In this issue
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To dad, the term tackle was never associated with football. He used it describe his magic box, the place where he stored secret gadgets that helped him catch bass, muskie, and behemoth river cats.
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The baby was asleep. The shell of one ear had worked its way loose from the pink knit cap. Her lips parted as she breathed. Once, when the woman shifted position, the baby’s eyes fluttered open.
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“Mrs. Tuh-house-suf-ski?” he asked as the woman answered the door. She stared at him like an owl, crumbling mascara magnified by her glasses, her graying hair twisted into a topknot like a question mark.
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The two people walked back towards the car in the cool sunny afternoon of that particular October day. There had been a small enough turnout at the cemetery so that they hadn’t had to worry about talking to many sympathizers, the way they had at the wake a few days earlier, and about that they were relieved.
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When Vern Lundquist, our local barber, answers the rotary black dial-up phone that sits on his hair infested counter below the cut mirror in his barbershop, and says in his deep serial-killer voice, “Vern’s Barbershop,” I say, “cut me!” Like Bones did in that one episode of Star Trek, when he got shot and Captain Kirk had to do some emergency surgery on him.
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The first 100 or so miles of the trip were silent except for the music coming from the radio. It didn’t matter what song was on, as long as there was some noise in the car.
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“That Time of Day” by Rena Zaid
Rena Zaid is an award-winning photographer and mixed media artist. Her work has been included in juried group shows, solo shows, and has been featured in arts & literature publications.
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“Deer Trail” by Paul Rommelfaenger
Paul Rommelfaenger: By day I am a chemist by profession, a completely analytical career. Five years ago I decided it was time to exercise the “other side” of my brain and do something to express my artistic component through photography.
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“I have company,” my father said as I walked into his apartment, his eyes blinking beneath his fluff of white hair. He sat on his recliner with his telephone, his remote control, and his cup of cold milky coffee on the small table beside him.
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“Daffodils at Our Window” by Cynthia Johnson
Cynthia Johnson (and Al) moved to Baileys Harbor in 2000 after living for 15 years in Texas and Oklahoma. Cynthia reads, writes, paints, photographs, gardens, travels, preaches, plays, and revels in the beauty of the Earth.
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John Toennessen: I am a life long resident of the Fox River Valley. I enjoy camping, photography, and computers. My camping is usually at the State Parks in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, but I have camped as far west as the Grand Canyon and as far east as the shores of Lake Ontario in upstate New York.
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“A Very Cold Morning” by Don Gaddes
Don Gaddes: A La Crosse area native, I transplanted to the peninsula in 2004 to marry a true Door County local. Now the father of two young boys, I still manage to find the time to photograph the natural world around us.
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Oh my: the girl in the Spanish-language section of the local library drops the jaw. I sit in tattered jeans and wrinkles and my ears warm with this knowledge she’s the type to make you notice your own failure in existing as you do though not on purpose she’s not looking down her nose she’s […]
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“Circles in the Snow” by Jim Meldrum
Jim Meldrum, from Beloit WI, has done photography steadily since 1967. He has travelled all over Door County (one of his favorite places to take pictures) taking nature, landscape, and panoramic pictures.
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along the road that low road by the river near Nelson or perhaps Buffalo Wisconsin on an August afternoon of bottomland heat I saw fenced property there each post was a sculpture of concrete and bottles of trinkets and shells and maybe a kind of love and each post in that fence seemed a stanza […]
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Crowding the tip of the tongue legions of shadowy figures, places once visited or longing to be visited flexible formulas for all of life’s problems melting memories that meld into incognition the planets, your face, the name of the dog before this one All on tongue’s tip, like snowy […]
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The dedication page in Do it yourself books
Have you ever built a porch swing? Cut the pieces yourself, assemble it like a puzzle. Do you know how to wax cross country skies? To match the temperature and snow there are thermometers for telling you. Thawing and soggy, use yellow wax, freezing up icy, use blue, bitter cold, green. Have you ever built […]
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we meet in the hall of the museum she has brought her husband he hangs up her long green coat and she turns to me she is diminished her hair thinner, unkempt mascara clumped and her hand shakes as she opens her purse to pay she clasps her hands behind her back walking slowly with […]
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This will be the last summer of the red baby swing hanging empty from the black branch battered by april wind waiting for the child who has grown taut and writhes to be put down to run The willow too will come down this year her extravagant boughs arcing down like ballet arms ignoring the […]
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Reading Tennyson on the Rock Island
Orders received, without a second guess they go flying right into the teeth of the cannons. I’m terrified of what’s called courage. Today the sky is hungover; shrunken, damp, and stalebreathed. There are several accounts of ancient Greeks requesting eternal life failing to remember also eternal youth. How rash they must feel now, molding raisins. […]
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Just When You Think There is No One
A white-bearded old fisherman appears at your kid’s soccer game in a folding chair, reading poetry. And how do you know he came there to save us? Not just the blue cap he wears. Not just the flannel shirt frayed at the cuffs. You can tell because the simple words cast with such care into […]
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like water in a sieve like circles of smoke curling away in wisps at least I still have him I press his iceberg hand and ask how he feels today sometimes all right sometimes a shrug mostly he is tired my fun-loving jokester hides in shrubs of silence fleetingly peeping out like a rare yellow […]
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Now I see why words were invented, why the cat in the window opens her eyes why a long haired man limps by streetwise in darkness, snow softly falling. Now I know how to be forgotten completely how to sleep alone with the deep songs calling me, page by page, candles glowing, cat in the […]
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He’s coiling them now, the lot of them tangled across the yard, garden hose varietals in shades of green. In early summer he dragged these leafy-hued lifelines to plants already parched and succumbing. Back then, he laid each careful line, belief grounded in the beneficence of water, and each morning he showered the fruits and […]
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His name appeared In Memoriam of the Alumni Today And I remembered my first, My only bar fight (We lit majors were more likely to duel with words) And I won, technically, Because I was on top of him When we were pulled apart. One of my lit major friends Was so excited by the […]
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On Sunday the wind blew like hell the empty farmhouse down the road burned windows raw black holes with brown halos a monument of loss next morning the willow tree is right to hold her tiny green leaves close like jewels they drip down her arms glowing, ignorant of their perfection the robin’s egg fell […]
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Photo by Kelly Skahen O’Rourke
Kelly Skahen O’Rourke, formerly of Sturgeon Bay, works as a photographer in Chicago. Through her camera lens, Kelly expresses her passion for the people and places she encounters.
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“Water Droplet on Lilac” by Heather Harle Frykman
Heather Harle Frykman shows her nature photography at the Frykman Studio Gallery in Sister Bay, which she co-owns with her husband Lucas and his parents David and Carole Frykman.
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Photo by Kelly Skahen O’Rourke
Kelly Skahen O’Rourke, formerly of Sturgeon Bay, works as a photographer in Chicago. Through her camera lens, Kelly expresses her passion for the people and places she encounters.
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“Roots at Logan Creek” by Wence Martinez
Wence Martinez, a well-known tapestry weaver, discovered his second passion for art in photography over a decade ago. His work, along with wife Sandra’s, can be seen at Martinez Studio, located one mile south of Jacksonport.
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When not taking photos or painting, Sharon Auberle may be found writing poems and posting them on her website: Mimi’s Golightly Café, where you will find many more of her photographs.
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“Winter Fractals” by Heidi Atanasov
Heidi Atanasov: In 1998 I earned a B.S. in Art Education from UW-Madison. For the past 10 years I have been the Imaging Specialist & fine art photographer at Peninsula Photo Imaging in Door County.
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Matt Olson is a Door County native and has spent the past several winters abroad. His travels have taken him across Europe, Asia, and more recently the South Pacific and New Zealand.
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“Hand feeding a Chickadee” by Carrol Fibich
For a number of years Carrol J. Fibich has combined her two passions, photography and wildlife, along the way winning a number of state and local photo awards.
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“Spring Leaves” by Heather Harle Frykman
Heather Harle Frykman shows her nature photography at the Frykman Studio Gallery in Sister Bay, which she co-owns with her husband Lucas and his parents David and Carole Frykman.
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Heidi Atanasov: In 1998 I earned a B.S. in Art Education from UW-Madison. For the past 10 years I have been the Imaging Specialist & fine art photographer at Peninsula Photo Imaging in Door County.
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“Boathouse at Sunset” by Paul Rommelfaenger
Paul Rommelfaenger: By day I am a chemist by profession, a completely analytical career. Five years ago I decided it was time to exercise the “other side” of my brain and do something to express my artistic component through photography.
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“Coming in to Land” by Jim Meldrum
Jim Meldrum, from Beloit WI, has done photography steadily since 1967. He has travelled all over Door County (one of his favorite places to take pictures) taking nature, landscape, and panoramic pictures.
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American Life in Poetry: Column 228
I don't often mention literary forms, but of this lovely poem by Cecilia Woloch I want to suggest that the form, a villanelle, which uses a pattern of repetition, adds to the enchantment I feel in reading it.
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“Reflections of Water Lilies” by Heather Harle Frykman
Heather Harle Frykman shows her nature photography at the Frykman Studio Gallery in Sister Bay, which she co-owns with her husband Lucas and his parents David and Carole Frykman.
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Albert M. Johnson: We have lived in Door County full time for nine years. Since retirement, my artistic interests have been in pottery, silver jewelry and photography and participating on the board and committees of the Peninsula School of Art.
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Matt Olson is a Door County native and has spent the past several winters abroad. His travels have taken him across Europe, Asia, and more recently the South Pacific and New Zealand.
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“Coexistence” by Shannon Thielman
Shannon Thielman: I am a registered nurse and amateur photographer living in Madison, Wisconsin. I love to travel. With my camera, I tend to avoid the typical vistas and monuments, looking instead for a more subtle interpretation of the places I visit.
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Photo by Kelly Skahen O’Rourke
Kelly Skahen O’Rourke, formerly of Sturgeon Bay, works as a photographer in Chicago. Through her camera lens, Kelly expresses her passion for the people and places she encounters. Her love of travel and capturing the beauty of life has taken her around the globe. Kelly enjoys spending time with her husband and coming to Door […]
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“Clark Lake Birds” by Rosemary Stuart
Judges' comments: Oftentimes nature photography lacks the spirit and life that it hopes to capture; however, this photographer did an excellent job of framing the shot so that our eyes focus on the two birds, intently focusing on each other.
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Judges' comments: The subject matter of this photo was certainly the most intriguing of any in this year’s contest; it piqued the judges’ curiosity to no end.
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Judges' comments:While some may say, “It’s just another flower,” we found this image to capture exactly what we were looking for in this year’s contest.
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Each time we announce the Photography Jubilee in conjunction with our annual lit contest, it seems that without fail, the phone will ring the next morning.
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Poetry Judge: Marilyn L. Taylor
This year’s poetry contest was judged by Wisconsin’s Poet Laureate, Marilyn L. Taylor, Ph.D. Prior to being appointed by Governor Doyle to her current position, Taylor was the Poet Laureate for the city of Milwaukee and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she taught for the Department of English and later for the Honors College.
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This year’s prose contest was judged by David McGlynn, a professor of English at Lawrence University in Appleton. Graduating with a B.A. in English and Philosophy from the University of California, Irvine in 1998, McGlynn went on to receive his M.
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I’ve done it. Most every writer I know has done it. And, we will continue to do it. Sending our words off for critique and criticism to some contest or another can be a daunting task, but the idea here is never to give up.
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In the first meeting of his first writing class at a small liberal arts college in central Illinois, Hal Grutzmacher said creative writing classes should be abolished and outlawed.
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ProseFirst Place: “The Visit” by Gary JonesSecond Place: “Interstate Clarity” by Joe GozdowiakThird Place: “Vern’s” by R.
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Door County Featured on Milwuakee Radio
Last week, reporter Susan Bence from WUWM radio in Milwaukee spent a day in Door County talking to people involved in environmental preservation efforts. Click Preserving Door County to listen to her
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Special Thanks to Prize Donors!
The Peninsula Pulse would like to thank the generous businesses and individuals that donated prizes to this year’s Literary and Photo Contest.
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2009 Hal Grutzmacher Writers’ Exposé and Photography Jubilee
As a child, my parents could not get me to read a book even if they paid me, which is a fact that now makes my dad laugh when I talk about being an English Literature major.
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A report in the Janesville Gazette today confirms a rumor I heard a couple weeks ago - the Stanley Cup, awarded to the NHL Champion each year, will visit Door County Aug. 18. Pittsburgh Penguins left-winger
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Mark Schroeder pulled away with a final round 31 in the Red Putter Pro Tournament Saturday in Ephraim. Schroeder won by five strokes over last year's champion Nick Kwaterski to earn the coveted Red Jacket and $1,000 grand prize.
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Upcoming Concerts at Woodwalk Gallery
Scott Wakefield, a veteran performer of American Folklore Theatre, will perform at the Woodwalk Concert Series on Friday, August 7 at 7 pm.
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Washington Island Music Festival Package Offered
The Washington Island Music Festival is offering a special opportunity for peninsula visitors and residents to attend the “Scandinavian Soiree” concert on Sunday, August 9 at 4:30 pm at the Trueblood Performing Arts Center.
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Scott Wakefield to Play T.Ashwell’s August 6
New York-based musician and Door County favorite Scott Wakefield will play a special acoustic show at T.Ashwell’s Restaurant in Ellison Bay on Thursday, August 6 at 8:30 pm.
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“Is He Dead?” Premieres at Peninsula Players
Mark Twain’s newly discovered comedy, Is He Dead?, recently premiered on the Peninsula Players stage on July 29.
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Steppin’ In It to Play Peg Egan PAC
Steppin’ In It, one of America’s most prestigious American roots bands, will take the stage at Egg Harbor’s Peg Egan Performing Art Center on Sunday, August 2 at 7 pm as part of the Sunset Concert Series.
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Katie Dahl CD Release Concert August 9
Door County singer/songwriter Katie Dahl recently announced a concert celebrating the recent release of her debut CD, County Line.
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Glas Coffeehouse Hosts Final Songwriter Showcase
Local musicians Adam Mackintosh and Anna Sacks will present their final Songwriter Showcase on Wednesday, August 5 at 7 pm at Glas Coffeehouse in downtown Sturgeon Bay.
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DCA Hosts African Children’s Choir
Singing and dancing on behalf of their family, friends, neighbors, and their villages, the children from seven African countries will lift their voices in songs of hope when they perform at the Fish Creek’s Door Community Auditorium Friday, July 31 at 7 pm.
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Big Band Jazz Underway at Birch Creek
The first session of big band jazz now underway at Birch Creek continues through August 1, at which time a new group of musicians will roll into town and continue big band jazz performances through August 15.
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Midwest Jazz Collective at TAP
Members of the Midwest Jazz Collective first began playing together at the highly regarded Birch Creek Music Performance Center in 2004.
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Second Eli Mattson Show Announced at TAP
Third Avenue Playhouse has added a second Eli Mattson show on Saturday, September 26 at 7:30 pm. Mattson’s first show, scheduled for September 25, sold out in less than two weeks.
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Secrets of Algae Revealed in Ridges Program
In Door County, most people know algae only as the “green, stinky stuff” that sometimes fouls our beaches.
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NWTC’s Learning in Retirement Kicks Off 6th Year
Learning in Retirement (LIR), offering lifelong learning programs in partnership with NWTC (Northeast Wisconsin Technical College), in Sturgeon Bay, begins its sixth year of continuous operation.
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Antique Car Gala Highlight of Island Fair
The annual Washington Island Lions Club Island Fair will take place on Saturday, August 15 at various locations around the island.
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Door County Festival of the Arts Set for August 15
The 7th annual Door County Festival of the Arts is planned for Saturday, August 15, and features the visual, performing, literary and culinary arts of the Door Peninsula.
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Gelato Party at Double Delites
Egg Harbor’s Double Delites plans to host a children’s Gelato Party on Thursday, August 13 from 1 – 6 pm.
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DCMM Hosts Classic & Wooden Boat Festival
“Boats, Books, & Brushes” is the new theme of the 2009 Door County Maritime (DCMM) Classic & Wooden Boat Festival, which takes place this year on the DCMM museum grounds in Sturgeon Bay on Saturday and Sunday, August 1 and 2.
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Life is a Bowl of Cherries at Crossroads
Crossroads at Big Creek will be the site of the Door County Historical Society’s Cherry Ice Cream Social on Sunday, August 2 from 1:30 – 4 pm.
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Savory Spoon Offers Seasonal Kitchen Class
Fresh seasonal vegetables from the farmer’s market will be the foundation for this class and meal at Ellison Bay’s Savory Spoon Cooking School on Thursday, August 6.
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Kids Dessert Class at Savory Spoon
Give a budding cook a welcome summer break and with a special “Kids Can Cook” class being offered by the Savory Spoon Cooking School in Ellison Bay.
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Fish Creek Living History Event This Weekend
The Gibraltar Historical Association is planning a 1800s Living History Weekend for this coming Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, July 31 and August 1 and 2 throughout Fish Creek.
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“Mystery Ship” Unveiled in Gibraltar Talks Series
“The Mystery Ship” is the focus of the next Gibraltar Talks presentation and takes place on Tuesday, August 11 at 7:30 pm at the Gibraltar Town Hall in Fish Creek.
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Cherry Hills Top Ten Scores of the Week •
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Mary Reynolds Aiken Sturgeon Bay Home Course: Idlewild Handicap: 12 Years Playing: Since age 10 Best 18-hole score: “73.
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Grand Scandia Golf Scramble Maxwelton Braes Monday,
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August 3:Gould/Chomeau Senior Tournament, Peninsula State Park920.854. 5791August 4 –7:Resorters Match Play Tournament, Peninsula State Park920.
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Dear Peter,That's quite a claim. There is a lot of attention focused on Peninsula State Park as it celebrates its 100th year. Nowhere in my historical research, however, have I come across any question of ownership.
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Peninsula State Park Golf Course = Home
A wise man once told me, “Shoot for par. The bogeys will come.” Unfortunately for me, it’s more along the lines of, “Shoot for bogey and the doubles will come.
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Leo (July 23 – August 22): A popped piece of bubble gum on your face will likely enhance your overall appearance at Tuesday’s piano recital.
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Question: When were the current dimensions of the Dime coin (0.705 inch, 17.91mm) set?Last Issue’s Question: Who holds the world record for altitude while flying a propeller-driven airplane, and how high did this person fly?Answer: Lt.
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Wine By the NumbersWe’ve all seen those little tags on the bins where wine is merchandised, indicating the selection has been rated 90 points by one of several wine rating systems.
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Culture Club – Peninsula Arts and Humanities Alliance
Each year, the number one question I am asked is, “What do you do when the Peninsula Music Festival is over?” The perception is that I work three weeks a year when the concerts take place and the rest of the year I am off.
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Taking on Controversy, Expelling Rumors
“Is this right?” My sister and I thought we were lost, driving 15 mph down a windy, seemingly unending country road canopied by tall, green-leafed trees.
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Ephraim Yacht Club Hosts 2009 Flying Scot North American Championship
Visitors to Ephraim and Peninsula State Park this week may notice an abundance of sailboats skimming across the waters of Eagle Harbor. This increase isn’t due simply to a busy August week in Door County; it’s the 2009 Flying Scot North American Championship Regatta hosted by the Ephraim Yacht Club.
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Egg Harbor Gets $400,000 More for Marina
The Wisconsin Waterways Comission granted an additional $400,000 to the Village of Egg Harbro for its new Harbor of Refuge and marina Friday. The grant is in addition to the $1.185 million awarded the
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Welcome to the Notes from the Grove providing Liberty Grove residents and visitors tidbits of information about goings on in Town Government. • Quick reminders: During Town Hall remodeling and new construction the Town Offices are in their temporary location at the North Fire Station.
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Article posted Friday, July 31, 2009 11:49am
3.5Percent of news stories that originate in blogs and then make their way to traditional news outlets465Bomb attacks on coalition forces in Afghanistan in May6,000Number of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) attacks on Afghan forces this year46Number of troops killed by IED this year in Afghanistan37Number of U.
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• Viruses have always been part and parcel of man’s existence. Whether they are alive or not can be debated, but the fact remains that they can replicate only by gaining entry to living cells.
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“Why Is It…?” was designed by Dr. Steiner to address readers’ questions about human behavior from a social psychological perspective in order to inform and stimulate dialogue about the ways in which our thoughts, feelings and behaviors are influenced by the presence of other people.
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Article posted Friday, July 31, 2009 11:43am
As I wrote last week, I’ve been writing this column for a long time. As you might expect various topics or themes have recurred throughout the years, but there is probably no one theme I have written on more consistently than the importance of shopping in locally-owned, independent stores within our communities.
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It sounds counterintuitive – and a little gross – when one is told about a waterless urinal, but improved technology is making “low-flush” passé when it comes to conserving water.
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Katy Deardorff is a Peninsula Pulse intern entering her sophomore year at Indiana University. This summer she was assigned the task of collecting information for the Green Page, but there was one problem – she didn’t know much about going green.
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DOOR COUNTY LEAGUE BASEBALL All games start at 1:30 unless otherwise noted. Admission is $4 August 2 • Baileys Harbor @ Egg Harbor • Washington Island @ Instititute • West Jacksonport @ Sister Bay • Maplewood @ Kolberg July 26 Results Institute (4) vs.
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Quella Represents Wisconsin in Soccer Tournament
Steven Quella, goalkeeper with Door County United U17 soccer team and the Gibraltar/Sevastopol High School soccer team, recently competed with team Wisconsin (1992) in the Olympic Development Region II soccer tournament held in Rockford, Ill.
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Local Runner Joins Lance Armstrong Foundation in Fight Against Cancer
Local Ellison Bay resident Krista Lawell has joined the Lance Armstrong Foundation's (LAF) fight against cancer by raising funds through the ING New York City Marathon as a member of Team Livestrong.
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Door County Humane Society Featured Pets
Jack – This gentle giant is a Border Collie mix who is extremely well mannered. He is a young boy at just 3 years old. Jack has a big heart, good with children, cats and other dogs.
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• Baylake Bank Premier Club and the Door County YMCA will present an informational program, “Leader Dogs for the Blind,” at the Door County YMCA, 1900 Michigan Street, Sturgeon Bay on Wednesday, August 5, 9:45-10:45 am.
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Community Marketing Funds Managed
Bruce Hill was hired by the Door County Visitor Bureau in mid-May of 2009 to manage the disbursement of the Community Marketing Fund, which was established as a way to overcome the challenges of Sturgeon Bay joining the Toursim Zone.
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• Current and former employees of Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant and Butik are organizing an Employee Reunion Party in honor of the restaurant’s 60th anniversary this year.