Washington Island author, Richard Purinton

This initial program on will provide an excellent holiday shopping opportunity with the museum’s gift shop open for business and a book signing opportunity with the evening’s featured speaker. Purinton, who serves as the CEO for the family-run Washington Island Ferry Line, is an award-winning author, having penned three books related to the Island. His book “Over and Back – A History of Transportation to Washington Island” earned an Award of Merit from the Wisconsin Historical Society after being released in 1991. More recently he authored “Words on Water – A Ferryman’s Journal” in 2009 and last year “Bridges Are Still News – Island Essays, Poems and Photos” was released.

Purinton was born and raised in Sturgeon Bay, graduating from Sturgeon Bay High School in 1965. Like his father Harry, Purinton is an active sailor. He honed his sailing skills as a crew member for Pat Haggerty’s Palmer Johnson sloop, Bay Bea. Purinton graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Journalism degree in 1970 before entering the United States Navy.

He began working as deckhand for his father-in-law Arnie Richter’s Washington Island Ferry Line in 1974. Purinton has held various positions with the ferry line including general manager and president, a position currently held by his son Hoyt. As CEO, Purinton now has more time to pursue side interests and writing projects.

The Speaker Series continues the first three Thursdays in January, February and March with programs relating to re-powering of a 1,000-ft. ore carrier; an update on work at Bay Shipbuilding; and the War of 1812 and its impact on the Great Lakes. The series concludes on Thursday, March 29, with a program on the Museum’s hugely popular boat building program.

All of the programs begin at 7 pm at the Sturgeon Bay museum. They are free of charge and open to the public with donations appreciated.

For more information contact the Museum at 920.743.5958 or visit www.dcmm.org.

However, the grounds of the facility and the popular Saturday morning Farm Market will remain running through Saturday, October 8.

In addition, the Saturday Heritage Programs held in the Kossel Barn will continue for four more weeks.  Featured artisans and their presentations include Mike Farmer with Native American flutes on the 17^th, and Jeanne and David Aurelius and their pottery on the September 24.  Claire Baack and Gen Follingstad will demonstrate Norwegian Hardanger embroidery on Saturday, October 1 and wood carver Gary Dooly will complete the season on October 8.

Although the 1875 farmhouse will not be open, the Museum’s grounds will remain accessible to the public, with 14 structures ranging from an historic barn to vintage resort cottages, cabins and other out-buildings available.  A brochure featuring a self-guided map and background information on each building are available on site.

Group tours, lead by a Historical Society volunteer, may be arranged during the Fall season by contacting curator Roberta Kutlik at 854-9242 or by email at robertakk@charter.net.

The Corner of the Past Museum is located on Hwy. 57 at its intersection with Fieldcrest Road and Country  Lane, approximately 1 ½ mile southeast of downtown Sister Bay.

Kurt Scharrig

The Scharrig Family history in Jacksonport dates back to 1922 when Minnie (Scharrig-Pleck) Knutson moved here as a war bride from Domson, Germany and her brother Kurt Scharrig came in 1923 to help work on the Pleck farm in order to have a better life in America. They left behind their parents, siblings and families.

Kurt married Elsie Krause in 1934. They began their life on Cty F in Fish Creek where their first child was born, Helen (Scharrig) Clemens. Then, they moved to Gibraltar Road where their second child, Alice (Scharrig) Merkle was born. Kurt then became manager of Matter Farm, a large farm on Berger Road in Jacksonport. They had prisoners of war helping to pick cherries. This is where their third child Esther (Scharrig) Bagnall was born.

Elsie died on September 23, 1937 after giving birth to her third child on September 6th. Kurt later married Elizabeth (Betty) Patza and they had three children, Mary (Scharrig) Haen, Ruth Ann (Scharrig) Berndt and Alvin Scharrig. Mary and Ruth Ann were both born in Sturgeon Bay. Alvin was born at the Matter Farm when a snow storm and unplowed roads kept them from getting to Sturgeon Bay.

Come meet the families of Kurt Scharrig and hear more about his life in Germany and his journey to America on Saturday, September 24. This presentation will begin at 7 pm at the Jacksonport Town Hall on County V  – please note, this meeting held on a Saturday, normally takes place on Wednesdays. Everyone is welcome and refreshments will be served.

Check out the Jacksonport Historical Society Website for more information at: www.JacksonportHistoricalSociety.org.

On Saturday, August 27 the Egg Harbor Historical Society will host a picnic on the grounds of the historic Horseshoe Bay Barns to celebrate Egg Harbor’s 150th Anniversary. All those interested in Door County’s history and preserving our stories for future generations are invited to attend.

Former employees and friends of Horseshoe Bay Farms, one of the county’s most picturesque buildings, will conduct tours of the 10 building complex.  Guests will learn how a large agribusiness was conducted during a time when horses did what tractors do today.  Horseshoe Bay Farms was once one of the largest in Wisconsin and produced milk, cherries, and apples.  It also hosted a Bull Pen where outstanding steers bread cows for distribution throughout the United States.   Recently unearthed movie footage of the working farm during its heyday will be presented along with hundreds of historic photos archived by the Historical Society.

Miss Wisconsin 2010 Kimberly Sawyer, an Egg Harbor native, will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the day’s events, which run from 10 am to 5 pm.

Guests may bring their own picnic supplies and food and set up their picnic area on the grounds. Those who prefer the easy way may purchase food and beverages from participating restaurants that will offer their signature selections for sale at the event. Beer, soda and brats will also be available.

For more information and to register for the picnic visit eggharborwi.com or send an email to eggharborwihistory@gmail.com. Registration is not required but those who register in advance will be entered into drawings for a two-volume set of Egg Harbor family histories or a dinner for two at the Horseshoe Bay Golf Club. The family histories entitled A Patchwork of Family Histories and More Family Histories are the first publications of the Egg Harbor Historical Society.

Schedule of Events:

All day: Displays of historic photos, opportunities to record family histories
Hourly guided tours of the Barn Complex

10 am – noon: Country music by Egg Harbor’s Bittorf Brothers

10 am – noon: Farmers’ Market

Noon – 2 pm: Square Dancing demo

2 – 3 pm: Native American Ceremonial dance demonstration

3 – 5 pm: Bittorf Brothers

Door County cherries

Beautiful Lakeside Park on the shore of Lake Michigan is the setting for this 17th annual event that celebrates Door County’s cherry harvest. The Cherry Fest begins at 7 am with beverages and homemade cherry kolaches, fresh cherry pie and ice cream, as well as cherry sundaes for sale in the upper park shelter. The Jacksonport Women’s Club will feature their popular funnel cakes made “hot-on-the-spot” for all to enjoy.

The food booth will be open in the lower park shelter at 10 am including a wide variety of jams and jellies for sale. Door County Custom Meats owned by Keith and Jaci Birnschein will feature cherry brats and cherry burgers as well as a variety of ice cold beverages.  Peter Stoffel will provide fresh Door County cherries for sale from his orchards.

A juried arts and crafts fair will feature a wide range of artists and craftsmen from all across the Midwest. Many favorite artists from past years will return for this renowned show as well as many new and amazing artists here for the very first time. Local artist Sandy De Master will demonstrate spinning fibers into yarn at 10 am.

Live entertainment will be featured free of charge during Cherry Fest hours under the big tent. Picnic table seating will be available in the tent area. Bring your own folding chairs or blankets for additional seating for the day. Starting at 10 am to 1 pm Matt Wahl, popular folk singer and songwriter, will entertain us. Modern Day Drifters a local group featuring country music will entertain from 1 – 4 pm.

Mayberry’s Carriages will provide horse drawn wagon rides from 11 am to 3 pm for a small fee. Loading will be near the corner of Park Road and Hwy. 57 just north of the Lakeside Park boundary.

A penny hunt will be held on the beach at 1 pm for the younger set attending Cherry Fest.  Registration for the penny hunt is at 12:30 pm at the penny hunt site – the roped off beach area. Age groups are 3-5 and 6-8 year olds. Be sure to bring your cameras!

The Historical Society tent, set up in the Erskine Rest Area across the street, will feature the Jacksonport family memorabilia collection provided by members. All nine books published by The Jacksonport Historical Society- Jacksonport Through The Generations – will be for sale. The Society has many other items for sale as well.

For those of you who have never seen a root cellar, the completely restored Erskine Root Cellar will be open to the public for viewing during Cherry Fest hours. Four historical vehicles will be on display throughout the park. Back for another year the re-enactor Joe Jeanquart will once again feature pioneer living pre 1840′s and will have ongoing demonstrations of blacksmithing, fire starting, leather work and cooking throughout the day. Stop and view the awesome tipi and go back with Joe and his cohort, Randy Alexander to life as it was many years ago.

So come join us for a fun-filled day in the park to celebrate the cherry harvest and perhaps learn a little about Jacksonport’s history as well. We have something for everyone and maybe a surprise or two along the way. Look forward to seeing you August 6, 2011 in the park!

Check out our Web page for more details at www.JacksonportHistoricalSociety.org.

“Turn Turtle” competes in 2010 Sikaflex Challenge sea trials

There will still be plenty of boats on the museum grounds in Sturgeon Bay the weekend of August 6 – 7 and the ever-popular Sikaflex Challenge boat building competition returns for its two-day run, but some new elements have been added to entertain and educate all ages.

The most obvious to visitors will be the Maritime Mart, a vendor oriented event much in the same mold as the arts and crafts fairs seen at many area festivals. This one has a twist in that all the items are nautical in nature and carry through on the show’s “Boats, Books & Brushes” theme.

This year’s Festival also joins the City of Sturgeon Bay in its week-long “Salute to the United States Coast Guard” with plenty of the local Guardians taking part in Festival event.  The Coast Guard will be well represented with the return appearance of “Coastie,” the remote-controlled boat sponsored by the local Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla. Some of the Coast Guard’s most eye-catching equipment will also be on hand.

The Coast Guard will also play a prominent part in show’s most popular event, the Sikaflex Challenge boat building competition. At least three Coast Guard teams are signed up for a fun “competition within a competition” as they battle for Coast Guard bragging rights. Boat construction will again get underway Saturday morning at 10 am with up to 12 two-person teams required to build a boat with limited materials and just four hours to garner points to carry over into Sunday’s in-water race. Always a big draw, the race will begin at 12:45 pm with the colorfully decorated vessels hitting the water and racing against the clock. Points are awarded and coupled with Saturday’s construction totals to produce an overall winner.

The open-air painting event, “Paint the Bay,” will encompass the entire Sturgeon Bay waterfront. Artists will have Saturday morning to create their art before returning it for a silent auction inside the museum Saturday afternoon and Sunday. A People’s Choice vote will select the work, which will grace the 2012 festival poster. Advance registration for artists can be made online at www.dcmm.org or between 8-9 a.m. Saturday morning on the festival grounds.

The restored 149-foot tug John Purves remains a prominent attraction with tours again part of the festival admission this year. The Festival Committee has a single ticket entry structure that permits adults to gain admission to the festival at the regular daily fee to the museum and tug. Also, children’s admission prices have been expanded to encourage more family attendance. Children ages 11 and younger as well as museum members are admitted free.

But the dozens of boats, both in-water and on land, remain the festival’s featured attraction. From a 1963 Amphicar and classic Chris-Crafts to handcrafted canoes and kayaks, the festival is a boat-lover’s must-see event. Although a judging panel determines the plaque winners, visitors will again have the opportunity to vote for their favorite.

Boat building again highlights the children’s activities along with the ever-popular toy tug races.

Of course, the concessions stand is back, featuring an expanded menu this year.

Boat registrations are taken up to Saturday morning at 9 am and a few spots remain for the Sika Challenge. Call the Museum at 920.743.5958 for more information or visit www.dcmm.org to register a boat or see a calendar of events.

For information contact:

Jon Gast, Event Coordinator
920.743.5958
jgast@dcmm.org

The photo exhibition features the work of Dennis Mullen, who is particularly noted for his underwater and nature photography. Dennis is an accomplished diver with over 1,000 dives logged.  His sophisticated photographic style incorporates subject, surroundings, composition and exposure to create compelling images. The show is being presented by the Neptune’s Dive Club of Green Bay in conjunction with the Maritime Museum.

“Some of the most significant shipwrecks off the Lake Michigan coast are featured in the exhibit,” says the museum’s executive director Bob Desh. The exhibit is being described as a virtual dive experience through Mullen’s photography.  The photos will be on display Gills Rock through October 16.

In addition to the dive exhibit, a dramatic painting depicting the deadly frenzy of the D-Day landing is also now on display in Gills Rock.  On exhibit in Sturgeon Bay since early June, the print, which is a copy of a mural presented to the United States Coast Guard Academy on June 5, 2009, depicts the first three Coast Guard-manned LCI’s (Landing Craft Infantry) assaulting Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. The painting holds particular significance to Door County since LCI 94’s crew included several Door County residents including Commanding Officer Lt. Gene Gislason and Chief Motor Machinist Mate Elmer Sorensen Sr.

Admission to the Gills Rock museum is $5 for adults and $2 for youth (ages 5 – 17).  The Museum is located at 12724 W. Wisconsin Bay Road and is open 7 days a week from 10 am to 5 pm.

For more information call 920-743-5958 or visit www.dcmm.org.

Built in 1869, the lights were built to keep ships off the treacherous reefs and shallows at the entrance to Baileys Harbor. From the water, sailors could line up the white light from the Upper Rangelight, which shone 39 feet above the water, with the Lower Rangelight’s red beacon, 22 feet above the water.

Not long after the lights were automated, the land surrounding them became a wildflower preserve, managed by the newly-formed Ridges Sanctuary, Inc. The Ridges eventually took over maintenance of the lighthouse buildings, and is now in the process of raising funds for much-needed restoration work on the Lower Rangelight.

On Thursday, July 28, Neal Vogel will present “Light Up the Rangelights.” During his program, he will describe the history of the Rangelights and share what he has learned in his preparation of an Historic Structures Report for the Lower Rangelight. The program begins at 7 pm at the Baileys Harbor Town Hall and is free to the public. Donations to the Lower Rangelight Restoration Project will be gladly accepted, and anyone donating $20 or more will receive an art print of the Rangelights done by Phil Austin.

From the endangered Hines Emerald dragonfly to the rare Ram’s-head Lady Slipper orchid, the Ridges Sanctuary in Baileys Harbor provides refuge for some of Door County’s rarest treasures. But the Sanctuary provides refuge for people as well – it was described by a visitor as “a spot of heaven on earth in the midst of the chaos going on in the outside world.” Over 5 miles of trails are open year-round for self-guided hiking. Naturalist-guided hikes are offered at 9:30 am and 1:30 pm Tuesday through Friday, and 9:30 am on Saturday. The Nature Store, featuring a wide selection of nature-related books, puppets, T-shirts and gift items, is open daily from mid-May through mid-October.  The Sanctuary is located at 8288 Hwy Q, just off Hwy 57, in Baileys Harbor. For more information, call 920.839.2802 or visit RidgesSanctuary.org.

7:00 PM – Light Up the Rangelights

The Baileys Harbor Rangelights were beacons of safety that guided ships into Baileys Harbor for 100 years. Today they lead visitors into the Ridges Sanctuary, an area of incredible natural diversity and beauty. Neal Vogel, with Restoric, LLC, will share plans for restoration of the Lower Rangelight building. 7:00 PM at the Baileys Harbor Town Hall. Program is free, but donations are gladly accepted.

Saturday, July 30

6:30 AM – Discovery Bird Hike

The Ridges’ bird hikes are led by local birders, but all participants will be involved in discovering and identifying the species seen. Everyone is welcome, from beginning to seasoned birdwatchers, as we explore various birding hotspots around The Ridges and Baileys Harbor. Meet at the Nature Center. Donations accepted.

Monday, August 1

2:00 PM – Geocaching: A GPS Treasure Hunt

Geocaching has been described as a “high-tech treasure hunt.” After discussing what geocaching is and learning some tips and tricks, you’ll head into the woods to seek out caches hidden on the Ridges trails. A “No Family Left Inside” program. $10 per family, preregistration required by calling 920-839-2802.

Tuesday, August 2

9:00 – 11:00 AM – Barberry Pirates

The Barberry Pirates are a hearty crew of volunteers who work to control the exotic plants that threaten the Ridges. Each week we attack the dreaded barberry, the pernicious crown vetch, as well as swamp thistle and a host of others. New pirates are always welcome, and snacks are provided after the raid!

Tuesday through Thursday, August 2-4

9:00 AM to noon – Camp Taiga

Three mornings of fun and learning for children entering first and second grades. We will learn what animals need to survive and take a close look at the unique habitats found in the Ridges Sanctuary. Each day’s activities include games, crafts, stories and a hike. Preregistration is required for this program – call for more information.

The majestic towering masts or Wisconsin’s flagship, the three-masted schooner Denis Sullivan, will be the highlight of this dining and dancing extravaganza. Stroll the decks of the Sullivan and enjoy delicious culinary specialties from Door Peninsula restaurants and the rockin’ hot music of “Little Vito and the Torpedoes.”

Festivities at the Museum, 120 N. Madison Ave., begin at 5:30 pm and continue until 11:30 pm. Tickets are $65 per person and can be obtained by calling the museum at (920) 743-5958 or visiting www.dcmm.org.

The menu features nearly a dozen appetizers and entrees each to be followed up by a selection of eight desserts, all spotlighting more than 30 restaurants and culinary establishments stretching from the tip of the Door Peninsula south into Kewaunee County.

On an average day, the cost of operating the Door County Maritime Museum is greater than the income from fees, membership and other revenue. The annual Anchor Appeal, which is the benefactor of the gala, exists to close the financial gap. For every donation of $25 to the Anchor Appeal (the Museum’s operating fund) or participation in 2011′s Sponsor A Day program, you’ll receive an entry in a “thank you” drawing which is one of a number of drawings and raffles planned for the evening.

A live auction will also be held featuring such items at a seven-course “TugTanic Dinner” aboard the Tug “John Purves”. The Ports of Call Committee will prepare and serve selections from the last menu served on the Titanic. Some additional auction/raffle items are a toddler boat rocker, a day sail for six by Highland Piper Cruises Captain Keith Bagley, and “Lake Guardians” original watercolor by Karsten Topelmann.

Then dance the night away to the high energy music of “Little Vito and the Torpedoes,” the immensely popular full-bodied band from Madison.

Sponsors include: Bay Shipbuilding; Door County Naval Architects – Timothy Graul Marine Services, Seacraft Design, & Bay Engineering; Selvick Marine Towing Corp. – John Selvick; Bay Towel; Glen & Grace Rossman – Thrivent Financial; Bay Electric Systems; Meissner Landscape – Greg & Marsha Meissner; Sturgeon Bay Utilities; Baylake Bank; Dennis & Bonnie Connolly; DC Printing LLC; Door County Ace Hardware; Lake Side Surgical Associates; Marine Travelift/ExacTech; N.E.W. Industries; Pinkert Law Firm; Sturgeon Bay Florist; and Witt Peninsula Ford Lincoln Mercury