Thomas Spence caught this snowy owl hanging around the Grand Marais harbor the other day.
Solstice!
The longest night of the year is always a fun time in Grand Marais, because the Good Harbor Hill Players put on the Winter Solstice Shadow Puppet Show at North House Folk School with live music, a great storyline and fantastical shadow puppets. There’s always lots of laughter, and (muted) mitten clapping. This year, the title is “Twinkle Twinkle: Tuning In To the Universe.” (We’ll find out what that means on Thursday night, Dec. 21, at 6 p.m.)
The pageant is always so quirky and funny. At the end, the scary Krampus’ appear, beating drums and lurching under bearskins and heavy horns. Then the bonfire is lit, and everyone crowds around, throwing in their handwritten “gloomies” to send their worries up in smoke. The pageant is followed by a potluck in the Blue Building at North House. Everyone is invited. Children, especially, have a great time at this event.
Gunflint Lodge is also holding a Winter Solstice Event, featuring dinner and Celtic music. For more info, click here.
Also on Thursday night, A Hovland Family Christmas will be held at the Hovland Town Hall at 7-8 p.m. featuring number of lots of live music and fun with friends. Bring a Christmas treat to share!
The Hovland Family Christmas is at the Hovland Town Hall at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21.
Featured musicians include Andy & Amy & Sparrow Schmidt, Jack & Hannah Nickolay, Jim McGowan, Pat Flack, Jim & Michele Miller & Luke & James, Brenda Benson, Justin & Kelli Hedrick and more. All invited.
This week, fiber artists have gathered at the Johnson Heritage Post to hold the Mostly Fiber Festival & Open House from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
Weaving, felting, knitting and more are featured at the Mostly Fiber Festival & Open House at the Johnson Heritage Post this week.
This Friday and Saturday are special days for the festival, with non-fiber artists also invited to exhibit. Participants in the festival include Linda Bauer, Marcie McIntire, Jeff Morgan, Mary MacDonald, Julie Arthur, Pat Zankman, Vicki Biggs-Anderson and Patty Meyer, to name a few.
Also, the Holiday Art Underground Show continues at Betsy Bowen Studios and Gallery, featuring a wide selection of art from a variety of different media. More than 40 local and regional artists are participating in this event.
The Holiday Art Underground Show continues at Betsy Bowen Galleries and Studios. Pictured is an ornament with rosemaling by Grand Marais painter Marcy Schliep.
The gallery is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Dec. 23, and then re-opens Thursday, Dec. 28 through Dec. 30. Note: The gallery will be open this winter, Thursday through Saturday.
In other exhibits, plein air painter Greg Lecker continues his exhibit at Tettegouche State Park through the end of the month.
“Wave Swept” by Greg Lecker, is one of the works at Tettegouche State Park this month.
In Duluth, both the Tweed Museum of Art and the Duluth Art Institute are closing over both holiday weekends.
Here’s what you can see at the Tweed through Friday of this week and then for a few days next week, and then regular hours after the Jan. 1.. This painting is part of the “Picks out of Context: Tweed Museum Staff Favorites” exhibit.
Philip Evergood, “Pittsburgh Family (1944).”
In Thunder Bay, the Thunder Bay Art Gallery will be open this weekend. One of the featured exhibits includes Denise Smith’s exhibition, “On the Trail.”
“Orwell’s Tent,” by Denise Smith, porcelain, is at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery.
Other exhibits at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery include: “Wood Quill Stone: Works from the Permanent Collection,” “Converging Lines: Recent Art From the Northwest” and “Connecting Layers: Layers – The Big Art Adventure.”
Also in Thunder Bay, “Manifestation: 29th annual Regional Juried Exhibition” continues at the Definitely Superior Art Gallery in Thunder Bay.
“Thousands of Years Live Inside Me” by Tongmu Hu, mixed media drawing installation, is at the Definitely Superior Art Gallery in Thunder Bay.
The gallery is closed for winter break, but will reopen Jan. 9.
Upcoming
The Plucked Up String Band will play at the Skyport Lodge at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 29.
A Head’s-Up for New Year’s Parties, Dec. 31
- Michael Monroe Log Cabin Concert, 7 p.m., call 612-789-2255 for reservations.
- New Year’s Eve Masquerade Wunder-Bash with music by Cold City Heat, Wunderbar, 6 p.m.
- 4-Shore plays at Grandma Ray’s on New Year’s, 8 p.m.
- The Federales play the Gunflint Tavern, 8:30 p.m
- Big Wave Dave & the Ripples plays at Papa Charlie’s, 9:30 p.m.
Other upcoming events include:
The Gunflint Mail Run Sled Dog Race is Jan. 6, hosted by Trail Center.
The Grand Marais Ole Opry is at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts at 7 p.m. Jan. 13.
Window Shopping
Deke Burnham has beadweaving at Joy and Company.
Betsy Bowen’s Calendar this year is “Water.” It can be found at her gallery.
Ron’s World Rocks: Silver and Gems is featuring this azurite pendant and lapis earrings as well as a necklace with three kyanite beads and a labrodorite stone.
Marcie McIntire beadwork is at the Mostly Fiber Festival at the Johnson Heritage Post. She is also giving demos.
Kah-Nee-Tah Gallery has a wide variety of work by local and regional artists.
Last Chance Gallery in Lutsen will close its doors Feb.1. Meanwhile, there are lots of wonderful deals to be had. The gallery is open Tues-Sat every week until then, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“Local Sage” by Liz Sivertson is at Sivertson Gallery.
Here’s the music for the week:
Thursday, Dec. 21:
- Joe Paulik, Moguls Grille, 4 p.m.
- John Silliman, Gunflint Lodge, 5:30 p.m.
- Joshua Schmidt, Poplar River Pub, 6 p.m.
- Briand Morrison, North Shore Winery, 6 p.m.
- Hovland Family Christmas, live music, Hovland Town Hall, 7 p.m.
- Gordon Thorne & Mike Roth, Gun Flint Tavern, 7 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 22:
- Jim Lundorff, Voyageur Brewing Co., 4 p.m.
- JohnRuss, Mogul’s Grille, 4 p.m.
- Portage, Grandma Ray’s, 6 p.m.
- Briand Morrison, Bluefin Grille, 8 p.m.
- Mysterious Ways, Wunderbar, 8 p.m.
- Space Monster, Gun Flint Tavern, 8:30 p.m.
- Big Dope, Grandma Ray’s, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 23:
- Marc Gartman, Voyageur Brewing Co., 4 p.m.
- Eric Frost, Lutsen Resort, 7 p.m.
- Plucked Up String Band, Wunderbar, 8 p.m.
- Space Monster, Gun Flint Tavern, 8:30 p.m.
- Bug Dope, Grandma Ray’s, 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 24
- Briand Morrison, Moguls Grille, 10 a.m. to noon
Monday, Dec. 25:
- Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, Dec. 26:
- Pushing Chain, Lutsen Resort, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 27:
- Joe Paulik, Lutsen Resort, 7 p.m.
We found some great photos this week, especially bird photos. Here’s a selection:
Great Gray Owl by David Johnson.
Northern Hawk Owl by Edward Lee.
Stick on its way to the nest by Thomas Demma.
Stick delivery by Thomas Demma.
Owl Gets Lunch by Catherine Winter.
Swan Rumble by Kelly Marquart.
And then, there’s the beaver.
Paul Sundberg took a series of photos of this beaver on a small pond it had built. Its strong teeth keep growing, so they can continue to cut down trees easily, Sundberg writes.
We found some beautiful ‘scapes, too.
Hovland Dock by Jim Ericson.
The Presque Isle in Two Harbors by Jan Swart. (The shipping season ended this week.)
Happy Holidays, Drury Lane Books by David Johnson.
Hello from the Icy East Bay by Gwen Danfelt.
St. Louis River by Tim Voss.
Looking toward West Duluth by Kirk Schleife.
I love snowy, foggy, wintery days by Bryan Hansel.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
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