Look over the lake at dusk for fireworks up and down the North Shore on Sunday, July 4th.
Ah, July — when the summer festival season seriously gets underway. This weekend launches the celebrations with “Fun in Functional Art” an art show at Last Chance Gallery in Lutsen July 2 & 3, and the Hovland Arts Festival at the Hovland Town Hall July 3 & 4.
Sculptor Tom Christiansen's "Life of the Party" lamp.
The exhibit at Last Chance Gallery begins with a reception from 5-7 p.m. on Friday night with fun food and continues on Saturday with demonstrations and displays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Featured artists include Beth Blank, fiber; Tom Christiansen, sculpture; Anna Hess, painting; Judie Johnson, basketry and Joan Farnam, ceramics. Take a look at examples of their work here. Gallery co-owner Marcia Hyatt writes on the gallery’s Web page: “During this show we will feature playful functional art. Why just have a mug when you can have one with a voice or a bowl with an attitude, playful placemats or a glass with class?”
The Hovland Arts Festival, an event which is growing every year, will be on Saturday and Sunday. Featured artists this year include Sandy Updike, photography; Julie Kean, basketry; Todd Voss, oil painting; Terry Lewis, jewelry; Marcie MacIntire, Anishinaabe beadwork; Denise Axtell, jewelry; David Hahn, watercolors; Lou Pignolet, woodturned bowls; Bill Updyke, woodworking; Cameron Norman,
The Hovland Arts Festival is from 10 to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. (Click on image to make larger.)
author and jewelry maker; Susan Zimmerman, birdhouses; Blue Moon Studio, glass; David Holmes, author, Michelle Hoy, spinning; Nancy Kemp, glasswork; Ken Kjarum, wood worker; Kirsten Smith, furniture; Runningen Furs, and Gail Anderson, rock lamps; Todd Hawkinson, jewelry.
The Arts Festival also features lots of live music throughout the event and food is available through Chicago Bay Marketplace. Musicians include Un-Named Stream, Michael Monroe, Critter du Jour, Aaron and his Neighbors on Saturday and the Flute Reed River Band, Bump Blomberg, Pete Kavanaugh and Briand Morrison on Sunday. To view the music schedule, click here .
To listen to Aaron and his Neighbors, click here.
The Arts Festival also has a great Facebook page. To view, click here.
In Grand Marais, the Fourth of July Parade is at 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 4, with fireworks at dusk, around 9:45 p.m.
The kids races at the Tofte Trek start at 9 p.m. at the Birch Grove Community Center.
Tofte is also celebrating the 4th this weekend with all kinds of events. First up is the 31st annual Tofe Trek, a walk-run that brings in lots of competitiors. There’s been plenty of rain in the last few weeks, so the trails will be satisfyingly muddy. The kids races start at 9 a.m. The Wilderness 10K Walk/Run and 1 Mile Race start at 9:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, at the Town Hall in Tofte, everyone is getting set up for the July 4th Festival, which is from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Kids games, food and craft vendors are featured here as well as the best 4th of July Parade in the county (It starts at 1 p.m.). Bump Blomberg and Friends play from noon to 4 p.m. Fireworks are at dusk.
And there’e a really big event on the Gunflint Trail: The Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center’s Grand Opening July 4.
Chik-Wauk Lodge before restoration.Gunflint Trail Historical Society has spent more than five years on the project, restoring historic Chik-Wauk Lodge and developing the museum with collections, photographs, and donations from past and present residents of the Gunflint Trail as well as developing nature trails around the old lodge. It is a gem, no doubt about that.
The Gunflint Trail Historical Society spent more than five years developing the project, from restoring the historic Chik-Wauk Lodge, to developing the museum and nature trails. The museum itself includes a variety of cultural and natural history interactive exhibits as well as a gift shop. Outside, five hiking trails offer visitors panoramic views as well as insight into the ecology and history of the Gunflint Trail.
There are five nature trails at Chik-Wauk.
Gates open at 11 a.m. on Sunday and opening ceremonies are at 1 p.m. Jim Sanders, Superior National Forest supervisor, will be the keynote speaker. Parking for all the expected guests will be a challenge, and arrangements have been made for shuttles and other ways to handle traffic. To find out more, click here. Everyone is invited to this historic celebration.
And the Cross River Heritage Center in Schroeder mounts a new exhibit that opens on Thursday, July 1, featuring the watercolors of David Hahn and Joan Beard’s bead jewelry. The exhibit contginues through July.
Also in Schroeder this weekend, the first Shroeder Farm & Craft Market opens. It will be on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon near the Schroeder Baking Company.
Dean Einwalter is one of the vendors at the Cook County Farm & Craft Market.
The Cook County Farm & Craft Market at the Cook County Senior Center will be open on both Saturday and Sunday this weekend from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
And not to forget: “Treasure Island,” a wonderful production of the Grand Marais Playhouse will be performed at 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.
Music is pretty great this weekend, too. Besides all the musicians performing at the Hovland Arts Festival on Saturday and Sunday, the line-up includes:
Thursday: Pete Kavanaugh, GunFlint Tavern, 8 p.m.
Friday: Trail’s End Band, Trail Center, 8:30 p.m.; Two Many Banjos, GunFlint Tavern, 9 p.m.
Saturday: Joe Paulik, Eight Broadway Stage, noon – 2 p.m., Pete Kavanaugh, Birch Terrace Deck, 1-5 p.m., Michael Monroe, Eight Broadway Stage, 2:20-4:30 p.m., Unnamed Stream, Papa Charlie’s, Lutsen, 6:30 p.m., Trail’s End Band, Windigo Lodge, 8 p.m.; Tres Amigos, GunFlint Tavern, 9 p.m.
Michael Monroe will also present a Log Cabin Concert on Saturday night at 7 p.m. For more info, click here.
Sunday: Cook County’s Most Wanted, Devil Track Resort, 5-8 p.m., Tres Amigos, Gunflint Tavern, 9 p.m.
In other art news, Sivertson Gallery is featuring a new ceramic artist. Dick Morse worked with Warren McKenziee, a legend in Minnesota pottery. Morse works in stoneware witha variety of traditional glazes, including temoku. He’s from Stillwater. The gallery also has just received a new collection of shibori scarves, a Japanese dying and texturing technique for silk.
Eugene Glader's "Downtown Grand Marais."
Eugene Glader’s self-published book, “Downtown Grand Marais: A Brief History of the Early Hotels, the Harbor and Wisconsin Street” is out and available in local shops. It’s a pretty extraordinary book, filled with historic photographs and stories about the development of downtown Grand Marais. It’s really fun to page through this book and find all out this information about Grand Marais. Glader spent years doing research at the Cook County News-Herald and the Cook County Historical Society. He also talked to a lot of people, and many of their stories are told in the book. It’s definitely worth a read. As Mayor Sue Hakes put it: “After reading this book, I now look at the heart of Grand Marais through new eyes.”
The First Monday Acoustic Jam will be held at the Chicago Bay Marketplace in Hovland from 6-9 p.m. on Monday, July 5. All musicians and music lovers are invited. Bring your instruments, your voice and swap songs around the circle. Take a lead or just chord along. Audience members are appreciated.
A little furthur down the road (but not much), the 20th annual Grand Marais Art Festival is next weekend July 9-11. It Should be a good one this year. There are all kinds of events planned all over town. Click here for details. More next week, too.
Also that weekend, author Erin Hart will read from her latest novel, “False Mermaid” at Drury Lane Books July 10 at 5 p.m. at a Salon. She will discuss reading and writing, too.
Monroe Crossing will be at ACA July 10.
And the band Monroe Crossing is coming to Grand Marais! They’ll perform at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts on July 10th.
Check out their Web site here.
And, listen to a song or two, here.
Have a great 4th!
