Designing the 2026 Go! Guide Cover

Fred Seger came to our attention by means of a long and winding road. We’re very glad he did, as we’ve gotten nothing but great comments about the 2026 Go! Guide cover he designed for us this past winter. If Fred’s story interests you, you can find out more about him and his art on the Arts for All Wisconsin website (https://www.artsforallwi.org). -John Nelson, Publisher, Door Guide Publishing

By Fred Seger

Back in the day, I was looking for a winter activity and took up cross-country skiing. I found many trails in Wisconsin and ended up one day in Sister Bay in Door County. It was magical there in the winter season and I trekked many miles. I drove back through Sister Bay and spotted Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant and pulled over. I walked through the two large double doors and entered a place that was just what I needed, i.e. an authentic atmosphere with comfort food. As I was paying my bill, I picked up some products, including Al Johnson’s Swedish pancake syrup. I was asked to stop back again during the summer. I did exactly that a couple years later. It was a beautiful day driving up Hwy 42 through Egg Harbor, Fish Creek, Ephraim and as I arrived in Sister Bay there were goats everywhere. Looked like a goat parade and turned out to be exactly that. What caught my eye were the goats on the roof at Al Johnson’s, a memory etched in my mind. Don’t see that every day. Sister Bay is quite different during tourist season and I soaked it all in as I drove around the peninsula before heading home.

Life moved on, but the artist community in Door County resonated with me. I started to be more prolific with my art and worked hard at it and was ultimately discovered by a monument company for whom I started etching in granite. I was then commissioned to hand-etch twelve panels depicting all the wars fought from the Revolutionary War to the Persian Gulf War. Upon completion, I was inducted into the Smithsonian American Artist Museum for outdoor sculptures in public places. The artist in me was very proud and I took a break after that incredible achievement. I joined a veterans art group which led me to Arts for All Wisconsin and the artist in me began a new rewarding journey. I have suffered from several disabilities in my life and finding Arts for All was a cure. The organization supports and encourages Wisconsin artists with disabilities. It has been a life-changing experience for me. I have had a very good time doing art in Madison but am now slowing down with my output. I will be doing my last gallery show in Sept. 2026. I’m also involved in a project with internationally-known advocate Wendi Dwyer and doing some smaller cartoon work for her, which helps keep the artist in me satisfied. If the right project came along, I thought, I would love to have a swan song piece to end a long journey of being a visual artist. I have also recently turned to literary arts and have just completed the memoir “Finding Fred” (sometimes it takes a lifetime).

So as this story goes, I was in the grocery store and shopping for maple syrup. What leapt out at me was a bottle of Al Johnson’s Swedish Pancake Syrup. Of course, the label with the goats on the roof was the image that caught my attention. I took the bottle home and responded to the email address for customer comments that was on the back. I mentioned my time in Sister Bay and meeting Al Johnson himself many years ago and how many fond memories I had and how glad I was that the goats were still featured on the roof. The card I sent had my art on it and I hoped they might like it. A few days later I got a call from Arts for All Wisconsin telling me someone had called looking for me. I was given the phone number and called. Door County Go! Guide Publisher John Nelson, who answered and said he was in Sister Bay. I replied how unusual I just sent some art up there. John said yes, I know, Al Johnson’s sent your card over to me at Door Guide Publishing. John said he was looking for an artist to illustrate the cover of the 2026 Go! Guide. I said yes, of course. This was just what I was looking for, a place to showcase my work as well as have the opportunity to share my journey as an artist. As I delivered the piece to Sister Bay that March…the artist in me was smiling.