Rendezvous Days & Celebration Pow Wow

by Joan Farnam on August 8, 2019

An inland lake by Kathi Polley.

Summer is in full swing this weekend, and here’s an heads-up — this is the last weekend to submit your biggest blueberry to the annual Gunflint Trail Biggest Blueberry Contest.

Sunday is the last day of the Gunflint Trail Biggest Blueberry Contest.

There are still plenty of blueberries on the Gunflint Trail, so you might be the lucky one to win the $100 first-place prize. Click here for more info about how to participate and where to bring your big blueberry.

Meanwhile, there’s lots of other things to do on the North Shore this weekend, too.

First up, North House Folk School will feature rug-hooking demonstrations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

North House Folk School will feature rung-hooking demonstrations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, with a workshop scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m.

North House Folk School will feature rug-hooking demonstrations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, with a hooking workshop scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m.

On Saturday, rug hooker Mary Logue will teach a workshop on how to hook a rug that looks like the rings of an agate. The class will be at 10 a.m. at North House. Cost is $20 per person, or $30 per adult/child pair. The demonstrations are free. To register for the Saturday class, call 387-9762.

Also on Thursday, the Local Food Market will be held from 4;30-6 p.m. in the parking lot of the Cook County Community Center. This week’s demonstration: “Eat It: Don’t Toss It, or how to get the most out of your vegetable dollar. The demo is at 5 p.m. Look for lots of fresh vegetables this week, including tomatoes and peppers, plus fresh flowers, artisan bread and more.

On Friday, the Rendezvous Days and Celebration Pow-Wow begins in Grand Portage at the National Monument and on the Grand Portage Band’s pow-wow grounds nearby. The annual three-day gathering is the community’s biggest and most grand celebration of the year, a time when Grand Portage comes alive and reflects on its rich heritage.

Re-enactors from across the country and Canada gather, camp and challenge each other to games and skills from our historic past. The Encampment Village is open to the public during the day.

Re-enactors gather at the Encampment Village on the grounds of the National Monument in Grand Portage for Rendezvous Days.

Visitors can expect a weekend packed with cultural events from the 1800s to 1900s, including traditional dancing and games, an 18th century music jam, a chance to try old-time crafts like blacksmithing and arts and crafts, as well as sample Native American cuisine.

The Celebration Pow Wow is something to see as well, featuring more than 300 dancers from the region, including Canada, as well as the Stonebridge Singers, among others. Click here to see a clip of the Stonebridge Singers.

Grand Entry at the Celebration Pow Wow is at 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday and at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Grand Entry, one of the most exciting times at a pow wow, is at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday. All invited.

Also on Friday, join the Grand Marais Art Colony and artist Charles Matson Lume to celebrate the first Pop-up Exhibition at the Art Colony’s newly acquired Downtown Campus at 21 W. Hwy 61. The opening reception is from 7-8 p.m.

Charles Matson Hume will have a Pop-Up Exhibition in the Art Colony’s newly acquired Downtown Campus building from 7-8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9.

Lume will be creating “an installation of light and space,” so stop in and see firsthand how art can transform space through ordinary materials. Lume’s installations have been exhibited at institutions such as: the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin, Ireland), Babel Kunst, in (Trondheim, Norway, and Hunter College, in New York City.. He has received fellowships from the Bush Foundation, Jerome Foundation, and the Minnesota State Arts Board. The title of the exhibit is “which mothers forth mud and mint (for Mark Doty),” and was inspired by a poem by Doty entitled “Source.” All welcome to come to the opening

Also on Friday, WTIP’s The Roadhouse welcomes a new band, Freelance Valet, to talk about their music and play a few songs. The band is playing in local venues this weekend. (See music schedule below.) The Roadhouse airs from 5-7 p.m.

Saturday kicks off with the Cook County Market, which is held in the parking lot of the Cook County Senior Center from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Cook County Market is held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Senior Center Parking lot featuring work by a variety of local artists and artisans. Pictured are earrings by Jake Carr.

The Market features all local vendors selling a wide variety of art and crafts.

Also, the Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium is hitting the road from the North Shore to the end of the Gunflint Trail Aug. 10-17. This traveling event will coincide with the annual Perseid Meteor shower and a full moon, perfect for celebrating the 50th anniversary of the moon landing through a telescope. Th crew will set up a mobile GeoDome Theater for a digital space exploration experience as well as have telescopes on hand for outdoor viewing. They will be at Grand Portage State Park from 1-5 p.m. on Saturday, the Tettegouche Visitor Center on Monday, Aug. 12-13, Voyageur Brewing Co. in Grand Marais on Wednesday, Aug. 14-15 and the Seagull Lake Community Center on the Gunflint Trail Aug. 16-17.

The Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium Geodome will be on the North Shore Aug.10-17.

All events are free, with daily programming that will run from 6 p.m. – 10:30 p.m, except where noted. Planetarium shows will be offered on the half hour. In the event of cloudy skies, programming will be limited to the planetarium.

The Grand Marais Summer Theater comes to a close this weekend with two performances of “A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline,” featuring Diane Blanchette as Patsy and live music by local musicians.

Performances of “A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline” will be held at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts at 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.

The performances are at 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts. Tickets are available at the door.

It’s a really busy weekend in Duluth, too.

The 31st annual Bayfront Blues Festival is this weekend in Duluth through Sunday. To find out more, click here.

And on Sunday, the Festival of Sail, featuring Tall Ships of yesteryear sailing into Duluth, begins. It’s a big event and draws huge crowds. Two years ago, 250,000 people crowded into town to see the beauties.

S/V Denis Sullivan is one of the Tall Ships that will arrive in Duluth on Sunday for the Festival of Sail.

There are lots of opportunities to do everything from visiting the ships to sailing on one. To find out more, see www.lakesuperiortallships .

Also this weekend, Brighton Beach will be the location of the 6th annual Lake Superior Art Festival, featuring a variety of work by local and regional artists.

Nikki Johnson is one of the artists will be showing their work at the Lake Superior Art Festival in Duluth on Saturday.

The festival will be from 9 am. to 4 p.m. All invited.

And on Wednesday, potter Linda Christianson will give be demonstrating making pots in the ceramic studio at the Grand Marais Art Colony. The presentation, entitled “Making Pots, A Hopeful and Troublesome Effort” will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. Hear how Christianson has sustained her interest and inspiration over the years, and watch her demonstrate her techniques. Christianson is one of the founders of the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour.

Potter Linda Christianson will give a presentation and demonstration in the Ceramics Studio at the Grand Marais Art Colonyat 7 p.m. Wednesday.

The event is free, but due to limited space, pre-registration is requested. Goodwill donations are welcomed. Call 387-2737 to register.

Exhibits:

Plein air painter Douglas Ross has opened an exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post. Entitled “Lake Superior Circle Tour,” the exhibit features paintings of the landscapes from states bordering the Big Lake.

“Twin Birch” by Douglas Ross is one of the paintings on exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post.

The Heritage Post is closed on Tuesdays. It is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and Monday, and from 1-4 p.m. Sunday.

A new exhibit has opened at Tettegouche State Park as well, featuring the work of Kyle Voigtlander.

“Fairy Wren” by Kyle Voigtlander is one of the pieces in the Great Hall at Tettegouche State Park.

Voigtlander makes sketches of birds and then paints and draws in them in whimsical ways. It’s a fun show and will be up through August.

The Tweed Museum of Art is exhibiting recent a series of recent acquisitions.

This painting by David Axel Ericson, entitled “Childhood Pastimes” is a recent acquisition by the Tweed Museum of Art.

And, this is the last weekend to see two exhibits at the the Duluth Art Institute, Allen Killian-Moore’s multi-media show, “I Am What’s Wrong With the World,” and “Strata,” featuring a number of local and regional artists. The exhibits close on Sunday, Aug. 11.

This piece by Allen Killian-Moore is on exhibit at the Duluth Art Institute through Sunday.

Gallery News:

The Big Lake is featuring new paintings by Anna Hess.

“Nesting Loon” by Anna Hess.

Yellow Bird Fine Art has just received raku totems by John R. Kevern.

“Three Greeting Tongues” by John R. Kevern, one of the new raku totems at Yellow Bird Fine Art.

Upcoming:

The Grand Marais Art Colony will hold Book Arts Weekend, featuring a wide variety of classes, workshops and tours Aug. 16-18. Click here for more info.

Music:

Here’s the music schedule for this week:

Thursday, Aug. 8: