Your child’s mental health could receive a boost with a box of crayons and the help of members of the Boys & Girls Club of Door County. More than 45 teens contributed to the creation of “Creative Coping,” a coloring and activity book designed by kids for kids to help manage stress and build emotional wellness.

The idea came from the Strong Minds, Strong Futures program, supported by the Women's Fund of Door County. From those lessons, the teens were challenged to create a project about a health issue that mattered to them. Mental health rose to the top of the list, with 1 in 5 children struggling with a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder. Boys & Girls Club of Door County Development Director Kacie Mueller says the kids took it from there, designing the book from cover to cover.

Mueller adds that she is proud of the teens for helping their peers find a creative outlet when they might be struggling.

More than 400 copies have now been distributed across the community, including to members of other Boys & Girls Clubs in the region and visitors to places such as Door County Medical Center, Door County Public Health, United Way of Door County and HELP of Door County.

Organizations in Door and Kewaunee counties were among those receiving $1.6 million in grants distributed by the Green Bay Packers Foundation earlier this week. Door CANcer, Open Door Bird Sanctuary, Sunshine House, United Way of Door County, Washington Island Community Health Program and the Bruemmer Park Inclusive Playground were among the 402 civic and charitable groups statewide that received funding through the program.

According to Packers.com, this year's grant cycle focused on organizations that will direct the funds toward areas of need, including animal welfare, homelessness, and human services. Some of the local organizations receiving grants celebrated the awards on their social media channels. The Bruemmer Park Inclusive Playground posted that the grant brings the organization closer to its $250,000 goal to break ground this year.

Door CANcer said its funding will allow the organization to “continue providing non-medical financial assistance to Door County cancer patients, allowing families to focus on healing instead of bills.”

The Green Bay Packers Foundation has distributed more than $33 million for charitable purposes since its inception in 1986, including approximately $3.5 million this year.

Three Door County organizations focused on emergency housing will each receive approximately $2,500 in funding thanks in part to a pop-up campaign organized by United Way of Door County. In early August, the organization launched an approximately three-week campaign to raise $30,000 for The Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul-St. Joseph Conference and HELP of Door County.

The request came as the rising cost of housing and other basic necessities has left the area’s ALICE population — Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed — with little financial flexibility to cover unexpected expenses such as medical emergencies and vehicle repairs. While the campaign fell short of its goal, United Way of Door County Executive Director Amy Kohnle says the community’s support was still important, and the three organizations will be able to put those funds to good use.

The emergency housing relief appeal served as an appetizer for United Way of Door County’s annual campaign, which launched last week at Woodwalk Gallery in Egg Harbor. The $1.25 million annual campaign goal will support nearly two dozen programs and partners, including United Way of Door County’s Child Care Initiative, Healthy Door County, STRIDE — School-Based Mental Health Services, the Door County Alcohol and Other Drug Coalition, and the Door County Partnership for Children and Families.

If there was not enough on your ballot already this fall, voters are being reminded about three constitutional amendments that will also be among the decisions they make. The three measures made the ballot after the Wisconsin Legislature approved the proposed language by a majority in two consecutive legislative sessions.

One referendum measure would prohibit the government from closing places of worship during emergencies. The proposal dates back to the COVID-19 pandemic, when Gov. Tony Evers’ Safer at Home order limited mass gatherings. The Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the statewide restrictions two months later after the stay-at-home order was extended, allowing churches to decide for themselves whether to reopen.

A second referendum question will focus on the governor’s partial veto powers by barring the governor from using them to create or increase any tax or fee. Governors representing both political parties have used Wisconsin’s broad partial veto powers, but this measure grew out of a recent budget in which Evers used his partial veto authority to extend a school funding provision from two years to 400 years.

The third referendum question would prohibit state and local governments from discriminating against or granting preferential treatment to certain groups. If approved, the amendment would prohibit certain affirmative action practices in government hiring and contracting and public education.

All three measures will be on the Nov. 3 ballot. Municipal clerks must send absentee ballots to voters with active requests on file by Sept. 17, with in-person absentee voting beginning Oct. 20.

Door County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Michelle Lawrie says bringing new people in is not the only challenge facing area employers — keeping them around is also an issue. Online job boards show approximately 3,200 jobs available in Door County, whether it is a CNC machinist at a local manufacturer, a server at an area restaurant, or a health care professional at the hospital.

Lawrie says DCEDC has focused heavily on employee attraction and retention since the pandemic, and the issue is not going away as retirements continue and businesses look to grow. The upcoming Talent Attraction and Retention Employer Forum is for businesses of all sizes and will showcase tools at the local, state and regional levels designed to help employers attract, engage and retain their workforce.

Lawrie says it is not just about getting new people to come and work at a business, but also getting them to become part of the county as a whole.

She adds that the forum will serve as a launch point for new resources DCEDC will offer employers to help recruit and retain their next longtime employees. You can register for the Talent Attraction and Retention Employer Forum on Sept. 22 at Stone Harbor Resort in Sturgeon Bay at this link.

The fruit of orchard owners’ labor will come to a store or farmers market near you as soon as the apple harvest season gets underway. The state’s orchards produce approximately 49 million pounds of apples each year across 4,000 acres, according to the Wisconsin State Climatology Office.

Those acres include Hillside Apples in Casco, which opened its 30th season last week. Owner Bill Roethle says the weather has been good for growing apples this year, with one exception. Earlier this summer, a storm hit the region that brought hail to the orchard. Depending on where each apple variety was in its development, the fruit may have suffered some minor damage. Roethle says the damage could have been worse if the storm had brought high winds along with the hail.

Roethle says it will still be a good crop for apple lovers to choose from, dents and all.

Early-season apples such as Paula Red and Zestar are ready to be picked, while other varieties such as McIntosh, Cortland and Honeycrisp are still a couple of weeks away.

An unwanted sight off the shores of Baileys Harbor will be addressed in court after a case was filed in Door County Circuit Court on Tuesday. According to court records, the state of Wisconsin is suing Jeremy Schultz, Michael Cole, ABC Insurance Company, Iron Works Construction, DEF Insurance Company, Sarter Marine Towing Company and XYZ Insurance Company to force the removal of the tug Donny S from the waters of Baileys Harbor.

The action follows resolutions approved by officials from the Town of Baileys Harbor and Door County urging the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to inspect and remove the tugboat, which has sat aground and abandoned since 2021.

According to the Peninsula Pulse, dozens of citations and more than $20,000 in fines have accrued over the years in an effort to get the tugboat removed. As of Thursday, no court date had been set.

Just in time for one final boat ride ahead of Labor Day, the dredging operation at Chaudoir’s Dock County Park has been completed. The popular dock and boat launch had been closed since mid-July for the second phase of a dredging project that carried a price tag of more than $551,000. The project was funded through a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and county boat launch fees.

According to the county website, the outer entrance to the harbor was dredged in 2001, again in 2005 during bin wall repairs caused by ice damage, and once more in 2014 because of low water levels.

It is not completely clear sailing for boaters just yet. According to the Door County Parks Department, dredging activity can sometimes bring submerged logs, debris and other hazards into navigable areas. The department urges boaters to use caution as they operate around the harbor entrance in case they encounter one of those hidden hazards.

The park will also be closed Sept. 8 and 9 to accommodate construction equipment needed for the next phase of improvements, which will include resurfacing the upper parking lot. That portion of the project should be completed by Sept. 10.

A 55-year-old Appleton woman suffered a possible injury and was taken to the hospital Monday after her vehicle was rear-ended by another vehicle driven by an 18-year-old Sturgeon Bay man.

The crash occurred shortly after 5:15 p.m. at the intersection of Idlewild Road and State Highway 42/57. According to the crash report, the woman was stopped at the stop sign on Idlewild Road and looking to turn onto Highway 42/57 when the man approached from behind. When she pulled closer to Highway 42/57 to gauge traffic, the man struck her vehicle from behind after he thought she was pulling into the intersection.

The woman was taken to Door County Medical Center for further treatment. The man was cited for following too closely and operating a motor vehicle without insurance.

The crash closed a lane of traffic for about 20 minutes, with the lane reopening before 5:45 p.m.

“A Cherry Pie Christmas” may have started more than just a holiday movie tradition after its debut last winter. Not only did it prompt Wisconsin officials to open a film office and award grants to future movie projects, but it also garnered Travel Wisconsin and Destination Door County additional recognition for the innovation it created within the tourism industry.

At last week’s U.S. Travel Association ESTO Awards, Destination Door County was a finalist for the Bridging Communities Award for its Door County Christmas Movie Trail, which had more than 3,000 participants from 35 states and generated more than $36,000 in trackable sales between Nov. 1 and Jan. 5.

Travel Wisconsin won the Innovation Award for its role in developing “A Cherry Pie Christmas,” which not only increased lodging revenue and room rentals during a slower time of year for Door County but also built national awareness of Wisconsin as a winter destination. Destination Door County President and CEO Jon Jarosh says it was an honor to be celebrated by the industry for doing something remarkable.

Much like your tree and ornaments, the Door County Christmas Movie Trail will be brought out again this winter, with some new wrinkles added to the promotion. “A Cherry Pie Christmas” will also appear on streaming platforms for American and international viewers, in addition to a potential DVD release and a live showing at the Southern Door Auditorium on Dec. 12.

If you plan on spending time outside this weekend, make sure you pack the bug spray. Early September is usually when the mosquito population starts to dip along with temperatures. According to the UW-Madison Insect Diagnostic Lab, insects like mosquitoes become less active when temperatures are in the 50s, something Door County can usually count on in September. That may not be the case for the early part of September this year, when low temperatures will be 5 to 8 degrees warmer than normal.

While drier-than-normal conditions have limited the mosquito population somewhat, Door County Public Health Environmental Health Specialist Allison Reckelberg says mosquitoes and even ticks can be around much longer if the circumstances are just right.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services confirmed West Nile virus activity among mosquitoes in Milwaukee County and in a bird in Bayfield County earlier this summer, but there have been no such cases in Door County and no human cases statewide. Tick activity in northeast Wisconsin has been on par with 2025. Reckelberg also encourages you to wear a light-fitting, long-sleeved shirt and pants, in addition to using bug spray containing DEET, to protect yourself.

Pack your patience along with a couple of extra bucks if you plan on traveling this Labor Day weekend. AAA is expecting heavy traffic Thursday through Monday as millions of Americans hit the road and take to the skies for one last summer hurrah.

That comes despite higher prices at the pump for motorists and at the ticket counter for air travelers. According to GasBuddy, gas prices in Door County are around $3.80 a gallon. While that is lower than the nationwide average of $4.09 a gallon and the $3.91 a gallon motorists were paying a week ago, it is still a far cry from the $2.99 a gallon they were paying a year ago.

AAA also reports that airfare costs are up 2% from a year ago and nearly 20% for some of the top destinations.

If you are driving to your Labor Day destination, AAA recommends avoiding travel between 2 and 7 p.m. Thursday, noon and 8 p.m. Friday, 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday, and 2 and 5 p.m. Monday.

Labor Day ranks as the fifth-busiest holiday travel weekend of the year, trailing Thanksgiving, Christmas/New Year’s, Independence Day and Memorial Day.

You may notice a new face poolside at the Door County YMCA’s program centers in Sturgeon Bay and Fish Creek. In this week’s episode of the Y-Wednesday Podcast, we met new Door County YMCA Aquatics Executive Byron Rodriguez.

Originally from the Green Bay area, Rodriguez got his start in aquatics as a lifeguard. After college, he took a position with the YMCA in Brown Deer before finding an opportunity closer to home in Door County.

Rodriguez talked about the need for lifeguards, especially as traffic at the program centers increases with swim lessons, the Door County YMCA swim team and the Door County United high school swim team all sharing the space throughout the day.

You can listen to the entire interview with Rodriguez here.

Do not be shocked if you start seeing farmers harvest corn for silage in the coming days. According to the USDA Crop Progress and Condition Report, the corn silage harvest is about 5% complete, about 2 percentage points ahead of average. The western part of the state is responsible for most of that, but 1% of the crop in northeast Wisconsin has been harvested.

Farmers in Door and Kewaunee counties will get a better idea of whether their corn is ready for harvest beginning next week when UW Extension holds corn dry-down events Sept. 9 at Rio Creek Feed Mill in Luxemburg and Sept. 15 at Door County Cooperative. Corn needs to have a moisture content between 60% and 70%, depending on how it will be stored. By comparison, corn harvested for grain usually has a moisture content between 13% and 25%, depending on storage methods.

The dry weather has been good for fieldwork, with six days suitable for activities such as harvesting potatoes and oats, cutting alfalfa hay or starting fall tillage. It has not been great for the corn and soybeans still developing in the fields. Both crops saw their condition ratings slip 2 to 3 percentage points in the last week and 9 to 10 percentage points over a longer period. Even with some rain in the forecast, Weatherology meteorologist Laura Lockwood says only time will tell if it makes much of a difference.

Earlier this month, Deer Run Dairy owner Duane Ducat said harvesting underdeveloped corn reduces the nutritional value of what farmers feed their cows. According to the University of Wisconsin Agronomy Department, the corn silage harvest typically starts around Sept. 10, with the most active period running from Sept. 20 through Oct. 15 and harvest wrapping up by Nov. 1.

A 73-year-old Aurora, Illinois, man was transported to a Green Bay hospital last Thursday following a collision with another vehicle towing a trailer in the town of Nasewaupee.

The crash occurred shortly after 1:30 p.m. on State Highway 42/57 near the southern junction as the Illinois man was exiting the parking lot of a local restaurant. According to the accident report, the man was attempting to cross the highway when he was struck by a pickup truck towing a trailer driven southbound by a 28-year-old Winneconne man.

The collision sent both vehicles into the median ditch, where they remained until emergency personnel arrived. When speaking with deputies, the Illinois man was able to recall the events leading up to the crash and had suffered an injury to his forehead. He was transported to the hospital for treatment and was cited for failure to yield the right of way.

The Winneconne man was not injured in the crash.

The crash occurred shortly after 9 a.m. on Walker Road near Peterson Road when the boy allegedly took a curve too quickly. According to the accident report, the boy overcorrected when his vehicle began to skid as he traveled southeast. The vehicle skidded back and forth across the roadway before entering a ditch, overturning and coming to rest against a nearby tree.

The boy told responding deputies he was traveling approximately 30 mph at the time, a claim deputies disputed in the report “due to the amount of damage caused and evidence at the scene of losing control.”

The boy’s minor injury did not require a trip to the hospital, though his vehicle had to be towed because of disabling damage.

You can help say goodbye to summer this weekend in Sister Bay when the village hosts its annual Marina Fest celebration. Initially billed as a thank-you to the community for supporting the Sister Bay Marina, the annual Labor Day weekend celebration returns to Sister Bay Waterfront Park with food, live music and family-friendly activities Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday, the Sister Bay/Liberty Grove Fire Department will serve pancakes ahead of a day that features kids’ boat building with the Sister Bay Lions Club, a classic and wooden boat show, an arts and crafts fair, a used book sale and three bands performing before fireworks light up the sky at dusk.

Two more bands will take the stage Sunday, with the arts and crafts fair and used book sale also returning for a second day. You can find the full schedule here.