In this issue
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Conference to Address Bird Conservation
Bringing Birds Back, a statewide conference, is in the works to explore how we can all help to bring back some of the 3 billion birds that our continent has lost since 1970. The Wisconsin Bird Conservation Partnership, Bird City Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology are planning the conference for March 24-25 at […]
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Business Works to Reduce Environmental Impact
Peninsula Painting has announced plans to upgrade its entire fleet of vehicles with electric work vans. Since the company began in 2005, it has been working to reduce its environmental impact by improving its materials recycling program, reducing waste and using 0% VOC paints.
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Enrollment Open for Ridges Forest School
The Ridges Sanctuary in Baileys Harbor has opened enrollment for the spring semester of its Ridges Forest School, offered Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 9-11:30 am. The program is designed for homeschooled students ages 5-8 who enjoy outdoor, hands-on learning. They will hike through and learn from diverse ecosystems, write in journals, and make personal connections […]
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League of Women Voters Discusses Wisconsin’s Conservation Legacy
The League of Women Voters of Door County is cosponsoring a virtual program, “Imbalance of Power: How Shifts in State Government Undermine Wisconsin’s Conservation Legacy,” on Jan. 10, 6:30 pm. The Leagues of the La Crosse Area and the Greater Chippewa Valley developed the program, and 16 other local Leagues, including Door County, are cosponsors. […]
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League of Women Voters Hosts Lively Issues Event
The League of Women Voters of Door County will host a discussion of local issues Thursday, Jan. 12, 4:30-6:30 pm, at the Bertschinger Community Center, 7860 Hwy 42 in Egg Harbor. The meeting will begin the process of planning a program for the next League year. Topics will be considered in the context of League […]
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Door County League of Women Voters Taking Candidate Forum Requests
The Door County League of Women Voters is taking forum requests until Jan. 20 for seats that are contested in the nonpartisan spring 2023 races for seats in towns, villages, the city and school boards. Any candidate, nonpartisan group or individual citizen may request a forum. The League will then proceed if the position is […]
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Record-High State Surplus Recorded in Wisconsin
Gov. Tony Evers announced last week that for the third consecutive year, the state’s General Fund recorded a positive balance at the end of the 2021-22 fiscal year, increasing by nearly 300% from a positive balance of $1.2 billion at the end of the 2020-21 fiscal year to a new record high of $4.6 billion […]
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State, Federal Dollars Going to Door-Tran and Sunshine House
Door-Tran and Sunshine House, both located in Door County, are two of the 44 agencies that will receive more than $5 million in state and federal funds distributed by Gov. Tony Evers. The funding is going to transportation services for seniors and individuals with disabilities in rural areas of Wisconsin. Sunshine House will receive $103,788 […]
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Public-Transit Ridership on the Rise in Door County
Ridership is on the rise – “significantly,” said Pam Busch, director of the County of Door’s public-transit service, while giving her December report to the county’s Administrative Committee. The service includes Door 2 Door Rides (D2D), a shared-ride taxi service for the whole county; and Door County Connect (DCC), which provides rides Monday-Friday throughout the […]
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Broadband Survey Impacts Local Project Funding
The FiberNet Door County Broadband Project is urging community members to visit the new Federal Communications Commission’s national broadband map by Jan. 13 to make sure it accurately reflects the internet access that’s available at area homes and businesses. If areas are incorrectly finalized as having access that they do not actually have, it could […]
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Heads Up On High Nitrates, Casco
On Jan. 11, 5 pm, the Kewaunee County Land and Water Conservation Committee will meet at the Expo Hall at the Kewaunee County Fairgrounds, 625 3rd St. in Luxemburg. Immediately after the meeting, Kewaunee County residents will gather to discuss their private well-water test results. The test results are from the continuing, comprehensive study of […]
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Attorneys Settle STR Issue in Sevastopol
The Town of Sevastopol had intended to hold a public hearing regarding a short-term-rental (STR) property that “has created some difficulties for the town and surrounding residents,” according to Dan Woelfel, Sevastopol chair, during the town board’s Dec. 19 meeting. The town had scheduled a public hearing for Jan. 10 to provide information and hear […]
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Sister Bay Marina Committee Charts New Course on Rentals
Sister Bay’s boat-rental operators will likely be sticking around for a while after the village’s Marina Committee heard from a roomful of supporters during a Dec. 14 public hearing. More than a dozen attendees spoke up in support of the opportunities the commercial vendors provide. Several noted that it’s the only way they get on […]
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Nasewaupee Files Suit for Water Access off Elms Road
The Town of Nasewaupee filed a civil complaint Dec. 12 in Door County Circuit Court seeking an injunction for access to the bay of Green Bay off of Elms Road, which is accessed from County M. The complaint – which names Clarice L.M. Jacobsen of 4143 Elms Road; Brian J. Jacobsen of Prospect Heights, Illinois; […]
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Washington Island Fire Department Calls for Mutual Aid
It doesn’t happen often, but occasionally the Washington Island Fire Department calls for mutual aid, and the Washington Island Ferry – always on call for emergencies – responds. That call went out around 8:30 am on Jan. 3, with the Madonna ferrying 16 crew members and equipment from four mainland fire departments – Baileys Harbor, Ephraim, […]
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Public Hearing Planned on Proposed S&S Jerseyland Dairy Expansion
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is planning a public hearing for Feb. 7, 10 am, via Zoom on the permit-renewal application from the Forestville-based S&S Jerseyland Dairy, which is seeking to expand its operation, said James Salscheider, a DNR agricultural runoff management specialist. S&S Jerseyland Dairy is a large-scale farming operation known as […]
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Using Tourism Dollars to Build Better Communities
April 6 is the first deadline for a new quarterly grant program designed for local projects and funded with $1.8 million If you live or work in Door County, you’ve heard many times that “tourism exists to make our lives better” and “tourism works for us.” If it weren’t for tourism dollars, the mantra goes, […]
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The stone wall along Highway 57 in front of Stella Maris Catholic Church and Chives Door County in Baileys Harbor is getting a facelift. During the last week in December, Baileys Harbor contractor Franke Masonry Construction started work on a concrete retaining wall, according to deacon and Stella Maris business administrator Tony Abts. The goal […]
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Adult Dance Classes at Studio234
Studio234 is hosting guest instructor Amanda List for two adult (18 and older) dance-class series. Both will be held on Monday nights, 7-8 pm. Lyrical Dance is set for Jan. 16-30, and Sexy Chair Dance will take place Feb. 13-27. Classes are designed for all abilities and will consist of warming up, learning skills and […]
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Film Showed at Kress Pavilion Discusses Role of Caregiver
United Way of Door County will present the award-winning movie Coming Up for Air on Jan. 19 at the Kress Pavilion. The film focuses on the key role that caregivers play in promoting family wellness. Through this story of a single mother whose college-aged son unexpectedly begins to experience mental illness, audiences go on a […]
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DCA Starts Winter Season with “Gratitude Revealed”
Door Community Auditorium (DCA) is kicking off its 2023 winter season with a free screening of Gratitude Revealed – a film by Louis Schwartzberg, the director of Fantastic Fungi – on Jan. 7, 7 pm. Schwartzberg has dedicated his life to making films that celebrate life and the human spirit. His parents, who were both Holocaust survivors, appreciated […]
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Fusty Turns Fresh and Fun in Christie-like Whodunit
by MIKE ORLOCK Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (PG-13), currently in select theaters but also streaming on Netflix, is more than the customary sequel that inevitably follows a hit movie. It plays like the next chapter in an ongoing franchise that promises to bring us the further adventures of master sleuth Benoit Blanc, showcasing […]
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WINE TRAILS: Lautenbach’s Orchard Country: Local Fruit, Local Flavors
by JIM SCHNAEDTER Jim Schnaedter describes himself as a wine appreciator, but not an expert. “I love drinking it, pouring it, talking about it and writing about it, but the more I do of each, the more I learn of what I don’t know about it.” He sets out to discover Door County wines and […]
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Spring Classic registration is now open Do you need motivation to pull you through the slush of winter? Then think about getting back in the saddle for the Peninsula Century Spring Classic bicycle ride on Saturday, June 17. The ride from the Peninsula Pacers returns to Baileys Harbor with routes of 25, 50, 62 and […]
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Bryophytes: Small Plants with a Big Impact
Though you may not know what bryophytes are, you’ve almost certainly seen them if you’ve spent time outside in Door County. Bryophytes – according to Keir Wefferling, UW-Green Bay’s herbarium curator and an assistant biology professor – are plants that don’t have tracheids, or specialized water-conducting vessels. Without tracheids, plants can’t get very tall. “[Bryophytes] are […]
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Open Door Pride, Cherry Lanes Host Mixer
Open Door Pride and Cherry Lanes Arcade Bar are cohosting their first Fun Night Pride mixer of 2023 on Jan. 17, 6-9 pm. This free event – with games aplenty – is open to all ages. Meet Open Door Pride members, and learn about how the organization’s mission to affirm and celebrate diversity in Door County […]
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Twelve Eleven wine bar is celebrating the people who keep the service industry humming Jan. 17, starting at 6 pm, through a special collaboration with Sway beer. The wine bar at 10339 N. Hwy 57 in Sister Bay will host a ’90s hip-hop industry night, with DJ Trent Magik spinning records while attendees dance and […]
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Dinner, Bluegrass at White Gull Inn
Wisconsin-based Third Coast Bluegrass – a new band made of longtime friends and musical cohorts with roots in the Great Lakes bluegrass scene going back to the 1970s – will be featured in concert at the White Gull Inn on Jan. 11. The band comprises Marc Edelstein, bass and vocals; Ken Finkel, banjo and vocals; Peter […]
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The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Door County will feature three poets during its next Dickinson Poetry Series. Cathryn Cofell, Bruce Dethlefsen and C. Kubasta will share their work Jan. 11, 7 pm. Cofell is an Appleton poet with two full-length collections, including Stick Figure With Skirt, winner of the Main Street Rag Poetry Award; as […]
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Switchback Delivers Celtic and Americana
Music fans will take in a mix of original and traditional Irish music from the duo Switchback during the next installment of the Art of Music winter concert series Friday, Jan. 13, 7 pm, at the Kress Pavilion. Brian Fitzgerald and Martin McCormack have been playing their brand of eclectic Celtic and Americana music for […]
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ALUMNI PROFILE: Stacie Haen-Darden returns to Turkey as a Fulbright Scholar
When Sevastopol High School alumna Stacie Haen-Darden spent her senior year of high school in Turkey through the Rotary Youth Exchange Program, it changed her life, as the program so often does. But boarding the plane at age 17 – before the internet existed and before phone calls home required just a few taps on […]
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Kaleidoscopes on Display at Ladybug Glass
To start off the new year, Ladybug Glass is bringing back a fun item: kaleidoscopes! Stop by Ladybug Glass Studio & Gallery, 219 Steele St. in Algoma, on Jan. 6, 4-7 pm, and Jan. 7, 10 am – 4 pm, as part of First Friday in Algoma to enjoy the kaleidoscopes, refreshments and conversation. The […]
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The View from Above: Dan Anderson discovers drone photography
Technology has sent photographers scrambling throughout the past decade. These days, nearly everyone has a powerful camera in their pocket at all times, so those who make a profession out of taking pictures have had to find new ways to separate themselves from the amateurs. One of Door County’s leading photographic eyes is no different. […]
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Dahl and Mulvey in One-Night Show at TAP
Katie Dahl and Peter Mulvey are teaming up for a one-night-only concert at Third Avenue PlayWorks (TAP) on Jan. 6, 7:30 pm. Dahl is a singer-songwriter and playwright whose work is as expansive as Lake Michigan and as deeply rooted as its coastal bluffs. She is a radio-charting folk artist who tours the world. Mulvey […]
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New Board Members for Peninsula Players
Peninsula Players Theatre has appointed Sarah Bonovich and Greg Wait to its board of directors for three-year terms. Bonovich resides in Door County with her family and is a property manager at Doneff Companies, focusing primarily on multifamily housing. She also serves on the board of the Friends of Gibraltar. Wait is a partner with […]
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Peninsula Music Festival Volunteers Make a Big Difference
by LINDA WEISENSEL, President, Sustaining Committee When 70-plus musicians arrive at Door Community Auditorium in August to present the Peninsula Music Festival’s (PMF) Symphony Series, there will be a group of dedicated, hardworking volunteers from the Peninsula Music Festival’s Sustaining Committee (PMFSC) ready to support them every step of the way. This special committee is […]
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A Year of Transition for the County’s Art Economy
Arts sales in Door County took a dip this year, but artists and gallery owners expected that after the post-COVID enthusiasm of 2021. “It was busier than we expected it to be,” said J.R. Jarosh of Edgewood Orchard Galleries in Fish Creek. “Last year was probably everybody’s busiest year ever, so we expected it would […]
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Dennis Connolly’s Windows to the Soul
When Dennis Connolly was a kid and his five uncles on his dad’s side came over to visit, they would all playfully beat each other up. “That was their way of showing love,” Connolly said – but he didn’t necessarily want to be the object of that sort of affection. So he used an unconventional […]
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April 23, 1958 ~ December 26, 2022 Sheila Ann Wills, 64, of Sturgeon Bay, died on Dec. 26, 2022, at her home. She was born April 23, 1958, in Huntington, West Virginia to Carl and Bethel Grant. On August 25, 2002, she married Brian J. Wills in Chicago. Sheila worked as a snowplow driver for […]
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Obituary: William “Bill” A. Guenther
April 12, 1947 – December 4, 2022 William “Bill” Guenther, 75, died unexpectedly at his home in Racine. Bill was a graduate of Milton College and furthered his education at the University of Denver in the area of hotel and restaurant management. During his college years Bill worked summers at the Anderson Hotel in Ephraim […]
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April 24, 1935 ~ December 28, 2022 Robert “Bob” J. Schartner, 87 of Little Harbor in the Town of Sevastopol, died Wednesday morning, December 28, 2022 at Cardinal Ridge in Sturgeon Bay. Bob was born April 24, 1935 to the late Louis Ludwig and Laura Mary (Haberli) Schartner in Sturgeon Bay. He graduated from Sevastopol […]