Door County Living - Late Summer 2023

The Rebirth of Baileys Harbor

Evolution at the Alpine Eagles on the Rise

Picnic Perfect

Photo courtesy of Mike Tittel/Destination Door

OUTSTANDING ARTISTS SINCE 1969

OUTSTANDING ARTISTS SINCE 1969

Painting | Sculpture | Glass | Wood | Clay | Jewelry

Painting | Sculpture | Glass | Wood | Clay | Jewelry

An award-winning gallery filled with original artwork from over 150 artists in a beautifully restored fruit barn and a peaceful sculpture garden.

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On the Cover

A bald eagle in full display.

Photo by Heather Harle Frykman of Frykman Studio Gallery. See more of her work at door-county-photography.com.

HISTORY

The Boys of Summer 16

CURIOSITIES

Roofing the Goats 19

A journey from the farm to the roof

TOPSIDE

Learning to Sail 20

Ephraim Yacht Club introduces youth to sailing

OUTDOOR

On the Rise 28

Eagles and pelicans over the Door

FEATURE

Baileys Harbor Renaissance 36

The evolution of Baileys Harbor from overlooked town to trendy oasis

MUSIC

Always in Music 52

Pita Kotobalavu of Unity can’t stop playing

DOOR TO NATURE

Moth Metamorphosis 60

ART

Fiber Art: An Overlooked Medium 68

Exploring the world of an emerging art form

FAIRWAYS

A Century of Golfing in Nature 76

100 years of Peninsula Golf Course

LODGING

Evolution and Preservation at the Alpine 82

An icon of the county gets a makeover

IN YOUR GLASS

The Beer Scene Comes of Age 90

ON YOUR PLATE

Picnic Perfect 98

EDITOR’S NOTE 11

CONTRIBUTORS 13

RESTAURANT GUIDE 104

CONTENTS

The night sky from Newport State Park.

Photo by Brett Kosmider. Summer

editor Myles Dannhausen Jr.

assistant editor

Grace Johnson

copy editor

Paula Apfelbach

creative director

Andrew Kleidon

design associate

Renee Puccini

sales managers

Jess Farley, Stephen Grutzmacher, Deanna Nelson

courier

The Paper Boy, LLC

distribution experts

Jeff Andersen, Chris Eckland, Guy Fortin, Todd Jahnke, Jacob Wickman

office manager

Ben Pothast

assistant office manager

Kait Shanks

chief technology officer

Nate Bell

contributors

Heather Harle Frykman, Tom Groenfeldt, Ben Jones, Thomas Jordan, Brett Kosmider, Sara Rae Lancaster, Rachel Lukas, Charlotte Lukes, John Mielke, Matt Pothast, Craig Sterrett, Sam

Watson

publisher

David Eliot

owners

David Eliot and Myles Dannhausen Jr.

Door County Living, Inc. 8142 Hwy 57, Baileys Harbor, WI 54202 920.839.2120

info@doorcountyliving.com

doorcountypulse.com

Volume 21 Issue 2

30,000 copies (17,559 mailed)

Door County Living, celebrating the culture and lifestyle of the Door peninsula, is published five times annually by Peninsula Publishing & Distribution, Inc., 8142 Hwy 57, Baileys Harbor, WI 54202.

To order a subscription, please mail a check for $25 to Door County Living, 8142 Hwy 57, Baileys Harbor, WI 54202. If you would like to advertise, please visit doorcountymarketing.com.

© 2023 Peninsula Publishing & Distribution, Inc. All rights reserved. Door County Living is a Peninsula Publishing & Distribution, Inc. company. Locally owned. Locally minded.

Learning Endless

A fair chunk of my boyhood was spent lying in the grass of our home on the corner of County T and Maple Tree Road, observing caterpillars or admiring cocoons. I would watch the big, furry guys slink onto the road, embarking on a perilous journey to the other side, where treacherous boys weren’t lurking. Come nighttime, I would watch the moths and June bugs flutter around the yard lights, or swarm the yellow, fluorescent tube lights at Thumb Fun, where my dad worked.

Despite the endless hours of observation, I still know little about these creatures – or at least I didn’t until reading Charlotte Lukes’ contribution to this magazine on page 60. That’s one of the great things about this job: the endless barrage of new information, of learning, of rediscovering the ins and outs of the community I’ve spent nearly my entire life soaking in.

As an Egg Harbor boy, the town across the peninsula was practically nonexistent save for Little League baseball games. In this issue, Ben Jones acquaints us with what it was, and what it has become, in his piece about the rebirth of Baileys Harbor on page 36.

During those days obsessing over caterpillars, I knew of eagles only from schoolbooks and pelicans only from the vacation photos of those who visited exotic places like Florida. On page 28, John Mielke tells the story of the return of the bald eagle and the emergence of the pelican on the Door County landscape.

Yacht clubs to me were the exclusive domain of the rich, but Sara Rae Lancaster shares, on page 20, the story of the Ephraim Yacht Club’s youth sailing program and the scholarship fund that has helped get 250 young sailors on the water during the past 11 years.

I’m fortunate to sit in this seat: one that demands that I learn something new every day about the places and people around me. But I hope this summer I get a chance to clear my calendar, head back to the corner of County T and Maple Tree Road, and lie in the grass of my parents’ yard. Then I’ll look around to find out whether the caterpillars still risk their lives in the journey across the road.

MYLES DANNHAUSEN JR.

(Above) The tree swing at the home of the author’s parents.

(Below) The author plays with geese at the old Egg Harbor dock as a boy.

Shop Local

10

Real Rewards Checking (Real Rewards) is available for consumer deposits only. Annual Percentage Yield (“APY”) is accurate as of 1/1/2023. Real Rewards is a variable rate account. Your APY may change at any time after your account is opened, at the discretion of Nicolet National Bank. Real Rewards is a tiered rate product. If qualifications are met for the qualification cycle, Tier 1: The portion of your balance that is equal to or less than $15,000 will earn 3.00% APY. Tier 2: The portion of your balance that is over $15,000 will earn 0.01% APY. The APY for Tier 2 will range from 0.40% to 3.00%, depending on the balance in your account. If qualifications are not met for the qualification cycle, your entire balance will earn 0.01% APY. You must enroll in online banking and e-statements in order to qualify. Transactions required each qualification cycle: At least ten posted and cleared debit card transactions (ATM-processed transactions do not count as qualifying debit card transactions), and at least one posted and cleared direct deposit of payroll or social security. Disclosed APY assumes all interest remains on deposit. Fees and withdrawals of interest will reduce earnings and APY. All Nicolet National Bank checking accounts are subject to credit approval. Additional terms and conditions apply. See Nicoletbank.com for details. Member FDIC.

Minneapolis-based copy editor PAULA APFELBACH enjoys nature and bodies of water – as you do in Door County – but her broader vistas are cityscapes.

Writer and editor MYLES DANNHAUSEN JR. has been searching out stories for Door County Living since 2005. He caught up with Pita Kotobalavu to talk about his journey from the Fiji Islands to the music venues of Door County.

JESS FARLEY is a sales manager for Door County Living and the Peninsula Pulse. Food is her passion, and practicing creativity in the kitchen is her happy place – preferably when paired with good company, great music and a full-bodied cabernet.

TOM GROENFELDT of Sturgeon Bay writes about financial technology for Forbes.com and The Financial Brand in addition to writing profiles of Door County artists for the Peninsula Pulse.

GRACE JOHNSON is the assistant editor for Door County Living and the Peninsula Pulse When not working, she can be found at home, curled up with a thick fantasy book and her cat, Rain.

BEN JONES is a Madison-based travel and outdoors writer and photographer. He grew up in Sister Bay, and while he works with organizations in many communities, his heart is in Door County.

ANDREW KLEIDON is the Peninsula Pulse and Door County Living creative director. But you probably recognize his dulcet tones from the Door County Pulse Podcast.

When BRETT KOSMIDER isn’t wandering o into the wilds, he usually has a camera in front of his face taking photographs or video. He’s a co-founder and the creative director of Peninsula Filmworks.

SARA RAE LANCASTER wrote for several regional publications before moving to Door County. Today you’ll find her growing and designing flowers alongside her husband, John, and young children, Jack and Evangeline, at their flower farm and studio, OneEighty Petals.

Peninsula Pulse photographer and videographer RACHEL LUKAS is getting more familiar with the county with every shoot.

Since the passing of her husband, Roy, in 2016, CHARLOTTE LUKES writes to fulfill his mission to help educate and inspire readers to learn, care for and protect our native species and the natural world.

JOHN MIELKE retired from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in 2020. He and his wife, Patti, and their poodle, Riley, live on Rileys Bay and enjoy all Door County has to o er.

When not writing for Door County Living, MATT POTHAST is busy raising his sons, Nicholas and Ryan, with his wife, Rachel, in Park Ridge, Illinois, just outside of Chicago.

Outdoors enthusiast CRAIG STERRETT of Egg Harbor has more than three decades of journalism experience and a passion for the links.

SAM WATSON is a reporter for the Peninsula Pulse. The 2022 UW-Madison graduate lives in Sister Bay with her partner and two cats, Desmond and Penny. When she’s not writing, she likes to cook and watch horror movies.

/care/

to feel concern or interest.

Caring for what we love isn’t just a feeling, it’s an action—a series of actions that benefit each of us individually and all of us collectively. And Care for Door County is the sum total of all of our cultural, quality-of-life and eco-focused initiatives and the actions we can take to protect and care for the place we love.

It’s a call for those who love and live to travel and for those who are proud to call Door County home. It’s for those who live for new and unexpected experiences that broaden their horizons and afford a deeper connection with their communities and environment.

It’s also for those who live to savor local flavors handcrafted with care and authenticity and for those who live for knowledge and whose curiosity drives them to uncover hidden gems and historical treasures. It’s for those who live to connect on a different level, not just as an adventurer, but as a fellow steward of the land, the culture and the community for now and in years to come.

It’s for those who live for a pristine shoreline, a perfectly groomed trail, a rolling orchard or a breathtaking sunset, and for those who live without being constrained by a single idea of when, where or how to explore, but an openness to take the road less traveled while preserving that road for others.

It’s a call for those ready to feel and to act—please, take the pledge to preserve, protect and care for Door County, always.

Door County League baseball games draw as many as 500 people to ball fields to watch town teams compete, catch up with their neighbors and enjoy a cheap beer and brat. But that tradition isn’t new. Baseball’s roots run deep in Door County, as these early images demonstrate. Get a taste of the modern scene at ballparks every Sunday afternoon through August.

Joe Lowshick of Sister Bay slides into home plate as the catcher waits for the throw at an unidentified ball field. The image shows just how much of the county was clearcut by the early days of the 20th century.

A crowd gathers for a ball game in downtown Baileys Harbor on the Fourth of July.

Photo courtesy of the Rasmussen family.

Photo courtesy of the Rasmussen family.

The mismatched uniforms of an early Sister Bay baseball team.

A batter waits for the pitch in a game against Sister Bay.

Photo courtesy of the Rasmussen family.

Photo courtesy of the Egg Harbor Historical Society.

An early 1900s photo of the Egg Harbor baseball team.

Photo courtesy of the Egg Harbor Historical Society.

Photo courtesy of the Rasmussen family.

(Above) The 1952 Door County League playoff champions from Egg Harbor. (Standing, from left) Dean Albrecht, Sid Thiel, Ken Herbst, Wallace Kracht, Daryl Olson, Robert Sawyer, Robert Sauger. (Kneeling, from left) Fritz Merkel, Gilbert Resler, Clayton Moegenburg, Lawrence “Shorty” Haen, Pete LeMere.

Story and photos by Myles Dannhausen Jr.

meet Kit Butz, manager of sales at Al Johnson’s, down at the warehouse behind the restaurant. Rolf Johnson has slipped out of the kitchen for a moment – cook’s shirt and apron still on – to tinker with something in the garage. A little before 9 am, his brother Lars rolls in, followed shortly by Lars’ wife, Jill.

Jill is here to take me on a goat run. She hops in the back of the old, white pickup truck, and Kit takes the wheel as we head to the farm where Jill and Lars live, about a mile outside town.

Jill has broken up four boxes of crackers and scattered them on the bed of the truck to lure and satisfy the four goats that will go up on the roof today. The first – Floppy – will come easily, and Snowflake follows in short order. Snickerdoodle takes a little more effort, but she’s pretty amenable. That leaves Harry, and she (yes, she is named Harry) makes Jill chase her around the pasture, giving the other goats their morning entertainment.

IToday is sunny, but not too hot: perfect for a day of grazing on the roof’s lush grass. If temperatures climb much beyond 75 degrees, the goats stay home or come down. (There isn’t much shade on a rooftop, after all.)

RoongtheGoats

Kit backs up the truck so the bed meets the base of the steps to the roof, and Floppy steps right out to lead the pack. I’m out front, but they won’t take another step until I climb all the way to the roof. Then they stroll confidently up the zigzagging goat ramps and onto the famous grass roof.

Within seconds of their arrival, passersby on the ground are stopping for a look or photo, and children are yelling to their parents, “The goats are up there!”

Floppy, Harry, Snickerdoodle and Snowflake will put on their show for a few thousand people throughout the day before the process is reversed in the late afternoon. Then it’s back to the barn to tell the stories of another day’s view from the roof.

are

Jill finally shepherds Harry into the barn to narrow the escape routes; Kit heads to the other end to be there to catch Harry at the exit; and soon Jill and I are hopping into the back of the pickup for the ride back to the restaurant.

EYC introduces youth to sailing and life skills

by SARA RAE LANCASTER

Photos by Brett Kosmider

Br ian Ritter remembers standing on the dock at Ephraim Yacht Club, staring at a row of sailboats bobbing up and down in the water. The then–selfdescribed “pretty quiet kid” admits that at 9 years old, he wasn’t sure he even knew sailing existed before that moment. But there he was, preparing to get into a boat for his first sailing lesson.

“I was completely fresh. No sailing background at all,” Ritter said.

But he soon learned that his background was similar to the majority of the other kids standing around him.

“I think at first you think, ‘Oh, they come from a sailing family,’” Ritter said. “But that’s usually not the case.”

If it were, it would defeat the mission of Ephraim Yacht Club’s twoweek beginner sailing course and perhaps diminish the learning and accomplishments of the hundreds of kids who have discovered the lifelong sport through the sailing school.

In addition to safety training and practical skills such as tying knots, reading the weather, trimming sails and maneuvering a boat, these classes also teach kids important life skills: leadership, teamwork, responsibility and certainly a greater sense of selfconfidence. Ritter experienced that firsthand: The more he sailed, the more comfortable he became with himself and those around him.

“I don’t know if I would have learned what I learned had I been involved in

“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”

– Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

Egg Harbor | Fish Creek | Ephraim | Sister Bay | Ellison Bay | Baileys Harbor

baseball or soccer or some other sport,” he said.

Ritter’s story isn’t unusual. In fact, it’s likely a story that would be repeated many times if you asked the hundreds of youth who have experienced the yacht club’s summer junior sailing classes.

Now, at 27, Ritter uses the memory of his early days on the water to fuel his work on the yacht club’s board of directors and as chair of the education committee.

“Most of my childhood memories have been involved with sailing in Ephraim. It was a big part of my growth and

development that now I get to share with others,” he said.

When you live on a peninsula, water becomes a way of life.

“One of the great things about sailing is you can start at an earlier age than [with] a power boat,” Ritter said.

Robert and Sherry Moore understand that very well. Their sons, Adam and Aaron, were 5 and 3 years old, respectively, the first time the family went out in a sailboat.

Robert, who was experienced with power boats, got the itch to try his hand at sailing. He purchased a 15-foot boat

and took lessons from the man who sold it to him before taking his family members out for their first sail together on Mother’s Day.

“Despite the gusty weather, I remember thinking, ‘I can handle this,’ Rob recalled. “And the first thing I did was turn the boat upside down, and everyone was in the water.”

Not to be daunted by that experience, the family took the boat out again – this time with better success, which set them on a trajectory that would make sailing an integral part of their life from that moment on.

“Aaron loved sailing,” Sherry said. “He loved sailing and loved being a sailing instructor throughout his high school and college years. He really loved working with the kids.”

After Aaron passed away in 2008, the family wanted to find a way to honor him, his love of sailing and especially his passion for teaching youth to sail.

“In those early days after we lost Aaron, you think of all sorts of things,” Sherry recalled. “Maybe I’ll write a book. Or maybe I’ll do this. Or maybe I’ll do that. Something to honor him and carry on his legacy.”

In 2012, son Adam’s wife, Barbara; and Jay Lott, the yacht club’s commodore at the time, approached the Moores with

A young sailor points the way for her crewmate.

Sailors learn to rig up sails.

the idea of starting the Aaron R. Moore Sailing Scholarship Fund.

“We realized a scholarship fund was something that would carry forward for many years to come,” Sherry said.

Thanks to the scholarship, organized in conjunction with both Ephraim Yacht Club and the Door County Community Foundation, Aaron continues to teach children to sail – specifically, Door County kids who might not have the opportunity to learn without the scholarship. Each year, the scholarship administrators select several recipients

based on the amount of money that’s been raised for that year.

“Our goal is to get as many children on the water as possible,” Sherry said.

The only application requirements are that children must be between the ages of 7 and 16, live in Door County year-round and show some financial need in order to afford the cost of the sailing lessons. To date, the scholarship – which funds 75% of the class tuition – has distributed 250 scholarships and $100,000 in scholarship funds.

It’s something the Moores said wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of residents and business owners throughout the Door County community.

“People are so pleased to be helping the children,” Sherry said, “especially because the money is staying here and helping our boys and girls locally.”

Anonymity is an important part of the scholarship. Not even the instructors

know which students are recipients. What they do know, however, is that they will see a profound transformation in all the students by the end of the twoweek course.

“I know for me, sailing put me in a situation where I had to grow,” Ritter said.

That growth – seen in both the students and the scholarship program overall – is something the Moores believe Aaron would be honored to be a part of.

“He would be proud; he would be so proud,” Sherry said, describing Aaron as the instructor who was often seen sitting in a boat with a student who was having a hard time.

“Maybe they were a little more hesitant or frightened, but there would be Aaron, taking the time to move the child along in the lesson, whenever they were ready.”

And in many ways, Aaron continues to do just that.

Aaron Moore.

The Ephraim Yacht Club’s youth sailing program teaches children ages 7-16 how to sail. More than 250 oung sailors have benefited from the Aaron R. Moore Sailing Scholarship Fund.

on the Rise

Eagles and pelicans no longer a rare sight

by John Mielke

There are hundreds of bird species in Door County, and Rob Hults, executive director of the Open Door Bird Sanctuary near Jacksonport, credits a welcoming habitat with making that possible: The county has thousands of acres of preserved land, much of it with mature trees and an ample food supply.

Door County is a perfect home for the merlin falcon, pileated woodpecker, screech owl and many others, but two of the largest and most talked-about birds may be the bald eagle and the American white pelican. Not long ago, seeing a bald eagle or white pelican in Door

County was rare, but today, you don’t have to drive very far or look very hard to spot either one.

What happened? Why are they back?

The Pelicans’ Story

“Pelicans started showing up in Wisconsin in the early ’90s, specifically in lower Green Bay,” said Joshua Martinez, district ecologist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. “That was the first epicenter. The reason why they came here is still fuzzy.”

Most avian experts believe, however, that drought in North Dakota and South Dakota is responsible. Martinez said that drought caused a massive number of

failed nest attempts in those two states, so pelicans may have had no choice but to expand their migration route – and they discovered Green Bay.

“They show up here and realize that nesting is capable for them,” Martinez said. “They saw that the food resource was extremely abundant, with all the small bait fish among all the other fish that we have here in the bay, and since then, they have continued to grow in population.”

Tom Erdman, a former curator at UWGreen Bay’s Richter Museum, noted that during the late 1970s, a single white pelican made news when it spent the summer off Chambers Island.

The bald eagle has made a stunning comeback in Door County.

Photo by Heather Harle Frykman.

“In 1981, we had a flock of 24-25 pelicans roam around the state, stopping at Mead Wildlife Area [north of Stevens Point], Green Bay and down to the Horicon Refuge,” Erdman said.

On lower Green Bay, a flock hung around a double-crested cormorant colony for five or six years before its members finally tried to nest. The first nesting attempt in 1994 by two pairs of pelicans failed, possibly because researchers kept birds off the nests too long.

“In 1995, we had nine nests, and those produced the first young,” Erdman said. “This happened because our growing colony of cormorants had finally begun to switch from tree and platform nesting to ground nesting. Once the cormorants did this, the pelicans joined them.”

Pelicans prefer islands because they offer protection from predators, and pelicans don’t seem to mind co-nesting with cormorants. Maybe that’s because

pelicans and cormorants not only nest together, but they also feed together. White pelicans feed on the surface, and cormorants dive.

“They’ll actually work together as a group,” Martinez said. “It’s kind of hilarious to watch.”

Will the pelican population continue to grow? Martinez said that while there is plenty of food, the availability of nesting space will be key. But he doesn’t see that becoming an issue anytime soon.

For those who enjoy watching the white birds with a nine-foot wingspan floating on the air currents above Door County, there should be plenty of opportunity to enjoy that sight.

The Bald Eagles’ Comeback

If you like a good comeback story, you have to love what’s happening to the bald eagle in Wisconsin and Door County. Erdman said that eagles were originally scattered around the county,

including on Detroit and Washington islands.

“When Spider Island was made part of the federal refuge system back in 1913, there was an eagle nest and a great blue heron rookery, too,” he said.

Three letters played a big role in changing all of that: D, D, T. The highly toxic pesticide was used in agriculture throughout the state and in Door County orchards after World War II, replacing lead arsenic, which had been applied since the 1890s. Because of the shallow Door County soils and the fractured dolomite surface, DDT quickly entered the aquatic system and was magnified throughout the food chain.

“It was stored in the birds’ fat reserves and affected the calcium metabolism needed to produce quality eggshells,” Erdman said.

To put it mildly, the bald-eagle population declined. Erdman helped former Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) researcher

A group of pelicans take in the view of Eagle Bluff Lighthouse. Photo by Heather Harle Frykman.

Is It a Raptor or a Bird of Prey?

When it comes to questions about birds in Door County, Rob Hults and his colleagues at the Open Door Bird Sanctuary on County I near Jacksonport have the answers.

The sanctuary is a private nonprofit organization, started in 2011, whose mission is giving a forever home to injured raptors that cannot return to life in the wild. Open Door Bird Sanctuary is also about education.

So, what

is a raptor?

“A raptor is a type of bird of prey,” said Hults, the sanctuary’s executive director. “Some people think that those two terms are synonymous: that a bird of prey is a raptor, and a raptor is a bird of prey.”

Not exactly. A bird of prey is a bird that hunts for other animals, kills them and eats them to survive. In the technical sense, pelicans – and even robins – are birds of prey in that they eat other animals to survive.

Chuck Sindelar survey Door County eagle nests back in 1966.

“The last place to have adults at a nest was at Toft’s Point in the early 1960s,” Erdman said. “I can remember a nice, old nest near Cana Island, long deserted.”

DDT did what it was designed to do: kill insects. But it was also killing birds large and small.

Maybe they didn’t know it at the time, but when Wisconsin legislators banned the use of DDT on March 11, 1970, they started the bald eagle’s comeback story.

Two years later, DDT was banned nationwide as part of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). “FIFRA requires all pesticides to be registered,” said Paul Kent, a Madison attorney and author of Wisconsin Water Law in the 21st Century.

Hults said a typical bird of prey uses its beak as a hunting tool.

“Raptors use their feet,” he said. “That is the distinction between any bird of prey and a raptor.”

Then there are raptors that are classified as hunters and others that are classified more as scavengers. In the case of the bald eagles, about 80% of their diet comes from scavenging.

“Their lifestyle is much more similar to a vulture than to a golden eagle,” Hults said. “Golden eagles are phenomenal hunters.”

Other things you can learn at the sanctuary:

• Most raptors can carry about 40% of their own weight.

• A mature bald eagle can weigh up to 12 pounds.

• Bald eagle nests have been found weighing 4,000 pounds.

To learn more about raptors, visit the Open Door Bird Sanctuary. Check its event schedule at opendoorbirdsanctuary.org for details about public tours.

On June 12, 1972, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revoked registration for DDT. Also in 1972, the federal government passed the Clean Water Act (CWA). Kent said that although the CWA was not the driver for controlling DDT, it did result in substantial improvements to water quality by controlling other pollutants, which further benefited birds and other wildlife.

The CWA made money available to states for clean-water projects and established a regulatory framework to control pollution from point sources.

“The regulatory program was designed to be administered by states with EPA oversight,” Kent said. “Along with the promise of authority came some federal funding. Almost all states, including Wisconsin, adopted programs that allowed them to be the primary permitting authority.”

A pair of eagles stand watch over their enormous nest. Photo by Carl Morrison.

Find your summer story.

Just one year after the CWA took effect, a survey of eagle nests found just 20 throughout the state. Today, there are at least 19 in Door County alone.

Yet even with the Clean Water Act, pesticides remain an issue.

“The CWA regulates the discharge of pollutants to navigable waters from point sources,” Kent said. “But pesticides were not technically pollutants or waste because they were considered products intentionally applied to crops. In addition, they are separately regulated under FIFRA.” The pesticide debate continues today.

Everyone has a story to tell. Whatever your skill level, whatever your genre, we can help you uncover yours. Writers and readers alike can enjoy author readings and conversations.

While you’re here, explore our Writer’s Walk — 59 acres of trails that are the quiet spirit of Write On, Door County

But, thanks to state and federal legislation enacted more than a half century ago, bald eagles are back in Wisconsin, in part because their food sources are healthier. Still, challenges remain. The Wisconsin DNR does toxicology tests on young eagles in Wisconsin’s Northwoods (Vilas County) and compares those findings to what they find in the Fox River and lower Green Bay.

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Five award-winning authors share their writing and stories over three days of workshops, author panels, readings, and more at locations around the island.

“As we see more pollutants decrease in our water system, we see fewer other toxins,” Martinez said. “Eagle populations are rebounding as a result of that. There are still some toxin levels in our system down here. As you get away from the lower bay, especially in northern Door County, sources are much healthier.”

Remember that last active eagle nest on Toft’s Point? Erdman is proud to report that it was the first Door County nest to be reoccupied during the early 1990s, and there are now eagle nests in every Wisconsin county.

More pelicans and bald eagles can be an overall indicator of a healthier ecosystem.

“Both pelicans and bald eagles are pretty much top tier in the food chain,” Hults said. “When you start seeing increases in populations, a lot of times people focus on just that particular animal.

“Ultimately, what that means is that the entire ecosystem is significantly healthier. [It’s] that whole food-chain thing: The little critters have to be healthy, and they feed the medium critters, and then the medium critters

Bo om photo ©The Kubala Washatko Architects, Inc.

feed the big critters. So often that gets overlooked.”

Hults pointed out that even controversial topics such as climate change can affect the eagle population.

“There is a lot less seasonal movement in the eagles right now because we have a lot more open water than, historically, we’ve had in the winter,” he said.

“As a result, the eagles don’t have to leave Door County [for] as long or as frequently to find food in the winter as they did 20 or 30 years ago.”

Healthy eagles are able to raise their young and produce more fledglings, and more fledglings are able to come back year after year to reproduce. It takes about five years for a bald eagle to mature and breed.

“Before we started pumping pollutants into our rivers, before settlement, eagle populations were very high [in Wisconsin],” Martinez said. “We continually find new nests, new nest locations [each year], which tells us that the population is continuing to grow, and they have not hit a ceiling at this point.”

A factor that could limit the population growth may be the eagles themselves: eagle pairs interacting with other eagle pairs. Eagles like space, so for them, nests that are two miles apart can feel a little crowded.

“Their territories are going to have to get smaller and smaller,” Martinez said, “so birds are going to have to get comfortable with neighbors.”

Eagles and Pelicans Build Awareness

Perhaps it’s their size. Hults says the increase in bald eagles and white pelicans has generated more interest in and awareness in all Door County birds. “If somebody doesn’t have some personal connection or some familiarity with an animal in the wild,” Hults said, “you might as well see them on TV. When [people] can drive around Door County and see a flock of pelicans circling up above or see an eagle perched somewhere, it gives them more of a personal connection.

“That creates interest, and that indirectly affects us and what we do at the sanctuary because it gets people jazzed up about the environment. It

creates questions, they come to a place like us to get answers.”

Open Door Bird Sanctuary is a private nonprofit organization that started in 2011 and occupies 34 acres on County I just south of Jacksonport.

“Our mission is giving a home to raptors that have been injured and have a disability from their injury that prevents them from surviving on their own in the wild,” Hults said. “When they come to our sanctuary, we give them a forever home.”

It’s also a place for education.

“People come to the sanctuary and get a close personal experience with a little owl or a great big bald eagle or a golden eagle,” Hults said. “The tiny, little adorable ones or the great big, massive ones – they’re the ones that catch everybody’s attention.

“Our bottom line is to create better environmental stewards.”

Bald eagles and American white pelicans certainly seem to be doing their part to help out.

In the 1970s, it made news when a single white pelican was spotted near Chambers Island. Today they are common sights around the peninsula. Photo by Thomas Jordan.

NAPA VALLEY ?

Just 2500 miles northeast of Napa Valley, you’ll find a whole other wine country. Peaceful. Unpoiled. Delightfully uncrowded. There, nestled in the beauty of Door County, you’ll find Stone’s Throw Winery. We invite you to sample our fine wines made from fresh California grapes (not juice) in the traditional one barrel at-a-time way.

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Baileys Harbor's Renaissance

by BEN JONES

or many years, Baileys Harbor was a place that many Door County tourists simply missed.

Overshadowed by the bustling villages on the bay side of the county, the town had a cooler temperature and a more quiet presence. It was a place where visitors could escape the crowds and enjoy a beautiful lakefront view without too much company. Some tourists only passed through, barely tapping the brakes as they followed Highway 57 north.

Times have changed.

“It was always considered the ‘quiet side’ of Door County, but it doesn’t feel so quiet anymore,” said Kari Baumann, in between serving customers at the Baileys 57 service station and food market.

Although it’s an old town – named after a ship captain who took refuge there during an 1848 storm – it’s thriving with new energy and has become a place that’s far busier than many could have predicted even a decade ago. Scores of northbound drivers are now stopping – and staying – right where they are.

The Baileys Harbor business community has boomed in recent years, with vibrant, new shops and restaurants drawing new crowds of visitors. On peak days in this once-quiet town, visitors fill the sidewalks, and the street traffic slows to nearly a crawl.

At Baileys 57, Baumann, the managing partner in the business, keeps declaring that things can’t get any busier in the town, but her prediction continues to be dead wrong.

“Every year, it increasingly gets better and better,” she said. “Our business didn’t even see a slowdown during COVID. It just kept getting busier and busier.”

Economic Changes

The story of Baileys Harbor’s boom is a story that’s not just about growth, it’s about a changed economy. In fact, years ago, the town boasted a lot of businesses that no longer exist.

“It used to be a working man’s town,” said Gary Nelson, who has lived in Baileys Harbor for all of his 70 years.

“We used to have five gas stations,” Nelson said. “We used to have multiple car repair businesses; we had a feed mill; we had a school; we had two grocery stores, two hardware stores, a barber shop and a beauty parlor.”

As a boy, Nelson had a paper route. Every house in Baileys Harbor was occupied by residents, and Nelson knew pretty much every homeowner in town.

“Now those houses have turned into vacation rentals by owners, and we have a lot of places to eat and drink and fun activities,” he said.

As an adult, he owned Nelson Shopping Center, which was a fixture in Baileys Harbor for more than 70 years.

Nelson decided to close his Baileys Harbor location in 2016, and in 2021 town residents voted to purchase the property to create a waterfront park. Nelson isn’t sure that he prefers the old Baileys Harbor to the new Baileys Harbor – he just considers them different eras. He said the economy today is focused more singularly on tourism.

“[Many of] the businesses have just gone away or turned into businesses that the locals don’t really use,” he said. “We can rent kayaks, buy candy and gifts, and we still have a good auto repair place and a gas station that does a good job of supplying the basic food needs. But things are changing here. Is it for the better? I don’t know.”

An early Baileys Harbor 4th of July parade. Photo courtesy of the Baileys Harbor Historical Society.

Suzanne Bauldry was literally born in Baileys Harbor in 1942. Doctors still made house calls to deliver babies when Bauldry entered the world. She grew up in what she considers an idyllic world, a time when the town’s kids roamed free with little supervision.

Commerce was different in those years. In the days before refrigeration was common in Baileys Harbor, men cut large chunks of lake ice and packed it away in an ice house that was located on the Baileys Harbor waterfront. When parents weren’t looking, it became a playground for local kids.

“It was magical,” Bauldry recalled.

Changes in Travel

Tourism was also a big deal in Bauldry’s early days, but it looked a little different. Some Baileys Harbor tourists stayed in large lodges or resorts, and many others stayed in uninsulated cabins – no heat was required because the season ended long before frosty weather arrived.

“The season started on Memorial Day and ended on Labor Day,” Bauldry said. “It was like a rush of lemmings out.”

Bauldry said that over a period of years, there was a shift in Door County tourism and places like Egg Harbor, and Sister Bay gained more visitors than Baileys Harbor. She said that as those places have become more crowded, some travelers are looking for an alternative.

“Baileys Harbor was considered the ‘quiet side,’” she said. “But we have suddenly become the place that people

want to visit. In the last 10 years, we’ve had nonstop traffic.”

If you haven’t been to Baileys Harbor for a while, you’re in for a surprise. It has become a place with locally brewed beer and inventive food trucks, wellcrafted lattes and open-air dining. The new crowds include a lot of younger travelers, so entrepreneurs have seen opportunity in this lakefront town.

When many of them arrived in Baileys Harbor – long home to some of the county’s most beloved businesses and restaurants – they saw a town with a big upside, as well as available business space.

Restaurateur Paul Salm, for example, said that when he purchased the Cornerstone Pub Bar & Grill in 2010, other entrepreneurs were also seizing opportunities in Baileys Harbor because

Gary Nelson’s family operated the town's hardware store for decades before selling it to the town in 2021 to make way for a waterfront park. Photo by David Eliot.

(Left) A Baileys Harbor postcard from the 1960s. (Right) Looking north on Highway 57 in 1974. Photo courtesy of Bill Tishler.

similar opportunities were harder to find in other communities.

“[Baileys Harbor] was the only thing that was attainable,” he said. “Everything else was completely off the table.”

Salm said that many of the businesses also brought progressive values and practices, such as locally produced food, and the new ventures were well received.

“We became like a cool neighborhood in a big city,” he said. “There were a lot of energetic people with energetic ideas who slowly got into town, and it

all sort of jived. And, all of a sudden, this sleepy town became like a vibrant neighborhood.”

The past two decades have brought a steady influx of new and expanding businesses, including the Harbor Fish Market & Grille, which opened in 1999 in a historical former tavern and dance hall. More businesses followed: Nathan Nichols & Company, Chives Door County and Door County Brewing Co. The Baileys 57 gas station expanded with new food, grocery and deli options.

JR Schoenfeld opened Chives in 2014. He said he located the business in Baileys Harbor in part because it wasn’t

that busy. At the time, he was seeking a little more free time in his life.

“I looked at the town, and it was a nice town – kind of sleepy,” he said.

To Schoenfeld’s surprise, Baileys Harbor did not stay that way for long.

“I’ve grown year after year, and it’s been nonstop,” he said. “There are now so many more people here, and more and more people are here year-round. It’s not a sleepy place at all.”

Businesses have both benefited from and fueled the town’s growth. Schoenfeld’s restaurant, Chives, is

(Clockwise from top left) Sue Bauldry. | The Lake Cinema and Cornerstone Pub. Photo courtesy of the Baileys Harbor Historical Society. | Nathan Nichols & Co. opened in 2000. | Paul Salm in front of the Cornerstone Pub, with the now-razed Nelson Hardware Store in the background.

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a sit-down establishment serving upscale entrées such as beef cheeks bourguignon. He later expanded his culinary offerings next door with food trucks, and the trucks became their own destination.

A 1945 Ford truck run by Harbor Pizza now turns out pizzas from a wood-fired stove that was imported from Italy. Nearby, a 1947 Ford logging truck run by Grill & Griddle serves French fries, burgers and sandwiches. Above it all, bartenders serve guests artisan cocktails.

It’s been a fun run for Schoenfeld, who never imagined the town’s rapid trajectory and how many more people would discover the area.

He said part of that trend is related to a surge in short-term vacation rentals such as Airbnb properties. During the

pandemic, even more people visited, stayed and fell in love with Door County in general and Baileys Harbor specifically.

“They knew it existed, but they didn’t know it had the charm, the culture and the restaurants that it has,” Schoenfeld said.

Baumann said all of Door County is going through a big surge in tourism.

“The advertising out there has brought more and more people in,” she said. “It’s a destination place – I feel like we’re going to be the new Wisconsin Dells of the north. As a local, I don’t want that happening as much because I love the tranquility of Door County, and I want it to be the way it’s always been. But business wise, it’s great.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, JR Schoenfeld (right) reimagined his space at Chives Restaurant. He added outdoor seating, then moved his food trucks onto the adjacent lawn to create a lively food-truck court that brings street life to the south end of the town. Photos by Rachel Lukas.

Baumann said she’s seeing a younger crowd of tourists in town – a trend that coincided with the arrival of the Door County Brewing Co.

“That was the start of many younger people coming in, and the start of a lot of local businesses changing to fit that clientele,” she said.

The new energy in Baileys Harbor hasn’t been limited only to businesses. Although the town has always had

stunning natural beauty, some of its well-known outdoor attractions have also had an increasing appeal for visitors. Baileys Harbor’s maritime amenities, for instance, improved significantly in 2000 with the construction of its marina, so it’s now a safe harbor serving recreational boaters as well as commercial fishermen.

The Ridges Sanctuary, a 1,600-acre preserve that dates to 1937, opened a 7,400-square-foot nature center in 2015

that’s become a beautiful gateway to the preserve and houses interpretive displays detailing The Ridges’ precious wildflowers, plants and animals.

Even Cana Island – one of Door County’s oldest, most photographed and iconic sights – is up to new things after the lighthouse recently underwent a major facelift. Its house and tower reopened in August after a 13-year project to preserve and protect the 153-year-old structure. For the first time in nearly a decade, the observation deck is open, and improvements continue in its displays and welcome center below.

During the 2022 season, Cana Island saw between 45,000 and 50,000 visitors, even though some areas were closed for renovation.

“[Attendance] is growing, and it’s continuing to grow over the years,” said Sam Perlman, deputy director of the Door County Maritime Museum and Lighthouse Preservation Society and Town of Baileys Harbor resident. “There are new visitors who have never been to Cana Island before, and folks who come to Cana every year because it’s part of their Door County experience, and their trip would not be complete without climbing the steps of the Cana Island Lighthouse.”

When The Ridges Sanctuary bought the Sandpiper Restaurant property to build a new nature center, its leaders never dreamed the expansion would draw the dramatic increase in visitors it has welcomed since it opened in 2015. File photo by Len Villano.

Looking north on Highway 57. The building at right is now Lakefire Winery. Photo courtesy of the Baileys Harbor Historical Society.

Although it’s easy to see that Baileys Harbor is now much busier with visitors, its permanent population also has grown at a steady rate despite the conversion of homes into vacation rentals. According to annual population

estimates from the state’s Department of Administration, the town’s population stood at 1,238 in 2023; up from 1,030 two decades ago.

As the town grows, affordable housing –including housing for the workforce – is a significant issue.

“It’s not just Baileys Harbor, it’s [communities] across the board,” said Brandon Robinson, assistant director

When Door County Brewing Co. opened in 2012, it breathed new life into an empty grocery store location and made the town a hub for craft-beer lovers. Within a few years, it had grown into a new space on Highway 57 with a sprawling beer garden and live-music scene. Its former taproom is now home to Sway Brewing’s taproom. Photo by Rachel Lukas.

The outdoor seating and inviting space of Bearded Heart Coffee activated the corner of Howard Street and Highway 57 when it opened its new location in 2020. Photo by Rachel Lukas.

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of the Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission. “Places need workers, but these workers have a difficult time finding a place to live, and they have to commute a much longer distance because it’s not affordable to live in these places.”

Robinson said there are two sides to the mass tourism experienced by places such as Baileys Harbor. Visitors’ spending clearly benefits communities and residents, but it also can lead to overcrowding, congestion, a larger demand for infrastructure projects, and a greater need for environmental stewardship.

“Tourism obviously drives Door County, but with that, you have to find a balance,” Robinson said. “That can be the difficult part: taking a look at the balance of tourism and visitation growth [versus] the protection of the coastal resources and natural resources that draw people into Door County – the vast environmental features and the quaint shops.”

Bauldry said the town needs to ensure that it protects its historic charm and character.

“We’re trying really hard,” she said. Salm said the uniqueness of Baileys Harbor’s environment has helped to fuel its success. The town has one of the best waterfront views around, a cool lake breeze and fresh opportunities for active water sports.

But he said the town is also defined by the personalities of its residents. He said there’s a throwback quality to Baileys Harbor that visitors respond to. The restaurant’s owner just might be bussing your table, and she or he might even have a few colorful stories to share.

“That doesn’t happen in other places anymore,” Salm said. “People just fall in love with the local people in Baileys Harbor. They are searching for local culture, and they want to be part of the local lore and explore the town. People latch on to that, and they want to experience that.”

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Always Music Pita Kotobalavu can’t stop

by MYLES DANNHAUSEN JR.

Kai “Pita” Kotobalavu remembers distinctly the moment he fell in love with music. He was 7, walking down a road in a tiny village on the island of Viti Levu, where he grew up in Fiji, when the music flowing out of an Assembly of God church grabbed his ear and wouldn’t let him go.

“That was the first time I heard music like that – a live band,” he says. “The first thing that hit you was the drums. Then the guitar, and the base, and like – wow, it’s amazing! All I did from that point on was watch and learn and play. My grandparents were Methodist, but I’d run away from the Methodist church to go listen at the Assembly of God church. Then my uncle had a band, and I would watch him play. I was always in music.”

Kotobalavu played everything. “I can’t say I’m a keyboardist, or a guitarist, or a drummer – I play it all,” he says. He soaked in every sound he could. He loved the blues, Elvis, The Crickets and especially Mick Jagger.

“I loved how he took the mic and controlled the stage,” Kotobalavu says.

“He was just the best frontman I had ever seen. He walked on stage and demanded the audience watch him.”

That stuck with Kotobalavu as he became a performer – first in Fiji, and then in Hawaii, after he and his brother moved there to follow his mother. But the islands are small – his village had about 300 residents – and he wanted more.

“I wanted to explore,” he says.

When his son’s mother moved home to Wisconsin, his exploring went somewhere the island kid had never considered. In 2002, he moved to Appleton to be closer to his son. Kotobalavu was 29 and living in a small, cold, Midwestern city where his long dreadlocks and dark skin didn’t exactly blend in.

“At first when I came here, it was very hard,” he says. “I’ve been called names; I’ve been called the n-word; but I put the music first. I can’t get involved in the negative. I’ve got to be positive. You try not to take it personally, and you try to put it back out in a positive way.

“So far it’s worked for me. My mom is a white woman. I never judge someone by their skin. A person could be having a bad day, and that’s why they act the way they do. I believe people do change, and maybe I can help them change.”

Pita Kotobalavu and Unity the Band have been rocking stages in Door County and beyond for more than 20 years.

Photo by Rachel Lukas.

“Music is the thing that heals me.”

- Pita Kotobalavu.

Brilliantly Cut Here in Door County

a long way since then. She has studied with the region’s foremost authorities in jewelry design, goldsmith work, and gemology. T. Simon is a member of the Jewelers of America and the Gemological Institute of America. Opening her own business in 1997 the business has grown and expanded in many ways.

nation’s top jewelry brands and designs, the options are endless. Also, keeping up with the trends by attending multiple jewelry shows per year around the County.

Owner Tricia Hanson’s long-standing passion for gemology and gold smith work began many years ago after she entered a design competition and won. Hanson and her business have come

“Taking time with each customer gives them a personalized experience, “Hanson said. She enjoys the creative process, from envisioning an idea, to making it turn to a reality, to seeing a customer’s reaction to the final piece. “ To see a customer have tears of joy is a rewarding feeling,” she said. So is getting to work side by side with my daughter and my sister. Alongside Hanson is her sister, Tracy Jorns, who serves as the store’s manager and creative design process. Celina Simon, Hanson’s daughter, assists with sales.

Customer service is a top priority, and it really shows when you enter the store. In addition to the retail area expanding over the years, so has the instore goldsmith work. Recently adding a laser welder to work on more complex and difficult repairs. In store goldsmith work, offers a piece of mind for the customers that their jewelry will be cared for.

Having built her business from scratch during the past 25 years, Hanson has advice for other entrepreneurs: “Work hard and be ready to give it your all, and put in long hours, it will pay off and be so rewarding”.

For more information visit T. Simon Jewelers or Contact Tricia, Tracy or Celina at 920-743-2206 or online at www.tsimonjewelers.com

(From left) Celina Simon, Tricia Hanson and Tracy Jorns.

Located on Sturgeon Bay’s west side at 69. S. Madison Ave. T. Simon Jewelers is home to the area’s largest display of diamonds and colored gemstones. With a breathtaking jewelry collection in an array of colors. It is where, for more than 25 years, customers have gone to find unique colored gemstones, diamond engagement rings and wedding bands and custom design. Displaying many of the

Tricia Hanson said custom designs make up the majority of their business and their retail area has expanded greatly since she began 25 years ago! *paid advertisement

Kotobalavu formed a band called Unity after moving to Wisconsin, and its mix of reggae and rock instantly found a following on the stages of the state.

“I knew I wanted reggae, but I wanted a mixture,” he says. “I didn’t want straight reggae. A California vibe, but not California. I wanted a mixture of

everything from funk to blues with a reggae vibe.”

Not long after the band started catching on, it received a request to fill in for a July Fourth show at a little barn venue in Fish Creek called Fishstock.

“We came up and rocked that place and fell in love with Door County,”

Kotobalavu says. “That’s where Unity really exploded. So when we play here, we feel we’re home.”

The reggae sound stood out, but so did his undeniable stage presence.

“For me, it’s being in tune with everyone else who’s out there,” Kotobalavu says. “It’s never been about

James R. Smith • Richard A. Hauser • Jon R. Pinkert • Jennifer C. Hobart • Amy M. Sullivan • Tyler D. Plu

Hannah J. Smith • Peter A. Bazianos

• Zachary J. Buchta

Unity’s first peninsula gig was a fill-in show at Fishstock, launching a love affair between area music fans and the Appleton-based band. File photo by Dan Eggert.

me. It’s always been about the people out there. Once they feel your energy, it just hits a totally different level. It’s more of a spiritual thing. It’s a natural high. When music goes through me, it literally goes through me. I can feel everyone out there. The crowd elevates you, and the next thing you know, you’re elevating them. But you are the one steering it.”

Whether the crowds are huge or small, Kotobalavu has a few rules for his band: You play 100%, or you don’t play at all, “like every night is your last night – you never know your next day.” And you don’t drink or smoke on stage, which is no easy ask in the world of bars and musicians.

“I used to drink. I smoked weed,” he says. “But when I got into this business, an old fellow says, if you want to be successful, you don’t touch those things. If you drink or smoke at the show, you are out of the band. The stage is a temple. It’s like going to church.”

For two decades, that temple has found a place about 20 times a year in Door County’s bars and on its festival stages. For several years, Unity closed Fall Fest weekend with the local crowd at JJ’s La Puerta, and now the band plays new venues such as the Peach Barn Farmhouse & Brewery and Alpine Resort.

When I caught up with Kotobalavu by phone in late May, he was a few hours away from playing a summer kickoff show at Husby’s Garage Bar – a favorite spot where Packers running back AJ Dillon once took the stage with the band. As we spoke, Kotobalavu was undergoing chemotherapy treatment for the colon cancer that has wreaked havoc on his body for the past year and a half.

“I’m sick, but I’m good,” he says with confidence. “It kicks my butt, but I get up and do it. I have people who help me; the band has my back.”

The band is now made up of longtime bassist Timothy Perkins and drummer Kelvin Ayres, plus lead guitarist Curtis Ayres and keyboardist Greg Pagel. Together, they’ve stepped up to deliver the band’s trademark energy when Kotobalavu has had to step back. He remains the centerpiece, however – the frontman – even if he now must pace himself a bit more than in his prime. Last year he had to cancel two shows for the first time in his career.

“I was in the hospital, and I thought I was going to go,” he says. “I lost 50 pounds and couldn’t stand up.”

But Kotobalavu got back on stage – and continues to get back on stage – to the tune of 200 or more shows each year.

“The music is the thing that heals me,” he says. “I’m grateful. I’ve lived a life people can only dream. I’ve lived that life. If my life is playing until my last breath, that’s the dream.”

Take Door County Home…

Moth Metamorphosis

by CHARLOTTE LUKES ROY LUKES

Butterflies are of interest to many people because of their beautiful colors and daytime flight. Moths are not as popular, since they are associated with darkness and damage to some of our possessions and plants.

They all belong to the order called Lepidoptera. It may surprise you that moths make up 95% of this group. The tropical areas of the world are home to most of these delicate creatures.

There are a number of moths that fly during the day and a few are rather unusual. Some species that fascinate people who have flower gardens are in the clear-wing group. One is named the hummingbird

clear-wing moth. It hovers at flowers as it sips nectar and has transparent areas in its wings. At first glance people think it is a hummingbird. Another in

this group has a body that looks like a bumblebee.

The enormous variations in shapes and color patterns in moths, as well as their caterpillars and cocoons, are startling. Caterpillars can have bodies that are camouflaged to make them look like a leaf, a flower part, tree twig, conifer needles or bird droppings.

Many moths will rest on a tree and blend in with the bark to make them invisible. Others will have large eye spots on hind wings to scare off a predator. Some moths can even emit a toxic substance or produce squeaking noises to distract a foe.

Some caterpillars have tufts of hairs which cause a painful sensation when touched, like the stinging nettle plant. A fat green caterpillar can cling to the underside of a twig to resemble a leaf. A few may create sounds that have ultrasonic frequencies to repel flying bats.

ultrasonic bats. egg, caterpillar,

Moths undergo a complete metamorphosis which includes four stages:

cocoon and adult moth. Some species can fly in near-freezing weather in the far northern parts of the Midwest. Males usually fly, some up to 20 miles, to find mates via the female’s pheromone scents she sends into the air.

A few moths have startling colors that may indicate they are not really an edible creature. A sphinx moth can be quite large and have a rapid flight to evade predators. They get their name from the caterpillars which have large, stout bodies that can be held erect, like the Egyptian Sphinx statue. The tomato hornworm is in this category.

Once the weather warms and moths are flying, try leaving a porch light on overnight and see what may be there at dawn. A neighbor unknowingly did that about 10 years ago in June and discovered a luna moth and a polyphemus moth nearby. They called Roy, my late husband, to tell him and

husband, he rushed over with his camera.

These large and impressive moths are in the family, also called silkworm moths. They are among the largest in our area and have very short lifespans.

An unusual dayflying moth is the clear-winged hummingbird moth.

These beautiful moths never eat and are in flight from about mid-May to the end of June. Their short lives are only to mate so the larger female can lay eggs.

The caterpillars of our silkworm moths feed on a wide variety of plants including maple, birch, oak, pine, cherry, ash and willow. Most of these larvae have colorful warts and some have stinging spines.

True silkworm moths are not native to this country. They are found in China, where people first learned how to unravel the silk from cocoons over 5,000 years ago. Commercial production has been very successful. It was found that a single strand of silk that forms a cocoon can be from 500 to 1,300 yards long.

Perhaps you have heard of an inchworm. These are the larvae of small moths in the Geometridae family. The very slender caterpillars mimic tree twigs and move about in a looping fashion. Roy photographed three species – the spear-marked black, cherry scallop shell and the pale beauty moth – on our land. Their caterpillars feed on alders, birch, cherry and white spruce trees.

The antennae of moths are either feather-like or hair-like. None have the knobby end seen on butterflies. The wider feathery male antennae help detect the pheromones released into the air by females. The alluring scent can be detected by the males as much as five miles away.

I remember a project by a student researcher who worked for two summers at The Ridges Sanctuary in the 1980s. John Wilterding was studying entomology and eventually earned his Ph.D. in the field. He made a mixture of rotten bananas, dark molasses and stale beer and let it age for a few days. Then he spread it with a big paintbrush onto the large maple trees in the yard just before dark.

It was amazing to see the moths that were attracted to this concoction over several hours. He carefully collected some of the moths and even found a black witch, a rare moth normally seen in the South. His mounted collection is in The Ridges Sanctuary’s possession.

Try to be more aware of the moths and caterpillars that may live in your area. Get a good field guide, like Moths & Caterpillars of the North Woods by Jim Sogaard, and be amazed at the beauty of these flowers of the night!

(Top) One of the largest moths, the cecropia, has a six-inch wingspan.

(Middle) The cherry scallop shell moth shows its cryptic wing pattern to help it blend in with tree bark or dead leaves.

(Bottom) Hind wings of the polyphemus moth have large eye spots that may deter a predator.

Girl Named Tom Hiplet Ballerinas

Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives Robert Cray

Gladys Knight

Bob Thorton & The Boxmasters

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Jacksonport 10K and 2-mile runs

June, 2024

CROSSROADS TRAIL RUN

Sturgeon Bay

10K, 5K and 2K trail runs

Competitors charge up the hill in the Fish Creek Hairpin Run on July 4, 2022. RACHEL LUKAS

Photo by John Van Den Brandt

Fiber Art: An Overlooked Medium

by SAM WATSON

hen people ask Wendy Carpenter what she does for a living, she usually has some explaining to do.

She tells them: “I make fiber art.” People respond with: “What’s that?”

That question isn’t easy to answer because fiber art (also called textile art) is a wide-ranging and often overlooked medium. It encompasses practices as disparate as knitting, crocheting, sewing, quilting, tailoring, embroidery, fabric-making, fabric-dyeing, weaving, basketry and embroidery – any art form involving natural or synthetic fibers.

Carpenter’s personal brand of fiber art focuses on handweaving and loom

weaving, which she uses to create fiber wall sculptures and tapestries. Large, dynamic pieces are Carpenter’s favorite to make – and looking at her body of work, populated with 3D sculptures of trees and pelicans and wall hangings taller than the artist herself, that tendency shows.

Although Carpenter’s childhood love of sewing was what drew her to fiber art, other local artists were brought into the fold in different ways. Ann Young, for example, got into the medium thanks to her job as an “office gal” at Sievers School of Fiber Arts on Washington Island, which she now owns. A knitter herself, Young spent decades helping out with (and later teaching) classes in

multiple disciplines under the fiber-art umbrella.

“Being here for every single class over all these years, you grow to appreciate what goes into it,” Young said.

She also found how fluid the various categories under the fiber-arts umbrella can be, with students flowing in and out of classes to learn about media very different from their own.

“We generally have two classes in session at once; let’s say there’s basketmakers in one studio and an embroidery class in another studio,” Young said. “They always like to see each other’s work and learn how it’s done.”

(Left) Piles of yarn at Interfibers Studio Gallery.

(Above) Wendy Carpenter works in her studio. Photos by Rachel Lukas.

That’s a trend Mary Carson noticed, too, when she established the Door County Textile Art Collective (DCTAC), a local group for amateur and professional fiber artists to connect and share techniques.

“Everyone informs each other,” Carson said. “That’s the magic of what we do.”

Carson first picked up a needle and thread for a distinctly unmagical reason: She was fed up with ill-fitting clothes.

“I was a tall girl growing up in the '60s, so I often had to make my own clothing,” Carson said.

What started out as a chore grew into a hobby, and now, much of Carson’s art

involves simple hand stitches on layers of manipulated appliqué, with paint to tint fabric as needed.

Why Fiber Art?

Three very different draws – a childhood hobby, a desk job and a need for a tailor – guided these three women toward fiber art. What made them stick with it was the unique physicality of the medium: the ability to hold their materials in their hands, noticing the patterns and textures as they gradually transform into something new. Fiber art is tactile in a way many other media can’t be, because as Carson said, “You can’t necessarily hug and hold oil paint or a pencil.”

That’s something viewers take into account too, and it’s why some buyers choose fabric art over more traditional wall art like paintings, according to Carpenter.

“They want to get away from the linear,” Carpenter said. “They want something more organic and they want texture. That’s the first thing they say.”

The physical connection to the work combined with the repetitiveness of many fiber art media can be almost meditative, Carpenter said: Spending hours working at a loom or pushing a needle in and out of a piece of fabric forces artists to be present. At the same time, fiber art connects artists

Scenes at Interfibers Studio Gallery. Photos by Rachel Lukas.

to the past because skills like fabricmaking, weaving and sewing have been practiced for centuries.

“People like to go back to the way things were done,” Young said of the students at Sievers.

But in eras when such practices were necessary, they weren’t usually considered art – an attitude that has carried over to modern times.

Carson suggested two reasons that attitude is so prevalent. For one, women were the main producers of fiber art, and the art world, like the rest of the world, historically devalued and overlooked their work. Countless

forgotten female artists built the backbone for techniques fiber artists still use today, from embroidery stitches to fabric-dyeing techniques, “but nobody ever said, ‘Oh, you should put that in a gallery. Someone would buy that,’” Carson said.

Second, the practicality of fiber art calls into question its standing as “real” art for some. According to Carson, it’s a long-standing question debated in the art world: Can functional objects like chairs, pots or scarves be considered art?

Many artists think not – some fiber artists included. According to Carson, some DCTAC members hesitate to

call themselves artists at all. Even Carpenter, who practiced fiber art in college, was dissuaded from making practical items in favor of projects with more traditionally fine-art elements.

“Fiber art was just becoming a fine-art medium” at the time she went to school, Carpenter said. “The first thing they told me was ‘no more scarves, no more placemats.’”

These attitudes bout fiber art are shifting, Carson said. But for her, Carpenter and Young, whether fiber art is “real” art was never a real question.

(From top, left to right): Work by Carpenter. | Work by Carson. | Work by Carson. | A woven basket made at Sievers. Submitted

A Century of Golfing in Nature

by Craig Sterrett

Beloved by golfers who have played all over the world, as well as by summer visitors who enjoy the woods and lake views and golf there year after year, Peninsula State Park Golf Course is celebrating 100 years of evolution this summer.

The course has a rich history, spanning from an era with oil-and-sand greens; to the 20th-century unveiling of the clifftop tee box above a one-of-a-kind, 60-yard par-3; to the creation of a separate sixhole, par-3 short course for sharpening skills in the 21st century. Remarkable peculiarities include its 99 consecutive years of hosting the Resorters matchplay tournament and the monument to Chief Simon Kahquados that’s tucked

Golf tournaments such as the Cherryland Open and Resorters event received a lot more attention from spectators in Door County during the middle of the 20th century than during the 21st century, as evidenced by a crowd watching a player putt at Peninsula State Park Golf Course. Submitted.

into the pines – in bounds, yet in a peaceful corner.

But the course history also has two ongoing themes: One is change, and the other – especially during the past 40 years – is a tradition of reinvestment back into the facility.

Those improvements accelerated and maintained momentum after 1981, when the Ephraim Men’s Club and an ad hoc committee created a nonprofit organization to take over the course. In 1982, Peninsula Golf Associates (PGA) formed because of concerns about the way the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, which oversees the state park, was caring for the course.

“They [the PGA] took over, so money went back into the course rather than the state just getting their income,” said Chris Bungener, who served on the local "PGA" board for 25 years.

The first board invested in the course’s first fairway-irrigation system during the early 1980s. Bungener remembered times before that installation when the fairways became rock hard with dormant grass, although occasionally a drive would roll a ridiculously long way in his favor.

Restroom upgrades and other facility improvements followed, such as installing another, better-controlled irrigation system; constructing the sixhole short course; and rebuilding the first green last year.

As for the course routing, golfers no longer have to cross busy Highway 42 during their round to play a hole. The current course layout dates to the early 1960s, when prolific course architect Lawrence Packard (of Innisbrook and Palm Harbor fame) redesigned the course.

The late short-course attendant Doug Van Vorous, a former caddie, remembers having to forecaddie: walk up the fairway as clients teed off to watch for their drives from the second tee on the circa-1930 18-hole layout. Old #2 ran along the right of today’s second fairway and required a blind tee shot from a bluff-edge tee box that was built on a pedestal of stone.

General manager Jason Daubner and Van Vorous said the 1960s redesign was

born out of a need for safety, such as avoiding the increasing tourist traffic on the highway and eliminating the #10 and #12 tee boxes, where golfers dodged incoming approach shots to the 18th and 17th greens. However, the new design resulted in the one-of-a-kind, roller-coaster par-4 12th hole and many new, spectacular views of Eagle Harbor and more fairways carved through the woods.

Years after the 1960s redesign, course leaders frequently made more subtle improvements, such as slightly leveling severe back-to-front slopes on greens #12 and #17, recalled Sylvia Ferdon, a former LPGA Tour player, retired Baylor University coach and longtime Peninsula golf instructor.

Only one hole – #1 – remains mostly in its original alignment since Peninsula State Park opened its first nine-hole course in 1923. Also still in play from the pre-1960 era is the course’s difficult, two-tiered green for the par-4 ninth hole, which once served as a putting surface for a par-3. Daubner said that while he’s been doing research for the centennial, he has come across new information about when certain holes first became available for play.

Some of the original nine holes used the ground that now serves as the driving range, as did part of the front nine after Midwest golf pro “Bim” Lovekin designed the park’s first 18-hole layout in 1930. In actuality, six golf holes were laid out at the park in 1917.

“There’s going to be a poster that has all of those layouts all combined onto one,” Daubner said.

He said course leaders chose this year for the centennial because 1923 marked the first year when Peninsula had a regulation nine holes that were suitable for competition rounds.

The clubhouse will display many historical photos from the course’s collection, donors and park archives all season, and many will be available for viewing during a centennial celebration the weekend of July 28-30.

That celebratory weekend will kick off Friday with a nostalgic, ninehole tournament during which each

foursome will play with hickory-shaftedclub enthusiasts and reenactors using and wearing pre-1940s gear.

Current Peninsula Golf Associates president Lance Lucibello, a May-toNovember Fish Creek resident, said the Associates’ dedication to thoughtfully pouring donations and revenue back into the course transformed Peninsula into a “destination course.”

“I enjoy playing it because, certainly, there’s the scenery,” he began. “It’s a very challenging golf course because you have to play all kinds of different shots. It goes left . It goes right. It goes up. It goes down. And at the same time, you’re taking in the beauty of Door County.”

In addition, “I like the quaintness of the clubhouse,” Lucibello said of the pro shop and restaurant that replaced a previous clubhouse that stood just across the park-entrance road, tucked into the bluff. And Lucibello gives Daubner credit for helping to cultivate a great culture among the staff while building the brand for the course as well.

“The people in the clubhouse are very personable,” Lucibello said. “Even though it’s run like a business, you don’t get the feeling that it’s so businesslike that you’re not enjoying the Door County experience as well.”

Colorful 1960s- and 1970s-era golf bags and a crank-handle ball washer sit near the first tee at Peninsula State Park Golf Course, where golfers and staff are celebrating 100 years since the park created its first regulation course. Submitted.

The former clubhouse at Peninsula State Park Golf Course stood across the street from the current log-cabin–style clubhouse and its parking area, tucked into the bluff, downhill from today’s 16th tee. Centennial memorabilia and a poster mapping four different layouts of the course will be available in the clubhouse all season. Submitted.

Preservation Evolution and at the Alpine

by CRAIG STERRETT

Randy Abrahams has a vision that goes far beyond simply rescuing the century-old Alpine Resort – that mission’s already been accomplished.

After renovating 29 cottages, reviving the restaurant and marina, establishing a busy event and wedding venue, and revitalizing the golf course and clubhouse with five upstairs hotel rooms, Abrahams envisions the resort remaining a vital part of the community, and becoming a year-round venue for the first time.

He wants to build a reputation for quality, outstanding service and fun, whether that pertains to dining and accommodations, entertainment and activities.

Abrahams – who bought the Alpine in 2021 – wants to provide more

entertainment inside and around the lodge. Outside, he envisions hosting everything from golf events, fishing and ice-fishing tournaments to skating and hockey. Over time, the community, village and businesses should benefit if the Alpine provides for themed events, tournaments and sports, he said.

“Door County doesn’t need more people,” he said. “It needs more for people to do.”

The style, amenities and activities are changing and heading in slightly different directions than during the 99 years the Bertschinger family operated the lodge.

For much of the 20th century, the historic resort entertained visitors all day and all week long with three meals per day, boat rides, horseback riding, Wild-West wagon-holdup skits and

more. In later years, the Bertschingers eliminated the American Plan for dining, boat cruises and trail rides but continued to host bands and dances in the lodge.

Abrahams is building on those traditions.

After buying the resort, Abrahams said, “This place is for the local residents and visiting travelers alike” – not unlike when his family visited the Alpine when he was growing up.

Char Mueller, an Egg Harbor resident who worked as an Alpine bookkeeper for 30 years, remembers Alpine as a vital part of the village – a major employer and a place where vacationers came back every summer and always asked for the same cottage.

For more than a century, the sunset view from the Alpine Resort has been a summer centerpiece for Egg Harbor visitors. Submitted photo.

She was relieved when a buyer, at first anonymous, purchased the place and invested heavily in improvements.

“I’m glad to see the new owner wants to keep the old feeling and that he didn’t tear it down and put up a bunch of condos,” Mueller said.

After the reopening of the restaurant and cottages in 2022, Abrahams and the staff met guests on a daily basis who had honeymooned at the resort, visitors whose grandparents worked at the lodge, or couples who had met and married after working there together 40, 50 or even 60 years ago.

During the first year and a half after the resort changed hands, Abrahams revived the kitchen and bar, and in doing so, he also established a new following. During its first season, Burton’s on the Bay served up to 400600 meals a day to customers enjoying breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The resort also established a popular series of free Wednesday and weekend concerts and replaced a pier and boat

slips that had crumbled and become unusable, making docks available for guests.

This year, Alpine expanded the concert lineup, added a food trailer in a vintage camper to take to festivals or Egg Harbor events, prepared for catering and opened Burton’s on the Green in the golf clubhouse for full-service dining all winter.

“First you make it great; then you build the brand,” Abrahams said, noting that he wants to “maximize what the Alpine can be.”

“You just keep adding improvements year over year, and get better and better over time, and then you end up with this great, finished work product,” Abrahams said.

He is looking to the future, toward a 100-year return on an investment that will remain a family business, whoever else runs it long after he’s gone.

“It should pay for itself – eventually. Till then we enjoy the ride,” he said.

Ambitious Lodge Plans

Contractors are poised to begin a massive project to transform the lodge at the center of the resort into a modern, year-round, full-service hotel. Work crews disassembled the hotel rooms over the offseason, leaving contractors with a blank interior canvas, save for studs and sturdy floors. Rather than the 58 small hotel rooms suited to the mid-20th century, Abrahams envisions providing 40-45 large, waterview guest rooms and suites. The first floor of the lodge should all be dedicated to service, dining and entertainment, and eventually a spa. Abrahams said he has considered adding a pool and/or outdoor, Colorado-style, year-round hot tubs between the west end of the lodge and the cottages.

“We’re hoping for a nice spa, fitness center and an outdoor pool that we can actually leave open all winter,” he said.

For 100 years, the lodge had hardly any insulation.

The Alpine Resort has been welcoming guests since the Bertschinger brothers built it in 1921. Photo courtesy of the Egg Harbor Historical Society.

“We can create modern technology and conveniences,” Abrahams said. “Once you cut into this thing, you have to be up to code. The entire facility existed before codes, of course. We’re going to have to get some exceptions to complete a fully renovated Alpine for the future without risking its historical charm.

“We are building for the next 100 years. It will take time and patience, but if done properly, the Alpine will be a destination location that is usable year-round and will provide years and decades of great memories, as it did for the last 100 years.”

Burnishing a Dining Reputation

In keeping with making the lodge a year-round venue, Abrahams pushed the restaurant business last fall and winter to the golf clubhouse. Clubhouse diners enjoyed the new two-sided fireplace in the old Alpine “golf chalet” this winter and spring while sampling what Chef Tony Gorham and beverage manager Dave Johnson had to offer.

Johnson, a veteran bar manager who came to Alpine from JJ’s La Puerta in 2022, and his staff spent the winter serving customers at the clubhouse, providing one more place to go in Egg Harbor, which traditionally went into hibernation throughout the colder months.

Gorham slimmed down the menu for the golf-clubhouse restaurant, providing grab-and-go options and more of an upscale-bar-and-grill theme than that of

the casual-but-elegant waterfront eatery. Both restaurants are open all season.

Abrahams also intends to open a third restaurant inside the lodge when it’s completed.

“We will need some sort of kitchen outpost to serve that,” he said. “We’re not going to compete with Burton’s, so we’ll put something in that’s a little further upscale, with a different menu and theme. Chef Tony Gorham will lead the effort for its creation and theme.”

A Legacy Vision

When the Alpine went on the market, Abrahams figured that other potential buyers saw only the overwhelming challenges of restoring a vast resort after many years of deferred maintenance.

“You could have closed it and done it all at once. If I was Elon Musk, I would have maybe done that, or Jeff Bezos. But the efficient way to do it is the way we are doing it: You get part of it open and

Tony Gorham (left) brought 25 years of kitchen experience to Burton’s on the Bay, and Dave Johnson brought even more experience from behind the bar at JJ’s La Puerta. Photo by Brett Kosmider.

The cabins were originally an afterthought for the new owner, but after hearing from many people who wondered what would happen to them, Abrahams made it a priority to rehabilitate and enhance the small huts that are central to the Alpine experience and history. Photo by Brett Kosmider.

The dining room has been updated to showcase the water views and retain the historical charm of the Alpine. Photo by Brett Kosmider.

Where Treasured Memories Begin visitfishcreek.com

staffed, and put it to work,” he said. “This way you’re building a following rather than starting cold.”

To help counter the purchase cost of more than $12 million, Abrahams looked for ways to capitalize on some excess land that wasn’t contributing to the entertainment value or attraction of the resort overall.

In early 2022, three buyers purchased six lots on precious lakefront property that had been the first and second holes on the former Black Nine golf course.

Investing in upgrades to dormitories helped attract seasonal employees. Director of Golf Simon Ward has one-year plans, five-year plans and beyond for the course – including a goal of expanding again to 27 holes as soon as those holes are in great shape. Ward also leads daily and week-long sports and golf camps.

Investing in an event tent helped keep the cottages filled for wedding parties, music-loving guests and families in 2022, and for 2023, the Alpine has wedding parties booked for a large portion of the weekends.

When all is said and done, Abrahams envisions a renovation that brings the Alpine up to the expectations of the modern traveler, while saving the soul of a Door County landmark.

The Comes Age Beer Scene

by MATT POTHAST

The craft-beer scene may have been late in coming to Door County, but during the past five years, it has arrived with force, with five new local breweries opening their doors.

One of the main reasons why the craftbeer market is experiencing burgeoning interest is because of the growing popularity of microbreweries and craft breweries. Not only are these smaller breweries producing some of the most interesting and unusual beers in the country, but they’re also creating a new attraction for visitors and residents.

Door County is home to seven craft breweries. Although the influx of visitors during the summer and fall certainly lends to the success of local brewpubs, permanent residents have been influential in the prosperity of each one.

“I think [the success of local breweries] is the same reason you see craft breweries in the smallest of towns in Wisconsin,” said Trent Snyder, founder of Bridge Up Brewing in Sturgeon Bay.

“It’s a ‘Build it, and they will come’ kind of thing. There is such a thirst for it.”

People love building a connection to the beer and the brewer, creating a relationship that is much different from one they might have with Budweiser or Miller.

“Being able to interact with the customers and telling them your story is why I work 70 hours a week,” Snyder said. “They love to have a conversation with the person who brewed the beer. To see people enjoying our product and the space they are enjoying it in is incredibly satisfying. If I was just a guy making beer everyday, I don’t think I would be doing it anymore.”

Snyder said the addition of beer gardens has contributed to the allure of local

breweries. In addition to his original taproom below Sonny’s Italian Kitchen & Pizzeria in Sturgeon Bay, Snyder opened a sprawling beer garden outside Fish Creek at The Cherry Hut. There people can quench their thirst with his brews while playing yard games, sitting around a fire or listening to live music.

One Barrel Brewing Company’s taproom in Egg Harbor, Peach Barn Farmhouse & Brewery in Sister Bay, and Sway and Door County Brewing Co. in Baileys Harbor all have expansive beer gardens as well.

One Barrel Brewing’s founder, Peter Gentry, opened his first taproom in Madison in 2012 and took its name from his process of brewing his beer one barrel at a time. It quickly became so popular that he decided to open a second location, setting his sights on Egg Harbor, where he opened a taproom and beer garden in 2019 to great success.

(Left) Matt Sampson brews for Sway out of the Door County Brewing Co. brewing facility. Photo courtesy of Matt Sampson. (Clockwise from top left) The beer garden at Door County Brewing Co. Photo by Brett Kosmider. | Inside the Cherry Hut in Fish Creek. Submitted. | A flight at Starboard Brewing Co. Photo by Rachel Lukas | Trent Snyder. Photo by Myles Dannhausen Jr. | Jason White. Photo by Rachel Lukas.

One Barrel’s arrival in Door County exposed residents and visitors to beers such as Trolly Red Cherry Lager, Banjo Cat Black Porter and Ninja Dust Hazy IPA. Gentry said these beers expand on a vibe that may not be evident to everyone who lives in or visits Door County.

“Door County is a creative place, and craft beer is kind of an extension of that,” he said. “I don’t know if everybody thinks of it that way. It’s not like painting a beautiful picture or anything like that, but we do get to share something we love and are passionate about.”

Visitors to Bridge Up are greeted by the flagship beers Harbors & Bays IPA, Roofed Goat American Pale Ale and Stubborn Sturgeon Hazy IPA. Although these certainly satisfy experienced craft-beer drinkers, anyone who is beginning to investigate the craft-beer options in Door County would find 1851 Zwickel Lager a great place to start.

Snyder said he has had customers come into his brewpub and ask what he has that tastes like Bud Light. He added that he appreciates that craft beers typically are associated with porters, IPAs and stouts, but

they don’t have to be in any of those categories.

“I’ve always said we are a blue-collar brewery because we brew for the people of Door County,” Snyder said. “For most of the year, it’s the people who live here who buy our beer. Obviously, the visitors are a huge part of our success, but we want to let the Busch Light people and the Bud Light people understand that craft beer doesn’t have to be a triple dry hopped double IPA.”

This doesn’t mean that the local and visiting beer fanatics don’t have a vast selection of creative and tasty beers. Door County Brewing Co. has been "Keeping Wisconsin Beer’d" since 2012 with heavy hitters such as Polka King Porter. Shipwrecked Brew Pub – Door County’s original brewpub, now celebrating its 26th year of business – offers an infusion with Pumpkin Patch Ale. And newcomer Peach Barn Farmhouse & Brewery adds a wrinkle with its Highway 42 Cherry Sour. Another newcomer –Sway Brewery – offers Up Past the Treetops Witbier.

“I think the [beer quality in Door County] is on point with anything I’ve had in larger cities like Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Chicago,” Snyder

said. “These are smart folks up here making beer. You get unique styles and tremendous-tasting beers.”

Neither Snyder nor Gentry see any reason why there won’t be expansion into more craft breweries in the future. National popularity – combined with a local, evolving palate for creative, smaller-batch beers – will offer opportunities for brewers to share their craft . The state of Wisconsin has added 40 breweries during the past four years and continues to grow.

“I bet you there could be between two to five new, small brewery taprooms in the next few years,” Gentry said. “I think it’s because there is demand. Also, we see lots of local people from Egg Harbor, Sister Bay and Sturgeon Bay. It’s been really refreshing to see. We make a big effort to welcome our local folks in, and they have really embraced that. I’m nothing but appreciative to everyone in the county, whether they are here for a weekend or all year-round.”

“Door County has always seemed to be a wine destination for the last few decades,” Snyder added. “I think we’re on the cusp of becoming a craftbeer destination.”

(Left) Shipwrecked Brew Pub opened in 1997. Photo by Rachel Lukas. (Right) The One Barrel Brewing Co. beer garden has brought life to the street in Egg Harbor. Submitted.

According to a 2022 report by the Brewers Association, there are 9,522 operating craft breweries nationwide: an increase from 9,118 in 2021. California boasts the most craft breweries with 931, and Wisconsin checks in at 14th with 230.

We

Door County Breweries

Bridge Up Brewing Company

129 N. Madison Ave., Sturgeon Bay

Founded: 2019

Door County Brewing Company/Hacienda Beer Company

8099 WI-57, Baileys Harbor

Founded: 2012

One Barrel Brewing Company

4633 Market Street, Egg Harbor

Founded: 2019

Peach Barn Farmhouse and Brewery

2450 S. Bay Shore Dr., Sister Bay

Founded: 2021

Shipwrecked Brew Pub

7791 WI-42 Egg Harbor

Founded: 1997

Starboard Brewing Company

151 N. 3rd Ave., Sturgeon Bay

Founded: 2014

Sway Brewery

2434 County F, Baileys Harbor

Founded: 2022

DEATH’S DOOR

DEATH’S DOOR

MICHIGAN

erfect icnic

by JESS FARLEY

Summer in Door County equals perfection! The natural beauty is right around every corner and in our backyards. We are blessed with some of the most beautiful landscapes and scenery in the nation – the perfect balance of land and water paired with that “summer breeze, makes me feel fine” (thank you, Seals and Crofts).

Photos by Rachel Lukas

Like many of you, I love dining out all yearround, but summertime restaurant dining creates the most wonderful memories. Outside at night, with beautiful lighting, music and some of your favorite people at the table – it’s the best! Door County has many options for dining outside, and most capture an iconic scene in the background: a quaint village or one of the many water vistas that dot our special peninsula.

Al fresco dining is a fantastic opportunity for taking in all the beauty surrounding us in Door County, so pack up a picnic and head out on an adventure. There are so many wonderful places to see: state and county parks, Door County Land Trust and Nature Conservancy preserves, beaches, County League baseball games, outdoor music venues such as Fishstock and the Peg Egan Performing Arts Center – and the list goes on and on.

All you need is a blanket, a few utensils and a basket or cooler to carry all your supplies. Plan ahead, or head out into the wild on a whim! If you’re being spontaneous, you can choose from delicious, grab-and-go options in every community. They’re so good you could pass off the fare as homemade. Grab a bottle of wine (don’t forget the wine key) and violà: You have an instant picnic adventure!

For those days when you have time to plan ahead, I recommend pulling together a variety of light salads and finger foods, which are easy to share and fun to prepare. Below you’ll find a smattering of just that, with a touch of Door County flavor. Choose a chunk of smoked whitefish or salmon (available at local fishmongers’ shops), or mix up an easy-but-delicious Gorgonzola Door County cherry dip (recipe below).

Picnics are a great way to slow down and take in the scenery while enjoying some special time with folks you love. So get outside, make memories and remember not to forget the wine key.

Picnic Food at Your Fingertips

For smoked fish, I recommend picking up a nice piece of locally smoked salmon from your favorite fishmonger, such as Baileys Harbor Fish Company (Hickey Bros.) or Charlie’s Smokehouse in Gills Rock.

Pair the fish with crispy rye lefse crackers and locally produced cheese such as Renard’s leek and morel mushroom cheddar. Yum!

Ethereal paintings of Door County Landscapes by Master Artist Margaret Lockwood, also jewelry, mobiles, sculptures, ceramics, and gifts in an historic Sturgeon Bay building. In the Steel Bridge Creative District. Open May-October Thurs, Fri, Sat and always by appointment.

Margaret Lockwood Gallery

7 South 2nd Ave., Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 • 920-493-3635

info@margaretlockwoodgallery • MargaretLockwoodGallery.com

POPELKA TRENCHARD

FINE ART GALLERY & GLASS STUDIO

Celebrating 25 years making art in Door County

Mon-Sat 10-5 pm, Sun 11-3 | 64 S Second Avenue 920-743-7287 | www.popelkaglass.com

Michael Bauermeister

The Nature of Nature | July 7—September 5 35 S 3rd Ave, Sturgeon Bay, 920-818-0809

martinezstudio.com

Marinated Cucumber Dill Salad

Makes 2 servings

• 1 large or 2 small cucumbers, partially peeled and thinly sliced

• ¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced

• Handful of fresh dill, chopped

• ¼ cup Feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

• Salt and pepper to taste

Dressing

• 3 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 Tbsp apple-cider vinegar

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1 tsp maple syrup

Place all the salad ingredients in a bowl with a lid (I prefer Pyrex or any other glass bowl with a leak-proof, snap-on lid).

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad. Allow to marinate for a minimum of one hour, but marinating overnight maximizes all the flavors. I put this together in a Pyrex container so that when I’m packing the picnic, I can literally grab it and go!

Cherry Gorgonzola Cheese Spread

• 1 8-oz block of cream cheese (at room temperature)

• 1 5-oz container of Gorgonzola crumbles

• ¼ cup dried Montmorency cherries

Using a mixer, mix the two cheeses until blended. Add the cherries and mix on low until they are blended into the cheese. Put the cheese spread in a lidded container for easy picnic packing.

Charcuterie for Two

Enjoy the fresh summer bounty with this fun picnic finger food. I like to include fresh and dried fruits such as apricots or cherries, pears, fi gs (fresh are the best, but hard to find), nuts and, of course, cheese.

I love cheese. There are so many lovely and delicious local options available – and plenty of places to sample them until you find one or two that make your heart sing.

Add freshly sliced vegetables, smoked fish or cured meats to round out the board. This is all about the assembly, so it will be different every time, depending on what’s available. Pair the delectable nibbles with the homemade crostini (recipe below) and your favorite jam or spread.

Crostini Toasts

Preheat oven to 325 F.

• 1 baguette, thinly sliced

• Olive oil

• Kosher salt

Place all the baguette slices on a parchment- or Silpat-lined baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over each slice of baguette, and sprinkle with a little salt. Bake for 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway through the bake time. Allow to cool before you bag them for your picnic.

Sweet and Hot Peach, Mozzarella and Basil Sandwiches

• Crusty baguette, sliced in half, then in six-inch lengths

• Jalapeño-infused honey (recipe below)

• Fresh basil leaves, whole and shredded

• Fresh mozzarella, sliced thinly

• Prosciutto, sliced thinly

• Fresh peaches, sliced thinly

• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

I like to prepare these open-faced, Scandinavian smørrebrød style. Place a slice of baguette on a plate or cutting board. Drizzle a bit of the jalapeño-infused honey (see below) on the bread. Layer the whole-leaf basil, mozzarella, prosciutto and peaches; then sprinkle with the shredded basil. Finish by drizzling a bit more of the honey over the top and sprinkling a little kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

I wrap my sandwiches in wax paper or take all the ingredients along and assemble them at the picnic spot.

Jalapeño-Infused Honey

• 1-2 jalapeño peppers, sliced

• ½ cup of honey

Place the sliced peppers in a pint jar. Cover with honey and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 24 hours to allow the flavors to meld. This is an easy, delicious addition to summery fresh sandwiches or salads.

PENINSULA School of Art & Gallery

PRESENTED BY PENINSULA SCHOOL OF ART Events

July 23-29

Online Exhibition and Sale through Aug. 14

The Midwest's Premier Outdoor Painting Event

33 INVITED PLEIN AIR MASTERS FREE & TICKETED EVENTS

WATCH, LEARN, & SUPPORT THE ARTS

YOUR DOOR COUNTY DESTINATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS

Fine Art Workshops for Adults, Teens & Children Artist Residencies | Exhibitions | Gallery Talks Door County Plein Air Festival Family Art Days | Community Events

PeninsulaSchoolofArt.org

3900 County Road F | Fish Creek, WI | 920.868.3455

PENINSULA SCHOOL OF ART Fish Creek | 920.868.3455

www.PeninsulaSchoolofArt.org/doorcountypleinair

Artwork by Christine Lashley

RESTAURANT GUIDE

Key

$ $$

$$$ B

Restaurants are listed in alphabetical order by town. Information is subject to change. Contact individual restaurants for hours of operation. Inclusion in this directory should not be considered an unqualified endorsement by Door County Living. Restaurants are encouraged to email us with up-to-date information at info@doorcountyliving.com.

$10-15*

$15-20*

$20*

Full bar

Beer and wine only

Outdoor seating available

Kids’ menu available

Offering breakfast

Offering lunch

Offering dinner

Reservations accepted

Open during winter (hours may vary)

*Price range based on average dinner entrée (if available)

BAILEYS HARBOR

AC Tap 9322 Hwy 57 (920) 839-2426

$ L D J T

Baileys 57 7998 Hwy 57 (920) 839-2114

Baileys57.com

$ B L D T

Chives Restaurant

8041 Hwy 57 (920) 839-2000

chivesdoorcounty.com

$$$ L D T (

Cornerstone Pub & Restaurant 8123 Hwy 57 (920) 839-9001

baileysharborcorner stonepub.com

$$ B L D J T { Coyote Roadhouse 3026 Cty E (920) 839-9192

$$ L D J T { Located on the shore of Kangaroo Lake, we offer a full-service bar, appetizers, lunch and dessert selections in a casual

and comfortable setting. Children’s menu available. Family friendly.

DCBC Eats

8099 Hwy 57 (920) 239-8181

$$ L D

Florian II Supper Club 8048 Hwy 57 (920) 839-2361

$$ D J Harbor Fish Market & Grille 8080 Hwy 57 (920) 839-9999

harborfishmarket grille.com

$$$ L D J { ( T Open during winter. A full-service restaurant in the heart of Baileys Harbor. Distinctive waterfront dining with a casual upscale vibe. Seasonal, pet-friendly garden seating.

MAX at Maxwelton

Braes 7680 Hwy 57 (920) 839-9750

facebook.com/ MAXDoorCounty

$ L D

PC Junction Corner of A and E (920) 839-2048

$ L D J T { Taqueria La Brisita at Sway 2434 Cty F instagram.com/ taquerialabrisita

$$ L D

The Blue Ox 8051 Hwy 57 (920) 839-2271

$ L D { The Thirsty Cow

Taphouse

7899 Cty A (920) 839-9991

facebook.com/ thetipsycowtaphouse

$ L D Top Deck

Restaurant & Bar

1420 Pine Dr. (920) 839-2331

gordonlodge.com

$$$ B D J { ( Vino! Vino! at Stone’s Throw Winery 3382 Cty E (920) 839-9760

$$ L D T

Vino! Vino! is a contemporary Tuscan

wine bar and tapas experience. Join us for great wine and fresh food in an atmosphere of friendly, casual elegance.

BRUSSELS/LITTLE STURGEON

Chaudoir’s Dock

10863 Cty N (920) 493-7075

chaudoirs.com

$$ L D {

Gilmo’s Bar & Bistro

Wavepoint Marina Resort, 3600 Cty CC (920) 824-5440

wavepointe.com

$$ L D J T { (

Idlewild Pub & Grill 4146 Golf Valley Dr. (920) 743-5630

$$ L D {

Joe Rouer’s Bar

E1098 Cty X (920) 866-2585

facebook.com/

Rouer1952

$ L D T {

Rouer’s Grand Slam 9710 School Road (920) 493-6556

$$ L D

Rouer’s Roadhouse

8649 Cty C (920) 824-5100

facebook.com/

RouersRoadhouse

$ L D

Sunset Grill

3810 Rileys Point Road (920) 824-5130

$$ D J T {

The Belgian Delight 1100 Cty C (920) 825-1111

belgiandelight

brussels.com

$$ B L D (

CARLSVILLE

Carlsville Roadhouse 5790 Hwy 42 (920) 743-4966

$ L D T

Door County

Coffee Co. 5773 Hwy 42 (920) 743-8930

doorcountycoffee.com

$ B L J T {

Rusty Tractor 6216 Hwy 42 (920) 743-8704

rustytractordoco.com

$ B

EGG HARBOR

Big Easy Bagel & Beignet 7755 Hwy 42 (920) 868-9600

bigeasydoor county.com

$ B L T {

Burton’s on the Bay 7715 Alpine Road (920) 868-3000

Alpineresort.com

$$$ B L D J

Burton’s on the Bay is an upscale waterfront restaurant within the newly restored Alpine Resort that offers delicious daily cuisine – breakfast, lunch and dinner with panoramic views of the bay. Both indoor and outdoor dining options are available. Hours of operation change with the season. Visit alpineresort.com or call for restaurant hours.

Burton’s on the Green 7670 Horseshoe Bay Road (920) 868-3000

$$ B L D J { T

Burton’s on the Green is Alpine Resort’s new golf course clubhouse restaurant offering delicious cuisine crafted by the culinary team of Burton’s on the Bay. Burton’s on the Green is open year-round serving breakfast, lunch and dinner seasonally. Buttercups Coffee Shop 7828 Hwy 42 (920) 868-1771

$ B

Carrington 7643 Hillside Road (920) 868-5162 carringtondoor county.com

$$$ D J T { ( Open year-round, we are an upscale casual restaurant located at the Landmark Resort. Featuring a wide range of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, steaks, fish, American classics, desserts and a full bar. Every seat offers a view of the bay. With a

Comedy Club on the second Thursday of the month. View our website for our current hours and Comedy Club shows. Serving brunch and dinner.

Casey’s BBQ & Smokehouse 7855 Hwy 42 (920) 868-3038 caseysbbqand smokehouse.com

$$ L D J T Matthew Peterson established Casey’s BBQ & Smokehouse in the spring of 2008. Matthew, a Door County native, wanted to put a Door County twist on Southern-style BBQ by using cherry wood to give our meats a rosy cast with a delicious, mild smoked flavor. We also offer a fabulous fish fry, locally famous burgers and many other tasty treats.

Cupola Cafe 7838 Hwy 42

$$ B L

Fireside Restaurant 7755 Hwy 42

thefireside restaurant.com

$$$ D J ( Greens N Grains Deli 7821 Hwy 42 (920) 868-9999 greens-N-grains.com

$ B L J {

The Greens N Grains Deli features a selection of vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and raw-food cuisine. The deli also features a juice bar with freshly pressed veggie juices, fruit smoothies, a healthful bakery, tea bar and organic coffees.

Log Den 6626 Hwy 42 (920) 868-3888 thelogden.com

$$ L D J T { (

MacReady Artisan Bread Company 7828 Hwy 42 (920) 868-2233

MacReadyBread Company.com

$ L D J T {

Mezzanine 7821 Horseshoe Bay Road (920) 786-7698

mezzaninerooftop.com

$$$ B L D

Mojo Restaurant Group 7778 Hwy 42 (920) 868-3274

mojorestaurant group.com

$$ L D J T { ( Pizza Bros 4633 Market St.

$$ L D

Fast and casual woodfired pizza. Traditional and experimental flavors, made from scratch and hand pressed. Located inside One Barrel Brewing Company.

Shipwrecked Brew Pub 7791 Hwy 42 (920) 868-2767

shipwreckedmicro brew.com

$$$ L D J T { Stone Hedge Golf and Pub 4320 Cty E stonehedgegolf andpub.com

$ L D

The Orchards at Egg Harbor 8125 Heritage Lake Road (920) 868-2483

orchardsategg harbor.com

$ L J { Village Cafe 7918 Hwy 42 (920) 868-3247

$$ B L J {

ELLISON BAY Blue Bear 12029 Hwy 42 (920) 854-3284

$$ B L D

Featuring a locally sourced menu created from scratch

Producers of fresh and smoked fish caught locally in Lake Michigan and Bay of Green Bay. Retail store has a variety of local fish as well as US wild caught fish & seafood. Had a great day sport fishing? Let us professionally process and vacuum pack your catch so you don’t have to.

Hours May Noon-5pm June-August 8am-5pm September & October Noon-5pm

920.839.2136 • 8099 Ridges Rd. • Baileys Harbor www.baileysharborfishcompany.com

in our kitchen. Offering an extensive selection of both gluten-free and vegan options. We also offer a full bar with craft cocktails, local beers, sustainably sourced wine and specialty coffee drinks.

Brew Coffee

12002 Hwy 42 (920) 421-2739

$ B L T { Della Porta 12029 Hwy 42 (920) 633-4014 dellaportadc.com

$$ D We offer authentic southern Italian cuisine. With 20 years of experience cooking in the finest restaurants, our chef is excited to present their vision to you and all our guests. We refuse to compromise on quality in our restaurant. That's why we source our fresh ingredients from local farmers markets. No matter what time of year, you can be

sure you're eating the best of the season.

Hügel Haus

11934 Hwy 42 (920) 633-4080

$$ D J T (

A German-inspired, Wisconsin-influenced restaurant located on the hill in Ellison Bay serving Deutschland classics and inspired Wisconsin favorites, including Door County’s best cheese curds! Nightly specials and daily happy hour with German bier, wine and specialty cocktails. Open year-round and self-proclaimed as “Door County’s Wurst Bar.” View our menu and hours at hugelhausdoorcounty. com.

Kick Ash Coffee

12001 Mink River Road (920) 421-1041 kickashproducts.com

$ B L T { Mink River Basin

12010 Hwy 42 (920) 854-2250

minkriverbasin.com

$$ B L D J T { (

Rowleys Bay

Restaurant & Pub 1041 Cty ZZ (920) 854-2385

rowleysbayresort.com

$$ B D J { ( Wickman House 11976 Mink River Road (920) 854-3305

wickmanhouse.com

$$$ D { (

EPHRAIM

Bad Moravian 3055 Church St.

$$ D

Chef’s Hat 9998 Pioneer Lane (920) 854-2034

$$ B L D J T { ( Fresh Take 42 10420 Water St. (920) 854-3232

freshtake42.co m

$$$ L D Good Eggs 9820 Brookside Lane (920) 854-6621

$ B L { Lost Tuk Tuk 9922 Water St., #7 (920) 421-1328

losttuktuk.com

$$ L D

Old Post Office

Restaurant

10040 Hwy 42 (920) 854-4034

oldpostoffice-door county.com

$$ B D J { ( Pearl Wine Cottage 3058 Church St. (920) 633-5006

pearlwinecottage.com

$$ D { Peninsula State Park Clubhouse Restaurant 9890 Shore Road (920) 854-5791

peninsulagolf.org

$ B L

Prince of Pierogi 9922 Water St., #6 (920) 421-8619

princeofpierogi.com

$$ L D { Sip 10326 N. Water St. (920) 857-5602

$$ B L D T {

The place to be for fresh, delicious food that spotlights bold flavors and spectacular presentation. Full coffee shop and wine bar with relaxing indoor

and outdoor seating. Combined space with fun home decor and excellent gifts you didn’t know you needed. Come Sip with us - open daily year around, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Summer Kitchen 10425 Water St. (920) 854-2131

$$ B L D J { ( Located between Ephraim and Sister Bay, Door County’s garden restaurant, the Summer Kitchen, is open every day for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and it’s well-known for its soup bar and homemade pies. In addition to its extensive menu, the Summer Kitchen also serves authentic Mexican food. Sunset Harbor Grill 10018 Water St.

$$ B L D J

Trixie’s 9996 Pioneer Lane (920) 854-8008

$$$ D ( Wilson’s Restaurant 9990 Water St. (920) 854-2041 wilsonsicecream.com

$ L D J {

Located in the heart of Ephraim since 1906. A classic Door County landmark that possesses the enchantment to take even the youngest visitors back in time with its oldfashioned soda fountain, ice cream specialties, house-brewed draft root beer, flame-broiled burgers and juke box playing the classics.

FISH CREEK

Alexander’s of Door County

3667 Hwy 42 (920) 868-3532

alexandersofdoor county.com

$$$ D J T { ( Barringer’s Restaurant

1 N. Spruce St. (920) 868-3738 barringersdoor county.com

$$$ L D { T ( Bayside Coffee

The Shops at the Bayside baysidecoffee cottage.com

$ B L J

dellaportadc.com

dellaportadc.co

dellaportadc.com

Fish Creek’s only waterfront cafe. Beautifully situated across from the town dock. Outdoor seating with a view. Featuring piping hot or iced Colectivo coffee, espresso drinks and Rishi teas, breakfast and lunch sandwiches, salads and bakery.

Bayside Tavern

4160 Main St. (920) 868-3441 baysidetavern.com

$ L D J T

For an unpredictably great time, visit Fish Creek’s favorite tavern. Serving cocktails, beer and our famous Bayside Coffee. Our short-order menu features hearty housemade soups, sandwiches, burgers, house-made pizza, Friday fish fry and Smilen Bob’s chili. Open daily year-round!

Blue Horse Beach Café

4113 Main St. (920) 868-1471

bluehorsecafe.com

$ B L J T {

12029 Hwy 42 - Ellison Bay - 920-633-4014

12029 Hwy 42 - Ellison Bay - 920-633-4014

DC Chocolate Design

9341 Spring Road, Unit A6 (920) 868-5155

dcchocolate design.com

$ B L T {

English Inn

3713 Hwy 42 (920) 868-3076

theenglishinn.com

$$$ D J T (

Fika Bakery & Cafe 3903 Hwy 42 (920) 868-5233

$ B L {

Fish Creek Market

4164 Main St. (920) 868-3351

Fishcreekmarket 1892.com

$$ L Hill Street

4149 Main St. Hillstreetdoorcounty.com

$$ L D T

Julie’s Park Cafe & Motel 4020 Hwy 42 (920) 868-2999

juliesmotel.com

$$ B L J { ( Kettle Black Fish Boil 4158 Main St. (920) 868-5215

kettleblackfishboil.com

$$ D (

Loft

4170 Main St. (920) 868-5242

$$ L D J {

Not Licked Yet 4054 Hwy 42 (920) 868-2617

notlickedyet.com

$ L D {

Pelletier’s Restaurant

Founder’s Square (920) 868-3313

doorcountyfish boil.com

$$ B L D J { (

Shiny Moon Café 4164 Main St.

shinymooncafe.com

$$ B L

The Beach Bowl

Founder's Square, 4199 Main St. $ B L

The Cherry Hut 8813 Hwy 42 (920) 868-4450 doorcounty cherryhut.com

$$ L D J { Welcker's Lounge 4192 Main St. (920) 660-4316 welckers.com

$$$ B L D (

BLUE BEAR

BREAKFAST- LUNCH FULL BAR - COFFEES OUTDOOR PATIO

www.bluebeareb.com

www.bluebeareb.com

Authentic Southern Italian Cuisine, Farm-To Table, Full-Bar, Outdoor Patio

Authentic Southern Italian Cuisine, Farm-To Table, Full-Bar, Outdoor Patio

12029 Hwy 42 - Ellison Bay - 920-633-4014

Authentic Southern Italian Cuisine, Farm-To Table, Full-Bar, Outdoor Patio

12029 Hwy 42 - Ellison Bay - 920-854-3284

www.bluebeareb.com

12029 Hwy 42 - Ellison Bay - 920-854-3284

LOCALLY SOURCED - ALL SCRATCH MENU

R12029 Hwy 42 - Ellison Bay - 920-854-3284

LOCALLY SOURCED - ALL SCRATCH MENU

LOCALLY SOURCED - ALL SCRATCH MENU

White Gull Inn

4225 Main St. (920) 868-3517

whitegullinn.com

$$$ B L D J T (

Serving breakfast, including the famous cherry stuffed French toast as featured on Good Morning America, as well as a full menu daily. Featuring fish boils in the summer, fall and select winter nights, along with candlelight dinners. Reservations

recommended for dinner.

Wild Tomato

Wood-Fired Pizza & Grille

4023 Hwy 42 (920) 868-3095

wildtomatopizza.com

$ L D J T {

FORESTVILLE

Sierra's Pub & Grill

S 1599 Hwy 42 (920) 856-6966

$$ L D J T

The Bullpen

213 W. Main St., #9691 (920) 856-6199

$$ L D T

JACKSONPORT

Island Fever Rum Bar & Grill

Cty V and Hwy 57 (920) 823-2700

$ L D J T {

Little Bit of Coffee

6332 Hwy 57 (920) 823-2408

$ B T

Located in Jacksonport at the Square Rigger Lodge, you will fi nd us serving delicious coffee, quiche and baked goods. Come for the coffee, and linger for the great water view.

Mike’s Port Pub 6269 Hwy 57 (920) 823-2081

$$ L D

SISTER BAY

Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant 10698 N. Bay Shore Dr. (920) 854-2626 aljohnsons.com

$$ B L D J T

Boathouse on the Bay 10716 N. Bay Shore Dr. (920) 854-3223

$$$ L D J {

Flip-flop into Boathouse on the Bay for outside seating, and majestic marina and grand sunset views. Stay for the good people, great food and specialty drinks. With our patio seating, our Fly Bridge Bar and dining area with floorto-ceiling windows, you can’t miss the beautiful, panoramic view!

Carroll House

2445 S. Bay Shore Dr. (920) 854-7997

$ B L J

CHOP

2345 Mill Road

(920) 854-2700

$$$ D J T { ( Crain’s Kitchen

10635 N. Bay Shore Dr. (920) 633-4047

$ L D

Door County Creamery

10653 Bay Shore Dr. (920) 854-3388

$ L D T {

Door County Ice Cream Factory

11051 Hwy 42 (920) 854-9693

doorcountyice

cream.com

$ L D J {

Come try our super-

premium ice cream made right in-store.

Door County Ice Cream Factory has more than 30 flavors to choose from, as well as a long list of sundaes and other specialty ice cream offerings. More than 15 sandwiches made to order, house-made pizza, soups and salads. There really is something for everyone.

Dovetail Bar & Grill

10282 Hwy 57 (920) 421-4035

$$ L D J

Fat Belly

10621 N. Highland Road (920) 854-3500

fatbellybowls.com

$$ L D { Goose & Twigs Coffee Shop 2322 Mill Road (920) 854-3212

$$ B L { Grasse’s Grill

10663 N. Bay Shore Dr. (920) 854-1125

$$ B L J {

Husby’s Food and Spirits

10641 N. Bay Shore Dr. (920) 854-2624

$ L D J T {

Klaud's Kitchen 2.0. 2398 Country Walk Dr. (818) 279-1341

$ B L D T

LURE

Intersection of Hwys 42 and 57

(920) 854-8111

luredoorcounty.com

$$$ D J T { (

McEvoy’s Culinaria & Catering

2602 S. Bay Shore Dr. (920) 854-8029

$ L D T {

Northern Grill & Pizza

10573 Country Walk Dr. (920) 854-9590

$$ L D J T {

Pasta Vino

10571 Country Walk Dr.

$$$ D Roots Kitchen

2378 Maple Dr. (920) 854-5107

$ L T {

Sister Bay Bowl

10640 N. Bay Shore Dr. (920) 854-2841

sisterbaybowl.com

$$ L D J T

Famous for its Friday-night perch fry and its prime rib, this throwback to yesteryear is located in the

heart of Sister Bay, open year-round. Featuring a full dining room, grill and bar, plus Northern Door’s only bowling alley.

Skip Stone Coffee Roasters

10678 S. Bay Shore Dr., Building 2

skipstonecoffee.com

$ B L J T {

Solago Restaurant & Tequila Bar 10961 Hwy 42

solagodoorcounty.com

$ L D J T

Stabbur Beer Garden at Al

Johnson’s 10698 Bay Shore Dr. (920) 421-4628

$$ L D {

Sub Express at Sister Bay Mobil 2579 S. Bay Shore Dr. (920) 854-6700

$ B L D J T {

The Kitschinn

10440 Orchard Dr. (920) 854-5941

$ B J T {

The Waterfront 10947 Hwy 42 (920) 854-5491

waterfront-dc.com

$$$ D

Thyme Restaurant + Catering 10339 Hwy 57 (920) 421-5112

Thymecatering DoorCounty.com

$$ L D { J T (

Thyme restaurant has a new home in Sister Bay. Join us at our brand-new restaurant, bar and outdoor dining space, where we’ll be serving up fresh, new dishes, as well as some of our classics. Next door is twelve eleven provisions + wine bar, where you can enjoy a variety of wines sourced and produced from grapes grown in Sonoma and Mendocino County. Our private, open-air dining space and gabled meadow are available to rent. See you soon!

Wild Tomato Wood-

Fired Pizza & Grille

10677 N. Bay Shore Dr. (920) 854-4685

wildtomatopizza.com

$ L D J T {

STURGEON BAY

A'Boat Time 26 E. Oak St. (920) 746-0600

aboattime

doorcounty.com

$$ B L J T

Corner Café

113 N. 3rd Ave. (920) 743-1991

$ B L J T (

5th and Jefferson Café

232 N. 5th Ave. (920) 746-1719

$ B L D {

Betsy Ross Family Restaurant

239 Green Bay Road (920) 743-811

Betsyross restaurant.com

$ B L D

Birmingham’s 4709 N. Bay Shore Dr. (920) 743-5215

birminghamsbar

andcottages.com

$$ L D J T

Blue Front Café 86 W. Maple St. (920) 743-9218

$$ L J T (

Brick Lot Pub & Grill

253 N. 3rd Ave. (920) 743-9339

bricklotpub.com

$ L D J T

Cedar Crossing Restaurant & Bar 336 Louisiana St. (920) 743-4200

innatcedar crossing.com

$$$ B L D J T (

Chaser’s Sports Bar & Grill

1217 N. 14th Ave. (920) 743-6997

applevalleylanes.net

$$

Cherry Lanes Arcade Bar

127 N. 4th Ave. (920) 818-0093

facebook.com/cherrylanes

arcadebar

$$$ D

Crate — Sushi & Seafood

136 N. 3rd Ave. (920) 818-1333

$$$ D T { (

Dan’s Kitchen 50 S. 3rd Ave. (920) 818-1300

dans-kitchen.com

$ L D T

Door County Fire Company

38 S. 3rd Ave. (920) 818-0625

$$ L D J T

Drömhus

611 Jefferson St. (608) 333-4553

dromhus

doorcounty.com

$ D T {

El Sazon Mexican Restaurant 1449 Green Bay Road, Suite 2 (920) 743-6740

$ B L D J T

Fatzo’s

46 Green Bay Road (920) 743-6300

$ L D J T {

Get Real Café

43 S. Madison Ave. (920) 818-1455

getrealcafedoor county.com

$$ B L D

Greystone Castle

8 N. Madison Ave. (920) 743-9923

Greystonecastle bar.com

$$ L D J T Healthy Way Market

216 S. 3rd Ave. (920) 746-4103 healthyway market.com

$ L Hoffman’s Red Room 66 S. 3rd Ave. (920) 743-3913

$ L D T Institute Saloon 4599 Hwy 57 (920) 743-1919 institutesaloon.com

$ L D T

Kick Coffee

148 N. 3rd Ave. (920) 746-1122

$ B L T {

Kinara Urban Eatery 25 N. Madison Ave. (920) 743-8772

$ L D T

Kitty O’Reilly’s Irish Pub

59 E. Oak St. (920) 743-7441 kittyoreillys.com

$$ L D J T {

Little Brown Jug Saloon 8952 Cty C (920) 824-5005 littlebrownjugbar.com

$$ L D Lodge at Leathem Smith

1640 Memorial Dr. (920) 743-5555

$$ L D J T { (

Melt Bistro 2189 Cty DK (920) 825-7272

$ B L T { Melt Bistro (inside Renard's Cheese) serves delicious, homestyle comfort food with an elevated twist.

Menu items are made-to-order from scratch using only the freshest ingredients. Many selections feature our own handcrafted artisan cheeses.

Pizza, hot and cold sandwiches, mac & cheese, soups, salads a wide selection of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, Chocolate Shoppe ice cream, and more. Breakfast is available all day. Open daily year-round. View our menu at RenardsCheese.com.

Mill Supper Club 4128 Hwy 42/57 N. (920) 743-5044

$$$ D J T

Morning Glory by the Bay

306 S. 3rd Ave. (920) 818-0711

$$ B L

Morning Glory Restaurant

7502 Hwy 42 (920) 743-5355

$ B L J

Old Mexico 901 Egg Harbor Road (920) 818-1500 oldmexicowi.com

$$ L D J T { Poh’s Corner Pub 164 N. 3rd Ave.

$ L D T

Samuelson’s Creek Pub & Grill

1009 S. Oxford Ave. (920) 743-3295 whitebirchinn.com

$$ L D J T ( Scaturo’s Café

19 Green Bay Road (920) 746-8727

$ B L J T { (

Sonny’s Italian Kitchen & Pizzeria

129 N. Madison Ave. (920) 743-2300

sonnyspizzeria.com

$$ L D J T (

Hidden Bridge Pub

2049 Cty S (920) 743-4807

facebook.com/ stageroadinn

$$$ D

Stone Harbor 107 N. 1st St. (920) 746-0700 stoneharborresort.com

$$$ B L D J T { ( Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club

600 Nautical Dr. (920) 743-6934

$$$ L D ( Sweet Buns Bakery & Cafe

846 Egg Harbor Road (920) 473-5027

$ B L

The Gnoshery

23 N. 3rd Ave. (920) 818-0727

$ B L T

The Gnoshery is the county’s premier board game cafe. Filled with fun, games and great “Gnoshables” –food and drink that make your experience a truly memorable one!

The Nightingale Supper Club

1541 Egg Harbor Road (920) 743-5593

$$$ D J T

Trattoria Dal Santo

147 N. 3rd Ave. (920) 743-6100

trattoriadalsanto.com

$$$ D T (

Waterfront Mary’s Bar & Grill

3662 N. Duluth Ave. (920) 743-3191

waterfrontmarys

barandgrill.com

$ L D J T {

VALMY

Donny’s Glidden Lodge Restaurant

4670 Glidden Dr. (920) 746-9460

gliddenlodge.com

$$$ D J T { (

The Hitching Post 4849 Glidden Dr. (920) 818-1114

thehitchingpost doorcounty.com

$$ B L D J (

Valmy Happy Hour 4418 Whitefish Bay Road (920) 743-6236

$ L D J T

WASHINGTON ISLAND

Albatross Drive-In N7W1910 Lobdells Point Road (920) 847-2203

$ L D {

Bread & Water Café

1275 Main Road (920) 847-2400

washingtonisland food.com

$ B L {

Cellar Restaurant at Karly’s Bar Main Road (920) 847-2655

$$$ L D J T { (

Fiddler’s Green 1699 Jackson Harbor Road (920) 847-2610

washingtonisland

fiddlersgreen.com

$$ L D T {

Hotel Washington

354 Range Line Road (920) 847-3010

$$$ D T { (

Island Pizza

At the ferry dock (920) 847-3222

$ L D

Jackson Harbor Soup 1904 Indian Point Road (920) 847-2589

$ L {

KK Fiske Restaurant

1177 Main Road (920) 847-2121

$ B L D T

Le Café and The Distillery at Fragrant Isle

Lavender Farm

1350 Airport Road (920) 847-2950

fragrantisle.com

$ B L {

Enjoy Le Café’s selection of gourmet lavender treats such as fresh croissants, baguettes, cookies, chocolates, ice cream, our signature sandwiches and salads, famous macarons and

more. Sip one of our signature drinks from The Distillery, our wine and craft beer bar, as well as our signature sandwiches and salads while overlooking Fragrant Isle's lavender fields and gardens. Visit Fragrant Isle Lavender – “A Magical Place.” Open daily, 10 am – 5 pm. Experience the Midwest’s largest lavender farm!

Nelsen’s Hall Bitters Pub

W19N1205

Main Road (920) 847-2496

$ L D T { Red Cup Coffee House

1885 Detroit Harbor Road (920) 847-3304

$ B L

Sailor’s Pub

1475 South Shore Dr. (920) 847-2105

$$$ D { ( Ship’s Wheel Restaurant Shipyard Island Marina, South Shore Dr. (920) 847-2640

B L D Sunset Resort

Old West Harbor Road (920) 847-2531

sunsetresortwi.com

$ B

Photography by Caplan Studios

Make Up Artist: Blush Bridal Team

Opal and Blu, owners