The Magic of Summer
While it’s not “officially” summer until the summer solstice on June 21, it seems summer is already in full swing. Don’t believe me? Just take a look at our events section—there seems to be something going on every day of the month. In fact, there’s so much going on that we ran out of room on our events calendar. From art fairs, festivals, races, and concerts, there’s no shortage of activities.
Coinciding with the summer solstice on Wednesday, June 21 is Canada’s National Indigenous Peoples Day, an important day to celebrate and recognize the contributions and achievements of Indigenous people. In her latest feature story, Kalli Hawkins spoke with Kathleen Sawdo, a member and knowledge holder of the Fort William First Nation in Canada. For many generations, Indigenous people have gathered at Animikii-wajiw (Mount McKay) in Thunder Bay each summer solstice to celebrate and honor their heritage with a pow wow. Sawdo encourages everyone who is interested in attending a pow wow to do so. However, there are some general etiquette rules to follow—check out the story to learn more.
June is also universally known as Pride Month, celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. While June was formally recognized as Pride Month in 1999 by President Bill Clinton, the history of Pride Month began decades prior. In Along the Shore, Kalli Hawkins talks with the Cook County Pride Committee regarding their upcoming June 10 pride event in Grand Marais.
Speaking of celebrations, up in Canada, the Porphyry Island Lighthouse celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. Located about 25 miles east of Thunder Bay, Point Porphyry was the first in the area to provide an aid to navigation. Situated on the eastern side of Black Bay, the lighthouse helped passenger steamships find their way to Silver Islet or to Nipigon Bay. Paul Morralee provides us with the history of the lighthouse, as well as its upcoming celebrations, in our Along the Shore section.
As always, there’s no shortage of art coverage amongst these pages. Rae Poynter interviews Silver Bay jewelry artist Erik Rasmussen of Floodbay Agates for the Creative Space column. Michelle Miller highlights Two Harbors watercolor artist Katie Bromme in Along the Shore, and I showcase artwork by a few Park Point Art Fair participants, held June 24-25 in Duluth. Last but not least, I can’t forget to mention Sam Zimmerman’s Following the Ancestor’s Steps art column, but I won’t spoil his topic.
Of course, we couldn’t call ourselves Northern Wilds if we didn’t also include a few outdoors stories. In our second feature story, Chris Pascone lists eight great summer experiences for North Shore escapes. Pascone also writes about the Boundary Waters Advisory Committee, a citizen-run volunteer trail maintenance organization with a mission of preserving trails in the Boundary Waters of the Superior National Forest. Eric Weicht tells us how to secure a Remote Area Border Crossing permit. And Gord Ellis breaks down the pros and cons of a tiller boat verses a console boat.
On the North Shore, summer is fleeting, so we must make the most of it. Now get out there and have some fun!—Breana Johnson
The latest issue for June 2023 is out!
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