Passion for a Place: "Just one look, that's all it took" is Andy Kaknevicius' nod to Linda Ronstadt in explaining his passion for Lake Superior. We met Andy last year on his Circle Tour of the Big Lake when he stopped by our offices for some conversation (and to join the Lake Superior Circle Tour Club … our shameless plug). A native of Toronto, Andy continues to live in his home city, but he spent a good portion of his career with the Ontario Provincial Police, posted in Ignace, about 150 miles west of Thunder Bay. “I was awe inspired every time I saw the coast between Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie,” Andy says. “It kept me coming back for more and more.” He served in various special units. In Tactics and Rescue, he trained in outdoor skills and in Intellegence, he became familiar with video production. Now in his retirement, Andy put his skills passionately to work on a project to create a documentary series about Lake Superior, its people and surroundings. “I wanted to fully immerse myself in a perpetual growing passion to produce from soup to nuts, with all the creativity I can muster, a documentary style series that will entertain and educate, that can be shared on social media platforms, and that may inspire
contacts, access and future stories, in particular of those people, businesses and places that may be overlooked or cannot afford to have someone tell their story.” On his 21-day journey (plus a few additional visits), Andy rediscovered what he loved about the Big Lake neighborhood. “The beautiful geography and coastlines, the feel and deep breath of a cool pristine onshore breeze from the Lake, the sounds of the water lapping the shoreline, or crashing on the rocks, the wilderness surrounding the Lake, and the animals. The PEOPLE. The way of life in small town Ontario, especially in the North is nowhere near the stress of the big city. It is relaxed, it is friendly. Just thinking about it soothes the soul.” This week as we head toward Lake Superior Day on July 19, he posted a short trailer introducing the 12-part Lake Superior Circle Tour documentary, he's theming the Majesty and Lure of Lake Superior. A new episode will be posted on his YouTube channel each week beginning in August. Knowing Andy (and because he wrote to us “THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING,” we know the series will be expanded once travel eases and he can visit our shores again. Meanwhile, you can read our full Q&A chat with Andy – including his advice as you plan your own Lake Superior Circle Tour and an outline of the episode topics – on our website and watch there and here for links to the series.
And Speaking of Lake Superior Day … While social distancing has put the kibosh on large gatherings and, sadly, also on many of the usual Lake Superior Day informational and recreational opportunities, the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve along with other sponsors, including the city of Superior, has cobbled together a wonderful week leading up with July 19, the third Sunday in July and the annual Lake Superior Day since the 1990s. Next week (July 13-19) there will be a community Scavenger Hunt with prizes. Then on Lake Superior Day, North Shore SUP folk will be on Barker's Island to help kids learn to paddle for free from 2-4 p.m. At 4:30 p.m., One Less Guest will perform a live Facebook concert. All of the activities, plus details on the Scavenger Hunt and where to get hunt directions, will be the the Lake Superior NERR Facebook page.
Buy Local: Sliver Bay, Minn., entrepreneur Joe Swanson and his business partner Papsau Soni are the new owners of the Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts on Minnesota's North Shore, reports BusinessNorth. Operating under BFB Management, they took over the operation from Dennis Rysdahl, co-founder and 36-year owner of the popular lodgings and connected businesses. “I knew when I saw Joe Swanson’s name on the list of potential buyers that he was one of us," Dennis says in a release about the sale. 'He shares a history here, as well as our core values and commitment to the community. Pipasu Soni’s resume and skill sets are also exceptional. I’m confident we’ve selected an ownership team that is deeply committed to continuing the Bluefin Bay tradition of creating memorable vacation experiences for guests for years to come." Joe certainly knows the operation from the ground level, having worked at Bluefin Bay while in high school and college in housekeeping, dining and maintenance positions. “We’re deeply committed to advancing the culture and reputation of Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts developed by Dennis and his team,” Swanson said. “The Bluefin Bay team is the best I’ve ever met, bar none! That’s a tribute to Dennis’ leadership and hard work to create a community and experience beloved by so many.”
Lakes Layups: With several Iron Range mines slowed or idled due to the pandemic's economic ripples on steel use, three Great Lakes Fleet freighters employing nearly 100 crew and other personal have been put on layup, reports Tanda Gmiter for MLive. Sidelined for the reminder of the year, according to the story, are the Edgar B. Speer, Roger Blough and Philip R. Clarke. The Lake Carrier's Association reported earlier this week that iron ore shipments are down about 3 million tons from this time last year and down more than 2.6 million off the five-year average for the year-to-date. TravelIronwood.com
Getting Under the Surface: The Under the Surface project started in 2012 as a therapeutic program by Toben Lafrancois, an aquatic scientist at Northland College in Ashland, Wis., is being expanded to connect teens to freshwater science, thanks to funding from Wisconsin Sea Grant. Toben got his inspiration while working for a successful photography program at Northwest Passage, a residential treatment center in northern Wisconsin. Under the Surface took Northwest Passage clients out to inland lakes, rivers and Lake Superior for underwater photo excursions. An extension of the program, Lakewolves, or Zaaga’igan Ma’iinganag, brought the program to Bayfield area students. "Under the Surface connects the youths with scientific topics in an indirect way," Sea Grant noted in its release this week. As Toben explains, “It’s like jazz. We know our scales and then we get to the site and we watch what the kids are doing and the things they get excited about. We’re prepared for what they might ask, and we go with that. Then we take their curiosity and their photographs and turn it into research projects for them. The kind of project that comes out of it depends on where they are at.”
Trail Mixer: The Superior Hiking Trail Association just announced its new executive director, Lisa Luokkala, this week. Lisa has been a senior parks planner for the city of Duluth since 2015. “As a resident of Duluth for nearly 15 years and an outdoor recreation professional, the Superior Hiking Trail has been an integral part of the landscape I live in, recreate on, and steward," Lisa says in the announcement. "It is a great honor to be chosen to serve the talented and passionate staff, volunteers, and members of the SHTA. I look forward to assuring the sustainability of the trail for future generations to experience its profound benefits.” Also this week, the association launched a new Trail Stewardship Teams push to encourage trail adopters for sections of the hiking trail. Two inaugural teams were formed: the Beaver Bay Lopping Task Force (led by Mike Ward, with help from adopters Christine Olson, Sam Olson and Joe Calaguire) and the Primo Lutsen Group (led by adopters Scott Lagaard, Mary Lagaard and Will Nordmark). Both teams recently posted reports of their first outings.
Island Super: This morning the National Park Service announced its new superintendent for Isle Royale National Park. Denice Swenke takes the reins as superintendent on Aug. 16, replacing retiring Phyllis Green. “I’m very excited about joining the team at Isle Royale National Park,” Denice says in the announcement. “The Upper Peninsula, Lake Superior, and Isle Royale National Park are very special places, and I look forward to working with the park staff and stakeholders. I have yet to experience 'enough' snow in my life and hope that gets tested in winters to come!” Since Denice currently is acting superintendent and deputy superintendent at Denali National Park and Preserve, in Alaska, where she's been since November 2016, her desire for more snow speaks well of her adjustment to the island in summer and the Houghton, Mich., headquarters most of the year. In 2019, Denice served as the acting superintendent of Mount Rushmore National Memorial and also has been superintendent of Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, acting superintendent at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area and Horace Albright Training Center. She will move to Michigan with her husband, Steve.
A Thoughtful Rendition: Country singer/songwriter Henry Particelli was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., but took himself to the country-music capital in Nashville from where the former police officer just released a memorial song to George Floyd, "Your Name," that expresses the sadness of the tragedy, bringing his particular perspective. While he served with the Nashville police, Henry also wrote and performed at several police functions the song "We Are the Good Guys," that led to creation of The Good Guys Foundation. The foundation is "a nonprofit dedicated to raising funds to benefit the families of fallen law enforcement officers, as well as spotlighting those men and women in blue (and other colors that serve the law enforcement community) in a positive and encouraging way." All of this information comes from an exceptional interview with Henry and story done by Chris Belsito for SooToday. The full story is well worth the read.
Who Needs a Bus: Marquette Regional History Center recently pulled up with an alternative program to its popular historic bus tours (on hold for this year). To raise funds and interest, supporters can enjoy first-person historical characters with $5 audio tours reflecting on the early days of Marquette and narrated by a variety of voices. "You will learn from the people and events that shaped our community, such as a commercial fisherman, nurses through multiple eras, and a U.S. president," the center notes. "Listen day or night, from the comfort of your own home or on a smart-phone while strolling through town." The first audio tour will be released next Friday (July 17). Hop aboard the website to download a tour copy for $5.
Up in the Sky! It's NEOWISE: The comet NEOWISE made a big splash among photographers from around Lake Superior this week. Here we have a shot by John Gregor of Cold Snap Photography featuring the light of the comet and the lighthouse of Split Rock. John was out there in the wee hours. "We shot these at about 4-4:30 am.," John says, with advice about comet spotting. "Up here in the North Country, it is visible to the naked eye but a telephoto or binoculars will bring out more of its tail. You will find it in the NE area of the sky – about 35 degrees east of true north and about 20 degrees off the horizon. Early morning is best for viewing just before the twilight gets too bright." Marquette photographer Shawn Malone of Lake Superior Photo posted a short video of the phenomenon near her Big Lake city. NASA has a page devoted to NEOWISE, not the comet, but the work of its Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), a NASA infrared-wavelength astronomical space telescope launched from 2009-2011 to seek out comets and asteroids and reactivated in 2013 as NEOWISE, adding the aspect of Near-Earth Objects searches. Our own local Astro Bob (aka Bob King) gives his take on the Comet NEOWISE. So set your alarm for early morning tomorrow to try to catch a glimpse. (Or check out the great shots by area photographers and sleep in on Saturday.)
Photo & graphic credits: Andy Kaknevicius; Lake Superior NERR; Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts; Wisconsin Sea Grant; Superior Hiking Trail Association; National Park Service; Henry Particelli; Marquette Regional History Center; John Gregor/Cold Snap Photography