Capturing the Moment. A Black Friday in Grand Marais by Bryan Hansel.
Greetings from the North Shore, where we’re all bout the holiday season. There’s snow, typical Minnesota winter weather, and sunny skies. Yes, to the beauty where we live.
And not to forget, Lake Superior still has a few things to say:
When the Gales of November come calling, by Nathan Klok.
Here is what is planned for this weekend:
The Hub will hold two sessions of making bookmarks on Thursday. The free sessions are from 12:45-1:45 pm and from 5:30-6:30 pm.
Make Bookmarks at the Hub on Dec 4.
The Hub craft table has lots of materials to make beautiful bookmarks. All supplies will be available. Open to all.
Dec. 4 is the last day to donate a handmade ornament to the Johnson Heritage Post.
Donate a handmade ornament to the fundraiser at the Heritage Post by Thursday, Dec. 4.
The ornaments will be sold as a fundraiser for community programming through the Cook County Historical Society. Open to all.
Drury Lane Books will hold a Full Moon Poetry Reading on Thursday, Dec. 4, outside by the bonfire.
A Full Moon Poetry Reading will be held at Drury Lane Books on Thursday, starting at 6 pm.
Everyone is invited to participate in this open mic-style reading. While we focus on poetry, the broader goal is human connection -so participants shouldn’t feel pressured to participate or strictly read poetry. Sometimes it’s an opportunity to watch the moon rise over the lake, sometimes there are guest poets, but it’s always a great time.
Expect to be indoors if the weather is rainy, winds are high, or temperatures are below 15 degrees F.
Free and open to all.
On Friday, the Johnson Heritage Post opens an exhibit of photography by David Johnson with a reception from 5-7 pm. The public is invited.
Photographer David Johnson opens an exhibit of his work at the Johnson Heritage Post on Dec 5.
The exhibit, Wonders of the North Shore, showcases Johnson’s wide-ranging photographs of the North Shore, including wildlife, the Northern Lights, landscapes, and more.
The exhibit’s timing is designed to coincide with Visit Cook County’s annual Dark Sky Festival (Dec. 11-13), celebrating the region’s designation as the world’s largest certified International Dark Sky Sanctuary.
The exhibit continues through Dec. 28.
The Heritage Post is open from 10 am to 4 pm Thursday through Saturday, and from 1-4 pm Sunday. Free and open to all.
Also on Friday, the Grand Marais Playhouse production of The Witch’s Princess will open at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts. Performances are at 7 pm Friday and Saturday, and at 2 pm Sunday.
The Witch’s Princess, a production of the Grand Marais Playhouse, continues at the ACA. For info, tickets, click here.
The plot of the play, written by Don Zolidis, goes like this:
The queen is dead. The kingdom is cursed. And the only way to lift the curse is to slay the witch. When Princess Alessandra’s father, the king, offers her hand in marriage to the knight who can slay the evil bog witch and lift the curse, there’s only one thing for the princess to do: Sneak out of the castle and kill the witch herself to avoid marriage. But she’s not dumb, and she’s not going alone, because she’s first assembling a crack crew of the deadliest monsters in myth and legend to help. But she discovers the monsters aren’t what they seem, and neither is the witch, or the curse, or the kingdom. A rollicking and wild quest of magic and adventure.
For the cast list, click here.
The Scruffy Dog Vintage Emporium will hold a Harbor Holiday event on Dec. 5-6.
Scruffy Dog will hold a holiday event this weekend.
It’s time for Holiday Harbor Village at the Scruffy Dog. A sale will be held from 11 am – 7 pm on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 5-6. The public is invited to come and find a treasure or two.
Also on Friday, Films on Fridays continues with its old-time film series. This week, it’s The Kennel Murder Case (1933, B&W). William Powell plays Philo Vance, the smooth detective observing the evidence others miss surrounding a murder. A noir whodunnit.
He’s a trailer we found.
The film will be screened at the Cook County Community Center at 6 pm. Free. Refreshments will be available.
On Saturday, the Northwoods Fiber Guild Open House and Holiday Sale will be held at Studio 21 from 9 am to 2 pm.
The Northwoods Fiber Guild Open House and Holiday Sale is Dec. 6.
This is always a highly anticipated sale featuring a wide variety of work in all things fiber. Look for weaving, felting, knitting, bead painting, and more. Here are a few examples of what you will find:
Felted snails by Becky Heller.
Towels by Julie Arthur.
Felted vessels by Teresa Dyar.
Mittens by Annie Albertson.
Mushroom ornament by Mary Hunter.
Bead painting by Jo Wood.
Refreshments, including a great selection of homemade cookies, will be served. The Public is invited.
Also on Saturday, a Holiday Market featuring local potters will be held in Studio 17, and the Grand Marais Art Colony‘s store will be open as well.
In Grand Portage, the Christmas Craft Fair will be held at the Grand Portage Lodge and Casino Visitor Center from 10 am to 3 pm on Saturday.
The Grand Portage Christmas Craft Sale will be held in the Grand Portage Visitor Center on Saturday.
Look for a great selection of handmade goods, including Christmas decorations, gifts, jewelry, and beadwork, to name a few. Open to all.
On Saturday night, the Blackflys will play at Up Yonder.
The Blackflys play at Up Yonder from 8-11 pm Saturday.
A new local band, The Blackflys, is a politically and socially conscious resistance-centered punk rock party protest dance band. As always, Up Yonder’s kitchen is open until 10 pm.
Exhibits
This month’s art show at Tettegouche State Park is a group show featuring the Voyageur Art Club.
The Voyageur Art Club is exhibiting at Tettegouche State Park this month.
The Voyageur Art Club is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting art expertise, education, workshops, and shared camaraderie with persons of all ages and abilities, and to instill creative appreciation for the arts in our community. The exhibit continues through the end of December.
Two galleries in Duluth have just opened new exhibits:
Small Works 2025 is now on view at Lizzard’s Gallery in Duluth.
“It Costs More to be Poor,” a new multi-media exhibit, has opened at Prøve Collective in Duluth. Photo by Karen Sunderman.
Upcoming:
The Dark Sky Festival is Dec. 11-13 this year.
The Dark Sky Festival will be held in locations throughout Cook County next week. Click here for the full schedule of events.
Cook County is home to some of the darkest skies in the world. Every year, explorers, adventurers, artists, and photographers from around the world travel to Cook County to experience the northern lights and night sky. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) has been named as one of only 17 certified International Dark Sky Sanctuaries in the world! And at over a million acres, it is the largest. Celebrate our world-class dark sky at the seventh annual Dark Sky Festival next week. For more info, click here.
Also next week, the Borealis Chorale & Orchestra will present “Angels Among Us” on Dec. 12 & 13 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church.
The Borealis Chorale & Orchestra will perform at Bethlehem Lutheran Church on Dec. 12-13
This annual Christmas concert is one of Cook County’s longest-running community arts traditions. Founded in the late 1950s by pianist and educator Ora Wilcox, the ensemble has evolved through generations of local directors, musicians, and singers, remaining a beloved place where youth and adults perform side by side.
This year’s program features works by several acclaimed local composers, including Bill Beckstrand, Abbie Betinis, and Linda Kachelmeier. Under the direction of Karina Roth, the ensemble blends the voices and talents of longtime community members with those of new and younger participants, creating a rich musical experience that resonates across ages.
The concerts are at 7 pm. Free, but $10-$20 donations gladly accepted.
Artists at Work:
Untitled, ceramic sculpture by Carlos Cabo Gonzalez.
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Morning Light by Mary Beams.
I was in Xian in 1985 when the uncovering of these soldiers was beginning. Just WOW! Now I need to go back. Photo courtesy of Tor Torkildson.
Symmetry. Photographer unknown.
Ornaments that my mom’s mom made by Katie Duffy.
Afternoon Light by Merrill Jensen.
Memory, oil, by Greg Lecker.
Watercolor by Carl Gawboy, one of the images in his new 2026 Calendar.
Fuji from Kawaguchiko, gouache on paper, plein air, by Tim Vahle.
Online Findings:
‘Cold Love’ with Lonnie Dupre
Owling with Sparky
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Online Music:
Thanks to Phil Oswald, Dr. Oz E, at WTIP Community Radio, for this fun music:
Live Music:
Thursday, December 4:
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 6-8 pm
- Jim Miller, Charlie’s Alpine Bistro, 6:30-9 pm
Friday, December 5:
- Briand Morrison, Charlie’s Alpine Bistro, 6:30-9 pm
Saturday, December 6:
- Joe Paulik, Charlie’s Alpine Bistro, 6:30-9 pm
- The BLACKFLYS “A Very Punk Christmas,” Up Yonder, 8-11 pm
Monday, December 8:
- Christopher Hanson, Voyageur Brewing Company, 5-7 pm
- Gordon Thorne, Charlie’s Alpine Bistro, 6:30-9 pm
Tuesday, December 9:
- Eric Frost, North Shore Winery, 4:30-6:30 pm
- Open Stage hosted by Pete K, Up Yonder, 6-8 pm
- Community Singing, Log Cabin at the Grand Marais Community Center, 7 pm
- Bump Blomberg, Charlie’s Alpine Bistro, 6:30-9 pm
Thursday, December 11:
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 6-8 pm
- Jim Miller, Charlie’s Alpine Bistro, 6:30-9 pm
Friday, December 12:
- Borealis Chorale & Orchestra Presents “Angels”, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 7 pm
Saturday, December 13:
- Borealis Chorale & Orchestra Presents “Angels”, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 7 pm
Photographs:
Here is a selection of what we found this week:
Wildlife:
Jack rabbit in its element by Bill Marchel.
Holiday tree decoration by Paul Sundberg.
Bohemian Waxwings love those mountain ash berries by Paul Sundberg.
A Pine Grosbeak close-up by Paul Sundberg.
Male Spruce Grouse in Superior National Forest by Thomas Spence.
Monarchs flock to a tree in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico by Rose Welch.
Yesterday by Chris Artist.
Junior looking for Thanksgiving dinner by Paul Ostrum.
Just hanging out, by Alec Johnson.
Late for dinner, Eastern Wild Turkey tom by Bill Marchel.
A regular visitor to the yard by Deb Bennett.
In Florida by Alec Johnson.
American Kestrel taking flight in Utah by John Gregor.
Our Snowy Owl visitor by Kate Slanga.
Potpourri
Snow decoration by Carl Anderson.
Wave heights in the Great Lakes on Wednesday, Nov. 26, courtesy of meteorologist Ross Ellet.
Aunt Betty’s Thanksgiving Cactus is right on schedule by Staci Lola.
Miles the cat at sunset by Sierra Parsons.
Northern lights and a production truck at the Hull Rust Mine View, Hibbing, Minn, by Jim Schnortz.
The new bridge on The Grade by Bryan Hansel.
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Railyard in Superior, Wis., on Nov. 26 by Richard Ketring.
Minnesota Nice by Richard Ketring.
An old fish house off Hwy 61. Gone now, by Bryan Hansel.
Waiting for Spring by Adam Malmanger.
Landscapes, Waterscapes & Woodscapes:
New fallen snow in Duluth by Ken Harmon.
A peaceful moment by Sandra Updyke.
Waves at Tettegouche by Nathan Klok.
Hollow Rock by Tommy Gee.
Winter has arrived by Susanne von Schroeder.
Onion Creek, Utah by Travis Novitsky
The Cascade on a cold morning by Elizabeth Anderson.
First Snows by Paul Ostrum.
Contemplated Truths, Fall 2025 by Elizabeth Anderson.
Patterns in the bogs by Bryan Hansel.
Fireworks on Nov. 28 by David Johnson.
From the air by Bryan Hansel.
Chill’n – Gentle rolling waves along the frozen shoreline of Lake Superior by Gregory Isrealson.
Ready for Winter by Rena Rogers.
Have a good weekend, everyone!
If you’d like to show your support for NorthShore ArtScene this week, just click on the icon below. And thank you!
And thank you to Jeremy Lopez and Yvonne Mills for their invaluable help every week. I’m so grateful to them.
And Thank You! to Visit Cook County for its outstanding Calendar of Events.
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