Lightning too close launches fear, lightning in the distance ignites wonder. Photo by Layne Kennedy.
Greetings from the North Shore, where we look to native traditions and the fur trade this weekend during Rendezvous Days and Celebration Pow Wow in Grand Portage. And we also celebrate the North Shore’s dark skies as the Dark Sky Caravan makes stops along the shore and the Gunflint Trail and invites the public to a Star party at each location.
Minnesota is home to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, which is the largest International Dark Sky Sanctuary in the world and one of two Level 1 dark skies east of the Mississippi River.
To celebrate this fact, staff from the Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium will be traveling along the North Shore stopping at different locations each night for a star party from 8-11 pm.
The Milky Way over Lake Superior by Marty Weintraub. The Dark Sky Caravan and Star Party will be in Cook County this week. It will be at North House Folk School on Thursday, Seagull Lake Community Center on Friday, and Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center on Saturday. Presentations are from 8-11 pm. Free.
Starting at 8 pm, you can enjoy fun activities and presentations at the star party. Once it gets dark, you can gaze through telescopes and get a live sky tour of the stars and constellations visible. We will also be on the lookout for meteors from the Perseid meteor shower which peaks Aug 11-13. If it’s cloudy, don’t worry! We will still have fun activities and digital sky tours so you can learn what to look for when it clears up. The event is free. All invited.
Also on Thursday, Joy and Company will hold its weekly Art Night from 4-6 pm at the shop. This week, participants will explore making Die-cutting Beyond cards.
Participants at Joy and Company’s Art Night will explore making paper creations from 4-6 pm Thursday.
Die-cutting creates sculptural paper creations. Everyone invited. The workshop is free, with a suggested donation.
The Grand Marais Farmer’s Market will be held in the parking lot of the Cook County Community Center from 4:30 to 6 pm on Thursday.
The Grand Marais Farmer’s Market is this Thursday. Hours are 4:30 to 6 pm.
This weekly market features locally-grown produce, wood-fired artisan breads, and baked goods, including gluten-free, maple syrup, fresh eggs, and more. It is held through mid-October, weather permitting. Everyone invited.
The Grand Marais Summer Theater Festival concludes on Sunday. Meanwhile, there is plenty of time to see this year’s plays, which are performed at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts. The curtain time is 7 pm.
Two plays are being featured this year: Four Old Broads, a comedy, and Shout!: The Mod Musical.
“Four Old Broads,“ a comedy with a mystery added in, will be performed Aug. 10 & Aug. 12 at 7 pm. The cast includes Beth Faraone, Jean Grover, Laura Popkes, Kristina Mattson, Theresa Luther-Dolan, Gary Latz, and Yvonne Block.
“Shout!: The Mod Musical,” will be performed on Aug. 11 at 7 pm, & Aug. 13 at 2 pm. There’s lots of great dancing and singing in this production. The cast includes Hannah Miller, Amelia Roth, Lilli Carlson, Aurora Schelmeske, and Greta Roth.
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the door or online here.
On Friday, the big events begin in Grand Portage with the Grand Portage Rendezvous Celebration Pow Wow, sponsored by the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa/Ojibwe (Anishinaabe).
Video courtesy of Visit Cook County.
The Pow Wow begins at 10 am Friday with a Rendezvous Days Welcome on the Great Hall Lawn with the Stone Bridge Singers Drum Group, and John Morrin, Grand Portage tribal member. Pow Wow Warm-Ups are at 7 pm on Friday night, along with the Royalty Contest.
Grand entries are at 1 pm and 7 pm Saturday and 1 pm Sunday. Expect to see more than 200 dancers from the US and Canada at this Pow Wow as well as a variety of vendors and food booths. The Pow Wow is free and open to all. To find out more, click here.
The Rendezvous Celebration Pow Wow is this weekend. Photo courtesy of Visit Cook County.
The Grand Portage National Monument Rendezvous Days are Friday and Saturday this year at the Monument. Look for music, dancing, games, craft demonstrations, and workshops as well as a re-enactors encampment.
Rendezvous Days events at the Grand Portage National Monument are Friday and Saturday.
Historically, the North West Company and Grand Portage opened the West for exploration and profit. This year, several events and workshops focus on those discoveries and the differences reflected by the new landscapes encountered in the journey across the continent. In their travels, NWC explorers saw different types of headwear and clothing, different foods, and even different trade goods. A highlight of the weekend will be the building and launching of a traditional bull boat made from a bison hide. At the time, birchbark canoes were the transportation of choice to navigate the riverways. In areas lacking birch trees, hide boats replaced canoes.
Saturday in Grand Marais, opens with the Cook County Market in the parking lot of The Hub at 10 am.
Potter Natalie Sobanja is one of the vendors at the Cook County Market.
The market features pottery, paintings, jewelry, chain-saw sculptures, handmade balms, rock lamps, leatherwork, weaving, and more. It runs from 10 am to 2 pm. All invited. Free.
The Grand Marais Art Colony is offering a free workshop on how to develop a nature sketchbook at Studio 21 from 11 am to noon on Saturday.
A free class on sketching nature will be held at Studio 21 on Saturdays from 11 am to noon through Aug. 25.
Janet Moore is the instructor. Supplies will be available. Open to the public.
Author Larry Weber will give an Author Talk about his new book: “365 Days of Northern Nature: Backyard Almanac,” at Drury Lane Books at 7:30 pm Saturday.
Author and naturalist Larry Weber will give an Author Talk at Drury Lane Books on Saturday.
“365 Days of Northern Nature: Backyard Almanac,” features a fascinating series of nature essays for each and every day of the year. They are paired with professional illustrations and naturalist Sparky Stensaas provides more insights through his color photographs and detailed captions. The information presented in this book is applicable to the Upper Midwest and Northeast—from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ontario to New England and New York. The event is free and open to the public.
Nationally recognized singer/songwriter Keith Secola will play at the Grand Portage Lodge and Casino with Rich Mattson & the North Stars at 8 pm Saturday.
Keith Secola will play at the Grand Portage Lodge and Casino on Saturday.
Admission is free. Participants must be 18 years of age to attend.
And not to forget, there are lots of opportunities for outdoor activities this weekend. Check them out there.
This is the last weekend for the Gunflint Trail Biggest Blueberry Contest, which concludes Aug. 13.
The Gunflint Trail’s Biggest Blueberry Contest ends this weekend.
The top prize for the biggest blueberry is $300 this year. To find out more and where to have your blueberry weighed, click here.
Exhibits:
The latest exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post Gallery, “Four Local Artists,” continues through Aug. 20.
The exhibit, Four Local Artists, continues at the Johnson Heritage Post.
In the exhibit, artists Bonnie Gay Hedstrom, Howard Hedstrom, Mary MacDonald and Jeff Morgan have come together to present a display of northern craftsmanship. The exhibit includes weaving, felting, wood carving, mosaic, and more.
The Heritage Post is open from 10 am to 4 pm Wednesday through Sunday. It is closed Monday and Tuesday. Free.
The Art Colony’s Summer Exhibition, Air– Openness, continues at Studio 21.
The Air-Openness Exhibition continues at Studio 21 featuring a variety of work by regional artists.
A new exhibit has opened in the Great Hall at Tettegouche State Park featuring the work of Lonnie Broden.
“Grand Marais” acrylic, by Lonnie Broden is currently on view at Tettegouche State Park.
The exhibit continues through the end of August.
The Thunder Bay Art Gallery has a number of exhibits, including Ziibaaska’iganagoodayanm, The Jingle Dress, by printmaker Christian Chapman.
Ziibaaska’iganagoodayanm, The Jingle Dress, detail, is a series of prints by Christian Chapman at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery.
The exhibit continues through Sept. 17. For information about the gallery, click here.
In St. Paul, “The Life and Art of Charles M. Schulz” is currently on view at the Minnesota History Museum through September 2024.
The Minnesota History Center is exhibiting “The Life and Art of Charles M. Schulz,” celebrating Minnesota’s native son.
The exhibit features 30 Peanuts comic strips. A native of St Paul, Schulz’s quotes and photographs illuminate the creation of his popular and influential comic strip.
Upcoming:
Opera from a pickup? Absolutely! Mixed Precipitation’s Pickup Truck Opera celebrates 15 years of outdoor summer fun, performing one of the most beloved and famous tragedies in the theatre tradition, Romeo and Juliet, adapted from Vincenzo Bellini’s 1830 opera, I Capuleti e i Montecchi (The Capulets and the Montagues). But this opera has lots of modern angles, great music and choreography, and amazing dialogue to delight and entertain.
The Pickup Truck Opera is coming to Cook County at the end of August. They will be performing at a number of different venues in the county,
Here’s the schedule:
- Aug. 24, 6 pm - Schaap Community Center (GTVFD Hall #1) – 7401 Gunflint Trail, Grand Marais, MN – Performance benefiting the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Firefighters
- Aug. 25, 6 pm - Hovland Town Hall – 4957 East Highway 61, Hovland, MN – Presented by the North Shore Music Association and Opp Hvidston Foundation
- Aug. 26, 3 pm - Sweethearts Bluff in the Grand Marais Recreation Area – 114 South 8th Ave. West, Grand Marais, MN -Presented by the North Shore Music Association and Opp Hvidston Foundation
To find out more about Pickup Opera, click here.
Kudos:
Congratulations! to Emma Bradley, who won the Senior Citizen of the Year Award at Fisherman’s Picnic.
Emma Bradley won the Senior Citizen of the Year award at Fisherman’s Picnic.
For 20 years, Bradley created costumes for the Grand Marais Playhouse as a volunteer, sewing countless costumes for its plays. She also was an active Garden Club member, caring for the Rose Garden and setting up and caring for planters around town. She also volunteered at the 1st and 2nd Thrift Store upon her retirement. Thank you, Emma.
Artists at Work:
Bryan Hansel is teaching a course called “Hand Drawn Maps: Exploring Your Relationship with the Land” at North House Folk School as part of Winterers Gathering. Registration is open.
Map of a hike around Ball Club Lake by Bryan Hansel. He will be teaching a class about how to hand draw maps at Winterers Gathering. For more information, click here.
Lady Slipper beadwork by Jo Wood. The piece is at the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery.
The Icelandic Horse – “He is courageous, sober and surefooted.” – Jules Verne. Photo by Layne Kennedy.
Martin DeWitt working in Santa Fe, NM.
Online Findings:
Glass Beach, California
Glass Beach near Fort Bragg, California, was created by the Pacific Ocean’s impact on trash heaps and dumps over more than a century. Photographer unknown.
Glass Beach, which is near Ft. Bragg on the Pacific Coast, is a fascinating site that has been naturally transformed from a century-old trash site into a multicolored treasure chest.
Over the years, the sea’s waves churning against the sands have smoothed the edges of car batteries, bottles, and cans, turning them into a rainbow of translucent colors. Sapphire gems come from apothecary bottles, for example, while the ruby reds are likely from pre-1967 tail lights.
Note: The three dump sites on the beach operated from 1906 until 1967. Over the years, programs were put in place to undo the environmental damage, and much of the metal and other non-biodegradable items were sold as scrap.
The beach is open to the public.
Online Music:
More Wynton Marsalis’ jazz workshop at Harvard.
Live Music:
Thursday, Aug 10:
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 7-9 pm
Friday, Aug 11:
- Rendezvous Days Welcome with Stone Bridge Singers Drum Group, Great Hall Lawn, Grand Portage, 10 am
- Kevin Buck, Birch Terrace, 5-7:30 pm
- Jim Miller, Mogul’s Grille & Tap Room, 7:30-9 pm
- DJ set Cory and Bryan, Up Yonder, 8 pm
Saturday, Aug 12:
- Zahir Orest, Senior Center Parking Lot, 10 am
- Grand Portage Pow Wow, Grand Portage
- Grand Entry, 1 pm
- Evening Grand Entry, 7 pm
- Zulu Link, Birch Terrace, 5-8 pm
- D.J. Birthday Gurl, Mogul’s Grille & Tap Room, 7-10 pm
- Keith Secola with Rich Mattson & the North Stars, Grand Portage Lodge & Casino, 8-10 pm
- The Honest Heart Collective, Up Yonder, 9-11:55 pm
Sunday, Aug 13:
- Briand Morrison, Mogul’s Grille & Tap Room, 10-12 pm
- Joe Paulik, Raven’s Nest at Gunflint Tavern, 1-4 pm
- Grand Portage Pow Wow, Grand Portage
- Grand Entry, 1 pm
- Michele Miller, Harbor Park, 1:30-3 pm
- Pete Kavanaugh, Harbor Park, 3-4:30 pm
- Sarah Morris, North Shore Winery, 3:30-5:30 pm
- The Five (the core group of The Evening Stars), Skyport Lodge, 4-7 pm
- Bump Blomberg, Mogul’s Grille & Tap Room, 5-7 pm
- Open Mic Hosted by Pete K, Up Yonder, 5-8 pm
Monday, Aug 14:
- Zahir Orest, Harbor Park, 1:30-3:00 pm
Tuesday, Aug 15:
- MYsterious WAYs, Birch Terrace, 5-8 pm
- Eric Frost, North Shore Winery, 5:30-7:30 pm
Wednesday, Aug 16:
- Jim Miller, Mogul’s Grille & Tap Room, 4-6 pm
Thursday, Aug 17:
- North Shore Swing Band, Up Yonder on 61, 7-9 pm
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 7-9 pm
Friday, Aug 18:
- MYsterious WAYs, Birch Terrace, 5-8 pm
- Jim Miller, Mogul’s Grille & Tap Room, 7:30-9 pm
- The Swongos, Up Yonder on 61, 8-11:55 pm
Saturday, Aug 19:
- Fred Anderson, Senior Center Parking Lot, 10 am
- Michele Miller, Harbor Park, 5-8 pm
- Northeast Timberland Band, Tettegouche State Park outdoor amphitheater, 7-8:30 pm
- Dre AKA Jamaican, Up Yonder on 61, 9-11 pm
Sunday, Aug 20:
- Briand Morrison, Mogul’s Grille & Tap Room, 10-12 pm
- Joe Paulik, Raven’s Nest at Gunflint Tavern, 1-4 pm
- Enno Limvere, Harbor Park, 3-4:30 pm
- Black River Revue, North Shore Winery, 3:30-5:30 pm
- MYsterious WAYs, Skyport Lodge, 4-7 pm
- Timmy Haus, Mogul’s Grille & Tap Room, 5-7 pm
- Open Mic Hosted by Pete K, Up Yonder, 5-8 pm
Photographs:
We were lucky again this week. Here’s what we found:
Wildlife;
Honkers and the Lighthouse by Layne Kennedy.
A clearwing moth on leftover milkweed by Maryl Skinner.
American Kestrel with Grasshopper by Michael Furtman.
Biting off more than they can chew by Dennis Chick.
Potpourri:
Apparently taking a bowl with you is the key. Photo by Brigette Nies.
Just Beyond the Pines by Nole Maurice.
Togetherness by Christian Dalbec.
Orange popping out on the forest floor by Dennis Chick.
This week by Brigette Nies.
Fisherman’s Picnic fireworks by David Johnson.
Moonscapes, Landscapes & Skyscapes:
This morning’s moon set over Lake Superior by Chuck Olsen.
Lake Superior Shoreline by Sandra Updyke.
A new bench cut, Timberland Hills, Barronett, WI by Mica Harju.
Here’s a little ice to cool you down by Jamie Rabold.
Any day that looks like this is a winner by Chuck Olsen.
Treasure Sunrise by Jan Swart.
This morning’s sunrise over Lake Superior by Chuck Olsen.
Northwoods Sunrise by Brian T Johnson.
In Boreal Paradise by Chuck Olsen.
And music from the band on the upstairs deck by Betsy Bowen.
Reflections by Lin Salisbury.
On the 113th birthday of Split Rock Lighthouse by Nathan Klok.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Thank you! to everyone who donated to NorthShore ArtScene this week. And here’s a special shout-out to Joy and Company who became a sustaining member with a generous contribution. Thank you! If you’d like to donate to ArtScene to keep it alive and healthy, just click on the button below, or send a check to NorthShore ArtScene, PO Box 1232, Grand Marais, MN, 55604.
Here are the people who make this blog possible: Myself, Joan Farnam, content & photographs; Jeremy Lopez, proofreading, technical expertise, and some music; Yvonne Mills, proofreading and Kari Carter, caption corrections and research.
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