Ice-Out! Music & the Easter Bunny

Rivers are opening up all over the North Shore and some, like Duluth News-Tribune photographer, Andrew Krueger, caught the magic moments. Here’s a link to a video he took of the ice-out, which has gone viral.  See our photo section at the end for more images of early spring rivers.

There are some fun events scheduled for this weekend, too.

Twin Cities jazz singer Prudence Johnson will be a guest performer at Michael Monroe’s Log Cabin Concert on Saturday night. She will perform with Jane Aleckson of Big Top Chatauqua. Monroe will perform a short set during the show. The reception is at 7 p.m., the music starts at 8 p.m. For reservations, call 387-2919.

Also this weekend, the 5th annual Easter Egg Fundaiser for KIDS Plus will be held at the Cook County Community Center from 9 a.m. to noon. Bruce Johnson will be available to take photos with the Easter Bunny.The Easter Egg Hunt will be at 10 a.m. Cost is $5 per child, $10 per family. Other games and activities are planned, and refreshments will be served. One perk this year… there will be two raffles for $400+ each in gifts and certificates. Tickets are $3 and can be purchased the event as well as Buck’s Hardware and the Cook County Extension office. All proceeds will go toward youth programs in the county. The public is invited.
Because of good snow cover, Lutsen Mountains is open for skiing and snowboarding this weekend. On Easter Sunday, there will be a Sunrise Service on Moose Mountain followed by an Easter Egg Hunt.  The public is invited. (Gondola tickets must be purchased.)

I

n Thunder Bay, George Raab, an internationally known printmaker, will open at exhibit at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery on April 19. Entitled “Into the Woods: Etchings by George Raab,” the exhibit features his intaglio prints inspired by his photographs. He will give an artist talk at 7:30 p.m.(EST) April 24. The exhibit is open through June. 15.

In other art news, Sivertson Gallery will be releasing giclee prints of Howard Sivertson paintings that haven’t been seen for years. The gallery has already released a number of giclee prints of  paintings by David Gilsvik and Liz Sivertson. Mark Tessier is putting a catalog together of the new prints.
The Seniors at Cook County High School took at trip to the Guthrie Theatre in the Twin Cities recently to watch Shakespeare’s “Othello.”
The Grand Marais Art Colony has just released its catalog for spring, summer and fall classes and workshops. For more information, call 387-2737.
Greg Wright and North House Folk School will be featured on WDSE’s The Playlist on Thursday, April 17. The Playlist airs at 9 p.m.
Great Gifts of Lutsen is featuring a wide variety of cards crafted by local and regional artists include Terri Nelson deNatale, Earl Orf, John Peyton, Betsy Bowen, Kelly Dupre, Kristin Accola, Jane Richards and  Jackie Kotlarek.

Sandi Pillsbury Gredzens has had a painting accepted in the Laguna Plein Air Painters annual show in Newport Beach, Calif. The show opens April 26.

And speaking of April 26, Peter Yarrow’s concert at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts next Saturday night has almost sold out. To get your tickets, click here.

Here’s the music scheduled for this week:

Thursday, April 17:

• Local’s Night, Cascade Lodge Pub, 7 p.m.
  Gordon Thorne, Gunflint Tavern, 7:30 p.m.
  Bump Blomberg, Lutsen Resort, 8 p.m.

Friday, April 18:

• Gone Already, Gunflint Tavern, 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 19:

• Maria Nickolay, Lusten Resort, 7 p.m.
  Michael Monroe’s Log Cabin Concert with special guests Prudence Johnson &  Jane Aleckson, 7 p.m. Reservations: 387-2919.
  Gone Already, Gunflint Tavern, 8:30 p.m.
  Wayne Renn, Grand Portage Lodge & Casino, 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 20:

• Joe & Jessie, Gunflint Tavern, 7 p.m.

 

There are lots of cool photos this week.

Let’s start with an awesome photo taken by Don Davison during the recent school trip to the Guthrie.

 

Ice-out was definitely on everyone’s mind this week — but the cold weather held that dramatic event at bay for some of the North Shore rivers. Nevertheless, we found some beautiful photos..

Travis Novitsky took this shot of the High Falls on the Pigeon River, which are just beginning to open.

 

Thomas Spence took this shot of the Temperance River … also just opening up when he was there.

And then there’s this:

 

Lake Superior still has plenty of ice, however. David Johnson was out shooting some of it.

 

And Jessica Barr caught this gorgeous iceberg the other day.

 

Jamie Rabold and friends were out lighting up the Lester River this week and took this award-winning photo.

 

Another kind of light took the headlines  this week — the full eclipse of the moon.

Here are some of the images we found:

Two of our favorite photographers decided to sequence their images.

First up is Layne Kennedy‘s dramatic collage.

 

And here’s Bryan Hansel‘s take — a longer sequence of moon changes.

 

And here’s one of the most popular images we found. It’s by Judi Barsness… Blood Moon over Lake Superior.

Happy Easter, everyone! Have a good weekend.