Lake Superior Magazine
Marcia Hales light display
ABC show to feature Duluth lighting display
Lights, camera, action – with emphasis on “lights.”
Producers of ABC’s “The Great Christmas Light Fight” chose Marcia Hales of Duluth and her grandson Zach Dieter to be one of 20 families competing for the top spot (and a substantial monetary prize) in the program’s third season.
Marcia’s magical walk-through light display on Park Point has dazzled visitors from around the world for nearly two decades with the tasteful twinkling of its tens of thousands of lights. The Duluth News Tribune’s Christa Lawler was there for the taping in October and filed this report.
The Light Fight starts December 7 on ABC. Marcia’s episode airs the following week, on Monday, December 14, at 8 p.m.
If you want to see the lights in person, the display opens to the public today, December 4. Marcia’s address is 3739 S. Lake Ave. on Park Point. The display closes after the first week of January.
+ Know of an awesome lighting display in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario? The city seeks nominations for its annual Christmas Lighting Awards. Submit a residence or business by December 16.
Lake levels remain high
Above-average water supplies to Lake Superior in November slowed the Lake’s seasonal decline, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports, and the Lake starts December 5 inches (13 cm) above long-term average.
Here’s the update: “The level of Lake Superior declined 1 cm (0.4 in) last month, while on average the lake falls 5 cm (2 in) in November. The Lake Superior level at the beginning-of-December is 13 cm (5 in) above average, 9 cm (4 in) below the level recorded a year ago at this time, and 37 cm (15 in) above its chart datum level.”
Coast Guard says Cornelia detained for discharge of oily water
The oceangoing vessel Cornelia, anchored in Duluth for nearly a month now, is being investigated “for allegations involving violations related to the discharge of oily water,” according to a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard. “It does not appear that the discharge occurred within the port of Duluth-Superior.”
Due to the ongoing investigation, the Coast Guard couldn’t tell us where the alleged discharge occurred.
Until now, the Coast Guard had said very little about the investigation, leaving Twin Ports residents puzzled by the ship’s continued presence in the waters near the Duluth Ship Canal. It loaded grain on November 3-4, but wasn’t allowed to start its overseas voyage. The case was given to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota on November 9.
The Cornelia’s owner is currently negotiating a security agreement with the Coast Guard that would allow the vessel to leave port while the investigation continues. The Welland Canal that links lakes Erie and Ontario closes on December 26; if the Cornelia doesn’t leave Duluth by December 18, it could be stuck on the Great Lakes for the winter.
Overfishing threatens Lake Superior cisco: “Commercial fishermen on the North Shore of Lake Superior are busy wrapping up their busiest time of the year. But they know that if things don't turn around, if solutions aren't found, their livelihoods could come to an end,” reports Dan Kraker for Minnesota Public Radio. Stephen Dahl, featured in that MPR story, wrote a Lake Superior Journal for us in 2012 about making a living on our inland sea.
An upside to a warm December: The late start to cold weather eases municipal budgets strained by a string of costly long winters, says Jamie Smith of TBNewsWatch.
Sault Ste. Marie to host NHL preseason game next year: The Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres will play at the Essar Centre on October 5, 2016, reports SooToday.
Herbster dog among nation’s elite: Otter, trained by Bayfield Postmaster Mike Adank, is one win away from enshrinement in the American Kennel Club’s Hall of Fame for hunting dogs. Rick Olivo of the Ashland Daily Press has the story.