Many GTHS members volunteered to serve visitors to the annual Pie & Ice Cream Social. (L-R) Cherlyn Morrison (seated), Sue Weber, Sharlene LeTourneau, Helen Muth and Fred Smith.
Big decisions awaited several hundred members and guests of the Gunflint Trail Historical Society from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, September 4, 2016.
Among those decisions…do I have blueberry or apple rhubarb pie? Or maybe Cherry or even a mixed berry crumble would be better? So many pies, so little time to enjoy them. And then came the ice cream decision—vanilla or Moose Tracks?
Or should I skip the calories all together? No way!
The pies were lined up under a tent on the patio of the new Chik Wauk Nature Center with plenty of tables and chairs for everyone, both inside and out. The day also marked the inaugural event for Chik- Wauk’s brand-new, gender-neutral biffy up on the hill. Very swanky and having a second option is much appreciated by all!
But there were other decisions to make at the Chik-Wauk Museum building that, by the way, offered free admission all day in conjunction with the Pie Social. Families of all sizes and ages enjoyed the videos and artifacts of days, and centuries gone by on the Gunflint Trail. The Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center is a true gem for all who venture almost to the end of the Gunflint Trail. It’s not to be missed, whether you’ve lived in a Trail lake cabin for decades or are on your first Boundary Waters canoe and camping trip.
Gunflint Trail Historical Society (GTHS) Event Chairperson Judy Edlund and President Barb Bottger enjoy the breezy view from the Chik-Wauk Museum porch during the annual Pie & Ice Cream Social.
Other decisions being made were all about the shopping. Museum Site Manager Bonnie Schudy and her team offered great sale prices on shirts, books, trinkets, soaps, candles and more. Few passed up these bargains, as all wanted either a souvenir of their time on the Trail, a Christmas stocking stuffer or something for the cabin.
Author Theresa Marrone graciously signed books, especially her newest, “Dishing Up Minnesota, 150 Recipes from the Land of 10,000 Lakes” and answered many visitors’ questions on flowers, maple syrup, mushrooms and other nature-related items in the woods. We were excited to learn that her next book, out in 2017, will be about weeds! Note the plural, please.
The weather cooperated. The GTHS members donated generously–with home baked pies and purchases–and a generous amount of funds was collected for the ongoing projects of the society and the museum.
Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center will be open daily through October 23, 2016 and reopens Memorial Day Weekend 2017. If you haven’t been there yet this year, please make plans to visit. Just be aware that there will be no pie.
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