A taste of fall is available now if you know where to look in Door and Kewaunee counties. After a wet spring and start to the summer, the warm weather over the last few weeks has allowed apple growers to pick some of their early-season varieties a week earlier than usual. For Steve Wood of Wood Orchard in Sturgeon Bay, that means Rave apples, a cross between Honeycrisp and MonArk varieties, are coming off the trees and into the market. Wood says the recent stretch of dry weather has been a blessing for his crop.

In Kewaunee County, Hillside Apples owner Bill Roethle says the mild temperatures throughout the growing season means customers can expect their varieties to become available earlier than usual.

Spanning dozens of different varieties, Wisconsin's apple growers produce about 56 million pounds of fruit yearly.

His grandma and a good book inspired Appleton Xavier High School student and Yum Yum Rolls CEO Aaron Vanden Heuvel to hit the kitchen and the Sturgeon Bay Farmer's Market or a good cause. 

Often found wandering the market before it opens in his chef's hat, Vanden Heuvel started Yum Yum Rolls after his grandma's death in sixth grade. He made a batch of caramel rolls for her casket as a final sign of respect for his grandma. When someone asked if they could buy some afterward, a business was born with the idea of paying it forward. Through the sales of his Yum Yum Rools, he raised over $15,000 for Water for South Sudan, a tribute to the book he was reading at the time of his grandma's passing. He is thrilled with the support he has received and the opportunity to help another organization in need.

Vanden Heuvel and his Yum Yum Rolls can be found at the Sturgeon Bay Farmer's Market on select Saturdays during the season, including each of the next two weeks before school restarts. You can listen to our full interview by visiting the Faces of the Farmer's Market Podcast feed.

The wait for a new jail in Kewaunee County will have to wait a little longer. The Kewaunee County Board voted 9-9 on an amended motion to not move forward with Cadence Consulting as its owner-representative for its proposed jail project. The amended motion added additional stipulations to the original contract. If the project had moved forward, Cadence Consulting would have acted on behalf of the county for the jail project, starting with the Request for Proposal (RFP) and concluding with the facility's construction. The contract was divided into two phases, the second phase being when shovels could go into the ground. Future staffing challenges, cheaper costs to send inmates elsewhere, higher costs for building materials, and the election were all reasons supervisors would not support it. Supervisor Joe Lukes says whatever needs to be done needs to start.

Kewaunee County Sheriff Matt Joski acknowledged their staffing challenges but said the county cannot continue to count on other counties to do their work.

The Kewaunee County Board did approve resolutions calling for state investment in mental health funding and declaring its commitment to affordable internet access. You can watch the full discussion of the Cadence Consulting contract below. 

Giving you a glimpse of what farming used to look like in Kewaunee County is the goal of this weekend's Casco Thresheree. While the event is still in its infancy compared to similar events in Valmy and Rosholt, the fourth annual Casco Thresheree will feature live demonstrations of agricultural equipment all weekend long, including horse-drawn machinery on Saturday and an antique tractor pull on Sunday. Event organizer Luke Michalski says he continues to learn how to make the experience better for his guests while trying to add something new or different with every passing year.

The Casco Thresheree, which this year features John Deere tractors, runs from August 23rd to August 25th, beginning at 8 a.m.

Picture courtesy of Casco Thresheree

A new era of the Door Community Auditorium is on the horizon. Earlier this week, the DCA announced the public phase of its ENCORE! Fundraising Campaign. The goal is to construct a new multi-purpose space across the street from the DCA, temporarily known as The Annex. In a past life, the site was the home to a restaurant before community funding allowed the DCA to tear down the building last year and use it for parking. Once built, The Annex will allow the DCA to expand its offerings to include indoor and outdoor performances, music practice rooms, a full catering kitchen, and more. It will also allow the DCA to host salon-style or cabaret concerts, chamber and jazz concerts, lectures, and more. DCA executive director Cari Lewis said, “We are so excited to enrich what DCA already offers and, most of all, to deepen the community connection that can happen in Fish Creek.”

Groundbreaking is set to occur later this year, with the building’s opening slated for 2025. You can donate to the DCA's efforts by clicking this link.

You can gain better balance and learn the skills to help you stay safer and prevent dangerous falls with a program offered at the ADRC in Sturgeon Bay.  The Door County YMCA features a fall prevention class starting Monday, September 9.  Specialty Wellness Director Abby Teich says the course has been proven to reduce your chances of falling by 31 percent.  She notes that the seven-week program created by the Wisconsin Institute of Healthy Aging addresses how to identify fall risks and how to prevent them.

Teich also runs a Tai Chi-based class at the Door County YMCA that helps with fall prevention. The 12-week program is more of a physical class than a lecture style and has proven to reduce falls by nearly 50 percent. All Fall 1 Session registrations are this week, with classes beginning as early as Tuesday, September 3.  

You might want to avoid eating whole cucumbers for a while.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that over 400 people had been affected with Salmonella sickness across 31 states, including Wisconsin, as of last week.  Of the 449 reported illnesses, 125 people have been hospitalized, but no deaths have occurred due to the outbreak.  The outbreak was linked to two growers of cucumbers in Florida.

To prevent getting sick from Salmonella, the CDC recommends washing your hands, utensils, and surfaces often.  Rinse fruits and vegetables under running water before eating, cutting, or peeling.  You should keep food that won’t be cooked separately from raw meat, poultry, and seafood. When cooking your food, use a thermometer and make sure food is cooked at a temperature high enough to kill germs (usually at least 140 degrees).  Refrigerate perishable food within two hours after cooking, and always thaw frozen food in your refrigerator.

Salmonella infection symptoms often show between six hours and six days after swallowing the bacteria. Diarrhea, fever, vomiting, and stomach cramps are common.

A development agreement for a 79-lot residential subdivision on Sturgeon Bay's west side was one of eight recommendations approved by the Common Council Tuesday evening.  The Sturgeon Bay Common Council unanimously voted to move forward with the project proposed by Lexington Homes.  The property is located at the north end of South Grant Avenue, west of Target and just off Highway 42/57. The Common Council recently approved financial incentives for the project, subject to creating a tax increment district. The single-family residential development will have a price point of $280,000 to $500,000.  Mayor David Ward says the project expands the housing market in Sturgeon Bay and ties nicely with a water and sewer extension contract that was also approved on Tuesday.

The infrastructure includes the construction of the Grant Avenue extension to Sawyer Drive and the looping of the water main to Columbia Avenue, which are vital to the overall area. 

Another development agreement recommendation by the Finance/Purchasing and Building Committee was approved for Harbor Point Holdings.   Michelle Stimpson would bring a 76-unit apartment complex to a newly established tax incremental district (TID).  The revenue from this project would help offset the city's financial obligations for the Lexington Homes project. 

The Sturgeon Bay Common Council's final action on Tuesday was to approve a development agreement with Rodac for the 80-room Hampton Hotel on the corner of North 12th Avenue and Egg Harbor Road.  The agreement is subject to some final adjustments.  

The United Way of Door County announced Tuesday that it is setting a $1 million fundraising goal to support the dozens of non-profits and agencies serving the community.  

Over 120 volunteers and community members gathered Tuesday evening at Woodwalk Gallery in Egg Harbor to participate in the United Way of Door County’s annual Campaign Kick-Off.

Executive Director Amy Kohnle says the $1 million goal, which reflects a twenty percent increase,  is huge but necessary to address the increasing need for those struggling and create impactful change in Door County.   

The United Way’s focus on change will address education, financial stability, and healthy lifestyles for thousands of Door County residents who are in need every day.   

The 2024 annual campaign began Tuesday evening with pledge cards distributed to attendees. It will include several partnerships with local businesses to raise funds through the end of the campaign in early January. The United Way of Door County set a record last year by raising over $800,000.

As Door County officials work to sign residents up for the new Door County Ready emergency alert system, Emergency Management Director Jeb Saelens cannot help but think what could have been if the technology had existed 26 years ago this week. It was August 23, 1998, when an F3 Tornado carved a five-mile–long, half-mile-wide path through Egg Harbor, starting just south of Frank Murphy County Park and making its way inland. According to the National Weather Service, estimated wind speeds hit 160 miles per hour. Only two people were injured, but the tornado’s 15-minute journey toward Jacksonport caused nearly $7 million in damage. Saelens says sometimes people think they are isolated from such events because they live on a peninsula, but earlier this month, there were warnings that conditions could have allowed a water spot to form. With many communities like Sturgeon Bay opting not to use tornado sirens any longer, Saelens says the Door County Ready emergency alert system is the best way to keep you informed.

You can sign up for the Door County Ready system by clicking on this link or by calling Door County Emergency Management to have them walk you through the steps.  

You will see the future of nutrient and fertilizer application at a Peninsula Pride Farms field day at Heim's Hillcrest Dairy in Algoma. On display are two new pieces of technology that could be used on area farms to get nutrients to the right places at the right time. Drones are being used to fly over fields to spray fungicides, herbicides, and dry fertilizer on growing crops without the risk of a farm's heavy equipment ruining the field.

Also on display at Wednesday's field day is an attachment for a sprayer that uses cameras to identify weeds before it applies the herbicide. In both cases, Peninsula Pride Farms President Duane Ducat says it is just the latest way farmers are embracing technology to do their jobs smarter.

The field day at Heim's Hillcrest Dairy begins at 2 p.m. 

Screenshot from Heim's Hillcrest Dairy

If you need a smile, Bruce Hake and some of his closest friends know to grab a ukulele and start playing.

The Ukulele Society of Door County has grown to over 30 players in recent years. Many players will join the fun on August 31st to celebrate National Play on the Porch Day in Fish Creek. Much like racquet sports enthusiasts have leaned on pickleball to get back into the game, the same can be said about musicians and ukuleles. After the club began over a decade ago, Hake is thrilled that people continue to take an interest in playing, and the club grows year after year.

Hake says they play familiar tunes that people can sing along with when they play at the Noble Square Gazebo in Fish Creek beginning at 10 a.m. 

You can catch a glimpse of the first supermoon of the year this week in the area.  The full moon peaked Monday afternoon and will continue to appear full through early Wednesday morning.  According to Space.com, the August supermoon is called a Sturgeon Moon because the Sturgeon fish were an important food source for Native Americans who lived in the Great Lakes region, inspiring the name of August’s full moon in the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

A supermoon occurs when the full moon coincides with it being at the point in its orbit closest to the Earth. 

You won’t need binoculars or a telescope to enjoy the spectacular view, but Newport State Park in Ellison Bay is listed as having one of the best views of the night sky. 

(photo of blue moon courtesy of unation.com)

There is still time to squeeze in your trip to Door County's five state parks this summer.

According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, interest in Wisconsin's state parks remains high even as attendance levels off from post-pandemic highs. More than 518,000 people purchased annual park stickers in 2023, compared to shy of 400,000 in 2019. Park Superintendent Erin Brown-Stender says campsites have still been hard to come by, especially after a soggy start to the camping season.

Potawatomi State Park has become even more popular in recent years thanks to investments in accessibility. The Friends of Potawatomi State Park hopes to begin the construction of an accessible kayak launch after an accessible fishing pier was installed in recent years. Brown-Stender is proud of how inclusive the state park has become as the home of one of the few accessible cabin camping opportunities at a Wisconsin State Park.

She is also excited about the construction of a new park entrance facility, which will start before the end of this year and be completed in late 2025.

Over the next two weeks, you have eight more opportunities to catch chamber music across several different communities in Door County. Midsummer's Music will be tackling the music of  Théodore Dubois, Sakari Dixon Vanderveer, Mélanie Bonis,  Ernst von Dohnányi,  John Ireland, and Ludwig van Beethoven during the performances that stretch from August 25th through September 2nd. Executive Director Allyson Fleck says it has been another great season for Midsummer's Music, filled with larger crowds and new faces attending performances. She feels that Door County visitors who love the arts constantly expand their palate to take in live music at unique venues.

The concerts will take place at venues in Egg Harbor, Baileys Harbor, Ellison Bay, Sister Bay, and Sturgeon Bay. The summer season concludes with its Labor Day Gala at Bjorklunden in Baileys Harbor at 3 p.m. Larger crowds this year have meant sellouts at select venues, so Fleck recommends reserving your seats in advance.

You can listen to a preview of the performances below.

There could be more heads in beds in Sturgeon Bay thanks to a pair of development agreements the city’s common council will consider on Tuesday.

Lexington Homes is proposing to develop an approximately 79-lot residential subdivision on property on the north end of S. Grant Avenue. The city would pay two $1 million payments to Lexington Homes to complete the necessary infrastructure improvements for the housing parcels. The money would come from the city’s newly established tax increment district (TID) to make the project a reality.

Another housing development agreement with Michelle Stimpson would bring a 76-unit apartment complex to the TID. According to the agenda packet, the revenue from this project would help offset the city’s financial obligations for the Lexington Homes project. A maximum of $2.2 million would be returned to Stimpson if her complex can reach certain performance initiatives and reach a minimum assessed value of over $8.36 million.

The city is also trying to finalize a development agreement with Rodac to build a 80-room Hampton Inn hotel at the corner of Egg Harbor Road and 12th Avenue. The city would provide $2 million in financial assistance when the hotel is completed with the minimum assessed value of $13.9 million. The development agreement includes various safeguards if the assessed value drops below that amount. Back in April, the city projected that the project will be able to generate enough to pay back the principal and interest on the incentive. The city’s financial consultant, R.W. Baird, projects that the hotel could actually generate an additional $700,000 that could be used for other projects in Tax Increment #6. 

The Sturgeon Bay Common Council meets on Tuesday at 6 p.m. inside city hall’s council chambers.

Area Democrats will direct their attention to Chicago this week as the Democratic National Convention occurs. The event is taking place approximately a month after former President Donald Trump formally accepted the presidential nomination and named JD Vance his running mate during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. According to Newsweek, current President Joe Biden, former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, and several Democratic governors are scheduled to speak before Kamala Harris and Tim Walz accept their nominations as President and Vice-President, respectively. Kewaunee County Democratic Party Chairperson Stan Johnson believes the theme of the week will be centered around what the party can do for all Americans.

The Democratic National Convention runs from August 19th to 22nd. 

When you see N.E.W. Community Clinic's mobile health unit taking a ferry ride to Washington Island next year, you will see a dream realized by its executive director, Kim Franzen. Door County Medical Center announced Wednesday its plans to transition its dental clinic to N.E.W. Community Clinic. The Green Bay-based organization serves a similar clientele at its four locations, dealing mostly with individuals and families who are underinsured or cannot afford insurance. Franzen says the shared mission of serving underserved populations, keeping a sustainable approach to the future, and showing a commitment to the community attracted them to the partnership with Door County Medical Center.

Franzen adds that, with its growth in behavioral health, N.E.W. Community Clinic can eventually help address the shortage of mental health providers in Door County.

The Door County Medical Center Dental Clinic will transition to N.E.W. Community Clinic in January 2025, making it the third such facility in northeast Wisconsin not including its mobile health clinic.

Getting the ball rolling again for a proposed jail in Kewaunee County could begin with a majority vote at Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting. After tabling a decision at the July meeting, supervisors took the last month to take a deeper look at the proposed contract with Cadence Consulting. After interviewing three firms, the county asked the Milwaukee-based firm to be its owner's representative, which acts on the county's interests regarding the projects, starting with the Request for Proposal (RFP) and concluding with the jail's construction. Cadence Consulting owner Michael Hacker addressed the board at the last meeting, explaining how they can help the county get the project off the ground after having conversations locally about it for the past two decades.

The Kewaunee County Board will discuss resolutions adjusting their budget to reflect a healthcare calculation correction, asking the state to invest more into mental health care, and reinforcing their commitment to expanding affordable internet access. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the Kewaunee County Administration Center in Kewaunee.

Looking at the array of programs at Crossroads this week, we begin to see patterns…repeating patterns… of hexagons. If we are “looking,” we are seeing thanks to hexagons because the photoreceptors (light-catching cones in the back of our eyeballs) form closely packed hexagon-shaped patterns.

This week, we will see hexagons everywhere, from the honeycombs displayed during the annual Door County Beekeepers Community Honey Harvest to the turtle shells that sun themselves along the edge of Crossroads’ Cove Estuary.

On Thursday evening, August 22, at 5:30, our “Resources for Landowners Lecture Series” will feature Allison Willman, who will describe the Wisconsin DNR wetlands programs and the resources they offer landowners.

Knowing that many of our local wetlands are recharged by melting snow and ice, we note that snowflakes and ice crystals form because their water molecules (almost always) arrange themselves in lattices of hexagons.

A honeycomb is an iconic example of repeating hexagons. The Door County Beekeepers will hold their annual Community Honey Harvest on Saturday, August 24, from 9:00 to noon to celebrate the honey and wax that come from a honeycomb.

Various educational stations in and outside the Collins Learning Center will interest participants of all ages. Visitors will get a close view of honeybees through the glass window of an observation hive, taste and compare honey samples, and try honey lemonade and mead.

Guests also will have the opportunity to roll wax candles. A demonstration of dipping hot wax candles will take place inside the building.

In the children’s tent, kids can pet a live drone (male) honeybee and explore beekeeper tools and hive boxes, among other activities.

Honey extraction, the central process of beekeeping, involves removing honey from the hexagon-shaped cells of a honeycomb. Flow-hive extractions will be done at the Crossroads Apiary at an active hive from 9:30 to 10:00 and 10:30 to 11:00. Conventional Langstroth extractions will be done indoors, away from the bees, from 10:00 to 10:30 and 11:00 to 11:30.

Representatives from Crossroads, Wild Ones-Door Peninsula, the Door County Seed Library, and the Door County Master Gardeners Association will be in the lecture hall, offering demonstrations and videos about pollination and pollinators. They will distribute free native wildflower seeds.

That afternoon at 2:00, Saturday Science, our weekly family program, will continue the hexagon theme with videos and activities featuring hexagons ranging from ancient coral fossils to the elegant hexagon-shaped, gold-plated mirror segments of the James Webb Telescope.

Monarch Tagging is a traditional Crossroads/Wild Ones collaboration, so on Sunday afternoon at 2:00, guest Naturalist Karen Newbern will offer a fascinating program on the life cycle of monarch butterflies. She will describe the amazing migration these orange and black butterflies make to a forest grove in Mexico, where they overwinter.

Then, participants, armed with nets, will venture out into the meadows at Crossroads to catch, tag, and release the monarchs, assuming weather conditions and monarch migration patterns cooperate. Perhaps (this has happened in the past) a butterfly tagged at Crossroads will be retrieved in Mexico.

For decades, researchers have been fascinated by the evidence that butterflies born this summer can find their way to the very grove of conifers in which their great-great-great-grandparents and countless generations roosted to overwinter.

Monarch migration is quite complicated and still under investigation. Still, an article in the National Library of Medicine explains, “Recent studies of the iconic fall migration of monarch butterflies have illuminated the mechanisms behind the navigation south, using a time-compensated sun compass. Skylight cues, such as the sun itself and polarized light, are processed through both eyes and likely integrated in the brain’s central complex, the presumed site of the sun compass.”

Monarch butterflies' relatively enormous compound eyes consist of thousands of hexagon-shaped ommatidia, which sense light and movement.

Nature is full of hexagons, and Crossroads at Big Creek is full of nature. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, our trails are open all day, every day, free of charge.

Thursday, August 22

5:30 pm Resources for Landowners-Wetlands

This summer, Crossroads is hosting the Resources for Landowners lecture series, a speaker series aimed at connecting Door County landowners with the tools and resources available for restoring and managing the natural resources found on their land. Allison Willman will speak on the Wisconsin DNR wetlands program and the resources it offers landowners. Thanks to our donors, the lecture will be free and open to the public. Meet at the Collins Learning Center, 2041 Michigan, Sturgeon Bay.

Friday, August 23                                                                                                                  

  2:30-4:30 Tours of the Hanson House and Grounds

Delve into the past during an “Afternoon with Bertha,” which included a tour of the Hanson House and the former Greeves family farm beside Big Creek. Registration not required. Open to the public and free thanks to our donors. Donations accepted. Meet at 2022 Utah St., Sturgeon Bay (across from The Cove Estuary)

Sunday, August 25                                                                                                                  

  2:00 Monarch Tagging Day

Monday, August 26

10:00 Make and Take: Handmade Nature Notecards

Participants of all ages will learn a bit about nature as they produce a handmade notecard. Appropriate for all ages, free and open to the public, thanks to our donors. Meet in the Lower Level of the Collins Learning Center.

Tuesday, August 27

10:00 Summer Nature Programs: Native Flower Colors

Participants of all ages will learn why native flowers are often yellow and purple this time of year. Indoor and outdoor activities.  Free and open to all ages, thanks to our donors. Meet at the Collins Learning Center, Crossroads, 2041 Michigan Street, Sturgeon Bay.

Wednesday, August 28

10:00 Summer Nature Program: Rocks

Participants will learn about the rock cycle and how to recognize the rocks brought here by the Ice Age Glaciers and which rocks are fossils (often hexagon-shaped) of ancient sea creatures. Free and open to the public. Each participating family will receive a free fossil pamphlet. Meet at the Collins Learning Center.

The week of September 8th has been set aside as National Suicide Prevention Week. This is a difficult yet important issue to discuss, as anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide can tell you that there are no clear indicators, and too often, those left behind struggle with a deep sense of guilt. 

It is reported that every 12.8 minutes, someone in our country dies by suicide and that suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for those 15-24 years of age.

For many, the act of reaching out for help is a struggle in itself. We, as a culture, attach a stigma to those struggling with depression or mental crisis. While we think nothing of seeking help for the pain caused by any number of physical ailments, the mere suggestion that someone seek professional help for the pain or suffering they are experiencing in their minds is taboo. We as a culture have been told to suppress these feelings or that whatever pain we are feeling, it will pass.

Although everyone is different and their circumstances unique, general warning signs may be visible. Some may exhibit a sense of hopelessness, recklessness, or anger; other signs may be increased anxiety, withdrawal, or purposelessness. In some cases, individuals may attempt to harm themselves as a way to cry out for help, while in other cases, there are no threats of action, just the tragic event itself.

Throughout the years, I have had the unfortunate experience of notifying families of those who have taken their own lives. The lesson I draw from these incidents is to always take the time to help the person next to you and never be too busy to stop and visit. Not just to ask how they are doing in passing but to actually stop and listen to their answer to that question. Very few of us can claim to have the educational background to analyze or treat these afflictions, but every one of us has the ability to listen and lend support to those who are struggling and to let them know we care.

We have heard a great deal about the need for “Wellness,” but we should not forget that true wellness has three basic components: Physical, Mental, and Spiritual. Each of these supports the other, and being truly strong in one requires strength in the other two. Let’s all work together to sustain each other’s wellness.

I realize that this article and its topic are a bit early, but I am hoping that the additional time will allow for consideration of hosting a suicide prevention event. I have been very fortunate to have provided QPR presentations throughout Kewaunee County and adjacent counties to various groups, businesses, and organizations. I am willing to do so during September and throughout the year. I have spoken to as few as five and as many as 50. It is a message of hope, healing, and helping those around us. Feel free to contact me for more information. (920)255-1100

For more information on suicide prevention and the resources available, visit: https://qprinstitute.com/

Law enforcement, volunteers, and the family of Bill Salnik want nothing more than closure related to the search efforts that have left them flummoxed for nearly a month. Salnik was sailing between Oconto and Door County with his two children when he went missing on July 13th. Salnik's boat was found on July 16th, south of Chambers Island, followed by his two young children a few hours later. Since then, several agencies spanning two states and multiple jurisdictions and volunteers have searched the water primarily around Chambers Island for Salnik. That includes Bruce's Legacy, a Black River Falls-based volunteer organization that provides search and recovery operations for drowning victims. Door County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Pat McCarty says searching for Salnik remains a fixture of their marine patrols. He hopes they can give the family any new information as it becomes available.

McCarty adds Door County remains in contact with law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin's Oconto and Marinette counties and Menominee County in Michigan to share information about their search efforts. He wants people to continue sharing tips with the department if they see something concerning the Salnik search while on the water.