Navigation

Peninsula Pulse Dec. 27, 2019-Jan. 3, 2020

Published

In this issue

  • Manners Matter: Germaphobe

    Dear Mary Pat, My friend invited me and my child over for a playdate last weekend. When we got there, her son’s nose was running, and he was clearly sick. I was surprised that she hadn’t canceled. She was offended when I told her that I thought we should reschedule. I know you can’t keep […]

  • Featured Pet: Wisconsin

    Meet Wisconsin, a one-year-old, long-haired beauty who’s available for adoption at the Wisconsin Humane Society (WHS) Door County Campus. Wisconsin is one of the 72 cats rescued from a single home in Green Bay in early October. Now that she’s received all necessary treatments and assessments, she’s ready to find a new loving home! Although […]

  • James May Gallery Closes, James May North Remains Open

    Absence and presence are peculiar concepts. Despite being opposites, both can be felt at the same time. This tricky philosophical puzzle will soon be put to the test in Algoma when James May Gallery owners Kendra Bulgrin and Jimmy Eddings will close that gallery and move to Milwaukee. The art scene in Algoma changed when […]

  • Publishing Industry News: Dec. 27, 2019

    Curious about what’s happening in the world of books and publishing? Catch up on the biggest acquisitions, news, adaptations and more here! • New Door County resident Jordan Spencer released his first book Dec. 7. We have a lot to talk about … It’s cancer chronicles Spencer’s wife’s fight with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. […]

  • Door Community Auditorium Performers Nominated for Grammy Awards

    Several recent Door Community Auditorium (DCA) performers have been nominated for 2020 Grammy Awards. One of Brandi Carlile’s collaborations, “Bring My Flowers Now,” is up for two awards: Song of the Year and Best Country Song. She was at the DCA in 2010 and 2012. Another collaboration, “Common,” by Carlile and Maren Morris, is up […]

  • Jacksonport Polar Bear Club Plans Annual Icy Dip

    The Jacksonport Polar Bear Club will take its 34th annual plunge into Lake Michigan on Jan. 1, 12 pm. For the past 33 years, the club has celebrated the new year by going for an icy dip in the lake at Jacksonport’s Lakeside Park. More than 500 swimmers are expected to take the plunge, which […]

  • Set 2020 Intentions in Metal with Roots Yoga

    Join Roots Yoga, 400 2nd St. in Algoma, for its 2020 Intentions in Metal Workshop on Jan. 13, 6-7:30 pm. Through a series of activities including guided meditation, you’ll choose a mantra to inspire you throughout the year. Then art instructor Jodi Haack will help you stamp the mantra in metal and make a piece […]

  • Server of the Week: Sarah Hippensteel at 5th and Jefferson Coffee House

    Sarah (Sally) Hippensteel  At 5th and Jefferson keeps it real! She’s been working there  For four and a half years, Making great coffee For folks far and near. Connecting with regulars  Is her favorite part. It’s been said she also makes really great latte art,  But still it’s true – She’s humble as can be. […]

  • Siren Shrub Wins with Seaquist Cherries

    Siren Shrub Company of Stevens Point earned the award for innovative local sourcing during the recent, sixth annual Feast Local Foods Marketplace, which an estimated 1,500 visitors and nearly 100 vendors from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa attended. Siren Shrubs are flavorful concentrates made from organic apple cider, vinegar, fresh fruits, roots and herbs, and sweetened […]

  • Stories from the Driftless Area by a Door County Teacher and Poet

    review by Thomas Davis “Ridge Stories: Herding Hens, Powdering Pigs, and Other Recollections from a Boyhood in the Driftless” by Gary Jones, Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2019, 208 pages Gary Jones’ wife was not pleased. “Go take them off,” she said. But the essayist and poet who used to teach at Gibraltar High School – and […]

  • Learn About Youth Apprenticeships with DCEDC

    Want to learn how to place a youth apprentice in your business? The Door County Economic Development Corporation will host a Feb. 5 meeting at the Kress Pavilion in Egg Harbor for all business managers who are interested in learning more. All five Door County school districts are engaged, and more than 700 students have […]

  • Door County CTA Program Celebrates 10 Years

    The Door County CTA Program celebrated 10 years and several milestones in 2019. At the Door County Visitor Bureau’s fall annual meeting, the bureau honored the 28 people who took the CTA (certified tourism ambassador) class in 2009.  This year also marked the first student CTA class, in partnership with Sturgeon Bay schools. Twelve students […]

  • Chris McHugh Named New VP of Operations at Cadence Inc.

    Chris McHugh was announced as the new Vice President of Operations at Cadence, Inc., overseeing operations for the company’s five facilities. Most recently, McHugh served as the Vice President of Global Operations and Supply Chain for Bemis Healthcare Packaging in New London, Wisconsin. Jack Abato, Vice President of Operations, will retire in the spring of […]

  • Sitte Steps Up for Vikings

    First-year Gibraltar girls basketball coach Devin Thomas was counting on the leadership of Abbi Sitte heading into the season. She hasn’t disappointed him. The senior point guard leads Gibraltar in three categories, helping the Vikings to a 3-2 early-season start as of press time on Dec. 20. Sitte leads the Vikings in scoring at 16.2 […]

  • Bowling League Results: Dec. 9-13

    Women’s Masters Dec. 9 • High team series/game: Clark’s Bar 1,576/596 • High series: Penny Kramer 630, Jody Wheat 541, Carol Kroll 540 • High game: Penny Kramer 238, Jody Wheat 203, Joan Franda 199 • Split conversions: Sue Hunsader 5-7 and 5-10, Carole Nevins 4-7-10 Apple Valley Majors  Dec. 10 • High team game: […]

  • Striver Gymnasts Strive for Perfection

    The YMCA Striver Gymnastics Team competed this past weekend in the Green Bay YMCA Invitational Meet, sending gymnasts at seven levels. Within those levels, gymnasts are awarded by age. Team trophies go to the top 30 percent of teams competing. Nikki Pollman, Amy Gamble, Gerritt DeJonge, Heather Haese, Libby Pieczynski, Mikki Rankin and MaKiala McCambridge coach […]

  • High School Winter Sports

    Until Jan. 3 GIBRALTAR Boys Basketball  Jan. 3 @ Oconto, 7:30 pm Girls Basketball  Jan. 3 @ Two Rivers, 7:30 pm SEVASTOPOL  Boys Basketball  Dec. 27 and 28 @ Lena, 5 pm Jan. 3 vs. Sturgeon Bay, 7:30 pm Girls Basketball  Jan. 3 @ Tri-County, 5:30 pm SOUTHERN DOOR  Boys Basketball Dec. 27 @ Sheboygan […]

  • Kewaunee Football Player to Play for Badgers

    On Dec. 18, Kewaunee High School student-athlete Tanor Bortolini signed his national letter of intent to attend UW-Madison and play football on full scholarship. Bortolini’s high school head football coach, Randy Charles, said, “Tanor is a great representation of our program. His commitment to taking care of business the right way on and off the […]

  • Land Trust Adds Properties on Washington, Chambers Islands

    The Door County Land Trust has added two islands and three forests to its list of protected lands.  The Richter family of Washington Island has donated the Susie Islands, which the Door County Land Trust will permanently protect and preserve as wildlife habitat. The Big and Little Susie Islands – located off the northwestern shore of […]

  • Dancing and Singing His Way to New York

    When Isaiah Spetz fulfilled his dream of moving to New York City, he wasn’t prepared to hate it. But, after growing up in Sturgeon Bay and  spending lots of time at Fellner Orchards – his grandparents’ apple orchard – he missed the green space. Now that he’s lived in a Big Apple place of a very different […]

  • ‘Peninsula Pulse’ Visits Kewaunee Elementary

    Alissa Ehmke, assistant editor of the Peninsula Pulse, visited the Kewaunee Elementary School fifth-grade classrooms of Stacy Graf, Jake Tess and Caitlin Wachowski on Dec. 12, when the fifth-grade students were finishing up their journalism unit in English class. Ehmke spoke to them about her job and answered their many thoughtful questions.

  • Drinking Water at Gibraltar Retested

    All but five drinking fountains are back on at Gibraltar School after high levels of lead were found in the water in October. The five that will remain off are original, white-porcelain drinking fountains in older sections of the building. In addition to coordinating with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the school administration enlisted […]

  • UUFDC Offers Scholarship

    The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Door County (UUFDC) is awarding a $1,000 scholarship to a Door County graduating senior who demonstrates an outstanding personal commitment to social justice.  This scholarship opportunity is open to all Door County graduating high school or homeschooled seniors. The deadline to submit an application is March 31, 2020. Find application guidelines, […]

  • Southern Door Alumni Hall of Fame

    The Southern Door County School District is seeking nominations for its next class of Alumni Hall of Fame inductees. If you know people who graduated from Southern Door High School 20 or more years ago and have since distinguished themselves in their career and/or community, you can nominate them by using the form on the […]

  • Once Upon Our Peninsula: Dec. 27-Jan. 3

    News from this week’s past All items are from the Door County Library’s newspaper archives, and they appear in the same form as they were first published, including misspellings and grammatical errors. Weekly Expositor Independent December 29, 1882 Those of our citizens who have formerly been clamorous for a bridge across the bay, now should […]

  • By the Numbers: Dec. 27-Jan. 3

    $8,000 Increase in average real income after taxes for the bottom 50 percent of American earners since 1970, from $19,000 to $27,000 $800,000 Increase in average real income after taxes for the top 1 percent of earners since 1970, from $300,000 to more than $1.1 million $4 million Increase in average real income after taxes […]

  • Building Inclusion through Collaboration

    by Orlaine I. Gabert, Door County Civility Project The Door County Civility Project, PFLAG and Just Door County are working together to increase inclusion in our county in the belief that  fostering a culture of openness and inclusion is in the best interest of everyone.  The Door County Civility Project teaches that “Be inclusive” is […]

  • Letter to the Editor: Rogue Theater Appreciates Continued Community Support

    It is so exciting to be celebrating our seventh anniversary and planning our eighth season! Rogue Theater began in January 2013, and since then, the company has taken theater productions to many locations in Door County and beyond. This past summer, the stage was set in the Baileys Harbor Town Hall. Since its inception, Rogue […]

  • Letter to the Editor: Improvements in the Towns in Door County

    Ephraim is a wonderful little town that my family and I have loved since the late 1980s. We have always loved to come up to Door County to get away from the hustle of the city – to relax and refresh for a week or so. Since those days, my husband and I purchased a condo […]

  • Letter to the Editor: Good Samaritan

    Last Friday [Dec. 13], I was stuck in a snowbank entering Door of Life Church in Sister Bay to drop off some food for the pantry. A young gentleman in a black Audi saw my distress, backed up on the highway, pulled off the road and rocked my car out of the snowbank. He didn’t […]

  • Letter to the Editor: Gratitude for the Salute to Veterans Dinner

    Many area veterans, along with family and friends, gathered at the Corpus Christi Social Hall on Nov. 9 for the second annual Salute to Veterans dinner and program – a community celebration honoring our veterans that would not be possible without parish and community support.  The Catholic community of the greater Sturgeon Bay area thanks the […]

  • Letter to the Editor: Rubber and Glue

    The president’s behavior has become increasingly childish and immature. His choice of his latest victim, a 16-year-old female environmental activist, reflects a new low ebb, so I decided to observe a few of his world counterparts on demeanor and strategy.  Take Putin: very systematic, cunning, like a chess game. Angela Merkel: cerebral, finesse, like bridge, […]

  • Home for the Holidays Hosted at Gould Theater

    Reunite with Northern Sky favorites Eric Lewis, Katie Dahl and Rich Higdon for this year’s Home for the Holidays: an uplifting evening of intimate seasonal songs, dazzling instrumental fireworks and delightful holiday humor. These musicians appear together frequently, most recently releasing Solid Ground, an album of songs written by Northern Sky co-founder Fred Alley. This […]

  • NWTC to Offer Create Your Own Website Course

    People are used to being able to find information about businesses quickly on the internet: lodging options, restaurant choices, the hours of the nearest hardware store and much more. To help local small businesses make the most of the potential of websites, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Sister Bay is offering a Create Your Own […]

  • Room-Tax Returns Up Again in 2019

    As the year comes to a close, room-tax returns appear on track to rise almost 4 percent based on returns through October.  Gibraltar leads the way in overall room-tax collections, with $732,483 coming in through October, which is up 4 percent over 2018. Sister Bay saw the largest year-over-year increase of the major room-tax-generating communities, […]

  • PODCAST: Behind the Scenes of Disney’s Encore! Part One

    Grace Johnson is joined by Katie Helscher and Abby Duebler to talk about their experience remounting Gibraltar High School’s 2007 production of High School Musical for the new Disney+ reality show Encore!. In part one of this series, Katie and Abby recount their magical week filming and rehearsing for the show. In part two we […]

  • Winter Scavenger Hunt

    It’s well known that winter is a slow time of year on the peninsula, so to curb your potential boredom or add some excitement to your snowy visit, try completing this Door County winter scavenger hunt with your friends and family members. Make it a competition to see how many of these challenges you can […]

  • Play it Forward Concert at DCA on Dec. 30

    The seventh annual Play It Forward concert will again celebrate the generous spirit of the holiday season because all of the performers – some of Door County’s best-loved musicians – will donate their time and talent, and audience members will make free-will donations to benefit a worthy cause. This year, Play It Forward will take the Door […]

  • New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day Events

    Ring in 2020 with celebratory events throughout Door County! With live music, polar bear plunges, nature hikes and more, there are many and various ways to welcome the new year on the peninsula. Home for the Holidays 2019 Northern Sky’s Gould Theater, Fish Creek Reunite with Northern Sky favorites Eric Lewis, Katie Dahl and Rich […]

  • INDOORACTIVE Begins Second Winter Season with Indoor Cycling, Badminton

    Staying active during the winter can be a challenge, but it’s one that Fish Creek-based INDOORACTIVE seeks to overcome.  Rachel Stollenwerk launched INDOORACTIVE in late 2018 to provide sports leagues, events and classes for youth and adults because she’s passionate about community-minded sports and recreational programs that benefit individuals and families in northern Door County […]

  • Ski and Snowshoe for Free at Crossroads at Big Creek

    Crossroads at Big Creek’s Collins Learning Center will be closed Dec. 25 and 26 and Jan. 1. Attend the Ski for Free program Dec. 28, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm; and Dec. 29, 1-4 pm, when Crossroads and Door County Silent Sports will lend, free of charge, an array of ski and snowshoe equipment to fit […]

  • Door to Nature: Blue Jays

    The Alarm Sirens of the Forest I was reading in my quiet study at sunset when I heard the call of a great horned owl. I stepped onto the front porch in the dimming twilight and waited for it to call again. The voice came from the southern section of my 20 acres of woods. […]

  • PODCAST: Quarry RV Park and the Stories of the Year

    Andrew Kleidon and Myles Dannhausen Jr. discuss the controversial Quarry RV Park proposed for Sturgeon Bay, Al Johnson’s buys the Casperson property, and Jim Schuessler resigns from the DCEDC. Plus, a recap of the year’s biggest stories and why they mattered.

  • League of Women Voters Available to Help with Voter Registration

    While the League of Women Voters explores legal strategies concerning the recent court order to immediately purge 234,000 voters from the rolls, the league wants voters to know they can check their voter registration in advance of Election Day to ensure that this action does not affect their voter registration.  Voters can check their voter […]

  • League of Women Voters to Discuss ‘Who Has the Moral High Ground’

    The League of Women Voters of Door County is sponsoring “Who Has the Moral High Ground: Conservatives or Liberals?” on Jan. 9, 5-6:30 pm, at the Sturgeon Bay Library.  It has been said that if you look beneath the surface of one-size-fits-all political labels, you might find common ground. That’s the goal of this presentation […]

  • Northern Sky Reaches Giving Tuesday Goal

    Giving Tuesday was a huge success for Northern Sky Theater thanks to its donors’ generous support. An anonymous donor provided a challenge gift to match every Giving Tuesday donation up to $5,000. When Northern Sky reached its goal before noon, the donor kicked in an additional $1,000 to the match! Within 12 hours, Northern Sky […]

  • Door County Health Department Offers Cholesterol Screenings Jan. 30

    Door County Public Health will hold cholesterol screenings Jan. 30 for $30 per person. Participants must fast for 12 hours before the test. Results include total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, glucose and triglycerides. Make a (required) appointment by calling Casey at 746.2255.

  • Bruemmer Park Zoo Receives Grant for Environmental Education Center

    The centerpiece of a major makeover at Bruemmer Park Zoo is closer to becoming a reality with a grant from the Green Bay Packers Foundation.  The Zoological Society of Kewaunee County accepted a $7,000 grant Dec. 4 at Lambeau Field to go toward constructing an environmental education center and pheasant exhibit, part of the zoo’s […]

  • AMVETS Post 51 Presents Flag to Hesses

    At the December meeting of AMVETS Post 51, Commander Bill Forry presented an American flag to Rick and Abby Hess of Samuelson Creek Restaurant and White Birch Motel. The Hesses allow the AMVETS – a veterans’ organization that’s open to all veterans who have received an honorable discharge – to hold their bimonthly meetings at the facilities […]

  • Kelly Meyer Wins Door County Veterans Council Raffle

    In support of the Door Council Veterans Council, greater Sturgeon Bay’s Catholic community held a raffle in conjunction with the Nov. 9 Salute to Veterans dinner program. Fr. Bob Stegmann and Fr. Ryan Krueger, along with VSO Beth Wartella, presented the print “Lambeau in Red, White and Blue” to winner Kelly Meyer of Sturgeon Bay. […]

  • Obituary: Helen Mae Peterson

    Oct. 21, 1928 ~ Dec. 20, 2019 Helen Mae Peterson, 91, formerly of Sturgeon Bay, died at Algoma Long Term Care, where she had resided the past few years. She was born at home on the family farm in the Town of Gibraltar, the daughter of Andrew and Clara (LaPlant) Kaczmarek. Helen graduated from Gibraltar High School […]

  • Kewaunee Students to Participate in Outstanding Young Farmer Awards

    Several exceptional young farmers will participate in the 66th Wisconsin Outstanding Young Farmer (OYF) Awards in January in Chippewa Falls.  The finalists are Philip and Laura Finger of Oconto, Kelly and Rachel Fruit of Viola, Jeremy and Heather Natzke of Greenleaf, John (JJ) and Chase Pagel of Kewaunee, Laura and Tyler Raatz of Cecil, and […]

  • Plum Bottom Offers Sparkle for the New Year

    Plum Bottom Road Gallery invites all to ring in the new year during its final art show of the season Dec. 28, 11 am – 4 pm. Enjoy the latest from the gallery’s wide selection of jewelry artists, and add a bit of sparkle to your New Year’s Eve ensemble. Aimee Rivka’s opal necklaces and earrings […]

  • Women’s Well-Being Retreat at Kick Ash

    Women, this holiday, give yourselves the gift of a restorative weekend of self-care and mindfulness by joining facilitators Susan Gould and Beth Coleman at the Door County Retreat for Women: Well-Being in the New Year, to be held Jan. 24-26 at Kick Ash Coffee in Ellison Bay.   During this gently paced weekend of personal rest […]

  • Obituary: Phyllis Jane Beckmann Mielke

    Nov. 10, 1929 – Dec. 15, 2019  Phyl was born in Milwaukee to Myrtle and Ernest Beckmann. She graduated from Rockford College in 1951 and was a lifetime supporter of organizations helping women to attend college. She met Erwin (Sam) Mielke when they were both lifeguards at an Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, city beach. They were married […]

  • Obituary: Monica Leona (Maresch) Hansen

    Feb. 26, 1927 – Dec. 18, 2019 Monica Leona (Maresch) Hansen, 92, formerly of Sturgeon Bay, died at Good Samaritan Society – Scandia Village in Sister Bay. She was born in Manitowoc, the daughter of Leon Frederick Maresch and Marguerite Elizabeth (Drost) Maresch. Monica attended St. Boniface Catholic School in Manitowoc and graduated from Manitowoc Lincoln High School […]

  • Obituary: William Frederick Malkemus

    May 9, 1925 ~ Dec. 18, 2019 William Frederick Malkemus II, 94, died peacefully in his sleep. Bill went to grade school in University City, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Washington University in St. Louis, where he was a member of Kappa Alpha fraternity. Fiercely intelligent, Bill […]