For the folks who grew up in my era—the almost-hippie generation— the phrase “Danger, danger!” immediately brings to mind the ‘60s television program, Lost in Space. In that show a friendly robot assisted the Robinson family when it became stranded on its intergalactic adventure. Whenever the family—most often the gullible young Will Robinson—encountered extreme space weather or faced hostile alien life forms, the robot called out, “Danger, danger, Will Robinson!”
I loved that show even with its predictable plots. Every week you just knew that Dr. Smith was going to talk Will Robinson into doing something exceedingly stupid and dangerous while his robot friend tried to warn him. Every week Will—or his equally naive sister Penny—were rescued just in the nick of time by their parents, assisted of course by the robot.
The phrase popped into my mind this week during a discussion of a local invasion of sorts. Downtown Grand Marais was overtaken by the Grand Marais Arts Festival last weekend and a few days before the artistic activities were set up, Harbor Park and Bear Tree Park were “yarn bombed.”
Along the fences surrounding Harbor Park, colorful pompoms were hung. The mountain ash trees along the edge of the park were decorated with vibrant fabric bells. The rocks along the path into the park were adorned with brightly colored knitted mats.
And the Bear Tree—the historic concrete statue of the two bears scrambling up a tree—was wrapped with wildly colored scarves. The little bears looked cute and cozy in knitted caps and sweaters. It was a delightfully peaceful and whimsical attack.
It was not what brought “Danger, danger, Will Robinson,” to mind. No, it was our office discussion after the Arts Festival when someone jokingly said they were surprised no one was offended by the yarn display. There was consensus in the office that we would not be surprised if someone had called law enforcement to report the “crime.”
At the very least, I’m surprised that no one called the police to say that the yarn bombing of the bears was distracting. Silly?
Yes, but silly reports like that are made to local law enforcement all the time. Calls are made to 911 for things such as a found dog (wearing a sweater); a drunk guy with no shirt walking down the road; hot rodding teenagers at The Point; missing garbage cans; and the perennial “suspicious vehicle.”
A call that epitomized the over concern about the danger of living in Grand Marais was made on March 12, 2016, when a fellow came to town and launched some amazing balloons over the Grand Marais harbor.
He flew a giant whale balloon and alongside it, a balloon that looked like a diver, swimming in the sky. The majority of the public was delighted. There were small crowds gathered in the park and all over town eyes were turned toward the sky. I received dozens of photos from all angles from people with permission to use in the News-Herald.
But someone was concerned. Like the Lost in Space robot, someone felt that danger was near because of the balloons. A call was made to Cook County Law Enforcement from an individual concerned about the kite flying. The caller said it was a distraction for drivers and people crossing the highway. “Danger, danger!”
The 9-1-1 dispatcher was quite tactful. She is probably too young to remember the space-stranded Robinson family and their protective robot. But even if she did know about the old TV show, she probably would not have pointed out that the robot from Lost in Space only sounded the alarm when there truly was peril in the area.
Our 9-1-1 operators are trained to handle disasters and distractions. She politely suggested that the concerned caller talk to City Hall.
Calls like that have led to a running joke at the News- Herald office and with my family. Whenever we see anything the slightest bit out of the ordinary, we shout, “Call the cops!”
As summer gets busier and traffic gets crazier, we all need to pay attention. We should all slow down while driving or walking. We all need to pay attention and not be distracted by out-of-place garbage cans or kites—or yarn swaddled sculptures.
These things are not cause to shout “Danger, danger.” These are just part of our crazy lives on the North Shore. Unlike the unlucky Robinson family, we are happy to be stranded here.
When in danger or in doubt,
run in circles, scream and shout.
Herman Wouk
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