Area: Door County
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The Leap: A Photographic Essay of Door County Weddings
With its serene atmosphere and changing seasons, Door County has become a popular location for destination weddings. Beyond choosing among the numerous venues within the county, couples have also found alternative ways to bring the area’s traditions into their ceremonies and receptions, be it in a field of flowers, on a century-old farm or along […]
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“There’s no business like show business!” “Two planks, a board, and a passion!” “The show must go on!” No other art form has traditions like those of the theatre. The stories are legion of how, in the midst of impossible conditions, the curtain always goes up. Actors tease that if they don’t show up for […]
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Bring Your Yard to Life: Plant Door County Native Species
As the days get longer and warmer the county comes to life. Grass is growing, flowers are blooming, tree buds are bursting open, and people are getting their yards and flowerbeds ready to plant. As you go through this annual routine, consider how much wildlife is dependent upon your yard for survival. No matter how […]
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Local birding experts all agree that Door County is a special place for birds and bird watchers. Consider Door County’s geological diversity: the combination of limestone cliffs, sand dunes, boreal forest, deciduous forest, cedar swamps, bogs, lakes, bays, and open farmland; “all of those things spell multiple species,” says local birder Willard A. Hartman. “We’re […]
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Lands End: Preserved for All Time
When Charlie and Katie Brumder sold their log home in Marshall’s Point in the early 1990s they knew it would not be their last Door County home. Charlie, whose family once owned a cabin on Chambers Island, has been vacationing in Door County for as long as he can remember and both he and Katie […]
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Clearing the Virgin Forests: Door County’s Logging Past
More than a century ago, just as today, the splendor of Door County’s natural resources attracted droves of people to the peninsula. But in the last half of the 19th century, they came not to appreciate and relax, but to chop and clear the area’s towering virgin forests. When Door County was established by the […]
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Fore the Cause: Charity Golf Outings
Beautiful golf courses are a part of Door County’s landscape. There are 153 holes to be played at any given time during the season with more being built all the time and, on a good day, there are people playing on most of them. Golf has become a huge business since Tiger took center stage […]
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Racing Home: Sailing the Hook Race Death’s Door Challenge
Sailboat racing has brought friends and families together off the shores of the Door Peninsula for nearly a century. And as intriguing and adventuresome as these races are, none can compare to the granddaddy of them all – the Hook Race Death’s Door Challenge. Spanning 197.4 nautical miles, this course pits experienced crews against each […]
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Where Talent, Patience & Instruction Meet: The Art of Craig Blietz
“I’ve been blessed with the instruction I’ve had,” says Craig Blietz, an accomplished still-life and portrait painter who lives and works in Liberty Grove. Glancing around his open, two-story studio at a handful of rich and alluring paintings, though, I can’t help but muse to myself: Instruction is always a plus, but can this really […]
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Nearly two full years had passed since the last Gibraltar victory in boys basketball. Countless shots had been taken, practices survived, and ankles sprained. This is the familiar cycle of Gibraltar sports in the Packerland Conference: occasional stretches of a win or two or some close games, surrounded by disheartening, motivation-sapping losing streaks and disappointment. […]
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Fall Golf: A Loosely Held Secret
As the sun begins its angled dip into the southern sky and the county recoils from its congested towns and frantic pace, a new season with an entirely different feel descends upon the peninsula. Northern Wisconsin has long been known for its -annual display of outstanding fall colors. October weekends swell with families fully aware […]
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Thankful For the Artist’s Life: Three Anniversaries
Nobody said that living the artist’s life would be easy – but for the owners of three local galleries, remembering the struggles of” creating” their own incomes in a tourist-driven economy has almost faded into the realm of the insignificant. All seem to agree that chasing after their passion comes with rewards that far outweigh […]
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Mike McCartney: A Dog’s Best Friend
Just like most talented people who enjoy what they do for a living, Mike McCartney will tell you that his job is easy. He is able to sit in a studio overlooking a beautiful, pristine setting in the middle of the county while he draws and creates caricature after caricature. His unmistakable style has become […]
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The Cosy Transformation from Bustle to Nestle
Door County in autumn smells like freshly brewed coffee tickled by the sweet bay breeze. Adorned by a cozy scarf and cotton knit poncho, I sit at a coffee shop and enjoy the comforting bliss of the nonchalant after-season, the post Labor Day sigh, the oncoming off-season for renewal and refreshment. Sitting outside, the cedar […]
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A Subterranean Exploration: Caves of the County
We often think of the earth we walk upon as solid and unchanging. Nothing could be further from the truth in Door County. Caves, sinkholes, open joints and fractures are everywhere in the carbonate rocks of the Door Peninsula. Bedrock here is known as the Silurian-aged Niagara Dolomite. Born from warm sub-equatorial waters 425 million […]
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Gliding Through Door County Winters
Being a year round resident in Door County, I’m often asked by visitors how I survive the winter. My answer is the same that a Norwegian or Swedish person may have given over 5,000 years ago: I ski. In Norway and Sweden cross-country skis were an essential survival tool used for hunting in deep snow. […]
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A Profile of Local “Tech Guru” Rick Gordon
As the “wizard” behind Door County Computer (affectionately known as “Ricknet”), Rick Gordon will most likely never be able to retire. If he continues to follow his natural tendencies, he’ll simply allow himself to intuitively gravitate toward whatever attracts and keeps his interest. Gordon admits he doesn’t function well if he does the same thing […]
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Summer Soirée: Inspiring Culinary Excellence
Summertime, especially in Door County, means family, friends and (ideally) beautiful weather. Unfortunately, the summer months are all-too brief. Why spend that limited time eating indoors when you can host an outdoor summer dinner party and spend more relaxed time with your loved ones? Entertaining outdoors might be a little more work (although it certainly […]
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Now that summer is in full swing, it’s a great time to evaluate areas of your golfing game. After improving upon my long game this season (which was my goal), it has become clear that the best place for me to shave digits from my handicap is on the greens. Too many three-putts have left […]
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As Time Goes By: Three Area Artists Celebrate Milestones
It’s not easy being an artist in Door County. As a result, reaching a significant anniversary for an arts-related business is much more than the average milestone. It’s been a long strange trip for Ellison Bay Pottery. 30 years ago, potter John Dietrich purchased 10 acres of the old Driftwood Farms and began converting the […]