Category: People
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Baileys Harbor Gets Its First Fire Truck Back
Kwaterskis let go of 1935 Pirsch pumper Baileys Harbor firefighters celebrated homecoming recently – for the first fire truck the department ever had. For decades, Florian II and Blue Ox owners Joe and Jerry Kwaterski displayed a retired Baileys Harbor fire truck outside their supper club all summer for guests and visitors to see. For […]
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G.G. Paschke: Keeper of the Flame of Ephraim
It doesn’t take more than a step into the living room of Glenore “G.G.” Paschke to sense what makes her heart beat. “I love Ephraim,” she says as I admire one of several paintings of the picturesque village that hangs on the walls of her home tucked into the woods of Maple Grove Road near […]
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Guest Column: In Memoriam to Jay Zahn: Thanks for the Laughs
EDITOR’S NOTE: Jay Zahn, 66, passed away Aug. 28. He retired at the end of 2020 after serving for three decades as Door County treasurer. “I could have gone a few more years, but I decided I’m going to enjoy life,” he told writer Patty Williamson, who covered his retirement for the Peninsula Pulse. “I’ll […]
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It’s Jerry’s Flowers, but the sign says, “Fred Says.” So who says it: Jerry or Fred? Jerry Reinhard started the Sister Bay flower shop in 1960 – a time when there wasn’t much other than open fields in “uptown” Sister Bay. For years, he put not just sale information on the sign out front, but […]
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by EMMA CHAMLEY It seems like just last week that I drove up to Baileys Harbor from Champaign, Illinois, to start at the Peninsula Pulse, but my summer at 8142 Hwy 57 has come to an end. I’ve spent the summer running all over the county, meeting amazing people and hearing their stories. From articles […]
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A Family of Flavors: Jamaican Door blends Hatch family’s Jamaican and Door County heritage
Driving by Roots Inn and Kitchen in Sister Bay, an aroma wafts out from behind the building. “Jamaican Door, 5-8” reads the chalkboard sign out front. Wandering toward the diffusing smell of jerk chicken, you might expect to find the back door of the kitchen cracked open or one of the county’s many food trucks […]
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Last week I told you about our reporter Sam Watson, who broke many bones following a serious car crash while driving to work the morning of July 19. Over the past week, and in partnership with Nicolet Bank, we’ve opened the Sam Watson Benefit Fund. Walk-in donations will be received at any of Nicolet’s branches. […]
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Editor’s Note: The Stop Predatory Investing Act Is a Good Bill
Pardon in advance to anyone out there who owns more than 50 rental homes, but the IRS may cut off your financial incentives in owning those properties. That’s mostly wishful thinking. Right now, that threat comes only in the form of a bill called the Stop Predatory Investing Act. It’s co-authored by one of our […]
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Walking the Walk: Jeff Lutsey is living his principles
There’s hardly a minute in any day when Jeff Lutsey isn’t battling climate change – with such commitment, in fact, that when the Climate Change Coalition (CCC) of Door County offered him the position of executive director, he needed to make sure he would have enough time to dedicate to CCC’s mission while pursuing his […]
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A Lifetime of Volunteering: Sally Pfeifer
For many people, retirement means more relaxation, new hobbies and fewer responsibilities. Not so for Sister Bay resident Sally Pfeifer. Since high school, she’s been hard at work volunteering for a litany of nonprofits, and though she’s now “officially retired,” she has no plan to stop anytime soon. “It’s one of my passions,” Pfeifer said. […]
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Treating the Hidden Hurt: Milly Gonzales
“Why don’t you just leave?” That question is at the heart of the issues that Milly Gonzales grapples with every day as the executive director at HELP of Door County. The organization provides free, confidential services for victims of domestic violence of all kinds, and when Gonzales hears people ask that question – or hears […]
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Running for a Cause: Deb Davis
When Deb Davis ran the Door County Half Marathon as part of a Run for a Cause team supporting the family of Chrystal Chartier-Wittenmyer, she didn’t run it alone. On the back of her shirt were 13 ribbons: one for each of the 13.1 miles, and each representing a different person’s fight against a different […]
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Golden Heart Awards Highlight Essential Workers
The Golden Heart Award Celebration honors volunteers who have made a positive impact in Door County. The Golden Heart Awards added a new, temporary category in 2021 to highlight the efforts of community members in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2022, those who stepped up and helped the community preserve during the pandemic […]
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Redefining a Community’s Center: Donald and Carol Kress named Philanthropists of the Year
Just five years after the doors of the Donald and Carol Kress Pavilion opened in Egg Harbor, it’s hard to imagine Door County without it. Weddings and town halls. Environmental presentations and cabarets. Concerts and meditative yoga. Housing forums and writing conferences. The list of events that have taken place in the great hall is […]
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Wild Things: Who’s Going to Win the K/D?
Dramatic opening weekend unfolds around the islands by KEVIN NAZE, [email protected], Peninsula Pulse contributor If you know anything about fishing, you know that just about anything can happen. But even Hollywood movie producers couldn’t have scripted a more dramatic opening weekend for the Kewaunee/Door (K/D) County Salmon Tournament – one in which 19-year-old Ryan Jorgenson […]
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Lighting Up the Island: Robert Cornell
“Whether it takes two or five years, we will have a network-interface device at every home and business.” – Robert Cornell Let’s be clear, Robert Cornell insisted. “I will take credit for being the front man,” he said, or for putting into action what he said “a very supportive board” has empowered and enabled him […]
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2023 Philanthropy: Causes to Celebrate
Door County Candle Company launched what became a yearlong effort to raise funds for Razom for Ukraine, an organization that helps provide medical supplies, humanitarian war relief and recovery to the people of Ukraine. Through the sale of a special blue-and-yellow candle, the company was able to donate $851,239.82 by the end of 2022. Photo […]
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Where There’s a Need, There’s a Lion
Walk down the street of a city, town or village in Door County, and you’ll likely run into a Lion. Not the roaring felines – these Lions are your friends and neighbors, and their common bond is Lions Club International, a service organization with more than 1.4 million members worldwide. From Washington Island to Forestville, […]
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Celebrating Door County’s Golden Hearts
The parking lot was jammed in front of Stone Harbor in Sturgeon Bay on April 19, and inside, some 255 people enjoyed dinner and socializing before learning who among Door County’s many dedicated volunteers would receive the high honor of Volunteer of the Year within their category. The occasion was the 21st annual Golden Heart […]
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Volunteer Highlight: Paul Schumacher
“It’s all of our tasks to leave this planet in better shape after we are gone.” Lives in: Jacksonport (Clark Lake) Profession: A retired planning manager for Wisconsin Electric Number of years in Door County: 12 years full time, 70 years part time Started volunteering: Department of Natural Resources inland-lake volunteer starting in 1986 and […]