Don Albrecht
Bayfield Mayor Larry MacDonald
Bayfield Mayor Larry MacDonald with wife, Julie, during the 2012 Bayfield Apple Fest. Larry got his signature tuxedo for the Blue Moon Ball, the city's annual late-winter vintage dress "prom" for grown-ups.
Longtime Bayfield mayor reflects as retirement nears
Tuesday evening at 4 p.m. starts the last Bayfield Common Council meeting over which Larry MacDonald will preside as mayor before the incoming mayor, Gordy Ringburg, takes over.
For 20 years, with a brief one-term, two-year hiatus, Larry has been the political face of Bayfield, Wisconsin, often sporting a top hat and tux at events that make him look the part. Larry’s resumé lists: “Elected Mayor of Bayfield in 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, (Tried to retire in 2004), 2006, 2008, 2010 & 2012.”
He claims this time he won’t just try to retire, he will. Already he and wife, Julie (pictured above with Larry), have closed operations of their Cooper Hill House Bed and Breakfast. He and Julie will continue do volunteer reading in the local schools, and Larry will continue on several local and state boards.
Larry earned our 2013 Lake Superior Magazine Achievement Award for his contributions to both his community and to the greater health of Lake Superior, a Lake he loves. Since moving to Bayfield 27 years ago, Larry and Julie logged more than 10,000 miles, mostly on the Big Lake, when they had their 38-foot sailboat, Ellen T.
Larry wrote a short article (PDF link) about his time as mayor for The Municipality magazine and shares 13 things he’s learned over the years. (It starts on page 6 of the PDF.) No. 13, a quote from another funny political fellow, is one of our favorites.
Whatever Larry chooses to pursue in retirement, we know it’ll probably be good for the community ... and fun.
Washburn students help plant White House garden
Five kids from the Wisconsin town were invited to Washington, D.C., by First Lady Michelle Obama. Hope McLeod tells the story in the Bayfield County Journal:
Tom Wiatr, district administrator for the Washburn School District, received an unexpected phone call from the White House on March 28: Michelle Obama had invited five Washburn Elementary School students from the 4th and 5th grades on an all-expenses-paid trip to D.C. to help plant the White House Kitchen Garden on April 5.
Washburn was chosen because of its green programs, including vegetable and pollinator gardens tended by students.
Duluth’s western scenic railroad will return
The volunteer-run Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad earned a reprieve for its upcoming season when an environmental cleanup project was delayed, the railroad said in a news release Wednesday.
On April 23 the organization will offer an orientation session for volunteer positions – car hosts, ticket agents, engineers, conductors and others – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Iron Mug Coffee House.
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, has a new official flag: The unveiling coincided with the city’s 104th birthday, reports Craig Huckerby of Sault Online.
Cable Natural History Museum receives $3 million gift: The endowment, from the Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation, is the largest the museum has ever received, reports the Bayfield County Journal.
Thunder Bay kids learn about their food during Project Pizza: Some 600 students got hands-on experience with dairy cows, sausage-making and farming at the event, writes Brent Linton in the Chronicle Journal.
Houghton, Michigan, residents developing skate park: They have the land and are now raising money to build the park, says Amanda L’Esperance of ABC10.
Sign of spring: Thunder Bay’s KOA Campground opens for the season today.
Video: Paddling in northwestern Ontario with Ray Mears: The British outdoorsman visited Thunder Bay and then ventured farther north to film this short documentary with cinematographer Goh Iromoto (whose photos have appeared in our publications). Read more about the adventure in this Essentially Canada article.