West End News: July 9

I was surprised and honored to be named Citizen of the Year at this year’s 4th of July celebration in Tofte.  As I said in my acceptance speech, off the top of my head I can think of 20 people that deserve the honor more than I do.  I am pleased to receive the same award that my mother, Mary Alice Hansen, won couple of years ago.  It seems like whenever I do something that either of my parents did previously, I’m on the right track.
 
During the plaque ceremony, Tofte Township Supervisor, Jim King, mentioned that the Citizen of the Year Award was created seven years ago to honor Tofte resident and volunteer, Bob Boomgard.  I was saddened to hear Jim say that Bob had passed away recently.
 
Bob Boomgard retired to Tofte many years ago and quickly became one of the most active volunteers that one can imagine.  He did many things, but his first love was the beautiful Tofte Park. 
 
Tofte Park is one of the North Shore’s hidden gems – a beautiful swath of Lake Superior shoreline that was bypassed by the modern reconstruction of Highway 61.  Originally donated to the township by Elizabeth Tofte in 1922, the park featured a quaint spillway, wishing well and walking bridge, all built out of red, white and blue cobblestones.
 
By the early 1990s, the cobblestone structures were in considerable disrepair.  Bob, along with his wife, Delora, painstakingly recovered all the fallen cobblestones and restored the lovely structures to their original glory.  We all enjoy his work every time we stroll through the park and the township has been inspired to make a number of improvements to the park over recent years.  It is now a popular spot for weddings and picnics – not to mention the famous 4th of July celebration.
 
Bob Boomgard will be greatly missed in Tofte, not only for his hard work, but his invariably cheerful and upbeat personality.
 
It is good to see that the 600 Road bridge across the Temperance River in Tofte is finally funded for replacement.  The old iron bridge, whose paint had faded to a charming pink color over the years, has been closed for almost a year, effectively cutting off reasonable access to the 600 Road.  The 600 Road is not only important to local loggers, but is a popular tourism destination, especially in the fall when its abundant maples put on a spectacular show.
 
In a very enlightened move, the Forest Service has designed an aesthetically pleasing wooden bridge that will blend with the beauty of the river - and will be constructed by a local contractor.
 
It remains a mystery as to why the replacement wasn’t done before the inconvenience of having the road closed for a year, but I guess it is a case of better late than never.
 
Here is a quick list of “not to be missed” West End events that are coming up in the next month:
 
The Bloodmobile will be at Zoar Lutheran Church in Tofte on Tuesday, July 21, from 2 until 6 pm.  Call Polly Erickson at 663-7398 if you would like to donate a pint of blood.
 
On Saturday, July 18, Barb Livdahl will be speaking about the current exhibit called “Lost Resorts” at the Cross River Heritage Center in Schroeder.   She’ll be sharing what she learned while researching all the resorts that existed in the West End from the 1920s through today.
 
Sugarloaf Cove Nature Center in Schroeder has a fun plan for their annual meeting this year.  They will be celebrating aboard the tour ship Voyageur on Saturday, August 8, embarking from the Silver Bay Marina at 5:30 pm.   If seeing Sugarloaf from the big lake isn’t enough, their will be hors d’oeuvres, wine and live music from the THUGS, which stands for Two Harbors Ukelele Group.
 
We’ve been chasing a lost dog around the woods here at Sawbill for the last two weeks.  The husky mix named Bode, ran off from his owners during a thunderstorm in the BWCA Wilderness just north of Sawbill.  Bode is a recent rescue by his family so he hadn’t bonded completely with them yet.
 
He is spotted around the area almost every day and will readily eat food that is left out for him, but won’t let anyone get close enough to capture him.  The owners are coming back up from their home in the Twin Cities today with a large live trap that we’re all hoping will do the trick. 
 
Stay tuned, for what we’re all hoping will be the happy conclusion to the saga of Bode next week.