Split Rock Lighthouse by Peggy Knotts.
The beauteous summer continues, with balmy days and blue skies, and just enough wind to ruffle the water and, perhaps, give the good ship the Hjordis, just enough air to fill her sails and glide away.
On land, there’s plenty to do, too.
Thursday is a busy day. First up are woodcarving demonstrations by Mike Loeffler, who is the instructor-in-residence at North House Folk School this week. Loeffler will be demonstrating all weekend and will teach a mini-class, Carving a Songbird, at 10 a.m. Saturday. To register for the class and for more info, call 387-9762. The public is invited to campus and to see him work.
The Johnson Heritage Post will host a panel discussion about the historic rescue attempt of local legend Carl Hammer by Helmer Aakvik in 1958. The young fisherman was lost in a nasty Lake Superior storm.
The Cook County Historical Society’s presentation will include a panel discussion by David Hammer, Ray Nagy and Gene Hagen recalling the events of that day. The presentation is free and will be at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. All invited.
Also on Thursday, the North Shore Winery in Lutsen will open a new exhibition of artwork by Grand Marais artist Kristin Blomberg with a reception from 6-9 p.m.
Kristin Blomberg will have a solo exhibition at the North Shore Winery. The opening reception is from 6-9 p.m. Thursday. All invited.
The Grand Marais Playhouse‘s Summer Theater Festival continues this week with the comedy “Mom’s Gift” and “Shrek the Musical” performed in repertory at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts from Thursday through Sunday.
“Shrek the Musical” (photo of the cast, above) and the comedy “Mom’s Gift” will be performed this weekend and next at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts.
Performances are at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. “Mom’s Gift” will be performed on Thursday and Saturday, “Shrek the Musical” will be performed Friday and Sunday this week. Tickets are available online or at the door. Click here for tickets and more info.
Also, at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Briand Morrison and Roxann Berglund will play Full Moon Music by the bonfire at Drury Lane Books.
Briand Morrison and Roxann Berglund will play music by the bonfire at Drury Lane Books on Thursday.
Morrison and Berglund share bossas, ballads, summer songs and more around the fire to celebrate the full moon rising over the East Bay of Lake Superior. All invited. Free.
On Friday, look for the Stars of the North Music Festival, which opens at the main stage in Harbor Park on Friday afternoon and continues through Sunday. The event, organized by the Grand Marais Music Collaborative, is free, and will feature a beer and wine bar and a food truck.
Stars of the North Music Festival will be in Harbor Park from Friday afternoon to Sunday with live music performances from a great selection of local musicians. See Music Schedule, below, for details.
The event is a fundraiser for the Collaborative’s Youth Music Lesson program. Raffle tickets and T-shirts will be sold to raise funds for the program. All are invited to come listen to great music and help support youth musicians at the same time. See Music Schedule, below, for details of who will be playing when. Briand Morrison kicks off the festival at 3 p.m. Friday and the Plucked Up String Band concludes Friday’s music from 8-10 p.m. Other bands include Mysterious Ways, the SplinterTones, the Sky Blue Quartet, Joe Paulik, Michael Monroe, Katy Vernon, DJ Beavstar, Common Ground, Chris Gillis and Gordon Thorne & Friends. There will also be student performances. It should be a great time.
Breaking News: Rumor has it that Angel Hair Rasta, a local al dente rasta band, will play at Grandma Ray’s after 10 p.m. on Friday night. The band includes Michael Monroe, Chris Gillis, Thomas Stamps, Jonathan Steckleburg and Todd Miller.
Also on Friday, singer/songwriter Mary Bue will be on WTIP’s The Roadhouse to talk about her music and play a few songs. The program will also feature interviews with photographer Layne Kennedy and musicians Todd Miller and Chris Gillis, who will talk about the Stars of the North Music Festival. The program airs from 5-7 p.m.
Saturday kicks off with the Cook County Market, which is held in the Senior Center parking lot from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Cook County Market is held in the Senior Center parking lot from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.
The Market features a wide variety of artisans exhibiting their work, as well as produce from Round River Farm in Finland. (The produce arrives at 10 a.m.)
Drury Lane Books will host children’s author Yvonne Pearson from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday.
Yvonne Pearson will read from her latest Sadie book at Drury Lane Books from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday.
Pearson will read from her latest book, “Sadie Braves the Wilderness” and will discuss the writing process with the audience. All invited. Free.
And starting at noon on Saturday, the Grand Marais Garden Club will hold its annual Flower Show at the Cook County Community Center from noon to 5 p.m.
The Grand Marais Garden Club will hold its annual flower show at the Cook County Community Center from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
The public is invited to enjoy the beauty of local flowers and enjoy a snack at the same time. Master Gardeners will have a “Ask a Question” booth, and there will be a plant exchange/sale as well. All invited. Free.
And finally, on Wednesday, Aug. 1, Hazel Belvo will give an Artist Talk at Cook County Higher Education at 7 p.m.
Hazel Belvo will give an Artist Talk at Cook County Higher Education at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Her topic will be “Creativity: Intuition and Intellect.” All invited. Free.
Exhibits:
The exhibit, “Belvo/Cushmore: Paintings & Drawings 2018″ continues at the Johnson Heritage Post. This is a fascinating exhibit and well-worth lots of walk-throughs.
“Rose Garden,” triptych, by Hazel Belvo, is one of many works in the Johnson Heritage Post exhibit.
The Duluth Art Institute is featuring three exhibits in the Depot this month including “Jonathan Thunder: Suspension of Disbelief,” “Chholing Taha: Every Spirit Tells a Story” and “Payton MacDonald: Sonic Divide: Art Meets Endurance.”
Thunder’s exhibit features sound and what he calls “animated canvases,” a hybrid of hand-painting and animation.
This painting by Jonathan Thunder is at the Duluth Art Institute. Thunder and Brenda Child will be at Drury Lane Books for a Writer’s Salon Aug. 25.
The exhibit at the Art Institute serves as an area for the artist to experiment with a variety of media and modes of installation in working towards a large-scale exhibition. There will be an artist talk at the close of the exhibition. And, Thunder and Brenda Child will be at Drury Lane Books on Aug. 25 to talk about their new book, “Bowwow Powwow,” an Ojibwe/English bilingual children’s book translated by Gordan Jourdain.
At the Thunder Bay Art Gallery in Thunder Bay, Christi Belcourt’s exhibition “Uprising: The Power of Mother Earth–A Retrospective with Isaac Murdoch” continues.
“Tree Spirits Leaving Before the Fire,” by Christi Belcourt.
The exhibit features a wide selection of her work and is a must-see for art lovers.
Opportunities:
The Grand Marais Art Colony has extended its search for its next executive director. The Executive Director role at the Art Colony is that of a vocal and visible advocate and leader of the arts, both locally and regionally. Applications are due Friday, Aug. 10. Follow the link below for more info about the position and how to apply: https://grandmaraisartcolony.org/internships-and-employment/
Upcoming:
Fisherman’s Picnic starts next week in Grand Marais and will be held Aug. 2-5.
The 88th annual Fisherman’s Picnic will be in Grand Marais Aug. 2-5. (Photo courtesy of the Cook County Historical Society.)
This historic festival celebrates its 88th anniversary this year, and features Crazy Days sales, craft shows, daily contests and prizes, a wide variety of live music, kids activities, food, including the fish burgers, and much more. There are fireworks Saturday night and the best parade of the year on Sunday. Other events include Buck’s Hardware Big Fish Contest, a trail run, tennis and softball tournaments and a log rolling tournament. For the complete event schedule, click here.
Author Kelly Barnhill will be at Writer’s Salon at Drury Lane Books at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3. Barnhill,a Minnesota native and author of the Newbery Medal–winning novel,”The Girl Who Drank the Moon.” She will read from her new collection of short stories for adults, discuss writing, and take questions from the audience.
Artist News:
The Grace Notes played at the final stop of the Cross River Heritage Center’s Lundie Tour last week.
The Grace Notes played at the final stop of the Lundie Tour last week. They are, from left, Sherrie Lindskog, March Marocha and Karen Obinger.
They were included in a piece about the tour by WDIO-TV. Click here to see the segment.
A new band, the North Country Fair, will play the the Wunderbar at 7 p.m. Thursday night.
The North Country Fair will play at the Wunderbar on Thursday starting at 7 p.m.
The band includes: Brenda Benson (pedal steel guitar), Maria Nickolay (vocals, guitar, mandolin) Georgene Daubanton (vocals, percussion), Michele Miller (vocals,guitar, mandolin, fiddle)
Music Schedule:
Here’s the music schedule for the week:
Thursday, July 26:
- Common Ground, Cascade Restaurant, 6 p.m.
- North Country Fair, Wunderbar, 7 p.m.
- Ian Alexy, Gun Flint Tavern, 7 p.m.
- Joe Paulik, Lutsen Resort, 7 p.m.
- Gordon Thorne & the Wildcats, North Shore Winery, 7 p.m.
- Briand Morrision & Roxann Berglund, Drury Lane Books, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, July 27:
- Briand Morrison, Stars of the North Music Festival, Harbor Park, 3 p.m.
- Matt & Laurel, Voyageur Brewing Co., 4 p.m.
- Mysterious Ways, Stars of the North Music Festival, Harbor Park, 4:30 p.m.
- Portage, Grandma Ray’s, 6 p.m.
- SplinterTones, Stars of the North Music Festival, Harbor Park, 6:30 p.m.,
- Crazy Chester, Gun Flint Tavern, 8 p.m.
- Plucked Up String Band, Stars of the North Music Festival, 8 p.m.
- Matt and Laurel, Voyageur Brewing, 8 p.m.
- Mary Bue and Lowray, Wunderbar, 8 p.m.
- Briand Morrison, Bluefin Grille, 9 p.m.
Saturday, July 28:
- Sky Blue Quartet, Stars of the North Music Festival, Harbor Park, 10 a.m.
- Joe Paulik, Stars of the North Music Festival, Harbor Park, 11 a.m.
- Michael Monroe, Stars of the North Music Festival, Harbor Park, 12:30 p.m.
- Katy Vernon, Stars of the North Music Festival, Harbor Park, 2 p.m.
- Amy Grillo and Gene LaFond, Stars of the North Music Festival, Harbor Park, 4:30 p.m.
- Bug Dope, Papa Charlie’s, 6 p.m.
- Common Ground, Stars of the North Music Festival, Harbor Park, 6:30 p.m.
- North Shore Community Swing Band, Clearwater Historic Lodge, 7 p.m.
- Eric Frost, Eagle Ridge Resort, 7 p.m.
- JohnRuss, Lutsen Resort, 7 p.m.
- Michael Monroe, Log Cabin Concert, rural Grand Marais, www.michaelmonroemusic.com
- North Country Fair, Cascade Lodge Pub, 8 p.m.
- The Gentleman’s Anti-Temperance League, Wunderbar, 8 p.m.
- Crazy Chester, Gun Flint Tavern, 8 p.m.
- Timmy Haus, Papa Charlie’s, 9:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 29:
- Briand Morrison, Mogul’s, 10 a.m.
- Chris Gillis with Gordon Thorne & Friends, Stars of the North Music Festival, Harbor Park, 10 a.m.
- Plucked Up String Band, North Shore Winery, 3 p.m.
- Cook County’s Most Wanted, Skyport Lodge, 4 p.m.
Monday, July 30:
- Coral Creek, Gun Flint Tavern, 7 p.m.
- The Sea The Sea, Monday Songwriter’s Series, Papa Charlie’s, 8:30 p.m.
- Joe Paulik, Bluefin Bay, 9 p.m.
Tuesday, July 31:
- Coral Creek, Gun Flint Tavern, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 1:
- Brothers in Arms, Grandma Ray’s, 4 p.m.
- Jam Session, Gun Flint Tavern, 6:30 p.m.
- Maria Nickolay, Wunderbar, 7 p.m.
- Gordon Thorne, Bluefin Bay, 9 p.m.
We found lots of photos this week, including a great selection of wild (and not so wild) animal shots. Here’s a selection:
First. a photo of birds to come:
Merganser eggs by Craig Hunter.
Bald eagle catches lunch by David Johnson.
And otter catches his lunch by Sarah Erickson.
A trout explores the rocks in the Grand Marais harbor. Photo by Christian Dalbec.
Honey Bee by Matt Pastick.
A baby tests out its wings by John Alexander.
Young mink by Paul Sundberg.
Swan parents with their baby by Matt Herberg.
These youngsters are just starting to lose their orange color. Photo by Nace Hagemann.
Sit. Stay. Red Fox, Superior National Forest by Thomas Spence.
A warm day for a lynx by David Johnson.
Babysitting for friends in Lake Bimidji by Brent Cizek. The New York Times ran this photo.
Moose by Nace Hagemann.
My yard toad ty Waven Wind.
We also found some great landscapes/seascapes/skyscapes.
Lake Superior by Abby Tofte, the Big Lake.
Her dark side by Ann Bowman.
Sunrise at Stoney Point by Jake Trout.
A beautiful morning for a little kayaking. Photo courtesy of Golden Eagle Lodge.
Christian Dalbec was diving in the Grand Marais harbor over the weekend.
A section of the Liberty shipwreck on the west side of the Grand Marais harbor by Christian Dalbec.
And finally, the 2nd annual Biggest Blueberry Contest has started. The blueberries are fantastic on the Gunflint Trail this year. It should be interesting to see who finds the biggest. Meanwhile, there’s lots to pick.
Corey Cochrane went picking with her parents and they came up with these three buckets of blueberries. Yum!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
(BTW: If you’d like to support NorthShore ArtScene, consider giving a donation today. And Thank You!)
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