West End News: January 19

Music has long been a favorite pastime of many West Enders. After all, what else are you going to do when it gets dark at 4 pm? Whether it’s practicing in your living room, performing for a crowd, or going out to enjoy your friends’ tunes, music often brings us together. This week we have some particularly exciting music news, though. Lutsen’s own Cobi (known to us as Jacob Schmidt) will be performing live on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Monday, January 23.

Many locals will remember hearing Cobi play his guitar in a number of different settings when he was growing up in Lutsen. Most recently, he was home playing a few shows with his equally musical brother, Josh, who plays with the Minneapolis-based band, Step Rockets. Cobi’s 2016 single, Don’t You Cry For Me, has been played more than 20 million times, and counting, on the popular music streaming service Spotify. A simple Google search for Cobi, Don’t You Cry For Me, will show his music video for the song. You can also check out his music and videos on Facebook, just search for Cobi. So go look him up, show him some love from his hometown, and don’t forget to tune in to The Tonight Show on NBC on Monday, January 23, to see him live.

Zoar Lutheran Church in Tofte is bringing people together every Wednesday night this winter for soup, conversation, and, you guessed it, music. On Wednesdays, from 5:30 to 7, you are invited to join a fun group of folks at Zoar. Soup is provided (rumor has it that it’s always delicious) and Dave Gustafson provides some musical entertainment. It’s a nice way to break up your work-week with a little socializing.

Lutsen Resort is happy to announce that Chef Ian Heieie has joined the resort to lead their culinary team. Ian comes to Lutsen by way of the popular Minneapolis restaurant, The Bachelor Farmer. To celebrate, they are holding a “Meet the Chef” dinner on Saturday, February 4, at 6:30 pm. It will be an intimate 4-course dinner presented by Chef Ian with wine pairings by Lutsen’s North Shore Winery. Chef Ian will be serving dishes prepared with a farm-raised Mangalitsa boar from Yker Acres farm down in Carlton. I can personally attest to the excellent quality of Yker Acres pork, so I imagine this dinner will be outstanding. Cost is $50 per person, and for reservations call Lutsen Resort at 1-888-887-5502.

Lake Trout fishing is open now, and the January thaw has people heading for the lakes. Winter campers up in our area have gone as far north as Cherokee Lake, giving us some insight into conditions on many inland lakes. They report that there is a fair amount of slush still in some spots, so snowshoes are recommended for travel. Overall, the ice thickness is generally around 15 inches, although one group did encounter thin, bad ice on Brule where the Temperance River exits the lake. The same group actually fell through the ice on another small lake where flowing water at the inlet and outlet has apparently kept much ice from forming. They were prepared so no harm done. So while you’re out there chasing lunkers, be sure to check ice depths and be aware of your beautiful, but unforgiving, surroundings.

For WTIP, I’m Clare Shirley with the West End News.

(Photo courtesy of Ken Lane on Flickr)