UNCOMMONLY FINE WRITING

Northern Haus Expands Wedding Options into New High-Level Territory

By Laurel Ciohon Imagine driving down a tree-covered country road, dotted with wildflowers and farmhouses, the sun peaking out from the trees. You pull up to an expansive 30-acre property in the midst of it all. The beauty of this […]

The Conversion from Manpower to Steam Power in the Fishing Industry

By Walter M. and Mary K. Hirthe, Door County Almanak, No. 3, 1986 Although the age of steam was well launched on the Great Lakes by 1818, the revolution made possible by steam power did not reach the northern islands […]

Interview with Midsummer’s Music Violinist Ann Palen

Respectfully submitted by Allyson Fleck Ann Palen has played violin with Midsummer’s Music since 2014. Growing up in Edwardsville, Illinois, Ann studied Suzuki violin. Her start to instruction was somewhat of a challenge for her mom, but not what you […]

What’s Lurking In Your Mole Sauce?

By Jim Berkenstock I recently looked at the date when I wrote the last Coffee Chat and was astounded at how much time had gone by. How time flies when you are having fun (in quarantine). So, with apologies, I would […]

Summer Grilling with Door County Coffee Co.

Memorial Day weekend is known as the kickoff to Summer. Now that summer is in full swing, before you buy burgers and get the grill out, Door County Coffee Co. reminds you to take time to remember the fallen, as well […]

What Do You Call a Group of Pelicans?

By Coggin Heeringa, Director, Crossroads at Big Creek A group of pelicans is called a pod. Actually, there are many other names for pelican groupings — a pouch, a scoop, a squadron or if they are fishing as a group, […]

11th Annual Crossroads Trail Run Goes ‘Virtual’

By Coggin Heeringa, Director, Crossroads at Big Creek The Crossroads Trail Run 2020 promised to be the best ever. We had generous sponsors, exciting plans, and registrations were coming in. And then, everything changed. It was clear that, for the […]

A special 30th Anniversary Message from Jim Berkenstock of Midsummer’s Music

It is hard to believe that it has been 30 years since we started Midsummer’s Music. I remember the first concert at Dianne and Peter Trenchard’s in 1991 (I still have the attendance list), along with so many milestones and […]

Coffee Chat with Jim Berkenstock: Secret Sauce

I’ve often referred to cooking when talking about music. We use some of the same words to describe music and foods — words like “sweet,” “sharp,” “dry,” “complex,” etc. Frequently, an audience member tells me after the concert that they […]

Perfect Door County Coffee Co. Pairings for Every Meal

You’ve heard of beer and cookie pairings or wine and cheese pairings, and we love those too of course, but we think it is about time for a Door County Coffee and food pairing! Breakfast: While we know all of […]

Dining on Mother’s Day 2020 in Door County

While we’re still in the midst of COVID19, many folks are wondering: Where can I get mom a great meal on Mother’s Day? We’ve done all the hard work for you and compiled a list of everyone serving food on […]

How Did On Deck Get Their Boat in the Store?

Heads turn when people catch their first sight of On Deck’s in-store boat. This icon of boats casually rests in the middle of the men’s display area in the company’s downtown Fish Creek location. On Deck Staff will tell you, “It’s […]

How do Sandhill Cranes Know to Come Back to Door County Every Spring?

By Coggin Heeringa, Director, Crossroads at Big Creek While we miss the school groups coming out to Crossroads at Big Creek for their spring field trips, we are thrilled that families are using our preserve…and it has been fun to […]

Five DIY Uses for Coffee Grounds at Home

We love our coffee. Door County Coffee Co. has been roasting coffee in Door County for 27 years and aren’t stopping! The only problem with coffee is when it’s gone. We hate to throw away those grounds of goodness after […]

A Message from Door Community Auditorium

By Cari Lewis Thank you for being an important part of Door Community Auditorium! DCA’s board, staff, and program committee look forward to unveiling our 2020 Main Stage Season to our closest friends next week. This year, in lieu of […]

Meet Savory Spoon’s Guest Chef Laurie Conrad

By Janice Thomas Baking during quarantine is both incredibly enjoyable and slightly challenging for me. On the one hand, I find baking to be a very pleasant pursuit. It creates a feeling of coziness in my kitchen, which is usually pretty fun, […]

Coffee Chat: A Practicing Musician

I was going to devote this Coffee Chat to another subject, but then I got something in the mail that made me change my mind. It has to do with the drastic disruption in our normal lives that is taking […]

The Green Hills of Earth

By Coggin Heeringa, Director, Crossroads at Big Creek We’ve eagerly been anticipating green at Crossroads at Big Creek. Already, mosses in the forests, buds in the garden, stems of the shrubs are showing green. And in the night sky, a […]

Crossroads Provides Calming “Refuge of Sanity” During Coronavirus Crisis

By Coggin Heeringa, Director, Crossroads at Big Creek For quite a long time, the Door County community has used Crossroads at Big Creek as a “refuge of sanity.” For now, though our buildings and restrooms are closed, we welcome people […]

Midsummer’s Music Artistic Director Jim Berkenstock’s presents his second Coffee Chat: Edvard Grieg

Last week, for our first Coffee Chat, I focused on one of the two parts of our big celebration this summer – Beethoven’s 250th birthday. Today, I thought I would go to the other half, which is the 30th anniversary […]

Laura Sawosko Serenades Us ‘Home’

By Laurel Ciohon In the midst of the chaos that is Covid-19, many of us are looking for a glimpse of positivity anywhere we can find it, whether it’s neighbors helping neighbors with grocery shopping, uplifting photos on social media […]

A Door County Commercial Fisherman’s Perspective

by Trygvie Jensen According to Gills Rock commercial fisherman Jeff Weborg, “One of the biggest misconceptions of a commercial fisherman is that he’s rich simply because when you get a good lift everyone seems to know about it, and therefore […]

A Door County Portfolio

The Peninsula we know today began with a March 1969 National Geographic article. By Larry Majewski When Ted Rozumalski photographed something in the 1960s, it was usually a significant occasion. Rozumalski and his Leica camera were in the motorcade during […]

Midsummer’s Music Presents Jim Berkenstock’s Premiere Coffee Chat

By Jim Berkenstock Like many of you, I find my movements and options limited at the moment, so I thought I would jot down some notes about what we can expect this summer in Door County when the current cloud […]

Featured Artist Heather Allard: Ancient Technique, Modern Art

Heather Allard is a self taught artist in the meditative art form of paper quilling. Most of her training coming while recovering from an unexpected illness. Encouraged by friends and family, she continues to grow and learn about quilling and pushes herself to new […]

February Notebook

By Norbert Blei THE SAMENESS OF THE MONTH AND THE SEASON…bitter cold, ice and the unyielding snow. December, January, February are one. The calendar holds no promise. The days of the month are blank. Nameless, numberless, neither black nor red. […]

Laurel Grey: Renaissance Glass Artist

Laurel Gray grew up in Japan, Germany and Texas and spent most of her adult life in Washington State and the central coast of California, moving to Wisconsin in 2007. Her glass reflects a blend of all these various geographies and […]

The Importance of Native Plants

By Coggin Heeringa The seed catalogues are arriving, and at Crossroads at Big Creek, the urge to grow plants is intense. Already this year, we have been hosting a project of the USDA Potato Genebank which involves growing potatoes in the Crossroads greenhouse. You […]

The Birdman of Baileys Harbor: Albert Zahn

Folk artist? Outsider? Visionary? Vernacular artist? Baileys Harbor resident Albert Zahn (1864-1953) was all of these. The labels point to a unusual genre of art — art made by natively talented, untrained artists whose work contains a unique vision. The […]

Artist Highlight: Richard Morgan, Early American Bird Decoys

Richard A. Morgan was born in Connecticut and spent a good part of his growing up years in the southwest. He returned to New England to attend The University of Hartford Art School, majoring in wood sculpture. His decoys have been […]

Get Out in the Cold – And Get Warm!

By Coggin Heeringa It’s January and it’s cold outside. We have our regular dog walkers each day at Crossroads, but there is a significant drop in hikers this time of year. When the trails are icy or the wind chill is severe, […]

Featured Artist Clarey Wamhoff: Paintings Evoking Home

Sense of place has always been an integral part of Clarey Wamhoff’s life. From childhood drawings of cozy houses to her recreation of traditional quilt patterns, she has explored the combination of patterns and colors that evoke home. She would describe her […]

Featured Artist Sarka Evans: Contemporary Mosaics

The first half of her life, Sarka Evan’s lived in Prague, Czech Republic, a city full of art and history. Visiting galleries and theaters was part of normal life. When she found herself on the other side of the world due to […]

The Connections That Bring Trees Together: The Wood-Wide Web

By Coggin Heeringa Each December, the Friends of Crossroads decorate a “Fish Tree” and a “Forest Tree” in the Collins Learning Center. It really doesn’t matter if they are called Holiday Trees or Christmas Trees or Hanukah Bushes. This time […]

Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant & Butik Embodying The Spirit of Door County

By Larry Majewski In 1973 Al Johnson sodded the roof of his restaurant and added goats to graze upon it. At some point between then and today Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant & Butik became synonymous with Door County. This Norwegian-style […]

Midsummer’s Music Donations Matched Up to $50,000

By David Perry When Allyson Fleck and the Midsummer’s Music Board asked me to write to you, I was glad for the opportunity. In July, Jim surprised me with a certificate for 20 summers of performing at Midsummer’s. (I knew […]

2019 Winter Solstice Arriving December 21

By Coggin Herringa Winter Solstice occurs at the exact same instant everywhere on planet earth. At Crossroads at Big Creek (and the rest of our Central time zone), that instant in 2019 will be 10:19 pm, on Saturday, December 21. […]

Enjoy Every Moment This Holiday Season

By Door County Coffee & Tea Co. It is so special to see your children (and maybe your grandchildren) with their wide eyes and smiles as they wake on Christmas morning to eagerly find that Santa Claus has arrived. In […]

Scents of the Season in Door County

By Coggin Heeringa Throughout the year, people tell us that they are thankful for Crossroads. But during gun/deer hunting season, people seem especially grateful for a safe place to hike and walk their dogs. Around Thanksgiving, the forest also seems to […]

Door County’s Moveable Feast

By Larry Majewski Imagine it’s 1949. You’re staying at one of Door County’s premier properties, the Alpine Resort in Egg Harbor. Your day oscillates between the golf course, the beach and a wicker chair flipping through Life Magazine. It would take an […]