West End News: October 17

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West End teens have a great opportunity coming up at the Clair Nelson Community Center in Finland.    A weekly class called “Cooking Matters” will be available starting Friday, Nov. 1 from 1 to 3 p.m. 
 
Local chefs Nancy Olson and Marc Smith will start each class with a cooking demonstration, which will be followed by hands-on cooking by the participants. At the end of each class the student chefs will be sent home with all of the ingredients for the demonstration meal so they can prepare it for their own family.
 
“Cooking Matters” is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Finland Community and the University of Minnesota Extension Service.  The course is open to people from 13 to 18 years old.  It’s limited to 15 participants and is expected to fill up, so call the Clair Nelson Community Center quickly to register.  The contact person is Marc Smith at 218-253-0300.  You can always contact WTIP for full information.
 
Take it from a guy who never progressed much beyond Kraft macaroni and cheese; learning to cook well is the best favor you can do for yourself and your loved ones as you go through life.
 
Another West End blood drive is on the horizon.  The Bloodmobile will be at Zoar Lutheran Church in Tofte Nov. 12 from 2:30 until 6 p.m.  Contact Julie Rannetsberger at 663-7111 to schedule a time.
 
It’s fun to have Julie back organizing the blood drive. She did it for many years before putting it in the capable hands of Polly Erickson.  I don’t know if the baton is being passed back to Julie, or if she’s just filling in this time.  Stay tuned for more details next week.
 
The North Shore Stewardship Association at Sugarloaf Cove in Schroeder has a couple of interesting events coming up.
 
“Bats In Peril” is the title of a program scheduled for Friday, Oct. 25.  Tettegouche State Park naturalist Amy Funk will talk about the recent discovery of the “white nose fungus” in Minnesota.  This is the fungus that has decimated bat populations in the eastern United States.  Amy will talk about what this means for the future of Minnesota’s bats.  The program is free and starts at 7 p.m. 
 
Sugarloaf will also be holding their annual “Sugarloaf in the Cities” event Sunday, Nov. 3 from 5-8 pm.  This is the 11^th year that Sugarloaf has held this important fundraising event in the Twin Cities, for the convenience of their members who live in the metro.
 
This year’s speaker will be Dr. Jay Austin, a renowned researcher of climate change in the Lake Superior region.  This is a great event for anyone who loves the North Shore.  Not only will it be an interesting lecture, but it also includes a light supper, a live auction and time for conversation with other fans of the North Shore.  This is Sugarloaf’s biggest fundraiser of the year.  Google Sugarloaf Nature Center, email [email protected] or call 218-525-0001 for details and registration.
 
West End native Noah Horak is continuing his epic around-the-world adventure motorcycle trip.  Noah is a native of Tofte and the son of Jan and Kathy Horak.  He’s been riding his specially equipped off-road motorcycle for about a year and half around the U.S., Europe, North Africa, twice around the Asian continent and is now in Japan.
 
Noah completed the BAM route in Russia during August and September.  BAM is short for the Baikal-Amur Mainline.  It is a road across all of Siberia that was essentially abandoned after many years of construction starting in the ‘70s.  Much of it is now a single lane dirt track with rickety or non-existent bridges through some of the most remote parts of the earth.  It is considered by many to be the ultimate in adventure motorcycling.
 
Noah is keeping a detailed and colorful blog of all his adventures, which is fascinating to read.  If you type “Around the world with Noah” into your search engine, his blog will be the top hit.
 
Noah plans to keep riding for at least another year and a half, heading for Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.  He’ll finish up with a tour of every country in South America before a quick ride home via Central America and Mexico.
 
I have to admit to being extremely jealous of Noah.  There is no question that he will return to Tofte as a man who has literally seen the world.
 
For WTIP, this is Bill Hansen with the West End News.

{photo courtesy of Noah Horak}