Sunset on the Gunflint Trail by Dennis Chick.
Greetings from the North Shore, where we are basking in perfect summer weather and enjoying every minute of it. Well, maybe not everyone. A friendly Scrooge-type I know volunteered this afternoon that he remembers when it snowed in July. We were quiet as we thought about this for a moment– snow in July? Then we both laughed. July is over, so there is no chance of that happening this year.
But we did have a chance to see a Tall Ship on Wednesday, without having to drive to Two Harbors for the Festival of Sail.
The Nao Trinidad, a 15th-century replica ship and one of the flagships for the festival got caught in the fog outside Grand Marais on its way to Two Harbors, and took refuge in our harbor, tying up on the break wall where it stayed overnight and through the day.
The Nao Trinidad dominated the Grand Marais Harbor on Wednesday, drawing crowds to take a closer look. Photograph by Mark Zierath.
On Wednesday night, the ship slipped quietly out of the harbor heading down the shore to the Festival of Sail.
But Lake Superior will continue to dominate our lives this week as Grand Marais hosts Fisherman’s Picnic, the 93rd year that family, friends, and visitors have celebrated community and the unique history of the North Shore.
The Trouser Tug-of-War was a popular contest in years past.
North Shore Beauty Queen Contestant Janet Nelson with the fish of the day at a Fisherman’s Picnic parade years ago. Photograph courtesy of the Cook County Historical Society.
Dan Helmerson has written a great history about Fisherman’s Picnic. Check it out here.
And local historian Brian Tofte will be sharing some of his best stories about the early days along the North Shore at the Johnson Heritage Post from 6-7 pm.
Brian Tofte will tell stories about the early days on the North Shore at the Johnson Heritage Post on Thursday at 6 pm. Pictured is a photo of fishermen bringing in the catch, courtesy of the Cook County Historical Society.
Today’s Fisherman’s Picnic has developed its own traditions but has kept a competitive edge, with lots of contests scheduled over the weekend, including the Loon-Calling Contest, the Fish Toss, and the Cutest Puppy Contest, to name a few.
Library Friends’ Used Book Sale will be held this year, but in a new location at Oddz & Endz on Friday and Saturday. Two arts and craft fairs will be set up in downtown Grand Marais, too, including The Cook County Market with its local vendors. And there will also be lots of live music this year in Harbor Park, (see the schedule below,) plus races and baseball games, food trucks, and more. Check out the complete schedule here, and/or pick up a copy of Northern Wilds. And, not to forget, The Fisherman’s Picnic Parade at 1 p.m. on Sunday is a must-see.
There are other things to do and see this weekend, too.
First up are the craft demonstrations at North House Folk school from 10 am to 4 pm Thursday through Sunday. This ongoing series features the folk school’s instructors demonstrating their craft as well as talking about it. This week, weaver Julie Arthur and bowl-turner Angela Robbins will be on campus to demonstrate their work. Free and open to the public.
Angela Robbins with be on campus at the North House Folk School to demonstrate wood-turning from Thursday through Sunday.
This is the last week to see the Grand Marais Playhouse production of the musical, “Little Shop of Horrors,” at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts.
The Little Shop of Horrors is onstage at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts this weekend.
The play is a deviously delicious Broadway and Hollywood sci-fi smash hit. It is directed by Sue Hennessy.
The cast includes Jay DeCoux as Seymour Krelbourn; Tina Hegg Raway as Audrey; Rowan Lindholm as Mr. Mushnik; Kevin Kager as Orin (the Dentist);Ennis Arrowsmith Decoux as the plant John Bragstad as the Voice of the plant; Elunia Steckelberg as Crystal; Bryn Fitzgerald Wells as Chiffon and Kylie Viren as Ronnette.
Performances are at 7 pm Thursday, Aug. 4, and on Saturday, Aug. 6, The Friday performance is at 4 pm. The final performance is Sunday at 3 pm. Tickets are available at the door or online at www.grandmaraisplayhouse.org. They are $25 adult, $15 youth, $50 per household.
A Literary Salon will be held at Cascade Lodge Restaurant & Pub from 5-6 pm, Saturday, Aug. 6.
The First Annual Cascade Lodge Literary Salon featuring readings from John Jodzio (Minneapolis), Rose Arrowsmith (Grand Marais), Rae Wojcik Poynter (Grand Marais), and Lin Salisbury (Hovland) is scheduled at Cascade Restaurant and Pub from 5-6 pm on Saturday, Aug. 6. The event is open to the public. John is the fiscal year 2022 recipient of a Creative Support for Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made by possible by Minnesota voters through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Also this weekend, there will be blacksmith demonstration at the Bally Blacksmith Shop from 1-4 pm. Saturday.
Don Hammer and Ken Johnson will give blacksmith demonstrations at the Bally Blacksmith Shop from 1-4 pm Saturday. Aug 6. Free.
On Sunday, the North Shore Swing Band will be playing for an outdoor dance in Harbor Park, from noon to 1 p.m., followed by the Fisherman’s Picnic Parade, easily the best parade of the year in Grand Marais.
Exhibits:
The Living Color Gallery Exhibition continues at the Johnson Heritage Post featuring a wide range of work by members of the Lake Superior Watercolor Society. Here are a few examples of work that you will see.
Foggy Dawn by watercolor artist Chris Dillon is one of the paintings at the Johnson Heritage Post.
Dawn Tyler Watson Blues Singer by William Wise is currently on view at the Johnson Heritage Post.
The exhibit continues through Aug. 14. The Heritage Post is open from 10 am to 4 pm Wednesday through Saturday and Monday and from 1-4 pm Sunday. It is closed on Tuesdays. Free. All welcome.
Tettegouche State Park is opening a new exhibit in the Great Hall this month featuring the work of painter Tom Dimock.
Painter Tom Dimock is the featured artist at Tettegouche State Park. The opening reception is at 7 pm on Aug. 5.
The Duluth Art Institute is featuring a number of exhibits this summer, including an exhibit by installation artists, Steven Lemke & Kelsie Ward entitled “Dislocation.” They build environments that question how we locate ourselves within natural and human-made landscapes. Materials sourced from the construction industry including polystyrene, cast resin, and plywood bring together Lemke and Ward’s themes of place, perspective, and our increasingly constructed reality.
On view at the Duluth Art Institute: Kelsie Ward, Shifting Densities. Fabricated with resin steel and vinyl.
Their work is on exhibit at the Morrison Gallery at the Art Institute and continues through Sept. 23.
The Thunder Bay Art Gallery has a number of new exhibits this summer, including an exhibit of young Ojibwe artists’ interpretation of the traditional Woodland Style. The gallery is also exhibiting items from its Permanent Collection.
Thunder Bay artist Bree Island’s piece was created in response to a call for young Ojibwe artists’ modern ‘interpretation of the Woodland Art Style. Their work is exhibited at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery.
“Wolf at Indian Head,” Saskatchewan, 1997, Cyanotype and Van Dyck brown on paper by Mary Ann Barkhouse is in the Permanent Collection of the Thunder Bay Art Gallery.
Dan and Lee Ross are participating in the summer invitational show titled “Paperwork” at the Groveland Gallery, 25 Groveland Terrace, Minneapolis.
“Historian,” a paper collage by Lee and Dan Ross, is on view at the Groveland Gallery in Minneapolis.
The show features eight artists with a theme of working on paper. “Historian” (snapping turtle) is a mono print/collage. The show runs through Sept, 3. To see all the works in the exhibit, click here.
FYI
The Grand Marais Art Colony is holding a silent auction featuring two paintings by Hazel Belvo as part of its 75th-anniversary celebration. The paintings will be sold in a silent auction as a pair and bids will be accepted through Oct. 22.
Spirit Tree Day is one of the paintings by Hazel Belvo which will be auctioned off this summer.
Spirit Tree Night by Hazel Belvo is the second in the series.
The paintings can be viewed at Studio 21 from 10 a.m to 4 pm Thursday through Saturday. Call 218-387-2737 for more information or email info@grandmaraisartcolony.org
Kudos
ARAC Awards $8,000 Grants To Established Artist
The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council’s Established Regional Artist Grant Review Panel announced that $8,000 in McKnight Foundation funding will be awarded to the following artists:
- Adam Swanson, Cloquet. Funding will support “Importance Of Pollinators,”10 research-informed paintings about pollinators, audio audio descriptions for the visually impaired, and an exhibit at the Duluth Art Institute.
- Diona Johnson, Duluth. The award will be used to coordinate and put on a night of performances and entertainment that celebrate the LGBTQIA2S+ population in a safe and supportive space.
- Greg Mueller, Lutsen. Funds will support the creation a large-scale public sculpture integrating reclaimed bike elements along the Gitchi Gami State Bike Trail.
- Leah Yellowbird, Grand Rapids, Funding will support the creation of a collection of pieces that incorporate beadwork, painting, and quilling with the introduction of leatherwork and combines these materials and mediums in new ways. This collection will be on display in the Giinawind Creative Space at MacRostie Art Center and the artist will host an 8- week class on decorating a hat using the artist’s techniques making the art more accessible to a diverse audience.
- Matthew Baxley, Grand Marais. The award will be used to support the creation of a short documentary film documenting how members of the LGBTQ2+ community are creating safe spaces in the outdoors and to inspire others to do the same.
- Samuel Miltich, Grand Rapids. Funding will support transforming “The Improvised Life,” a journey of mental illness and recovery for a 4-piece band, into a solo presentation which will be premiered at a free community concert at Kiesler Wellness Center, which hosted the original “The Improvised Life” program in 2016.
Upcoming:
Rendezvous Days & Celebration Pow-wow, Aug 12-14
The annual Rendezvous Days & Celebration Pow-Wow in Grand Portage next weekend is one event you do not want to miss. Music, dancing, craft demonstrations and hands-on workshops at the Rendezvous ensure an exciting weekend at Grand Portage National Monument for family and friends.
Rendezvous Days participants dress in period clothing and practice and/or demonstrate traditional crafts and ways of living during the Voyageur era.
The Celebration Pow-wow, hosted by the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, brings in more than 350 dancers from around the region and Canada for the weekend celebration.
The Grand Portage Celebration Pow-wow is next weekend.
The Pow Wow includes traditional foods, music, and craft stands along with other events in the community. Mid-day Grand Entry Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm are particularly inspirational and colorful as U.S. and Canadian flags are raised to honor military veterans from Grand Portage. Staff bearers lead dancers, dressed in traditional regalia, into the Pow Wow ring. Through the Pow Wow, all people have the chance to experience Native American culture in a wonderful way. Open to all. Click here for more information.
The Magic Flute
Also that weekend, The Magic Flute, a fun and exciting show for all ages by Mixed Precipitation’s Pickup Truck Opera, will be performed at the Hovland Town Hall and North House Folk School as well as at the Finland Heritage Site.
Performances of “The Magic Flute” will be at 7 pm.Aug. 12 at the Hovland Town Hall and 7 pm Aug. 13 at North House Folk School. The Truck Opera Company will also perform the opera at the Finland Heritage Site at 1 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 14.
The Pickup Truck Opera continues Mixed Precipitation’s 14-year tradition of outdoor theater extravaganzas, touring Minnesota communities in late summer. Mixed Precipitation’s mission is to create festive theatrical events that inspire social engagement. Since 2009 they have presented their signature events, A Picnic Operetta and Pickup Truck Opera, at community gardens, urban farms, parks, orchards, and vineyards throughout Minnesota. All invited.
The 15th annual Radio Waves Music Festival Sept. 9-11
The Radio Waves Music Festival is back this year at Sweetheart’s Bluff for 3 days, Sept. 9-11. Get a weekend pass here. Illustration courtesy AvaCreative.
The 15th annual Radio Waves Music Festival will return to Sweetheart’s Bluff in the Grand Marais Rec Park, Sept. 9-11. The festival will start at 2 pm Friday, Sept. 9 for a 3 pm start on Friday, Sept. 9, with musical acts continuing all day Saturday and throughout the morning on Sunday. New acts have been added to the music roster, and a number of Radio Waves favorites have been invited back. Check out the music roster here. Buy a weekend pass here.
Unplugged 2022 at North House Folk School Sept. 22-24
This year, North House turns 25, and this is the party you won’t want to miss. Look for two unforgettable nights of music, Sept. 23-24, along with a free family concert Saturday morning, Sept. 23.
North House Folk School celebrates its 25th anniversary with a special Unplugged this fall.
Celebrate North House’s 25th anniversary with the return of “Flannel Formal” with food from Scott Graden of the New Scenic Café.
The musician lineup this year: Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Anaïs Mitchell (Hadestown, Bonny Light Horseman), Phil Cook (Megafaun, Gayngs), Sean Carey (S. Carey, Bon Iver), JT Bates (Bonny Light Horseman, Bon Iver), Mike Lewis (Bon Iver, Happy Apple), Dylan Bizhikiins Jennings, and Joe Rainey Sr. (Iron Boy Singers). Together they’ll be pulling songs from their diverse catalogs for two unique nights of music. The Sept. 22 concert is sold out. For tickets for the Sept. 23 concert and more info, click here.
Artists At Work:
Moonlight on Split Rock, acrylic, by Aaron Kloss.
“Pigment Dispersion” polymer, acrylic, ink, paper, and metallic leaf on canvas by Andy Ness.
Enger Birch, pastel and watercolor by Lisa Stauffer. She created this painting at the Duluth Art Institute‘s Plein Air Competition recently
David Barthel recently completed this commission of his photo of dawn over Grand Marais. He is happy with it.
Online Findings:
Butterfly Wings Are More Than Pretty Decorations
The wings of a butterfly have stories to tell.
WTIP’s Chel Anderson talks in detail about butterfly wings. It’s a fascinating story about how scientists have discovered that butterfly wings are more than just “pretty” — they’re actually alive and serve a number of useful purposes. Listen here.
Pulling Nets at Kitchibitobig and the Legacy of the Jim Scott Fish House with Cory Pederson
A fisherman with the catch of the day. Photo by Mike Powell.
Here’s another WTIP offering… a great story about fishing for herring in Lake Superior. Listen here.
And then this fine reminder:
Online Music
Live Music:
Thursday, Aug. 4
- Fred Anderson, Harbor Park stage, 11 am -12:30 pm
- Bug Dope, Harbor Park stage, 1 – 2:30 pm
- Common Ground, Harbor Park stage, 3 – 6 pm
- Pat Eliasen, Cascade Restaurant & Pub 6-8 pm
- Gordon Thorne, Date Night at the Winery, North Shore Winery, 7 pm
- Grand Marais Jammers, Harbor Park stage, 7 – 10 pm
- Odd Man Out, Gunflint Tavern, 8 – 11 pm
Friday, Aug. 5:
- Jim McGowan, Harbor Park stage, 11 am -12:30 pm
- Portage Band, Harbor Park stage, 1 – 2:30 pm
- Brothers In Arms, Harbor Park stage, 3 – 6 pm
- Fleetwood Maki at Birch Terrace Deck, 4 pm
- Briand Morrison, Bluefin Grille, 7 pm
- The Evening Stars, Harbor Park stage, 7 – 10 pm
- Thirsty River, Gunflint Tavern, 8:30 – 11:55 pm
Saturday, Aug. 6:
- Joe Paulik, Harbor Park stage, 11 am -12:30 pm
- Joshua Schmidt, Harbor Park stage, 1 – 2:30 pm
- The Splints, Harbor Park stage, 3 – 6 pm, Aug. 6
- Southpaws, Birch Terrace deck, 4 pm
- Bonfire Music, Bluefin Grille, 5 pm
- Sky Blue Jazz, Cascade Restaurant & Pub, 6 pm
- Jim McGowan, Lutsen Resort, 6:30 pm
- Mysterious Ways, Harbor Park stage, 7 – 10 pm
- Thirsty River, Gunflint Tavern, 8:30 – 11:55 pm
Sunday, Aug. 7:
- North Shore Swing Band, Outdoor dance in Harbor Park, noon to 1 p.m.
- Al Oikari and Friends, Gunflint Tavern, 1pm – 5 pm
- AAD Shrine Drum & Bugle Corps, Harbor Park stage, 2 – 2:30 pm
- Pete K and Friends, Harbor Park stage, 2:30 – 5 pm
- Robin Sunquiet, Skyport Lodge, 4 pm
Monday, Aug. 8:
- Al Oikari, Bluefin Grille, 7 pm
- Lake Superior Bonfire Music, Bluefin Grille, 5 pm
Wednesday, Aug. 10:
- Pete Kavanaugh, Bluefin Grille, 7 pm
Photographs
We found an amazing selection of photographs this week. Take a look:
Wildlife
A moose summer by Thomas Spence.
Look at those neck colors! Photo by Katie Mumm
A puffin in Newfoundland by John Heino.
Gannets in Newfoundland by John Heino.
Sandhill Crane Momma with a growing check. Photograph by Paul Sundberg.
A Veery parent brings in a scrumptious lunch by Paul Sundberg.
Plantscapes
A fine night shot by Kristofer Bowman.
Hosta Beauty by Becky Raymon.
Another orchid decided to join the show by Bob LaMettry
Garden daisy by Andy Keith.
Indian pipes. Photograph by Sandra Updyke.
Potato flowers by Tom McCann.
Quirkyscapes
We have come a long way since the 70s. The Duluth shoreline circa 1970 and the Duluth shoreline now.
So many hopes, dreams, plans and love on this tractor. Time to rest. By Randall Anderson.
Waterscapes & Cloudscapes
Superior sunrise by Jan Swart.
And evening on Lake Superior by David Somers.
A sunset in the boundary waters by Bryan Hansel.
Bryan Hansel. “This photo messes with my head. my camera is level but nothing else is.”
A Boundary Waters moment by Kim Nelson.
Summer clouds on Devil Track Lake by Paul Sundberg.
Sweet and Low by Christian Dalbec.
Fish clouds by Mary Indritz.
After the storm by Don Davison.
Landscapes
Devil Track River by Andy Keith.
Magnetic Rock by Ilena Hansel.
Northern Lights
The beauty of an aurora-filled sky is spectacular by Jamie Rabold.
Northern light displayed on the Gunflint Trail by Bryan Hansel.
Northern Lights on the Gunflint Trail by Bryan Hansel.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
This week’s contributors include Paula Gustafson, art news, Jeremy Lopez, music info and layout and design, and Matthew Baxley, music videos, photographs, and layout/design. I would like to extend a special thanks to everyone who has reached out to show their support for this blog, either through subscribing or supporting our work financially. Most importantly, thank you to all the creators featured in this week’s blog post.
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Our next issue will be out on Aug. 18.
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