Move over Lone Ranger … Here Come the Loon Rangers
The Gunflint Historical Society is introducing its Gunflint Loon Rangers program to "help scientists and the Gunflint Trail community learn more about loon numbers and behaviors." The historical society loon monitoring program already has 38 Loon Rangers monitoring 21 lakes on the Gunflint Trail, but there are still a few lakes that could use a monitor. If you are interested in joining the program, contact Mona Hanson at monalhanson@msn.com or Mark Ellis at mark@markellis.com. The information was posted on Facebook by the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center on the Gunflint Trail … and we just want to know if there is a patch or a T-shirt with this great logo on it!
Here are some other Loon Monitoring opportunities in our region:
In Ontario – Birds Canada uses "citizen scientists" who volunteer for its Canadian Lakes Loon Survey, which includes our Lake Superior region.
In Minnesota – Even if you're not on the Gunflint Trail, the Minnesota DNR uses volunteers for its Minnesota Loon Monitoring Program.
In Michigan – The Michigan DNR also directs its Loon Rangers through Michigan LoonWatch.
In Wisconsin – The LoonWatch program through the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute at Northland College in Ashland seems to have ended with the closure of the college, but the Wisconsin DNR partners with a number of volunteer monitoring programs for a variety of species.
Spill Response
The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Duluth and local partners responded to an oil spill that occurred late Tuesday morning at the Duluth Harbor dock wall. "The spill originated during a fuel transfer to a tank onboard a vessel, however the cause of the spill is still under investigation; the substance released was diesel oil," the safety unit reported on Tuesday. "The MSU is working closely with the affected vessel and local vacuum truck services to contain and clean up the spill. The estimated quantity of the spill is 15-30 gallons; the source is secured at this time." In an update today, the MSU-Duluth says favorable conditions kept the oil up against the dock, making it fairly easy to recover. The site was revisited Wednesday and remained cleared.
Introducing … the Iron River Community Forest
The Landmark Conservancy recently partnered with Bayfield County in Wisconsin to purchase and permanently protect 860 acres of land along the Iron River, which flows north to Lake Superior, crossing forests, perennial rivers and remnant grasslands. The watershed includes some premium trout streams with naturally reproducing trout.
The land purchase started from Bill and Karen Maki of Washburn, who first purchased land in the town of Orienta in the late 1970s and over time expanded their forest lands to more than 800 acres. They approached the Landmark Conservancy two years ago.
“Since the Maki family had a clear goal of preservation and the property had strong ecological features – it’s a large amount of land adjacent to state land, has quite a bit of stream frontage and wetlands, and well managed forests – a land purchase made the most sense," says Erika Lang, Landmark’s conservation manager. "We believed we could successfully find grant funding and, as we have with other land protection projects, we approached Bayfield County to be the future owner and thankfully received strong support.”
Earlier this summer, the Iron River Community Forest was created several miles north of Highway 2 near the town of Iron River. Read about the project and the projections here.
This photo shows the Maki family and others involved in the project (left to right): Jason Bodine, forestry and parks administrator for Bayfield County, Erika Lang, conservation manager for Landmark Conservancy, Bill Maki, Karen Maki, daughter Sarah Maki, son David Maki and Rick Remington, executive director for the conservancy.
It Doesn't Look a Day over 144
The Fitger's Brewhouse, part of the Fitger's Complex in downtown Duluth, celebrates its 30th year on Saturday (Sept. 6) and is being joined with special sales and events by the hotel, stores, service shops, restaurants and bars throughout the complex, starting at 9 a.m.
The 30th anniversary event will feature a building-wide Treasure Hunt, where you'll collect clues from participating businesses, find the hidden medallions, get a staff member to mark your checklist list and return a completed checklist to the Barrel Room by 8 p.m. to be entered in the Grand Prize Drawing at 8:30 p.m. The prize package includes more than $200 in gift certificates within the Fitger's Complex plus a one-night stay in Fitger's Inn.
The building itself, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was constructed in 1881, making the structure 144 years old. The building is part of the Lake Superior Brewing legacy and the rise of brewer August Fitger, for whom a beer would be named (as in the famed jingle, "Everybody here likes Fitger's Beer"). The history can be found here.
At Fitger's Brewhouse, there will be all-day specials, plus an anniversary party across the hall in the Barrel Room in the evening. If you order a beer there, you'll get a free anniversary glass to take home while supplies last. There will be live music to enjoy from Lydia Boyum & Ryan Lane.
An Escape into Art
Bayfield County and the Chequamegon Bay area host the 4th annual Art Escape celebration starting Saturday (Sept. 6) and stretching to Sept. 15. There will be artist demonstrations, open studios plus hands-on classes where you can create your own masterpiece. Many of the activities are free.
The events take place along the peninsula and on Madeline Island. A kick off event is Amy Almendinger demonstrating her craft of Driftwood Wall Hangings at Woods Hall Gallery & Studios in La Pointe on the island. Plus there are presentations on journaling, jewelry making, pottery, botanical painting and more at the local art studios, plus a chance to sketch the alpacas at Suri Fina Farm in Washburn, to see the Lost in the
Woods improv performance at the Washburn Cultural Center and days more of activities.
Tucked within the Art Escape days is the 62nd annual Bayfield Festival of Arts, which takes place at the waterfront in Memorial Park with artistic vendors of all nature with their juried fine arts selections. Stop by on Saturday (Sept. 6) 10 a.m.-5 p.m. or on Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
You can find the full schedule of Art Escape events, plus links for registrations, here.
Plenty of Plein Air The 23rd annual Plein Air Grand Marais launches Friday (Sept. 5) and the competition and outdoor painting festival continues with events, exhibits and activities through Sept. 13. The exhibit of the works produced will be at the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery from Sept. 14-Oct. 5. The event is organized by Outdoor Painters of Minnesota; the daily schedule is here. This painting of the St. Francis Xavier Church is from the 2023 competition, done by artist Jo Nelson.
Make Plans: Here are a few events coming up soon to put on a fun-do list:
Michigan
Saturday, Sept. 6: 906 Day celebrates "America’s greatest area code. No area code in America is so unique in its defined borders," say the organizers of 906 Day for Yoopers to whoop it up for the U.P. The spontaneous event popped up in 2012 in the mind of Bugsy Sailor, owner of U.P. Supply Co. and daily photographer for 906 Superiorland Sunrises and its daily sunrise shots. You'll have to check your local U.P. listings for all of the 906 Day events. One that caught our eye was in Sault Ste. Marie where Famous Soo Locks Boat Tours' special Pasty Dinner Cruise boards at 4:45 p.m. The dinner is provided by The Yooper Pasty Co.
Saturday, Sept. 6: Hancock hosts its End of Summer Celebration, 2-10 p.m., with activities at Quincy Green and 400 Quincy Street. There will be pickleball and cornhole tourneys, plus the "famed" Ping Pong Ball Drop, food-beverage-craft vendors, a street dance and a Laser Light Spectacular Finale.
Saturday, Sept. 6: Bash at the Bay music festival fills two stages with 20 artists from across the country at the Julio Boat Yard in Dollar Bay.
Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 6-7: The 5th annual Art on the Mountain brings a weekend of art, music, food and outdoor fun at Marquette Mountain Resort in Marquette. Enjoy booths from local and regional artists, live music daily, tasty food and drinks and activities for all ages including scenic lift rides, hiking and more family-friendly stuff.
Tuesday, Sept. 9: Peter White Public Library in Marquette hosts chef Iliana Regan, whose debut book, Burn the Place, chronicles her life from foraging on her family farm to running their own Michelin-starred restaurant. There will be a reading and book signing, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Next Thursday-Friday, Sept. 12-13: The Lake Superior Shore Run on Saturday, Sept. 13, races along the shores of the Lake for a half marathon, 5K or 5-mile hike at the picturesque Little Presque Isle five miles north of Marquette. A free one mile kids race will take place at South Beach the day before.
Minnesota
Friday-Sunday, Sept. 5-7: The 18th annual Radio Waves Music Festival brings a weekend of sweet sounds to Sweetheart’s Bluff in the Grand Marais Rec Park with 19 diverse acts, both new and local favorites – all organized by the people who know sweet music at WTIP Community Radio. Find the full schedule here.
Friday, Sept. 5: Meet watercolor artist Chris Dillon at the Tettegouche State Park Visitor Center near Silver Bay for an opening reception, 7-8:30 p.m., of her month-long exhibit there.
Saturday, Sept. 6: Help Sonju Motors in Two Harbors celebrate 100 years as it hosts Cruizin' the North Shore Car Show with $2,500 in prize money plus the MSRA Fall Campout. Food trucks on site and free admission.
Saturday, Sept. 6: Enjoy the bounty at the Lake Superior Harvest Festival in Bayfront Festival Park in Duluth. Running 10 a.m.-4 p.m., there is free admission (with a suggested donation) to stroll through the huge farmers market-style vendor booths with live music and demonstrations all day.
Sunday, Sept. 7: Celebrate the 50th anniversary of award-winning author Natalie Babbitt's book Tuck Everlasting with K. Woodman-Maynard who adapted and illustrated it into a graphic novel. K. will be at Zenith Bookstore in Duluth from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Mondays, Sept. 8, 15, 29 & Oct. 6: Do something "classy" – paint outdoors with Duluth Art Institute instructor Linnaea Borealis at Enger Park, Chester Park and Lincoln Park over the next four weeks. Learn more about Plein Air for Beginners here.
Next Saturday, Sept. 13: Grand Portage Lodge & Casino hosts the NOCC's Classic Car Show, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. followed by The Sensational Hot Rods performing a free concert in the event center starting at 8 p.m. The show is organized by the Northern Ontario Classic Cruiser's Car Club.
Wisconsin
Friday, Sept. 5: Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center near Ashland presents its free ranger-led Night Hike. Ranger Ariana takes participants on a guided night hike on the center's boardwalk trail and will teach about nocturnal animals along the way. Runs 7-8:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 5: The Blue Canvas Orchestra’s Old Last Night begins at 7 p.m., hosted by comedian Mary Mack under the canvas at the Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua in Bayfield. Expect appearances by special guests.
Saturday, Sept. 6: Ashland packs a lot of event punch into one Saturday. The annual Ashland MuralFest celebrating the community's 21 public wall murals includes mural trolley tours, a car show, crafters, sidewalk sales, live music and the popular Lion’s Club Brat and Hot Dog Stand. There's also a Cornhole Tournament going on to watch. It all centers from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Courthouse Block.
Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 6-7: The 21st annual Cornucopia Art Crawl showcases local artists featuring their work and doing demonstrations. Find a full listing here. Some artists are profiled on the Facebook page.
Sunday, Sept. 7: You might call it "Hamlet in a nutshell." The Starling Shakespeare Company brings its 90-minute version of "Hamlet" to the historic Park Center in Hayward for a 2 p.m. matinee. It's a playful and haunting journey through one of Shakespeare’s most iconic tragedies. With only five actors, Starling's shows are fast-paced and nimble interpretations of the Bard's classic plays.
Next Thursday, Sept. 11: The Richard I. Bong Veterans Center in Superior start its four-part 2025 Bong Speakers Series with a 6:30 p.m. talk by Dr. Haji Dokhanchi, from the University of Wisconsin-Superior, on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. His topic will be "The World Changed: U.S. Foreign Policy in the Post-9/11 Era." He teaches a number of UWS courses, including Paths to Peace, Theories of War and Peace, International Law and War and Peace, and co-teaches Seminar in Peace-Building. He has received the UWS Outstanding Service Award of Excellence twice in the past 20 years.
Ontario
Friday, Sept. 5: Lakehead University in Thunder Bay will host a Survivors' Flag Raising ceremony at 9:30 a.m. in advance of the National Truth & Reconciliation Day at the end of the month (Sept. 30). The event will take place outside on the stairs to the Agora on campus. The flag "honours residential school survivors and all the lives and communities impacted by the residential school system in Canada," says the university.
Saturday, Sept. 6: Wake the Giant music festival at the Thunder Bay waterfront packs the afternoon and evening with fantastic performances, with eight acts starting noon-10 p.m. A great day from the opening drum, Walking Bear, to the headlining Black Eyed Peas. See the full schedule here.
Save the Date, Sept. 20: Bushplane Days at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre in Sault Ste. Marie.
Photo & graphic credits in order of appearance: Gunflint Loon Rangers; Landmark Conservancy; Fitger's Brewhouse; Art Escape; Plein Air Grand Marais; Spotlight, from left, 906 Day/Grand Portage Lodge & Casino/Starling Shakespeare Company/Wake the Giant