Celebrating 80 years of West End Flower Shows



A brightly decorated entrance at the Schroeder Town Hall greeted visitors to the West End Flower Show on Saturday, July 18 as the 80th anniversary of the West End Garden Club was celebrated. A basket of colorful puff balls, a baby carriage of flowers and a tea table with a flowered cake carried out the 80th anniversary theme As Time […]

American Legion Auxiliary raffles Stars and Stripes quilt



In July, American Legion Auxiliary Unit 413 unveiled a stunning Stars and Stripes quilt. The 70”x90” quilt handmade by Legion Member Nancy Backlund is being raffled to support the auxiliary’s many community activities. The Legion Auxiliary hosts special luncheons for veterans on Memorial and Veterans Day, purchases gifts for veterans in the nursing home, contributes to activities for veterans at […]

Library Friends annual book sale begins July 30



The annual used book sale sponsored by the Library Friends of Cook County will be held Thursday, July 30 through Saturday, Aug. 1 at the Community Center in Grand Marais. Thursday night is for Library Friends members only between 5 and 7 p.m. Memberships will be sold at the Community Center one hour prior to the sale on Thursday afternoon. […]

The Ladies Music Club performs at Gunflint and Hungry Jack lodges



The Ladies Music Club, an acoustic group of five women from St. Paul, is coming to the Gunflint Trail on the group’s first road trip. They will be performing at Hungry Jack Lodge from 6 – 8 p.m. on Friday, July 31 and at Gunflint Lodge from 7 – 9 p.m. on August 1. Admission is free and weather permitting […]

Birkie Trail events set for Sept. 26



From the challenge and intensity of a 100 km ultra marathon tothefunofa5kmrun,ananticipated1,000runners and trekkers from around the Midwest will take to the trails for the 14th annual Birkie Trail Run & Trek on Sept. 26. Participants will traverse their way through old growth forests along portions of the iconic Birkie Trail stretching from Cable to Hayward, Wis. With eight events […]

Community Calendar



You’re invited to the Shrimp Boil Dinner! Friday, July 31, 5-7 p.m. First Congregational Church, 300 W. 2nd St., Grand Marais. Funds support Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, Mississippi; a UCC organization that works to transform poverty and homelessness. There’s No Place Like Home: Explore Cook County with Sugarloaf 1 p.m. – July 31, August 7, August 21 – Meet […]

Eliasen resigns as head boys’ basketball coach



On Tuesday, July 21, Cook County High School’s Head Basketball Coach Pat Eliasen announced his decision to leave the Viking boys’ basketball program because his new job as Cook County’s top law enforcement officer left him little time to coach and then spend time with his family. It wasn’t an easy decision, said Eliasen, who said he enjoyed his two […]

College News



Martinson graduates from UMD Ryan Martinson of Schroeder received a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in exercise science at the University of Minnesota- Duluth’s undergraduate commencement ceremony May 16 at the Amsoil Arena. Martinson, enrolled in the College of Education & Human Services, is a 2011 graduate of Cook County High School. He is the son of Bruce and Sheryl […]

Coordinator needed for “Hoopin’ in the Harbor”



One of the standard events at Fisherman’s Picnic is in danger of not happening this year because the Grand Marais Lions Club can’t find a coordinator for the “Hoopin’ in the Harbor” 3-on-3 basketball games and 3-point shooting contest. The fast-paced action, filled with teams and players of all skill levels, has been a crowd favorite since 1995. It was […]

Rolling, rolling, rolling at Namekagon River Roll Off



This year’s Namekagon River Roll Off in Hayward, Wisconsin held on Sunday, July 19, was the largest one-day log rolling competition ever held—anywhere— with hundreds of professional and amateur matches conducted over a 9-hour period. The event is held in the Lumber Jack Bowl, an area once used by logging companies to stage logs before rafting them down river to […]