unknown
Get on Board & Book a Boat
We may be loath to admit it, but summer is waning. That's why now is the time to get yourself onto a sailboat and out onto the Lake. Don't have a sailboat? No problem. There are a wide variety of sailing excursions to tap. Here are just a few sailaways (and don't forget local motorized cruise or paddling kayak tours, which are not listed):
In Minnesota, the schooner Hjørdis, operated in Grand Marais by the North House Folk School and seen in the photo above, sails daily during the season. "The story of Hjørdis starts in a backyard near Detroit, Michigan, in the early 1970s," the Folk School posts on its website. "Kenneth Woodward, a General Motors machinist and general foreman, bought plans from naval architect Thomas Colvin to build his Gazelle design, a 42’ junk-rigged schooner. Seven years and over 6,000 hours later, Kenneth splashed the boat and named it after his mother: Hjørdis."
In Duluth, Time Out Sailing has half-day, full-day, overnight and multiple-day sails, plus sunset cruises on its 36-foot Pearson masthead sloop Time Out.
In Thunder Bay, Sail Superior has a long experience in sailing tours, public or private and specialty trips and basic sail training. For instance, enjoy a wine and cheese tour on the Journeyer, a Down Easter 38 Ketch, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Its sailing fleet also includes Frodo, a Jonmeri 40 built in Finland, and Welcome, a 50-foot Lagoon 500 catamaran.
Bayfield, Wis., offers multiple options:
True North Sailing Charters navigates through the Apostle Islands on the Starling, a 33' Cheoy Lee Clipper, or the catamarans Piper and Echo.
All Hands Sailing features a wide range of options, from one day to multiple days. It's fleet includes Raptor, a
Catalina 36 MKII; Dragonfly, a Pearson 38.5-foot center cockpit sloop; Vahevala, a Tartan 37-footer; Jalapeno, a Beneteau First 36.7-foot racer; and Dreamcatcher, a Pearson 33-footer. On the private tours, pooches are welcome like the one in this photo.
Lake Superior Tall Ships Inc. specializes in tours to teach young folk about sailing, but also does morning, afternoon and sunset sails and multi-day family adventures. Its fleet includes Abbey Road, a Vagabond 52 Staysail Schooner, and Zeeto, a three-masted bald-headed Tern Schooner.
Superior Charters offers a sailing school and captained longer sailing vacations among other offerings. Its fleet features South Twin, a 33-foot Jeanneau Sailboat; Clear Air, a 37-foot Jeanneau Sailboat; Liberty, a 40-foot Lagoon Catamaran; and Windeavor, a 41-foot Jeanneau Sailboat.
In Michigan, U.P. Sailing Co. offers tours that take in Marquette, Pictured Rocks, Munising, Grand Island, Huron Islands, Grand Marais and all the way to the Keweenaw Peninsula. It has day and sunset sails, a sailing school, adventure and private trips. Its fleet includes Tsuru ("soo-roo"), a Bennett 46-footer, and Freya, a 26-foot Colgate yacht.
Air Alerts in the Region
Keep an eye out for air quality alerts in our region. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued an air quality alert in northeastern Minnesota through Thursday morning due to smoke from wildfires in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. "Heavy ground-level smoke has become trapped over Lake Superior and will continue to impact areas along the lakeshore," the MPCA noted, with affected areas including Two Harbors, Hibbing, Ely, Duluth, and the tribal nations of Grand Portage and Fond du Lac. "Fine particle levels may reach the orange category across the Arrowhead region." The orange category means the air quality can be unhealthy for "sensitive groups," such as children and elders, people with asthma or other breathing conditions, those with heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes and pregnant women. The categories are seen in the graph here from AirNow.gov.
Hunter McCullough with Northern News Now in Duluth suggested that while rains today and early Saturday will help, by late Saturday and through to Monday, the wildfire smoke may return to the Minnesota region.
Elsewhere in the greater Big Lake neighborhood appear to be "good" for now, but Michigan's Upper Peninsula is expected to drop to a "moderate" by Saturday, according to AirNow. The same appears to be true for northern Wisconsin. Environment Canada showed Thunder Bay at low risk through Saturday and the same east to Sault Ste. Marie.
A particularly red sun sometimes indicates smoke in the air, though sometimes it's just a sunset, as this 2018 shot by Christian Dalbec seems to be at AuTrain, Mich.
Gi-ga-miinigoz Mamaandaawiziwin
"May the force be with you" can now be heard in Anishinaabemowin - the Ojibwe language – Gi-ga-miinigoz Mamaandaawiziwin. (This poster comes from Lucasfilms Ltd.)
"Star Wars: The New Hope" – or "Anangong Miigaading" – has been translated into Ojibwe and a Duluth theater has it on an upcoming schedule. It will later stream on the Disney+. See a video trailer here that talks with people connected to the projects and the challenges of coming up with new words, like "light saber" in Ojibwe. It also features behind-the-scenes images and interview footage from University of Manitoba Film Studies students Caden Nikkel, Isham Behl, Shubneet Bhatia and Ciara McLeod. Read the story from the university here.
"The project brought together a wide range of talent and multigenerational Anishinaabe speakers to bring this version to life," according to APTN, a partner in the project and which touts itself as the "first national Indigenous broadcaster in the world." The dubbing was done over a 10-day period in early May in Winnipeg with the final mix completed at Skywalker Sound. The project is supported in part by the government of Canada through the Indigenous Languages and Cultures Program from Canadian Heritage. Dougald Lamont helped launch this project in 2021 after proposing it to Pablo Hidalgo, a former Winnipegger and Lucasfilm executive as a language revitalization project in support of reconciliation."
The project involved many people from our region. Niigaanii-Animikii Inini Kalvin Hartwig of Washburn, a member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, was cast as the voice of the Red Leader leading the rebel attack against the Death Star. A graduate of Lakehead University in Thunder Bay and current assistant professor at Algoma University and Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig in Sault Ste. Marie, John-Paul Chalykoff voiced Luke's Uncle Owen. Luke Skywalker is voiced by University of Minnesota Institute of Linguistics alum Aandeg Jedi Muldrew and Obi-Wan Kenobi by Dustin Gerald Morrow Aagimewikamig, currently studying for a PhD at the university. The dubbed film premiered Aug. 8 in Winnipeg.
Star Wars first got an Indigenous treatment when the film was dubbed in Navajo, released in 2013 after a project that took 16 years, according to a story by Dan Brooks on StarWars.com. Read the story of that project here.
The movie will be in Marcus Theatre's Duluth 10 in Duluth on Aug. 30. It will be in other theaters in the Midwest, too, but Duluth's will be the closest showing at Marcus.
Michigan
Today-Saturday, Aug. 16-17: Calumet hosts its Pasty Fest, kicked off this evening, 5-7 p.m. with History on the Rocks: A Pasty Poetry Slam at Eva's Hideaway. Then Saturday is the main event starting at noon at 5th and Oak. Just before that, at 11 a.m., the Keweenaw National Historical Park hosts a short free Pasty Fest Guided Walk around downtown Calumet to hear about the history behind the favored U.P. delicacy.
Today-Sunday, Aug. 16-18: Paradise celebrates its blueberry heritage with the Wild Blueberry Festival, established in 1984 and going strong. Enjoy an art fair, entertainment, and tasty local foods. The celebration showcases informative programs of music, nature, and local history lore.
Saturday, Aug. 17: Classic Cars & Bikes on Third is the 8th entry for the fundraising show organized on Third Street by the Marquette Downtown Development Authority and the Women’s Center of Marquette County. "All vehicles and bikes are welcome to participate with no admission fee," say organizers. "Simply drive up, find a spot, and show off your ride to the community while helping raise money for a good cause." The show, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., commemorates Jessica Drummond, a student at Northern Michigan University murdered through domestic violence in 2015. The fundraiser helps the Women's Center in her honor. There will be live music, food vendors, a bucket raffle, and a kid's corner.
Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 17-18: Copper Harbor Art in the Park is a juried art fair featuring fine arts and crafts. With over 60 artists from around the Midwest and some traveling from as far away as Texas, New Orleans and Florida.
Saturday, Aug. 17: The 2nd annual Grand Marais Superior Pines Disc Golf Tournament happens Saturday at the Superior Pines Course, intersection of School Forest Road and Superior Pines Road.
Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 17-18: Your off-road vehicle trail ride is free this weekend. The Free ORV Weekend is a great time to see, experience and test out the Upper Peninsula’s off-road vehicle trails. Residents and out-of-state visitors legally can ride any of Michigan's 4,000 miles of off-road vehicle trails and routes and the state’s six scramble areas on two back-to-back days without an ORV license or trail permit.
Minnesota
Saturday, Aug. 17: Think the only U.S.-Canada rivalries are in hockey, curling and baseball? Think again when the 3rd annual Meet in the Middle Pickleball Tournament takes place at the YMCA Campus in Grand Marais, starting at 6:30 p.m. The event includes clinics for newbies and brings teams down from Thunder Bay.
Saturday, Aug. 17: Go on an evening Howling Safari with experts from the International Wolf Center in Ely, starting at 8 p.m. Learn how wolves use vocalizations, body language and olfaction to communicate with one another. Practice your own howl while venturing into the nearby Superior National Forest to try howling for a wild wolf pack. Don’t be surprised if they howl back. The safaris are repeated on Saturdays through September and October.
Today-Sept. 8: Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery in Grand Marais opens its new exhibit Northwoods Quilt Art featuring work by Beret Borson Nelson. Opening reception is 5-7 p.m. today.
Tonight-Sunday, Aug. 16-18: The Duluth Playhouse production of Tina Fey's "Mean Girls: High School Version" opens on stage at the NorShor this weekend.
Saturday & Sunday, Aug. 17 & 18: Gitchi-Gami Trail Association's 24th annual North Shore Ride & Roll is family-friend and starts at the Gitchi-Gami State Trail trailhead in Gooseberry Falls State Park. Then on Sunday, Spokengear hosts the Grit & Gratitude Ride (paved or on gravel) to raise funds to help in the fight against pediatric cancers. Both allow same-day registration.
Saturday, Aug. 17: Castle Danger Brewery in Two Harbor celebrates its 13th year with a birthday bash, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Live music, food trucks and specialty brews – sounds like a party.
Sunday, Aug. 18: "Kung Fu Panda 4" will be shown Sunday instead of tonight at Duluth's Leif Erikson Park starting about 8:15 p.m. Sponsored by Downtown Duluth, it's free and fun for the family. Bring a blanket.
Sunday, Aug. 18: Sugarloaf Cove, the North Shore Stewardship Association's center near Schroeder offers a free creative writing workshop, 1-3 p.m. Diver Van Avery will lead a tour around Sugarloaf Cove and offer writing prompts to help people practice writing as an act of opening up, receiving, and connecting to the surrounding elements. Participants will find a location that speaks to them and draft an essay, a short story, or poem. There will be time to share their works-in-progress if desired.
Wisconsin
Now-Sunday, Aug. 15-18: The Sobriety Festival on the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Nation near Hayward features music, presentations and testimonies of sobriety at various locations.
Saturday, Aug. 17: East End Family Fun Day in Superior is just that – fun for the family. There will be a Car Show on East Fifth Street in front of of Pudges Bar with trophies for Best In Class, People’s Choice and Judges Choice starting at 8:30 a.m. The Annual Street Dance sponsored by Hudy’s Bar goes on throughout the day. Plus there will be a Cornhole Tournament, vendors and other cool stuff.
Saturday, Aug. 12: The 12th annual Northwoods Music & Art Festival at Boulder Lodge on Ghost Lake features artists booths and a full music lineup starting at 12:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 12: Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua in Bayfield welcomes Graham Nash to the stage at 7:30 p.m. for "More Evenings of Songs & Stories." Check out the Big Top's full remaining summer schedule here.
Ontario
Today-Sunday, Aug. 16-18: Nipigon's Blueberry Blast Festival blasts off tonight with Boom Town country rock and line dance lessons by Lady T at the Nipigon Legion, starting at 7 p.m. Or first enjoy the spaghetti dinner at St. Mary's Anglican Church. Then the festival moves outdoors on Saturday and Sunday to downtown Nipigon with street vendors and performances all afternoon. Grace United Church offers a pancake breakfast Saturday to fuel your day.
Saturday, Aug. 17: The 42nd annual Westfort Street Fair in Thunder Bay features mascot Freddie the Yeti, plus live music, vendors, sidewalk sales, bouncy castles, a beer garden and more, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. It's billed as "the longest-running event of its kind in Thunder Bay."
Saturday, Aug. 17: Enjoy a day's worth of activities at Porphyry Island Lighthouse, east of Silver Islet. The annual Lighthouse Carnival offers charters leaving at 9, 10:30, 11 a.m. from Silver Islet. Upon arrival after a 20 minute ride, visitors are greeted with an orientation to the day and the events. There will be historic tours of the lighthouse, ecology and self-guided tours. Meet the artist in residence and host keeper plus participate in Painting Superior. Enjoy a fish and chips. Departs around 4:30 p.m. Tickets are also available without charter transportation.
Saturday, Aug. 17: Lake Superior Provincial Park welcomes Anishinaabeg Elders and Knowledge Keepers for two special sessions. They share stories about Gitchi Gami (Lake Superior) and cultural teachings about sacred medicines, drums, pipes, spirits, and more. Storytelling and teachings will be followed by a question-and-answer period for those interested in learning more about the Anishinaabe, the original and continuing caretakers of the Lake Superior landscape. One gathering is 2-4 p.m. and the other is 7-9 p.m.
Today-Sunday, Aug. 16-18: Winnie's Annual Hometown Festival in White River offers its 36th edition this weekend, including Piglet's Mud Mania, a 3.5 kilometre obstacle course for you to run, jog or walk to get muddy for fun at 6 p.m. Friday. Throughout the weekend, there are vendors, activities, a beer garden, a dance party, a softball tourney, fireworks and the annual Winnie the Pooh Monster Bingo at the White River Community Centre on Sunday.
Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 17-18: The Garden River First Nation Powwow honouring missing children and unmarked graves is this weekend at the Garden River Ball Field, with Grand Entry at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. All are welcome.
Wednesday-Sunday, Aug. 21-25: Fringe North Festival starts Wednesday in Sault Ste. Marie. The annual festival primarily focuses on theatre, but has expanded to be a multi-arts experience. This year it includes kid-oriented performances, too.
Photo & graphic credits in order of appearance: North House Folk School; All Hands Sailing; Christian Dalbec; Airnow.gov; Lucasfilms Ltd.; Spotlight, from left, Copper Harbor Art in the Park; International Wolf Center; East End Family Day; Winnie's Hometown Festival
Around the Circle This Week editor: Konnie LeMay