U.S. Route 61, or Highway 61 as we know it stretches 1,407 miles from Grand Portage to New Orleans, Louisiana. It is often referred to as the Blues Highway for its association with blues music. Most of the route follows the Mississippi River and travels through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana. Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited and the song with the same name, recollects all sorts of fantastic events along the highway. Steve Aldrich, our local columnist, has a fascination with the Highway he shares through his Wondering 61 column with our readers. Photo submitted by Steve Aldrich
As you wander Cook County on and near Highway 61, you see murals, sculptures, outdoor chairs and benches, picnic tables, playgrounds, planters, and gardens in great profusion. Most of us just enjoy those visual and physical amenities, but some of us wonder where they came from. If you read the June 6 issue of this paper, you had a clue when reading about the seven 2020 Great Place awards.
According to the Cook County Business and Civic Partnership, “A great place is inviting, beautiful, and catches the eye. It reflects the unique character and identity of the community. And a great place encourages people to slow down and spend time there. Placemaking comes in many varieties, from public art to seating — new ideas and innovation are encouraged!”
2020 Awards went to a whimsical bike rack, a “decorative, welcoming front entrance,” plantings, playground, trail signs, and an outdoor seating patio area near a pollinator garden and monarch butterfly way station. Check the website below or the June 6 issue of this paper to see who did these cool things. The Cook County Chamber of Commerce brings all of this somewhat quirky civic attractiveness to us now. It was not always thus.
The Great Place Project was spurred by the Moving Matters project of the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic. It evolved into a collaborative initiative now spearheaded by the Cook County Chamber of Commerce.
As you wander Cook County on and near Highway 61, you see murals, sculptures, outdoor chairs and benches, picnic tables, playgrounds, planters, and gardens in great profusion. Most of us just enjoy those visual and physical amenities, but some of us wonder where they came from. If you read the June 6 issue of this paper, you had a clue when reading about the seven 2020 Great Place awards.
According to the Cook County Business and Civic Partnership, “A great place is inviting, beautiful, and catches the eye. It reflects the unique character and identity of the community. And a great place encourages people to slow down and spend time there. Placemaking comes in many varieties, from public art to seating — new ideas and innovation are encouraged!”
2020 Awards went to a whimsical bike rack, a “decorative, welcoming front entrance,” plantings, playground, trail signs, and an outdoor seating patio area near a pollinator garden and monarch butterfly way station. Check the website below or the June 6 issue of this paper to see who did these cool things. The Cook County Chamber of Commerce brings all of this somewhat quirky civic attractiveness to us now. It was not always thus.
The Great Place Project was spurred by the Moving Matters project of the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic. It evolved into a collaborative initiative now spearheaded by the Cook County Chamber of Commerce. Since 2014, the Great Place Project has offered an annual solicitation for funding of projects to create great places in Cook County, Minnesota, and Grand Portage. Dozens of projects have been funded and created. Here are some of my favorites from years 2014-2019:
*Betsy Bowen’s steelhead trout mural on COMO Oil and Propane’s tank on Highway 61 in Grand Marais,
*Public seating at the tennis court near the YMCA where a sculptural canopy designed and built by Jeff Kern provides a welcome shaded place to rest after tennis or the lesser impact of pop tennis and pickleball,
*Schroeder Township’s wheelchair accessible picnic area near Father Baraga’s Cross,
*Java Moose’s four rustic outdoor chairs offer a great view of the Grand Marais harbor,
*Birchbark Books and Gifts has four large colorful paintings by Tim Young mounted on the southern exterior wall. The northern exterior wall displays a long mural designed by Mila Horak in a paint-by-number format which was completed as a community art project,
*A plaid moose metal sculpture at the Last Chance Gallery in Lutsen, immediately northeast of Arrowhead Electric headquarters,
*Schroeder Area Historical Society put up an ADA compliant telescopic viewer at Taconite Harbor,
*Tofte Township installed a bike rack and wheelchair accessible picnic area in the town park,
*Whimsical animal figures were added to the playground fences at Cooperation Station childcare center, 404 5th Avenue West in Grand Marais,
*Putt ‘n Pets created stand-behind-face-cutouts of farm scenes;
*An outdoor ping-pong table in front of the Public Library in Grand Marais was installed by Ann Possis,
*Schroeder Township’s small free library near the town hall (not currently registered with Little Free Library website with map?),
*Drury Lane Bookstore for a Lake facing bench on the east side of the store,
*Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply for hammock stands and hammocks for mobile use at the Grand Marais Rec Park,
*Grand Marais Art Colony’s Inspiration Exchange station is a place where people are invited to take and to leave creative tokens using small metal boxes displayed outdoors on Second Street. This station was designed and created by Greg Mueller in collaboration with Amy Demmer.
*Cross River Heritage Center’s metal sculpture bike rack,
*Waves mural by Sara Hingo on side of The Crooked Spoon, this building sadly burned down this year; pictures we can still see,
*A second pet waste station in Schroeder Township, near Father Baraga’s Cross,
*Felters (from Northwoods Fiber Guild?) created “an intriguing trail of felt creations on the nature trail behind I.S.D. 166 elementary school;
*Rest stop by WTIP radio near the Gitchi Gami State Trail,
*Gunflint Trail Historical Association for an interpretive canoe rest as part of the Chik- Wauk Museum and Nature Center’s watercraft exhibit,
*Jeremy Ridlbauer put a round picnic table and benches out front of the Grand Marais Pharmacy log building at Highway 61 and Fifth Avenue West. This is available to the public and has a great view of harbor;
*Grand Marais Art Colony for metal tables, chairs, and flower garden boxes in front of Founders Hall, and
*Visit Cook County installed benches and planters in front of the Visitors’ Center for the public to enjoy.
A personal note: On Eighth Avenue West, near my home, a bench was installed and landscaped near the street that encourages walkers to rest and enjoy the Lake view. I have sat there frequently while trudging up the steep hill from Highway 61. In its place this year is a deer sculpture, which I dare not sit on. My aging legs hope the bench comes back soon.
Now as you wander on and near Highway 61, notice these special places and more. Great Places make Cook County a better place. Funding is partly contributions and partly from a raffle of a handmade canoe. You can learn more at www.facebook.com/CCPartnership/. For example, there is a celebrative discussion of the felters’ project. If you have an idea for a Great Place that needs funding, write ccpartnership805@gmail.com and you will get an application. You can donate through that address as well. An advisory committee chooses the awardees. They are Jim Boyd, Jack Stone and Beth Poliquin of Stone Harbor, Gary Latz and Duane Hasegawa.
P. S. I have not personally checked the current status of all the listed projects. If you know of changes, let us know. Or if you wonder that your favorite Great Place project was omitted from this list, consider grumbling to stevealdrich41@gmail.com. If the grumble is sufficiently polite or cleverly tart, mention likely will be made in a later column.
Steve Aldrich is a retired Hennepin County lawyer, mediator, and Judge, serving from 1997-2010. He and Myrna moved here in 2016. He likes to remember that he was a Minnesota Super Lawyer before being elected to the bench. Now he is among the most vulnerable to viruses. Steve really enjoys doing weddings, the one thing a retired judge can do without appointment by the Chief Justice. He has never officiated at a Skype, Zoom or Google Team wedding.
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