West End News: September 26

There is still time to make your plans for the 18^th Annual North Shore Health Care Golf Scramble, which will be held at Superior National in Lutsen this Sunday, Sept. 29. 
 
This valuable and important event was the brainchild of Sue Hansen and Patty Nelson, two of the most effective and respected residents in Lutsen.  It is the largest single fundraiser for the North Shore Health Care Foundation.  The Foundation supports Cook County health care organizations with grants and operates several very useful programs.  They have contributed more than a half million dollars since they started in 1995.
 
Registration for the golf scramble can be done in advance online - just Google the North Shore Health Care Foundation office in Grand Marais.  You can also register starting at 8:30 a.m. this Sunday.  The shotgun start is at 10 a.m.  You can put together your own team, or you can join a team when you register.  The golf will be spectacular this year, as it will coincide with the peak of the fall colors. 
 
There are many, many great sponsors for this event, but I do want to specifically mention Lutsen Resort, which traditionally sponsors the 19^th hole after-party.  As always, you can contact WTIP for full details and contact information.
 
Another long-running North Shore event is happening all this week. The Crossing Borders Studio Tour is a chance for a self-guided tour of the home studios of professional artists all along Lake Superior’s North Shore.
 
This year, the art includes stone sculpture, Ojibwe artwork, pottery, weaving, glass, printmaking, wood turning, metal works, jewelry, and leather.  This is a great excuse to make some interesting stops while you’re out enjoying the fabulous fall colors. 
 
The tour runs from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. every day from Sept. 27 through Oct. 6.  Not only will you see a lot of beautiful art, but I guarantee you’ll meet some interesting and entertaining characters.
 
You can find a map and detailed directions at http://www.crossingbordersstudiotour.com/ or contact WTIP.
 
Construction of the new, high-speed six-pack ski lift at Lutsen Mountains is moving full speed ahead. Last week, a heavy lift helicopter was delivering the lift towers to their permanent locations.  The Caribou Express lift replaces the old two-place Caribou lift and will cut the time between runs from 10 minutes to three and a half minutes.
 
Which reminds me, local ski pass deals get more expensive soon, so you might want to act fast if you want to take advantage of the generous discounts available to locals and part-time West End residents.
 
I was shaken by the terrible news about the terrorist attack on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya last week. 
 
Two year ago, I traveled in Kenya with my son, Adam Hansen. Adam spent a year in Kenya when he was a junior in college.  Nearly a decade after that experience, he arranged a three-month visit back to Kenya and invited me to join him for a couple of weeks.  We stayed with his college host family less than a mile from the Westgate Mall. 
 
We were actually inside the mall a couple of times, so when I saw the video of the attack and the nearby streets, I recognized it immediately.  Even at this safe distance, I felt a little of the fear and horror that the people in that neighborhood were feeling.
 
Like everyone else, I’ve become somewhat hardened to news of terrorist attacks in far away places.  It’s hard to admit that, because each attack is a crushing tragedy for those involved.  Every victim – and every terrorist – is someone’s child, and the violence causes grief that can last for generations.
 
Terrorism has been part of the human condition since prehistoric times.  It is not a problem that can be solved by increasing security or even by an “eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” as tempting as that may be.  It can only be solved by the long, arduous task of building a civil society.  Education, economic opportunity, a fair and equitable legal system, good governance and strong civic systems are the ultimate answer.
 
The good news, if there can be good news associated with such a horrific event, is that Adam’s host family and his many friends are all safe.  However, as he and I check in with the people we know and love in Kenya, their anger, sadness and shock have been palpable.  My heart goes out to them.
 
The whole experience has given me a new appreciation for what we have here in the little old West End of Cook County.  We aren’t without our problems here, but I’m profoundly grateful for the civic life that allows us to live in relative safety and happiness.  The distant tragedies serve to remind us to never take it for granted.