There may be some who are tired of the crowing about Grand Marais’s recent designation as “America’s Coolest Small Town.” But I’m not sick of it yet. Especially not after last weekend with all the Fisherman’s Picnic festivities.
I am exhausted, yes. It is always a challenge with our small News-Herald staff to be everywhere and to cover everything. We do our best to get to all the activities starting with the Wednesday night Grand Marais Lioness Club buffet through the Sunday parade and grand prize drawing.
But seeing the community come together to throw the giant party tickles me. The Grand Marais Lions and Lionesses work for months setting things up and then they work like crazy all through the weekend, facilitating events, selling raffle tickets, directing traffic, cooking and selling fishburgers and much more.
Other community organizations lend a hand. The Cooperation Station adds to the carnival atmosphere with the dunk tank. The First Congregational Church hosts its Friday night Shrimp Boil. The North Shore Rollers give everyone who wants to give log rolling a try the chance to do so.
Businesses step up to offer activities, like Hedstrom Lumber with the cross saw contest and Sven & Ole’s Pizza with the famed pickled herring eating contest.
It takes a village to put on the Fisherman’s Picnic!
But even more important, what makes us America’s Coolest Small Town (and coolest county, in my opinion) is the caring attitude we so frequently see.
I can give two excellent examples of that caring, both occurred during our busy Fisherman’s Picnic weekend.
The first incident is smalltown service at its finest. My granddaughter RaeAnne is dealing with braces. She does pretty well, but on the Friday of Fisherman’s Picnic, when she was expecting to spend a fun day at open log rolling in downtown Grand Marais, a wire snapped on her braces.
In a larger city that may have meant a miserable weekend. However, her mom, Michele, gave the Grand Marais Family Dentistry office a call. There was a recording because the dental office is closed Friday. Dr. Alyssa Hedstrom gives her cell phone number in case of emergencies. Michele called and was amazed to reach Dr. Alyssa.
Not only did Dr. Alyssa answer the phone on her day off, she was willing and able to come to the rescue. She quickly fixed the problem and RaeAnne went on to have a fabulous Fisherman’s Picnic.
Thanks Alyssa for being America’s Coolest Small Town dentist!
Yet another act of kindness happened on Sunday. I stopped by the Fishburger Stand to get one last fishburger. I set my phone and notepad down on the counter—and after putting tartar sauce on the fishburger, I walked off and left them.
It took me a little while to realize I had lost them. I was taking a break in the American Legion bingo tent when I realized I had left them somewhere. I panicked. My phone could be replaced, although that would be inconvenient. But the notebook held all my notes from Fisherman’s Picnic. That is irreplaceable.
Fortunately fate and our small town were working with me. Before I even got out of the bingo tent, my husband Chuck had the phone and notebook in hand. Lion Mike Carlson had seen me set my things down and he pocketed them to get back to me. Mike knows my parents, so when he saw them, he passed off my possessions to them. They got them to Chuck and to me.
Thank you, Lion Mike Carlson, for another wonderful example of how we look out for one another in our community.
America’s Coolest Small Town indeed.
No act of kindness,
no matter how small,
is ever wasted.
Aesop
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