Do It Now: Summer
Next weekend
Sample from long menus of food and music.
Chicago Jazz Festival in Chicago. This free festival moves from the Cultural Center to Millennium Park and on to Grant Park. Sept. 1–4.
On the Waterfront in Rockford, Ill. There's music on five stages, plus a street market, carnival and food from more than 50 booths. Sept. 1–4.
Taste of Madison in Madison.This free festival on Capitol Square includes 300 menu items from more than 80 restaurants and music on three stages. On Sunday, there's a lighted boat parade on Lake Mendota, followed by fireworks. Sept. 3–4.
Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion
in Rollag, Minn. This show of antique machinery includes train rides and a carousel,
square dancing, roving musicians and nightly jamborees. Sept. 2–5.
Best bets for the weekend
It's a mellow time to stay in a state park.
This is the lull before the fall-color season, with lots of deals and availability. If you weren’t able to snag one of the great state-park cabins in Minnesota, Michigan or Iowa, you'll find it easier now.
Dragon-boat festivals always are fun, and there’s one in Superior, Wis. (pictured), and one in Fort Dodge, Iowa, where it’s also the Club Crew National Championships.
In Minnesota’s Itasca State Park, Saturday is the North Country Hiking Fest, with hiker shuttles, kids’ activities and a concert. In June, Outside magazine named Itasca one of the five best state parks in the nation; we think “best’’ lists generally are pretty bogus, but we do love Itasca.
It feels like summer, but it’s time to plan for fall. It comes and goes faster than you’d think – most Oktoberfests are in September, and the one in the central Minnesota town of Pierz is this weekend!
This weekend
Speed-eat spuds, jalapenos and fair food.
Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul. It's the annual extravaganza of competitions, concerts, carnival rides and food on a stick. Aug. 25–Sept. 5.
Potato Days in Barnesville, Minn. Watch mashed-potato wrestling, a golden potato hunt, potato car races, peeling and eating contests and a 5:30 p.m. Saturday parade. Aug. 26–27.
Mexican Fiesta in Milwaukee. This big lakefront festival features dancing, music, jalapeno eating and hot wheels. Aug. 26–28.
Thunder in the Valley Air Show in Waterloo, Iowa. This first annual air show features the U.S.A.F. Thunderbirds and includes military bands and children's activities. Aug. 27–28.
Stampede to the North Shore
If you're planning to join the annual fall pilgrimage, nail down lodgings now.
This time of year, everyone in Minnesota starts thinking about going to the North Shore, and everyone wants that perfect place to stay.
I first went to the North Shore in August 1981, without a reservation (you can’t do that anymore), and lucked into Fern Creek cabin (pictured) at Koeneke’s Shoredge resort, just beyond Lutsen.
It had hand-sewn curtains, a tiny kitchen and tiny bedrooms with walls that didn’t quite go up to the ceiling. But it was surrounded by poplars and had a picture window facing the lake, a swing out front and a rocky shoreline perfect for bonfires.
That's my idea of a perfect place to stay, though I know it's not everyone's. I stopped by recently and caught Karen Bergly of Plymouth, Minn., whose mother’s family has been running the summer-only resort since 1953.
For football fans, a preview
Watching is free and festive at team training camps.
Wondering how the Vikings, Packers or Bears will do this year? Get a preview by watching the players gear up for the season
at training camp.
Make a day of it, because all of the camps offer festivities, games of skill, giveaways, autograph sessions for kids and even
fireworks. Admission is free.
Green Bay Packers in Green Bay, Wis.: The Packers, whose camp Sports Illustrated calls one
of the best and most fan-friendly (kids bring bikes that players ride, often toting the kids, to the field), practice across from Lambeau Field July 30-Aug. 1 and Aug. 3-6,
8-12, 15-18, 22-24 and 28-30.
Family Night is Aug. 6, $10. Fans also can visit the Packers Hall of Fame and tour Lambeau Field. The complex is in the middle of Green Bay, at Lombardi Avenue and South Oneida Street.
Free weekend in Wisconsin
It's a great time to try a new park, trail, lake or historic site.
The first weekend in June are a good time to try something new in Wisconsin.
June 5 is open-house day in Wisconsin state parks. Since non-residents pay $10
for a daily pass, it's a good time to visit.
Many parks plan special events. In Mirror Lake State Park near the Dells, there are free
tours of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Seth Peterson Cottage. In Lake Wissota
State Park near Chippewa Falls, families can try out kayaks and canoes and build birdhouses.
Use of state bicycle trails (usually $4) is free June 5 and also June 4, National Trails Day. There are special events on the Red Cedar in Menomonie and the new Stower Seven Lakes in Amery, which is holding an easy triathlon/biathlon Saturday and a no-fee trail ride Sunday.
Step out on National Trails Day
The time is ripe to hike or bike.
Here in the Upper Midwest, hikers have their pick of great trails — the Superior Hiking Trail, the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, the North Country National Scenic Trail and hundreds of state and county trails.
On Saturday, National Trails Day, you can try out a new one. Along Lake Superior, the Superior Hiking Trail Association is leading a five-mile hike on the newest section of trail between Duluth and Two Harbors.
In southwest Wisconsin, the rangers of Trempealeau National Wildlife
Refuge are hosting a bird hike, bike ride and canoe paddle. On the Red Cedar State Trail (pictured) in Menomonie, the Friends group is
offering a wildlife photography hike, raptor presentation and bike checks.
Watch out for wild parsnip
This flowering weed may look pretty, but it bites.
In the good old days, the only plant people had to watch out for was poison ivy.
Now, there's wild parsnip, the evil sister of Queen Anne's lace. A native of Europe and Asia, it has spread like wildfire across Wisconsin and southern Minnesota, and fire is what it feels like on exposed skin.
"Most people get a nasty, nasty rash from it," says Karla Kinstler Bloem, naturalist and director of Houston Nature Center in southeast Minnesota. "It's not like nettles or poison ivy; this is like a chemical burn. If you get it bad enough, it can scar you for life."
It's actually a sunburn, caused by plant chemicals that, when energized by ultraviolet light, destroy cells and skin tissue. In mild cases, the skin simply reddens. But if skin has been extensively exposed to the plant and then to sunlight, it may blister, leaving a purplish discoloration that may last a long time.
The buzz on bugs
Summer is here, and so are the pests.
June is the cruelest month for bugs.
Mosquitoes hatch everywhere there's standing water (pictured, the 6-foot skeeter in Effie, Minn.). Black flies bedevil campers in the Boundary Waters and along Lake Superior, especially in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Ticks are crawling all over the place.
Black flies are hardest to avoid, since they attack the face and are nearly invisible. Either buy a head net, stay in a
breezy place or wait until they go away.
The common wisdom is they'll be gone by the Fourth of July. But it's not the only time they come out. Once, in late July, we
were staying at the Big Bay Point Lighthouse B&B near Marquette, and the flies were so bad you couldn't be outside.
Snorkeling the Namekagon
Face down in the swift, clear Wisconsin river, you'll see why it's a national treasure.
Now that warm weather has arrived, we can have some fun cooling down.
We can go whitewater rafting on the St. Louis River near Duluth without a wetsuit. We can relax into the potholes above Illgen Falls and turn the the Baptism River into a spa.
If we're desperate, we can run from the sand beach on Duluth's Park Point into Lake Superior. No one ever said that felt like bathwater.
Now, however, I've found the best cool-down of all — snorkeling. Why didn't I think of it before?
Free weekend in Minnesota
It's a great time to visit parks and try fishing spots.
The second weekend in June is a good time to try something new in Minnesota.
On June 11, admission to all Minnesota state parks is free to celebrate National Get Outdoors Day.
Many parks are holding bird and flower hikes, raptor presentations and orienteering and nature photography programs (at Wild
River, all of the above). There's rock-climbing at Blue Mounds (pictured), fossil-collecting at Forestville-Mystery Cave and
archery at Mille Lacs Kathio.
On the North Shore, Split Rock Lighthouse historical site will
have an open house June 11, along with the state park.
Free weekends in Wisconsin and Minnesota
Grab the chance to visit parks, trails, historic sites and fishing spots.
In early June, the state parks of Wisconsin and Minnesota want to show you a good time.
June 5 is open house in Wisconsin parks (pictured, Perrot), with free admission, and June 4 is National Trails Day. In Minnesota, June 11 is open house in Minnesota parks and also National Get Outdoors Day.
There's a lot going on — try out kayaks, learn to rock-climb, go on a guided hike or make crafts. Fishing is free on the same weekends, and some historic sites also are free or discounted.
It's a great deal. For more, see Free weekend in Wisconsin and
Free weekend in Minnesota.
In Pipestone, an era ends
After 60 years, town says goodbye to 'Song of Hiawatha' pageant.
For at least half a century, white men in blackface have been considered tasteless. But white men in red face? They were part of a popular outdoor pageant that brought busloads of tourists to a small town in southwest Minnesota.
But "Song of Hiawatha'' was performed for the last time in 2008, not because locals considered it an anachronism, but because it was too much work.
"It's in the middle of summer, and it's gotten hard to find people willing to participate,'' said lifelong Pipestone resident Eugene Hanson. "I hate to see it go.''
The audience had fallen off, too. Many younger people never have heard of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and fewer still can appreciate an 1855 poem that's set to the meter of a Finnish epic, based on third-hand Ojibwe legends, filled with Christian imagery and bloated by Victorian romanticism.
Take a break on a lake for less
Penny pinchers, start your engines.
If you haven't taken a lake vacation yet, now is the time to go.
I love August. Thanks to all those kids who have to get home for sports and band practice, the lake resorts start lowering their prices the second week of the month, though the weather still is perfect.
Many of the small resorts throw in the Labor Day weekend if people book the previous week, and most start taking guests for partial weeks. Larger resorts offer specials on their lodge rooms — just surf through web sites looking for the "Hot Deals'' buttons.
All you have to do is look. If you don't see a good deal on a web site, plug your favorite resort destination into a search
engine and see what comes up.
Blast from the past
Train aficionados offer special excursions.
If you're in love with old trains, train aficionados can give you a ride.
In the fall, Friends of the 261 run special excursions on their 1944 Milwaukee Road steam locomotive (pictured). In October, No. 261 pulls cars down the Mississippi from Minneapolis to Winona and back. It also will run a trip from Winona to La Crescent to turn the locomotive.
Tickets in three classes are $99-$329 for the 278-mile round-trip to Winona, $89 for children. A coach ticket from Winona to La Crescent and back is $39.
For regular excursions on vintage trains, see 5 great
train rides. For more about trains and vintage-train lodgings, see Riding the rails.
Where to find mosquito-free camping
Breathe a sigh of relief in southeast Minnesota.
Already tired of mosquitoes? Head for southeast Minnesota.
That's karst country, where porous limestone lies just under the surface and rain sinks into fast-moving underground streams that are chilled to 48 degrees when they run through the many cave systems. Trout like it, but mosquitoes don't. There's no standing water, so there's nowhere for them to breed.
That makes camping virtually mosquito-free at Forestville/Mystery Cave, Whitewater and Beaver Creek Valley state parks. Deb Erickson, office manager at Forestville, says people used to camping on Minnesota's North Shore are pleasantly surprised and often ask why there are so few mosquitoes.
"All the parks are like that in southeast Minnesota,'' she says. "It's kind of strange, but very wonderful.''
Sightsee and learn on Lake Superior
For a different kind of cruise, hop a research vessel.
Want to be a steward of our beloved Lake Superior? On a Minnesota Sea Grant research vessel, you'll learn from environmental experts while enjoying a very inexpensive three-hour cruise on the big lake.
The View From the Lake cruises on the L.L. Smith Jr., sponsored by the University of Minnesota Sea Grant Program and University of Wisconsin Extension, won't be held in 2010.
But the program hopes to hold them in the future. On past cruises, passengers discuss land-use challenges and learn about local sustainability projects and water-quality monitoring.
Wisconsin ports included Ashland, Washburn, Bayfield and Superior. Ports on Minnesota's North Shore were Grand Marais, Silver Bay, Two Harbors and Duluth.
On the road/A brewery in Potosi
After a 36-year hiatus, taps flow again.
There's a new stop to add to the beer-lover's tour of southern Wisconsin (See True Brew).
The Potosi Brewing Co. has reopened in the far southwest corner of Wisconsin. Started in 1852, it became the fifth-largest brewery in Wisconsin, in later years producing Holiday, Garten Bräu and Alpine Lager. It closed in 1972.
Now run by a foundation, the restored brewery includes the American Breweriana Association's National Brewery Museum, the Potosi Brewing Co. Transportation Museum and the Great River Road Interpretive Center.
The interpretive center really is just a rack of brochures, and the National Brewery Museum, which charges $7 admission, mostly is a collection of brewing memorabilia. The Transportation Museum is just one room but interesting, considering it's only about Potosi.
Calling all Elizabeths
A village near Galena plans to set a new world record every year.
In the northwest corner of Illinois, a little town called Elizabeth has upstaged its better-known neighbor, Galena.
Women flock to pretty Galena for its shopping and sampling. But Galena was built by miners and is named for a mineral, while Elizabeth is named for a heroic woman — three of them, all named Elizabeth.
On June 28, 2008, the town invited Elizabeths of all ages — middle names count — for a gathering that it hoped
would set the world record for Elizabeths. It did, and the next year the town bested its own world record on June 27,
2009.
While in Elizabeth, the Elizabeths pose for a group photo, witness the crowning of Queen Elizabeth, taste Elizabeth white wine from nearby Massbach Ridge Winery and watch a fashion show featuring styles from past to present.
On the road in Wisconsin
Happy discoveries: art pottery, burgers, bike trails and lighthouses.
On a trip to Milwaukee this month, I found that nothing stays the same — except the things people can’t do without.
In Lake Mills, just off I-94 east of Madison, I was surprised to see Ephraim Faience Pottery in a newly restored 1890s cream-brick building on Water Street. I’d been coveting its graceful, handmade Arts and Crafts pieces for many years but was resigned to simply admiring the shelves of vases and pitchers until I saw that I could buy one at half price.
So, thanks to a barely discernible bottom crease, I got my very own Heartland vase for $144. Seconds and irregulars are
available only at the Lake Mills gallery.
“I buy bottom cracks all the time,’’ said manager Barbara Voss. “That way, I don’t have to feel so bad if the cat does cream it.’’
Try a new bike trail
In Minnesota, fresh stretches of trail invite bicycle tourists.
There’s good news for bicycle tourists looking for a new stretch of trail to try.
This month, a troublesome 1½-mile stretch of the Mesabi Trail in northern Minnesota (pictured) finally was completed between Taconite and Marble, giving riders 74½ nonstop miles of beautiful asphalt.
The rolling trail, which does not follow a rail corridor, takes riders past turquoise mine-pit lakes, through rock cuts and to the door of nearly every Iron Range attraction. For more, see Rolling through the Iron Range.
Near Bemidji, an 11½-mile section of the Paul Bunyan State Trail has been paved. Now, bicyclists can ride 7½ miles along the east shore of Lake Bemidji from Lake Bemidji State Park, then on two miles of city streets to connect with the new stretch, which winds through the woods to Guthrie.
The best of the fests
Plan a weekend around a festival.
Every festival is a good festival. There's lots of see and do, and most everything is free.
For a list, see Great summer festivals. For food festivals, see A feast of festivals. For ethnic festivals, see Celebrating roots. For outdoor arts fairs, see Art al fresco. For dragon-boat festivals, see Waking the dragon.
Here are 10 festivals worth planning a trip around.
National Cherry Festival in Traverse City, Mich. This town on Lake Michigan attracts half a million people to events that
include many contests and the Cherry Royale Parade at 11:15 a.m. July 11. July 4-11.
Great Circus Parade Festival in Milwaukee. Circus performances and animal rides on the lakefront feature Circus World Museum of Baraboo (pictured). The big parade starts at 2 p.m. Sunday. July 8-12.
Fourth of July weekend
There's a celebration everywhere.
You won't have to look far for fireworks and festivities over the Fourth of July weekend, because every town worth its salt
has them.
But some of the best are the smallest. For an old-fashioned celebration, go to Madeline Island in Wisconsin for A Day on the Green. At 10:30 a.m., there's a home-grown parade that ends with historical figures giving patriotic speeches at the museum. An art fair, barbecue and fireworks follow. July 4.
Near Milwaukee, an Old World Fourth of July at Old World Wisconsin includes a band concert, old-fashioned games and visits with re-enactors who portray the role of African-American soldiers in the Civil War. July 4.
In the western Minneapolis village of Excelor, the Minnesota Orchestra plays at the Lake Minnetonka Fourth of July at Excelsior Commons, followed by fireworks. There's also a kids' parade and Popsicle social and a sandcastle-building contest.
Plan ahead to get Wisconsin guides
Wisconsin welcome centers are closed.
Wisconsin has closed its welcome centers, so don't expect to stock up on travel guides and brochures when you head into the state.
The Hudson center is completely closed, and only the restrooms and vending machines are open in Beloit, Kenosha and La Crosse. Now, local tourism organizations are distributing the materials.
Or just order the guides online. The Wisconsin Biking Guide, Activity Guide and Spring/Summer Event Guide are particularly useful. While you're at it, ask for a copy of the Rustic Roads booklet. And if you like arts fairs, the state has a very good directory.
They can be downloaded, too. You also can call 800-432-8747 and request them.
© Beth Gauper, 2007 - 2012 all rights reserved
