A Hallmark Holiday Unwind with a Bit of Big Lake Ambiance
Hallmark holiday movies can be as predictable as any light-read romance novel … and equally addicting in a sweet way.
So if you need a break from the hustle-bustle this weekend to sit down, snuggle and suspend any Scroogy disbelief, you might want to tune into “Rescuing Christmas.” All but one of the main cast members are Minnesota-based and many of the extras are Duluthians. Plus, much of the filming was done here by the Lake, like in the Lincoln Park neighborhood and at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum (in photo).
The plot revolves around Santa’s elves, Chuck and Debbie, devising a plan to grant three wishes one human to kickstart the holidays. Unfortunately, love-weary Erin, their chosen subject, has grown weary of the season. Her third wish is that Christmas would “just disappear.” Mortified when it actually happens, Erin starts a quest to recover Christmas, enlisting Sam, a charming blind date set up by her sister, to help. For anyone who has watched a Hallmark movie, it’s not a spoiler alert to say that Christmas is saved.
The movie is produced by MarVista with producer Mandy June Turpin, who also led the production of Hulu’s “Merry Kiss Cam” filmed in Duluth in 2022. You can read our Lake Superior Magazine story, Roll Cameras on the Birth of an Industry, about that film and our blossoming Big Lake film industry here.
The main cast members include Elf Debbie, played by native Duluthian Bailey Stender, who moved to Los Angeles in 2019 and has appeared in shows on Paramount and Disney, among other gigs. Others include Twin Cities actors Rachael Leigh Cook (Erin); Patrick O’Brien (Chuck) and T. Mychael Rambo (the big guy himself, Santa). Sam Page, who plays Sam, is a native of Milwaukee.
“Rescuing Christmas” is streaming on a number of channels, including Hallmark, of course, and YouTube. Read more about the film here.
Bog Folks Love the Winter
Winter is the “hot” season at the Sax-Zim Bog for pro-birders and casual nature lovers. It is one of the premier areas in the country to see boreal birds such as the great gray owl and boreal chickadee, and thus it attracts birders from around the world.
Already, the Friends of the Sax-Zim Bog have begun offering seasonal field trips, talks and webinars.
Free Friday talks, which continue through March, are at the Lois King Education Center and upcoming scheduled speakers will be:
Sparky Stensaas (in photo), director of the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog with his talk “Invasion of the Vole Catchers” (Dec. 29); Steven Nelson from the National Resources Research Institute (NRRI) at University of Minnesota Duluth talking about golden winged warblers (Jan. 12); and
Michael Joyce, also from NRRI, talking about fisher and marten conservation (Jan. 26).
Webinars will be Thursday evenings. They are also free, but required pre-registration. Plus there are field trips almost every Saturday and Sunday to get people out into the bog. They include winter birding, general phenology, skulls, snowshoeing and more. These field trips can fill up, so register early. Field trips are free for members of Friends of Sax-Zim Bog.
In-person events take place at the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center in Toivola, which is open daily to mid-March. Follow updates and register through the website here.
Opportunities to Explore
Earlier this week, the Finlandia Foundation was just $600,000 shy of its goal to raise $3 million by the end of 2023 for "Saving Finland in America". The fundraiser is to help preserve the cultural and heritage assets that are in jeopardy due to the closing in 2023 of Finlandia University in Hancock, Mich. (In the spirit of generous giving, we are using the foundation’s Facebook cover photo – a Finnish Santa with a reindeer.)
The ever-popular souvenir buttons for the Bon Soo Winter Carnival in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., are on sale now for the 2024 61st edition of the festival. The $10 (Can.) button gets you into most carnival events without an additional fee. A new $8 jacket tag has also been added this year for those needing a less expensive option with the same access.
Register by Saturday (Dec. 23) to be part of the Friends of the Lake Superior Reserve’s first Christmas Bird Count in Superior. Sign up through the friends website. Bird counters are encouraged to meet Dec. 30 at the Lake Superior Estuarium on Barker’s Island at 7 a.m. for refreshments and supplies before separating into groups to document bird species and numbers in the surrounding areas. Supplies include a bird list and binoculars that can be taken out on loan. The counting lasts until 4:30 p.m. Please contact jessie.green@folsr.org with questions.
Western Lake Superior Sanitary District in Duluth and area partners kick off the annual Treecycling program today (Dec. 21), encouraging residents to recycle their fresh-cut holiday trees. This free program offers multiple dropoff locations available 24-hours a day throughout the region. “Holiday trees, like yard and garden waste, are banned from the trash in Minnesota,” says AJ Axtell, WLSSD’s director of community relations. “Trees contain valuable resources that can be reclaimed through Treecycling. Collected trees will be ground up and composted, saving landfill space while safely managing any invasive species that may have been brought into the region from non-local sites.”
Find the sites and dates here.
• Also in Duluth, Superior and Hermantown, Twin Ports Trailer Trash offers its 3rd Annual Christmas Tree Pickup, Jan. 4-5. The service is free. The trees must be bare (no ornaments, lights, garland, tinsel, etc.); be real (no artificial or flocked trees) and be trees (no wreaths). Trees must be left curbside. Watch for details on Facebook.
• Or In Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Just Junk will haul off your tree for free the first week of January. Read the details on SooToday.
Ever want to name something in a public school? If you can give a financial contribution, sponsorship or the provision of equipment, materials, land or services, you might qualify for naming rights within the Superior Public School District. The district has opened naming rights for more than a dozen facilities, from a high school performing arts center or athletic fields to elementary school playgrounds. Call David Coy at 715-394-8700 for all the details … and check out the application here.
Make Plans: Here are a few events coming up soon to put on a fun-do list:
Michigan
Friday, Dec. 22: Head to the Houghton County Arena in Hancock to Skate with Santa and the Hancock Bulldogs from 6:45-8 p.m. Make sure to bring your own skates to the free event.
Friday, Dec. 22: Join in the Christmas Carol Sing-along at 5 p.m. in Messiah Lutheran Church in Marquette. All ages welcome and featuring Marquette Choral Society, Marquette Male Chorus, Superior Handbells; Messiah Choirs and Marquette Hope First Choir.
Saturday, Dec. 23: Get in the mood for the holiday at the Elf Brunch at the Delft Bistro in Marquette. Themed on the movie “Elf,” enjoy a pancake bar featuring candy, candy canes, candy corn and syrup, potatoes "O'Buddy," chicken and waffles, quiche, and all the usual brunch favorites. Plus make some snowflakes and keep your eyes open for special guests.
Minnesota
Ends Tuesday, Dec. 26: Just a few more days to stroll through the wonder of the Bentleyville lights on Duluth’s waterfront. The free light display is open nightly, 5-9 p.m. Sun.-Thurs. and 5-10 p.m. Fri.-Sat., including Christmas.
Tonight & Saturday, Dec. 21 & 23: Up Yonder in Grand Marais will host some musical interludes for you this weekend. Tonight the North Shore Swing Band will perform starting at 7 p.m. with holiday music, dancing and the delightful vocal stylings of Carah Thomas. Then on Saturday, enjoy Medicine River from 8-11 p.m.
Tonight, Dec. 21: The Good Harbor Hill Players present its Winter Solstice Shadow Puppet Show, 6 p.m. at North House Folk School in Grand Marais. The “Chick-a-dee-Show-show-show” has become a beloved annual presentation for children, parents and grandparents. There is an inside potluck afterward and a bonfire outside.
Wisconsin
Ending Dec. 30: A good retreat in the between-holidays week would be a trip to the Washburn Cultural Center for the final days of the show featuring original artworks by Rabbett Before Horses Strickland, a Red Cliff Ojibwe artist, and Leah Yellowbird of Metis heritage. Leah emphasizes traditional-contemporary style Ojibwe florals in a large array of mediums including beadwork, quillwork and textiles. Rabbett’s vibrant oil paintings have been influenced by European Renaissance and Baroque masters, including Botticelli, Michelangelo, Titian, Velasquez, Rubens and Leonardo, and strongly by Ojibwe narratives and culture.
Friday, Dec. 22: The Saron Bell Choir Christmas Concert begins at 7 p.m. in the Saron Lutheran Church in Ashland. Free will offering will benefit The Brick.
Friday, Dec. 22: Spin the joy with a Festival Holiday Vinyl Party at The Portage in Cable, starting at 7 p.m. Enjoy the DJ-curated collection or bring your own favorite for the turntable. Martini specials available and ugly sweaters (or classier holiday attire) encouraged.
Saturday, Dec. 23: No time left for cookie baking? No worries. You can buy cookies by the pound, 9 a.m.-noon (or until they are gone), Habitat for Humanity of Sawyer County’s first Cookie Walk Fundraiser, 10191 N. Greenwood Ln. in Hayward. Cookies are $8/pound and you choose your favorites.
Saturday, Dec. 23: Join meadmaker Jon, Billy Barnard and Joe DeRasmi for an afternoon of singing good, old-time Christmas carols at White Winter Mead, Cider & Spirits in Iron River from 1-3 p.m.. There will be warm Glogg, Hot Cocoa, Tom & Merrys and some nice charcuterie … and you can do any last-minute shopping to boot.
Saturday, Dec. 23: Join Santa on the ice at the Hayward Sports Center and Community Park rink from 4-5:30 p.m. Get your picture taken with Santa while skating … and give some last minute wishes.
Wednesday, Dec. 27: Join in the Charlie Brown Skating Party at the Hayward Tot Lot, 6-8 p.m. and presented by the Northern Nerd.
Ontario
Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 23-24: Create your own Himmeli Ornament at the Thunder Bay Museum either Saturday or Sunday. The museum is hosting free drop-in craft events for children 6 and older. Come between 1-4 p.m, to make your ornament. You can do your last minute shopping during the museum’s extended hours, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 23: Sault Noir hosts “Santa Goes Viral,” the twisted tale of Nick, the underperforming son of a disapproving father, who faces responsibility for the first time - with disastrous results. Featuring original choreography, live musicians and vocals by Gabi Dumas at The Grand Theatre in Sault Ste. Marie. Starts at 8:30 p.m.
Photo & graphic credits: Rescuing Christmas/Hallmark & MarVista; Friends of the Sax-Zim Bog; Finlandia Foundation; Bon Soo Winter Carnival; Western Lake Superior Sanitary District; Houghton County Arena/Bentleyville USA/Washburn Cultural Center/Thunder Bay Museum