It's Officially Spring: For the first time, a Wisconsin governor will open the state's fishing season on Shell Lake in Washburn County on Saturday, as Regan Kohler reports of the Spooner Advocate. There will be lots of events on Friday and Saturday around the opener, including a Family Fishing Day in the town of Shell Lake's Memorial Park from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and a community fish fry by the Shell Lake Lions Club. Family day features casting, playing games, toasting s'mores and a performance by the Magic Maniac. Check out more info on the Wisconsin Governor's Fishing Opener Facebook page. According to the Wisconsin DNR, Gov. Tony Evers might catch a walleye, northern pike or a muskie in the Shell Lake waters. Or maybe a bass or two. Minnesota has its fishing opener May 14 with Gov. Tim Walz on Lake Winnibigoshish and Michigan's Upper Peninsula season opener for trout was last weekend and for walleye and muskie begins May 15, reports MLive. In Ontario, Mother's Day this Sunday is license-free fishing day.
It's Good to Be Average: Thanks to April showers, Lake Superior rose to meet its beginning of May average for water levels, according to the International Lake Superior Board of Control and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Lake Superior increased 5.5 inches in April, while it averages a increase of 3.2 inches. At the beginning of May, the water level equaled its long-term average level (1918 – 2021) and was 7.1 inches below its water levels of a year ago. Depending on the weather and water supply during May, the Lake may rise as much as 7.53 inches for the month, according to Corps predictions.
Another Tug in Trouble: The historic Thunder Bay tug James Whalen
apparently has listed and partially sunken at its location in Kam River Heritage Park. Gary Rinne of TBNewswatch reported in March this year that the Lakehead Transportation Museum Society was anxious about the safety of the 117-year-old tug, which had developed a leak in 2021. The society, which owns and manages the retired Canadian Coast Guard cutter Alexander Henry as a museum ship, was interested in taking on the Whalen, too. Photographer Karen Ramsdale posted these photos of the Whalen on her Facebook page. Michael Hull, a maritime photographer in Thunder Bay, posted that the ice-breaking tug, built in 1905, sank significantly into the Kaministiqua River on Sunday. The tug, he wrote, "was designed to tow heavy steamers, and to cut through 20 inch thick ice, the tugboat served Thunder Bay for 50 years. In 1965, the tug left for Hamilton, but eventually returned to Thunder Bay to undergo years of renovations with the intention of making it a museum ship located at Kam River Heritage Park." Another historic tug had a similar fate earlier this year. In March, we reported on the tug Lake Superior in Duluth, which had similarly ended up partially sunken and remains so from recent reports.
Who's to Judge: With the Big Lake region's lively craft brewing industry, the arrival of the largest U.S. brewing gathering to Minnesota for the first time this week has caused quite a buzz. The Craft Brewers Conference came to Minnesota because the state has seen a five-fold expansion of breweries in the last decade, the Brewers Association announced in a press release about the conference. That's 228 small and independent craft breweries, 51 brewpubs, and 116 taprooms in the state of Minnesota that provide over 4,600 jobs. Some of our local brewing entrepreneurs have entered their work into the judging and at least one local brewer, Dave Hoops of Hoops Brewing in Duluth's Canal Park, is one of 250 judges from around the world to sit on the World Beer Cup panel. Today is the last day of the conference and Dave is wrapping up his work, but we corresponded with him earlier in the week about that judging gig. Dave wrote a column for the Duluth News Tribune talking about the many, many, many styles of brews. (Have you heard of hefeweizen, kristalweizen or dunkenweizen?) So we asked Dave, what's your favorite? "I have three favorites: pale ale, German lager, wheat beer. To make a choice it's all about what you enjoy, if you like mellow beers choose light ales and lagers, if you like hops choose IPA and pale ale, if you like traditional beers go with extra special bitter, porter, stout, hefeweizen." (There's that hefeweizen again; better check out No. 5050 and No. 289 on tap at Hoops.) Dave may have many beer favorites, by the by, but we know for a fact Brent Burns is his favorite hockey player, in honor of whom he named his #88 Stout. Getting chosen to judge is no easy task. For this national conference, judges needed extensive experience at judging other competitions, which Dave has. He's judged the Great American Beer Festival for 12 years, which made him eligible, and has trained and mentored 33 brewers. We asked how he judges so many different styles. "I have been judging for 20 years and know what to expect, I look at the line up, I review the parameters and then do my best to fairly give my opinions on each beer." This month Hoops is partnering with another Canal Park business, Lake Superior Art Glass, for a "Design a pint, get a pint promotion." Everyone who takes a class to make a glass gets a voucher for a free drink at Hoops. There will be a special 10th anniversary celebration for the brewery, with fundraising auction, on May 21. Asked what's on tap for his business this year, Dave mentions "growth, releasing six packs in 12 oz. cans, biergarten expansion outdoors, 30 lines on tap for patrons full time."
Meanwhile, Bent Paddle Brewing Co., also in Duluth, was selected to brew a commemorative beer for the conference and created The Land of 10,000 Lagers that's now available in its Duluth Taproom as well as at the conference and the Smack Shack in Minneapolis. Bent Paddle also has a May 21 celebration, its Festiversary 2022.
Make Plans: Here are a few events coming up soon to put on a fun-do list:
Michigan
Monday, May 9: Join Katya and Mark Gordon to hear about their "Sea Change Expeditions" journeys sailing around Lake Superior and beyond in a 40-foot steel sailboat, equipped with solar and wind power. The public 6:30 p.m. presentation at the Portage District Library will explain about their educational voyages with young adult crews, bringing climate-related education and projects to students along the coastline. They are open for boat tours throughout their stay (May 8-10) at the Skatepark dock in Houghton.
Thru May 27: The annual Children's Exhibition at the Devos Art Museum in Marquette highlights artwork from area schools with dedicated art teachers. This year's show features artworks by students from AuTrain-Onota Public Schools, Father Marquette Catholic Academy, Gwinn Area Community Schools, Marquette Area Public Schools, Negaunee Public Schools, NICE Comunity School District, North Star Montessori Academy, and Powell Township School. Curators invite you to "stop by to enjoy a riot of color and creativity" in the museum on the Northern Michigan University campus.
Minnesota
May & Beyond: There are two opportunities in northern Minnesota now to view the work of George Morrison, the local modernist painter celebrated by a recent release of U.S. postage stamps featuring his work. The Grand Portage National Monument has his work and information about George on display through September. George was a member of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery in Grand Marais has an exhibit of his work through the month of May.
Sunday, May 8: The Lake Superior Zoo in Duluth is hosting a Mother's Day Craft and Plant sale, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Wisconsin
Saturday, May 7: The David R. Obey Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center and Chequamegon Bay Arts Council are hosting North Country Seasons - Art, Music and Teachings from 3-5 p.m. There will be an art show, a talk by Red Cliff elder Rob Gosling, Sr. on "Translating Ancient Teaching into Meaningful Life Experience," and a Garland City Consort concert.
Wednesday, May 11: The last River Talk for the season will be an in-person presentation by Sea Grant Director Jim Hurley at the Lake Superior Estuarium in Superior from 6:30-9 p.m. Jim will talk about this history of the organization in “Sea Grant at 50: Looking Back, Moving Forward.”
Ontario
May 5-21, Date: The opening night of "Smarty Pants," Magnus Theatre's newest production, is already sold out but there is plenty of opportunity to take in the Thunder Bay performance before it closes. The modern comedy by Shelley Hoffman and Stephen Sparks has it world premiere at the theatre.
Now thru August: Thunder Bay Museum is raffling off a 1979 Firebird Espirit Red Bird edition worth about $27,000 (Cdn). The museum raffles off a classic car every couple of years, according to its website. The drawing is Sept. 2.
Photo & graphic credits: Wisconsin Governor's Opener; International Lake Superior Board of Control; Karen Ramsdale; Lake Superior Art Glass; Hoops Brewing; Devos Art Museum/National Park Service/David R. Obey Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center/Magnus Theatre