Arriving in Cook County in 1979 it was striking how quiet the streets of Grand Marais could be on an early winter night. It seemed odd that not too many years later Outside magazine predicted that we would become the Aspen, Colorado of the Midwest. The place we live has indeed changed over the last few decades and is picking […]
Mike Quaife shares memories of 50 years of Holiday
The 16,000-item order catalog and order stand is long gone. So too are the Holiday stamps; the deli which sold fried chicken, shrimp and Sven & Ole’s pizza; and the chrome coffee stand where customers used to grab a free cup of coffee on their way in or out of the door at the Grand Marais Holiday. They are all […]
WTIP selected for Stewardship Award
The Lake Superior Binational Forum announced Friday, July 19 that a panel of binational judges has named WTIP Community Radio the 2013 recipient of its Environmental Stewardship Awards Program in the U.S. Organization category. The Binational Forum started an annual awards program in 2004 as a way to recognize and promote the outstanding actions or sustainable initiatives being made by […]
County wheelage tax rolled out of the way for now
With a deadline looming, the county board wrestled on July 23, 2013 with an opportunity to authorize a new tax. The state has authorized counties to impose a wheelage tax of $10 a year for certain types of vehicles over the next four years and up to $20 a year starting in 2018. The tax would apply to vehicles such […]
Gunflint Fire Department benefits from paddling fun
The annual Gunflint Trail Canoe Races went on without a hitch in spite of threatening weather and a few showers on Wednesday, July 17. The waterfront at Gunflint Lodge was crowded with a record number of contending canoeists plus watchers who attended the fundraiser. As the result of the event, $12,000 was donated to the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department […]
Johnson Heritage Post dedicates the Grandma Bench
At the beginning of July a beautiful and wonderfully functional piece of art was unveiled at the Johnson Heritage Post gallery in downtown Grand Marais. Resting now in a place of honor is the sturdy Grandma Bench created by Lutsen sculptor Tom Christiansen in memory of his mother-in-law Janet Davison Thayer, who died at her Somerset, Wisconsin home on July […]
Saskatoon or June Berry?
One morning in June, as I relaxed at the living room window drinking coffee, my husband pointed out the abundant froth of white flowers on a June berry tree growing near the house. “Might be a bumper crop,” we both decided and kept our eyes on it. As the blossoms died and small berries formed, we watched. After all the […]
Warren Anderson returns to Korea
When a friend told Warren Anderson of Grand Marais about an invitation extended to Korean War veterans to tour the formerly war-torn country, Anderson was intrigued. Wondering what Korea looked like today, 60 years after combat ended, Anderson applied and was one of the 30 former servicemen who journeyed to South Korea on May 21 – 31, 2013. Anderson was […]
Bank stabilization projects under way on Flute Reed River
Big things are happening on the Flute Reed River. With funding of about $540,000 from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), the first of four river bank stabilization projects was started in mid-July. A public meeting to discuss the projects and the Flute Reed Partnership’s efforts on behalf of the watershed as well as a tour of some of the […]
Icelandic geology at Sugarloaf Cove Aug. 3
What does the geology of Iceland have to do with the North Shore? Find out on Aug. 3 when professor emeritus and Sugarloaf Cove founder John Green presents Geology of Iceland – a Youthful Analogy for the Old North Shore at 10 a.m. Green will describe how the Iceland geology of today is a good representation of what the North […]