News & Articles

First, I have to tell you that the Oakland (CA) city council has called out double-dealing Goldman Sachs and is terminating their SWAP contracts. We bailed out the banks. How about giving our cities a break. Efforts by SEIU, Occupy, city workers and area clergy resulted in the councilors standing up against Sachs and for Oakland. Read the July 9 story on Democracy Now’s website.

YAY, DULUTH
FARMERS MARKET!

The 100 year old Duluth Farmers Market, 14th Ave. E and 3rd St., is open Wednesdays and Saturdays, 7am till noon. If the flooding or the cutworms got your beets, peas and lettuce, this is the place to go for relief: stall after stall of romaine, beet tops, green top radishes and onions, bok choi, cut and potted flowers. I picked up local honey to bring as gifts to my high school reunion, a sticky bun and a great pasty for lunch, garlic scapes for $1. Last Saturday was cake and lemonade, a drawing, a string folk group, free potted veggies to replace ones we lost and friends, friends, friends. Use your credit card and get wooden tokens that are good all season. You can ask to get on an email list to find out about new items and special events. That’s how I learned about the replacement plants. The market never fails to be fun; it’s like a mini fair, but out of the sun.

SOUTH ST. LOUIS COUNTY FAIR
Summer’s in its heyday and so much going on! The county fair at the Proctor Fairgrounds runs through Sunday, July 15. Here’s a skinny schedule: Thursday is sheep and goat judging, 4-H horse shows, a 5pm talent show and a 7:30 pm draft horse pull. Friday is Kiddie Day (kids 12 and under get free admission for the entire fair) with rabbit and poultry shows, clowns, and a pony and draft horse exhibition in the arena. Saturday holds a kids pedal tractor pull, a dog show, and a crawling and toddler race. If those crawlers (12 months and under) stand up, they lose! Fairs in my home state of Illinois used to have sulky races. On Sunday, the St. Louis County Fair offers stock car races.  For the entirety of the fair, there’s a petting zoo, a carnival, a myriad 4-H exhibits, and music. Such a family friendly event charges adults $3 admission, and unlike the MN State Fair, there’s all the free parking you could want.

REGGAE AND WORLD
MUSIC FESTIVAL

The 7th Annual Reggae and World Music Festival is at Duluth’s Bayfront Park this Saturday, July14.  Red Cliff’s Anakwad (Frank Montano) will take the stage with his grandson, Mike. Frank makes and plays a variety of native flutes, and will deliver the festival opening ceremony. Viva Brazil! will take you on an international journey with samba, baiao, and Brazilian jazz. Prominent solo reggae artist, Anthony B, will bring social issues to the fore, and Ce’Cile will give us all her Jamaican hits. The show begins at 11am and ends with an 11pm after-party at Pizza Luce.

SIDESHOW

The Tony-nominated play, “Sideshow”, opens its three week run at Harbor City International School this week. Call Lundeen Productions, 800-299-7173, for tickets.

THE BEAUTIFUL
SOUTH SHORE

This week celebrates Lake Superior Days 2012.  On Saturday, July 14, the three little towns along Wisconsin’s South Shore offer lots to do. Free power-washing of boats is offered at Port Wing (9am), Herbster (1pm) and Cornucopia (3pm). Port Wing has an all-day quilt show and farmer’s market. Photographer Craig Blacklock will talk at 10am and “For the Birds” Laura Erickson at 11am. The Iron River Fish Hatchery wants you to visit, then why not take a self-guided tour of the picturesque Port Wing Harbor. Wander a little further and you’ll find Quarry Beach or Twin Falls.

My Wisconsin haunt of Herbster has an all-day bake sale, Northern Lights’ gifts and crafts, a 1pm sidewalk barbeque at Pine Cone Ole’s and Woody’s, and a 1:30 ice cream social at the South Shore Convenience Store. These businesses are the totale of downtown Herbie; just a block away is the little jewel of Herbster Beach, complete with campground.

Cornucopia, home of Ehler’s General Store and Siskiwit Coffee, two really fun places to go for great beverages and eats, will offer paddle board demos from 10am to noon. A 1pm nature walk to the Apostle Island Sea Caves will be led by Tom Gerstenberger and John Higney: be early! You’ll meet at the Green Shed, near Historic Cornucopia Museum (open 12 noon to 5pm). Get your $4 fish tacos at 4:30 along with wine and cerveza. The whole South Shore adventure ends with a dance, Sons of Baltimore onstage from 6-9pm. If it’s a scorcher, Corny Beach with its warm Superior waters is the place to swim. You can’t help but love this beautiful South Shore.

SMOKED FISH DEALS

For you traveling smoked fish lovers, here’s a tip or two.  On the North Shore, Betty’s Bar in Knife River advertises it’s got the best prices, and maybe so, but when I dropped in, there were only 3 teeny ciscoes left. So I settled for a Grain Belt.
But in Port Wing WI, you’re bound to hit the jackpot. That’s where I usually get whitefish, lake trout and herring. If you do the harbor tour, you’ll pass the fishing boats and the sheds where Everett’s smokes their fish. And Everett’s is Smokie’s. You can buy his far-out good fish at the gas station/Johnson’s store. (Smokie is the Johnson). He’s got ciscoes and brown sugar Alaska salmon too. And Smokie’s prices are right.
Halvorsons fish out of Corny with a shop on the waterfront. They’ve got a terrific whitefish spread. But my mom and dad’s favorite smoker was from Red Cliff, Petersen. He’s gone now, as are my folks, but last time I stopped this side of Bayfield, his son and grandson were at their shop selling their fresh and smoked wonders.