The Door County Sheriffs Department is warning everyone to keep a close eye on each other this weekend, especially the children. On Wednesday, a nine-year-old girl in the Ellison Bay area was approached by a strange man. The stranger said he needed directions and asked the girl to get into his red convertible Ford Mustang. The girl refused and was unharmed. The strange man is believed to be 18-22 years old with short, sandy brown hair and having an average build. Door County Sheriffs Department Investigator Chris Neuville talks about the vehicle in question.
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Neuville says this is a great opportunity to talk with your children about situations like this. He says it is unrealistic to ask your kids not to speak to strangers. Instead he encourages parents to let kids what to do in situations like the one near Ellison Bay Wednesday.
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If anyone has information on this incident, Neuville asks that you phone the Door County Sheriff's Department at (920)746-2416. In the mean time, parents are advised to, as always, keep a close eye on your kids and talk to them about what they should do if this were to happen to them.

Fourth of July weekend is here and fireworks go hand in hand with the celebrations. Sturgeon Bay Fire Chief Tim Herlache said there are many fire hazards during the Independence Day weekend.
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The people who light off their own fireworks are problematic because often time’s fireworks land in adjoining properties. They can land on top of buildings or in dry grassy lots, and that is where problems really take off. In addition, any firework that leaves the ground is illegal in the state of Wisconsin.
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Things that the fire department will be looking for this weekend are people lighting off fireworks near grassy fields, and highly populated areas. Recommended places for lighting off fireworks were blacktopped areas, places where there are no houses and near the water.
There have not been any serious injuries in the Sturgeon Bay area from fireworks in the past few years. However, every year there are thousands of people injured from firework handling. The most common age group injured by fireworks was children aged five through nine. Sparklers have hidden dangers that not a lot of people know about.
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Every year there are injuries that occur to people due to fireworks. It is recommended that you do not throw them in the garbage. Let them sit out over night, or put them in a bucket of water to make sure they are cooled down and put out before throwing them away. According to Herlache, adults and children alike have to realize they are responsible for anything that happens while using fireworks. He urged citizens to use caution and common sense this weekend.

The curtain has risen on American Folklore Theatre and there are currently three shows on stage. Last produced in 1999, Fishing For The Moon is finally back for another season.
Since its been about nine seasons since this show last hit the stage, managing director Kaye Christman says this is like a new performance for AFT. Christman says this is a wonderful original Fred Alley/James Kaplan musical with a lot of heart.
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Christman says there are a number of actors who will entertain from the beginning of the show until curtain call.
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Showtimes for Fishing For The Moon are Mondays at 8PM, Wednesdays at 8:30PM, and Saturdays at 6PM. All American Folklore Theatre performances will take place at Peninsula Park. Adults tickets are $16.00, $7.50 for teens and $4.50 for kids 12 and under.

The Miller Art Museum is still registering people for its summer ART classes for kids and adults July 9-12 and July 16-19. Interested students can pick up a schedule at the Museum, the Door County Library or at the Museum office. All classes have a maximum of ten students and there is still space available. Each class is short term to accommodate busy schedules. A special $5 discount is offered to kids taking two classes.
Miller Art Museum Executive Director Bonnie Hartman is proud of this educational opportunity afforded to the community. She described the program that runs twice a year.
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Kid’s classes include nifty necklaces on July 9, treasure chests on the 10th, bird sculptures on the 16th and magical bracelets on July 17. Teen and adult classes begin on Wednesday, July 9 as well. Hartman says the courses provide numerous opportunities to all age levels and skill sets.
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Watercolor and ink marks the beginning of the adult classes from 1-4 PM on the 9th, so you think you can draw is on the 11th, wild wire jewelry on the 12 of July, painting your whim on the 16th and sculptures for the garden on July 19.

A near tragedy was avoided at the Sturgeon Bay West Side softball field Wednesday night. Jan Zahn collapsed while walking up to the plate to bat in the seventh inning. Moments after Zahn hit the infield dirt, Sturgeon Bay Firefighter Culley Bridenhagen and Door County Memorial Hospital's Jerry Burke were giving CPR to the lifeless ball player. Zahn had no heartbeat and was not breathing. He was clinically dead, according to Sturgeon Bay Fire Lieutenant Dick Stuewer. After minutes of unsuccessful CPR, Door County Sheriff's Department Jailor John McCormick told the men to continue heart compressions until medics arrived. McCormick just completed the latest certification of CPR.
The Sturgeon Bay Fire Department, a DCMH ambulance and first responders were on the scene almost immediately after the 9-1-1 call from the diamond. One shot with the defibrillator lifted Jan off the ground and brought him back to life. Jan was responsive and even made a joke when asked if he knew where he was and who he was talking with. Lieutenant Stuewer said this was an amazing save.
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Jan's sister Jody Wheat said there is no doubt that if Culley Bridenhagen and Jerry Burke were not at the ball park, Jan would not be here today. These two men responded quickly, appropriately and saved Jan's life. Jody Wheat said the Zahn family is forever indebted to these two hometown heroes. She questioned how she would ever be able to repay someone who saved her brother's life
Fire Chief Tim Herlache is extremely proud of his guys and Jerry Burke for the work they did. He said the entire list of people who helped with this incident should be commended.
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John McCormick said it was a terrible sight to see. However, with Jan's guardian angels on the field and in the grand stand, Bridenhagen and Burke kept Zahn in a position to be saved by the defibrillator.
Burke was the opposing pitcher and was on the field when Jan collapsed. Culley played in the game prior and was still in the stands watching the last game of the evening. Without there presence, death may have prevailed. From the entire Zahn family, the Wednesday night softball league and the community, thank you to Culley Bridenhagen and Jerry Burke.
Jan is still at a Green Bay hospital. Doctors performed an operation this morning and put a stint in the heart. They also cleared three blockages and doctors believe no further surgery is needed. They called this the best case scenario after what happened last night.

Late Wednesday evening the Door County Dispatch Center received a 9-1-1 call of a capsized boat in the bay of Green bay. Just north of Sturgeon Bay City limits a small sailboat capsized with three young adults on board. The Fire Department responded with their rescue boat. When Fire Chief Tim Herlache arrived on the scene, a canoe had gone out to help the young people. They had the boat turned back in the upright position. Herlache said the three people were extremely shaken up and cold.
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The fire department launched the rescue boat in front of Birmingham's On the Shore. The rescue crews towed the boat into shore and gave the young people medical attention. No one was injured, but Herlache said they learned a quick lesson about boating on the bay.
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The sailboat was approximately a half mile off shore when safety crews arrived. Herlache said that disaster was avoided but boaters throughout the holiday weekend need to be prepared in case of an emergency like this.

A machine shed was burnt to the ground in the city of Kewaunee yesterday. The severe weather that moved through the peninsula was the cause of the fire. Kewaunee Fire Chief Greg Hlinak said lighting started the fire at the Steinhorst Farm. The fire chief was driving in the area shortly before the fire started and he said the bolts of lightning were coming awfully close to the ground.
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The Kewaunee Fire Department has ruled that the fire was started by Mother Nature and has closed the case. The machine shed was filled with all of the farm's tractors and other agriculture equipment. Chief Hlinak called it a total loss.
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Fighting the fire in the wind, rain and lightning also presented a number of additional hazards for the firefighters. The chief decided to pull his crew off the fire for a short time because the lightning strikes were extremely close to the fire. Fortunately, the wind was blowing away from the main barn on the Steinhorst Farm. The machine shed and the barn are only 50 feet apart and if the wind was blowing in the opposite direction, Hlinak said the other barn would have caught fire as well.
No animals were injured in the blaze. Fire Captain Paul Nimmer said, “It was the worst machine shed fire he has seen in his 30 years of firefighting.” No firefighters were injured fighting the blaze.

Yes, the road will be opening today in two Phases. Phase one will be from Jefferson to Michigan Street and will occur as soon as the cleanup and sign installation is complete. The remainder of the street is to open by the end of the day which could occur any time between 4:00PM and dark, when the last of the street lights are installed.

The Street signs are to be installed the first thing in the Morning and completed by mid afternoon.

Trees will not be arriving until Monday at which time parking will be restricted on the west side of the street while they are being installed. Installation is to switch to the east side on Tuesday, restricting parking from that side for the day.

All remaining work will be spot repairs to damaged sidewalks, red concrete or other repairs of unacceptable work. The completion of the “punch list“ items needing repair should be completed in 3 to 4 days, bringing the job to an end next Friday!

If done by next week, this project will be completed in 55 working days, which is 5 days faster than originally estimated. This does not mean that that it could not have been coordinated better to be finished quicker. For this I apologize, but I can say with certainty that the delays weren’t caused by a lack of effort by the workers, inspectors or engineers. We all were committed to bringing the job to its completion at the earliest possible date. Unfortunately coordination is never perfect and subcontractors often are pushed to be in several locations at the same time. On this job we lost about 7 days of work to coordination delays, which is pretty good but certainly not perfect. Unfortunately 3 of those days occurred in the first week and 2 have occurred this week giving the project coordination an appearance of disorganization.

I will pray for the kind of summer weather that draws people to Door County and wish you all the best of luck so that July and August help to make up for the poor May and June and the losses that the construction may have caused!

Wisconsin State Parks will not allow anyone to bring firewood into their grounds that was obtained from an out of state source. This is the third consecutive summer this rule is in effect. The reasoning is the spread of various insect born diseases, such as the Emerald Ash Borer.
The insect is an invasive species originally from Asia and previously unknown in North America that attacks ash trees. Park Superintendent at Peninsula State Park Tom Blackwood said every camper has been asked if they are bringing firewood with them. If they are carrying wood from out of the state, the park takes it. He talked about the destruction this bug can accomplish.
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Blackwood said the EAB could easily be as bad as the Dutch Elm Disease if it ever takes hold in the state of Wisconsin. Firewood is the best way to transport it long distances. He talked about where the problem is occurring right now.
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The beetle has killed 15 to 20 million ash trees already in the Midwest. Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan have imposed fines to prevent potentially infested ash trees, logs, or firewood from moving out of the areas where EAB occurs. Besides quarantines, educational efforts by state and federal agencies continue with the hope they will prevent small infestations from growing into large infestations. Blackwood urges campers and those traveling out of state to be cautious and keep Wisconsin's forests untouched by the Emerald Ash Borer.

Alice In Dairyland visited Door County Monday and was happy to report that July marks the beginning of the "Cherries and Berries" campaign. This year's Alice is Ashley Huibregtse. She has traveled around the state making appearances at dairy breakfasts, farming conventions and dairy meetings. While in Door County, she shared a positive message about buying from your local berry and cherry producers and their health benefits.
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The annual cherry grower’s association meeting was this week and Alice In Dairyland gave a short presentation to the group. She stressed the importance of promoting the reserves and other farm products that are still available in the grocery store that were grown and produced in Wisconsin.
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This year's Alice In Dairyland Ashley Huibregtse will be back in the county on Monday, July 14 and will join me on the "Arts and Entertainment Page" from 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 PM at Stone Harbor.

Arriving in the Door County for the 2nd Annual Plein Air Festival forty artists will celebrate the peninsula’s beauty in a variety of artistic mediums. Beginning July 21 and continuing throughout the month, Plein Air, hosted by the Peninsula Art School, invites everyone to experience art up close and personal.
Under the direction of PAS executive director Cathy Hoke-Gonzales, Plein Air was first initiated last year. And she explains it is not a new concept.

A concept that flourishes in arts communities on the west coast, Hoke-Gonzales identified an opportunity to bring the PAS front and center in Door County, providing for direct interaction with visitors and residents. The artists, who are invited to participate in Plein Air, will set up their easels from one end of the peninsula to the other from the 21st to the 26th. Painting in hay fields and flower patches, on beaches and in the parks, spectators are invited to chat with the artists as they apply paint to canvas.
The Plein Air Festival schedule of events includes a wide spectrum of activities. An evening with the artists will include a tour of Tom and Virginia Maher’s museum. A day-long trolley tour of the artists at work will conclude with a picnic lunch at Weborg Point.
A gala auction and artist reception will feature the artists’ completed paintings. The sale of the paintings will continue in the Peninsula Art School’s Guenzel Gallery through August 2. At the conclusion of the Festival a selection of the paintings will be exhibited at the Door Community Auditorium through September 3.
One of the highlights of the Plein Air Festival according to Hoke-Gonzales is an open to the public event on Saturday, July 26 from 9 – 11 am.

Founded by artist Madeline Tourtelot, the Peninsula Art School’s earliest beginnings are post-World War I. Under her guiding eye the first art school--established in Baileys Harbor--evolved into the Peninsula Art School located in Fish Creek. Today, the school’s ten-acre campus includes Tourtelot’s original buildings. Year round, classes in all mediums of the arts are conducted for students of all ages. Art exhibits and special events welcome visitors to step through the doors six days a week.
Information on the Plein Air Festival is readily available, Hoke-Gonzales confirmed.

"There isn't a single person or landscape or subject which doesn't possess some interest, although it may not be immediately apparent. When a painter discovers this hidden treasure, other people are immediately struck by its beauty,” wrote Pierre Auguste Renoir. Visit the Plein Air artists will be startled with the beauty of Door County put to canvas.

On Thursday, the Fairfield Art Center in historic downtown Sturgeon Bay will unveil “Margaret Lockwood: Painted Spaces” in its first-floor Main Gallery. The exhibition will open with a free reception from 6:30 to 8 p.m. that will include wine and hors d’oeuvres, and the renowned Door County-based artist will be on hand to visit with guests and discuss her work. Fairfield Artistic Director Shan Bryan-Hanson is excited about the new exhibit.
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Bryan-Hanson said Fairfield visitors will find Margaret Lockwood’s paintings to be moving tributes to their natural subjects, works that are at once soaring and meditative, filled with respect and love.
Lockwood and her husband, Allin Walker, moved to Door County in 1994 and founded the Woodwalk Gallery, which for years made its home in the former Juddville schoolhouse. Fairfield's Artistic Director described “Painted Spaces."
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“My constant desire is to paint canvases that create the feeling of space. Color relationships, layers of atmosphere and rhythmic interludes are my tools,” Lockwood explains. “I want each work to gently welcome viewers to enter into a peaceful place, within the painting and within themselves.”
“The opportunity to fill these three rooms at the Fairfield with my own painted spaces has been a gift to me both professionally and personally,” she says. “My hope is that in each room viewers will be surrounded by the trees, the water and the clouds while at the same time feeling enveloped within each individual work.”
The Fairfield Art center is open free to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Sturgeon Bay's Committee of The Whole tabled a consideration of the County Wide Room Tax yesterday. A number of people spoke during public comment at the beginning of the meeting. The committee heard from a number of concerned citizens and business owners as
 well as Door County Visitor Bureau Director Jack Moneypenny and Sturgeon Bay Visitor & Convention Bureau Director Todd Trimberger. This has been an ongoing conversation for quite some time. Sturgeon Bay Visitor & Convention Bureau president Andrew Starr explained the current situation.
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Moneypenny talked about the tourism zone and spoke about their plans to market Door County as a whole. He said Sturgeon Bay could not be included in that plan unless they were to join the tourism zone.
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Many echoed the desire to join the tourism zone but not at the expense of the Sturgeon Bay Visitor & Convention Bureau. After listening to comments and questions, city attorney Randy Nesbitt had a suggestion.
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Moneypenny responded and said it was not that easy.
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In the end, the committee voted to table the issue. Many on the committee felt there needed to be more conversation on the topic. In the end, the committee agreed to table the issue and discuss it again at another meeting. Coming up in the next major news report, you'll hear more about the city council's decision to not join the tourism zone.

Most fireworks are illegal in Wisconsin and Sturgeon Bay Police Chief Dan Trelka says his department will be cracking down on those who choose not to comply. Trelka says there have been a number of complaints reported on illegal fireworks in the area. Trelka talks about which fireworks are illegal.
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Trelka says these types of fireworks are illegal and you can be cited even if you are not lighting them. However, there are a number of things that are ok to have he adds.
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Because there have been so many complaints Trelka says officers will be out cracking down on this. 
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The sale of fireworks is also illegal says Trelka. The only people who can purchase fireworks are those who have obtained a permit. Typically, it is an organization that plans to put on a firework show. These permits can be obtained from local municipalities and it is rare that those are granted in Sturgeon Bay.

Affordable housing opportunities could be a real problem in Door County without Habitat for Humanity. Habitat is a non for profit group that helps provide affordable housing for those who cannot afford to buy a home. Door County Habitat could be in some real trouble if they don't come up with the funding they need to keep the organization running. While optimistic that all will work out in their favor, director Rick Nelson says Habitat could be in trouble if funds are not collected soon. Nelson knows how generous this community is and he hopes they will continue to support the Habitat mission. Without these Habitat homes, a number of people who play a vital role in this county will not have a home.
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Nelson says Habitat will need to raise a large amount of money in a short time to keep Door County Habitat afloat. With each house costing $80,000 - $90,000 each and volunteers able to build three a year, Nelson says Habitat needs about $300,000 right now.
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Habitat will raffle a volunteer-made storage shed to help make up some of the funds. Other fundraisers are in the works. Financial contributions can be dropped off at the Habitat for Humanity office in Sturgeon Bay.

On Wednesday, July 2, Door County-based artists Anita Winkler and Kathy Stanaszek will open their new joint exhibition, titled “Making Known the Unknown,” at the Fairfield Art Center in historic downtown Sturgeon Bay. It will be on display in the art center’s lower-level b1 Gallery, recently christened Gallery 242 to commemorate the 1906 William S. Fairfield Building’s address as well as the popular cafe that used to make its home there.
The artists will open the exhibition with a special reception on Friday, July 11 at 5-7 p.m. Refreshments will be served. Fairfield Artistic Director Shan Bryan-Hanson believes this will be a great exhibit.
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“Making Known the Unknown” comprises a series of paintings that illuminate the inner landscapes of Winkler and Stanaszek, who describe themselves as abstract naturalists with a mutual passion. In their own words, they seek to freeze the moment in motion, implying a sense of time and place, through the use of very different mediums and techniques. Bryan-Hanson described Winkler and Stanaszek's work.
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“Making Known the Unknown” will run through Friday, August 1. The Fairfield Art center is open free to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
For more information about upcoming exhibitions and events, and to learn more about becoming a Friend of the Fairfield or supporting the art center through volunteering, call (920) 746-0001, send e-mail to info@fairfield center.org or visit www.fairfieldcenter.org.

Routine business for the Sturgeon Bay Common Council, a traffic impact analysis for a Super Walmart will be a topic of discussion at tonight's meeting. City engineer Tony Depies says this is part of the Big Box Ordinance.
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The city will not be charged for the $40,000 study, instead Walmart will pay that bill.
Also at tonight's meeting, the council will talk again about neighborhood electric vehicles. This topic was discussed at the last meeting and the council voted in favor of that new ordinance. The second reading is routine business. Sturgeon Bay Police Chief Dan Trelka is in favor of the ordinance.
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Also tonight, the council will talk about changing the fee to hook up to the city sewer system, an amendment regarding garbage and recycling and creating a non-union public works crew supervisor position. Tonight's Sturgeon Bay Common Council meeting will follow the Committee of The Whole meeting. The committee will talk about the county wide room tax. That meeting will begin at 7:00PM.

Teen drivers are at high risk of being involved in automobile crashes. More crashes occur within the 16-18 year old age bracket than any other, according to the Wisconsin Information Network for Safety. The organization said that because teens have little practice dealing with dangerous traffic and road conditions, they also do not understand the effects of alcohol on their driving skills. It is common for teens to believe nothing bad will happen to them in a vehicle. Door County Sheriff Terry Vogel said it is important that parents help their children become well informed and practiced drivers. He talked about the importance of getting practice in the car while the child has their temporary license.
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Since the graduated licensing program was put into action in Wisconsin the percentage of teenage fatal crashes has been coming down. Vogel said restricting late night driving is a good idea. He believes not a lot of good things happen to teenagers that drive in the late hours of the night. Communication with a young driver is also recommended.
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Some practical tips for parents are to limit your teen's rides with young friends, help them choose a safe vehicle, require your teen to pay the insurance for the car they drive, and insist the use of safety belts. Young people are constantly learning behind the wheel and Sheriff Vogel said practice is the key to success.

The Sturgeon Bay Police Department and the Door County Sheriffs Department will again be giving away packs of baseball cards of players from the Milwaukee Brewers baseball club. Each squad car will be carrying numerous sets of cards. If anybody is interested in receiving a set of these cards, you can contact any of the patrol officers and they will distribute to interested people. Door County DARE Coordinator Chris Neuville believes this is a good way for young people to associate with law enforcement in a positive way.
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This is a great opportunity for the community to interact with our officers in a positive circumstance, said Neuville. The Milwaukee Brewers baseball team is playing good baseball right now and interest is high. You can take advantage of this excellent opportunity to meet your local police officer and get a free set of baseball cards.
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Sturgeon Bay and Door County law enforcement officers are carrying these cards and are excited to make a positive contact with anyone that is interested in obtaining these highly collectible Brewers cards.

Eli Mattson is a name few are familiar with in Door County. That is about to change. The son of Door County artisan and singer Jeanne Kuhns appeared Tuesday night on national T.V. NBC's "America's Got Talent" was wowed by Eli Mattson's breathtaking version of "Walkin' in Memphis." The aspiring artist sang and played the piano in front of a live audience and three judges.
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The 26-year-old took a chance and traveled to Los Angeles for an opportunity to become the winner of the reality show. One of the judges, Sharon Osbourne, told Eli that she cannot believe that someone like Eli has not been signed. Mattson knocked the socks off the judges and the capacity crowd. A standing ovation rang through the small amphitheatre.
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Mattson sings in Fish Creek on a weekly basis on the patio of J. Jeffery Taylor, according to his mother. Kuhns said she gets teary eyed every time she re-watches her son’s performance on line.
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Mattson will be singing tonight with his mom at her CD release at 7 p.m. at the Woodwalk Gallery in Egg Harbor. He will continue to perform in local venues until he has to resume the competition in a few weeks. Kuhns said he advanced through to Las Vegas where he will go through a talent boot camp. They will take a small percentage back to L.A. for a chance to win the $1 million grand prize and the contract offers that would follow.
If Eli moves on to the live semifinals, the viewing audience will have a chance to vote for their favorite. Door County could have a chance to help Mattson by calling and voting for him each week.

Watch Eli perform by clicking here!!!

With the polls expected to be very busy in the fall, special registration deputy Susan Kohout says citizens will want to register to vote beforehand. Kohout and other League of Women Voters member Barb Graul are certified in registering people to vote. The two women will be at the Sturgeon Bay Farm Market today, assisting those need to get signed up.
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Kohout says there is a large number of Wisconsinites who are not yet registered to vote.
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Kohout says registering on election day is certainly a possibility, however, the polls are expected to be very busy at that time That means those who must register will probably be spending quite a bit of time at the polls in order to first register, then vote. Kohout says registering is easy and doing so now will save you a lot of time in the long run.
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Special registrar deputies Susan Kohout and Barb Graul will be at the Sturgeon Bay Farm Market today from 9:00AM until 11:30AM. The women will also register citizens to vote at the Sevastopol Alumni Dairy Breakfast on Sunday, July 6.