Mountain Stage Radio Returns to North House

This is Unplugged XI: The Northern Harvest weekend at North House Folk School and the place is already hopping.

The big tent is up and the technicians were working into the night on Wednesday to set up the sound system.

On Thursday, staff and volunteers will finish setting up the chairs for the three big nights of concerts  and get ready for one of the biggest weekends of the year at the Folk School.

Here’s the music line-up for the evening concerts:

The Thursday Mountain Stage Radio show is sold out. It features Trampled By Turtles, LOW, Grand Marais’ own, Barbara Jean Johnson, and  Peter Himmelman.

On Friday, Sept. 14, Mountain Stage Radio presents presents Jonathan Edwards, Mollie O’Brien & Rich Moore, Gretchen Peters and Chip Taylor. (Some tickets available.)

On Saturday, Unplugged founder Jon Vezner presents Mollie O’Brien & Rich Moore, Jonathan Edwards & others for a classic Unplugged Concert. (Some tickets are available.)

There are an incredible number of things to do beside listening to some great music in the evenings.

There will be craft demonstrations and  mini-talks as well as mini courses and three great music

workshops on Saturday that still have openings.

Instructors at North House are featured in the Artisans Marketplace inside the Blue Building, and there is a live auction, a silent auction and an online auction, all fundraisers for North House.

The North Points Online Auction was launched on Aug. 30 and features everything from classic North Shore destinations to one-on-one tutorials with instructors, art work, retreats and even a chance to be director of North House for a day. The 95-item auction has been recognized by Bidding for Good.com. This means the auction is on the main Bidding For Good web page, which receives 200,000+ visits per day.  To see what’s available and put in your bid, click here. The online auction concludes at 10 p.m. Sunday.

There are a wide variety of music workshops, too, including one led by Larry Groce, the host of Mountain Stage entitled: “Turning Around a Simple Song: Songs & Stories with Larry Groce.” Jon Vezner is conducting a songwriting workshop on Saturday, too, and Jonathan Edwards will give tips on performance and professionalism and presentation in a workshop that day, too.  To register for these workshops, call 218-387-9762 or info@northhouse.org.

And Scottish spinner, Norman Kennedy will give a free community presentation and concert at 1 p.m. Saturday entitled “Scottish Traditional Song, Story & Craft. “

There are also lots of opportunities to play with local musicians as well as hear them perform. There are jams on Saturday morning in the Blacksmith Shop and  local musicians will perform before each concert. Eric Frost and Bill Hansen play at 6 p.m. Thursday, Bump Blomberg and Adam Moe play at the same time on Friday and The Splinters play at 6:30 on Saturday night.

So, lots to do and see, no doubt about that. Here’s a link to the week-long program. 

This weekend is also the finale for the Grand Marais Art Colony’s Plein Air Competition. More than 50 plein air artists have been painting in all kinds of locations all over the county this week.

On Thursday night, the artists will gather at Artist’s Point at 4 p.m. for the Quick Paint Competition, where paintings have to be completed in 90 minutes. The public is invited to come watch. The competition is followed by a barbecue and the public is invited to bring items for the grill as well.

Then on Friday, the Art Colony will host the opening reception for the 2012 Plein Air Pianting Exhibit & Sale from 5-7 p.m.. The exhibit and sale continues through Sept. 30. Jan Sivertson, owner of Siverston Gallery, is the juror this year, and will reveal the winners and the reasons for her choices at the reception on Friday evening. The public is invited. It should be a fantastic show.

Participating artists include Scott Lloyd Anderson, Heidi Arneson, Duane Barnhart, Doug Berg, Edna Blanchard, Kristin Blomberg, Jerri Jo Brandt, Mary Ann Cleary, Christopher Copeland, Rita Corrigan, Mary Cowan, Derek Davis,  Karlyn Eckman, Joi Electa, Lee Englund,Bridget Ertelt, John Franz, David Gilsvik, Paula Gustafson, Jay Hanson, Marva Harms, Megan Heikes, Kari Hogden, Aaron Jacobs, Matt Kania, Jeanne Knight, Donna LaBeau, Cheryl LeClair-Sommer, Dianne Lewis, Bob Luedtke, Kenneth Marunowski,Tom McGregor, Spencer Meagher, Dianne Michels, Susan Novak, Kara Pavelich,Sandi Pillsbury Gredzens, Neil Sherman, Lisa Stauffer, Richard Stryker, Ann Tristani,Bob Upton, Ken Valentas, Michelle Wegler.

And not to forget. “Grandpa” David Hahn will hold a Kids Plein Air event at Harbor Park on Saturday from 1-3 p.m. Youth from 7-17 are invited to bring pencil and paper and draw with Grandpa Hahn. Free.

Also this weekend, the Johnson Heritage Post opens a new exhibit, “Witnessing Nature: Three Personal Journeys” with the opening reception set for next Friday, Sept. 21. Participating artists include Rosemary Hultman, pastels; Sandi Pillsbury Gredzens, paintings and Rose Kadera Vastila, ceramics. The  Heritage Post is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m .Wednesday through Saturday and 1-4 p.m. Sunday. The exhibit continues through September.

Also. author Robert McDowell will be at the Cross River Heritage Center to sign copies of his book, “A History of Lutsen,” at 12:30 p.m.

And, not to forget, bead artist Jo Wood will be demonstrating her artwork at Last Chance Gallery in Lutsen from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15, as part of the gallery’s Sundays in September series.

In other art news, Travis Novitsky will be a guest instructor at Bryan Hansel’s Fall Photography Workshop on Lake Superior Sept. 26 through 30. He will teach about how to photograph the night sky. To register, call 218-370-8351.

“Hawk Ridge: Minnesota’s Birds of Prey,” by Laura Erickson with illustrations by Betsy Bowen is now available at Betsy Bowen’s Studio. Bowen and Erickson will be at Hawk Ridge this weekend for a booksigning and presentation. Bowen’s 2013 calendar, “Betsy’s Birds” is available at the studio as well.

Sivertson Galley is featuring flamed-painted copper by Dan & Frances Hedblom of Rochester. The gallery also has new framed large format woodblocks by Mike Anderson of Steven’s Point, Wis.

The Blue Moose Gallery is featuring a wide variety of autumn decor, including baskets, wall hangings and more by  Rene Swadburg. The gallery and nursery has also received wonderful fall apples from George Bloomquist. They are great for eating and baking, according to all reports.

Birchbark Books & Gifts has lots of copies of Kent William Krueger’s latest, “Trickster’s Point,” as well as copies of his other books. They also have copies of Robert R. Olson’s “Two Bucks & A Can of Gas,” the story of his adventures on the Gunflint Trail in a Model A pickup truck.

Photonaturalist Sparky Stensaas has a great description of how to photograph hummingbirds in his latest blog. To read about it and see some of his great photographs, click here.

There was sad news in the North Shore art world last week. Artist Kara Pavelich, 44, died last week from an accidental fall from her balcony. Pavelich exhibited her work in a number of places in the country as well as at the Great Gifts of Lutsen and the Cook County Farm & Craft Market.

A memorial service will be be held at the Hansen Hanno House, 7263 Tofte Park Road, across from the Tofte Boat Landing, at 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 15. The Duluth News-Tribune wrote a story about her art and life. To read it, click here.

Denny Fitzpatrick, who attended the Democratic National Convention last week, presented International Peace Scarves crafted by Karen Lohn and Cook County Hands to Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken. Fitzpatrick will be on The Roadhouse this Friday, to talk about his convention experiences. The Roadhouse airs on from 5-7 p.m. on WTIP Community Radio.

Lohn will give a demonstration and talk at Drury Lane Books at 2 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 21, the International Day of Peace.

There’s lots of opportunities to listen to live music this weekend. Here’s the schedule.

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Thursday, Sept. 13

• Bump Blomberg, Harbor Light Supper Club & Bar, 6 p.m.
• Mountain Stage Radio with Larry Groce, North House Folk School. Trampled by Turtles, LOW, Rhett Miller, Barbara Jean, Minnesota feat, Peter Himmelman will play. 7 p.m.  SOLD OUT. The show will be recorded and played later this year on WTIP.

Friday, Sept. 14

• Portage Band, American Legion, 6 p.m.
• Scott Fraser, Harbor Light Supper Club, 6 p.m.
• Mountain Stage with Larry Groce at North House Folk School. Chris Hillman, Herb Pederson, Jonathan Edwards, Mollie OBrien and Rich Moore, Gretchen Peters and Chip Taylor will perform at 7 p.m. Tickets still available.   Also will be recorded for later play on the radio.
• Bump & Barbara Jean, Bluefin Grille, 9 p.m.
• Gunflint Tavern, TBA

Saturday, Sept. 15

• Scott Fraser, Harbor Light Supper Club, 6 p.m.
• Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day with the HiBs, Cascade Lodge Pub, 6 p.m
• Unplugged XI, North House Folk School with Mollie O’Brien and Rich Moore, Jonathan Edwards, Jon Veznor and special guests, 7:30 p.m.
• Bump Blomberg, Papa Charlie’s, Lutsen Mountains, 9 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 16:

• Maxi Child’s Trio, Harbor Light, 6 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 17:

• Eric Frost, Bluefin Grille, 9 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 19:

• Bingham & Thorne, Bluefin Grille, 9 p.m.

We found lots of photos this week. Here’s a selection: First up is a sunrise with luscious colors taken by David Grinstead this week.

Layne Kennedy was photographing in Iceland last month, and he passed on this photo of a glacial floodplain flowing from Iceland’s largest glacier, Vatnajokull, into the North Atlantic on the southeast coast.

And here is a photo of a completely different “flowpath” — it’s a scanning electron microscope image of spider silk-glands making a thread. The image is by Dennis Kunkel Microscopy and can be found at www.sun-gazing.com.

Here’s another set of contrasts. First, an eagle.

And then, another bird — sometimes the eagle’s prey, but dignified in this shot. This one was taken by Kate Bailey.

Mark Tessier changes our mood with this photo.

And here’s Bryan Hansel’s blue moon over the Grand Marais Lighthouse.

For a contrast in view, here’s one by Travis Novitsky.

Stephan Hoglund caught plein air painter Scott Lloyd Anderson painting Lake Superior.

And finally, this amazing image by Kyle Stover.  Bravo! Kayle!

Have a good weekend everyone!