Thanks to Sturgeon Bay native Zane Statz, you can be a part of a cherished Green Bay tradition without having property overlooking Lambeau Field. For the third year in a row, Statz invites fans to grab a brush and help paint the fence near the intersection of Ridge Road and Lombardi Avenue for the now-annual paint-by-number community mural. In 2023, community members’ talents helped showcase the Packers’ quarterback lineage, while last year’s highlighted some of the team’s other stars. Thanks to the generosity of fans near and far, he painted over the community mural to raise thousands of dollars for local charities by painting their faces on the fence in time for the NFL Draft. Even though he likes creating his own artwork, he says there is something special about making a mural that everybody can participate in.

Thanks to the Packers' recent acquisition of Micah Parsons, Statz had to adjust his design on the fly to ensure the new star defensive player was included in the fun. You can help Statz and dozens of other Packers fans fill in the rest of the details on September 6th, beginning at 8 a.m. After the fence is painted, Statz says there will be a spot for people to take a picture to make it look like they are doing the Lambeau Leap with the rest of the players.

The 2025 Agricultural, Household Hazardous Waste, and Dry Pharmaceutical collection will be held on Saturday, September 6th, from 8:30 to 11 a.m. at the Kewaunee County Fairgrounds, 625 Third Street, Luxemburg.

Are you downsizing from a residence to an apartment or other living arrangements and want to find a safe way to dispose of cleaners, stains, varnishes, and other corrosives that are no longer needed? Do you have sprays in your home or garage that no longer spray but still have liquid in them? Please bring them to the Agricultural, Household Hazardous Waste, and Dry Pharmaceutical collection. In addition, fire extinguishers, old ammo, sharps containers (household use only), old cell phones, old hearing aids, unneeded eyeglasses, ink cartridges, and fluorescent bulbs are also being collected. A $2 fee per bulb will need to be collected at the time of drop off.

Registration is not required but is recommended and can be done at https://www.kewauneeco.org/departments/emergency-management/clean-sweep-collection/. Registration allows attendees to be spread out throughout the event and gives us a chance to answer questions beforehand. For those without computer access who would like assistance, call our office at 920-845-9701 between 8 and 4 p.m. 

It started as a joke: “Which came first—the trails or the ales?” That question was inspired by our upcoming fundraiser, Trails and Ales, scheduled for Saturday, September 6, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. During this unique event, local brewers will set up tasting booths along our trails so visitors can enjoy both a nature hike and a sampling experience.

But the question lingers: which really did come first? That’s exactly the kind of timeline-and-connections puzzle we love to explore at Crossroads.

Before Door County was even a peninsula, it was buried beneath a massive glacier. Meanwhile, across the globe, people in China were already fermenting cereal gruels, honey, and fruit—the earliest known alcoholic beverages.

About 10,000 years ago, near the end of the Ice Age, parts of our Ida Bay Preserve were just emerging from beneath glacial meltwater. At that same time in Mesopotamia, fermentation was becoming widespread—not so much as a substitute for water, but for rituals, feasts, and sustenance.

By 5,000 years ago, as Lake Michigan’s water levels stabilized (with the land rising and waters receding), fermented drinks had become staples of daily life in many cultures.

Much of today’s Big Creek Preserve remained underwater until about 3,800 years ago. By then, ale was common in Mesopotamia and consumed by both children and adults.

Around the time our Cove Estuary Preserve was finally exposed as dry land, Egyptian pyramid builders were already receiving beer as part of their daily wages.

And by the time Indigenous peoples established seasonal camps along Big Creek and the Cove Estuary, Europeans were already brewing “small beer”—a low-alcohol drink consumed daily because it was safer than contaminated water.

When European explorers eventually reached this peninsula, beer and ale were firmly entrenched in European culture.

So, in answer to our opening question, Ales came first! And if you’d like to learn more about the shorelines of ancient postglacial lakes, join us for Treks with Terrie: Reading the Landscape at Ida Bay on Thursday, September 4.

Speaking of Ice Age legacies, another highlight of the week is the annual Wild Ones Monarch Tagging Day, which got us thinking about butterflies and glaciers, too.

Scientists speculate that monarch migration may also trace its origins to the Ice Age. Monarchs and other insects were forced south into tropical refuges when glaciers covered much of North America. As the ice retreated, monarchs spread northward wherever milkweed was abundant—but they always returned to Mexico for the winter.

There’s a catch: milkweed doesn’t thrive in dense forests. It grows in open, sunny areas. Some researchers believe monarchs may not have summered in Door County before European settlement. During the 19th-century Lumber Era, widespread logging followed by agriculture opened up the landscape, allowing milkweed to spread across the Great Lakes region. And the monarchs followed.

Today, monarchs breed in our meadows each summer before migrating thousands of miles to Mexico. Which came first here—the monarchs or the milkweed? Milkweed came first. And that’s why we invite the community to help us tag monarchs at Crossroads, contributing to ongoing research into this remarkable migration.

So whether you’re raising a glass at Trails and Ales, tagging butterflies, or joining a geology trek, we invite you to experience how Crossroads’ trails lead through beautiful landscapes and deep history. Every step you take connects you to stories stretching back into history.

Saturday, September 6
12:30 – 3:30 | Trails & Ales
Stroll the trails of Crossroads and enjoy Door County beers and ales.
For information and to purchase tickets, visit: www.crossroadsatbigcreek.org

Sunday, September 7 
2:00 | Wild Ones Monarch Tagging Day
Learn about monarchs through a short program by guest naturalist Karen Newbern, then help “tag” monarch butterflies. Instructions, equipment, and tags will be provided.
This program is free and open to the public thanks to Wild Ones–Door Peninsula members.
Meet at the Collins Learning Center, Crossroads, 2041 Michigan St., Sturgeon Bay.

Monday, September 8
1:30 | Growing Together Webinars
The Door County Master Gardener Association presents two pre-recorded webinars featuring Amy Freidig, Horticulture Outreach Specialist, UW-Extension: “Planting Trees and Shrubs for Success.” And Lisa A. Johnson, UW–Extension Horticultural Educator: “Tree Planting 101: 5 Steps to Plant a Tree.” Free and open to the public.
Meet at the Collins Learning Center, Crossroads, 2041 Michigan St., Sturgeon Bay.

Tuesday, September 9
3:30 | Environmental Exploration: Sweep Netting
This after-school program is geared toward elementary students but open to learners of all ages. Explore the meadow using insect nets.
Free and open to the public. Meet at the Collins Learning Center, Crossroads, 2041 Michigan St., Sturgeon Bay.

Wednesday, September 10
1:30  Wandering Wednesday
Join a naturalist for a guided hike through the trails of Crossroads.
Free and open to the public. Meet at the Collins Learning Center, Crossroads, 2041 Michigan St., Sturgeon Bay.

The Door County YMCA was proud to host the Door County Horizons Group this summer, continuing a partnership that brings opportunity, mentorship, and joy to teens from disadvantaged Milwaukee neighborhoods.

The Door County Summer Horizons program helps young people overcome barriers to summer employment by providing transportation, housing, meals, supervision, coaching, mentoring, and access to local jobs. In addition to their work experience, the teens enjoyed opportunities for recreation, fitness, and community connection at the Y.

One highlight of the summer was swim instruction from longtime YMCA volunteer Bill Wegehaupt, who generously donates his time each year to teach the boys how to swim. “Sign me up for next year,” Bill said with a smile, reflecting his passion for mentoring youth and sharing his love of the water.

Beyond swimming, the teens stayed active by playing basketball, working out in the Y’s wellness center, and even trying their hand at pickleball during a special clinic. These recreational activities provided balance, fun, and team-building alongside their work commitments.

“The Y is all about building community and creating opportunities for everyone to thrive,” said Tonya Felhofer, Door County YMCA CEO. “We’re honored to be a part of the Horizons experience and to help these teens feel welcome, supported, and encouraged during their summer in Door County.”

The Door County YMCA looks forward to continuing this meaningful partnership and welcoming the Horizons youth again next summer.

Zion United Methodist Church invites the community to its cherished tradition, the Old-Fashioned Hymn Sing, on Sunday, August 31, at 5:00 p.m.

Since 1993, this Labor Day Weekend gathering has brought together Door County residents and visitors to sing beloved hymns and raise money in support of community needs. This year, all proceeds will benefit Doorway to Learning, a child care facility in Sturgeon Bay.

According to Doorway to Learning, “Child care is not a luxury. It’s a necessity—for our families, our economy, and the very fabric of our community…because they care for the children of the people who care for us all.”

They serve infants and children from four weeks to four years old—supporting the parents who keep our community strong: nurses who care for patients, teachers who guide the next generation, hospitality staff who support our local economy, and grocery clerks who keep our families supplied.

“The Zion Mission Committee could not think of a finer way to help our neighbors,” organizers shared. “We are grateful that friends from other churches join us in this joyous evening of singing and giving.”

The Hymn Sing will be led by Pastors Don Heeringa and Frank Maxwell, with music provided by keyboardist Caroline Polster, who will accompany the crowd as participants call out their favorite hymn numbers. Midway through the evening, a freewill offering will be collected, with the total donation announced at the conclusion of the event. Refreshments and fellowship will follow.

The Sing-Along is free and open to the public.

Zion United Methodist Church is located at 8781 County Highway F, between Fish Creek and Baileys Harbor.

It’s amazing how fast our Wisconsin summers go!  And, as everyone will tell you, the older we get, the faster they go.

We all know that Door County is one of the premier locations in the Midwest where you can view those amazing fall colors. And I can tell you from personal experience, enjoying them from the water is great! So, don’t put your kayak away yet, there’s great kayaking all fall and into November if the weather cooperates. I’ve talked about places to launch in Door County, and in the fall, I’d suggest launching at Peninsula State Park, which will put you on some great water to view the colors on Eagle Bluff.  I also enjoy the colors and kayaking in and around Ellison Bay. But there’s not a bad place to kayak and view the colors in Door County!

Two points of caution regarding fall kayaking and fishing from a kayak: Be sure to wear proper cold-weather gear and check the forecast for the wind. I’m only kayaking and fishing close to shore in case of an emergency. Also, always wear your PFD, no matter what time of year you are on the water!

Along with fall being a great time to get out and kayak, it’s also a great time for smallmouth bass fishing.  As we got into summer, many smaller smallmouth bass go deeper, which is challenging for anglers in boats or kayaks. However, as the water cools, those smallies return to shallower water. They aren’t as shallow as in the spring, but you’ll find them in that 8 to 15-foot range.  For my fall fishing, I’m still using the Ned Rig and the Z-Man Finesse TRD, with the best color being Green Pumpkin Goby.  The Keitech 2.8 FAT Swing Impact continues to produce, and I also added a 2.5” tube, a great fall presentation that worked like the Ned Rig, very slowly on the bottom! 

It’s been great sharing my thoughts about kayaking and kayak fishing with you again this year, my tenth year doing this for Door County Daily News. As always, if you have any questions or would like to join my smallmouth bass email group, you can email me at kayakfishingwisconsin@gmail.com. Looking ahead to early 2026, I will be speaking in February and March at the Wisconsin Fishing Expo, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Sports Show, and Canoecopia.

For Bob Bordeau, providing your family with fresh fruits and vegetables at an honest price is the most important thing his Sturgeon Bay farm can provide. Approximately 50 years after his parents bought the property along County Highway TT, Bordeau has made little tweaks to accomplish his goals. At 13 acres, the area Bordeau uses to grow crops like apples, asparagus, corn, and more has expanded. Speaking of those fruits and vegetables, Bordeau has added variety as well to allow his customers to always find something fresh when they visit him at his shop along Egg Harbor Road, the Sturgeon Bay Farmers Market, or come straight to the farm. Following in his parents’ footsteps, Bordeau is happy to share that experience with those who trust him with their fruits and vegetables.

Bordeau says good crops of sweet corn and apples are on the way from his operation, in addition to other fruits and vegetables shipped in from around the Midwest to offer a wider selection to his visiting customers. You can learn more about Bordeau as part of our Featured Farmer Series, brought to you by the Door County Farm Bureau. 

If you see a World War II-era submarine floating through Sturgeon Bay next week, do not panic: it is supposed to be. The Wisconsin Maritime Museum released the itinerary for its USS Cobia this week ahead of its dry dock at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding. After it spends Labor Day in its home port of Manitowoc just outside the walls of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, the USS Cobia will be towed to Sturgeon Bay beginning at approximately 8 a.m. on September 4th. By around 6 p.m., the USS Cobia is expected to complete its 55 nautical mile journey to Sturgeon Bay from the canal and through the city's three bridges to Bay Ship, where it will spend about a month in dry dock for restoration work.  

After serving in the Pacific theater during World War II, the USS Cobia was used as a training vessel. In 1986, it was brought to the then-Manitowoc Maritime Museum, where it has hosted thousands of visitors every year for tours and overnight experiences.

Like the Door County Maritime Museum’s Tug John Purves, the USS Cobia spends time docked outside the Wisconsin Maritime Museum year-round. The Wisconsin Maritime Museum raised approximately $1.5 million to tow it to and from Sturgeon Bay for maintenance, which has not happened since 1996. The USS Cobia is expected to be towed back to Manitowoc in early October once the work is completed.

Whether you are starting or ending your journey on the Ice Age Trail in Sturgeon Bay, the Friends of Potawatomi State Park hope a new open-air pavilion will be there. With other Friends-funded projects like its universal kayak launch dock in the rear-view mirror, the group is turning its focus to the site of the old ski hill, where the new marker of the Eastern Terminus of the Ice Age Trail sits. The terminus marker was moved to its current location near the scenic overlook in 2022 after years of being in the middle of a heavily wooded area near a vault toilet. The 0.3-mile move was done to give thru-hikers a more scenic start and finish and alleviate the confusion from old signage when the Old Ski Hill Overlook previously served as the Eastern Terminus.  Friends of Potawatomi State Park Board President Traci Bournoville says that with help from Destination Door County, they hope to add a facility that will match the beauty of the Ice Age Trail visitors.

The county's southernmost state park has had a summer of change. After the park’s observation reopened this spring, Bournoville says they also added new equipment to their playground and are patiently waiting for the completion of their new visitor center. She is thankful for the support the group and the park receive, which includes next month’s Run Wild 10K and 5K.

Your birthday cards and texts to Josh Salentine of Salentine Homestead Dairy in Luxemburg were appreciated, but a visitor to the farm on Thursday may have overshadowed them.

In conjunction with the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin ahead of the World Dairy Expo in Madison, September 30th-October 3rd, comedian Charlie Berens stopped by the farm to “say hi” to the family and record some videos promoting the event. When he visited, Salentine says Berens was a friendly, down-to-earth guy, showcasing the Midwestern charm audiences around the country have come to know. He appreciates the effort the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin organization puts into promoting their products and shining a light on the dairy industry in Kewaunee County.

His visit to Salentine Homestead Dairy is part of a busy stretch for Berens in northeast Wisconsin. He also shot the Salmon’s Meat Products Bratzooka at the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers game on Thursday and will play in front of sold-out theatres in Fish Creek and Manitowoc next week.

Your enthusiasm for connecting communities between Sister Bay and Egg Harbor is felt by the people helping drive the project forward. The Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission hosted its first two open houses on Wednesday, holding two two-hour sessions at Gibraltar Old Town Hall. Based on the Bayshore Connectivity Trail Feasibility Study secured by a Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Transportation Alternatives Program Grant, the organization is developing a comprehensive transportation plan by creating a multi-modal trail system. The network of trails would make the communities along the system more bicycle and pedestrian-friendly and connect people to parks, schools, residential areas, and commercial centers along the proposed 16-mile trek. Environmental Planner Lydia Semo says she is excited that the community is so engaged in the project.

If you missed Wednesday’s session, additional ones are planned for September 26th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

You can visit the three newest local entries to the Wisconsin State Register of Historic Places, though one you may have already visited before. The Wisconsin Historical Society announced on Thursday that the Claflin Point Site near the Town of Gardner was re-listed on the register, while the Hedeen Orchard in the Town of Liberty Grove and the John Evenson by the Town of Ahnapee were added.

According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, the Hedeen family transformed a small-scale dairy farm into a mid-sized commercial cherry orchard and operated it for four decades. The property features its collection of wood-frame vernacular and utilitarian buildings that convey its function as a working orchard dependent upon Tejano migrant labor. 

Brendon Baillod and Bob Jaeck discovered the John Evenson last fall. Previous attempts to find the Evenson with dive crews occurred in the 1980s, but there was no luck. In 1895, the 54-foot-long tug boat was assisting the I. Watson Stephenson just a few miles northeast of Algoma when it came across the bow of the large steamer and was crushed.

The Claflin Point Site was initially listed in 2000, but thanks to the work of Baillod and Jaeck, the additional documentation updated the nomination to account for the shipwreck City of Kalamazoo and its history. The City of Kalamazoo encountered several near-disasters after its launch in 1892, before it eventually sank in 1922 due to extensive leaks.

This week, the State Register also added the Luling School in Manitowoc and Mount Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church in West Allis.

Two local organizations are again working together to put on a fun day of activities in September and to help each other reach people struggling with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. For the third consecutive year, Sunshine Resources and the Alzheimer’s Association are pairing their most significant events to reach a larger audience. Sunshine Resources will present its annual Sunflower Fest as a post-event option for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s on September 13th. The Door County Aging and Disability Resource Center estimated earlier this year that approximately 900 people in the county are struggling with Alzheimer’s disease and that approximately 1,500 residents could have some form of dementia by 2040. Many people may rely on Sunshine Resources’ Sunflower Cottage for a comfortable home-like setting with compassionate caregivers and activities. Sunshine Resources’ Barry Metzentine, Jeremy Paszczak, and Walk to End Alzheimer’s Director Cari Josephson say the partnership has been mutually beneficial.

Sunflower Fest, Sunshine Resources’ biggest fundraiser of the year, features a cornhole tournament, live music, food, and more from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. You can register for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s at this link and learn more about this year's joint event by watching the video below.

The next time you drive past Kinnard Farms in Casco, you will notice the technology is growing as fast as the crops this year. The dairy farm hosted Peninsula Pride Farms’ Summer Field Day and Picnic on Wednesday, showcasing two of the latest pieces of technology. Towering over one of the farm fields is the farm’s Sedron facility. Sedron has installed the Varcor System, which processes dairy manure into three products: a dry, organic fertilizer, a liquid nitrogen fertilizer, and clean distilled water. At Kinnard Farms, the system will use manure that has already gone through its neighboring digesters, which captures the methane for natural gas distribution. The facility is one of three in the United States, joining two others in Indiana. Sedron’s Thomas Janicki says the Varcor System will help farms like Kinnard Farms become more sustainable in the future.

It has been years in the making for Lee Kinnard from Kinnard Farms. He says technology is allowing him to be a better steward of the environment and his neighbors, adding that the Varcor System will allow them to take hundreds of manure trucks off of local roads.

The Rain360 system was placed in a different field to shower clean water on top of growing corn crops. The machinery uses water collected from the farm’s feed pad and moves through the field autonomously, letting farm personnel via apps on their phones know whether or not it is working.

The National Weather Service says a tornado is potentially to blame for knocking out the power and causing damage to your home earlier this month. The Door County Emergency Management Department shared details from the National Weather Service’s discovery on Wednesday. The agency says an EF 0 Tornado touched down in Peninsula State Park, causing significant damage to trees and power lines. Carrying peak speeds of 73 miles per hour, the tornado later moved across Eagle Harbor as a waterspout.

The declaration comes as locals remembered the 27th anniversary of an EF-3 tornado that struck the region with winds nearing 160 miles per hour and caused significant damage, but luckily, no deaths and only two injuries.

Your kids may still have some days of summer left to enjoy, but it is already over for many area teachers and staff members. Schools in Door and Kewaunee counties opened doors to staff members this week to prepare for the upcoming school year. While it may be just part of the routine at some schools, and it is anything but for teachers at Algoma and Gibraltar, both of which are undergoing massive referendum-related construction projects. In Fish Creek, Gibraltar Secondary School Principal Jim De Broux says its construction project is progressing nicely, but suggests it might be easier to send your kids on the bus than to pack your patience with parking at a premium heading into the year. He believes that Thursday’s open house will be more exciting as some students and parents will see their new spaces for the first time.

 Kewaunee, Sturgeon Bay, and Sevastopol will host open house events for their families on Wednesday, while Algoma, Gibraltar, and Southern Door will host theirs on Thursday. The first day of school is scheduled for September 2nd.

Even as the wheat and oat harvest locally, farmers look for similar success this fall with their corn and soybeans. According to the USDA’s Crop Progress and Condition Report, farmers had 5.6 days suitable for fieldwork across the state, with the northeast region slightly above six days. Winter wheat is about 98 percent harvested, and oats are about 80 percent harvested as of August 24th, which is a little behind last year’s pace but about even with the five-year average. Corn and soybeans are also progressing nicely, with the condition of both crops rated as 83 percent good to excellent. Jeremy Heim from Heim Brothers Custom and Heim’s Hillcrest Dairy says he expects to see high yields this fall, which likely means you will see even more semi-trucks and farm machinery on the road. He hopes both farmers and motorists continue to travel with caution so everyone can get home safely.

Last week, the National Grain and Feed Association observed the sixth annual Harvest Safety Week, providing resources and information to help grain, feed, and processing facilities adopt safe practices during the fall.

Your loved ones suffering from Parkinson’s disease do not have to be Rocky Balboa or Mickey Ward to see the benefits of boxing during a program hosted by the Door County YMCA. Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, neurodegenerative disease that affects a person’s movement. The Door County YMCA’s Rock Steady Boxing program is non-contact, but high-intensity to counteract the motor and non-motor symptoms of the disease. According to Specialty Wellness Director Abby Baker, intense exercise can promote neuroplasticity, potentially slowing the disease’s progression. Baker says Door County has a lot of people who suffer from Parkinson’s disease, and the Rocky Steady Boxing program can ensure they are getting the help and support that they need.

The Door County YMCA offers two classes for people suffering from Parkinson’s disease, including boxing classes. You can learn more about the classes on the Door County YMCA website by listening to our latest Y Wednesday podcast episode here.

Whether you live in Door County or Kewaunee County, there is an opportunity to recognize the devastating impact of suicide in your community.

According to Wisconsin Department of Health Services data, there were 921 suicides in 2023, which is a dip from 2022 but still the second-highest in the past decade. Of more local concern, the suicide rate in rural areas was higher (17 deaths per 100,000 individuals) than it was in urban settings (14.2 per 100,000 individuals).

As it turns out, September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and local organizations are doing what they can to raise awareness and address the stigma surrounding mental health.

On September 6th, Step Up for Mental Health: A Walk To Remember will take place at Bruemmer Park in Kewaunee, where yard signs decorated with photos, messages of hope, and stories of loved ones affected by mental health challenges will be shared along the 5K course.

On September 7th, Prevent Suicide - Door County will have its annual Walk for Hope and Awareness from 2:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. at Sawyer Park in Sturgeon Bay. To commemorate those who have been lost due to suicide, walkers are encouraged to bring a large picture of their loved one, which they can affix to their shirt or a park banner, in addition to wearing a colored bead necklace.

On September 13th, the 2025 Heroes for Hope 5th Annual 3-Mile Walk will take place September 13th at 8:00 a.m. at Fireman’s Park in Luxemburg, with suicide survivor Chad Gardner sharing his story before the start. 

Due to the very chilly weather, the Swingin' Door Big Band performance this Thursday, August 28th, that was to be at the Peg Egan PAC in Egg Harbor has been relocated to Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 1756 Michigan Street, in Sturgeon Bay. The free concert will begin at 7:00 pm and donations will be accepted to help fund the band's Summer Band Camp Scholarship Program.

The Swingin’ Door is a Glenn Miller-style 17-piece jazz band. The band also includes three female vocalists who perform solos as well as join their talents to cover some Andrews Sisters trios. Since its inception four years ago, the program has awarded 25 scholarships valued at over $6,000 to Door County students. The band has been thrilling Door County audiences since 2019 with covers of charts by Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, County Basie and many others.

Your childcare center is in a better financial position after the state issued its first funding awards for its Child Care Bridge Payments Program. According to the Evers Administration, funds from this first month’s payment, totaling $8.7 million, were awarded to more than 3,100 providers across the state and will support the retention of 25,531 staff and the care of 126,181 kids. More $30,000 went to seven childcare centers in Door County, and another $20,000 went to 11 providers in Kewaunee County. As the program’s name suggests, the program is designed to give childcare centers in the state a lifeline once the Child Care Counts Program winds down. Karen Corekin-DeLaMer from Northern Door Children’s Center in Sister Bay says the money comes at an important time for many of their families as the tourism season begins to wind down.

While the funding is nice for now, it is not permanent. Funding for the program is set to expire next summer. “While these new payments help connect the dots for Wisconsin families by lowering out-of-pocket costs and ensuring safe and reliable child care, they are not an end-all, be-all solution, which is why we must continue our efforts in finding common ground on means to address the challenges this industry faces in the long term,” Governor Tony Evers said during his tour of facilities around the state last week.

A familiar sight of your trips to Egg Harbor could either have a date with a wrecking ball or the historical society, depending on how the village’s Zoning Board of Appeals rules.

The board will hold a public hearing on September 4th regarding the former Alpine Resort property at 7715 Alpine Road, owned by Matt Sagorac. On June 16th, the village’s Architectural Review and Historic Preservation Board denied Sagorac’s application for a demolition permit for the former lodge building. According to the meeting’s minutes, Sagorac’s attorney, Blair Murphy-Pociask, said that his client applied for the demolition permit in March, but the village had not acted on it, pledging they would not invest more money into the property until the issue was resolved. He also took issue with the board’s attempt to potentially nominate the building as a historical site because it was not already in place when they applied for the demolition permit.

In May, the Egg Harbor Fire Department issued a stop-work order for the lodge and its adjoining restaurant due to numerous fire safety violations, even saying that the building should be demolished due to life safety violations. Parts of the building, including the adjoining restaurant, have since been allowed to reopen.

Architectural historian Traci Schnell is being used to evaluate the property to determine if the former lodge building is at least locally significant if not on a national or state scale. The board was scheduled to meet with Historical Consulting LLC at its July 28th meeting to discuss its historic site survey before discussing its historic property list.  Sagorac Enterprises is appealing the decision to deny the demolition permit and the accompanying Certificate of Appropriateness, which is the formal approval to make exterior changes to properties within designated historic districts and to designated historic landmarks. Public comment will be allowed in front of the Village of Egg Harbor Zoning Board of Appeals when it takes place inside the Kress Pavilion’s Great Hall on September 4th at 8:30 a.m.

You will have another choice in next year’s Democratic primary for the U.S. House of Representatives. Retired business owner Mark Scheffler officially announced his candidacy on Tuesday after formally filing the paperwork to run earlier this month.

In his statement, the lifelong Wisconsinite says his campaign “will be powered by people,” budgeting $5 per voter in the district (approximately $2.1 million) and free from political-action committees, special interests, and national party money. “This campaign belongs to us — not to Washington, not to distant corporations, not to billionaires and not to a national political machine,” Scheffler said. “Let’s prove that integrity, unity and good ideas still win in America. And let’s start right here in Northeast Wisconsin.”

Scheffler joins former Green Bay School Board member Rich Crosson, a retired U.S. Army Lt. Colonel and Master Army Aviator, and a former Chief Operating Officer for a Wisconsin-based transportation and logistics company.

The primary winner will likely face incumbent Rep. Tony Wied, who defeated his Democratic opponent, Dr. Kristin Lyerly, by more than 61,000 votes. With Wied’s win, Republicans have held onto the seat since former Rep. Reid Ribble beat Dr. Steve Kagen in 2010. 

What started as an acknowledgement for the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment has grown to be about more than that, including how it impacts your daily life now.

The League of Women Voters of Door County will host its sixth annual Women’s Equality Day car parade on Tuesday, beginning at 5 p.m. The first edition of the event was a throwback to the car parades that took place leading up to the passage of the 19th Amendment on August 26th, 1920, which allowed women the right to vote after the decades-long women’s suffrage movement made its way through state legislatures and the halls of Congress. It has since become a call to action to protect democracy and voting rights. The national and state organizations have been vocal about recent issues, such as mid-cycle redistricting in Texas and California, and the threat to end mail-in voting. Paired with the national Unite & Rise 8.5 campaign, event organizer Heidi Ling says you have to appreciate the steps taken forward with voting rights when they are trying to take steps back.

Ling added that they moved the start time from noon to 5 p.m. to allow more people to participate. The Women’s Equality Day Parade will start near the clock tower at 3rd and Jefferson before driving down 3rd Avenue, across both downtown bridges, and arriving at Martin Park. This year’s program includes remarks by former Wisconsin Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton and a live music performance by Cathy Grier + the Troublemakers All-Female Band. 

A proposed electrical project for the offseason at Peninsula State Park could cause you to see less of an endangered snake slithering around the park. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources released the jeopardy assessment this month surrounding how an electrical project at Peninsula State Park could cause the accidental death of the Eastern Ribbonsnake. Wisconsin Public Service proposes to abandon approximately 1,790 feet of underground electric lines, remove existing cross-country overhead electric lines, and install more than 2,300 feet of underground electric cable. According to the assessment, the work could impact the fresh meadow wetland near the park entrance that the snake prefers to call home, especially during summer. The hope is that by doing the work during the park’s slowest time of the year is that it will have a minimal impact on not just its human visitors but the Eastern Ribbonsnake that calls the area home. Monitoring will occur, and any snakes encountered during the project will be removed and relocated. With additional precautions, the DNR expects the Eastern Ribbonsnake's incidental take will be low. Residents can voice their concern about the project to the DNR until September 21st.

If Luba is the Ukrainian word for love, then that is the word judges of non-alcoholic drink competitions are using to describe the Door County-born beverages you have seen in the community. Luba Libations, owned by Nic and Christiana Trapani, has won several awards for its non-alcoholic cocktails since its May launch. At the 2025 PR%F RTD Awards, Luba’s Kyiv Mule and Grapefruit Paloma won gold medals while its Cranberry Cosmo and Lime Margarita earned silver medals. At the International Non-Alcoholic Competition, the Grapefruit Paloma, Cranberry Cosmo, and Lime Margarita won gold medals while the Kyiv Mule garnered a silver medal. For the Trapanis, just being mentioned alongside established brands like Athletic Brewing and Free Spirits would have been good enough for Luba Libations, especially since their main focus is on Door County Candle Company. They agreed that the response has meant a lot to them as they try to provide consumers with an authentic, good-tasting beverage.

The newly purchased building by the Door County Maritime Museum to house some of your favorite nautical treasures received a significant boost from the National Park Service & Institute of Museum and Library Services. The museum received a $182,520 “Save America’s Treasures” grant from the two organizations for their archive and artifact shelving systems at the facility, which they closed on early this summer. Installing the new shelving system will make the museum comply with the Department of the Interior and National Park Service Standards for Archeology and Historic Preservation. Last month, Deputy Director Sam Perlman explained how the former 23,000-square-foot manufacturing facility will help them become accredited within the American Alliance of Museums.

Volunteers spent a portion of their summer moving items to the new facility from their old storage unit, which was one-quarter of the size.

Your kids and furbabies are invited to kick off September at Peterson Park in Sturgeon Bay to support the Wisconsin Humane Society’s Door County Campus. The Wisconsin Humane Society’s Pet Walk Door County on September 7th is one of the organization’s biggest fundraisers and comes at a critical time. Earlier this month, WHS officials pleaded for volunteer foster parents after more than 100 cats and kittens arrived as surrenders or strays, pushing the organization to over 1,500 animals under their care. Depending on the animal’s needs, it costs slightly more than $750 per cat to provide all the veterinary care, food, vaccines, spay/neuter surgery, and other benefits. Pet Walk Door County delivers some exercise for your family and your pet and offers different opportunities to interact with WHS, the Door County Sheriff’s Department K-9 Unit, and other pet-loving organizations and businesses. Event Coordinator Lori Nachtwey says Pet Walk Door County is also an excellent event for the kids, not just because a local business is covering their registration fee.

Labor Day may mark the unofficial end of summer—but at Crossroads at Big Creek, learning and exploration continue year-round!

This summer, Crossroads hosted camps for the Boys and Girls Club, programs with the YMCA and PATH, Family Programs with Joan, Treks with Terrie, and Saturday Science. As the school year begins, we remain committed to offering family-friendly programs—in which  “family”  means learners of all ages are welcome.

The Center for Families, Communities, Schools, and Children reminds us: “Children learn best through their everyday experiences with the people they love and trust, and when the learning is fun. And the best place for these experiences is outdoors, in the natural world.”

With that in mind, our Science Saturdays series will continue almost every week this school year. Originally designed for children, these hands-on science experiences increasingly attract adults eager to experience the fun of learning. The same is true for our after-school Environmental Exploration sessions, held Tuesdays at 3:30 p.m., and our Junior Nature Club, a preschool program resuming Wednesdays beginning September 17.

This Saturday’s Science Saturday program will focus on hexagons—six-sided polygons that appear repeatedly in nature. Beekeepers are familiar with the hexagonal structure of honeycombs, and fossil hunters know the beauty of honeycomb coral [and Petoskey stones.]

But hexagons are everywhere: in the arrangement of cells in our eyes, the compound eyes of insects, the shells of turtles, and the segments of pineapples. And wait—there’s more.  Even NASA chose a hexagonal design for the mirrors of the Webb Space Telescope. Participants will explore hexagons through videos and engaging activities (including some edible options—please let us know if you have dietary restrictions).

This coming week, on Tuesday, September 2, at 3:30 p.m., our Environmental Exploration program will examine the mouths of different fish to learn what they eat. While we won’t be eating fish, we will gain fascinating insights into aquatic life. As always, adults are welcome to join, but please note that activities are designed with elementary students in mind.

Collins Learning Center will be closed on Labor Day, but our trails are open all day, every day, free of charge, thanks to the generosity of our donors. Crossroads at Big Creek invites you to step outside, learn something new, and celebrate the changing season with us.”

Saturday, August 30,

2:00 Saturday Science: Hexagons

This activity, geared for elementary-aged children but open to all ages, will focus on Hexagons, the six-sided polygons that appear throughout nature. A short video will be followed by activities, some of which are edible (so let us know if participants have dietary restrictions). It is Free and open to the public. Meet at the Collins Learning Center, Crossroads, 2041 Michigan St., Sturgeon Bay.

Tuesday, September 2

3:30 Environmental Exploration-Door County Fish

This free program, geared for elementary-aged students but open to all ages, will examine fish mouths to predict what they eat. Meet at the Collins Learning Center, Crossroads, 2041 Michigan, Sturgeon Bay

Wednesday, September 3

1:30 Wandering Wednesday

Join a naturalist-led hike through the trails of Crossroads. Free and open to the public.

Thursday, September 4

1:00 Trek with Terrie-Ida Bay Exploration

Deep-diving into geology, natural history, and post-glacial lakes. Adults only. Free, but a reservation is required. See www.crossroadsatbigcreek.org for more information and to reserve a spot.

Over the years, I have focused on the issue of safety as our young people head back to school. We give a great deal of attention to keeping our community and particularly our young people “Safe”. We do our best to surround them with protections and safeguards from the moment they awake until they go to bed at night. This emphasis on feeling physically safe is important as it represents the basic and essential need that we all have as human beings, second only to our physiological needs such as air, water, food and shelter.

If we truly want to see our community thrive, we need to expand our scope of attention to address the higher needs that every human being requires to ascend beyond a place where we merely survive, and to a place where we thrive. Some may be thinking this sounds familiar, as what I am sharing is based in “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.” In this model, a person cannot achieve the next higher level of needs until they feel the previous needs have been met. This is why the first two are critical in any society.

While these first two levels of needs are given a great deal of attention and the source of much charity and outreach, it is many times the next three levels that are the greater challenge. This is not because we don’t care, but rather because these higher levels of needs are not readily visible when not met.

The next level of needs is that of Loving and Belonging. This level includes friendship, intimacy, family, and connection. Those of us who have been fortunate to have these things in our lives may take them for granted, but think for a moment what it must be like as a young person not to have experienced these. Without those deep, meaningful relationships, it is next to impossible to achieve the next level, which is “esteem”. The level of esteem includes respect, self-esteem, status, recognition, strength and freedom.

This level of “Esteem’ is where each of us can have an impact. We can each demonstrate respect for another, whether we agree with them or not. We can encourage each other through simple acts of recognition and appreciation. We can help build up another person’s sense of status by sharing with them the value they have and the unique qualities that make them special.

In doing these things, we set the stage for the arrival at the highest level of needs: Self-Actualization. This is simply the individual’s desire to become the most that one can be. Can you imagine a community where every person approaches their day with this attitude? Our goal should be that every student arriving for the new school year is functioning at this highest level, with the sole purpose of learning and individual growth at the forefront of their attention.

This is not easy work. It requires dedication both internally and externally. It requires patient love and stern discipline. It requires accountability at all levels, to each other and to ourselves. The best part is that it doesn’t cost a thing. It doesn’t require some large government initiative. All it requires is for us to look beyond ourselves to help another person on their journey.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) and Oconto County Public Health have identified five additional cases of measles in Oconto County. The additional cases are linked to the nine cases confirmed in the county on August 2, 2025, bringing the total number of cases to 14. To protect the privacy of individuals associated, personal health details about the cases will not be shared.

The ongoing investigation indicates that measles is spreading locally. DHS is working in coordination with Oconto County Public Health and surrounding local public health departments to identify and directly notify people with known exposures.

At this time, the investigation has not identified locations in public settings for which a full list of exposed people cannot be obtained. 

Thanks to a local boater, you add another shipwreck to your list to find along the shores of Door County. The Wisconsin Historical Society announced on Friday the discovery of the Frank D. Barker after it went missing 138 years ago. Matt Olson was boating near Rowleys Bay when he spotted the 137-foot-long vessel that specialized in grain delivery when it was sailing the Great Lakes in the 1880s. The ship was on its way to Escanaba, Mich. when it got stuck in bad weather and foggy conditions. Crews went out several times to try to find the Frank D. Barker, but each time came up empty. The Wisconsin Historical Society notes that historical newspaper records placed the wreck closer to Spider Island. This was the third time Olson discovered a wreck, putting the Frank D. Barker in the same light as his discoveries in 2023 of the Grey Eagle and the Sunshine. 

Picture courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society 

Planting seeds of hope is the message Kewaunee County Sheriff Matt Joski wants you to take to heart at three suicide prevention classes scheduled for next month. The courses come as concerns surrounding suicide grow after two Kewaunee School District students claimed their lives over the last six months. According to the Children’s Hospital Association, suicide and self-injury patients ages 5-18 seen at children’s hospital emergency departments increased by more than 168 percent between 2016 and 2021. One-fifth of all adolescent deaths are from suicide, becoming the second leading cause among kids 10-14 years old and the third leading cause of young people between 15-24. Joski is saddened that sometimes, it takes a tragedy to start a conversation. When the conversation begins, he wants it to be a message of providing hope for people who might need a little kindness to put them on a better and happier path.

Joski will lead QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) training presentations at Algoma High School at 6 p.m. on September 9th and at Kewaunee High School at 5 p.m. on September 14th. St. Paul School in Luxemburg is hosting its own QPR training presentation with Prevent Suicide Fox Cities Executive Director Cindy Reffke leading on September 3rd at 6:15 p.m.

Even as they begin to wrap up home build projects on the peninsula, you will still be able to find Door County Habitat for Humanity volunteers hard at work this winter. In addition to its 50th home build in Sturgeon Bay, Habitat volunteers are putting the final touches on a home in Sister Bay as a part of its collaboration with the Door County Housing Partnership. Recent grants the organization received ensure that activity will not slow as the seasons turn. Executive Director Lori Allen says they received grants from Home Depot and the Veterans Affairs Office totaling more than $20,000 for a home rehabilitation project for a veteran living in Fish Creek. They are also partnering with Door County Medical Center and the Homeless Coalition to perform approximately $80,000 in rehabilitation work to transform a former clinic into a transitional home. Allen hopes these new opportunities will engage its volunteer base during the winter months.

Allen says these types of projects are only possible thanks to the community support they receive through volunteerism, donations, and purchases at the ReStore, and at events like Thursday’s Home-in-One Golf Outing. 

If the Valmy Thresheree did not quench your thirst for agricultural history last weekend, head south. The Casco Thresheree opens its fifth edition of its annual event on Friday with several demonstrations, dozens of tractors, and other historical implements on display. Organizer Luke Michalski says every year he tries to make it bigger, offering demonstrations of threshing, blacksmithing, and more. He adds that they have been very deliberate in bringing kids to the Casco Thresheree, so the interest in the area’s agricultural roots remains strong.

The Casco Thresheree runs through Sunday.

Just like you are worried about your kids getting sick before school starts, farmers are closely monitoring their crops for diseases in the months before they are harvested. According to the USDA’s Crop Progress and Condition Report earlier this week, Wisconsin’s corn and soybean crops continue progressing near their five-year average. Corn and soybeans are rated 82 percent good to excellent, slightly better than last week. Corn silking is 95 percent complete, while soybeans are 93 percent blooming. Farmers hope the crops’ quality can stick with them through the fall, though this is also when pests like corn rootworm and diseases like white mold can appear. Rio Creek Feed Mill agronomist Adam Barta says farmers should closely monitor disease and pests, especially as the plants begin to fill out.

In other fields, about 94 percent of winter wheat and 72 percent of oats has been harvested, which is right around last year’s pace. Farmers are also closing in on completing their third cutting of alfalfa, with about 20 percent already starting their fourth.

Getting the dollars needed to battle the opioid crisis in your community as quickly as possible is the hope of the Kewaunee County Board after it approved a measure on Tuesday delegating its authority to enter into settlement agreements. Before the resolution was passed, agreements could take weeks between meetings before they would be raised before the full board for its likely approval. An approved county official will now have the authority to enter into the agreements without going to the full board. Kewaunee County Board Chairperson Dan Olson says he will still have a say on whether the county should join the settlement. Still, he does not foresee a situation where he would say no or ask the whole board to weigh in before approving. He hopes that this will allow the county departments to use the money for different programs to get it faster and more effectively.

According to ABC News, all 50 states, Washington D.C., and four U.S. territories agreed to a $7.4 billion settlement with OxyContin producer Purdue Pharma over its role in the opioid epidemic. In Wisconsin, opioid settlements brought $31 million into the state before it was distributed to municipalities. The Kewaunee County Board also received updates from the Register of Deeds, the Kewaunee County Parks Department, and the Kewaunee County Economic Development Corporation during its meeting.

After this year, the Door County Clip for a Cause will occur every five years. After giving $1,300 in its first year, DoorCancer has distributed more than $2.5 million to Door County families over the last 25 years, providing thousands of dollars every month. The organization supports Door County families impacted by cancer in several ways, whether gas cards and hotel stays to defray travel costs or cover rent or utility bills when money gets tight. 

The story behind your iced latte at Pinky Promise Coffee Roasters is as good as the drink you find every Saturday at the Sturgeon Bay Farmers Market. The journey for owner Sean Grorich starts in Seattle, where he made it a quest to try as many of the city’s coffee shops as he could. The journey sparked the idea that he could open a coffee shop one day. After taking a coffee roasting course in Minneapolis, Grorich began looking for a home for his coffee shop before the pandemic slowed down the process. A discussion with his daughter over missed screen time helped Grorich create the name Pinky Promise for the venture, which has also become a pledge they keep for their customers.

Pinky Promise Coffee Roasters is located on Madison Avenue in Sturgeon Bay, seven days a week, and set up at the Sturgeon Bay Farmers Market on Saturdays. You can listen to this Faces of the Farmers Market Podcast episode by clicking this link.

The Door County Sheriff’s Department provided a little more clarity around Tuesday’s death investigation at Peninsula State Park. The victim was identified as 61-year-old Carol A. Peterson of Fond du Lac after she was pulled out of the water near the Nicolet Bay Campground before 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday. The Brown County Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy on Peterson’s body on Wednesday, and the results are currently pending. As a result, Peterson’s death remains under investigation and no further details are available at this time.

Your support is needed to help the United Way of Door County reach its lofty goal of addressing the area’s needs through its annual campaign. The organization hosted its campaign kickoff Tuesday night at the Woodwalk Gallery in Egg Harbor with volunteers and supporters in attendance. One year after raising its campaign goal up 20 percent to $1 million, the United Way of Door County did it again, pitching the community on $1.2 million for its annual campaign goal. The campaign will focus on education, financial stability, and healthy lifestyles for thousands of Door County residents who are in need every day, especially those in the ALICE (Asset-limited, Income-constrained, Employed) population. Last year, the organization raised more than $940,000 to set a record. After conversations with the dozens of organizations they support, United Way of Door County Executive Director Amy Kohnle says it will take another record year for them to address the community’s biggest needs.

Kohnle says activities will be planned throughout the coming months to help chip away at the $1.2 million annual campaign goal. One of those activities will be the now annual Pay to Play with the United Way takeover of U-102.1 in December. You have until January 9th, 2026 to get your donations and pledges in this year. 

A week after classic tractors dotted the Valmy Thresheree grounds, other rides from yesteryear will take their turn beginning on Thursday.

The Vintage Revival Weekend is in its first year in Door County. Organizers Chad and Alexandra Walker hosted similar events in other Wisconsin towns like Gleason and Antigo before setting up in Valmy. Vintage cars and campers will be displayed, and six live bands, Hot Rod Walt and the Psycho DeVilles and Gina Marie and the Golden Bucks, will provide the soundtrack.

Chad Walker was drawn to the Valmy Thresheree grounds because of its pull track, which is the perfect setting for bumper and mini bike races. He also wanted to give the vintage car owner community another reason to visit Door County, many of whom he says will see the area's beauty for the first time when they go on their Friday afternoon car cruise.

The Vintage Revival Weekend runs Thursday evening through Saturday. 

There is no shortage of activities for your kids to enjoy at the Door County YMCA as the summer turns into fall. Registration for the fall session opened on Monday for members ahead of the community registration date on Wednesday. One of the most popular fall programs is flag football, with over 100 participants last year. Youth Executive Paul Briney says flag football is a growing sport nationwide, and it teaches the basic skillset needed if kids decide to play tackle football down the road.

The Door County YMCA is also taking names for those who want to try gymnastics this fall. Like flag football, Gymnastics and Youth Programming Director Julia Lasecki believes the program suits those who want to try the sport but have never done it before.

The fall session opens on September 2nd. Click this link to listen to the full Y Wednesday Interview with Briney and Lasecki.

Based on a damaged sign and side-view mirror left behind, the Kewaunee Police Department needs your help finding the driver responsible. The department believes the accident occurred at approximately 2:45 p.m. last Saturday in the grass triangle between Marquette Drive and Ellis Street. In its post online, the department stated that the accident occurred just outside the view of a nearby surveillance camera, which would have helped the police with the case. If you have any information about the suspect vehicle or its driver, you are encouraged to contact the Kewaunee Police Department.

How you cast your ballot could change in 2026 if President Donald Trump can gain enough support.

President Trump announced on Monday that he will “lead a movement” to ban mail-in ballots and some voting machines ahead of next year’s midterm elections. “ELECTIONS CAN NEVER BE HONEST WITH MAIL IN BALLOTS/VOTING, and everybody, IN PARTICULAR THE DEMOCRATS, KNOWS THIS,” he posted on TruthSocial. "I am going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS, and also, while we're at it, Highly 'Inaccurate,' Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial VOTING MACHINES, which cost Ten Times more than accurate and sophisticated Watermark Paper, which is faster, and leaves NO DOUBT, at the end of the evening, as to who WON, and who LOST, the Election." He told members of the press that an executive order is being written “by the best lawyers in the country to end mail-in ballots because they are corrupt.

Last fall, more than 3,300 Door County residents and 1,500 Kewaunee County residents cast their ballots through the mail.  Common Cause Wisconsin Executive Director Jay Heck is not putting much stock into the threat, adding that there is no evidence of widespread fraud through mail-in voting.

Depending on which voting machines are banned, some municipalities may have to rely on hand-counting ballots or purchase new ones, which, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, can cost between $3,500 and $5,000 apiece. Kewaunee County Clerk Jamie Annoye fears time and mistakes could add up if they were to rely solely on hand counts.

Mail-in voting in Wisconsin has been legal since the Civil War, though it peaked in 2020 due to the pandemic.

For Len Arsenault and his wife, Sandra, the most rewarding hobbies are the ones that buzz right to you.

The Sturgeon Bay couple will participate in their third Community Honey Harvest at Crossroads at Big Creek after taking up beekeeping in 2022. It started when Sandra cleaned up her parents’ house in Sevastopol after the Arsenaults retired following a career in the United States Air Force. She stumbled upon her parents’ old beekeeping equipment and told Len she wanted to get into beekeeping. In the years since, the Arsenaults have fluctuated between having two to five hives, sending the fruits of their bees’ labor to friends and family as gifts. Len says his favorite part of beekeeping is not the bees but the people he has met because of them.

You can learn more about beekeeping at the Door County Beekeepers Club’s Community Harvest at Crossroads at Big Creek from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event features demonstrations, kids’ activities, and honey tastings.

If you are traveling through Luxemburg over the next two days, do not be shocked if you see a house blocking the road. The Luxemburg Police Department sent out a traffic alert this week about road closures related to the former rectory at St. Mary’s Catholic Church being moved from its current location along Main Street. Built in 1907, the home has been on pedestals for several weeks in preparation for the move. On Tuesday, it will be moving from its current spot between the church and school to the church’s parking lot. Traffic will be rerouted for about three hours beginning at noon. It will do most of its traveling beginning at 7 a.m. on Wednesday toward Casco Junction. Earlier this year, Pastor Dan Schuster said he was happy that the home would remain in the community.

As the old rectory stood on support beams, progress was being made around it. St. Mary’s Catholic Church is adding onto the school, creating a dedicated office space for the parish, and building a new home for the pastor and visiting priests. You can find detour information about the move below.

Even if you do not have to, it might be time to update your resume. A report from global outplacement and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas shows that more than 800,000 job cuts have been announced since the beginning of the year, including over 60,000 last month. More than a third of the reductions have occurred in the public sector, though technology and retail industries have also seen the pain with tariffs, automation, and inflation being blamed. We Are Hope’s Kim Carley says employers can afford to be a lot pickier about who they hire now, when, before, a warm body with basic skills could fit the bill. For those in the job market or fearing they could be in it soon, Carley recommends taking a break so you can enter the process with a clear mind. She also says a resume focusing on your skill set rather than your job history could take you much further.

The last jobs report released by the U.S. Department of Labor said more than 73,000 jobs were created in July, more than double the number created in May and June combined.

Picture courtesy of BiljaST and Pixabay

You can witness a love story nearly as old as Peninsula Players when Ken Ludwig’s “Dear Jack, Dear Louise” hits the stage on Wednesday. The play is based on Ludwig’s parents and their courtship during the 1940s, when the letters they sent to each other became the foundation of their love. Ludwig’s father, Jack, was a military doctor stationed far away from his mother, Louise, an aspiring actress in New York City. The couple was married for over 50 years before the play debuted in 2019. Audra Baakari Boyle from Peninsula Players says actors Luke Nowakowski and Emma Rosenthal do a great job capturing the love story as it unfolds.

Ken Ludwig’s “Dear Jack, Dear Louise” runs August 20th-August 31st. The quick two-week run will be followed by Peninsula Players’ final production of its 90th season, Steel Magnolias, which runs September 3rd-October 19th. 

Picture courtesy of Peninsula Players Theatre

More than a year before you go to the polls for the mid-term elections, a new challenger has emerged to go against U.S. Rep. Tony Wied.

Rick Crosson took to Facebook on Monday to announce that he plans on running for Wisconsin’s Eighth Congressional District seat next November. 

Crosson served on the Green Bay Area School Board most recently after being selected as a replacement for Laura Laitinen-Warren in April 2024. This spring, he lost his seat in his re-election bid to fellow incumbent James Lyerly and newcomers Jeanette Knill and Alex Mineau. He is a retired U.S. Army Lt. Colonel and Master Army Aviator and a former Chief Operating Officer for a Wisconsin-based transportation and logistics company. 

Last year, Wied, a former gas station owner, defeated his Democratic opponent, Dr. Kristin Lyerly, by more than 61,000 votes. With Wied’s win, Republicans have held onto the seat since former Rep. Reid Ribble beat the Democratic incumbent Dr. Steve Kagen in 2010.

The Kewaunee County Board will receive updates on two essential items when it convenes on Tuesday for the regularly scheduled meeting.

The board will first hear about the county potentially changing course on its cybersecurity efforts. After approving using CrowdStrike as its cybersecurity partner earlier this year, IT Director Ross Loining recommended that the board work with Barracuda, which the county already uses for its email scanning/filtering service. Loining wrote in a memo to County Administrator Jeremy Kral and the board that after viewing a demo from Barracuda following their CrowdStrike decision, their cybersecurity platform “offered more options for Kewaunee County at a lower price.” A switch would save Kewaunee County about $1,000 a month.

Kewaunee County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Ben Nelson will also update the board about Project HOMESTEAD, an effort by the KCEDC to address the area’s housing concerns. Nelson said earlier this year that without a wider array of options and prices in Kewaunee County, it is creating a bottleneck for housing in the area, which can hurt employers, schools, and other entities. He hopes that in the project's second phase, they will evaluate the best opportunities available in Luxemburg, Kewaunee, and Algoma.

The board will also decide whether to enter a settlement agreement with opioid defendants after hearing annual reports from the Kewaunee County Register of Deeds and the Kewaunee County Parks Department. The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m. inside the Kewaunee County Administration Center.

Area farmers hope you will see more good things coming after wrapping up the wheat harvest this month. According to last week’s USDA Crop Condition and Progress Report, just under 90 percent of winter wheat was harvested, two points ahead of the five-year average. Rio Creek Feed Mill agronomist Adam Barta says some farmers are boasting above-average to record yields despite poor germination last fall, ahead of a rough winter. Corn and soybeans are also progressing ahead of last year’s pace, with 81 percent of the crop being rated as good to excellent. Barta says Mother Nature will have the final say on how the rest of the growing season goes for those crops, both of which have had a rough year in the markets.

If you enjoyed attending the Door County Fair this weekend, imagine being Wisconsin Fairest of the Fairs, Megan Salentine. The Luxemburg native and former Kewaunee County Fairest of the Fair dodged raindrops and came for the excitement of the Budweiser Clydesdales’ debut at the Door County Fair. Add in the Brown County Fair earlier in the day, it was part of her tour of nine county fairs of the week, and one of the over 50 she will be stopping at this summer.

Her title hit a fever pitch at the beginning as the Wisconsin State Fair ran in West Allis before its soggy and premature ending last weekend. She enjoyed participating in some of her favorite activities of fair week, like devouring cream puffs and peeking in on the dairy shows. Salentine added that she will have a few more must-dos at future Wisconsin State Fairs such as a visit to Grand Champion Hall.. 

Speaking at the Brown County Fair in De Pere on Saturday, Salentine said she feels more blessed every day she puts on the crown and sash.

Salentine will spend her weekends attending county fairs throughout the state until mid-September. Once her schedule slows down, she will resume her education studies at St. Norbert College.  

The Door County Beekeepers Club invites the community to their annual Community Honey Harvest on Saturday, August 23, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Crossroads at Big Creek. This lively, family-friendly event offers live honey extraction demonstrations, fun activities, and educational programs that explore the fascinating world of honey and beeswax.

The Door County Beekeepers maintain an apiary near Crossroads’ Meadow Trail, where they carefully tend beehives to produce honey and beeswax. During the festival, visitors can watch beekeepers dressed in protective suits demonstrate the delicate process of harvesting honey and beeswax straight from the hives.

Beekeeping is an ancient practice dating back 4,500 years to Europe and the Middle East. Honeybees are not native to America. Early colonists brought them here around 1620 alongside other livestock: cattle, pigs, and chickens to help establish farms. Honey was a vital sweetener before sugar became widely available, and beeswax was essential for making candles and sealing goods.

By the 1830s, settlers introduced honeybee hives to Wisconsin, while wild swarms naturally spread across the Midwest. Early pioneers prized honey not only as a sweet treat but also for its natural antibiotic qualities, using it on wounds and as a cough remedy. Beeswax was especially valued for making clean-burning, fragrant candles,  like the cherished Moravian Christmas candles, which are still used as symbols of purity in Door County churches. 

Today, beeswax is a key ingredient in many products, including lip balms, skin creams, cosmetics, cheesemaking, fishing gear, and archery equipment. Curiously, both beeswax and honey are used to repair bagpipes!

In addition to the Honey Harvest Festival, Crossroads is hosting other programs this week, including a family wetlands exploration and an adult-only “Nature Trek with Terrie” focusing on Reading the Landscape at Ida Bay Preserve.

All programs are free and open to the public thanks to the generous support of partnering organizations, including the Door County Beekeepers Club, the Door County Seed Library, Wild Ones–Door Peninsula, and many caring and generous donors.

Saturday, August 23

9:00 am-1:00 pm Community Honey Harvest

Join the Door County Beekeepers Club for their annual Honey Harvest! Learn about the process of harvesting honey. The club promotes the study, science, and craft of beekeeping through education, encouragement, and community for all Door County beekeepers. It raises awareness of the benefits of bees for our environment, ecology, and local economy. Free and open to the Public. Crossroads at Big Creek.2041 Michigan, Sturgeon Bay

Tuesday, August 26

1:00 pm Environmental Exploration – Wetland Science

Geared for elementary students, all ages are welcome to attend to learn the value of wetlands in dry times. Registration is not required. Meet in the Collins Learning Center. Crossroads, 2041 Michigan, Sturgeon Bay. Open to the public and free.

Wednesday, August 27

1:30 pm Wandering Wednesday,

Join a naturalist-led hike. Easy walking. About an hour. 

Meet at the Collins Learning Center, Crossroads, 2041 Michigan, Sturgeon Bay

Thursday, August 28

1:00 pm Nature Treks with Terrie-Reading the Landscape.

Deep Dive into Environmental Topics with Terrie Cooper. Meet at the Ida Bay Preserve, 1195 Canal Road. Sturgeon. For more information and to register, visit www.crossroadsatbigcreek.org

Away from the bright lights of the midway and the loud sounds of the music pavilion and grandstand, you will find animals with their exhibitors soaking up time and cool breeze in the barns at the Door County Fair. Outside of Sunday’s gymkhana competition, the judging will be complete for the fair’s other animals. The shows featuring beef, swine, dairy, rabbits, goats, sheep, and poultry animals culminate weeks, if not months, of hard work. Shining Stars 4-H member Avery Delwiche has raised pigs since she was five. As a now 13-year-old exhibitor, she has learned the importance of ensuring her pigs get plenty of exercise and developing patience.

Many exhibitors will participate in Saturday’s Quality Market Animal Sale at 6 p.m., where individuals and businesses can purchase the animals. Delwiche says that while it is sad to say goodbye, it feels amazing to finish the project and officially have a good result. You can check out the animals through the end of the Door County Fair on Sunday.

The Door County YMCA Camp hosted an unforgettable Field Day this week, welcoming more than 220 young participants from local camps for a day of fun, friendship, and community spirit.

Campers from the Sturgeon Bay and Kane Center YMCA Camp programs, the Boys & Girls Club, and Doorway to Learning came together in Peterson Park on the Sturgeon Bay Y’s campus to enjoy a variety of games, a picnic lunch, lively songs, and a crowd-favorite giant round of Red Light/Green Light. The event filled the field with laughter, energy, and smiles from start to finish.

“This is what the Y is all about—bringing kids together to connect, play, and build lasting memories,” said Tonya Felhofer, CEO of the Door County YMCA. “We’re so thankful to the other camps for joining us and helping make this such a special day.”

The Door County YMCA looks forward to continuing its tradition of collaborative events that celebrate youth, strengthen community ties, and inspire joyful moments.

It is hard to believe, but the new school year will commence in a few weeks. As usual, it is hard to determine whether the kids or the parents are more excited to begin the new school year.          

I hope that all had an enjoyable summer. I would like to take some time to refocus on some safety reminders that we should all be aware of. For those driving out on the country roads, be aware that you will share that road again with the school buses. Give them the attention and respect they deserve. If you are driving on the streets of the Cities and Villages, be aware of the increased pedestrian traffic. Do not assume that the child about to cross the street will see you and will stop.

For this week, I would like to focus on the rural environment and touch on some basic statutes related to school buses. Occasionally, I get asked, “When does the oncoming vehicle need to stop for a school bus about to load or unload?”. State Statute 346.48 “Vehicles to stop for school buses displaying flashing lights” states that any vehicle approaching from either the front or the back of a school bus with its flashing lights activated must stop not less than 20 feet from the bus and shall remain stopped until the bus resumes motion or the operator of the bus has extinguished its flashing lights. This statute also directs the driver of the bus to activate those flashing lights 100 feet before the location of the subjects to be loaded or unloaded.

State Statute 346.485,” Owners' liability for vehicle illegally passing a school bus,” describes how the school bus driver documents the incident and reports it to law enforcement. Thus, law enforcement can cite the vehicle owner regardless of who the driver is. This is different from most statutes, in which we issue the citation to the driver.

These laws do not pertain to drivers on the opposite side of a divided highway when the school bus is loading or unloading.

Aside from these two statutes, it is also important to note that school buses will and do make wide right turns, and that due caution should be used when near a bus at or near an intersection. And finally, please remember that those drivers have a lot going on inside that bus. Please give them the space and time that they deserve, considering the cargo they are carrying. Next week, I will cover some safety tips for those eager learners traveling by foot to their academic institutions.

I’ve spent several hours each of the past few days chasing smallmouth bass on a few Lake Michigan and Green Bay bays.  Part of being on the water in Door County is being out in the sun. Most of us have likely had too much sun exposure over the years and don’t need any more. I’m on the beautiful waters of Door County many days a year and see the barely dressed to people like me who take protection from the sun seriously.      

Whether out in my Yar-Craft fishing boat, one of my Jackson Kayaks chasing smallies, or just enjoying a pleasant paddle, I ensure I’m protected from the sun! Looking at an older picture of me fishing up here in Door County from about 1998, I’m wearing shorts, a short-sleeve shirt, and just a baseball cap.  Several years after that picture was taken, I began getting serious about better sun protection.  Now, I’m like a Dermatologist’s poster boy!  Starting from top to bottom, I always wear a hat with a brim, polarized sunglasses, a gaiter to protect my ears, neck, and part of my face. I wear a good sunscreen of at least 50 SPF on any exposed areas, including areas of my face not covered by the gaiter.  I wear sun gloves from Glacier Outdoors, long-sleeve fishing shirts, and pants with built-in UPF protection. My fishing kayaks are sit-on-tops, so even with the pants and water shoes, it’s important to apply sunscreen on the ankles and tops of your feet that are not covered.

When giving talks at sports shows, I note that I’m on the water to catch and release smallies, not get a suntan.  If the fishing is slow, I’m usually off the water.

Giving you essential information that could impact your health before you lay out your towel at Door County beaches is the goal of a monitoring system that expanded to five new locations this year. The Door County Parks Department, Door County Public Health Department, UW-Oshkosh, and SwimSmart have collaborated since 2023 to install new monitoring systems at 10 beach sites across the county. After UW-Oshkosh Environmental Research and Innovation Center lab technicians test the water at Door County beaches for harmful contaminants like bacteria and E. Coli, they send the information to the two Door County departments and SwimSmart to alert them of potentially hazardous. The information lights up the signage like a stop sign to warn people if it's safe (green) and not safe (red) or if they should be cautious (yellow). After five signs were installed at Door County beaches in Baileys Harbor, Sturgeon Bay, and Egg Harbor, additional funding from sources like Destination Door County allowed additional signage installed at Sister Bay Beach, Peninsula State Park, and Whitefish Dunes State Park. Door County Public Health Strategist Shauna Blackledge says relaying the information to visitors in real-time can help them keep families safe from potentially getting sick from swimming.

With one Door County beach closed as of Friday morning and another eight under an advisory due to elevated bacteria, Blackledge advises beachgoers to keep an eye on the Wisconsin DNR’s Beach Advisory website to find out if their beach has any concerns. She hopes the SwimSmart system can be expanded to other beaches in the county with more funding. Officials from the county, UW-Oshkosh, Destination Door County, and SwimSmart will have a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the installation of the signs at Sunset Park in Sturgeon Bay on Wednesday at 11 a.m. 

Adults from across the region are proving that you do not have to be a kid to enjoy attending Birch Creek Music Performance Center. The Egg Harbor-based performing arts organization is wrapping up its first of three “camps” for adult musicians on Saturday with its wind ensemble retreat concert at 2 p.m. Much like they could have done as an academy student in their youth, the musicians stay on campus while improving their skills for the community band and symphony seasons. Executive Director Jenna Ferdon says it is inspiring to see so many adults continue pushing themselves to improve their craft.

You can enjoy the fruits of their labor for free at the end of each session. In addition to Saturday’s wind ensemble retreat concert inside the Dutton Concert Barn, the chamber music retreat concert is scheduled for August 21st at 2 p.m., and the piano retreat concert will take place at 2 p.m. on August 25th. 

The room tax dollars collected in Door County continue to impact your community. Destination Door County announced on Friday that it was awarding $400,000 to six northern Door-centric projects through its Community Investment Fund. Two of the projects are on Washington Island, with $100,000 going to the Bradley Jordan Foundation to help construct the first-ever gym at Washington Island School and $50,000 to ensure that its recreation center swimming pool can continue operating. Two Sister Bay projects made the cut as well, with $50,000 going to the Sister Bay Historical Society to enhance the infrastructure and accessibility at its Corner of the Past Museum site and another $50,000 for improvements at the Teresa K. Hilander Community Ice Rink. The awards given out by Destination Door County also included $100,000 to the Village of Ephraim to help restore the Anderson Dock Historic Site and $50,000 to construct all-season restrooms at The Ridges Sanctuary. After fifty-plus funded projects, Destination Door County Chief Communications Officer Jon Jarosh says its Community Investment Fund is working exactly as they thought it would, providing a public benefit to visitors and residents alike.

Jarosh points out that the replica gas station at the Valmy Thresheree grounds and the open-air pavilion at the Door County Fair are two of its funded projects that you can enjoy this weekend. Since May 2023, the Community Investment Fund has contributed more than $2.8 million to 53 projects across the county. The next grant application deadline is September 22nd.

If you attended the Door County Fair on Thursday night, you saw country music artist KC Johns like you have never seen her before in Sturgeon Bay.

Johns showcased her newest songs like “Smoke Show,” “Break from the Heart,” and “Kind of Vibe” while she was set under the new pavilion at John Miles County Park. This time, she brought the whole band after playing in Sturgeon Bay last year as part of a trio. Hours before she took the stage, she was very complimentary of performing for Wisconsin audiences. She said she has made many good friends during her travels in the state while enjoying cheese curds and Spotted Cow along the way. The Memphis-raised, Nashville-based Johns says she draws her inspiration from many different places for her music playing and songwriting.

Johns is set to release her fourth single of 2025, “Best Seat in the House,” on August 29th. If you missed her at the Door County Fair on Thursday, her swing through Wisconsin also includes stops in Appleton and Whitehall. You can watch the full interview below. 

What might be a few ears of corn to you could mean the world to a family struggling with cancer. Originally planted by the family's patriarch, Jerry, as a way to say thank you to friends, family, and neighbors, the Barta family has dedicated a small sweet corn field and a pumpkin patch since 2021 to raise money for the Andy Barta Legacy Charitable Fund.

It has been nearly seven years since Andy Barta passed away following a three-year battle with colon cancer. The fund has raised thousands of dollars for families in Kewaunee County, giving out gift cards for groceries, gas, and other necessities at a time when cancer diagnoses can upset even the simplest of tasks. Last year, the fund passed out more than $12,000 in gift cards to 80 individuals and families living with cancer. 

Created by Andy’s widow, Allison Barta-Ledvina, his mom, Tammy, says the corn sale and the organization’s pumpkin sale later this fall are simple ways they can help area families in a way he feels his son could get behind.

Barta adds that the fund was sparked by the generosity of the entire community following a benefit hosted by the Algoma FFA Alumni months after Andy's passing. The Barta family encourages you to let them know if you know a family that needs a hand after their cancer diagnosis.

Picture courtesy of the Andy Barta Legacy Charitable Fund

The sights and sounds of summer you wait all year for are tucked inside John Miles County Park for the weekend after the Door County Fair opened on Wednesday. The day started early for the hundreds of exhibitors showcasing thousands of projects over the five-day fair. While the animals occupied their usual barns, exhibits like baked goods, floral, photography, paintings, and more stretched through three different buildings to contain them all. As the sun began to set on night one, the lights came up for the Spicy Tie Band under the newly minted pavilion that will allow the Door County Fair to hold musical acts every night without the fear of moving or canceling the bands. Door County Fair Board President Tom Ash says the pavilion will be a positive addition to the event moving forward.

Animal shows, Budweiser Grandstand entertainment, and other activities will fill the rest of the Door County Fair schedule, which runs through Sunday.

Do not be shocked if you see octopus, fish, and other creatures take to the sky this weekend when Algoma turns Crescent Beach into a kiter’s paradise for Soar on the Shore. The event allows the Wisconsin Kiters Club to showcase their giant and stunt kites with Lake Michigan in the background. Closer to the ground, the Algoma Chamber of Commerce will host children’s activities and live entertainment. The event is scheduled for this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., but organizers are already looking ahead. With thunderstorms possible throughout the day on Saturday, the event could be pushed to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. You are encouraged to follow Soar on the Shore here for updates.

If you like your tractors orange or want to explore agricultural history with your family, Valmy is the place to go this weekend as they host their 42nd annual Thresheree. Along with the food, music, tractor pulls, mud pig wrestling, and family activities, nearly 30 antique implements will demonstrate what farming looked like decades ago. Dozens of tractors from yesteryear will also be on display, emphasizing Allis-Chalmers models. Allis-Chalmers tractors and machinery were produced in Milwaukee for nearly a century before shutting down in 2009. Ralph Bocheck says Allis-Chalmers has a long history in Door County, and he is happy that there continues to be an interest in agricultural history that spans generations.

The Valmy Thresheree starts on Friday night with a barn dance and continues through Sunday with a tractor parade and mud pig wrestling. You can see the full schedule below.

Photo courtesy of Valmy Thresheree

As the number of summer weekends winds down, the number of area kermiss events for you to enjoy ticks upward.

A kermis is an annual festival with Belgian roots that not only celebrate the harvest but also to raise money for charitable causes. More than a half dozen kermis events are hosted throughout Door County every year, including this Sunday at the Belgian Heritage Center in Brussels. The event features various raffles and a silent auction to accompany live music, kids' activities, and tours of the center’s historic structures. All proceeds from the event support the mission of the Belgian Heritage Center, which helps tell the stories of one of the state’s most significant settlements of Belgians. 

President Joe Alexander says he is proud that even though kermisses look different than they did years ago, their overarching purpose remains.

The 2025 Belgian Heritage Center Kermiss is free to attend and runs from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Area churches will also host their own kermis celebrations throughout the late summer and early fall.

Picture courtesy of the Belgian Heritage Center

If you were waiting until the kids returned to school to get back into the groove of an exercise routine, the Door County YMCA calls your bluff beginning on Monday. Registration for Fall Session 1 classes opens on Monday for members and Wednesday for non-members, and many courses are returning after a summer hiatus. Wellness Center Director Patti Jo Wagner and Personal Trainer Sarah Gavin say the Door County YMCA offers courses that benefit your body and mind.

After Saturday’s storms stranded visitors on Cana Island for several hours, a hopeful light shines at the top of the lighthouse.

It was announced Tuesday afternoon that the property that houses the Cana Island Lighthouse and other historic structures would reopen on Wednesday.

On Saturday, over 20 visitors were trying to get to their cars when the storm hit Baileys Harbor at around 4 p.m. It was not until after 11 p.m. that the visitors could be safely released from the island. Downed trees and a damaged interpretive center greeted crews from the Door County Parks Department, Door County Maritime Museum, and U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday. Door County Maritime Museum Deputy Director Sam Perlman is relieved that no one was hurt as a part of the ordeal, and none of the historic structures on the site, including the 150-plus-year-old lighthouse, were damaged. He is also thankful for the County of Door employees and volunteers from the museum and the Coast Guard for their hard work to ensure the safe reopening of Cana Island.

Perlman says no cost estimates have been made on how much the clean-up efforts and the interpretative center repairs will cost the county and the museum, which jointly manage the site. On Tuesday, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers declared a state of emergency due to the damage, power outages, and flooding caused by the weekend storms. 

Pictures courtesy of Cana Island Lighthouse

You may see horses all the time, but excitement is brewing over the steeds making stops in Sturgeon Bay and Luxemburg this week.

The Budweiser Clydesdales got as close as Green Bay last year, but they are set to make their first appearance in Door and Kewaunee counties since the large horses stopped at the Kewaunee County Fair in 2023.

This time around, they will march through the streets of Sturgeon Bay on Thursday beginning at 4 p.m. 

One of the Clydesdales will also appear at the Door County Fair starting at 4 p.m. on Friday for a meet and greet before the whole team returns to action on Saturday for the hitching show behind the horse barn beginning at 3 p.m. The Budweiser Clydesdales will then parade around the fairgrounds and the track ahead of the stock car races. Part of the festivities will be a check presentation for Folds of Honor, a national veterans support organization If you can’t make it to the Door County Fair, one of the Clydesdales will also be a part of a meet-and-greet at Stodola’s IGA in Luxemburg on Sunday from 12-2 p.m.

The tradition of the Budweiser Clydesdales dates back to 1933 when the sons of August A. Busch Sr. gave him the gift of a six-horse Clydesdale hitch to commemorate the repeal of Prohibition. They have toured the country ever since with a dedicated team caring for them year-round at Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis and Warm Springs Ranch in Boonville, Missouri.

Picture courtesy of Pixabay

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul is joining the country’s other attorney generals to limit the number of robocalls you receive. According to UrbanMilwaukee, Americans receive about 4.6 billion robocalls each month, more than half of which are considered “unwanted,” such as telemarketing promotions and scam calls. Through the Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force's multistate effort, Operation Robocall Roundup aims at 37 voice service providers and 99 downstream providers that allow the calls to happen. “Wisconsinites shouldn’t have to receive so many irritating robocalls,” said Kaul. “We remain committed to working to decrease the number of these calls.” Voice providers must comply with the Federal Communications Commission officials on mitigating robocalls from their networks. The U.S. Congress has also done its part to address robocalling, including the TRACED Act passed in 2019 that requires calls to be authenticated to prevent call spoofing, which happens when inaccurate caller ID information is knowingly used. You can find the list of the voice service providers receiving warning letters from the task force below. 

The voice service providers receiving warning letters are:

Advantage Investors LLC

Alpha Stream

Ananya Traders LLC

Ariyan Khan

BBT Voice Private Limited

Belthrough

BPO VoIP

Collection 3 LLC

Communications and Telephone Systems Co.

Dial Vista Corp.

DigitalOcean, LLC

Dtel Network LLC

End Zone Financial Services

EON Telecom Inc.

Family Communication Inc.

Fiber Flux VOIP

First Tele Communications Inc.

Flow VOIP LLC

Globe Tech Solutions

Higher Response Marketing, Inc.

HK KwaiFong Group Limited

Infinity SIP LLC

Lexico Telecom LTD / Lextel LTD

Mexico IP Phones LLC

Nexusphere VOIP LLC

Pleedex LLC

Quantum Link VOIP LLC

Ringnition

SK Teleco LLC

SkyPulse VOIP

Stacy Newsome LNCC LCC

Telnextrix LLC

Terra Voip

TheVisionConnect

Tiera Enterprises LLC

Voip Torque

Whisl Telecom, LLC / Telconus / Telcon US / Telcon Voice

A 68-year-old Sturgeon Bay woman was taken to Door County Medical Center on Saturday afternoon for serious injuries sustained when she was hit by a car. The accident occurred shortly after 1:45 p.m. at 3rd Avenue and Oregon Street. The woman was crossing Oregon Street when a vehicle driven by a 42-year-old Milwaukee woman struck mid-turn from 3rd Avenue onto Oregon Street. According to the accident report, the Sturgeon Bay woman landed on the vehicle's hood before sliding off when the car stopped. While the Sturgeon Bay woman was taken to the hospital for treatment, the Milwaukee woman and her passenger, a 48-year-old Milwaukee man, were unharmed. No citations were issued as a result of the accident.

Your respite from the effects of the Canadian wildfire season is over again. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued an air quality alert for much of Wisconsin, including Door and Kewaunee counties. The alert runs now until 3 p.m. on Tuesday, with the potential of being extended. The Air Quality Index (AQI), which takes into account the increased amount of particulate matter in the air, is expected to reach the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (Orange) to Unhealthy (Red) level. When the PM2.5 (particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less) level is rated as unhealthy, it can cause health issues, including eye, nose, and throat irritation, coughing, and shortness of breath. People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion, while everybody else should reduce it. After the previous air quality alert lasted for over a week, Door and Kewaunee counties received a break from it over the weekend before the DNR’s announcement Monday morning.

New photos released by the Luxemburg Police Department could help you better assist them in finding the person who has allegedly driven off from an area gas station at least three times without paying. New photos released by the department now show the person behind the thefts after previous pictures had a view of the suspect partially obstructed due to the gas pumps. On August 1st, the Luxemburg Police Department released that a 2000s-era Jeep Grand Cherokee with the license plate of AZY 4589 is connected to three gas drive-offs in the village. The plate is registered to 24-year-old Isaiah Jamar of Clintonville, though the registration plate on the vehicle does not have a vehicle assigned to it and it is suspended. You are still encouraged to notify the Luxemburg Police if you see the vehicle or know the owner's or driver's whereabouts.

You will likely hear the sounds of gassed-up chainsaws and restarted air conditioners as Door County residents clean up after Saturday’s storms.

Door County Emergency Management Director Jeb Saelens says dispatch received more than 700 calls during the storm, far and away the busiest day in its recorded history. Many of the calls were related to downed trees and power lines, some of which sometimes made the peninsula’s main arteries, State Highway 42 and State Highway 57, impassable. The storm also forced the evacuation of two tourist spots that remain closed as of Monday to allow crews to clean up. Near Baileys Harbor, more than 20 people visiting Cana Island were stranded for several hours while crews cut through downed trees to get to them. They were eventually able to leave after 11 p.m. on Saturday. Still, the Door County Maritime Museum and the Door County Parks Department closed the site on Sunday until further notice to allow crews to clean up the area and repair the damaged interpretive center.

Picture courtesy of Bethany George

Further north, Newport State Park remains closed after about 10 visitors and four dogs had to be evacuated due to impassable trails. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says hundreds of downed trees covering trails and campsites required them to close several portions of the park until further notice as they try to assess the damage. Saelens says he was proud of the work emergency responders did throughout the storm surge, from the people in the dispatch center taking phone calls to firefighters and law enforcement officers locating people and closing off roads.

With waterspouts reportedly seen near Egg Harbor, Ephraim, and Death’s Door, Saelens says the county is working with the National Weather Service to see if they turned into tornadoes that touched on land in or near those communities. As of 9:30 a.m., just over 360 Wisconsin Public Service customers were without power, down from the approximately 9,000 customers that had their power knocked out by the storms shortly after they came through the area.

A lightning strike is to blame for setting a two-story home on fire in the Town on Saturday. Firefighters from Luxemburg Fire Department were sent to the home on Tamarack Road just after 2:45 p.m. after a reported lightning strike started a roof on fire. MABAS was immediately called, and firefighters arrived to find smoke billowing out of the eaves and throughout the second floor. Firefighters cut a hole in the roof and approached the fire from the second floor, containing the fire to the attic. The home sustained fire, water, and smoke damage.

Casco, Algoma, Brussels-Union-Gardner, New Franken, and Kewaunee Fire Departments provided assistance, with Denmark Fire backfilling the Luxemburg Fire Station in case of a second alarm. Firefighters were on the scene for over four hours, and Luxemburg Rescue provided them with rehab because of the near-zero visibility conditions caused by the smoke. There were no injuries.

You do not have to leave the peninsula to find the only hospital in northeast Wisconsin to earn a five-star rating for patient experience and overall hospital quality, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Door County Medical Center is one of fewer than 300 hospitals out of the more than 4,000 evaluated by CMS in the country to earn the distinction. The ratings consider key quality measures including mortality, safety of care, readmission rates, patient experience, and timely and effective treatment. While the top rankings are nice, DCMC Chief Quality Officer Nancy Daoust says they always work hard inside the hospital to get even better.

Whether you are grabbing ice cream from Renards Cheese or doing something creative at DENN, a program through the Door County Economic Development Corporation helped them catch your eye. Last month, the DCEDC awarded more than $250,000 in grants to 29 Door County businesses as a part of their Door County Small Business Façade and Property Improvement Program. The awards were up to $10,000, covering 80 percent of total project costs. Some of the projects were as simple as power washing or new windows. Others, like DENN and Renards, opened the doors to new possibilities. DCEDC Executive Director Michelle Lawrie says businesses have been asking for a similar program ever since she started with the organization, but funding has always been an issue. Thanks to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation's Small Business Development Grants program, Lawrie is thrilled it became a reality for at least one cycle.

Click this link to see the complete list of businesses that benefited from the Door County Small Business Facade and Property Improvement Program. If this effort proves successful for businesses, Lawrie says she would love to create a more sustainable program for future years.

You and your family could have new parks, trails, and other facilities in Kewaunee if the city executes its five-year outdoor recreation plan.

Cedar Corporation did the behind-the-scenes work to create the nearly 80-page document that includes an analysis of its current facilities and a look ahead to what could be added.

According to Cedar Corporation’s findings, about half of the 242 respondents said they were disappointed or somewhat disappointed with the city’s park and recreation system, with the study citing lack of maintenance as the most common concern. Cedar Corporation made several recommendations for the town to address as a part of its five-year parks plan, including establishing three new neighborhood parks, expanding its trail system, and creating other new options like an off-leash dog park and a splash pad. For its current facilities, the consultants pointed to the city’s harbor master plan for some of the other recommended improvements, such as sidewalk and path connections, an ADA kayak launch at Father Marquette Memorial Park, and more seating. You can find more details about the five-year outdoor recreation plan here.

 The Kewaunee Common Council will also hear from the Kewaunee County Economic Development Corporation about its housing study and a new project on State Highway 29 when it meets on Monday at Kewaunee City Hall at 6 p.m.

Crossroads at Big Creek invites the community to the dedication of a stunning new piece of outdoor art, The Prairie, on Monday, August 18  at 2:00 p.m., near the entrance to the Collins Learning Center.

Created by mosaic artist Jeff Lang before his unexpected passing, The Prairie celebrates native wildflowers and pollinators. Thanks to the help of Bob and Eileen Brown, Brenda Lange, Phil Block, and Doug and Barbara Henderson, this vibrant mosaic has been permanently installed, appropriately nestled among native plants in our pollinator garden.

At 2:30 p.m., Crossroads Executive Director Samantha Koyen will give a brief dedication speech. This will be followed by light refreshments and self-guided strolls through the gardens, which are lovingly maintained by our devoted volunteer group, the Pollinator Pals.

While stylized, the mosaic vividly illustrates an important ecological relationship known as mutualism. Over millions of years, native wildflowers and their pollinators have co-evolved, with each depending on the other for species survival.

Scientists—and sometimes politicians—use the Latin quid pro quo, meaning “something for something,” to describe this interdependence. As early as the 18th century, botanist Christian Konrad Sprengel observed that pollinators don’t work for free. In exchange for transporting pollen, pollinators receive a reward: nectar, pollen, or sticky substances essential for their survival or for their offspring.

Pollinators vary widely, and so do the flowers that depend on them. Their colors, shapes, and scents have evolved to attract specific species:

Bees favor yellow, purple, and white flowers, though they see white in ultraviolet. Because bees can’t hover, they prefer flat blossoms with landing platforms.

Butterflies and moths, with their long tongues, can reach into deep, trumpet-shaped blooms.

Night-blooming flowers, often pale in color, emit strong fragrances at dusk to attract nocturnal moths.

Flies and beetles are drawn to flowers that mimic the scent of rotting meat—an adaptation that may repel us but works perfectly for their intended audience.

Finally, hummingbirds are drawn to bright red blossoms, such as columbine (seen in the mosaic) and cardinal flower, which is now blooming in profusion in our wetlands.

Among the most effective and beloved pollinators is the Bombus genus—bumblebees. These gentle, hairy bees have a unique superpower: buzz pollination. By vibrating their flight muscles, they can dislodge pollen from deep within certain flowers, making them essential partners in plant reproduction.

To celebrate our native pollinators, Crossroads will offer the family-friendly program “Bombus Among Us” at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 19, as part of our Environmental Exploration program. Families can learn all about bumblebees and their fascinating behavior. Our Trek with Terrie this week will be an Insect Discovery Hike.

And don’t forget—on Saturday, August 23, the Door County Beekeepers will host their cherished Community Honey Harvest at Crossroads, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. It’s part festival, part educational celebration of the essential role of honeybees. This event also highlights the vital role of pollinators in our ecosystems—and the shared responsibility we all have in protecting them. We hope to see you at Crossroads!”

 Saturday, August 16

2:00 Saturday Science: WaterFest

Back by popular demand, this week’s topic is WaterFEST! Participants will try a wide variety of hands-on activities pertaining to water outdoors if possible. This fest is appropriate for K-5 children and their families. Participating kids will receive a free t-shirt. Registration is not required. It is free and open to the public. Meet at the Collins Learning Center, Crossroads, 2041 Michigan Sturgeon Bay.

Monday, August 18

1:00 Environmental Exploration: Meet the Beaver

This family program introduces “nature’s engineer,” the beaver. It includes games, videos, and activities appropriate for elementary-aged students and their families. Meet at the Collins Learning Center, Crossroads, 2041 Michigan Street, Sturgeon Bay.

Tuesday, August 19

1:00 Environmental Exploration-Bumbus Among Us

This family program will explain the buzz about bumble bees.  A short video will be followed by outdoor exploration. Meet in the Collins Learning Center, Crossroads, 2041 Michigan Sturgeon Bay.

Wednesday, August 20

1:00 Environmental Exploration: Rocks and Caves

This family program, which includes a short video and outdoor activities, will help participants visualize the geology of Door County. Meet in the Collins Learning Center, Crossroads, 2041 Michigan, Sturgeon Bay.

1:30 Wandering Wednesday

Join a naturalist on the guided hike through the trails of Crossroads. Free and open to all ages. Meet at the Collins Learning Center, 2041 Michigan Street, Sturgeon Bay.

Thursday, August 21

1:00 Nature Treks with Terrie -Insect Discovery Hike

Learners of all ages are invited to this fascinating program. Free and open to the public, but reservations are required.  For more information and to sign up, visit www.crossroadsatbigcreek.org

Severe storms ripped Door County Saturday afternoon, leaving thousands in the dark.

As of 11:30 p.m., more than 7,500 Wisconsin Public Service customers were without power after being near 9,000 at around 6:30 p.m. Egg Harbor (1,720) and Baileys Harbor (1,677) were the most affected as of late Saturday night.

Storm damage was severe enough that Door County Emergency Management requested people to stay off the roads to allow crews to clean up downed trees and power lines. Visitors to Cana Island Lighthouse were left stranded in the site's parking lot due to the damage sustained. According to the Door County Maritime Museum, an initial assessment found no damage to historic structures, but there are trees down on the interpretive center. Cana Island will be closed to visitors on Sunday.

The power outages also caused the American Red Cross to set up a shelter for people at the Sister Bay/Liberty Grove Fire Station. 

We will share more information about the storm and its impact as it becomes available.

Photo from E.L.Filippi

If you, your daughter, or your granddaughter wants to be the next Faith Blackley, Elise Jackson, or Hanna Mertens, your time to apply has come.

The Miss Door County Scholarship Organization has opened the application window for its Miss Door County, Miss Door County Teen, and Miss Cherryland competitions. Each title carries its own eligibility requirements, which are listed below. Last year, contestants for the three titles brought home more than $17,000 in college scholarships, bringing the total to over $275,000 since the Miss Door County Scholarship Program was founded in 1997.

After competing in the Miss Door County Scholarship Competition on February 7th, 2026, at the Southern Door Auditorium, the new titleholders will participate in the Miss Wisconsin and Miss Wisconsin’s Teen competitions June 17th-20th, 2026, in New Berlin.

This summer, Jackson was named the third runner-up in the Miss Wisconsin Teen competition, and fellow Door County native Orphelia Linnan finished in the Top 5 as Miss Fond du Lac. It was the second straight year a Miss Door County Scholarship Competition winner finished in the Top 5 at the state contests, after 2024 Miss Door County Kylie Duessler finished as the fourth runner-up.

You can click on this link for the application.

ELGIBILITY

To be eligible to compete for the titles of Miss Door County / Miss Door County’s Teen, a woman must:

• Must live, work, or go to school full-time in Door County, Algoma, or Luxemburg-Casco
• Miss contestants must be no younger than 18 by September 1, 2026, and be no older than 28 by September 30, 2026
• Teen contestants must be no younger than 14 by September 1, 2026, and be no older than 18 by September 30, 2026 
• Note: 18-year-olds have the option to choose if they would like to be a Miss or a Teen contestant

To be eligible to compete for the title of Miss Cherryland, a woman must:

• Must live, work, or go to school full-time in the following counties: Kewaunee, Brown, Outagamie, Waupaca, Shawano, Menominee, Oconto, Marinette, Langlade, Forest, and Florence
• Be no younger than 18 by September 1, 2026, and be no older than 28 by September 30, 2026

To be eligible for our “Little Sister Program” called our Cherry Blossoms, which is a non-competitive mentorship program with the opportunity to perform on stage, a girl must:

• Must live or go to school full-time in Door County, Algoma, or Luxemburg-Casco
• Cherry Blossoms must be between the ages of 5 – 13 at the time of the show on February 7th, 2026

Although you can’t get much farther from the Christmas season and the Salvation Army Kettle Campaign than we currently are in the year, I wanted to pause and share some information about where some of your holiday generosity has been directed.

As I have shared in the past, I have the privilege of being the Kewaunee County Voucher Writer for the Salvation Army and in doing so, I have the unique opportunity to interact with those who are in need throughout our community on a regular basis, and I am always humbled by their willingness to share what they are going through.

As you may recall, all of the funds for this assistance are derived from the donations that you, the community, provide through the Kettle Campaign, which runs from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve. These Kettles are placed at businesses throughout Kewaunee County, and subsequent requests for assistance are also received from our neighbors throughout Kewaunee County.

Recently, we provided a voucher to a young mother trying to make ends meet due an unforeseen disruption in her life. In another situation, we were able to help out a young family where the mother was recently diagnosed with cancer, and the father is working multiple jobs to make ends meet.

I use the word “we” as it is not just myself who provides this generosity. I am merely the conduit through which our community’s charity and giving flow. For this, I am grateful, for I get to witness firsthand the gratitude and appreciation in those moments.

Unfortunately, there is very seldom a week that goes by that I do not receive a request for help in some way. Fortunately, most of these needs can be met. While I am able to provide assistance through the Salvation Army on most of these occasions, there are also other charitable organizations that assist our community in resources as well. I am very grateful for the local food pantries, as well as the Lakeshore Community Pantry Thrift shop. There have also been so many situations in which local businesses have stepped forward to assist a family or individual with help in the area of their expertise.  

In a world that tends to fixate on the negative, we can never let ourselves be distracted from the fact that they are vastly outnumbered by the positive events and supportive people that are around us every day. Even in those negative people or events, it doesn’t take a great deal of effort to peal away the layers to find the good.

Many times, we feel helpless as we watch events unfold around the world and even in our own communities. While we can not change so much of what we see, we can make sure that it does not change us. Please know that each and every time we are able to assist someone in our community, we are sending a message that we will always be here for each other without judgement and without hesitation. That in itself is the definition of community.

Protecting your healthcare was the topic of a roundtable discussion that brought U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin to Door County Medical Center on Friday. Baldwin has attacked the recently passed budget reconciliation bill, saying it could cut 270,000 Wisconsinites off from their healthcare and jeopardize the financial stability of rural hospitals. Waukesha’s Julie Burish shared her story of how Medicaid-funded programs like BadgerCare, IRIS, and Katie Beckett have allowed her disabled child to live independently. She fears what cuts could mean for families like hers.

Door County Medical Center CEO Brian Stephens and doctors Dorene Dempster and Beth Gaida described how they would limit the services they would provide in the community. Gaida and Dempster feel that the federal funding cuts could be devastating at a time when other rural healthcare providers are dropping their OB/GYN services due to cost concerns.

Baldwin says the stories she heard are the ones she needs to bring to Washington, D.C., to see what can still be saved.

 

 

 

 

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In Wisconsin, Medicaid provides care for more than 1.2 million people, including four in seven nursing home residents, one in three children, and one in three adults with disabilities. Republicans like Rep. Tony Wied and Senator Ron Johnson have disagreed with Baldwin’s stance, saying that addressing potential fraud in the program that they are strengthening it in the long term. Baldwin’s “Fighting for Wisconsin Families Tour” took her to six counties, including Brown County on Thursday.

 

 

 

 

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You will have a more comfortable trip to the restroom at Peninsula State Park in the future after the State Building Commission announced more than $110 million in projects this week. Renovations to the Tennison Bay campground at Peninsula State Park were among the projects funded by the State Building Commission, including ADA-compliant improvements at the Fox Lake Correctional Institution and infrastructure upgrades at the Wisconsin State Capitol. The work will replace the 1967-era restroom and shower facilities with a new structure, water supply, and sanitary sewer lines. State Senator Andre Jacque celebrated the project’s inclusion, citing the 188 family campsites at the Tennison Bay Campground that rely on the restroom and shower facilities. “These facilities are outdated and beginning to fail, with tile falling off the walls and floors, creating potential hazards to visitors at the campground,” Jacque said. Jacque also highlighted a project to replace gates in the dam at Collins Marsh in Manitowoc County. The two projects account for $5.2 million of the total $110.2 million announced.

Filling a void in their Sunday routine is why you can enjoy delicious bagels while visiting the Sturgeon Bay Farmer’s Market. A Sunday morning bagel was how Patrick Cole and his wife Alex would hopefully celebrate an Iowa State football win and talk about the week that was and what was coming back. When their journey brought them to Sturgeon Bay, they realized a sleeve of bagels from the grocery store was one of their only options. Leaning on previous experience in the hospitality industry, they went to work to perfect their craft before launching Door County Bagel Company in 2020. Cole says he is constantly experimenting with different varieties by the request of his customers, and he is thankful that Northeast Wisconsin Technical College’s Sturgeon Bay campus had the space to allow them to do so.

Door County Jazz Festival founder Staci Griesbach hopes you are taking advantage of the opportunity to see some of the state's best jazz groups this week. The acclaimed singer and producer launched the festival this year to find more audiences for the genre, previously only celebrated by Birch Creek Music Performance Center, with their two Big Band Jazz sessions. With the theme of “Celebrating Centennial Stars Under the Sturgeon Moon,” the Door County Jazz Festival has brought performers from the UW-Madison Mead Witter School of Music, UWGB’s Sharon J. Resch Institute of Music, the Milwaukee Jazz Institute, Lawrence University’s Conservatory of Music, and UW-Stevens Point to locations across the peninsula. Griesbach says the positive feedback has only been trumped by the fantastic performances.

You can expect to see more housing pop up due to the Sturgeon Bay Common Council voting to approve nearly 30 acres of property to be added to TID #6. The additions cover about six new parcels, most located north of Egg Harbor Road off of N. 8th Avenue. The land is prepared to take on a mix of single-family and two-family residences and multi-family dwellings, with developers ready to build. The projects will add about $4.1 million to the TID due to infrastructure improvements, developer incentives, and financing. Mayor David Ward says times have changed for communities that could develop 40 acres at a clip. Now, many municipalities have to piece together that approach to meet the needs of the area. With a growing economic base and employers needing employees, Ward says this is a good investment for the city.

While the trailer revealed a little bit more about the movie’s premise, it did not include a release date. Destination Door County shared the excitement with its followers, saying that more details will be shared soon.

WATCH THE TRAILER BELOW

While past construction projects at Gibraltar Area Schools placed students in trailers for classes, you will find them in their new classroom this fall. The current phase of the district’s $29.8 million referendum project has been the most noticeable for those passing by the campus along State Highway 42. In late June, demolition work began to remove the front entry area, classrooms, and the middle school gymnasium. While community members got a front row seat to seeing memories being torn down, the demolition allowed them to see what construction crews were able to accomplish last school year in the shadows of the old building and neighboring Peninsula State Park. Superintendent Brett Stousland says the new classrooms should be ready when school starts next month.

While students will be in their new classroom space this fall, Gibraltar’s office staff members will have to wait until next year to be in their new permanent home. Stousland adds that some junior varsity sports events might occur at the Door County YMCA facility across the street. A new two-station gym, community space, classrooms, cafeteria, and office updates are part of the ongoing construction to be completed next year.

Your new best friend could be waiting for you at the Wisconsin Humane Society.

The organization’s shelters, including those in Green Bay and Sturgeon Bay, saw a spike in intake over the past month. It is not uncommon to see intake at animal shelters during the summer due to a higher birth rate, lost pets during travel, and owner surrenders.

Animal shelters try to offset this by locating foster homes or offering special promotions to help inspire adoptions. While they want to remove as many barriers as they can to pet ownership, it costs more than $750 to provide all the veterinary care, food, vaccines, spay/neuter surgery, and other benefits WHS provides adult cat adopters and even more for people looking to adopt a dog.

Corey Viars from WHS says the balancing act is real for their shelters, which want to do the right thing for the animal and the family looking to bring them into their home.

Viars says they are always looking for foster families that can help alleviate some of the stress on the pet and the organization. The WHS also offers other ways to support them, such as their August donation matching program and pet walk in September.

If you are interested in becoming a member, Butenhoff adds that the Membership for All application is available online, and you can always talk to someone at the front desk if you have questions. One perk of becoming a member is an early registration date for the Door County YMCA program. Members can start registering for Fall 1 programming on Monday, two days before non-members can register for their classes.

Listen to the full interview here

Besides ensuring you have the notebooks, crayons, and pencils you need for the upcoming school year, health officials want to make you add “scheduling your child’s vaccination” to your child's list, too.

The request comes after the Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced the discovery of nine measles cases in Oconto County, all connected to a common source during out-of-state travel. According to DHS, measles is a highly contagious disease that can infect up to 90% of the people around them if they are not vaccinated. The vaccine for measles is included in the MMR series, which also protects against mumps and rubella. State Public Health Officer Paula Tran says 95 percent of people in a community need to be vaccinated against measles to prevent an outbreak. According to DHS data, Luxemburg-Casco and Kewaunee are at or above that threshold. All but the Washington Island School District (87 percent) are at or above 90 percent protected against the measles via the MMR vaccine.

Door County Public Health Nurse Holly Neri emphasized the importance of protecting your kids against diseases like measles before they start the school year.

You can contact your public health department to see when the next vaccine clinic is open. According to DHS, 86.4 percent of students met the minimum immunization requirements, a decrease from the previous school year. However, the agency admits some unfamiliarity with a new meningitis vaccine requirement. DHS data shows that Algoma (90 percent), Kewaunee (90 percent), Luxemburg-Casco (>95 percent), and Southern Door (86 percent) are at or above the state average.

Imagine working on a puzzle in your home for over 15 years and still be years away from completing it. That is life at the Door County Land Trust, which is celebrating its latest four-acre acquisition in the Kellner Fen Natural Area, located north of the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal. Executive Director Emily Wood calls the acquisition “a small, but mighty one,” as it links two parcels together to form one large, contiguous parcel to give the organization better access to the property for land management and public recreation. Wood says the acquisition is the perfect example of the long game land stewards like the Door County Land Trust have to play to protect an ecosystem.

According to the Door County Land Trust, a fen is a type of peat-producing wetland that is fed by groundwater. Fens are ecologically rich wetlands where plant and animal communities vary depending on groundwater chemistry, which thanks to the area’s limestone bedrock, is considered rich. The Kellner Fen helps feed organisms like pitcher plants, rare orchids, and the endangered Hines emerald butterfly. You can explore the Kellner Fen Natural Areas during a guided hike on August 21st.

Common Cause Wisconsin Executive Director Jay Heck hopes you do not have to deal with any redistricting arguments until the next U.S. Census in 2030, after several states have threatened to redraw their election maps ahead of next year’s midterms. Over the weekend, Democratic Texas state legislators fled the area to Chicago and other places to deny Republicans the quorum needed to pass new congressional maps that could potentially take away five seats currently held by Democrats. California Governor Gavin Newsom and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, both Democrats, have threatened to reopen redistricting conversations in their state in retaliation for Texas’s efforts. Heck says both sides are wrong, and the voters are the real losers in these conversations.

From Washington Island to Algoma, you will not find a shortage of activities to do with your friends and family this weekend.

On Saturday, the Washington Island Lions Club will host its annual Island Fair at Washington Island School. The event will feature live music, games, food, a parade, and more. It is one of the biggest fundraisers for the Washington Island Lions Club, which in turn gives that money back to the community. 

Algoma will honor its fishing history with its Shanty Days Celebration of the Lake Friday through Sunday. Beginning with its fishing contest on Thursday, Shanty Days officially opens at 3 p.m. on Friday with live music and food ahead of its 5K Run/Walk, car cruise, and parade on Saturday and fireworks on Sunday.

West of the lakefront, the Casco Lions Club will host its annual celebration beginning on Friday. Casco Lions Days is centered around three days of softball at Casco Village Park, but the event also features a cornhole tournament and a Sunday parade kicking off in front of the Village Kitchen at noon. The organization is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

In Sister Bay, the Door County Festival of Fine Arts will welcome artists from across the region to show off their work at Sister Bay Waterfront Park. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the event features an all-ages activity tent featuring stained glass artist Gary Chaudoir and a legacy artist exhibit. 

Even after the Tall Ships pulled out of town and the Door County Maritime Museum’s Classic and Wooden Boat Show packed up, you will still find plenty of nautical-themed activities over the next week in Sturgeon Bay.

The activities coincide with the city’s Maritime Week celebration, which honors its connection to the U.S. Coast Guard as the branch celebrates its 235th anniversary on August 4th.  Maritime Week festivities include the Door County Mariner Honors Dinner on August 4th, the Salute to the Coast Guard Golf Outing on August 5th, a special concert in the park on August 6th, and a picnic for active, reserve, retired, and veteran Coast Guard personnel and their families on August 8th. The post-mortem Maritime Week will occur on August 10th when Destination Sturgeon Bay hosts its fifth annual Bloody, Brews, and Bacon. A week later than usual due to the Tall Ships, Destination Sturgeon Bay’s Alexa Soto says everything you love about the event will be back.

Tickets are available now by clicking on this link. Earlier this year, Sturgeon Bay officials celebrated their re-designation as an official U.S. Coast Guard City during the opening of a new Coast Guard exhibit at the Door County Maritime Museum.

A two-vehicle crash in the Town of Nasewaupee Sunday morning ended with both drivers receiving some scratches and a citation.

The accident occurred at the State Highway 42/57 and Stagg Road intersection before 11:45 a.m. According to the accident report, a 23-year-old Sturgeon Bay man was turning left onto STH 42/57 to head north in his sedan when he was struck by a hatchback driven by a 55-year-old Two Rivers man. According to the accident report, the Sturgeon Bay man said he was stopped at the stop sign waiting to turn left and believed he had enough time to make the turn before he was struck. The Two Rivers man said a truck was next to him when he approached the intersection, and he did not see the other vehicle in time to avoid the crash. He was taken to Door County Medical Center for treatment after complaining about leg and neck pain. The Sturgeon Bay man and his passenger, a 23-year-old Kenosha woman, also suffered some minor abrasions but did not require additional treatment.

The Two Rivers man was cited for driving without insurance, while the Sturgeon Bay man was cited for failing to yield the right of way at a stop sign. The scene was cleared shortly after 12:30 p.m.

Inattentive driving was to blame for a couple from Pulaski getting injured in a two-vehicle crash on Sunday. The accident occurred near the State Highway 42 and Hillside Road intersection in the Town of Egg Harbor at about 12:30 p.m. According to the accident report, a 48-year-old Bayside woman was waiting to turn left into a driveway when her sports-utility vehicle was rear-ended by a hatchback driven by a  23-year-old Pulaski man. He told the responding deputy that he was looking around and did not notice the car in front of him when he tried to avoid the crash. He and his 23-year-old passenger both suffered suspected minor injuries significant enough that they were transported to Door County Medical Center. The Bayside woman and her passenger, a 73-year-old Sturgeon Bay woman, were unharmed. The Pulaski man was cited for inattentive driving, and both cars had to be towed due to the damage sustained. The highway was reopened at 1:50 p.m.

With Luxemburg native Megan Salentine reigning over the festivities as the Wisconsin Fairest of the Fairs, you could find many signs of Door and Kewaunee counties sprinkled throughout Wisconsin State Fair Park as the Wisconsin State Fair completed its first weekend.

The connections stretched from the Wisconsin Products Pavilion, where Ron’s Wisconsin Cheese and Agropur were represented for their award-winning cheese and Salmon's Meat Products for award-winning meat sticks, to the youth exhibits pavilion, where projects were displayed. In between were the agricultural exhibits, where youth from Door and Kewaunee counties showed off their cows, pigs, and other animals to the public. 

Among those were Josie Kinnard, Lily Karnz, and Evan Brey of Door County and Stella Jauquet, Molly Salentine, Jace Dolphin, Jade Kroll, Aubrey Daul, Caleb Salentine, Katie Ledvina, and Colton Schultz of Kewaunee County, who all took up residency in the dairy barns during the fair’s opening weekend. Even after they were done in the show ring, Daul explained how the state’s dairy projects keep competing in the herdsmanship competition.

Just as Southern Door alum Noah Rass and Luxemburg-Casco alum Joey Theucks shuffle in and out from backstage at their Kids from Wisconsin shows and Megan Salentine goes from Grand Champion Hall to the Coliseum, other exhibitors from Door and Kewaunee counties will also be arriving and leaving for other competitions during the week. The Wisconsin State Fair runs until August 10th.

You can keep track on how all the exhibitors are faring by clicking on this link.

Do not be shocked if you pass by farmers putting in a little extra time in their fields this weekend as the winter wheat crop prepares for harvest. According to last week’s USDA Crop Progress and Condition Report, 37 percent of the winter wheat crop was harvested, five days behind last year’s pace and three days behind the five-year average. Rio Creek Feed Mill agronomist Adam Barta says that is partly due to the wet weather the area experienced, which prevented farmers from planting on time. Early in the process this year, Barta says the wheat crop was better than they had expected.

The wait has been well worth it for Door County Granary supporters, and they hope that you join the thousands who have already experienced it. After a soft opening last fall, the Door County Granary held its grand opening in May. Exhibits on the wall tell the story of the Door County Granary, from when it was the Teweles and Brandeis Grain Elevator to when it criss-crossed the water, biding time for its permanent resting place. It has been what Door County Granary Events and Facilities Manager Kelly Catarozoli envisioned the facility could be over the last decade if they could get preservation efforts across the finish line. Sitting next to the Door County Maritime Museum and along the city's west waterfront, she believes the Door County Granary will be a true community asset.

Catarozoli says fundraising is underway for the second phase of its restoration efforts for the former grain elevator which, when completed, will bring people to the headhouse. It will allow people not just to get another view of the city, but give visitors a closer look at how the building's 19 grain bins worked when it was an operational granary.

A special delivery to the Washington Island Police Department a few weeks ago is a reminder of the impact you might have without knowing it.

A family mailed back rocks taken from Schoolhouse Beach on a recent vacation, the first of many times police officers have received a package filled with rocks.

In 2021, former Washington Island Police Chief Tyler McGrane told the Door County Daily News that taking rocks from Schoolhouse Beach carried a $250 fine per town ordinance. The rules for removing rocks, minerals, and other fossil materials do not stop with local law enforcement. State statute says no person may remove more than five pounds of rocks, minerals, or fossils per day and no more than 50 pounds per year from state lands without the proper permits. There are also ecological reasons why you should not even move rocks.

According to the Wisconsin DNR, moving rocks can expose insects, plants, and animals to their homes and make them more vulnerable to predators. Moving embedded rocks can also lead to erosion as they help to keep soils in place and help areas drain excess water effectively. The DNR also discourages rock stacking for similar reasons, in addition to being a potential safety hazard. In 2016, the subject of rock cairns at Cave Point County Park reached the committee level because of the sheer number of them that were piling up. The committee eventually dropped the issue without taking action. 

At Crossroads, we are committed to restoring stable, diverse ecosystems that support native plants and wildlife. That involves soil conservation. This work is especially vital here in Door County. Our thin, fragile soils, shaped by a unique geological history, are particularly vulnerable to erosion and contamination.

During this week’s Nature Trek with Terrie, participants will take a “Journey through Time” and will learn that soil is a non-renewable resource—or more accurately, that it takes hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years to make an inch of topsoil. And yet, scientists tell us that without fertile topsoil, our food supply, clean water, biodiversity, and even the global climate would be in jeopardy.

Consequently, protecting our shallow soil from erosion and contamination is essential to our restoration efforts.

This August, we offer Environmental Exploration, family-friendly outdoor experiences, at 1:00 several times each week [Environmental Exploration will resume on Tuesdays at 3:30 during the school year.] 

On Monday, August 11, the topic is Erosion, and participants of all ages will learn about soil loss and what we are doing to mitigate erosion near Big Creek and to reduce the amount of fertile soil going into the Bay of Sturgeon Bay, and beyond.

On Tuesday, August 12, Environmental Exploration will be a "Make-and-Take" activity featuring animal tracks. This will be followed by a hike to the creek bed to find and identify animal tracks.

Our weekly naturalist-led Wandering Wednesday Hike will follow the Big Creek riparian shoreline to observe evidence of erosion. 

On Thursday, hikers aged 16 and older will dive deep into geologic history as part of our Nature Trek program. This program requires registration, but like our other programs this week, it is free.

Our programs are usually free, our trails are open all day, every day without charge, and we can conserve our soil and restore our ecosystems due to the generosity of our donors. And perhaps,  if  you bring children and grandchildren to our educational family programs, you can encourage young people to be “coming-of-age donors.” Together, we can build a legacy of generosity and environmental stewardship involving  the next generations.

Monday, August 11
1:00 pm Environmental Exploration – Erosion
Geared for elementary-aged students, but open to learners of all ages, this program will focus on the value of soil, look for examples of erosion, and learn what we are doing to reduce soil loss in the preserve. Dress for the weather. Registration is not required. Free and open to the public. Meet at the Collins Learning Center, Crossroads at Big Creek, 2041 Michigan Street, Sturgeon Bay

Tuesday, August 12
1:00 pm Environmental Exploration – Animal Tracks
This “make and take” lesson is geared for elementary students. But all are welcome to attend to learn about animal tracks and see how they help us learn about wildlife. Free and open to the public. Meet at the Collins Learning Center, Crossroads at Big Creek, 2041 Michigan, Sturgeon Bay

Wednesday, August 13
1:30  pm Wandering Wednesday
This naturalist-led hike will follow the riparian corridor of Big Creek to observe evidence of erosion and our restoration efforts in action. Free and open to the public. Meet at the Collins Learning Center, Crossroads at Big Creek, 2041 Michigan Street, Sturgeon Bay

Thursday, August 14
1:00 Nature Treks with Terrie – A Journey Through Time
Participants aged 16 and older will take a trip back through time to discover the unique plants, animals, and human inhabitants that once called this place home. Free but reservations required. Visit the Crossroads website for details and to register.Meet at the Collins Learning Center, Crossroads at Big Creek, 2041 Michigan Street, Sturgeon Bay

Measles is a highly contagious disease that can be spread from person to person through the air and can stay in the air for two hours after a sick person coughs or sneezes. It is so contagious that if one person gets it, up to 90% of the people around them may also become infected if they are not vaccinated

The Door County Historical Society is proud to share the latest progress in the multi-phase restoration and reconstruction project at Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, located in Peninsula State Park. Major improvements are visible across the site, bringing us closer to the completion of this long-awaited and transformational effort.

The summer kitchen, one of the newly reconstructed support buildings, is now nearly complete. Interior walls have been installed and painted, the roof and chimney are finished, and all windows and doors are in place and painted. The building also has functioning electricity. The Door County Historical Society will add a cook stove and other items to demonstrate the purpose of a summer kitchen and what it might have looked like.

Progress is also strong on the reconstruction of the barn, where the siding is finished, interior walls are complete, windows are installed and painted, and the staircase has been added. Like the summer kitchen, electricity has been run, with HVAC and the signature double barn doors on the way. The barn, while historic on the outside, will serve as the Visitor Center for Eagle Bluff Light Station. Guests can browse the gift shop, pay for admission to tour the other buildings, and discover a rotating selection of exhibits about lighthouses and lightkeepers.

The oil house and privy—two original outbuildings—have been completely restored, including brickwork, roofing, and full repainting to match their historic appearance. These buildings will also be interpreted to highlight their function.

Inside the Lighthouse, electricity has now been added to the first and second floors, as well as the tower. Period-appropriate lighting significantly improves safety and accessibility for our staff, docents, and guests.

Looking ahead, the final phases of work will include concrete paths, hardscape, and landscaping, scheduled for completion by the end of August. The full project is on track for completion in fall 2025.

“We are thrilled to see these historic spaces coming back to life,” said Amy Frank, Executive Director of the Door County Historical Society. “This work ensures that Eagle Bluff Lighthouse continues to tell the story of the keepers and families who lived and worked here. These restored structures and reconstructed buildings will greatly enhance the visitor experience and provide new opportunities for interpretation and education.”

This project is made possible by the support of our generous donors, including the Wisconsin Department of Administration’s Nonstate Project grants program, the David L. & Rita E. Nelson Family Fund, the Raibrook Foundation, the Dwight and Linda Davis Foundation, and the many friends of Eagle Bluff Lighthouse who believe in preserving Door County’s past for future generations.

(photo credit: Ed Miller)

As we continue through the dog days of summer, there has been a noticed increase in the amount of bicycle traffic here in our community. Whether it be families or individuals enjoying a ride through our beautiful landscapes or community fundraisers involving significant number of participants, the increased presence of bicycles sharing the roadway brings both opportunity for pleasure as well as risks. With a great deal of summer and fall riding conditions yet to come this season, I felt a quick refresher may be in order.

First and foremost, I want to reiterate that bicycles are considered and recognized as legitimate modes of transportation on any public roadway, and thus should be treated much like any other vehicle, regardless of the number of wheels or the means by which it is powered.  Bicycles have the same rights and duties when operating as such.

The first basic rule is that bicycles travel the road in the same direction as other vehicular traffic. This is different from pedestrians which we always recommend walk or run against traffic. When operating with traffic, the bicycle should remain to the far right of the respective lane of travel. If traveling as a group, those on bicycles should maintain a single file, again along the far-right side of the respective lane of travel.

The second basic rule is that, just like any other “vehicle”, bicycles need to utilize directional signals when turning or stopping. We should have all been instructed on the appropriate hand signals as children, but if you are not sure, feel free to brush up on those before heading out. If you are a motor vehicle operator, and see a bicycle on a roadway, be extra vigilant for those hand signals, and don’t mistake them for someone waving at you to be friendly.

If as an operator of a motor vehicle, you find yourself traveling in the same direction as a bicycle, please give them the appropriate and safe distance as you maneuver past them. This may mean that you will have to remain behind them until oncoming traffic has cleared, allowing you to deviate far enough to the left for that safe distance to be created.

Just as in any silent sport, visibility is everything. Please make sure to utilize reflective markers or lights on your bicycle or person when operating on or adjacent to public roadways. Safe peddling to all!

Sit-On-Top kayaks began becoming popular for fishing about 15 years ago. But would a sit-on-top (SOT) be a good option for your recreational kayaking?  I’ve been giving talks at Canoecopia in Madison for years.  About a dozen years ago, working the area for the kayak company I was involved with, a more senior couple came up and asked me about SOT kayaks. I asked them where they fished and their response was, “we don’t fish, but they are so much easier for us to get on and off of for our recreational kayaking!”

That got me thinking about all the kayakers who might be getting older, may have a disability or injury, might want to take a child or pet out with them and find getting in and out of a sit-in kayak a challenge. Sit-in kayaks are lighter, but they can be a challenge for anyone getting in or out of and are less stable than a SOT.

Having fished from SOT kayaks for years, I now know firsthand how accessible a SOT is with a disability or injury. On July 5, I slipped on a wet boulder top in the sand on a waterfront walk.  I was shocked two days later to learn I have a vertical fracture of my Patella and was going to be in an immobilizer brace on my left leg for 10 to 12 weeks. This wasn’t good news for an avid smallmouth bass angler.  I can’t use my YarCraft boat, pedal kayak or even wade fish.  Fortunately, I have a Jackson Kayak SOT kayak that’s perfect for the big waters of Door County.  Even with my injury, I used it twice last week, loading and unloading it from my Malone trailer. Wearing Frogg Toggs waist-high waders to keep my brace dry, I could easily sit on the seat and swing my immobilized left leg up onto the kayak.  Getting onto and off a SOT kayak can make kayaking so easy for anyone, especially someone with limited moblility! So, for me, instead of sitting on the sidelines during my favorite time of year to fish, I’m on the water doing what I love, catching and releasing smallies!

If you have any questions about SOT kayaks, kayak fishing, or kayaking in Door County, you can email me at kayakfishingwisconsin@gmail.com, and I’ll be happy to answer your questions.

Local favorite Doug Mancheski and Weidner Center Executive and Artistic Director Kelli Strickland are set to star in Ryan’s Pub, Trivia Night this fall, beginning on September 24th.

Listen to the full interview below

After making stops in Toronto, Duluth, Minn., and Boyne City, Mich., it is your turn to learn about maritime history aboard the Pride of Baltimore II. The Tall Ship pulled into Sturgeon Bay early Thursday morning before Thursday’s Parade of Sail and a busy weekend of deck tours and sailaways. The Pride of Baltimore II is a replica of a replica after the original Pride sank near Puerto Rico in 1986. The City of Baltimore commissioned the original Pride to celebrate its maritime history, specifically the Baltimore Clippers' role in the War of 1812. The Pride of Baltimore II has sailed over 275,000 nautical miles, visiting 200 ports in 40 countries worldwide. Despite doing many of the same activities in every port city they visit, Captain Jeff Crosby says the crew loves to share the stories of the Pride of Baltimore II as they connect the past and the present.

Even though sailaways are sold out, free deck tours are available through the weekend. The Pride of Baltimore II will visit Buffalo, New York, and Erie, Pennsylvania, before staying close to home for the rest of the season. 

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources extended its statewide Air Quality Alert until Saturday at noon. It had been slated to expire at noon on Thursday before two subsequent extensions. Much of the state has teetered between the Unhealthy and Unhealthy for Sensitive Individuals levels since Tuesday, with some parts even entering the Very Unhealthy level. Conditions have improved since Thursday, but not enough to prevent potential issues for those in sensitive groups. Canadian wildfires in Saskatchewan and Manitoba remain the culprit for the AQI alerts impacting parts of Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. If you struggle with asthma, heart disease, or other ailments affecting your heart and lungs, you will have to wait a little longer before resuming your usual outdoor activities.