West End News: October 27

The 2016 summer tourism season in the West End is in the records books and it may well be a record breaking year.  It was an unusually busy season for all, and especially busy through the fall, right up to and including the recently concluded MEA weekend. The traditional Minnesota school holiday was the latest possible this year, which extended the season beyond its usual boundaries. 
 
Back in the old days, many resorts in the West End would close on Labor Day.  The decision to promote the fall color season, back in the 1960s, quickly made September and half of October one of the busiest parts of the year.  Now, even the slow seasons see a fair number of visitors to the Shore.  Linda Jurek, Director of Visit Cook County, told me the other day that her highly effective marketing efforts are now shifting to spring and fall, because the capacity of Cook County to host visitors in the summer is approaching the saturation point.
 
If you need more evidence that the West End has become a "world class" destination, look no further than the venerable "Grey Lady,' the New York Times, that published a glowing travel piece on the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness last week.  They tagged the beautifully written and photographed article as "relief from the election season" and for a couple of days it was the most read article in the Times. To be fair, the article described a canoe trip hosted by Sue and Paul Schurke in the Ely area, but of course, everyone knows that the best part of the BWCA Wilderness is in Cook County. 
 
Minnesota Public Radio's popular Newscut blog suggested that next year the wilderness will be overrun with people with accents that are not Minnesotan.  In my opinion, the article was designed to build national support for preserving the wilderness on the cusp of a political fight to prevent huge sulfide mining projects from opening on the very edge of the popular wilderness area.  My hunch is that political maneuvering will reach a peak in the time between the election and the end of the Obama Administration. 
 
Speaking of elections, I strongly urge you to exercise your rights and vote in this year's election.  Most West End residents have already received their ballots.  If you are a new resident, you can register at the polls on election day.
 
I've been frightened by the Brexit vote in Britain and the referendum on the peace settlement in Columbia.  Like the presidential election here in the U.S., polling showed strong support for one side and the election ended up narrowly going the other way, due to voter apathy.  It can't be said enough, every vote counts and elections have huge consequences. Please, please, please cast your ballot before or on November 8th.
 
By the way, the recent claims that the presidential election is somehow "rigged" is complete bunk.  Minnesota has a nearly flawless record and reputation for fair elections.  Our system has been rigorously tested by two extremely close statewide elections during the last decade.  The intensely detailed scrutiny that those elections brought to bear clearly showed that voter fraud in a complete non-issue.
 
If you really want relief from this year's campaigns for presidents, I recommend the venerable Lutifisk dinner at Zoar Lutheran Church in Tofte.  The annual dinner featuring the Scandinavian delicacy of cod fish soaking in lye has anchored the fall season in Tofte for generations.  This years feast is on Saturday, November 5th from 5 to 7 pm.  Of course, the delicious lutefisk is what draws in the crowds, but rest assured, if you follow a lutefisk free diet, there will be plenty of ham, potatoes and bread to fill you up.
 
For WTIP, this is Bill Hansen with the West End News.