The Season of White … Fur
Some local western Lake Superior photographers are noticing our entry into the winter via the critters they're spotting on their photo safaris.
John Dahlman noted the transition with two different snowshoe hares up by Floodwood, Minn., from their summer brown to their winter white. Since Minnesota has yet to get its first really stay-on-the-ground snowfall of any substance, he wondered whether the change was helpful right now. "Once the snow falls, they are nearly impossible to see unless they are moving," John says, who added he hasn't noticed this pre-snow change in the past. "I captured these photos on my daily drive looking for wildlife and nature photos ops."
Chris Balzer, Minnesota DNR wildlife manager in Cloquet, says the hares' hairs change based on the length of daylight more than what's on the ground around them. "They change at the right time on most years," Chris tells us, but adds some years, "they turn white, and there’s still a brown background, which isn’t good for them." What is good for them as the Minnesota DNR website explains, is that "the snowshoe hare is extremely fast and agile, reaching speeds of 30 mph and jumping 12 feet in a single bound."
Find more about Minnesota's snowshoe hares here.
Meanwhile up in Thunder Bay, wildlife photographer and naturalist Connie Hartviksen spotted a seasonally altered neighbor on her porch. TBay is also a little snow-shy for this time of year. Connie posted of her visitor …
“Mustela erminea – also known as Ermine; Stoat; Short-Tailed Weasel.
I had a visitor today right to my front steps. It is all decked out in its winter coat and ready for snow. The Ermine changes its fur color from a reddish-brown to a stark white as summer turns into winter. They make this change so they can disappear in the snow, which makes it much easier to both hunt prey and avoid predators. The tip of their tail will remain a dark black during all seasons. It was easy to spot without snow for camouflage, but not for long. I was happy to capture a few quick images. They are such curious and somewhat fearless little creatures. I hope it sticks around. I am sure it is attracted to mice and other small rodents that collect around the base of my bird feeders at night."
As to the snow … the National Weather Service in Duluth tells us the next chance for any snow in northern Minnesota will be Sunday, but no hefty snowstorms are on the horizon, just near or above normal temperatures. The NWS Marquette station also predicts light snow today with no real additional accumulation to the thin white layer on the ground. The eastern part of the Big Lake is faring better for winter (so to speak). Earlier there were reports of white-out conditions along the eastern Ontario shore, as posted on Tuesday: "The City of Sault Ste. Marie is experiencing a Significant Weather Event with heavy snowfall conditions continuing until further notice. Environment Canada has issued a snow squall warning for Sault Ste. Marie with peak snowfall accumulations of 15 to 25 cm. Reduced visibility at times in heavy snow and blowing snow is expected into Tuesday morning. Motorists should expect hazardous winter driving conditions."
Names Will Change, But Mission Remains
The U.S. Coast Guard Ninth District (the Great Lakes region) announced upcoming name changes to two sectors this week. On Dec. 1, Sector Sault Ste. Marie, whose mission includes overseeing Lake Superior operations, will become Coast Guard Sector Northern Great Lakes and Sector Buffalo will become Coast Guard Sector Eastern Great Lakes.
"This name change is designed to better reflect our broad area of responsibility across Lake Superior, Northern Lake Huron and Northern Lake Michigan," posts Sector Sault. The sector commands 11 subordinate field units which including eight multi-mission small boat stations, one marine safety unit and two aids to navigation teams. It also oversees Operation Taconite, the USCG’s largest domestic icebreaking operation. Sector Sault (soon to be Sector Northern) as you can see from the photos of the USCG cutter Buckthorn and other smaller boats already has snow.
Read the full Coast Guard announcement here.
Maritime PS - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today that the MacArthur Lock at Sault Ste. Marie will be closed Dec. 17-Apr. 24 to perform dam safety inspections and routine maintenance. That will leave only the Poe Lock open for the remainder of this maritime season until Jan. 15, 2024. Next Thursday, Dec. 7, on Pearl Harbor Day, historian Scott Bjorklund, a U.S. Army Corps park ranger at the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center in Duluth, will discuss Duluth-Superior Harbor shipbuilding and the critical role the Mesabi Iron Range played in arming the allies during World War II. The virtual event is free.
Marcia's Spirit in Lights Still Shining in a New Locale
The Merryweather Inn in Duluth has decorated its grounds with some of the more than 120,000 lights that once graced Marcia Hales "Spirit in the Lights" walk-through display on Park Point.
It was thought the light display might be lost forever when Glensheen, which had taken over the lights, decided to go a different direction in its outdoor holiday displays this year. But when it was "lights out" at Glensheen, Marcia said she received lots of offers to take them over. She chose the one from Beth Koralia, who took over the former Olcott House about five years ago and transformed the mansion into the Merryweather Inn, a bed-and-breakfast inn in one of Duluth's historic home neighborhoods.
"I ultimately decided to give it to Beth, who has a mansion and wants to do the more traditional light display like I had,” she told Melinda Lavine of the Duluth News Tribune.
Beth tells us she already had wanted to do a similar kind of display at the mansion, which constantly attracts drive-by photo takers. "I love Christmas," says Beth, adding she loved Marcia's original walk-through display and wanted to preserve it. "It’s just a big part of Duluth history and so important to Duluth."
Beth plans to allow visitors to walk around the light display starting Friday, and she will have a guest book like Marcia used to have plus cookies. Also like Marica's holiday stop, you can donate to an animal shelter, Healing Paws, and to help out with display – and cookie – costs. There are also a few "rules of the road" for visitation, including departure by 10 p.m.:
"Do not ring the doorbell. It disturbs the overnight guests. Only overnight guests are permitted in the house at this time.
"Tag us in your photos on instagram and facebook @merryweatherinn #merryweatherinn
"Sign the guestbook – it's in the little pink hut
"Letters to Santa are accepted in the green mail box on the little pink house to the right of the stairs. There are cookies in there, too."
Merryweather Inn also hosts spectacular inside holiday decorations that you can enjoy as part of its Christmas Tea events, 1-3 p.m., Saturdays through Dec. 18.
Lake Superior Magazine's Bob Berg did a story about the lights while they were still showing a Marcia's home. You can read it here.
LSM also published the story of how Marcia started her magical display as well as how many people's lives it touched in wonderful and healing ways. To celebrate the lights being on once again, we're offering a half-price discount on the book about the lights by Chuck Frederick. Spirit of the Lights, One Woman, 120,000 Lights & Countless Lives Touched will be $7.95 through the holidays.
Link here for some stories from the book. To read how Chuck first came to experience Marica's lights (and how it touched his own family with a Christmas wish that came true) link here.
The Big Lake Region at Play(s)
Stages around the Lake Superior neighborhood are coming alive with productions.
Performances of the Duluth Playhouse's Sound of Music (in photo) filled up so fast it added two Wednesday shows. There also is an Audio Description performance on Saturday at 2 p.m. and an American Sign Language performance at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 15.
The Minnesota Ballet presents its "The Nutcracker: A Duluth Tale" in the Symphony Hall of the Duluth DECC on Dec. 8-10, with Friday and Saturday performances at 7 p.m. and Sunday's show at 3 p.m.
The Grand Marais Playhouse features evening and matinee performances of Twas the Night Before Christmas in the Arrowhead Center for the Arts in Grand Marais, Minn., starting this weekend (Dec. 1-3; 8-10). Friday and Saturday shows are at 7 p.m. and Sunday shows are at 2 p.m.
Enjoy Fiddler on the Roof performances, 7 p.m. tonight through Saturday, at the Sault Community Theatre Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
In Thunder Bay, Magnus Theatre's next pro performance is of Two Indians, starting Jan. 25, but registration has opened for its theatre classes for children and adults that start in early January. The Cambrian Players in Thunder Bay have performances of A Christmas Carol on Dec. 2-3 and Dec. 6-8 with all performances at 7:30 p.m. except for this Sunday at 2 p.m.
StageNorth Groundlings of Washburn, Wis., performs its Holiday Showcase on Dec. 8-10 and 15-17, featuring "skits, songs and mirth-making." Special guests will be Lost In The Woods comedy improv group. Friday and Saturday shows at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday at 2 p.m.
On the stage of the Forest Roberts Theatre in Marquette will be A Christmas Carol, Dec. 7-9 and 14-16. The cast includes the "urchins" in the photo as well as students in the Northern Michigan University's Theatre and Dance Department. Thursday-Saturday evening performances are 7:30 p.m. with Saturday matinees at 1 p.m. including a Theatre for All Matinee on Dec. 9.
Make Plans: Here are a few events coming up soon to put on a fun-do list:
Michigan
Friday-Sunday, Dec. 1-3: Ontonagon Hometown Christmas spans the weekend with holiday sales, food trucks, a reindeer poker run, open houses, fireworks, a parade, crafts with the Grinch, and, of course, a visit from Santa. Find the full schedule online.
Saturday, Dec. 2: The 47th annual Poor Artists Sale in the CLK Gym in Calumet features 64 artists from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Hosted by the Copper Country Community Arts Council, this is the longest-running juried holiday art fair in the Keweenaw Peninsula.
Saturday, Dec. 2: The Detroit Youth Choir is set to captivate the Keweenaw with Jingle Bell Pop, a dazzling holiday concert by the group declared “absolute creative magic” by notoriously hard-to-impress America’s Got Talent judge Simon Cowell. See them at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts in Houghton at 7:30 p.m.
Minnesota
Tonight, Nov. 30: Duluth's Best Bread has been teaming up with local breweries and distilleries for special beverage tastes this winter. Tonight at Bent Paddle Brewing (6-8 p.m.) enjoy the launch of Duluth's Best Bread Pumpkin Spice Croissant Porter. Also this week, the veteran-owned brewery, Warrior Brewing Company, introduced Duluth's Best Bread Strawberry Cheesecake Danish Stout. Meanwhile, for the holiday season, Vikre Distillery a Where’d You Get the Coconut? cocktail that pairs nicely with a Coco Roonie (chocolate dipped coconut haystack) from Duluth’s Best Bread.
Friday-Saturday, Dec. 1-2: Grand Marais launches its new Holiday Harbor Village this weekend with unique holiday shopping at local businesses, sales and markets, events and activities, such as sauna experiences by the harbor, photos with Yeti Santa (at Gunflint Mercantile), lakeview s’mores, a sled dog meet-and-greet (at Joy & Co.) and too much to mention here. Check out things like the Holiday Harbor Rock Skipping Contest (Lake Superior Trading Post on Saturday). Find the full - very full - schedule of opportunities here.
Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 2-3: The tiny "cabins" of the Duluth Winter Village are in place beside the DECC in Duluth, ready for local shopping and exploring. It's grand to stroll through the "village" and chat with the makers and owners of our local shops, plus enjoy hot drinks, treats and a fire pit. Starts at 8 a.m. Saturday and ends at 3 p.m. Sunday. Check out this story on Visit Duluth about Mallory Moore, creator of Duluth Loves Local, about how the event is shaping up this year.
Saturday, Dec. 2: Northern Lakes Arts Association hosts its monthly Makers' Market and Mixer from 3-5 p.m. at the Ely Folk School. The event showcasing local artists, artisans and culinary talents next repeats in 2024 on Jan. 7 and Feb. 17.
Wednesday, Dec. 6: "The Breath of Lake Superior: Lakes in a World of Rising Carbon Dioxide" will be a special Twin Ports Freshwater Folk free virtual presentation from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. by Daniel Sandborn, a doctoral candidate in Water Resources Science, at the Large Lakes Observatory, University of Minnesota Duluth. Register online.
Wisconsin
Tonight, Nov. 30: Peter Annin, author of The Great Lakes Water Wars and co-director of Northland College's Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation, will launch his new book, Purified How Recycled Sewage is Transforming Our Water, starting at 5:30 p.m. in the The Sandbar in Ashland. The event is free.
Tonight, Nov. 30: Steve Ballou of the National Park Service will talk about meteorite hunting in the Antarctica at 6 p.m. in the Bayfield Public Library. The event is free.
Friday-Saturday, Dec. 1-2: The weekend is packed full of shopping and learning opportunities in Bayfield. Shop Late Until 8 happens downtown on Friday, with shops open late for local gift hunting, including Howl Downtown's Shop Late and Donate event with 10% of our sales to Mt. Ashwabay Ski and Recreation Area and CORE’s Community Center Holiday Party, Tamale Pick Up & Makers Market. Nearby, Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua's Backstage hosts live music for the evening, 6-9 p.m., with deals on tickets and such. On Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. is the Holiday Boutique at the Bayfield Pavilion. Wild Rice Retreat hosts its Holiday Market on Friday and Saturday. Find other Bayfield shops and deals here.
Saturday, Dec. 2: The Sherman & Ruth Weiss Community Library in Hayward hosts "Dear Santa," where your children will learn how to write a letter (to Santa) and how to address an envelope, all while enjoying cookies and hot chocolate. (Santa will give personalized responses.) Bring a non-perishable food item.
Saturday, Dec. 2: Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center in Ashland hosts its Homemade Holiday Bazaar, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 2: Northwest Connection Family Resources offers a free showing of the new Disney movie "Wish" at Hayward Cinema 4. Doors open at 10 a.m.
Sunday-Tuesday, Dec. 3-5: Quiet Santa comes to the Fairlawn Mansion with private family visits designed for children with autism and other special needs. Also on Sunday at 10 a.m., Kids Yoga at the Old Firehouse & Police Museum is for ages 7-11.
Act Now for Dec. 17: The Old Rittenhouse Inn's famed Wassail Dinner Concerts are nearly all sold out, but we hear seats are still available for Dec. 17.
Ontario
Tonight-Friday, Nov. 30-Dec. 1: For the 25th year, the CP Holiday Train makes its way across Canada, currently traversing the top of Lake Superior with its first stop tonight in White River (9 p.m.-ish). Other stops on Friday include Marathon beside curling club parking lot on Stevens Avenue (12:30 p.m.) Schreiber at the Cenotaph beside North Shore Harvest Food Cupboard Building (3 p.m.) Nipigon at the CPKC property across from Town Hall (5:30 p.m.) and Thunder Bay at the CPKC Train Depot track (8:30 p.m.) Verify the times and full schedule here.
Friday-Saturday, Dec. 1-2: The Algoma Makers Market with more than 70 vendors opens in The Machine Shop in Sault Ste. Marie. There will be drinks available and live music, 6-10 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday.
Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 2-3: The annual Christmas Indigenous Fine Arts and Crafts Show and Sale is the largest gathering of Indigenous Artists/Artisans showcasing their authentic works at the CLE Heritage Building, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 6: The Sault Ste. Marie Public Library hosts its Christmas Open House starting at 1 p.m. with musicians including members of the Sault Symphony Orchestra plus cider and Christmas crafts.
Tracking the Night Sky Book: There are a number of upcoming opportunities to meet Travis Novitsky, whose photos are used with Annette Lee’s text in the new Spirit Dancing, The Night Sky, Indigenous Knowledge, and Living Connections to the Cosmos. Here are a few around the region: Saturday, Dec. 2, a book signing at Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply in Grand Marais, Minn., 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. • Dec. 8, a presentation and signing as part of the Cook County Dark Sky Festival starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Grand Portage National Monument. • Dec. 13, a presentation and book signing at the Bell Museum in St. Paul.
Photo & graphic credits: John Dahlman; Connie Hartviksen; U.S. Coast Guard; Merryweather Inn; Duluth Playhouse; Northern Michigan University's Theatre and Dance Department; Copper Country Community Arts Council/Grand Marais Holiday Harbor Village/Weiss Community Public Library/Algoma Makers Market