Rendezvous Days and the Celebration Pow Wow

Greetings from the North Shore, where we celebrate the region’s culture and history this weekend during Grand Portage’s Celebration Pow Wow and Rendezvous Days. It’s always a great and uplifting experience and is highly recommended.

The annual Grand Portage Pow Wow is held in conjunction with Grand Portage Rendezvous Days sponsored by the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. It is an American Indian cultural gathering focused on dance, song, and family celebration and brings together people from throughout the region and Canada.

The Pow Wow often features more than 300 dancers and many drums from the US and Canada, as well as food and arts and craft vendors. Grand entries are at 1 pm and 7 pm Saturday and 1 pm Sunday. For more details, click here.

Rendezvous Days, which is held on the grounds of the Grand Portage National Monument, features a large encampment of re-enactors, events, demonstrations, games, music, and more.

For more details about Rendezvous days and the schedule of events over the weekend, click here.

Lots of other events are happening in the county this weekend, too, and Thursday is especially busy.

First up is Art Night at Joy and Company. This is an opportunity for the public to experiment with a selection of art supplies at the shop. It runs from 3:30-5 pm and is free, with a $5 suggested donation.

And at 4:30 pm, the Grand Marais Farmer’s Market opens in the parking lot of the Cook County Community Center.

‘The market features a wide variety of locally-grown produce, baked goods, homegrown mushrooms, fresh flowers, and more. Open to all. SNAP accepted.

At 6 pm, the Cook County Historical Society will host Trivia at Up Yonder.

This is a bar-style Trivia, with questions about Cook County history and more. Open to the public. Prizes.

Also on Thursday night, a Dark Sky Caravan Star Party will be held on the campus of North House Folk School starting at 8 pm.

Hosted by the Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium,  the star parties will run from 8-11 p.m. each night. Starting at 8 pm participants can enjoy activities and presentations. Once it gets dark, they can gaze through telescopes and get a live sky tour of the stars and constellations visible. If it’s cloudy, don’t worry. Digital sky tours will be available so that participants can learn what to look for when it clears up.

Star Parties will also be held at the Seagull Lake Community Center on Friday, Aug. 9, from 4-6 pm with a portable dome and at Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center from 6:30-11 pm. The Chik-Wauk event will feature a campfire and S’mores in the early evening followed by star gazing after dark. A Star Party will also be held at the Schaap Community Center from 8-11 pm on Saturday, Aug. 10. All events are free and open to all.

Thursday night events continue.  Jazz on the Trail featuring music by Briand Morrison and Roxann Berglund and the North Shore Swing Band with Carah Thomas and Ben Nichols will be held at the Schaap Community Center on the Gunflint Trail from 6-8 pm.

The event is a fundraiser for the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department. It is free, with a suggested donation of $20, but any donation is welcome. The public is invited.

This is the final week of the Grand Marais Summer Theater Festival. The Grand Marais Playhouse is offering two plays this year:  “I’ll Be Back Before Midnight” by Peter Colley, and  “Curtain Up!” by Peter Quilter.

Performances are at 7 pm Thursday through Saturday and at 2 pm Sunday.  For more information and tickets, click here. Tickets can also be purchased at the door.

On Friday, the Grand Marais Public Library will host a Summer Reading Celebration Picnic featuring Will Sings Songs starting at 11 am.

Will Bjorndal is a musician and naturalist from Minnesota. He writes, records, and performs original music for kids with a focus on positivity, humor, and learning through curiosity. Many of his tunes are nature-themed, and others are just plain fun. He strives to create music that is fun and engaging for kids as well as fun-loving adults!

After Will’s performance, there will be a picnic lunch,  provided by the Library Friends of Cook County and Gene’s Foods. Everyone is welcome.

On Friday and Saturday, Bryan Hansel will be at a drop-in map-making event at the Superior Trading Post from 10 am to 2 pm each day.

If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to make your own maps, now is your chance. Hansel, a local photographer and cartographer was recently awarded a grant from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council and is inviting community members and visitors to a free drop-in map-making workshop this weekend.

No reservations are required; attendees of all ages are encouraged to drop in at any time during workshop hours. All materials will be provided free of charge.

“We’re offering a quick, fun introduction to hand-drawn cartography that celebrates our beautiful harbor,” Hansel said. “It’s a perfect activity for locals and tourists alike to capture their personal connection to this iconic landscape.” The public is invited.

On Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, the North Shore Music Association and Mixed Precipitation will present The Pick-up Truck Opera Vol. 4, Faust.

The opera will be performed on Friday, Aug. 9 at 6:30 pm at the Hovland Town Hall, and Saturday, Aug.10 at 3 pm at Sweetheart’s Bluff in the Grand Marais Campground & Recreation Area.

All performances are offered for a suggested donation ($5 – $45). Free for children under 12. Audiences are encouraged to bring a lawn chair and beverages for comfort and hydration.

The Pick-up Truck Opera Vol. 4, Faust is a French Romantic opera with new wave disco beats. It’s a deal with the devil as humanity shoots for the moon. It’s Mixed Precipitation’s 16th annual summer opera extravaganza.

In the not-so-distant future, scientist and entrepreneur Dr. Johann Faust faces a planet in crisis but no motivation to spare humanity its fate. Méphistophélès, a mysterious extraplanar entity with a devilish charm, appears with a bargain: Relocate Earth’s climate refugees to a lunar colony and win the love of the brilliant physicist Marguerite.

The music of Depeche Mode is laced into this tale, featuring the work of songwriters Vince Clarke and Martin Gore.

Here’s a video of an example of their music:

At Tettegouche State Park, the opening reception for painter Emily Donovan will be held on Friday, Aug. 9, at 7 pm. The public is invited.

The exhibit in the Great Hall continues through the end of the month.

Saturday opens with the Cook County Market, which is held in the parking lot of The Hub from 10 am to 2 pm.

The market features arts and crafts from local artists. Look for paintings, pottery, leatherwork, glass, rock lamps, jewelry and more. Open to all.

Also on Saturday, there will be a book signing of  “How the Birds Got Their Songs” at the Grand Portage Heritage Center from 10 am to noon. 

When the Great Spirit presents a challenge to the birds, one of the birds tricks the others and earns the prettiest song. Find out which bird—and where you can hear it today.

This treasured story handed down through the Zimmerman family, features traditional knowledge from the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Grand Portage direct descendant Sam Zimmerman’s vibrant illustrations showcase his deep love and respect for feathered creatures. Marcus Ammesmaki’s Ojibwemowin text brings the story full circle, encouraging language learners to explore this age-old depiction of our natural world—and inviting all readers to cherish the gift of birdsong.

Travis Zimmerman is the site manager at the Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post.  Sam Zimmerman/Zhaawanoogiizhik creates paintings in his Duluth studio.

Drury Lane Books will host a Meet and Greet with Dr. Mark Neužil, author of “Canoes: A Natural History in North America” at 11 am on Saturday.

His book was a finalist for a Minnesota Book Award; it was called “a visual as well as informative feast” by Booklist, “lovely and practical” in the Toronto Star, and “a fantastic adventure” by the Washington Post. Published by the University of Minnesota Press, it tells the story of North America’s most important watercraft, from the native tribes and the perfection of its engineering to modern-day synthetic boats that can be lifted with one hand. The book is filled with characters, from tribal craftsmen and women to voyageurs, adventurers, lovers, and those keeping the old ways alive. Filled with more than 300 images and several important maps of canoe routes old and new, the book is a loving tribute to the canoe experience. The public is invited.

Drury Lane Books will also host a special Author Talk and Seed Exchange event with Teresa Peterson, author of “Perennial Ceremony.”  A book signing and seed exchange to follow. The talk starts at 6 pm.

In this rich collection of prose, poetry, and recipes, Teresa Peterson shares how she found refuge from the struggle to reconcile her Christianity and Dakota spirituality; discovering solace and ceremony in communing with the earth, and observing and embracing the cycles of her garden. Through it all, Peterson walks with us along the path that both divides and joins Christian doctrine, everyday spiritual experience, and the healing powers of Indigenous wisdom and spirituality.

 Peterson, Utuhu Cistinna Win, is Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota, and a citizen of the Upper Sioux Community. She is the author, with her uncle Walter LaBatte Jr., of “Voices from Pejuhutazizi: Dakota Stories and Storytellers.” She also wrote the children’s book “Grasshopper Girl” and is a contributor to “Voices Rising: Native Women Writers.”

The event is free, open to the public, and mobility aid accessible.

On Sunday, Gunflint Trail musher  Anna Hennessy will give a presentation about her first running of the Iditarod at the Seagull Lake Community Center from 2-3 pm.

Born a winter lover, Anna first stepped on the runners of a dogsled on a windy lake in northern Minnesota and knew her life was forever changed. She began working with sled dogs in Minnesota and Alaska by guiding dog sled trips and sharing her passion for mushing with others, and from 2018 to 2021 she raced and trained with Sawtooth Racing, a kennel owned by good friends in Grand Marais.

Always dreaming about someday running the Iditarod, Anna decided to make the dream a reality and moved to Alaska in 2022 to race and train for the Iditarod with Shameless Huskies Kennel. Anna completed her Iditarod qualifying races in 2023. When not training and racing dogs, Anna works as an ER nurse and wilderness guide leading expeditions for teens and fostering the adventurous spirit, resilience, and self-empowerment for other young women that she learned from years of outdoor pursuits.

All presentations are family-friendly and free to the public, but donations are always appreciated.

On Wednesday, Aug. 14 at 5:30 pm at the Hovland Town Hall, the communities of Hovland and Grand Portage are hosting “The East End’s Got Talent!” a community potluck and talent show.

Writers, musicians, comedians, storytellers, and artists are invited to share a story, recite a poem, play an instrument, sing a song, tell a joke, or demonstrate an art technique. This community potluck and open mic night is open to all. Bring a dish to share, with family and friends, and plan to have a great time. Plates, utensils, cups, water, and wine will be provided.  Open to all.

On Thursday, Aug. 15, Grand Marais potter, Adrea Beres, will give a mini-workshop about methods to monoprint on Clay in the Ceramics Studio at the Grand Marais Art Colony. The event is from 5-8 pm.

Beres is a skilled potter who is working on a project to monoprint native plants on her work. The short workshop is free, but pre-registration is requested. To register, click here.

The Art Colony is holding a series of  Memory Cafe workshops with art therapist Erin Rafferty-Bugher on Aug. 15, 16, and 17  for caregivers of those with memory loss and/or dementia. The events are in partnership with Care Partners thanks to a grant from the North Shore Health Care Foundation.

The first workshop, Weaving Memories Together will be held at The Hub from 1-2;30 pm on Aug. 15.

The second workshop, The Heart of the Caregiver, will be held at Studio 21 from noon to 2:30 pm on Aug. 16.

The third workshop, Avoiding Practioner Burnout: Resiliency Trees, will be held from 9 am to noon at Studio 21 on Aug. 17.

(Note: Click on the links above to learn more.)

 

Exhibits: 

This is the final week of the exhibition, Of Place and Time, at the Johnson Heritage Post.

The exhibit features landscape paintings by Paula Gustafson, oil, and Linda Ricklefs Baudry, pastels. It is an inspiring exhibit and highly recommended. The Heritage Post is open from 10 am to 4 pm Wednesday through Saturday and from 1-4 pm Sunday. Free and open to the public.

This is the final month of the Grand Marais Art Colony‘s Summer Exhibition, Embodying the North Shore, which is currently on view at Studio 21. The exhibit continues through Aug. 31.

 The exhibit features past work by several well-known North Shore artists including Betsy Bowen, Jim Brandenburg, Dave Gilsvik, Keith Havens, Gene Martz, Lee and Dan Ross, Elaine Sivertson, Howard Sivertson, Liz Sivertson, and Jan Sivertson. 

Along with these North Shore artists, there is also a rare tapestry in the collection designed by Hungarian artist, Eva Nemeth.

All of the works have been donated to the Art Colony and are for sale now. To find out more, visit Studio 21 or call 218-387-2737.

Studio 21 is open from 10 am to 4 pm Thursday through Saturday.

“how to write a poem: rhyme, rhythm, and repetition in the permanent collection” is currently on exhibit at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery.

“‘how to write a poem’ is an exhibition about finding poetry within artworks from our Permanent Collection. The work of Ahmoo Angeconeb, Benjamin Chee Chee, Jane Ash Poitras, Robert Houle, and Michael Belmore, among others, is brought together to explore the questions: how does one artwork “rhyme” with another? In what way does an exhibition demonstrate rhythm or beat? What compels an artist (or poet) to examine themes, images, or mediums over and over? This exhibition examines artwork through the lens of poetry, treating these works as if they were poems brought together in an anthology providing a new entry point to thinking about the artists’ intentions and the stories they each seek to tell.”

Opportunities:

A call has gone out for submissions to MUSE, an exhibition of 12-inch x 12-inch works by members of the Grand Marais Art Colony and its 2024 program participants. Three-dimensional work that fits within 12 cubic inches is also accepted. The exhibition opens Sept. 27. The drop-off period begins Sept. 2. For more information, click here..

Artists at Work:

Online Findings:

Mark Abrahamson: Citizen of the Year

More Birding with Sparky Stensaas

Online Music:

Photographs:

Here is a selection of photos we found this week:

Wildlife:

 Flopwerscapes:

Landscapes, Cloudscapes & Waterscapes:

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Note: Here’s hoping that we hear from you this week. I put a lot of effort and thought into crafting an interesting experience for you every week. Your support shows me that it is worth it. To contribute, click on the link below. And thank you!

A big Thank You to Jeremy Lopez, Live Music schedule, tech advice;  Yvonne Mills, proofreading;  and Kari Carter, photo captions, for their support in putting out this week’s issue. And a big Thank You to Visit Cook County for its outstanding Events Calendar and to WTIP’s Will Moore for two music selections.