UNCOMMONLY FINE WRITING

English 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 […]

Students Participate at Crossroads on Earth Day

By Coggin Heeringa, Program Director/Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. During the Sunrise Elementary School Earth Day last week, 219 students became “Crossroads Habitat Healers” by pulling buckthorn plants from the conifer forest near the Council Ring. They also participated in stream […]

May is Archaeology Month in Wisconsin

By Coggin Heeringa, Program Director/Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. May is Archaeology Month in Wisconsin and Crossroads is celebrating. Truth is, we usually offer archaeology outreach in May, not due to a state designation, but because we are (reasonably) […]

Spoil Mom This Mother’s Day

By Door County Coffee & Tea Co. Mother’s Day is almost here, and while we believe moms should be celebrated every single day, Mother’s Day is just a day dedicated to Mom and all her favorite things! We have put […]

Wildflowers, Weeds and Seeds

By Coggin Heeringa, Program Director/Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. April Showers bring May “Wildflowers, Weeds and Seeds,” which just happens to be the title of the first April Master Gardeners lecture, which will be presented by Door County naturalist, […]

Watch Out For Mud: Share The Trails On Your Spring Adventures

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has sent out guidelines for keeping newly-opened trails as safe as possible for everyone. The signs of spring are hard to miss right now. Birds are chirping, seeds are sprouting and the trails are…muddy. […]

Keeping the Door Dark

By Coggin Heeringa, Program Director/Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek Some nights, the skies above our Astronomy Campus are so dark that our visitors can see the Milky Way. So, we at Crossroads at Big Creek want to keep our beautiful […]

A Walk with Aldo

Crossroads at Big Creek has scheduled “A Walk with Aldo” for Saturday, March 5. In 2004, Gov. Jim Doyle signed legislation designating the first Saturday in March as Aldo Leopold Day in Wisconsin. At Crossroads at Big Creek, we started celebrating Aldo Leopold Day in 2007. […]

Valentine’s Day Fun With Door County Coffee

Valentine’s Day is upon us, and this is the perfect time to make this loving holiday special for all your Valentine’s! From easy crafts to do with the kids, perfect coffee-filled gifts for someone special and plenty of fun and […]

Crossroads Crosses a Fundraising Bridge

By Coggin Heeringa, Program Director/Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek Crossroads at Big Creek is thrilled to announce that, thanks to an outpouring of community support, we have raised the funds needed to replace two of our aging bridges – the North Bridge and […]

Winter Fun in Door County

By Door County Coffee & Tea Co. With Winter upon us, we are in for a few months of colder temperatures, beautiful snowfalls, and lots of good coffee! People often think Door County does not have much to offer in […]

Prying into the Secret Lives of Great Lakes Fishes

By Coggin Heeringa, Crossroads Program, Director/Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. At Crossroads’ next Fish Tales Lecture, we’ll learn how the latest acoustic telemetry technology enables fisheries professionals to pry into the secret life of fish. Dr. Chuck Krueger, founder and Director Emeritus […]

Door County Peninsula Trip Interests Many – September 1925

Jansky Tells of Trip to Wonderland of North; Explains Trails to Take By Nelson Jansky – Wisconsin State Journal, September 1925 The way up at the “tip of the thumb” on the map of Wisconsin on any Sunday during pleasant […]

Snow Activities at Crossroads

By Coggin Heeringa, Program Director/Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. It’s a tad late to dream of a white Christmas, but we at Crossroads are dreaming of a white winter. The snow last week was glorious, and we know that […]

Upcoming Events at Crossroads at Big Creek

By Coggin Heeringa, Program Director/Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. While 2021 was a difficult year in many ways, for space exploration, it was extraordinary. So, this week, Crossroads and the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society will shed light (visible and […]

A Special Message from Jim Berkenstock of Midsummer’s Music

By Jim Berkenstock, Midsummer’s Music, Board President and Artistic Director “Something extremely unusual is happening on the music scene in our area.” These are the words of Warren Gerds, Critic at Large for the Green Bay PressGazette, writing recently of […]

The Perfect Holiday Entertaining Guide

By Door County Coffee Co. Just think…snow falling outside, dusting the pine trees white…a hot mug of Door County Christmas in your favorite cup, the fireplace roaring, and Burl Ives in the background singing out your favorite carols. This truly […]

Peninsula Players Theatre Announces 2022 Season

By Linda Fortunato, Artistic Director It is my pleasure to share with you the lineup for Peninsula Players Theatre’s 87th season and my first as Artistic Director. Throughout my history with the Players, I’ve always looked forward to the seasonannouncement […]

Birch Creek is Performing Brilliantly Because of You

By Mona Christensen, Executive Director The Steve and Jackie Kane Chair In the radiant spirit of the season, we are thankful for you! Your vote of confidence formed the foundation for an awe-inspiring year as we reimagined Birch Creek during this transitional […]

Make a Lasting Impression on Giving Tuesday

By Peggy Lott, Secretary of the Board, Midsummer’s Music, Ltd. Haven’t we been through a difficult time? What a struggle, what grief, what darkness we have all endured. But one thing I am particularly grateful for is the effort that […]

Great Wedding Cuisine: Always a Feature of Northern Haus Events

By Jude Genereaux The recently created “Northern Haus” in Sister Bay stands ready to host just about any event guests may envision: from weddings to business gatherings, art fairs, bachelor/bachelorette parties, family reunions – even for culinary classes, wine tasting […]

Enjoy “The Night of Wonder” at Crossroads on Dec. 5

by Coggin Heeringa “The Night of Wonder.” In answer to many inquiries: Yes!! We will again offer a candlelit walk for folks to see Crossroads in a different light on Sunday, December 5, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. (The weather […]

My Memories of Christkindlmarkt in Bavaria

By Pipka Ulvilden It was cold. The snow was three feet deep. The Alps were looming in the background, dark and foreboding. The moon cast a blue light on the frozen lake. There was a cold quiet stillness in the […]

Sue Jarosh, Children’s Book Writer

Sue Jarosh is a well-known personality in Door County. For 30 years, she and husband Joe busily tended the Jacksonport Craft Cottage – a popular shop on the main drag, stocked with craft supplies and handcrafted goods from all over […]

Thyme Cuisine Moves from Baileys Harbor to Sister Bay

Entrepreneurial foodies Tonda Gagliardo and Karl Bradley are celebrating the upcoming 2021 season with a move from their former location at Maxwelton Braes in Baileys Harbor to a Highway 57 location in Sister Bay and the grand opening of Thyme […]

Spooktacular Halloween Fun With Door County Coffee

Ghosts and ghouls, witches and warlocks, Pumpkin Spice enthusiasts and anyone in between; the Spookiest of seasons is upon us once again and it’s time to celebrate! What better way than by putting on your best costume, and indulging in all things […]

Ray’s Cherry Hut Gets New Lease on Life with Sonny’s + Bridge Up Brewing

Collaborators Trent Snyder (Bridge Up Brewing Company) and Jason Estes (Sonny’s Pizzeria) recently acquired the longtime market Ray’s Cherry Hut just south of Fish Creek, with a mission to bring a new level of fun to the two-acre site. Most […]

Katie Musolff Brings ‘Found Art’ to Vibrant Life

By Jude Genereaux Some of us recognize immediately what we should do with our lives and where we want to focus our creative energies. Katie Musolff is one of those people, blessed with singular artistic intention at a very young […]

Wisconsin Gems For Fall Colors

Wisconsin is home to many scenic landscapes that showcase the delightful colors of nature in autumn. We’re starting to see the leaves change colors, with some parts of the state already at or nearing peak colors. Why Do Leaves Change […]

Liberty Park Summer Resort

By Dottie & Pete Pohlman, Lodge Managers 1984-1989 Door County Almanak, No. 5, 1990 The old Goodrich steamer makes the turn off the Sister Islands and straightens out heading to Sister Bay. As the captain slows the streamer to a […]

Door County Coastal Byway

By Ann Miller – Chairman Door County Coastal Byway Council The DCCB Council members thank you for the show of community pride along the recently designated National Scenic Byway route in Northern Door County. The Door County Coastal Byway is […]

SKÅL Expands Al’s Expanding Green Campus with Nordic-Inspired Items

By Jude Genereaux A new addition to expansive surrounding property of Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant & Butik sits on the southern side of its Stabbur Beer Garden, bookending what has lately become a natural wood campus of Scandinavian-inspired architecture. The […]

Fall Fun in Door County For Your Next Trip

By Door County Coffee & Tea Co. The leaves are colored with shades of red, orange and yellow, the air is cool and crisp, and the coffee tastes like Pumpkin Spice…ahhh the sights and smells of Fall in Door County! […]

Monarch Tagging

By Coggin Heeringa, Program Director/Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek Monarch Tagging, a Crossroads’ tradition, is scheduled for Saturday, September 4, at 1:00 p.m. thanks to collaboration between Crossroads at Big Creek and Wild Ones of the Door Peninsula. This free […]

Door Peninsula Astronomical Society Update

By Coggin Heeringa, Program Director/Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek Things are “looking up” for the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society, which has scheduled a Viewing Night on Saturday, August 7, at dusk (about 8:30 pm), an in-person meeting on Tuesday, August […]

Unique Door County Experiences For Your Next Trip

By Door County Coffee & Tea Co. From the beauty of the Niagara Escarpment, to the blue waters of Lake Michigan, and the red cherry trees glittering the county, Door County truly has incredibly fun and unique experiences to offer! […]

Sister Bay Set to Provide Guests with Entertainment – July 4, 1937

Article from the July 1st, 1937, Green Bay Press-Gazette Sister Bay, a picturesque summer resort on the western side of the Door County peninsula, is planning a “bigger and better” holiday celebration for the Fourth of July weekend, promising to […]

Summer Fun All Around Door County

By Door County Coffee & Tea Co. We love all seasons here in Door County, but there is just something so sweet about all the fun we get to have in summer! From fishing and camping, to kayaking, and finding […]

The Fascinating History of Steel Bridge Songfest

What started in 2005 as a concert fundraiser for a local historical monument, quickly turned Sturgeon Bay into the singer/songwriter capital of the state! Steel Bridge Songfest brings in roughly 30-40 musicians from across the U.S. every year. These musicians turn […]

Family Fun for Father’s Day

By Door County Coffee & Tea Co. June is here and that means Summer vacations, trips to the beach and Father’s Day! Dad’s are the best – they teach us so many things! From how to ride a bike, to […]