North Shore Weekend

Deane Morrison is a science writer at the University of Minnesota, where she authors the Minnesota Starwatch column.

Over the next two weeks, you may want to take a closer look at the sky during the early morning hours. In this edition of Northern Sky, Deane explains why the next few weeks will be great for morning starwatchers, as well as where to find Comet ISON and why it will be in "perihelion."

Read this month's Starwatch column.

The annual lutefisk and ham dinner at Zoar Lutheran Church is in the record books for another year.  Chef Gary Hansen reported a successful event with attendance at about 130 people and 100 pounds of lutefisk consumed.  Gary had 175 pounds on hand, just in case, so if you’re looking for some lutefisk, give Gary a call.
 
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned good-natured complaints by the students at Birch Grove School about a certain lingering odor after the lutefisk dinner in the past.  Mel Lingwall, who taught at Birch Grove for many, many years, emailed me after he heard the story. 
 
Mel wrote that years ago he arrived at school early one morning and was alarmed by the strong smell of burning rubber.  He couldn’t see anything burning, but he immediately called Jim Schliep, who was in charge of maintenance at the time.  Jim hurried to the school where he and Mel spent the better part of an hour inspecting all the mechanical systems and searching for the source of the awful smell.  Only after they had inspected the entire school did they realize that the lutefisk was the source of the odor.
 
According to Gary Hansen, an acknowledged lutefisk expert, modern lutefisk doesn’t smell bad.  I can only guess that the lutefisk production process has somehow changed, or perhaps Gary has damaged his sense of smell during his long career as a lutefisk chef.
 
There is a lot going on in the West End on Friday, Nov. 22.  The Commercial Fishing Museum’s Storytelling event is happening at Lutsen Resort.  This popular event is now sold out, but if you didn’t get a ticket, you have two other choices for the evening.
 
Papa Charlie’s at Lutsen Mountains is hosting the annual benefit for Birch Grove School, featuring a lasagna dinner, silent auction and live music.  Tickets are available at the door.
 
As if that isn’t enough for one night, there will be a fabulous house concert, featuring singer/songwriters Martha Scanlan and Amy Helm at the Cascade Loft Concert Series on the Cascade Beach Road between Lutsen and Grand Marais.
 
Both of these talented women have too many accomplishments to list here, but you may remember Scanlan’s songs from the hit movie “Cold Mountain.”  Amy Helm is American roots music royalty, because she is the daughter of Levon Helm, drummer for The Band. 
 
The Cascade Loft Concerts do not sell tickets in advance, but you must RSVP to save yourself a spot.  All you have to do is email cascadeloftconcerts@gmail.com to reserve a seat, get the address and learn the super secret handshake.  Doors open at 7 p.m. and the music starts at 7:45.
 
I was saddened to hear of Lloyd Scherer’s death at the age of 94.  Lloyd was a long-time Lutsen and Grand Marais resident.  I first met him when he had the contract with the Forest Service to pick up garbage at the Sawbill Lake campground, back in the early ‘60s. 
 
Lloyd was a gentle soul and a bit of a renaissance man.  Although he was best known for his beautiful artwork, Lloyd was also deeply knowledgeable about the natural world.  On my last hike with Lloyd, he was well into his 80s and I could barely keep up with both his hiking pace and his stream of observations on the complexity of the ecosystem that we were passing through.  Lloyd will be missed by his family, friends and the whole community.
 
Julie’s Variety and True Value Hardware Store in Silver Bay will be hosting Ladies’ Night on Monday, Nov. 25, starting at 6:30 p.m.  This fun event includes hors d’oeuvres, demonstrations, door prizes, discounts and a chance to knock off a bunch of holiday shopping in one fell swoop.  If you’ve been to Julie’s, you know it is much more than just a hardware store.  Space is limited, so call (218) 226-3803 to reserve a spot.
 
Ladies’ night at the hardware store reminds me of a story that Meg Tofte told me a long time ago.  At the time, Meg and her husband, Greg Tofte, had been married for 10 or 15 years.  Most people know that Greg is well-respected home building contractor and a Tofte native.  A few weeks before her birthday that year, Meg gently asked Greg if he would please, for once, not buy her birthday present at the hardware store.  They are still happily married, so I’m guessing that Greg took the hint.
 

Inching toward winter, there are many things in the natural world turning and changing. WTIP’s Jay Andersen talks with phenologist Chel Andersen about mid-November, in this edition of "North Woods Naturalist."

A staple for commercial and native fishermen over the years have been whitefish. WTIP’s Jay Andersen talks with phenologist Chel Andersen about whitefish in the big lake and inland waters, in this edition of "North Woods Naturalist."

In this edition of Moments in Time, we visit with Willard Nelson, grandson of the founders of Lutsen Resort, Swedish immigrants C.A.A. and Anna Nelson, a few days before his 99th birthday, November 11, 2013.  Produced by Carah Thomas.

A year ago on the Lake Superior Project, we spoke with several people around the lake—environmental advocates, policy makers, residents, and others—about climate change. Most of these people stressed the need to adapt to the changes that are happening here—including lower lake levels, warmer water temperatures, and less winter ice cover on the lake. So, a year later, we were curious. How are folks around the lake adapting to climate change? Some of their answers may surprise you. In this edition of the Lake Superior Project, we talk with folks and communities around the lake who are adapting to climate change...with a positive twist.

The Schroeder Historical Society is holding its annual Holiday Bazaar Saturday, Nov. 23, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Cross River Heritage Center in Schroeder.  Once again this year, there will be drawing for a beautiful handmade quilt.  The drawing will be held at 2 p.m.  Call 663-7706 or e-mail office@crossriverheritage.org if you need more information.
 
I am pleased with the news that the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic in Grand Marais has added a staff person to help Cook County residents get enrolled in MNSure, which is the new online health insurance exchange created under the Affordable Health Care Act.  Rachelle Christianson is scheduling information sessions around the county.  She plans to have a couple of sessions in the West End, so watch for information about when and where as it becomes available. 
 
The MNSure exchange is for people who either don’t have health insurance or are underinsured.  If you get health insurance through your work, or if you are on Medicare, you don’t have to be concerned with MNSure.  Judging from her interview here on WTIP, Rachelle seems to have a very firm grasp on the details of MNSure and will be able to give you clear and helpful advice.  If you don’t want to wait for the public information sessions, you can contact her directly at the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic at 387-2330.
 
I’ve been very annoyed by the irrational and inaccurate misinformation campaign surrounding the Affordable Health Care Act, which is sometimes called Obamacare.  I can’t even begin to list all the nonsense that has been said about the Act, because it would take too long. 
 
From my perspective, Obamacare will be very useful to my family and small business.  We have been among the underinsured population for many years.  As an independent small business, we’ve been forced to buy our insurance on the open market as individuals.  In order to keep the expense within our means we’ve had to carry disaster insurance featuring very high deductibles, large co-payments and scary exclusions for expensive illnesses.  On top of that, many insurance companies have made it a standard practice to drop people from coverage on some flimsy pretext if they actually became sick, to avoid having to pay the claim.
 
In other words, we’ve been paying a small fortune for insurance that didn’t really protect us and might not cover us at all.  Even if our insurance worked as advertised, the reality was that if two members of our family became seriously ill at the same time, we could lose our home and business to bankruptcy – just for being unlucky.
 
The Affordable Health Care Act is a big step toward making sure that all Americans are treated fairly by their health insurance.  You can no longer be denied insurance for having a pre-existing condition.  You no longer can be dropped from your insurance just because you get sick.  All health insurance policies are now required to offer solid, across the board basic care without requiring you to lose your life’s savings if you get seriously ill or injured.
 
That said, I believe the Affordable Health Care Act is a flawed solution to how health care is paid for in America.  All you have to do is look around the world to see that a single payer system of health care is the way to go.  It is simpler, far more efficient and would improve the overall health of Americans. 
 
There is no perfect system for something as complicated as health care, but we can do much better.  A logical, well-run, single payer health insurance system could allow full choice of which doctor you see, make the paperwork much simpler, help hold down costs and let business unleash its entrepreneurial spirit.
 
In my opinion, we should give Obamacare a chance, but it’s not too early to be thinking about the next step forward.
 
At this writing, Sawbill Lake is still completely free of ice, but I don’t think that will last much longer.  All the leaves and needles are down now and the woods have that dark, austere November look.  Every time the wind switches to the north, I can practically smell the snow and ice creeping inexorably nearer and nearer.

Derek Smith, Erik Lastine and Will Seaton are making a unique and original style of music that defies definition.  In this edition of the Local Music Project we learn more about the Cook County based band Whurl. 

LUNAFEST is a traveling film festival of award-winning short films by, for and about women.  This year, the festival will travel to over 150 cities and screen in front of 25,000 people. 
 
LUNAFEST is coming to the Arrowhead Center for the Arts in Grand Marais on Saturday, November 9th at 7:00 p.m., sponsored by the Violence Prevention Center.

(Click on audio mp3 above to hear an interview about the festival with Jodi Yuhasey and Lucy Perpich of the Violence Prevention Center in Grand Marais, MN.)

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Established in 2000 by LUNA, the makers of the Whole Nutrition Bar for Women, LUNAFEST connects women, their stories and their causes through film. This traveling film festival spotlights the work of a diverse array of talented women filmmakers with intelligent, funny and thought-provoking themes.  

Each year, various organizations bring LUNAFESTs to their communities and raise funds for their local non-profits as well as the festival’s main beneficiary - Breast Cancer Fund. 
 
See more at: http://www.lunafest.org/#sthash.itVLmKEA.dpuf
 
THE FILMS: 2014
FILM ARCHIVE
 
This season’s program of nine selected films is incredibly diverse in style and content, united by a common thread of exceptional storytelling - by, for and about women.
 
WATCH THE LUNAFEST TRAILERTake a peek at the films selected for the 2013-2014 Season
 
Date with Fate
by Venetia Taylor
When it comes to blind dating, some things are meant to be—whether you like it or not.
 
First Match
by Olivia Newman
A determined female wrestler prepares for her first co-ed high school match.
 
Flying Anne
by Catherine van Campen
A young girl with Tourette’s syndrome takes “flight” to navigate life with her tics.
 
Granny’s Got Game
by Angela Gorsica Alford
Seven fiercely competitive women in their seventies bond and play winning basketball, proving you are never too old to do what you love.
 
Maria of Many
by Alexandra Liveris
Meet María—Mexican immigrant, domestic worker, committed mom and activist.
 
Running Dry
by Dimitra Nikolopoulou
A woman impacted by economic hardships journeys into contemporary Athens.
 
Sidewalk
by Celia Bullwinkel
A woman walks through life, confronts her changing body and learns to love herself.
 
Sounds Shadows
by Julie Engaas
Enter a world where sound gives shape to space.
 
Tiny Miny Magic
by Danielle Lurie
When Sam and her mailman exchange presents via her mailbox, an unexpected love connection blossoms.

See more at: http://www.lunafest.org/the-films#sthash.BUjnMLQn.dpuf

This edition of the Local Music Project features multi-instrumentalist Erik Hahn. 

Photo (from left to right): Erik Hahn, Tom VanCleve and Briand Morrison performing as Frozen Britches at the 2013 Radio Waves Music Festival.