When the starting gate drops, it drops backward, still, but for a moment’s hesitation, adrenaline pumping, Cooper Wilson guns his 250cc motorcycle and blasts out of the gate, racing four furious laps around a hilly dirt track with one thing in mind. He wants to win. And this past season, Cooper Wilson, age 15, did just that. After a dozen […]
Locals prepare for 2022 Slumberland American Birkebeiner
Three Cook County skiers will go to the start of the February 26, American Birkebeiner (Birkie) race with one goal in mind. Finishing. Between the three, David Eckel has finished 41 races, Jan Horak 42, and Tim Kennedy 39. The trio will be among the few competitors who have amassed so many starts and finishes in the Classic 55K race […]
Parent meeting for spring sports
There will be a spring sports informational meeting for all 7th-12th grade players and parents interested in baseball, softball, and track and field on Thursday, March 3rd at 5:30 p.m. in the high school gym. At this meeting, we will go over eligibility requirements, player/parent expectations, and coaches will hold separate meetings for their respective sports. Spring sports begin March […]
A confession of things left undone
Ol’ JD wrote it once. It must’ve been Teddy or Franny or Zooey or Seymour. I could never keep them straight. He wrote, “The thing to listen for, every time, with a public confessor, is what he’s not confessing to.» From my resting position here inside the shack, neither birdfeeder is visible. That’s a darn design flaw on somebody’s part. […]
Wondering ‘61
Shopping for better healthWARNING: This column is mundane. Last week I needed to replace small bottles of low dose (baby=81mg) aspirin and saline nasal spray. I knew that both were carried by the pharmacy at Sawtooth Mountain Clinic. I wondered availability at other Grand Marais stores and how the prices compared. [If you don’t shop mostly in Grand Marais, you may want to […]
Engage your Inner Artist with Grand Marais Library
Local library to distribute free acrylic painting take & create art kitsAcrylic Painting Take & Create Art Kits are on their way to Grand Marais Public Library, where they will be distributed starting March 1 and while supplies last. This art experience has been designed by 321 Art Studio in Chisholm for tweens, teens, and adults. It explores acrylic painting for beginners and more advanced participants. Kits can be claimed by […]
Time to buy new hunting, fishing licenses
It’s the time of year when anglers and hunters need to buy new fishing and hunting licenses. Minnesota fishing, hunting and trapping licenses for 2021 expire Monday, February 28. Licenses for 2022 are now available wherever fishing and hunting licenses are sold, online (mndnr.gov/BuyALicense) and by telephone at 888-665-4236. Mobile buyers receive a text or email that serves as proof […]
Team Dupre busy assembling a dog sled team
It’s been 20 years since Lonnie Dupre and John Hoelscher became the first — and last — to achieve circumnavigation of Greenland, a 6,500-mile, all non-motorized journey by kayak and dog team. Now Dupre and his team of five are back in Greenland to film and document the changes that have occurred. Currently they are busy putting together a dogsled […]
Sparring with a Snowy Owl
Mid-February, Rob met with Olivia, a 6-year-old female snowy owl, in Northern Minnesota. Rob: Thank you for chatting with me. Olivia: Well, I had a little time. I was on a food run. Whitey’s watching the hatchlings for a spell. R: Is Whitey your mate? O: Well… um, no. Look, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that owls […]
Mightily pleased
I’m feeling mightily pleased. Mightily proud. Mightily impressed at the generosity of the 47 volunteers at the First & Second Thrift Store. This past year, in spite of COVID and the chaos of downtown road construction, the thrift store took in over $140,000. After expenses, the store’s profit was $111,661. So why am I proud? Well, I’m the winter coordinator, […]