PMF Hires Concertmaster

• At the final concert of the Peninsula Music Festival’s August 2011 season, Music Director and Conductor Victor Yampolsky announced the new concertmaster of the Festival Orchestra. Igor Yuzefovich will take over the duties in August.

Born in Moscow, Russia, Yuzefovich was recently appointed concertmaster of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, having previously served as the assistant concertmaster of the Baltimore Symphony and concertmaster of the Lancaster Symphony Orchestras.

A winner of numerous competitions, Yuzefovich has performed in countries across the globe. His concerts have taken him from Carnegie Hall in New York to the Cairo Opera House in Egypt.

The 60th Season of the Peninsula Music Festival will run Aug. 7 – 25, with nine different concerts in three weeks. Concert subscription packages are on sale; single tickets will go on sale Feb. 6. For more information visit http://www.musicfestival.com or call 920.854.4060.

• Suzanne Graff and Jerry Gomis are leaving Door Shakespeare after 13 seasons. The Door Shakespeare Board of Directors offered thanks to the couple for their years of commitment in developing the theater company into one of the artistic gems in Door County.

With their departure, the board is committed to continuing the quality entertainment that patrons have come to expect.

Ryan Schabach, an actor and director for Door Shakespeare and other national theaters, has agreed to assist the board with its immediate need of interim artistic leadership. Schabach recently directed and performed in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare… Abridged.

For the 2012 Summer Season, Door Shakespeare will present The Comedy of Errors in the Bjorklunden outdoor garden in Baileys Harbor.

For more information call 920.839.1500.

• The Door County Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC) will continue to offer regular office hours through the winter and spring for new and existing business owners in Northern Door, providing business counseling and entrepreneurial services in Sister Bay. Individual, confidential sessions will be held the second Tuesday of each month, from 8 am – noon at the Sister Bay Fire Station, 2258 Mill Road. The next date will be Jan. 10. An appointment is requested and can be made by contacting Sam Perlman at 920.743.3113 ext. 204 or via email at [email protected]. Walk-ins are also welcome, based on availability.

• Recently, Joe Smith, general manager for Shipwrecked in Egg Harbor, received a phone call while away from the pub. It was Amanda Stout, assistant manager and expectant mother, calling from work to let him know that “it was time,” and he should plan to come in. As Smith recalls, the time of the call on his cell phone was 8:39 pm. Amanda quickly went into labor and before professional help could arrive (at 8:45 pm), she gave birth at the brewpub to Rori Michele Orlock, 8 lbs. 9 oz. and 21 inches. Both mother and baby are healthy and well, and the event has inspired ideas for new pub items and potential tag lines.

• To encourage an adoption decision, the Door County Humane Society is dropping the cat adoption fee to $20.12 for the month of January 2012.

“We’ve resolved to find homes for a significant number of the 110 cats at the shelter,” said Carrie Counihan.

The special lowered fee is offered on cats two years or older. Only spayed or neutered cats that are completely up-to-date on shots will be adopted to new homes.

The shelter had an extraordinarily active year with cat intake setting new records. It is the mission of DCHS to find homes for every adoptable animal and until then offer a clean, safe, comfortable cage.

The Door County Humane Society is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday through Sunday from noon – 4 pm for visits and adoptions. Applications may be downloaded from the DCHS website (www.dooranimals.com) or completed at the shelter. References are checked prior to approval of an adoption.

Also effective on Jan. 1, 2012, the Humane Society announced an increase in adoption fees. Cat adoption now is $90, up from $85, while the dog adoption cost has been raised $30 to $150.

• More than 20 downtown Sturgeon Bay businesses will extend their hours on Jan. 6 as the United Way of Door County launches the 2012 First Fridays in Sturgeon Bay. The first Friday of each month (second Friday in April due to Easter) many downtown Sturgeon Bay shops will remain open until 8 pm. Participating businesses include shops on Jefferson Street, Third Avenue and Madison Avenue.

The goals of these events are to increase business traffic in downtown Sturgeon Bay and to increase awareness of local non-profit organizations. United Way of Door County will be the featured non-profit for Jan. followed by the Wellness Center in Feb. Information on the organizations will be available at various locations throughout the shopping district.

Untitled Used and Rare Books will celebrate its first anniversary by initiating First Friday Poetry Readings. Readings will take place between 5 – 8 pm with coffee and tea available. Local residents are invited to read. A salon will follow with wine and cheese.

For more information call 920.746.9645 or email [email protected].

• Eligible producers with livestock, feed, honey bees, or farm-raised fish losses due to disease, adverse weather, or other conditions in 2011 have until Jan. 30, 2012, to submit an application for payment for 2011 losses for the USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) and the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP).

To potentially be eligible under LIP and ELAP, livestock losses due to adverse weather events must occur within 60 days of the adverse weather event. Producers must file for losses within 30 days of the deaths becoming apparent.

Producers should contact the Door County or Kewaunee County FSA County Offices with any questions. Learn more about ELAP and LIP by visiting http://www.fsa.usda.gov.

• Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds producers who may be considering upgrading or adding extra storage space for harvested crops next year that the Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program provides low interest loans for building or upgrading storage facilities.

Filing an application early will ensure the project is completed in time before next summer or fall when additional storage may be needed.

The maximum principal amount of a loan through FSFL has increased to $500,000 per structure, and loan terms of seven, 10 or 12 years are now available depending on the amount of the loan.

Applications for FSFL must be submitted to the FSA county office that maintains the farm’s records. An FSFL must be approved before any site preparation or construction can begin.

For more information visit http://www.fsa.usda.gov.

• Carl’s Club of Sister Bay (officially known as Nor Door Adult Day Services), a social club, is open 18 hours each week for persons 18 years or older with physical and/or mental disability at 10539 Applewood Lane.

Since July 2010, the trained staff at Nor Door Adult Day Services has created social events, ability-appropriate activities and exercise, and other personalized recreation for both individuals and groups. The program benefits participants with an opportunity for socialization, but it also allows caregivers an opportunity for respite.

Meals and snacks are included in the customary fee of $8/hour; adjusted fees may be available. Transportation from the Sturgeon Bay Senior Center is offered (Fridays only).

To confidently insure this program’s long-lasting contribution, critical needs have been identified including more participants, more volunteers, monetary donations, and volunteer entertainers. The community is also welcome to donate books, board games, puzzles, magazines, CDs, DVDs, art supplies, and more.

To benefit the program, Jeanne Kuhns and Lost Mothra are performing from 3 – 5 pm on Jan. 28 at the First Baptist Church of Sister Bay. Refreshments and bakery will be available.

Management expertise for Carl’s Club is provided by the Older Americans Program of N.E.W. Curative Rehabilitation, Inc., a Green Bay non-profit organization providing day service programs in several Northeast Wisconsin locations for three decades.

For enrollment or other information, call Sarah Kramer at 920.593.3576 or via email at [email protected].