Dragon Boat Festival Weekend, Play Opens

This is Dragon Boat Festival Weekend when the town is chock full of paddlers, their families and friends, and the beat of drums echoes over the Grand Marais Harbor as the dragon boats vie for a win.

The whole weekend is filled with excitement as cheering crowds root for their favorite teams and then relax in the sun or have a snack before the next race. The event is broadcast live on WTIP Radio, too, which only adds to the fun. There are always a lot of food vendors, too, and  the Lion’s Club Fishburger wagon will be open this weekend.

The festival opens on Friday night with the Parade of Teams down Wisconsin Avenue at 7 p.m.The teams in their brightly colored T-shirts then converge on Harbor Park where the Awakening the Dragon Ceremony is performed. The Splinters will play for a street dance from 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Saturday morning, Great Expectations School holds a fundraiser pancake breakfast at The Crooked Spoon from 7:30-10 a.m. Saturday morning and the dragon boat races start at 10 a.m. The divisional finals are at 3 p.m. and the awards ceremony is at 5 p.m.

Sunday is the rain date for the races. There will also be an interfairh worship service on the waterfront at 9 a.m. There are all kinds of outdoor activities available on the harbor on Sunday too, including flying a kite, touring the harbor in a kayak or taking a ride on the Hjordis, to name a few.

Proceeds from the Dragon Boat Festival benefit three Cook County nonprofits: North House Folk School, WTIP North Shore Community Radio, and North Shore Health Care Foundation.

Also this week, “Beaux’ Stratagem,” a production of the Grand Marais Playhouse, opens at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts on Thursday and runs Thursday to Sunday through next weekend. The comedy is adapted by Thornton Wilder and Ken Ludwig from a play by George Farquhar.

It’s a period piece and is very funny. The cast includes Jack Nickolay, David Warren, Sarah O’Phelan, Sarah Warren, Kim Carlsted-Gillis, Will Brandenburg, Jorgen Kirk, Jeff Fenwick, Katrina Axtell, Mike DeBevec, Maria Nickolay, Aaron Carlson, Tina Krauz.

Performances are at 7 p.m. Thursday (opening night) through Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. It will also be performed at the same times next week except for Sunday, Aug.5. It will start an hour later, at 3 p.m., to give people a chance to see the parade. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

There’s also a very interesting exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post this month. The Society of Minnesota Sculptors is exhibiting a variety of work in stone, ceramics and bronze. The exhibit will be up through the middle of August. The Heritage Post is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 1-4 p.m. Sundays.

Here’s some breaking news: Bump Blomberg is a finalist in the Big Top Chautauqua North by Northwoods Songwriting Contest. The Big Top,  is based outside of  Washburn, Wis., Blomberg will  play two of his songs in late August to a panel of judges there. The first and second place winners open for John Hiatt  at the Big Top the following night.Good luck! Bump.

In other singer/songwriter news, Joe Paulik and His Band will be on The Roadhouse on Friday night. The Roadhouse airs on WTIP Radio from 5-7 p.m. The band includes Paulik, Jesse Nicholson, John Mianowski and Rick Brandenberg. Al Oikari and Max Bichel also sit in.

In other art news,a photography by Grand Marais artist Stephan Hoglund’s has been featured in a Minnesota Monthly magazine’s story “On the Powwow Trail” by Greg Breining. To read the story, click here.

Also, Michelle McChristie wrote an artist profile about him and his jewelry in the latest issue of Superior Outdoors Magazine. 

There’s also a lot of great live music this weekend, too. Here’s the schedule:

Thursday, July 26:

• Timmy Haus, Gunflint Tavern, 8 p.m.

Friday, July 27:

• Jim Miller, Devil Track Resort Lounge, 7 p.m.
• The Splinters, Harbor Park, 7:30 p.m.
• Joe Paulik Band, Gunflint Tavern, 9 p.m.
• Pete Kavanaugh, Bluefin Grille, 9 p.m.

Saturday, July 28:

• J Squared and The Makers, Papa Charlie’s, Lutsen, 6 p.m.
• Jim Miller, Devil Track Resort Lounge, 7 p.m.
• Jim McGowan, Cascade Lodge Pub, 7 p.m.
• Earth, Wind & Todd, American Legion, 9 p.m.
• Timmy Haus, Papa Charlie’s, 9 p.m.
• The Thunderheads, Gunflint Tavern, 9 p.m.

Sunday, July 29:

• Jim Miller, Harbor Light Supper Club & Bar, 5 p.m.
• Bump & Barbara Jean, Devil Track Resort, 5 p.m.
• The Thunderheads, Gunflint Tavern, 9 p.m.

Monday, July 30:

• Bump & Barbara Jean, Bluefin Grille, 9 p.m.

Tuesday, July 31:

• Azure du Jour, Gunflint Tavern, 9 p.m.

There’s a potpourri of photographs this week.

Some photos taken during the northern lights “storm” last week keep popping up. Nace Hagemann took this photo of the northern lights storm last week. (http://nacehagemannphotography.smugmug.com)

Stephan Hoglund (www.stephanhoglundphotography.com) caught this great sunset in the Apostle Islands recently.

And Bryan Hansel (www.bryanhansel.com) caught this neat shot of Fall River as it tumbled into Lake Superior.

Have a great weekend. See you at the Dragon Boat Festival!