UNCOMMONLY FINE WRITING
Plan Your Next Trip To Door County
By Door County Coffee & Tea Co. Waves crashing, your Adirondack perfectly positioned so the water barely touches your toes and your cup full of Cold Brew coffee….ahhh.. The time to start planning your yearly trip to Door County is […]
Read MoreWisconsin had the second-best 10-year small business survival rate over the last decade
Originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio (wpr.org) Wisconsin had the second-best 10-year small business survival rate in the nation over the last decade. Only Iowa had a better ranking. That’s according to a recent analysis from The Southern Bank Company, a […]
Read MoreWriting as Medicine: Mental Health Awareness Month
Writing is medicine. It is an appropriate antidote to injury. It is an appropriate companion for any difficult change. –Julia Cameron May is Mental Health Awareness Month. We often talk about how difficult it is to write, how satisfying it is […]
Read MoreWhat is a Mushroom?
By Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. Mushroom Day, Bird Club and a Master Gardener Lecture featuring Door County Parks are the public educational programs this week, while out in the preserves, EarthWorks after school group, the Big Plant, […]
Read MoreCall the Fish Veterinarian
By Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. Question: What do you do if you catch a fish with a virus? Answer: Call the fish veterinarian. (And, really, you shouldn’t use a virus to catch a fish; you […]
Read MoreSomething Fishy at Crossroads
By Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. Construction on the new bridge at Crossroads at Big Creek is on hold until June. The reason is revealed in the name of the bridge – Pike Passage. Big Creek […]
Read MoreEGG-Stravaganza
By Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. After extensive review of scientific research, we at Crossroads have determined that it is highly unlikely that rabbits deliver eggs to Crossroads at Big Creek. But other creatures, large and […]
Read MoreCasting Change in Northern Sky Board: A Legacy of Leadership
On April 1, our longtime beloved board member Cyndy Stiehl will step down from the board after 26 years of service. We hope you enjoy these thoughts about Cyndy’s incredible legacy. As Cyndy Stiehl prepares for the curtain to close […]
Read MoreMy Double Life, Memoirs of a Naturalist
By Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. To commemorate Women’s History Month, Crossroads at Big Creek’s Book Club has selected the book, “My Double Life, Memoirs of a Naturalist,” by Frances Hamerstrom. Fran Hamerstrom was among the […]
Read MoreHow Cranes Became a Symbol of Hope and Healing
Sadako Sasaki was a young girl living in Hiroshima in 1945 when the atomic bomb was dropped there. Sadako was merely one-year-old at that time. Ten years later, in 1955, she was diagnosed with Leukemia caused by the bombing. Agonized […]
Read MoreDaylight Savings Time
By Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. This is the week we return to Daylight Saving Time, and “losing an hour” makes us more aware of photoperiod—the hours each day that a plant or animal receives light. […]
Read MoreAldo Leopold Day 2023
By Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. Crossroads at Big Creek will honor the legacy of Aldo Leopold this weekend with two Leopold-themed hikes and a special guest lecture at our monthly Bird Club meeting. Back in […]
Read MoreFebruary 2023 News from Crossroads
By Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. The big news at Crossroads is that (finally) we are replacing our Pike Passage Bridge. The original structure was removed last Wednesday, and, for the next few weeks, the sounds […]
Read MoreScience of Great Lakes Fisheries
By Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. Crossroads at Big Creek is proud to host the kick-off event for this year’s FIRE & ICE celebration in Sturgeon Bay. A luminary-lit hike, with bonfires and hot chocolate, will […]
Read MoreSki-For-Free and More Fun at Crossroads
It’s going to be a week of fun and games at Crossroads. If we have adequate snow in which to play, Ski-for-Free will be open on Saturday and Sunday, but whatever the weather, this week our Science Saturday program will […]
Read MoreDoor County Cherry Blossoms Bloom Year Round at Plum Bottom
Blossom Time by Gail Gilson Pierce 13″ x 10″, Cherry Blossoms with Violets by Stacey Small Rupp Framed – 16″ x 20″ – Watercolor, Dangling Blossoms Earrings Sterling Silver ear wire with Sterling Silver and Gold Fill Pendant, Cherry Bowl […]
Read MoreWhat Lies Beneath the Ice?
By Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. During the New Year’s Eve Hike to Crossroads’ Cove Estuary Preserve, we observed ice starting to form. During the December cold snap, the whole body of water was iced over, but […]
Read More30 Years Of Door County Coffee
By Door County Coffee & Tea Co. It is truly hard to believe that we have been roasting the best coffee on the planet for 30 years. Thirty years of coffee, growth, change, memories and so much more. 30 years […]
Read MoreCelebrating Epiphany
By Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. All over the world, people will celebrate on January 6. In many countries, January 6 is called Epiphany or Three Kings Day. At Crossroads at Big Creek, we will celebrate the […]
Read MoreA Special End-of-Year Message for You from Jim Berkenstock
By Jim Berkenstock, Midsummer’s Music You probably know that we often refer to Midsummer’s Music in the shortened form of MM, which is also why we have the M&Ms at our concerts. But lately, I have been thinking, maybe MM […]
Read MoreDreaming of a Door County White Christmas
By Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. We at Crossroads are dreaming of a white Christmas so we can share the gift of walking (and maybe even skiing) in a winter wonderland. Nick’s Workshop (not to be […]
Read MoreDoor County Christmas Traditions at Crossroads
By Coggin HeeringaInterpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. “There’s is no place like home for the holidays,” and for many folks who make Door County their home or who come home for the holidays, the traditions at Crossroads are […]
Read MoreNight Tree Tradition
By Coggin Heeringa “Night Tree,” which is based on the children’s book by Eve Bunting, is a beloved tradition at Crossroads. It started years ago as a Sawyer School first grade field trip, but it has grown over the years […]
Read MoreThankful for Door County Recreation
By Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. This week, we are thankful for recreation, which includes a host of activities which are, according to Google’s English dictionary, “done for enjoyment when one is not working.” We at Crossroads […]
Read MoreSearching for Evidence to Indicate Prehistoric Habitation
By Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. During Thanksgiving Week, we at Crossroads express our heartfelt gratitude for the privilege of caring for our preserves. In a way, “preserves” isn’t quite accurate. When we acquired our land, […]
Read MoreGrateful for Clean Air
We at Crossroads at Big Creek have much for which to be thankful, so we are dedicating November to celebrating the wonderful environmental services from which we benefit and which we endeavor to protect. This week (and always) we are […]
Read MoreInternational Observe the Moon Night 2022
By Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. The first of October will be a very special day for Crossroads and the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society (DPAS) and people across the globe who will participate in a celebration of lunar […]
Read MoreWisconsin Bow Hunting Season Begins
Outdoor Report By Wisconsin DNR The first opportunity to pursue deer this fall is with the opening of the archery and crossbow deer season which began on Saturday, Sept. 17. The archery and crossbow season runs through Jan. 8, 2023. […]
Read MoreDoor Peninsula Astronomical Society’s Astronomy Day
By Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. At Crossroads at Big Creek, the fall archaeology and astronomy programs are underway, and curiously, the dissimilar initiatives have a great deal in common. Our team of professional archaeologists and […]
Read MoreIda Bay Day
By Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. Crossroads at Big Creek kicks off the 2022 Fall Archaeological Experience with “IDA BAY DAY, A Celebration at the Trailhead” on Saturday, September 17, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at our […]
Read MoreWild Ones of the Door Peninsula to Offer Traditional Monarch Tagging Program
By Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. A few, but not many, monarch butterflies have been fluttering above the meadows and fields at Crossroads. That may change soon. So Crossroads is collaborating with the Wild Ones of […]
Read MoreCompelling Quintet Stories
By Jim Berkenstock, Midsummer’s Music Artistic Director From the very beginning, Midsummer’s Music has made a point of presenting programs featuring pieces with varied instrumentation. We have done this for the sake of variety and interest. We sometimes say that […]
Read MoreWildflowers Need Dark Skies
By Coggin HeeringaInterpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. With August winding down and the sun setting a bit earlier each day, members of the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society are increasing their efforts in KEEPING THE DOOR DARK. Their monthly […]
Read MoreBrookfield East Student Wins 2023 State Park Vehicle Admission Sticker Design Contest
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has announced that Brookfield East High School senior Brooke Salomone is the winner of the 2023 Wisconsin State Park and Forest vehicle admission sticker design contest. Salomone’s design features a compass with different recreational themes available […]
Read MoreNew Food Options Abound Throughout Peninsula
Despite Obvious Challenges, 36 New Ventures Debut 2020-2022 By Marise Redmann Find this article in the 2022 Door County GO! Guide. It could have been all that pacing the home front last year that got people thinking, or maybe the […]
Read MoreSummer Explorers — Crickets & Other Invertebrates
By Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. This time of year at Crossroads at Big Creek, any time of day, but especially in the evening, the cricket chorus can be quite musical. And folks who participate in upcoming […]
Read MoreWhat We All Need
By Jim Berkenstock, Artistic Director, Midsummer’s Music Musical Fireworks, Passionate Outbursts, Stunning Virtuosity …. Only a few performances remain until our early August break, but Jeepers—are they dynamite! I just came from a rehearsal of our Lush and Thrilling Romantic Poetry program […]
Read MoreThe Peninsula Music Festival’s 70th Season Symphony Series
BY KENNETH KAPP, Shepherd Express, Milwaukee, Wis. The 70th Anniversary Season of the Peninsula Music Festival began Oct. 1, 2021, and wraps-up August 2-20, 2022, with the Symphony Series featuring nine spectacular symphonic concerts. Christoph Ptack, PMF’s President and Chief Executive […]
Read MoreOak Gall Reminds Us of Inspiring Words Which Changed History
By Coggin Heeringa, Program Director/Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. On July 3 back in 1776, John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail, “I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary […]
Read MoreEnglish Connections and a Close Call
By Jim Berkenstock Our English Connections program, which starts with the first of four concerts this Thursday, is “connected” largely by one person—Charles Villiers Stanford. Stanford and Edward Elgar were the two greatest English composers at the turn of the 19th into the […]
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