West End News: November 15

Time is short to make your reservations for the North Shore Commercial Fishing Museum's third annual storytelling dinner.  This popular event will be hosted by Lutsen Resort Saturday, Dec. 1. The storyteller will be Adolph Ojard, who is currently the executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. Adolph is a Knife River native and the grandson of two distinguished North Shore fishing families, the Ojards and the Torgersens.  He will talk about his experience with commercial fishing in the ‘50s and ‘60s, as well as a peek into the future of commercial fishing in Lake Superior.  Social hour starts at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30.  Call Lutsen Resort for reservations at 663-7212.  There is a reasonable charge for the dinner, as it is the main fundraiser of the year for the North Shore Commercial Fishing Museum in Tofte.
 
I want to give a shout out to Senja Ahlgren and her staff at the AmericInn - Tofte for a recent effort that they made to support military veterans and their families in Cook County. As part of a national effort by the AmericInn hotel franchise, Senja and her staff gathered donations from local businesses and individuals to make up bags of products and certificates that were distributed to Cook County veterans that encourage family activities and togetherness.  As always in the West End, everyone got behind the effort and 70 bags were distributed to veteran families in Cook County.  Thanks to AmericInn - Tofte and all the volunteers and donors for their good work.
 
And while I'm on the subject of good works, The Tofte Branch of Grand Marais State Bank will have a "Giving Tree" again this year for the holidays. The bank is collecting referrals of anyone who could really use an extra surprise or two this holiday season. In order to keep it confidential, they ask for the gender and age, and the person or group who will be responsible to pick up the gift at the bank by Dec. 18 for delivery before Christmas.  For information, talk to Nancy at the bank in Tofte or e-mail Patty Nordahl at Birch Grove Community Center at [email protected] or call 663-7977.
 
I was very impressed, again this year, by the amazing energy created by the annual Bluegrass Masters weekend at Lutsen Resort, sponsored by the North Shore Music Association.  For the last 22 years, this event has filled Lutsen Resort to the gills with musicians and music fans for a weekend of jam sessions, workshops, concerts and musical networking. I only mention this event after the fact because I think it flies a little under the radar with local folks. It's a really interesting and entertaining thing to witness, just as a cultural event, if nothing else. The public is welcome to walk through the resort and listen to the dozens of jam sessions that break out in every nook and cranny. The level of musicianship is amazingly high, with some of the best acoustic musicians from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ontario mixed in with amateurs and beginners. 
 
I urge every Cook County resident to check it out when it rolls around next year on the first weekend in November. In addition to the musical fun, it is a great model for promoting tourism during the shoulder season when business drops dramatically. I can picture any number of events that could make use of excess resort capacity, contribute to the local economy and provide great entertainment for local people.
 
This continues to be a dramatic year for ice formation on Sawbill Lake.  The lake froze over about 70 percent back on Nov. 2.  By Nov. 7, the ice had completely disappeared in the face of warm temperatures and rain. Then, on the night of Nov. 13 it skimmed over again. Based on the forecast, it is very likely that it will thaw again. It is a rare phenomenon for the lake to freeze, thaw and re-freeze in a given year. If it does indeed thaw and freeze again, it will be first time in almost 60 years, at least, that it has frozen and thawed twice before the final freeze up.  And who knows… maybe it will freeze four times before we're done.  As I've discussed this interesting phenomenon around town, the conversation always ends with people saying to me, "Let me know if it freezes smooth enough for skating."  Rest assured that I will post to Boreal News if that happy condition develops!

(Photo via Wikimedia Commons and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.)