Year in Review: Thumbs Up To…

To melaniejane and the Holiday Music Motel in Sturgeon Bay for giving the TV-watching nation a glimpse of Door County on a Travel Channel show called Hotel Showdown. The show aired on Feb. 10 and featured the Holiday Music Motel in competition with three other Midwestern hotels for a $25,000 prize. While the Holiday did not win the prize, it was nice exposure for the motel and Sturgeon Bay. Just a few months later, on May 20, season 6 of Fox’s MasterChef began with two Wisconsin residents in the running – Katrina Kozar of Milwaukee and Sara Zacek, a pie maker from Baileys Harbor. Zacek was eliminated on July 15, the ninth week of the 16-week series.

To freshman Assemblyman Joel Kitchens, who spent his first year in office listening to constituents and trying to make a difference. Kitchens is credited with helping to return funding to the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship fund, which has played such an important role in land preservation in Door County; for helping to keep $4.2 million in the state budget earmarked for Kewaunee to rebuild its crumbling seawall; and, as vice chair of the Education Committee, for helping to derail some of the more outrageous public education legislation that was proposed by his colleagues.

To Open Door Bird Sanctuary in Jacksonport, which broke ground on its Bird Care Center in May and held a very successful grand opening in August. In 2016 the sanctuary has set its sights on raising $130,000 to buy, rather than lease, the 34-acre property.

To the Boys & Girls Club of Door County. In October, Julie Davis, chief professional officer of the club, was named Executive Director of the Year for the Midwest Region by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The club’s board of directors was also recognized with the silver level of the League of Eagles Award. The award recognizes the Door County club board for achieving 90 percent of performance indicators. In 2014, less than 10 percent of the boards nationally met the milestone. The club also completed a new ADA-compliant entrance to its building this month.

To the 2015 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship, which exposed Sturgeon Bay and Door County to 50 of the world’s top bass anglers and the rest of the nation when the $1 million event was held in Sturgeon Bay for the first time on Sept. 17-20.

To Door County folk singer Katie Dahl, whose song “Crowns” (from her June release, Ordinary Band) topped the folk radio charts for July 2015. Her album was No. 4 overall.

To Sturgeon Bay 10-piece old soul, funk and Motown band WiFEE and the HUZz BAND, whose song “She Won’t Go” was featured as the “Coolest Song In The World” on Sirius XM Satellite Radio.