Because St. Louis River habitats range from wilderness, as in Jay Cooke State Park in Minnesota to the working waterfront harbor of Duluth-Superior, the St. Louis River Alliance seeks out partnerships that also span the waterway’s many roles.
The 2023 Winner of the Lake Superior Magazine Achievement Award is …
The St. Louis River Alliance
Since 1994, Lake Superior Magazine has given out its annual Achievement Award to individuals and groups from all four Lake Superior shores. Winners have been involved in a range of Lake life from business enterprises to environmental protection to promoting the region to documenting its beauty.
But all the recipients have one important element in common. They have contributed significantly to the well-being of Lake Superior and its peoples.
That is why this year’s choice for the 2023 Achievement Award – the St. Louis River Alliance – was an easy one. We celebrate the Alliance for its partnerships, its planning and its commitment to the waters of Lake Superior and its largest U.S. tributary.
The award and a story about the Alliance appears in the October/November issue of Lake Superior Magazine and is now available here.
Alyssa Johnson
Restoration is a key component of the alliance’s work for wild rice to piping plovers.
“The St. Louis River Alliance is excited and proud to receive this award from the widely respected and prestigious Lake Superior Magazine!” St. Louis River Alliance’s Executive Director Kris Eilers says. “The Alliance is a membership organization that has been working on the restoration of the river for decades, and this award is a reflection of the support and work of our community, members, and partners. We are truly amazed at how this beautiful river continues to bring us together over and over.”
The Alliance’s activities and achievements depend on its members. It is in the midst of a membership drive Nov. 1-Dec. 15, during which it will be showcasing the many projects and events it hosts to help connect the community to the river. These photos by Alyssa Johnson show the organization's restoration work, a key component for species like wild rice and piping plovers.
Congratulations to the Alliance, its staff, its board and its members for creating and maintaining this invaluable resource for our Big Lake watershed.
Maritime Traffic Back Afloat After Strike Ends
The labor dispute between the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation and UNIFOR has ended, the Chamber of Marine Commerce reported Sunday.
“We are pleased that this interruption in vital Seaway traffic has come to an end, and we can focus once more on meeting the needs of consumers around the world,” noted Bruce Burrows, president and CEO of the CMC. “The entire marine shipping industry will now get straight back to work to get things moving again as one of the most reliable, efficient, and sustainable modes for transporting commodities.”
According to the chamber, this strike, “which took place during one of the busiest times of the year for the seaway,” was expected to result in, among other effects, the loss of up to $100 million per day in economic activity across Canada and the United States. The strike began on Oct. 22.
This photo by Gerald Guimond, a crew member on the bulk carrier G3 Marquis, shows the line up near Montréal after the seaway reopened. The Soo Locks were not affected by the strike. Gerald's photo was posted on Facebook by DRE Designs – Great Lakes Marine Products.
DRE Designs also posted a video of three Interlake Steamship Company vessels on the St. Marys River at the same time. The nifty view was taken with a drone sent up by Capt. Eric Treece and shows, as DRE Designs Andrea Guerriero posted: “Paul R. Tregurtha first upbound, followed by the Mesabi Miner downbound, followed by the James R. Barker upbound.”
See the full video here.
We Are Not Weather Wussies … Plus Meet a Local Maker
A little bit of snow was no deterrent for the bike riders on the Michigan Tech Trails in Houghton, Mich., last Saturday
These uber cool pics were taken by Chris Schmidt of Studio 13 in downtown Houghton, which does Keweenaw Peninsula-inspired prints and cards. Says Chris of the day: “Tech Trail Terror lives on (as the Halloween Enduro). 50+ riders braved/embraced the elements for what might be the last session before the snow comes for good.”
Chris calls himself “a bike-racing, cross-country-skiing translator and graphic designer lucky enough to have called the Keweenaw home for 20 of the past 30 years.” We add that Chris has a distinctive, creative and witty style that reflects his love of place. He offers greeting cards (including for Christmas), T-shirts, tote bags, photos and more with outdoor and landmark U.P. themes.
Check out Chris’ work here – just in time for Christmas. We hope to feature at least one local "maker" in each of our enewsletters leading up to the holidays.
Notable Events with/for Bookish People
The extended Big Lake neighborhood is home to boatloads of creative folk, including talented, award-winning writers. There are some great upcoming events for lovers of the written word who also love Lake Superior.
On Tuesday, Nov. 7, Thunder Bay author Jean E. Pendziwol will be part of a workshop put on by the Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop (NOWW) at Lakehead University along with author Adrian Lysenko and illustrators Todd Stewart and Olivia Amoah. The workshop focuses on the "Art of Visual Storytelling" and you can learn more (or sign up) here.
You might know Jean from her book The Lightkeeper's Daughters set on Lake Superior, that was released in 2019 and made the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star bestseller lists. She also has eight children's picture books to her credit.
Her newest children's book came out in October and is literally set on Lake Superior. As the synopsis explains: "Two children wake up to hear the Lake singing, and venture out into the cold, carrying their skates. On the snow-covered shore, they spot tracks made by fox, deer, hare, mink, otter … and even a wolf! In the bay, the ice is thick and smooth. They lace up their skates, step onto the ice, stroking and gliding, and the Great Lake sings again."
Jean and illustrator Todd Stewart hold the official book launch next Friday (Nov. 10) at Thunder Bay Art Gallery. Find details here.
Just before she begins all the book signings and launches, we shot off some questions to Jean, which she graciously took time to answer. You can read that Q&A here.
Duluth author Linda LeGarde Grover also has a book launch coming up next week. The party for her novel A Song Over Miskwaa Rapids will be Thursday (Nov. 9) at Zeitgeist Teatro in partnership with Zenith Bookstore in Duluth. This book continues with her fictional reservation and return of some characters from past works, or as the event description explains: "Beginning with her award-winning story collection The Dance Boots (which earned the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction) and continuing with her novels The Road Back to Sweetgrass and In the Night of Memory, Grover has created and explored the imaginary Mozhay Point Ojibwe Reservation in northern Minnesota." Join with Linda and in conversation with Staci Lola Drouillard of Grand Marais, Minn., author of the recent work Seven Aunts. Read more about Linda's newest work in an upcoming edition of Around the Circle This Week.
The photo-rich book Spirits Dancing by long-time photographic friend of Lake Superior Magazine, Travis Novitsky, and artist/astronomer/university associate professor Dr. Annette Lee will be available to order on Tuesday, Nov. 7. You can order here on Travis' website. And watch this enewsletter for future conversations about this ode to the night sky.
One more bookish thing …
The film based on the psychological thriller The Marsh King's Daughter set in the eastern Upper Peninsula and penned by Karen Dionne will open in theaters on Friday (Nov. 3). The movie stars Daisy Ridley (of the Star Wars series), Ben Mendelsohn (in Star Wars Rogue One) and Brooklynn Prince as the young Helena. Check out Karen's Facebook page as she makes her way to New York City for the premier. Then check out Karen's conversation with the crew at Good Day Northern Michigan here.
Make Plans: Here are a few events coming up soon to put on a fun-do list:
Michigan
Friday, Nov. 4: The 50KUM Trail Race is hosted by the Michigan Tech Keweenaw Ultra Marathon Club with a 25/50K trail race that routes through the Michigan Tech trails.
Today-Sunday, Nov. 2-5: The 41 North Film Festival brings shorts to features mainly to the Rosza Center for the Performing Arts in Houghton. Find the packed schedule of showings here.
Friday-Saturday, Nov. 3-4: Join Marquette Fringe for two days of diverse, creative topics at the Masonic Center in Marquette. Speakers include voice actor Cecil Baldwin of the podcast "Welcome to Night Vale"; visual artist Florencia Clement de Grandprey and stone sculptor Jason Quigno.
Minnesota
Thru Sunday, Nov. 5: There's still time to get in on the action at the North Shore Readers and Writers Festival, a biennial event hosted by the Grand Marais Art Colony. There are classes, panel discussions, special events and author readings.
Today-Saturday, Nov. 2-4: It’s a fan favorite – the three-day Duluth Junk Hunt in the DECC filled with “rusty, chippy, vintage goodness.” Tonight until 7 p.m. is the early bird first chance, $17 at the door. Other days is $7 at the door. Looking for another hunt opportunity? On Saturday if you're still in the hunting mood, check out the Duluth Woman's Club Fall Bazaar, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., with arts, crafts, edibles and collectibles plus the scone cafe in the historic clubhouse.
Friday, Nov. 3: The Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation celebrates 40 years of impactful giving, 4-6 p.m. at Clyde Iron Works in Duluth. The foundation received our 2017 Lake Superior Magazine Achievement Award, which you can read about here.
Friday, Nov. 3: Filmmaker/author Brenda Childs shows her film "Jingle Dress Dancers in the Modern World: Ojibwe People and Pandemics," at 7:30 p.m. in the Grand Marais Art Colony Studio 21. University of Minnesota Northrop Professor of American Studies and a 2022 Guggenheim Fellowship recipient, Brenda shares her film which considers the history of the Ojibwe Jingle Dress Dance tradition and its origin in the global pandemic of influenza in 1918-1920.
Friday, Nov. 3: Randy Riggle brings his comedy to the AAD Shrine Event Center in Hermantown. The fundraising event includes dinner.
Saturday, Nov. 4: AICHO Galleries in Duluth brings together Gordon Coons (Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe tribal member) and Steven StandingCloud (Red Lake Ojibwe Nation) in a group art exhibition “Mazinibii’igewininiwag: Two Woodland Artists." The exhibition reception is Saturday 5:30-7 p.m.
Wisconsin
Saturday, Nov. 4: Mt. Ashwabay in Bayfield holds its Ski & Snowboard Swap, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Items can be dropped off through Friday. The swap offers a chance to trade-in, or trade-up, with 15% of the purchase price benefiting the Ashwabay Outdoor Educational Foundation. Cross-country, Downhill, and Snowboard and other winter sport equipment are all welcome
Saturday, Nov. 4: The Chick-uamegon in Ashland is a women-only 1 mile/5K walk, run, jump or skip race starting 10 a.m. As organizers advise: " Get your girlfriends together and come to Ashland dressed in your blingest best."
Ontario
Saturdays & Sundays, Nov. 4-5, 11-12: Touted as the largest craft show in Northern Ontario, the Holiday Gift & Craft Show at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre in Sault Ste. Marie features more than 80 vendors in one locale.
Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 4-5: The 28th annual Country Christmas Crafts & Antiques Fair at Vanderwees Garden Gallery in Thunder Bay features 75 tables of locally made items from local vendors. Admission is free.
Photo & graphic credits: Adobe Stock, St. Louis River; Alyssa Johnson/St. Louis River Alliance; Gerald Guimond; Eric Treece; Chris Schmidt; Todd Stewart/Skating Wild on an Inland Sea; Linda LeGarde Grover/A Song Over Miskwaa Rapids; Travis Novitsky/Spirit Dancing; Karen Dionne in Newberry News; 50KUM Trail Race/Duluth Junk Hunt/Mt. Ashwabay Ski & Snowboard Swap/Holiday Gift & Craft Show at Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre