It’s Mid-Summer For Sure

by Joan Farnam on August 19, 2021

A seascape from Artist’s Point by Bryan Hansel.

Greetings from Grand Marais, where smokey skies often greet us in the morning.

The irony of seeing limitless water on the horizon but none on the land doesn’t escape us here on the North Shore. We are ever hopeful that rain will come, the firefighters will stay safe.

Meanwhile, we carry on.

This weekend is busy, and includes a two-day celebration of John Schroeder Days in Schroeder.

First up, fiber artist Cheryl Larsen is featured this week at North House Folk School in its summer craft demonstration program. She will be demonstrating textile collage and rust dyeing.

Cheryl Larsen uses natural materials and rusty nails to bring soft colors and textures to her hand-dyed fabrics. She will be demonstrating her skills at North House Folk School from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

Larsen will be on-campus from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. All invited.

Also, not to forget, the schooner, The Hjordis, continues to make daily sails from the docks at the Folk School. There are lots of class offerings too. To find out more, visit www.northhouse.org or call 218-387-9762.

Also on Thursday, the Local Food Market will be held in the parking lot of the Cook County Community Center from 4:30-6 p.m. featuring local vegetables and flowers as well as other locally grown products, fresh eggs and maple syrup. The market is held weekly through the growing season.

Mark Abrahamson sets up his table at the Local Food Market, which is held every Thursday in the parking lot of the Cook County Community Center from 4:30-6 p.m. The market features a variety of fresh vegetables and flowers as well as other locally produced items.

This year, the Schroeder Area Historical Society celebrates its 25th anniversary with a two-day event in Schroeder at the Schroeder Town Hall and the Cross River Heritage Center.

The John Schroeder Days Celebration will be at the Cross River Heritage Center and the Schroeder Town Hall this weekend.

On Friday, live music with Trevor McSpadden (6-7 p.m,) and the Erik Koskinen Band (7-9 p.m.) will be featured at the Schroeder Town Hall and a Food Truck will be there to serve participants.

Originally, the plan for the John Schroeder Day Celebration had included a pancake breakfast put on by the Schroeder Fire Department. The breakfast has been cancelled due to the Greenwood Lake Wildfire response. However, the History Walking Tour with Skip Lamb starting at the Cross River Heritage Center will still be held beginning at 1 p.m,. Then Deonn Cecik will lead a Sawmill Walking Tour at 2:30 p.m. The Schroeder Area Historical Society will hold its 25th Anniversary Celebration at the Town Hall from 5-8 p.m. and includes a social hour with live music and a feature presentation.

“The Dragon and the Pearl” by August Mergelman will be performed on Friday, Aug. 20 at 1 p.m. in the ISD 166 courtyard between the Arrowhead Center for the Arts and the school.

Students in the summer theatre program will perform “The Dragon and the Pearl” by August Mergelman at 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20, in the Sawtooth Elementary School garden.

The audience should bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on. Donations accepted for the support of the scholarship program for theater education. The performance is a presentation by the youth summer theatre workshop. Open to all.

Also in Grand Marais on Friday, the Cook County Whole Foods Co-op is sponsoring a Garden Party at the Community Gardens behind the Cook County Community Center from 4:30-6 p.m.

A Garden Party will be held at the Community Gardens behind the Cook County Community Center from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Friday. More than 20 local gardeners have raised-bed plots in the garden, which include a children’s garden.

The Co-op has supported the development of the gardens, including the children’s alphabet herb garden at the site.

The Garden Party will feature live music, local producers, and garden tours by some of the children’s garden program attendees. A garden party hat contest is also included. All invited. Free.

Also on Friday, the Johnson Heritage Post will host an opening reception for an exhibit of paintings by Reid Thorpe entitled Reflections from the North.

Early Morning Reflection by Reid Thorpe, one of the paintings to be exhibited at the Johnson Heritage Post on Friday; The opening reception is from 5-7 p.m.

Thorpe’s current work explores the concept or feeling of nostalgia within fragmented landscapes using reflection – and the interplay between sky and water. The opening reception is from 5-7 p.m. Friday. The exhibit continues through Sept. 12. The Heritage Post is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, and Wednesday through Saturday. It is open from 1-4 p.m. Sundays, and is closed on Tuesdays.

On Saturday, printmaker Micheal Marks will give an Artist Talk at Studio 21, the Grand Marais Art Colony’s new space on the corner of 1st Ave. W. and Highway 61.

Printmaker Michael Marks will give an Artist Talk at Studio 21 at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

Mark’s work focuses on critical habitat and changing landscapes. His prints are rooted in firsthand observation and he gathers his field research from drawing, photos, and notetaking. The Artist Talk is free. All invited.

Also on Saturday, the Cook County Market, featuring work by local artists and crafters, will be held in the parking lot of The Hub from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Cook County Market runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays through Oct. 17.

On Sunday, the North Shore Health Care Foundation will hold Taste of the Trail BBQ Picnic Adventure to raise funds for the foundation’s Justine Kerfoot Memorial Fund. The event will be held in venues along the Gunflint Trail from 1-4 p.m. Partnering restaurants include Fisherman’s Daughter,Trail Center, the Poplar Haus, Gunflint Lodge.

The Taste of the Tail BBQ Picnic Adventure fundraiser will be held from 1-4 p.m. Sunday.

For tickets and more information, click here.

Exhibits:

Johnson Heritage Post:

The John A Spelman III exhibit continues at the Johnson Heritage Post featuring a great selection of prints and drawings as well as a book

Studio 21:

But It Was Still There, a summer exhibition at Studio 21, features works by Moira Bateman, Annie Hejny, Moheb Soliman, and Nick Wroblewski. Studio 21 is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.

FYI

The North Shore Music Association announced this week that Annie Mack has had to cancel her concert here on Sept. 4. All online ticket sales on tix.com will be refunded. The Walsh & Woodsmith Quartet (bluegrass) concert is still scheduled for Oct. 16. For more info, click here.

Upcoming:

Drury Lane Books will host author Cary Grifffith with special guest Mary Logue, a fellow Minnesota writer, at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28. Griffith’s new book is “Wolf Kill,” a Sam Rivers mystery. Griffith is well-known for his books, “Gunflint Burning” and “Lost in the Wild.” The authors will talk about their books in an outdoor presentation. All invited;

Artists at Work:

Marian Lansky’s print of Lake Superior is on the cover of Sivertson Gallery‘s 2022 calendar.

A leaf, changing,by Mary Beams.

Adam Swanson works on a new mural for Lincoln Park in Duluth.

Tettegouche Trail, a new painting by Aaron Kloss is at Sivertson Gallery.

Christine Novotny gathers flax she grew in her garden at the Community Center Gardens. The photo was taken at last year’s harvest. She is growing flax there again. To read about how she processes this important fiber into linen, click here. The story was published in Northern Wilds.