Navigation

Peninsula Pulse March 3-10, 2023

Published

In this issue

  • UU Fellowship Going Solar

    The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Door County (UUFDC) is moving away from reliance on fossil fuels by installing solar panels. Once operational, the new panels will generate approximately 10,000 kWh of energy per year, supply 90% of the UUFDC’s electricity usage and keep the equivalent of 5.5 tons of coal in the ground.  With the […]

  • Presentation on Groundwater Pathogens

    The Door County Environmental Council and Kewaunee Cares will host Tucker Burch, PhD, on March 11, 3 pm, at Crossroads at Big Creek, for a program on the health risks associated with groundwater-borne pathogens. Burch recently co-authored several field studies related to private well contamination in Kewaunee County to determine whether gastrointestinal pathogens and antibiotic-resistance […]

  • Explore the Impact of Light on Plant Growth

    During the next Door County Master Gardeners Association educational lecture, Coggin Heeringa will explore how light influences plant growth, show how to make changes to protect night skies and, by extension, how to assist plants and their pollinators. This in-person presentation will be held March 9, 6:30 pm, at Crossroads at Big Creek, 2041 Michigan […]

  • ODBS Introduces Spring-Break Camp for Kids

    Open Door Bird Sanctuary (ODBS) is holding its first spring-break camp March 20-24, 10 am – 2 pm, as a way to get more children outside and connected to nature. Parents or guardians may register kids ages 8-12 for one or all five days of the camp. Each day offers a different topic, but all […]

  • Listening to the Birds (and Bats and Frogs)

    Acoustic monitoring provides accurate, unobtrusively gathered data about wildlife populations  by COGGIN HEERINGA, Interpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek Crossroads at Big Creek will conclude its annual tribute to Aldo Leopold on Tuesday, March 7, 6:30 pm, when the Crossroads Bird Club hosts a public lecture by Dr. Gary Casper of Great Lakes Ecological Services. […]

  • DCHS Featured Pet: Ginger

    Meet Ginger! This stunning bunny is available for adoption at the Wisconsin Humane Society (WHS) Door County Campus. He’s a big boy who weighs eight pounds and has gorgeous, black accent features and radiant, red eyes.  Like all rabbits at WHS, Ginger (wihumane.org/adopt/animal?id=50339236) has been neutered, has received a flea preventive and has had his […]

  • Get Your Girl Scout Cookie Fix

    Girl Scout Troop 4356 from Gibraltar will be selling cookies for $5 per box March 11, 10 am – 1 pm, at the Piggly Wiggly, 10576 Country Walk Dr. in Sister Bay. Also purchase boxes for the Cookie Share program, which donates cookies to local food pantries, front-line workers and Door County Adopt a Soldier.  […]

  • Snowstorm Reduces Blood Donations

    The Community Blood Center is asking all eligible community members to donate blood during the coming days and weeks to help replenish the low blood supply after recent snowstorms greatly affected the center’s blood drives and donor centers. When the number of blood products on the shelves is this low, the ability to meet patients’ […]

  • Women’s Fund Sustainability Grants

    The Women’s Fund of Door County is accepting applications for spring 2023 sustainability grants that will distribute a minimum of $50,000 in funds this year. Recipients of the organization’s fall 2022 sustainability grants included Cycling Without Age, Big Brothers Big Sisters’ one-to-one youth mentoring, the Door County Medical Center’s Donor Milk Program, and HELP of […]

  • FOPPI Receives Grant for Plum Island Rear Range Light

    The Friends of Plum and Pilot Islands (FOPPI) has received a $130,00 grant from the David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund, within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region.  The lower portion of the Plum Island rear range light will have the current coat of lead paint sandblasted from its exterior legs, […]

  • Door County Civility Project: Civil Political Campaigning

    What would it look like? by ORLAINE I. GABERT This month I’m focusing on the divide-and-conquer strategies that political campaigns in our country have been increasingly using. Although opposing parties have always made negative comments, now we are constantly bombarded courtesy of the vast amounts of money spent in the increasingly available media choices. This […]

  • New Tutoring Business Opens

    After years of being a teacher and seeing the different ways in which children learn, Kathy Biegalski and her husband, Tom, have launched RLS Edge to provide individualized tutoring services. Their staff of nine tutors will assist students with homework, organizational skills and planning guides during the school year. “Students learn in a variety of […]

  • Join the Legislative Days Delegation

    Registration is open, and sponsorships are being accepted, for the 10th Door County/Kewaunee County Legislative Days event, which is set for April 19-20 in Madison. Sponsored by the Door and Kewaunee County Economic Development Corporations, Legislative Days is a biennial trip that a delegation of residents, elected officials, business owners and other stakeholders takes to […]

  • One More Indoor Golf Opportunity Arises

    A self-proclaimed “bogey golfer” has opened an indoor golf-simulator bay to enhance the entertainment at a new Sturgeon Bay restaurant and to provide one more public indoor golf opportunity in Door County. This winter, Stephen Homan and his wife, Danielle Hall, opened A’Boat Time for breakfast and lunch in the former Hot Tamales building on […]

  • Board Approves Rooftop Deck for Sonny’s

    Plans by Sonny’s Italian Kitchen & Pizzeria at 129 N. Madison Ave. to remove the existing roof on the tiki bar and replace it with a flat rooftop for a deck were approved Monday by Sturgeon Bay’s Aesthetic Design & Site Plan Review Board. The plans call for the new deck to be placed on […]

  • Busy Night for Sister Bay Plan Commission

    A host of projects came before the Sister Bay Plan Commission during a lengthy meeting Tuesday, Feb. 28. The result could be the addition of a new restaurant and a large boat retailer to the village.  Beacon Marine Unveils Plans  The commission got a preliminary look at plans for a new retail location for Beacon […]

  • Letter to the Editor: Bill Baudhuin’s Legacy

    I read with sadness the recent announcement of Bill Baudhuin’s death. When Bill was the general manager of Sturgeon Bay Utilities (SBU) in the 1970s and ’80s, he was a tireless leader of Wisconsin’s 80-plus municipal electric utilities.  Bill led the group of 10 wholesale electric customers of Wisconsin Public Service Company that fought for […]

  • Letter to the Editor: Here’s Hoping the Streetlight Comes Back On

    I read your news item in the Feb. 17 Peninsula Pulse (“City Assessing Need for More Streetlights”) about the powers that be in Sturgeon Bay considering adding streetlights to dark spots in the city, one of which being the curve where 3rd Avenue becomes Memorial Drive. I lived at that spot eight to 10 years […]

  • Sevastopol Building Broadband without a Tax Levy

    Another Door County municipality has selected an internet service provider (ISP) to bring fiber-optic broadband to its entire town – this one different from other arrangements made to date. The partners that municipalities have chosen include Nsight (Baileys Harbor and Liberty Grove), Bertram Communications (Clay Banks and Nasewaupee) and Frontier (Jacksonport). The model emerging for […]

  • Nasewaupee Candidate Forum March 7

    The League of Women Voters of Door County is hosting a candidate forum Tuesday, March 7, 6:30-8 pm, for the six candidates on the April 4 ballot who are competing to fill three supervisor seats on the Nasewaupee Town Board.  Two of the seats are new additions – the town increased its board size from […]

  • Rep. Joel Kitchens Holding Listening Sessions March 6

    State Rep. Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay) will hold listening sessions Monday, March 6, in Gibraltar, Sturgeon Bay and Algoma to give Door and Kewaunee County residents a chance to talk about budget issues, legislation, concerns with a state agency or any other state-government matter.  “Now that Gov. Evers has released his budget plan, this is […]

  • Median Pauses Sturgeon Bay’s West-side Kwik Trip

    The Sturgeon Bay Common Council spent the majority of its two-hour meeting Feb. 21 considering whether to allow a new Kwik Trip – one that’s being planned on the city’s west side – to have a driveway connecting with Highway 42/57. Council members held off making a decision and agreed with a suggestion from Mayor David Ward […]

  • Door County Board of Supervisors News Notes

    Pilot Island Is for the Birds And the county board does not want it to be  The Door County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution Feb. 24 that “strongly disapproves of the current use of Pilot Island as a colonial bird rookery and asks that approval be given to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service […]

  • Sturgeon Bay Inks a Deal for New Hotel

    A development agreement to build a 62-room hotel with four stories at the corner of Egg Harbor Road and 12th Avenue in Sturgeon Bay received Common Council approval Feb. 21.  The city has agreed to pay $1.2 million in financial incentives for the Cobblestone Hotel project, with half paid within 30 days of the issuance […]

  • Six Coastal Management Grants Awarded in Door County

    The County of Door, the Towns of Jacksonport and Gibraltar, and the Village of Ephraim have all received Coastal Management Program grants, announced in February, for the 2023-2024 round. Rep. Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay) is the only member of the Wisconsin Assembly who serves on the Coastal Management Council, which acts as an advisory board […]

  • Register for Björklunden Seminars

    Björklunden, Lawrence University’s retreat in Baileys Harbor, has announced its new seminars and opened registration for the mid-June through mid-October offerings. The seminars – led by Lawrence faculty, alumni or friends – are open to the public. New this year are two online courses presented by history professor emeritus Paul Cohen.  Review the full seminar list at […]

  • Public-School Open Enrollment

    Parents who are interested in registering their children in a school district other than the one in which they reside can do so for free at dpi.wi.gov/open-enrollment. The 2023-24 open-enrollment application period will run until April 28, 4 pm. Parents are responsible for transportation to and from school.

  • $300K Going to Tech-School Education

    A $300,000 gift will be used to support graduates of Sturgeon Bay High School who are pursuing tech- and trade-school education. The money will come from the Bordui Foundation, a Sturgeon Bay–based private charitable foundation that received a gift of roughly $300,000 from the Ella May Stedman Foundation, which is ceasing operations. The Stedman Foundation […]

  • Sevastopol Theater Department Stages an Updated “Cinderella”

    The Sevastopol Theater Department is bringing Cinderella by Rodgers and Hammerstein to its stage March 10-11, 7 pm, and March 12, 2 pm.  This updated version of the classic tale introduces new characters and themes, adds humor, deepens the message and increases the relevance of the musical for modern audiences. “I like it when Cinderella […]

  • Southern Door Student Advances to State Spelling Bee

    Elise Jackson, a Southern Door eighth-grader, won the Green Bay/Kewaunee CESA 7 regional spelling bee Feb. 15. Jackson competed against 28 school spelling-bee winners from Door, Kewaunee and Brown counties and will advance to the Badger State Spelling Bee in Madison on March 11. The winner of the state spelling bee will then advance to […]

  • Northern Door Children’s Center Completes Phase One of Expansion

    Northern Door Children’s Center is moving into a new era after completing the first phase of the expansion of its Sister Bay facility.  “This is a dramatic change for us that will allow us to serve many more children and families in northern Door County,” said Cindy Trinkner-Peot, the center’s longtime director.  The center has […]

  • STUDIO234 Presents Dance as Medicine

    STUDIO234 is introducing Smooth Hop Mondays: a new dance series set for March 13, 20 and 27, 7-8 pm, with guest instructor Amanda List. Designed for ages 18-plus and all levels of ability, each class consists of warming up, learning skills and applying them to a piece of choreography. List is a Green Bay–based dancer/choreographer […]

  • Northern Sky Tickets on Sale

    Tickets are on sale for Northern Sky’s 2023 season, which features shows performed both inside at its Gould Theater in Fish Creek and outside at its amphitheater in Peninsula State Park. On stage at the Peninsula State Park theater is The Fish Whisperer, June 14 – Aug. 25, and Cheeseheads! The Musical, June 15 – Aug. 26. […]

  • Tickets on Sale for Peninsula Players’ 2023 Season

    Individual tickets for Peninsula Players’ 2023 season, taking place June 13 – Oct. 15, are now available at peninsulaplayers.com. Season and group tickets are available through the box office.The season opens June 13 with a three-week run of Sean Grennan’s A Rock Sails By, which was part of the theater’s 2022 winter play-reading series. Noël […]

  • Tickets on Sale for Birch Creek’s 2023 Season

    Tickets for Birch Creek’s 2023 summer-season concerts, held in the Dutton Concert Barn, are now on sale at BirchCreek.org/Tickets.  The season opens June 22 with a percussion, steel-pan and world-music concert, Percussion at the Movies, and more percussion concerts will follow June 23-24 and June 29 – July 1.  Symphony-session concerts feature an 80-plus-piece symphony orchestra […]

  • World Premiere Wisconsin

    Statewide theater festival celebrates new plays Spearheaded by the leadership of Madison’s Forward Theater Company, the Milwaukee Repertory Theater and Door County’s Northern Sky Theater, World Premiere Wisconsin launched its inaugural festival March 1 and will run it through June 30 throughout the state. “World Premiere Wisconsin was born out of my desire to celebrate […]

  • Mike at the Movies: Best-Picture Rundown, Part 2

    by MIKE ORLOCK So where are we? Oh, yes … the Academy Awards! My last column, in the Feb. 24 issue, provided snapshots of the first five of 10 movies competing for the top prize at the Oscars, set for March 12. This time around, we’ll look at a group that contains only one real contender, […]

  • Happy Hour with Kait: IPA Education during a Blizzard

    This happy hour dawned with snow and high winds, otherwise known as a blizzard.  I ping Kait. The wind with the snow is not making for great driving conditions. I have to drive back that way eventually anyway, but I’m just putting it out there … (Wisconsin translation: I think it’s not a good idea […]

  • Celebrate Aldo Leopold Day at Crossroads

    Start your weekend with a campfire March 3, 5-7 pm, at Crossroads at Big Creek. Monthly on the first Friday, Crossroads stokes the Council Ring campfire and invites the public to gather for some community cheer. Feel free to take a beverage or even food to cook. Marshmallows and roasting sticks are provided. Then join […]

  • A Run for a Family’s Future

    As the clock ticked down to the start of the Nicolet Bay 5K on May 7, 2022, and 565 runners huddled on Shore Road, a swarm of people in pink shirts gathered in the woods to the east of Shore Road.  The pink wave was Team Chrystal: 36 runners taking part in the Run for […]

  • Dance and Drum Gathering

    STUDIO234 is hosting a monthly dance and drum gathering starting March 3, 7-9 pm, with Amy Maras, Jen Aldrich and Andria Nikoupolis-Weliky.  Each session will include group meditation, gentle Qigong movements to warm up, and gentle prompts to build different drum rhythms. Those who wish to dance will be encouraged to move to the beats. […]

  • Parent Corner: Choosing Your Challenges

    by KAREN COREKIN-DeLaMER, Education and Community Relations Coordinator, Northern Door Children’s Center Dear Karen, I’m a mom to two daughters, ages 4 and 6. They are bright, active girls, and they both do well in school. My mom spends a lot of time with us and helps with child care when the girls’ dad and […]

  • Sons of the Never Wrong Plays the Kress

    Sons of the Never Wrong, a turbo-charged alt-folk trio from Chicago, will perform at the Kress Pavilion on March 10, 7 pm. The group – composed of Bruce Roper, Sue Demel and Deborah Lader – delivers witty, whimsical songs through its signature soaring vocal harmonies and arrangements. Combining influences of folk, jazz, pop and rock, […]

  • Chris Rugowski at Door County Brewing Co.

    Green Bay singer/songwriter Chris Rugowski heads to Door County Brewing Co. on Saturday, March 4, 2-4:30, for a set in the taproom, 8099 Hwy 57 in Baileys Harbor. Rugowski plays a mix of originals and classic covers from the likes of the Foo Fighters, Mumford and Sons, Chicago and Nine Inch Nails.

  • Wild Things: New Fishing Licenses Now on Sale

    Current licenses expire April 1; new ones are valid immediately by KEVIN NAZE, [email protected], Peninsula Pulse contributor Wisconsin’s 2023-24 fishing licenses went on sale this week. They’re good for the remainder of this month, as well as for the license year of April 1, 2023 – March 31, 2024. First-time buyers – and those who haven’t […]

  • Editor’s Note: Unknowingly Stuck in the Rabbit Hole No More

    If you’re like me, you have tight workweeks that require intense focus. Maybe like me, you’d even say you’re skilled at not wasting time. I experimented recently with this self-appraisal based on a book I’d read, and here’s an example of what happened. The task at hand was doing layout for that week’s newspaper. I […]

  • Poet Laureate Featured at Poetry Reading

    Mike Orlock, Door County’s current poet laureate, is the next featured poet in the Dickinson Poetry Reading Series, set for March 8, 7 pm, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Door County (UUFDC). Orlock describes his poetry as “light verse with a topical twist.” Subjects include family, his dogs, travel, Door County, politics, word play […]

  • “The Body of the Law”

    This week we’re sharing one of the honorable-mention nonfiction works from the 2022 Hal Prize contest. The Peninsula Pulse presents the annual Hal Prize competition for fiction, nonfiction, poetry and photography in partnership with the Peninsula School of Art and Write On, Door County. In David Studebaker’s “The Body of the Law,” the author recalls […]

  • Hope United Celebrates Youth Art Month

    During March, the Hope United Church of Christ’s Art Alcoves Gallery will exhibit work by Sturgeon Bay School District students, and an opening reception with refreshments will take place March 6, 6-7 pm. Sturgeon Bay Schools art teachers Nicole Herbst (high school), Megan Jain (elementary school) and Mariah Stahlke (middle school) selected the art for […]

  • Empty Bowl Fundraiser at Clay on Steele

    Clay on Steele is hosting an Empty Bowl event March 5, 12-3 pm, to raise funds for relief efforts in Turkey and Syria following the recent earthquake. Guests may buy a handmade bowl from the pottery, then fill it with a variety of free soups. Breads, sweets and drinks will also be available.

  • The Clearing Exhibits Winter Students’ Work

    The Clearing Folk School’s Winter Program exhibit will take place March 4-5, 10 am – 4 pm, to highlight the work created by students and instructors during this year’s Winter Program classes, held in January and February. Displays showcase original art, fine crafts, nature studies and other projects. Drop your name in the prize box […]

  • Algoma Celebrates Youth Art Month

    The National Art Education Association designates March as Youth Art Month, and Kewaunee County is joining in with workshops and classes for youth and their families. Various Algoma galleries and businesses are also exhibiting students’ art. Participating locations and a map are available at artbeetkc.square.site. Robert Ray Gallery will host its second Art Beat Open […]

  • Miller Art Museum Hosts Artist Reception, Curator Conversation

    The Miller Art Museum will host an artist reception March 3, 5:30-7 pm, with exhibiting artists Robert David Jinkins and Lee Mothes in conjunction with their current exhibitions, Horizon Line and Oceans and Beaches, respectively. Craig Schultz will provide music. Before the reception, 4-5 pm, museum curator Helen del Guidice will lead a conversation with […]

  • Obituary: Eric Thomas Cooley

    April 30, 1971 ~ February 22, 2023  Eric Thomas Cooley, age 51, died at home in Sturgeon Bay, on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, surrounded by his family.  He succumbed to pancreatic cancer after a courageous yearlong battle. Eric was born on April 30, 1971, in Marquette, Michigan.  He is the son of Bonny (Bigge) Cooley […]

  • Obituary: Mary Jane (LeMere) Mueller

    July 19, 1946 ~ February 23, 2023 Mary Jane Mueller, 76, of Egg Harbor died unexpectedly with her family by her side on her father’s birthday, Feb 23rd 2023, at Door County Medical Center. She was born to Lavern and Leah (Olson) LeMere on July 19th 1946 in Sturgeon Bay and attended grade school in […]

  • Obituary: Edward M. Krueger

    July 28, 1934 ~ February 24, 2023 Edward Michael Krueger 88, of Forestville died at home surrounded by his family on February 24, 2023.  He was born on July 28, 1934, in Door County to Herbert and Ida (Wilke) Krueger.  On March 3, 1956, he married Carol Olson at Forest Lutheran Church in Carnot.  Edward served in […]

  • Obituary: Charles “Chuck” Herbert Holtz

    December 2, 1940 ~ February 24, 2023 Charles “Chuck” Herbert Holtz, 82, of Sturgeon Bay, died peacefully surrounded by his family on Friday, February 24, 2023 at Sturgeon Bay Health Services. He was born December 2, 1940 in Milwaukee, son of the late Herbert Charles and Lorraine Harriet (Martin) Holtz. The Holtz family moved to […]

  • Obituary: Evangeline M. Perlewitz

    January 6, 1927 ~ February 24, 2023 Evangeline Mary Perlewitz 96, of Sturgeon Bay, died on February 24, 2023, at Door County Medical Center Skilled Nursing Facility.  She was born on January 6, 1927, in Sturgeon Bay to Joseph and Esther (Neuville) Mallien.  In 1947, she married Julius J. Alberts in Sturgeon Bay. Evangeline was […]

  • Obituary: Ruth D. Potier

    January 30, 1922 ~ February 23, 2023 Beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Ruth Potier died on Thursday, February 23, 2023, ready to leave this earth and experience the joys of Heaven.  Ruth was born to George and Kathryn (Schlise) Schmelzer on January 30, 1922, in Casco, WI, but spent most of her life in Door […]

  • Obituary: Peggy A. Kain

    March 13, 1939 ~ February 22, 2023 Peggy A. Kain, 83, of Sturgeon Bay, died Wednesday February 22, 2023, at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton.  Peggy was born March 13, 1939, as the youngest of eight, in Eagle River Alaska, daughter of Frank and Margaret Worden.  In 1935, Frank and Margaret homesteaded in Alaska along […]

  • Obituary: Kenneth Lon Stillman

    August 22, 1952 ~ February 17, 2023 Kenneth Lon Stillman, 70, of Sturgeon Bay, WI died peacefully at home on Friday, February 17, 2023, surrounded by his loving family. Ken was born to Marian and Howard Stillman in Menominee, Michigan on August 22, 1952, the second of three children. Ken graduated from Menominee High School […]

  • Obituary: Margie Elizabeth Hedsand

    December 8, 1930 ~ February 20, 2023 Margie Elizabeth Hedsand, 92, of Sturgeon Bay, died late Monday afternoon, February 20, 2023 at Door County Medical Center in Sturgeon Bay surrounded by family. She was born December 8, 1930 in Chicago, IL, the daughter of George William Mathauser and Margie (Eller) Mathauser. Margie grew up in […]