West End News: September 8

A picture in the Cook County News Herald really caught my eye last week. It was a shot of Superior National golf pro and Lutsen resident Heath Ekstrom in his graceful back swing. I read the photo caption before the headline and was startled to read that he was playing 100 rounds of golf on September 11 to raise money for the Folds of Honor Foundation. One hundred rounds of golf in a day would be quite a feat, so my eye jumped to the headline, where I was reassured to find that Heath was attempting one hundred holes of golf in a single day.
 
A hundred holes is no mean feat in itself and there is still time to call Heath to pledge your support for this worthy cause. The Folds of Honor Foundation provides education scholarships to the spouses and children of military members who have died or been disabled in the line of duty.
 
Heath reckons that he can play 9 holes of golf in about 45 minutes as long as he doesn’t have to wait for other golfers. The other golfers on the course will be informed of Heath’s attempt, so I’m sure they’ll be happy to let him play through. Heath has the advantage of being an excellent golfer, so he won’t have to spend as much time in the woods searching for his ball as the rest of us do. He’s confident that he can complete 100 holes and may actually play a few more if he has time.
 
You can make a pledge to support Heath’s effort right up until his tee time at 6:30 am on September 11. You can call 218-663-7195 or email [email protected].
 
There are also some spots still available for the 2016 Rally For The Cure Women's Golf Scramble. The golf event is Sunday, September 18. The Women's 18 hole golf scramble will start at 10:00 am with registration and cart decoration starting at 8:00 am. Although you need to register for the event, your contribution-slash-event fee can be made at the start of the event.
 
All funds raised will benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research and can be directed to Minnesota and local chapters. Call 218-663-7195 for more details and to register your team.
 
Also in Lutsen, eight homes belonging to people of low or moderate income will receive substantial repairs compliments of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. To qualify, you must live in your single family home or live in one side of a duplex that you own. The grant can be used for roofing, siding, doors, windows, weatherproofing or other repairs that make the home more energy efficient. It cannot be used to increase the square footage of your home.
 
Local, licensed contractors will be sought out to complete the work. If you live in the home for another ten years, the total cost of the project will be forgiven. If you sell your home anytime in the next ten years, you have to pay back a portion of the loan that decreases by ten percent each year.
 
To get more information and to check if you qualify, call 1-800-662-5711. If you missed that number, you can call WTIP and they will cheerfully provide it. This is a great deal and many, if not most, local families would meet the income guidelines, so if you have any interest at all – make the call.
 
There have been several stories in the news lately about the aging of BWCA Wilderness users. The statistics make it look like only old people are using the wilderness and when they become too infirm for wilderness canoe trips the use of the wilderness will plunge.
 
I think the statistics might be a little misleading in this case. A significant part of the aging statistic for the wilderness is just sheer demographics. Almost every general public activity in the United States is showing an aging population because the baby boom bubble is now moving into their senior years.
 
Also, back in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s backpacking and wilderness camping was a tremendous fad. Like all fads it died out after a few years, but many of the young people who were hooked by the fad stayed hooked for life. That fad could and probably will repeat itself at some point, hooking a whole new generation of wilderness campers.
 
After accounting for those two factors, the statistics don’t look nearly so grim, although there is some truth in the fact that young people have many more demands on their time than the youngsters of 40 or 50 years ago. This is a legitimate concern, but I see many very enthusiastic young wilderness campers every day here at Sawbill. As the size of the general population grows and the pressures of urban life increase, I predict that the BWCA Wilderness will remain very popular, providing a significant boost to the West End Economy over the long, long term.
 
After all, the wilderness is just another one of the things that makes the West End great!
 
For WTIP, this is Bill Hansen with the West End News.