photo illustration, by Don Davison.
Online Findings:
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s near-infrared view of the Cat’s Paw Nebula reveals mini “toe beans.” Massive young stars are carving the gas and dust while their bright starlight is producing a bright nebulous glow. Eventually, this turbulent region will quench star formation.
Listen to the report here.
This might be stretching your incredulity, but it’s a fascinating story:
Saving a Leopard Cub
Online Music:
Live Music:
Thursday, July 17:
- Bump Blomberg, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 5-8 pm
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 6:30-8:30 pm
- Silent Disco Dance Party!, Caribou Highlands Courtyard, 7-10 pm
Friday, July 18:
- Bump Blomberg, Birch Terrace Supper Club & Lounge, 4-8 pm
- Barbara Jean and Mike Lewis, North Shore Winery, 4:30-6:30 pm
- Drew Heinonen, Moguls Grille and Tap Room, 7-9 pm
- RLB, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 7-11 pm
- Gordon Thorne, Bluefin Grille, 8-10 pm
- Twine, Up Yonder, 8-11 pm
Saturday, July 19:
- Fred Anderson, Cook County Market at the Hub, 10-2 pm
- Ethan Todd, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 2-5 pm
- Mike & Babs, Cascade Lodge Restaurant & Pub, 6-8 pm
- Adam Moe, Bluefin Grille overlooking Lake Superior, 6-9 pm
- Jake Pernsteiner, Voyageur Canoe Outfitters, 7-9 pm
- Jim Miller, Moguls Grille and Tap Room, 7-9 pm
- RLB, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 7-11 pm
- Twine, Up Yonder, 8-11 pm
Sunday, July 20:
- Ethan Todd, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 2-5 pm
- Barefoot Bluegrass, North Shore Winery, 3:30-5:30 pm
- Timmy Haus, Moguls Grille and Tap Room, 5-7 pm
- Medicine River Jam, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 5:30-8:30 pm
- Scott Schuler (Campfire Guitar Pull), Caribou Highlands Lodge Courtyard, 7:30 pm
Monday, July 21:
- Emma Tweten, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 5-8 pm
- Pete Kavanaugh, Bluefin Grille, 8-10 pm
Tuesday, July 22:
- Eric Frost, North Shore Winery, 5-7 pm
- Briand Morrison, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 5-8 pm
- Open Stage hosted by Pete K, Up Yonder, 6-8 pm
- Joe Paulik, Bluefin Grille overlooking Lake Superior, 6-9 pm
- Community Singing, Lighthouse on the Harbor, 7-8:30 pm
- Joe Paulik, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 5-8 pm
- Anja & Robin, Bluefin Grille, 8-10 pm
Thursday, July 24
- Bump Blomberg, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 5-8 pm
- Pete Kavanaugh, Cascade Lodge Restaurant & Pub, 6-8 pm
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 6:30-8:30 pm
- Silent Disco Dance Party, Caribou Highlands Courtyard, 7-10 pm
Friday, July 25:
- Unity, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 4-7 pm
- Barbara Jean and Mike Lewis, North Shore Winery, 4:30-6:30 pm
- Medicine River, Birch Terrace Supper Club & Lounge, 5-8 pm
- Timmy Haus, Moguls Grille and Tap Room, 7-9 pm
- Billy Manzik, Bluefin Grille, 8-10 pm
- Landscapes, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 8-11 pm
- ERICKAOKE (Karaoke hosted by Erick Stee), Up Yonder, 9-11:59 pm
Saturday, July 26:
- Pat Eliason, Cook County Market at the Hub, 10-2 pm
- Stars of the North, Harbor Park/Bear Tree Park, Grand Marais, starting at 11 am
- In No Particular Order
- Michael Monroe
- Emma Tweten
- Fred Anderson Band
- Dre
- Zulu Link
- Keith Secola
- Rich Mattson and the Northstars
- Ryan Zwanziger, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 3-6 pm
- Sky Blue Jazz Ensemble, Birch Terrace Supper Club & Lounge, 5-7 pm
- Jim Miller, Moguls Grille and Tap Room, 7-9 pm
- Landscapes, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 8-11 pm
- DJ UNITY and DJ Anthony Casper, Up Yonder, 9-11:59 pm
- Adam Moe, Bluefin Grille overlooking Lake Superior, 6-9 pm
Sunday, July 27:
- Stars of the North,Harbor Park/Bear Tree Park, Grand Marais, starting at 11 am
- In No Particular Order
- The Splints
- The Evening Stars
- Ryan Zwanziger, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 3-6 pm
- Teague Alexy and the Common Thread, North Shore Winery, 3:30-6 pm
- Timmy Haus, Moguls Grille and Tap Room, 5-7 pm
- Medicine River Jam, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 6-8:30 pm
Photography:
Here is a selection of photos I found this week:
Wildlife:
A White Loon, seen near the Canadian border. Photo by Chris Whitty.
Porch Visitor by Cindy Hale.
A Dinner Guest by Jim Boyd.
Loonscapes:
Two! by Dennis Chick.
Sweet mother-in-waiting by Dennis Chick.
Family time by Paul Sundberg.
Breakfast by Paul Sundberg.
The big stretch by Paul Sundberg.
The Crossing by Heidi Pinkerton.
Potpourri:
In the old days in Duluth, schooners in the 1870s. Photo courtesy of the UMD Library archives.
Sometimes things just get too big. Photo by Karen Sunderman.
Grateful to be an Earth tender by Brigette Binesikwe Nies.
I was on my way to an assignment in Pasadena’s City Hall when this caught my eye by Layne Kennedy.
The first chanterelles of the season by John Jacobson.
Flax is my favorite stallion by Kelly Marquart.
Minnesota’s Flower by Karen Sunderman.
Landscapes, Skyscapes and Hjordiscapes:
Sunset in Two Harbors by Matthew Pastick.
The Hjordis by Chuck Olsen.
It’s a great time to experience the beaches here, by Eric Humphrey.
Full moon in Pine Ridge, SD. Photo courtesy of KILI Radio.
Searching rocks for a perfect picnic spot by Buck Benson.
Fogbows by Carah Thomas. She said that the name was coined by Tommy Eckel, one of the iconic fishermen who used to ply the waters of Lake Superior.
A wind-blown Saganaga Lake in the Boundary Waters, one of my favorite lakes. Photo by Layne Kennedy.
A collection of water lilies by Annie Possis.
In Tofte by Chuck Olsen.
Railroad bridge leftovers by Bryan Hansel.
Iceland by Layne Kennedy.
The Hjordis by Mark Tessier.
A bog country sunrise by Jan Swart.
Have a good weekend, everyone!
If you enjoyed NorthShore ArtScene this week, please consider showing your support by making a contribution. It makes a big difference and helps us continue to provide ArtScene to you every week.
NorthShore ArtScene is produced by me, Joan Farnam, with help from Jeremy Lopez (Live Music schedule, technical advice), Yvonne Mills (proofreading), and Kari Carter (caption corrections.)
I also want to thank Visit Cook County for its great Events Calendar.