Photo by Len Villano

The village lights will glow brightly Friday, November 25 beginning at 4:30 pm with the lighting of luminaries around downtown and the Village Christmas tree and decorations at the corner of Mill Road and N. Bay Shore Dr. (Hwy. 42). Father Christmas will bring good tidings and merriment to all with his arrival and as he leads the children to the Sister Bay/Liberty Grove Library for storytelling and crafts, after the tree lighting. Light refreshments will be served at the tree lighting.

Bring your sweet tooth, creativity and children to the Holiday Cookie decorating on Saturday, Nov. 26 from 3-5 pm at the Sister Bay/Liberty Grove Fire Station. The Piggly Wiggly, Family Centers of Door County and the Sister Bay Advancement Association are sponsoring these sugary treats.

Shop locally for gifts for your family and friends at the annual Friends of Gibraltar Arts & Crafts Show inside the Village Hall November 26 – 27 from 10 am – 4 pm each day.

Help support the Northern Door Children’s Center and buy tickets for the Holiday Home Tour, Friday 4 – 8 pm and Saturday 10 am – 4 pm. Call 920.854.4244 for tickets.

Visit Sister Bay stores having special sales and offering free holiday treats and refreshments:

• Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant & Butik: 25-50% off store wide in Butik
• Bayside Bakery: Buy a coffee and get a Free tart!
• Bay Shore Outdoor Store: Store wide Sale
• Coachlite Inn: Stop by for treats and warm drinks
• Earth Art Studio: Stop in for treats
• Ecology Sports: Select items on sale
• Frykman’s Studio Gallery: Holiday Open House Friday & Saturday – Free Drawing and refreshments!
• Gage, Inc.: 20-40% off store wide sale
• Hammersmith TV & Radio Shack: National Radio Shack specials apply on Friday
• Hudson Road Trading: 35% off purses; Stop in for treats
• Julie’s Upscale Resale: In-store sales
• Lampert Yards: Sale on Christmas items
• Northern Door Communications: Don’t miss Cellcom’s Black Friday sales event
• Pamida: Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday store wide sales
• Paper Work Plus: 15% off all 2012 calendars – Free treats
• Passtimes Books: 10% off all merchandises (some special orders too.) Free book with purchase of $20 or more
• Piggly Wiggly – Open Thanksgiving Day 7:30 am – 12 pm
• Pipka’s of Door County: Free drawing to win 1 of 3 large Santas – coffee and cake too!
• Points North: Stop in for holiday deals
• On Deck Clothing Co.: Store wide sale; Free drawings for gift certificates!
• Tannenbaum Holiday Shop: 20% discount on purchases
• Village Clothier & Consignment: 20% off resale sweaters and knits; Resale slacks: Buy one, get one free!
• Yachtworks: Clothing sale: 25% off galleyware and gift items

National Costume Swap Day officially falls on Saturday, October 8, but swap events will be happening all October. The national event is jointly sponsored by Green Halloween, Swap.com and Kiwi Magazine.

In Door County, the Halloween Costume Exchange is a family-centered YMCA event inviting everyone to bring their children’s gently-worn costumes and exchange them for different costumes. The exchange enables families to reuse and recycle costumes that are usually only worn once, as well as save money without having to purchase new costumes.

The event begins at 1 pm when the community is invited to arrive with their costumes. Each family will receive one ticket per costume (up to 4) to be exchanged for a new costume. After handing in the costumes at 1 pm, attendees are invited to enjoy our inflatable bouncer while they wait for the exchange to begin at 2 pm. If you do not have a costume to exchange, you can purchase one for $10. You do not need to be a YMCA member to participate in the costume exchange. All costumes left over and funds raised will be donated to the Door County YMCA Childcare and Clothe My People. Additional donations will also be accepted at the costume exchange.

The YMCA Halloween parties are set for Friday, October 21 in Sturgeon Bay and Friday, October 28 at the Northern Door Program Center in Fish Creek. Visit www.DoorCountyYMCA.org or call 920.743.4949 in Sturgeon Bay or 920.868.3660 up north for more information on these events.

Dairy View Corn Maze Theme Features Town of Egg Harbor's Sesquicentennial

Each spring, when the plants are still quite short, Great Adventure Corn Mazes (GACMK) brings a computerized, GPS-guided corn-cutting machine to carve out a detailed custom design.

As the corn plants mature, a complex puzzle, previously envisioned only on paper becomes an awesome maze challenge, spread over multiple acres – a great way to exercise brain and body.

Approximately 30 acres of corn with more than 10 miles of trails awaits visitors at the 11^th Annual Dairy View Corn Maze. There are four separate mazes, .8 mile, 1.4 miles, 3.4 miles and 4.6 miles in length with levels of difficulty ranging from beginner to expert. Each maze includes 6 spots on a hand-held map that challengers can punch when they locate them.

The game challenge this year is called Farm Scene Tracks, where players try to find all six animals that stole Farmer Denny’s pies. In case you get desperate or just want to get an overview, there are two bridges that allow you to get up above the tops of the tassels.

Everyone who visits the Dairy View Corn Maze is also provided with a chance to win an i-Pod in the annual prize drawing that takes place at the end of the season.

The Dairy View Corn Maze is open daily at the Schopf Family Farm and Country Store, located on County Road I, just east of Carlsville. Admission to the Corn Maze is $8 per person 13 – adult, $6 for children 4 – 12 years of age and free for children 3 and under. Maze players are advised to dress appropriately bringing rain gear in threatening weather and wear suitable footwear, like athletic shoes or hiking boots. You can expect to be in the maze for approximately 2 hours of engaging fun.

Find out more about the annual corn maze, Dairy View’s homemade ice cream and pizza, as well as their educational working dairy tours on-line at www.DairyView.com or by calling 920.743.9779.

Toivo, thanks to Dan Eggert Photography

Enjoy Stone’s Throw wines, Hinterland and Shipwrecked beer and snacks from the chef of the Whistling Swan, while listening and dancing to live music by local rock bands Toivo and The Snowbirds. Have a drink and enjoy the local music and beautiful atmosphere of Woodwalk, all while supporting Witness for Peace’s continued work for peace and justice in the Americas.

A suggested donation of $5-10 at door with snacks and great music provided “on the house” and locally produced delicious intoxicating beverages for sale.

Rick Nelson, Habitat for Humanity, in the 2010 Dunk Tank

The Inn at Cedar Crossing and Younkers are continuing their support by sponsoring the activity, underscoring the popularity of what has become an annual event. The tank will be located on Louisiana Avenue, off of 3^rd Avenue, between the two sponsoring businesses to give everyone the opportunity to dunk local celebrities from around Door County.

The broad spectrum of targets to dunk makes for lots of good-natured fun to benefit a great cause. Inspiring participants to join in the fun will be famous faces such as Sturgeon Bay’s Mayor, Thad Birmingham, Miss Door County Emily Larsen, and Bob Desh from the Door County Maritime Museum.

The complete schedule for the day is as follows:

For only $1, “dunkers” will have 3 chances to dunk their favorite community celebrity. Funds raised will benefit United Way of Door County and will stay in Door County, working toward empowering people to build better lives. For more information, contact the United Way office at 920.746.9645.

Enjoy complimentary tasting of Orchard Country Wines, local micro brews and farm market foods – featuring the popular tart Montmorency cherry. The summer festival will also include free guided winery tours – every hour from 10am – 4 pm, and face painting and balloons by Happyness Clowns from 11 am – 4 pm.

Hop aboard a horse-drawn wagon ride throughout the scenic orchards or pick a pail of tart Montmorency cherries. The fun continues with live music from 1 pm – 5 pm by The Johnsons Project, craft and food vendors, a food tent, children’s inflatable bouncer, and more.

The cherry pie eating contest begins at 12:30 pm; followed by one of the festivals many highlights – Orchard Country’s Cherry Pit Spit competition. The competition begins at 2 pm, is open to all ages and prizes and trophies are awarded.

“This is our 7th festival and every year is more fun than the last. It’s a great way to spend a summer day with family and friends, while also learning about the health benefits of the Montmorency cherry,” says Carrie Lautenbach-Viste, co-owner.

Lautenbach’s Orchard Country Winery & Market is one of the peninsula’s established family farms located at 9197 Highway 42 in Fish Creek. The winery and market is open from 9 am – 6 pm daily; 9 am – 5 pm Sundays. For additional information call 866.946.3263 or visit www.OrchardCountry.com.

Queen Catherine, King Edward and some of the members of “Have Court, Will Travel!”

The 2^nd Annual Royal Feast Buffet dining extravaganza will take place featuring not only the King and Queen in full regalia, but the entire Royal Court and a crescendo performance by the Kaheena Belly Dancers. The chefs will provide a festive array of chicken and ribs with a variety of other specialties and desserts in an unlimited buffet.

Cast members from the Door County Renaissance Fantasy Faire will be strolling about and dining in fabulous costumes, willing to strike a pose with guests for photographs. Queen Catherine and King Edward are members of “Have Court, Will Travel!” a professional troupe of more than a dozen re-enactors that portray a fictitious English court in the historical time period of the 1550s. They are in Door County to celebrate the 2^nd annual Door County Renaissance Fantasy Faire that takes place in the magical woodlands of Carlsville on the weekends preceding and following the Royal Buffet.

Sarisha

Dining is from 5 – 8 pm, and will be capped off at 8 pm with a performance by Sarisha and Jessika, members of the Kaheena Belly Dance Troupe. They arrived at the festival in a gypsy wagon filled with dancers, who are also performing over both weekends in Carlsville.

There may also be several Knights, members of Noble Cause Productions, a company performing at the Faire that specializes in jousting, stage combat instruction, fight choreography, and horse stunts.

The dining experience is intended to provide a taste of the color and pageantry of the renaissance time period. Each court member is a fully fleshed out character who can interact and improvise with patrons of all ages. Knighting and Lady selection ceremonies, merchant visits, and royal audiences are all a part of the Door County Renaissance Fantasy Faire experience. Two weekends of historical adventure, entertainment, fun and festivities with a Royal Court Dinner in between make this year’s festival a highlight for families and individuals who love the days of olde.

Tickets for the English Inn buffet dinner and entertainment are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Children 10 and under are $15 in advance and $17.50 at the door. Please RSVP to dcrff@att.net or call 920.973.8233 for more information or to make reservations.

The Door County Renaissance Fantasy Faire is open rain or shine for two weekends June 25 – 26 and July 2 – 3 from 10 am ’til 6 pm on Saturdays and from 10 am ’til 4 pm on Sundays. Making its home in a lyrical forest and meadow setting at 5226 Monument Point Road in Egg Harbor (just 1 mile north of Carlsville), with daily admission $12 for Adults (16+), $9 for children (ages 5-15) and Seniors (over 60). Children under 5 and military personnel, currently active or retired (with proper identification) are always admitted free. A $1 discount is available to all who donate a non-perishable food item for local food banks or who arrive dressed in period garb.

For more information contact the producer, Sandy Stetler (aka Lady Bliss) by phone at 920.746.6773, e-mail dcrff@att.net and visit DoorCoWIRenaissance.com. Join in the Facebook fun and conversation at facebook.com/RenaissanceFaire.

The annual Door County Renaissance Fantasy Faire will open in the magical woodlands of Carlsville for the second year with many of the festival’s favorites returning from last season as well as a variety of new and exciting family entertainment. Making its home in a lyrical forest and meadow setting at 5226 Monument Point Road in Egg Harbor (just 1 mile north of Carlsville), the Renaissance Fantasy Faire is open rain or shine for two weekends June 25 – 26 and July 2 – 3 from 10 am ’til 6 pm on Saturdays and from 10 am ’til 4 pm on Sundays.

“Come cheer the knights of the Noble Cause as they ride forth on horseback, clashing in combat on the tilt yard field,” says founder and manager Sandy Stetler aka Lady Bliss. “Bring your children to meet the Queen and King, to be knighted or selected by a lady in waiting. But beware of the enchanting forest faeries. Enjoy the rollicking musicians, friar’s ale and other vendors offering turkey legs and tempting treats.”

You can explore a tented marketplace offering a variety of wares from swords to silks, jewels to gems, toys to trinkets. Whether you’re a fan of history or a fan of fancy, the Door County Renaissance Fantasy Faire has something for everyone.

Between Fantasy Faire weekends, patrons and friends of select Door County businesses will have an opportunity to rub elbows with royals and rogues! On Wednesday, June 29 from 5 – 8 pm you are invited to dine with the Royal Court at The English Inn in Fish Creek. A special Royal Feast buffet style dinner will take place featuring chicken and ribs and a variety of other specialties and desserts. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Children 10 and under are $15 in advance and $17.50 at the door. Please RSVP to dcrff@att.net or call 920.973.8233 for more information or to make reservations.

On Thursday, June 30, Cast members from the Renaissance Fantasy Faire will be strolling about in fabulous costumes, willing to strike a pose for photographs, visit and even play with customers at the following scheduled times and locations:

From Noon ’til 2 pm at Door County Coffee in Carlsville.

From 2:30 ’til 4:30 pm at Cheesecake, Etc. and the Country Walk Shops in Sister Bay.

From 6:30 ’til 8:30 pm at Pirates Cove Mini Golf in Sister Bay. The Queen has thrown down the gauntlet and challenges all comers to a game of miniature golf against members of the Royal Court and the Rogues who will join them!

Door County Renaissance Fantasy Faire ticket prices remain the same as last year: $12 for Adults (16+), $9 for children (ages 5-15) and Seniors (over 60). Children under 5 and military personnel, currently active or retired (with proper identification) are always admitted free. A $1 discount is available to all who donate a non-perishable food item for local food banks or who arrive dressed in period garb.

To join in the fun and get involved with this event, which is hosted by a registered 501c3 not for profit organization and fiscally sponsored by Help Is Here, please contact the producer, Sandy Stetler at 920.746.6773 or e-mail dcrff@att.net. Volunteers and sponsors are always welcome! More information is available at www.DoorCoWIRenaissance.com and you can join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RenaissanceFaire.

The dance is Saturday, May 28, beginning at 7:00 PM, and the public is invited to attend. No admission is charged, but donations will be accepted at the door.

Barn dances take us back to a time when folks came together to create their own entertainment. Single people, married couples, parents, children and grandparents all laughed and dance together, building stronger ties between generations and families. Dances include Squares, Circles, Contras (like a square dance, but done in a line), and Sets. All dances are taught by a teacher/caller, and the figures build on each other from one dance to the next. No previous dance experience is needed, and by the end of the evening we’ll all be promenading and doing right-hand stars like seasoned veterans. Music is provided by Sugar on the Floor Barn Dance Orchestra, and non-alcoholic refreshments will be served. All ages are welcome!

The Door County Festival of Nature is one of the area’s premier nature events. Over 50 field trips and workshops are offered on Friday and Saturday, May 27 and 28. These include some of the most beautiful and unique natural areas in Door County, some of which are not usually open to the public. Included in the schedule are birdwatching hikes, photography workshops, geology trips, and canoeing outings on the Ahnapee River and Logan Creek.

There are still openings in many Festival trips. Registration for available field trips will take place at the Baileys Harbor Town Hall on Thursday, May 26, between 5:00 and 7:30 PM Friday, May 27, from 8:00 AM to 1:30 PM and 4:00 – 7:00 PM and Saturday, May 28, 8:00 – 9:00 AM.

The Door County Festival of Nature is sponsored by The Ridges Sanctuary, The Nature Conservancy, Door County Land Trust, Crossroads at Big Creek, The Clearing, and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, with financial support from Door Properties Owners Inc., Baylake Bank, Bridenhagen Landscape, Novel Ideas, Door Landscape and Nursery, and Fish Creek Kite Company. For more information on the Festival of Nature, please call 920-839-2802.

It’s “Scot” to be Scottie time once again. Those bag pipes will soon beckon one and all who love a dog parade to make their way to Baileys Harbor! While the enthusiasts’ Scottie Rally is held on private property and requires admission, the annual “Parade of Scots” is free and open to the public.

Parade viewers are encouraged to assemble along Park Rd, State Highway 57 and County F/EE in downtown Baileys Harbor. The parade travels east on Cty F/EE from Juniper Ridge Road and arrives at the Baileys Harbor Town Square at approximately 11:30 am. Parade viewers are encouraged to assemble by 11:15 am to be sure they don’t miss the viewing of these small dogs with “big attitude!”

The Clan Donald Pipe and Drum Corps are returning to lead the parade once again. Many of the celebrated dogs have actually been rescued from shelters and or abandonment and have found their forever 2^nd chance homes with the Scottie Rally enthusiasts.

In the past 11 years, these gatherings of Scottie devotees taking place all across North America have raised over $65,000 to support Scottish Terrier health related research and Scottie Rescue. For further information or to purchase DCSR shirts and memorabilia log on to www.DoorCountyScottieRally.com or call 920.493.5878.