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Peninsula Pulse July 24-31, 2020

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In this issue

  • Sail thru the Avenues Sidewalk Sales

    The annual, citywide Sturgeon Bay shopping tradition – Sail thru the Avenues Sidewalk Sales – will continue July 30, 9 am – 5 pm.  Take advantage of great deals at businesses that will line the streets between stores to roll out the shopping deals of the year in clothing, home decorating and kitchen goods, sports […]

  • Fincantieri Bay and Polaris New Energy Host Private Keel Laying

    Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Polaris New Energy hosted a private ceremonial keel laying June 24 to celebrate the start of construction on a liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker barge. It will be named the Clean Canaveral and will operate as an articulated tug and barge unit that will initially run along the East Coast, providing […]

  • Partnership Shaping Future of Former Younkers Building

    It won’t be long before the vacant Younkers building will again anchor downtown Sturgeon Bay with retail space worthy of its prominent address at the corner of 3rd Avenue and Louisiana Street. “We are just waiting on some state permits,” said Todd Trimberger, who purchased the building earlier this year with Dr. Kelton Reitz, an […]

  • High Winds Cause Power Outage

    High winds Saturday morning knocked a tree limb onto the power lines on Hoganson Lane in Ephraim. The limb caught fire, then burned through the lines and knocked it to the ground, causing a Sunday morning power failure in the area. The Ephraim Fire Department was on the scene until a Wisconsin Public Service crew […]

  • Sister Bay Enacts Pebble Beach Ordinance

    The Village of Sister Bay passed an ordinance July 21 to enact a $300 fine for those who remove stones from Pebble Beach. The village has erected temporary signs at the beach and has permanent signs ordered.    The village acquired the property in cooperation with the Door County Land Trust last year. Some people have […]

  • Baileys Harbor Appoints New Chair

    At a special meeting July 20, the Baileys Harbor Town Board appointed David Eliot to replace Town Chair Doug Smith, who resigned earlier this month. (David Eliot is a co-founder and the publisher of the Peninsula Pulse.)  Supervisor Peter Jacobs nominated former Supervisor Bobby Schultz to fill the spot, and Supervisors Jake Erickson and Roberta […]

  • Supreme Court Decision Halts Local Transit Projects

    A Wisconsin Supreme Court decision that bridled Gov. Tony Evers’ veto authority has also pressed the pause button on state grant dollars that had been awarded for critical transportation projects around the state, four within Door County. The issue pertains to the 2019-21 biennial budget bill that Evers signed July 3, 2019, with several vetoes. […]

  • All Masked Up: Area Businesses Receive Mixed Reactions to Mask Requirements

    On Monday afternoon, while parked outside the entrance to the Walmart in Sturgeon Bay, not a single maskless person could be seen entering the store, at least during a period of about 40 minutes.  A large sandwich board positioned at the roped-off entrance gave customers the scoop: “Walmart requires face coverings for all customers, associates […]

  • Beach Expansion Completed in Egg Harbor

    Last month the Village of Egg Harbor announced it had made an offer on an acre of the Alpine Resort shoreline property. This month, it announced the completion of an expansion on the other side of its beach property.  The village expanded beach frontage this year by 50 percent, added ADA accessibility to the water’s […]

  • As Cases Rise, Restaurants Adjust Mask Guidelines

    As COVID-19 cases continue to rise with outbreaks in northern Door County, restaurants have taken stronger measures to prevent the spread and assure customers that their establishments are safe.  On July 16, Husby’s Food and Spirits, the popular bar and grill in Sister Bay, announced that it would close out of caution after an employee […]

  • State Task Force Focuses on Expanding Broadband Access

    Last week the New York Times called digital exclusion a civil-rights issue. Specifically, “doing schoolwork in the parking lot is not a solution” was the opinion of its editorial board, and “an adequate connection is no longer a matter of convenience. It is a necessity for participating in a civil society.”  Too many people in […]

  • Golf League Results: July 24, 2020

    IDLEWILD Senior Men’s Thursday 8:30 am Group  July 16, 2020 • Closest to bunker #2: Glen Herlitz • Longest drive #4: Mark Weaver • Closest to pin #6: Harold Forbes • Longest putt #8: Mark Weaver • Low gross: Jim Schaefer 38 • Low net (tie): Mike Eliason 33, Mark Jinkins 33 • Special: hit pin on chip: John Melland […]

  • Know Your Grower: Waseda Farms Garden

    Photos by Maddy Schierl Location: 7281 Logerquist Road, Jacksonport Acreage: Two acres, situated on Waseda’s 500 acres  Meet your grower: Dave Seabright, Waseda Farms’ garden manager  The garden at Waseda Farms looks like a lush wave, with colorful tomato trellises at its crest, and neat, green rows dipping gently toward the garden’s entrance. Grassy pathways […]

  • Framed: Tim Stone and the Monarch

    While watching a ball game, friends noticed that a monarch kept landing on Tim Stone’s hand. Each time it departed, they thought it was gone for good, but it returned to land on his hand nine times! They all held out their hands, too, hoping to share in the magic, but the monarch always chose […]

  • Manners Matter: ‘Merely Trying to Make a Living’

    Dear Mary Pat, We own a restaurant here in Door County. We’ve been overwhelmed by the local support since the shutdown in March and the reopening at the end of May. So many of our local customers supported us with take-out orders and gift certificate purchases.  And because we love our community and know that […]

  • Server of the Week: Michelle Schneider at Peninsula Kayak Company

    Favorite thing to do when you’re not working? Hike at Newport State Park.  Best concert you’ve been to? Appalachia Rising at the Door Community Auditorium last summer.  Favorite socially distanced activity? Reading in a hammock.  Three words you’d use to describe yourself? Outgoing, adventurous and curious. (Her co-workers add that she’s intelligent, caring and fun.) 

  • Wild Things: Salmon Tournament’s Final Weekend Could Set Records

    Anglers are coming from near and far to participate in the 38th annual Kewaunee/Door (K/D) County Salmon Tournament, which will wrap up its nine-day run Saturday night.  Leaders can change very quickly, but as of early Tuesday morning, here’s how things stood: A Brussels youth, Devin Buhr, had taken the early lead with a 30.49-pounder […]

  • Stand-Up Paddleboarding: What to Know Before You Go

    According to a report conducted by the Outdoor Recreation Association, stand-up paddleboarding was the outdoor activity with the most first-time participants in the United States in 2013. If you take a look at the waters of Door County on any summer weekend, you’ll notice that its popularity doesn’t seem to have dwindled much since then.  […]

  • Beach of the Week: Egg Harbor Beach

    If last week’s featured beach, Sand Bay Beach, is an example of a hidden treasure, then Egg Harbor Beach is an example of an idyllic spot that’s been right under your nose all along.  Located within easy walking distance of downtown Egg Harbor, Egg Harbor Beach is the perfect spot to soak up the sun […]

  • ‘Apologies to the King’: How ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Got Away with It

    If we shadows have offended,Think but this, and all is mended,That you have but slumber’d hereWhile these visions did appear. Because of the immediate, physical nature of theater, its ability to deliver powerful messages directly to the audience is paramount. And because of its implicit interpretive nature, it’s common to see classic texts reimagined and […]

  • Base Camp Coffee Closes

    There are places I go for great food or a single great item. I go to other places because I know I can get in and out without breaking the stride of my day. Then there are places such as Base Camp Coffee in Sister Bay: a place I went to for those reasons, but […]

  • Door Reader Series: Fahrenheit 451

    I was in seventh grade the first time that I read Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. I wasn’t a particular fan of science fiction, nor was I a fan of dystopian fiction. That being said, Fahrenheit 451 didn’t even register as belonging to a genre as I read it.  Bradbury’s language was so rich and real […]

  • PERSPECTIVE: In Search of Better Conversations

    I’ve never been one of those knee-jerk social media haters. When many called Twitter a waste of time, I defended its utility as a way to get information out quickly, in real time, and to reach people who otherwise weren’t part of the news ecosystem.  When we began using Facebook at the Peninsula Pulse, it […]

  • Letter to the Editor: We Have the Right to Be Protected

    We have seen during the past several months arguments about the necessity and the requirement to wear a mask to slow the spread of COVID-19. Our own president – in order to impress people with his masochism – didn’t begin to wear a mask until three months after medical authorities recommended their use. And today, despite the […]

  • Letter to the Editor: A Measure of Civilization

    “Conservation is a measure of civilization. If greed and bigotry are traits of barbarism, then general altruism and tolerance proclaim tremendous progress in the art of living.” — Historian John Ely Briggs, published in 1931 If you agree with that quote, then it follows that Trump is dragging the nation deep into barbarism almost 90 […]

  • Letter to the Editor: Supportive of Peaceful Protests

    I love reading the Pulse, and the Overheard column puts a smile on my face when I read it. We need more of this during these tense times. What I don’t think was appropriate or fair appeared in a recent Shout-Out column: “Shout-out to all the Black Lives Matter protesters who are showing their solidarity […]

  • The Taco Boss Is Back with Lumberjack’s Taco Shack

    Cash Murphy – the Taco Boss – and his high-contrast food truck are back from Arizona for the summer season, and he’s again serving up a variety of northern Mexican-inspired tacos and his famous elote: a modernized style of the classic Mexican grilled street corn. The truck has daily taco specials, and if you like things […]

  • Letter to the Editor: Over My Dead Body

    Some will wear a mask but don’t want to be told they have to. Whereupon they drive home from somewhere observing the speed limit (for the same reasons), or else the arresting officer will tell them that they have to. Others cannot believe that the government might have the power to tell them what to […]

  • Kewaunee County Emergency Management to Host Clean Sweep Collection

    Kewaunee County Emergency Management is hosting its 2020 Clean Sweep collection Aug. 26, 8 am – 12 pm, at the Kewaunee County Hillside Highway Shop, E2180 Hwy 54 in Casco. Residents may safely dispose of unwanted agricultural and household hazardous waste, medications, opioids, sharps and more for free.  Residents are asked to register in advance […]

  • Berns Takes Third-Place Podium Finish at ERX Motor Park

    Colton Berns, a 15-year-old sophomore at Gibraltar High School, won a third-place podium finish at ERX Motor Park. His father, Keven Berns; and a family friend, Jeff Wood, built the off-road vehicle from a rolling chassis, and Rick Hembel assisted with the welding. Berns’ race car is a 1600 buggy with a custom-built chassis; it […]

  • Kewaunee County Public Health Department Seeking Help to Provide School Supplies

    The Kewaunee County Public Health Department is seeking the help of businesses and community members to fill the backpacks of area students with supplies for the upcoming school year through its annual Back to School Program. Donations are being accepted for distribution at Lakehaven Hall, 96 Ellis Street, on Aug. 19. The program aims to […]

  • Miller Art Museum Receives CARES Act Funding Through Wisconsin Arts Board

    The Miller Art Museum (millerartmuseum.org) in Sturgeon Bay is among 110 arts organizations in Wisconsin – and nine in Door County – that have received CARES Act funding through the Wisconsin Arts Board (WAB). In April, the WAB developed a grant program to fund salary support, fees for artists and/or contractual personnel, and/or facility costs […]

  • Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3088 to Hold Annual Buddy Poppy Drive

    Sturgeon Bay Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3088 will hold its annual Buddy Poppy drive July 31 and Aug. 1 at Main Street Market in Egg Harbor, and at Pick ’n Save, Econofoods and Walgreens in Sturgeon Bay. All funds raised will go to assist veterans and their families. Red poppy flowers symbolize the sacrifices […]

  • Slezewski Earns Bravery Beads Through Every Step of Leukemia Battle

    Southern Door High School student Griffin Slezewski, part of the Class of 2021, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in January of 2019.   He spent the next six months, mostly in the hospital, undergoing treatment and earned “bravery beads” every step of the way. He received a bead for each blood draw, chemo treatment, injection, […]

  • A Visit with Gilbert Farms

    Editor’s Note: This is the last of a three-part series about Door County dairy farms. Most dairy farmers are out with the cows by 4 am. Tim Gilbert usually sleeps until 10 – but then again, he doesn’t typically get to bed until 6 am. On the day of our 10:30 am interview, he’d had […]

  • NWTC Preps for Campus Opening, Introduces New Campus Manager

    At Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC), new Campus Manager April Konitzer is stepping into uncharted territory as she takes over for the recently retired Cheryl Tieman. The COVID-19 pandemic has put the educational world into a state of uncertainty, with parents and students weighing education, finances and health in ways they’ve never had to before. […]

  • Door County Alumni Profile: Mark Wagner

    Mark Wagner’s career as director of ticket operations for the Green Bay Packers began with a warning from Bart Starr, the legendary quarterback who was then the team’s head coach.  “You’re the face of the organization,” Starr told Wagner when he was hired in 1977. “You’re the one that people call, and it’s important that […]

  • Birch Creek Online Sessions Continue

    Birch Creek has completed its Percussion & Steel Band Online and Symphony Online sessions of virtual music instruction, with 42 young music students participating. World-renowned Birch Creek faculty and a host of new and returning students from around the country spent a full week in master classes, private lessons and performances. Continuing a 19-year Birch […]

  • TAP Welcomes Ginnow as Technical Director/Stage Manager

    Third Avenue Playhouse (TAP) has welcomed Jon Ginnow to its permanent staff as its technical director/stage manager. He will oversee all scheduling; take a hands-on approach to managing technical direction, scene construction, painting and properties management; stage manage all productions; run the light board and sound for all performances; and supervise summer interns. Ginnow brings […]

  • Midsummer’s Music Trio Featured on ‘Performance Today’

    A Midsummer’s Music trio was featured July 15 on the national radio program Performance Today. The ensemble of violinist David Perry, cellist Walter Preucil and pianist Jeannie Yu performed three movements of Joachim Raff’s Piano Trio No. 2 in G Major, Op. 112, recorded at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Sister Bay. Performance Today programs […]

  • Pumpkin Patch, Other Egg Harbor Events Canceled

    The Egg Harbor Village Board of Trustees and Egg Harbor Business Association (EHBA) have canceled the Door County Sports & Classic Car Show on Aug. 8, Egg Harbor AleFest on Sept. 19, and Pumpkin Patch Festival on Oct. 10-11. The safety of visitors, residents, volunteers and staff members was the primary factor in this decision, […]

  • DCMM’s Boathouse Sidewalk Sale July 30-31

    The Door County Maritime Museum (DCMM) will host a Boathouse Sidewalk Sale on July 30-31, 10 am – 4 pm; and Aug. 1, 10 am – 1 pm. It will coincide with Destination Sturgeon Bay’s July 30 sidewalk sales. Browse through the tents in the museum/Skipper Bud’s parking lot along 120 N. Madison Ave. Items for […]

  • Volunteer at Crossroads!

    Crossroads at Big Creek continues Nature by Appointment, Tuesday – Saturday, at 9, 10 or 11 am. Families, individuals, or two or three friends – all wearing face masks and practicing social distancing – may participate in a 45-minute, private outdoor nature program with a naturalist.  To make the appointment, email [email protected] with “Nature by Appointment” as […]

  • Eagle Bluff Lighthouse Is Open

    Eagle Bluff Lighthouse opened July 20, and the Door County Historical Society and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources have put extra safety precautions in place to protect patrons and employees: • Masks are required to enter the gift shop or take a tour, and all staff members wear masks. Disposable and reusable masks are available […]

  • Letter to the Editor: An Open Letter to Republicans

    I am 74 years old, and I have never in my life seen anything like the spectacle that is happening in the White House today. I have no idea where the Republican Party has gone, but shame on every one of you to let this debacle continue. Just during the last six months, we have seen more […]

  • Plans Revised for Southern Door Firefighters’ Picnic and Parade

    Because of the pandemic, Southern Door firefighters have revised the plans for their July 25 picnic and parade. The parade lineup will start at 10:30 am on Mill Road; the parade will begin at 11 am. Walk-up/drive-up burgers, brats, hot dogs, chicken booyah and beverages will be available for takeout only at the Southern Door […]

  • Featured Pet: John Doe

    Meet John Doe (wihumane.org/adopt/animal?id=44321686), a four-year-old cat who’s available for adoption at the Wisconsin Humane Society (WHS) Door County Campus.  Upon arrival as a stray, this handsome guy was nervous but social, giving headbutts for attention and purring despite being in a strange, new place. Since that day, he has shown more and more of […]

  • Clean Boats, Clean Waters Initiative Helps to Halt Invasive Species

    The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) created the Clean Boats, Clean Waters (CBCW) program in 2004 in an attempt to help lower the impact of aquatic invasive species. Program inspectors perform boat and trailer checks, disseminate informational brochures and educate boaters about how to prevent the spread of invasive species.  Door County joined CBCW […]

  • Photosynthesis: Solar Panels at Waseda Farms

    In 2017, Waseda Farms on Logerquist Road in Jacksonport installed 190 feet of solar panels. The system covers an estimated 50 percent of Waseda’s energy use, the majority of which goes into the commercial freezers and coolers that store meat for Waseda’s market. Additional benefits of the system include an expected decrease in coal consumption […]

  • Nor Door Athletics Baseball: Jul. 24–31

    Results July 17 Kolberg beat Baileys Harbor by forfeit July 19 West Jacksonport 3, Washington Island 2 Institute 0, Egg Harbor 7 Maplewood 5, Sister Bay 9 Standings Egg Harbor, 4-0 Sister Bay, 4-0 Kolberg, 3-1 Institute, 1-3 Maplewood, 1-3 Baileys Harbor, 0-4 Washington Island, 0-4 Schedule July 24 Maplewood vs. Institute at Baileys Harbor […]

  • Jodi Rose Offers WonderDoodles, YogaDoodles Workshops

    Learn how the common doodle can elevate your life by joining two workshops with Jodi Rose: WonderDoodles Intuitive Art Journaling, to be held July 30, 1-3:30 pm; and YogaDoodles, to be held Aug. 1, 10-11:30 am, both at the Spa at Sacred Grounds in north Ephraim. Both workshops will include a gentle yoga practice and […]

  • Resurrected: New Organizations Filling City’s Child Care Void

    Community rallies to breathe new life into former Barker Center Sometimes, a crisis is what it takes to find a solution. One month ago, parents in Sturgeon Bay were sent into a panic when the Door County YMCA announced it was closing the Barker Child Development Center, citing in part a lack of broad business […]

  • Sun Safety: FAQs about Sunscreen

    Skin cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, and here in Wisconsin, more than 5,000 surgeries were performed for malignant skin-cancer removal last year, according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association.  Sunscreen plays an important role in preventing skin cancer, but not everyone knows how to use it most effectively and safely. With guidance from Prevea […]

  • Fiddler’s Farm to Host Live Music Each Saturday

    Fiddler’s Farm, 6951 Cty C in Sturgeon Bay, will host live music every Saturday, 7 pm, starting July 18. The doors will open at 6 pm. Musical stylings will include bluegrass, classic country and western swing. Take your own chair, or borrow one to socially distance. General admission is $20 cash at the door. Learn […]

  • Obituary: Carol Virginia Krumenacher

    July 3, 1934 ~ July 19, 2020 Carol Virginia Krumenacher, 86, of the Town of Liberty of Grove, Sister Bay, died Sunday morning, July 19, 2020. She was born July 3, 1934 in Brooklyn, NY, the daughter of Charles Edward Blossfield and Mary Magdalene (Gallagher) Blossfield. Carol graduated from Mount St. Joseph Academy in West […]

  • Obituary: George Earle Bodenner

    December 24, 1927 ~ July 19, 2020 George Earle Bodenner, 92, passed away at his home on July 19, 2020.  He was born on the family farm in Amery, Polk County, Wisconsin on Christmas Eve 1927. He enlisted in the Navy in 1945, serving in three wars: World War II, Korea, and Viet Nam.  He […]

  • Obituary: Benjamin R. Polster

    April 4, 1976 ~ July 17, 2020 Benjamin Robert “Ben” Polster, 44, of Forestville, died on July 17, 2020, at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Green Bay.  He was born on April 4, 1976, in Manitowoc, to William and Sonja (Everson) Polster.  Ben graduated from Southern Door High School and on October 4, 2008, he married […]

  • Obituary: Catherine Ann (Wegner) Bertler

    January 17, 1922 ~ July 17, 2020 Catherine Ann Bertler, 98, formerly of Green Bay and Mishicot, died Friday morning, July 17, 2020 at the Pete and Jelaine Horton Skilled Nursing and Hospice Center in Sturgeon Bay.    She was born to Joseph Claude Wegner and Catherine Theresa (Metz) Wegner, January 17, 1922, in Mishicot. Following […]

  • Obituary: Mildred A. Monfils

    July 21, 1929 – July 17, 2020  Mildred Ann Monfils, 90, of Sturgeon Bay died at Anna’s Health Care. She was born in Nasewaupee to Louis and Artyice (Starr) LaViolette. On Feb. 7, 1948, she married Donald Viste. He died in 1957. She married Lawrence Monfils in 1958. He died in 1996. Millie was a member of Emanuel Lutheran Church in […]

  • Obituary: Robert “Bob” Dvorak

    Feb. 24, 1934 – July 16, 2020 Robert “Bob” Dvorak, 86, of Sturgeon Bay died at his home. He was born in Two Rivers to Adolph and Martha (Ihlenfeldt) Dvorak. Bob attended and graduated from Mishicot High School. He served his country in the U.S. Army, 1955-56, in Korea. On Sept. 12, 1959, he married Carol Mae […]