Surfs Way Up: Lake Superior surfing seems to be getting a lot of attention lately. The Wall Street Journal (you need to sign in) as well as the local Duluth News Tribune and Northern News Now (free viewing) television have all done stories and videos. The pounding waves certainly are impressive in the Northern News Now video. According to the "SToNeY PoiNT surf spot" Facebook site, despite the testy weather yesterday, the waves started out small in the afternoon (1-3 feet) before reaching up to 6 feet or so. We love the observation of surfer Yvonne Wilkie: "Going to be something rideable somewhere!"
Celebrate Winter: Coming off a week of more snow, it may seem like winter just will never blossom into spring. So be it! say the good folks in Bayfield. This weekend, Bayfield puts on some great events to celebrate the season. The Bayfield Winter Festival packs Friday-Sunday (Mar. 3-5) with family fun and reasons to hang out with the neighbors. Find the jam-packed schedule online. Come "Freeze Your Glass Off" Friday night opens the weekend downtown at The Creamery with live music, drink specials and games. Howl Adventure Center hosts a candlelit snowshoe hike or ski topped off with hot cocoa or an Adventure Club Brew next to the fire. On Saturday, the main event is the annual Jack Beagan Memorial Polar Plunge to benefit the Bayfield Recreation and Fitness Resources. Water temp in early March on Lake Superior is right around freezing. Take the plunge yourself or cheer on the costumed participants. Also Saturday afternoon (1-4 p.m.) you can help Helping PAWS Pet Rescue Inc. with donations or you might even find a kitty to take home. On Sunday, hit the slopes or Nordic ski trails at Mt. Ashwabay. Lift tickets and nordic trail passes will be free. Warm up at Wild Rice Retreats' Sauna or check out the snowscultping contest at Howl Adventure Center. So don't lament our loooooong season of white - celebrate it.
What a Raffle: The 37th annual Fort William Rotary House Lottery fundraiser is underway with more than 25% of the tickets already sold. Besides the $750,000 house for one grand prize winner, there is $50,000 in Early Bird and Cash Draws beginning weekly on Apr. 6. The 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom bi-level home built by Triad Contracting is located at 488 Muskrat Dr. in Thunder Bay and has a completely finished basement and kitchen appliances. The final drawing is on Canada Day, July 1, at 6:30 p.m.-ish, in Thunder Bay Marina Park. Tickets, of which 20,000 were printed, are not cheap ($100 for 1 or a 3-pack for $250 Can.), but hey, it's a house … and for good causes. Last year, the lottery raised just over $436,000 for support of such organizations as the Thunder Bay Regional Hospital, Wilderness Discovery Centre, George Jeffrey Children’s Foundation, the Shelter House, Regional Food Distribution Association, St Joseph’s Hospital Foundation, Our Kids Count, the Boys & Girls Club, the Lakehead Festival of Music for the Arts, the Art Gallery and Camp Quality.
Make Plans: Here are a few events coming up soon to put on a fun-do list:
Michigan
Saturday, Mar. 4: Keweenaw Mountain Lodge at Copper Harbor has a weekend of outdoor activities, including Dawg Daze, a fun event celebrating winter, trails and dogs. There will be four events: a time trial skijoring race called the “Perimeter Dog Derby” that circumnavigates the Perimeter Loop, a dog and human costume contest, a best trick contest and an award for the furriest dog. Also on Saturday will be the monthly Moonlit Snowshoe Hike. Staff members lead an interpretive snowshoe hike around the lodge property. The hikes are free to both lodge guests and the general public, but registration required. The last monthly hike will be April 8.
Sunday-Saturday, Mar. 5-11: Downtown Marquette Restaurant Week makes the perfect time to "sample the city," with participating restaurants offering a wide variety delicious meals at special prices. Whether it is fine dining, local seafood, artisan baked goods, pub grub, authentic ethnic cuisine, or a stacked sandwich, test out your favorite meals.
Minnesota
Thru Saturday, Mar. 1-4: If you've never seen a FIRST Robotics Competition, head to the DECC in Duluth this weekend for both the Lake Superior and Northern Lights Regionals to be amazed by the creations of high school students around the region. Students from over 50 area schools in Minnesota and Wisconsin will showcase their hard work after an intense six weeks of designing and building an original robot to do a specifically assigned task. Winners earn a chance to proceed toward international competition.
Friday, Mar. 3: The Grand Marais Public Library features a showing of "Song without a Name" with doors open at 5:30 p.m. Set in Peru, the film follows Georgina, whose newborn daughter is stolen at a fake health clinic. Her desperate search for the child leads her to the headquarters of a major newspaper, where she meets a lonely journalist who takes on the investigation.
Wisconsin
Tonight, Mar. 2: Deerfoot Lodge & Resort near Hayward starting at 6 p.m.offers snowshoeing along an ice luminary lit trail on the lake, live music with Tanya Thorne and a roaring bonfire with s'mores. Dinner and drinks (including hot toddies) available for purchase throughout the night. There is no charge for this event if you bring your own snowshoes.
Wednesday, Mar. 8: The monthly River Talks at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday will offer “History of the Upper Estuary and Fond du Lac Neighborhood: River History and Winter Stories,” an in-person presentation at the Lake Superior Estuarium Confluence Room on Barker’s Island in Superior. The talk will feature Christine Carlson, historian and for 13 years, author of a popular column in the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa newspaper “Nagaajiwanaang Dibaajimowinan,” and Mark McConnell, an elder with the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and collaborator with the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve education program. Christine will share historic insights about the Fond du Lac neighborhood of Duluth and Mark will share traditional winter stories. This talk is held in conjunction with the 13th annual St. Louis River Summit, but registration is not required to attend this talk, and the public is welcome.The 13th annual St. Louis River Summit in Superior brings together various presentations and activities around one of Lake Superior's two main tributaries.
Ontario
Friday-Sunday, Mar. 3-5: 31st annual Wawa Ice Fishing Derby is underway. The event generally draws 1,400 participants. Prizes are awarded for the six largest fish of any game species caught on a derby lake for a total of 18 prizes to be awarded.
Saturday, Mar. 4: The Sleeping Giant Loppet presents its 44th annual race this year in Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. The ski race gets underway at 9 a.m. Registration kits, including bibs and timing chips, must be picked up at Kamview Nordic Centre today or Friday from 3-8 p.m. The chalet is offering a "classic" chili special to skiers on those days, so participants can enjoy a hot meal and pick-up their kit at the same location.
Photo & graphic credits: Northern News Now; Bayfield Chamber of Commerce; Fort William House Raffle; Marquette Restaurant Week/FIRST Robotics/The River Talks/Wawa Ice Fishing Derby