Southern Door Graduate Hired as Peninsula State Park Naturalist

• Brian Finnel, a 2006 graduate of Southern Door High School and UW-Stevens Point senior, was recently hired as Peninsula State Park’s summer naturalist. He is a natural science major, earth science minor, with a teaching emphasis.

Finnel’s primary duties will include conducting nature programs, leading kayak tours while discussing Peninsula State Park’s geology, working at the Nature Center, and informing and helping visitors with any questions they may have about the park.

The assistant naturalist position is possible due to the Friends of Peninsula State Park and contributions made to the Nature Center.

• The Linden Centre, a cultural retreat in China’s Himalayan foothills started by Brian and Jeanee Linden of Ellison Bay’s The Linden Gallery, has recently been chosen as China’s Hotel of 2011 by Tripadvisor.com, the world’s largest travel website.

The Centre is housed in one of southwest China’s most elegant pre-revolutionary complexes and is nestled between Yunnan’s Azure Mountains and China’s sixth largest lake. Located in the protected village of Xizhou, 10 miles north of the capital of the old Dali Kingdom, the centre is one of the most respected restoration projects in rural China.

The Linden Centre, which has incorporated elements of the Aspen Institute and The Clearing, hosts one-to-three-week long theme programs in areas such as photography, painting, Chinese medicine and culinary arts. Ellison Bay’s Savory Spoon Cooking School will hold their second program at the centre this November.

The award comes on the heels of Travel and Leisure’s Global Vision Award, which was awarded to the Linden Centre for Heritage Preservation, and Voyager Magazine’s Sustainable Tourism Award.

Brian, Jeanee and their two sons are in their Ellison Bay gallery together for the first time in two years this summer.

For more information visit the Linden Centre’s website at http://www.linden-centre.com or call the Ellison Bay gallery at 920.854.2487.

• After nearly 30 years in business, Nor Door Sport & Cyclery of Fish Creek is expanding to Sturgeon Bay with a grand opening celebration on July 8 and 9.

The new site, located at 60 S. Madison Avenue, will celebrate its new location with a long list of guest-friendly activities anchored by daily prize drawings, a chance to win a new Trek Bike, gifts to the first 25 visitors each day, free bicycle safety checks by a Trek factory representative, free demo rides on new Trek and Gary Fisher bicycles and a first-ever “Sprint de Door” competition to raise money for a local charity.

The “Sprint de Door,” co-sponsored by 106.9 The Lodge, is a five-minute distance event to be staged in-store on a new CompuTrainer training simulator. Competitors who cover the most distance in the allotted time will be awarded trophies and the overall winner will receive a special prize from Racer Mate Inc., manufacturer of the CompuTrainer. Both men’s and women’s trophies will be awarded.

To create even more impact, Nor Door is featuring a two-day sale at both locations on a broad range of items.

The celebration will begin at 9 am; prize drawings will be held at 4 pm; and the “Sprint de Door” event will run from 10 am – 4 pm, with trophies awarded at the conclusion of the event on Saturday.

For more information visit http://www.nordoorsports.com.

• The Carrington Pub & Grill is now opened for lunch. The restaurant will be open Tuesday through Saturday starting at 11 am.

Diners can choose from an inspired menu – with premium appetizers, sandwiches, steaks, seafood, as well as many exciting twists on a traditional bar and grill offering.

Indoor and outdoor seating is available to conduct business meetings or dine casually.

The Carrington Pub & Grill is located at 4643 Hillside Road – the north end of the Landmark Resort property in Egg Harbor. For more information or reservations call 920.868.3205.

• After 22 years as pastor at Community Church of Fish Creek, and over 50 years in the ministry, Pastor Fred Miller is retiring this September. Pastor Miller and his wife, Virginia, moved to Fish Creek in 1989 to tend to the historic church on Cottage Row and Main Street. Today, Community Church of Fish Creek is a Christian interdenominational congregation made up of local residents and visitors to Door County.

“It’s been a joy to serve Community Church these many years,” said Pastor Miller. “Someone has called us ‘The Little Church with a Big Heart’ and that has proven true through our missions program and reaching out to the needs around us.”

The church has begun looking for a permanent replacement for Pastor Miller. For more information, email [email protected].