Courtesy Lakehead Transportation Museum Society
Alexander Henry
The Canadian icebreaker Alexander Henry, circa 1986.
New maritime attraction coming to Thunder Bay
Matt Vis writes for TBNewsWatch:
The Alexander Henry will be coming home.
Thunder Bay city council on Monday night voted to spend up to $125,000 towards the costs of towing the decommissioned Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker from southern Ontario back to where it was built nearly 60 years ago.
The decision marked a victory for the Lakehead Transportation Museum Society, which has been working since last fall to bring the ship to the city with plans to continue its legacy as a tourist attraction.
CBC News is reporting that the icebreaker could open to the public as soon as August, temporarily at Kam River Heritage Park and later moving to the waterfront.
Duluth preps for Grandma’s Marathon
Thousands of runners will descend on the Minnesota shore on Saturday to run from Two Harbors to Duluth during Grandma’s Marathon, one of our hometown’s biggest annual events.
Spectators are welcome (encouraged, in fact) along the scenic racecourse beside Lake Superior. The excitement is contagious, even if you aren’t there for a friend or relative.
The Duluth News Tribune has been previewing the race all week, including this fun story about humorous signs and a profile of a San Diego woman running the marathon barefoot.
Travelers should take note of the traffic advisories. The North Shore Scenic Drive (Old Highway 61, from the Lester River to Two Harbors), London Road and Superior Street downtown will be closed to vehicle traffic from the early morning hours until the afternoon. Expect heavy congestion and some road closures in Canal Park, where the race finishes.
Maureen Talarico
Essentia Health Staff Reunite Patient with Service Dog
Dennis Wold and Warner reconnect at St. Mary’s Hospital-Superior.
Superior hospital reunites patient with service dog
When Dennis Wold found out he was going to have to stay at Essentia Health St. Mary’s Hospital-Superior for an extended period, he feared he would lose his new service dog, Warner, a black Labrador retriever. But the hospital welcomes pets as part of its care.
Read the heartwarming story here at LakeSuperior.com.
Nature Conservancy of Canada celebrates Big Trout Bay: Its recent acquisition will be unveiled tomorrow morning at a tour and hike. The 2,517-acre property has 13 miles of undeveloped shoreline, is home to native species like bald eagles and peregrine falcons, and will be open to the public for recreation.
Bridgefest turns 30: The festival celebrates the Portage Lake Lift Bridge and the two Keweenaw Peninsula communities it links, Houghton and Hancock. Our own Bob Berg wrote a short history of the bridge.
Eagle numbers soar: The Star Tribune reports that Minnesota, with some 9,800 pairs, has the largest eagle population outside Alaska.
Exploring Isle Royale with an ROV: Students from Dollar Bay High School in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula helped park rangers use a remotely operated vehicle to look for zebra mussels, writes Kurt Hauglie for the Mining Gazette.
Disc golf arrives in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario: The new course, at Penhorwood Park, is the city’s first. SooToday has a press release with more info.
Help protect the Big Lake: The Marquette-based Superior Watershed Partnership launched the Lake Superior Volunteer Corps this week. On Fridays throughout the summer, residents and visitors alike “will be able to assist with a wide variety of conservation projects.” Sign up here.
In memoriam: Father Nicholas, who co-founded the Holy Transfiguration Skete (and its thriving Jampot store) in Eagle Harbor, Michigan, has died. He was 71. “After a career in music performance and teaching in the Detroit area, he embraced monastic life in 1983 and came to Eagle Harbor to found the monastery he guided for 33 years until his passing,” according to the Skete’s online memoriam.