Around the Circle This Week: April 20, 2023

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Here on Earth: Earth Week is underway and thriving in communities around the Big Lake. Here's just a sampler:

• Join the good folk with Visit Keweenaw and the city of Houghton at the Houghton Waterfront Pier 10 a.m. on Saturday (Apr. 22) for Houghton Earth Day with a city cleanup, garden cleanup with the City of Houghton Beautification Committee and rock painting at the Portage Lake District Library. • In the Cook County Community Center in Grand Marais, Minn., Earth Day activities from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday include Speakers, interactive stations, live music, games, activities, local food and a story hour.

• In Duluth as part of its Earth Week events, Ecolibrium3 features a session Friday (Apr. 21) from 10-11 a.m. with experts from the National Renewable Energy Lab who will outline renewable energy and transportation opportunities in Duluth and how they can accelerate our clean energy transition in Eco3's Duluth Micromobility Hub LNPK. The group hosts a Lincoln Park clean up from 9 a.m.-noon Saturday (sign up in advance) starting at Ursa Minor Brewing. Ursa

Minor Brewing itself hosts a Sustainability Market on Sunday 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Also in Lincoln Park, Kirsten Aune Textiles offers "Brick and Mortar" starting at noon with a presentation by Martha Ritter on Sustainable Fashion and at 2 p.m. Tone Lanzillo will present "Journaling in a Climate-Change World". Throughout the afternoon there will be a Wheatgrass "Pop-Up", plastic installation "365 days of my Household Everyday Plastic Nightmare" and a "zero waste" fabric, hands on crafting table with Martha Ritter. Western Lake Superior Sanitary District in Duluth encourages everyone to safely clean out their yards, medicine cabinets and paint shelves for the Cortland Street Block Party, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. when it will take on those hazardous materials. And you can celebrate Earth Day by the Big Lake in Duluth’s Canal Park where the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center will host Earth Day Chalk & Talk from 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.. Chalk will be available and participants may leave Earth Day messages on the sidewalk in front of the visitor center. Various agencies such as the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, the St. Louis River Alliance, Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission and Minnesota Sea Grant will provide free, family friendly activity tables.

• In Bayfield, Wis., AdventureUs is offering 20% off on the reuseable bags it makes through Saturday as part of its Earth Day efforts.

• In Port Wing, Wis., White Winter Meadery, Cidery & Distillery hosts a musical Earth Day celebration starting at 7 p.m. that brings together the writings of great naturalists, John Muir and Sigurd Olson, intertwined with the music of Ed Willett and Cheryl Leah (a.k.a. “Chance”) along with songwriting master and Big Top Chautauqua creator Warren Nelson.

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One & Done?: The long anticipated final flakes in Duluth's race to the top of its record winter snowfall arrived overnight, blowing the old record out of the water (so to speak) with 1.7 more inches than the 1995-96 record of 135.4 inches. (There may be more coming.) Meanwhile, Brainerd, Minn., and Bayfield, Wis., already topped their past records on Monday when Brainerd logged 85.3 inches topping 80.6 in 1996-97 and Bayfield reached 171.6. Bayfield really went beyond its old record of 150.3 inches set in the winter of 2013-14. Ok, we're done now, right? No more snow! Not so fast, according the National Weather Service Duluth. "Additional rounds of snow and mixed wintry precipitation are expected across northeast Minnesota later today, along with mainly rain and a few thunderstorms in northwest Wisconsin. Expected snowfall amounts have increased a bit, and Winter Storm Warnings have been issued for areas north and west of the Iron Range. Winds will be very gusty today along the (Minnesota) North Shore." We were so excited about this in Duluth that Mayor Emily Larson was going to have a press conference this afternoon but … wait for it … it was cancelled due to the weather. The Upper Peninsula in Michigan is expected rain, thunder and sleet throughout the day, says the National Weather Service Marquette. Environment Canada forecasts showers in Sault Ste. Marie and for Thunder Bay about 7 cm total (nearly 3 inches) of snow mixed with ice pellets. Is there an ice pellets record? Let's NOT go for it.

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Writerly Things: We are an area blessed with lots of water and, as it turns out, lots of great writers and writer events. There are a few writerly things coming up that might interest those interested in books and writing.

On Saturday, Apr. 22, Thomas Peacock, whose book The Wolf’s Trail, An Ojibwe Story Told by Wolves, is the current One Book Northland pick, will be speaking at 2 p.m. Saturday (Apr. 22) in The Depot and virtually for the Book Club for Writers, hosted by our

editor, Konnie LeMay, for the Lake Superior Writers. The event is free, but registration is requested by 6 p.m. Friday to send out the link. The Minnesota Arts Board and voters of the state of Minnesota provided the grant funding. Thomas will address the importance of a cultural voice in his writing and will talk about his latest works, including Walking Softly and a reprint of the anthology To Be Free: Understanding & Eliminating Racism. Meanwhile .... on Saturday morning from 10 a.m.-noon, the Cloquet Public Library is hosting a craft-making and storytelling time to celebrate the One Book Northland. Students from the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Head Start Project with lead craft making to create wolf masks.

Save these writerly dates and it won't cost you a thing:

Apr. 23-30 – The inaugural Great Lakes Poetry Festival hosted by Peter White Public Library in Marquette features readings, workshops, a film showing and a teen poetry contest along with other events.

Apr. 26, starting at 5 p.m – Celebrate and help to fund the Duluth Public Library on national Library Giving Day at Hoops Brewing Co. You can enjoy storytime with Chris Monroe, award-winning local author of Monkey with a Toolbelt, which has been adapted for the Netflix series “Chico Bon Bon: Monkey With a Tool Belt”; play book bingo and the chance to win over $1,000 in great prizes from local businesses; tap into free activities and books for children in partnership with the Friends of the Duluth Public Library; buy food onsite from Chachos Taqueria; visit a pop-up store hosted by Zenith Bookstore.

Apr. 29, 1-2:30 p.m. – On National Independent Bookstore Day, Minnesota author Lorna Landvik will be at Drury Lane Books in downtown Grand Marais, Minn.

Apr. 29, 12:30-2:30 p.m. – The Bookstore at Fitger’s in Duluth hosts Julie Jo Larson, author of 100 Things to Do in Minnesota Before You Die for a book signing.

May 10, 6-8 p.m. – Tap into the virtual panel discussion, "Small Press, Big Deal," with three regional writer/publishers – Sparky Stensaas of Kollath-Stensaas Publishing, Betsy Albert-Peacock of Black Bears & Blueberries Publishing, and Mike Savage of Savage Press.

May 12, 4-6 p.m. – Prolific Canadian authors Eric Walters and Anna Porter  read at Definitely Superior Art Gallery in Thunder Bay. The free event is sponsored by the Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop.

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Edna Loves the Northland: For the second year in a row, an author from northern Wisconsin has earned the Edna Ferber Fiction Book Award, sponsored by the Wisconsin Writers Council. Carol Dunbar's first novel, The Net Beneath Us, netted the top honor, which comes with a $500 award and a five-day stay at Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts. The award is given to the best fiction book published by a Wisconsin writer the year before. Carol is from near rural Superior, and recently was the guest at a Book Club for Writers in Duluth. We love her because her About Carol page simply states: "I am a writer and I live in the woods." Her second novel, A Winter's Rime, comes out soon. Last year, the Edna Ferber Fiction Book Award went to lifelong Superior resident Anthony Bukoski for his work The Blondes of Wisconsin. It was the fourth time he earned the honor.

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Make Plans: Here are a few events coming up soon to put on a fun-do list:

Michigan

Today-Saturday, Apr. 20-22: Take in the musical comedy "Grease" at the Forest Roberts Theatre on the Northern Michigan University campus in Marquette at 7:30 p.m. showings.

Sunday, Apr. 23: Michigan Technological University's Visual and Performing Arts Department in Houghton will present a special tribute from 1-3 p.m. in memory of professor emeritus and former department chair, Dr. Milton “Milt” Olsson (1940-2021). The free event will take place at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts and will feature musical performances, including the Alumni Choral Concert doing music written by Milt, by the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra, plus speakers, awarding of the Milt Olsson Endowed Scholarship and a reception with light refreshments. "The joyful tribute … gives an opportunity for the community to celebrate Olsson’s life and will feature performances of his original compositions and speakers who will pay tribute to his tremendous contributions and dedication to Michigan Tech, the Keweenaw community, and his loving family," say organizers.

Minnesota

Friday, Apr. 21: Minnesota Ballet’s Friday Night Fever starts with a social hour and silent auction in the Depot Great Hall with complimentary Lava Lamp cocktails (or mocktails) and heavy hors d'oeuvres by The Boat Club, Lake Avenue Cafe, MidCoast Catering, Pizza Luce and more. Then the party moves downstairs to Studio Four for a fantastic live auction, rocking dance party complete with disco dance lessons by North Shore Ballroom, and a performance by Minnesota Ballet that organizers say is “sure to put John Travolta to shame.” 1970s attire encouraged but not required, though prizes will be awarded for the best disco-inspired looks

Friday, Apr. 21: Mentor North hosts Goofing Off for a Good Cause starting 7 p.m. at Hoops Brewing Co. in Duluth. Enjoy Renegade Improv sketch comedy, a goofy outfit contest and Goof Olympics plus food and craft brews to buy and a dessert auction.

Friday-Saturday, Apr. 21-22: Supporters of the North House Folk School in Grand Marais can join in the Volunteer Weekend to spruce up the campus. "We'll meet each morning at 9 a.m. and divide into project teams," say organizers. "There will be projects for all skill levels and abilities – everything from garden clean-up to furniture refinishing and window washing to picnic table construction and more! We will have indoor and outdoor projects, so the weekend will proceed rain or shine. The work will wrap up at 4 p.m. each day. Lunch will be provided both days."

Wisconsin

Saturday, Apr. 22: Enjoy the timeless music of Patsy Cline brought to life when musician and performer Joyann Parker returns to the Park Center stage in Hayward starting at 7:30 p.m. In this stage tribute show, “The Music of Patsy Cline,” Parker and her band showcase the most popular of Cline’s songs.

Ends Sunday, Apr. 23: The 17th Annual Paws for Love fund-raising auction for the Humane Society of Douglas County ends Sunday at 9 p.m. The auction is virtual and features more than 300 items.

Ontario

Ends Sunday, Apr. 23: This weekend are the final performances for Bear Grease by Lightning Cloud gifts an hilarious Indigenous twist on the classic musical Grease.

Tuesday, Apr. 25: The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce and 2Spirit Anishnabe Storytelling & Advocacy invite you to the presentation and discussion, 2Spirit & LGBTQ+ Pride, 9-10:30 a.m. This presentation, facilitated by Ozhawa Anung Kwe/Yellow Star Woman (Teddy Syrette), will engage with participants to explore what they know and what they think they know about 2Spirit and Queer-Trans Indigenous experiences and histories. The presentation will review some of the LGBTQ+ Pride history of Canada. Everyone is encouraged to come with an open heart, mind and spirit. Advance registration required.

Photo & graphic credits: Visit Keweenaw; Ecolibrium3; National Weather Service Duluth; Thomas Peacock/Lake Superior Writers; Carol Dunbar; Michigan Technological University/North House Folk School/Park Center/Sault Ste. Marie Chamber