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Ely Summer Times

2022

Contents Ely Bear Stories Gardening Volunteers Ely’s Dining Spots Home Away from Home Arts in Ely Music, Alive and Well in Ely Ely Calendar, May-November Ely in Winter

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The Ely Summer and Winter Times is published twice a year by Raven Words Press. For editorial information or advertising rates, contact us at PO Box 188, Ely, MN 55731, 218-365-3375, ads@ravenwords.com. For a Cover: Terri Schocke caught these blooms at the Dorothy Molter Museum.

Freeze-Up Fishing Fire–Now and Then Ely Updates Spiritual Gatherings Summer Reading Where to Go, What to Do Writing Retreat for Girls Ely Area Maps

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© Raven Words Press, 2022 subscription within the US, send check or money order for $8.00 for a year or $40 for a lifetime, or order at our website, www.RavenWordsPress.com. Archived articles from 1996-2021 can be found on this website.

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A big THANK YOU to designers Lisa Foss, Courtney Field, and Shaun Chosa

Swans practicing their arabesques on the Shagawa River. Spring in Ely is a great time for birding! 2022

Ely Bear Stories

nyone who has lived or camped in the Ely area for long is likely to have a bear story. There are the camp-raiding bears, of course, and the bears that get into gardens and garbage in town. Many people who feed birds take down their feeders when the bears come out of hibernation to avoid attracting them onto their porches. Blueberry pickers occasionally choose to surrender their harvest to ursine competitors. Bear cubs have even been adopted as pets–not a great idea usually, but so hard to resist when an apparently orphaned and hungry baby bear shows

up at your doorstep. There are plenty of bear hunting stories, too, and hunters know that a skinned-out bear on their butchering table looks very much like a human–sometimes to the horror of an unexpected visitor. We’ve collected a few stories, but first a few facts... The best place to learn about bears is at the North American Bear Center. Just a mile west of Ely you can see habituated bears close-up as well as view dozens of exhibits about bear behavior and biology. Find out the differences between black bears, grizzlies, and polar bears. Let the kids

The Ely Summer Times

©Snotty Moose Studio

loose to explore the interactive displays about north woods forests and other animals that live there. Do you know why some bears wake up earlier in the spring? When do bears mate and when do they give birth? How is the bear population doing in the north woods? Do bears hear, see, or smell better? Why do bears tear apart hornets’ nests when there’s no honey? How long do bears live? Indulge your curiosity and get answers to these and whatever questions you come up with. Remember that bears are wild animals. Even though they look cute and cuddly, they are unpredictable and could feel threatened by human presence. Bears generally avoid human contact and most bear-human encounters end peaceably. Attacks are extremely rare. Bears want to avoid you, and if you want to avoid them, make plenty of noise as you walk through the woods. If you see a bear around Ely,

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enjoy observing it if you are in a safe place, remembering that they can move much faster than you might imagine. Don’t run away from a bear, as that can encourage a chase response. Make noise, look big, and back away. “A fed bear is a dead bear” is a truism for the Ely area. Procuring food from a human source even one time sets a bear up to try dozens more times, often resulting in disrupting experiences for other people and a bad outcome for the bear. Keep garbage and food from becoming foraging opportunities. If you’re heading out camping, use any bear-proof food containers provided and never put food in your tent. Hanging food packs is a tricky task to do effectively enough to keep them away from bears. Practice before you head out. Consider keeping bear spray handy. Be sure you know how to use it safely! A sprayed bear is much less likely to try to get food from humans in the future. And now, on to our stories – 7 The Ely Summer Times

Bear Scares For campers and canoeists in the Ely area, the appearance of a burly bruin is most often a surprise event determined solely on the whim, and more likely the appetite, of the critter. My first bear encounter was the worst. The bear knew what he was doing. I didn’t. A dope with a camera hanging from my neck, I did all that I could to get a good picture–without honoring the wild nature of our bear visitor. It was my rookie trip into the BWCA when a big old black bear bumbled into our campsite. Our group included four couples, two of whom were veterans to these Northland waters. We listened to their advice, and paid heed to Forest Service details about hanging food stores high from the ground when not accessing our supplies. We tried being careful to not draw hungry bears to our campsites along the way. We religiously cleaned our camp and hung our food packs and trash above bear reach. We wondered later whether elevated food might send an inviting scent on the otherwise crystal pure breeze that fluttered along the shorelines. Nonetheless, ol’ bear picked his moment to pay our group a visit. While seven of us were out on the waters fishing, one member of the group, Brian, remained in camp tending to a finger he’d cut the previous night. The first aid kit had been stored in a heavy green 8

Duluth pack along with a good portion of our food supplies. Enter a big bear, lusting for a lick of Kool Aid. Strolling unfettered and fearless right up to the campfire where Brian tended his wound, old bear nabbed the heavily laden pack in his toothy grip and wandered half a football field distance into the woods behind the campsite. There, Br’er Bear picnicked happily, surgically opening the pack like tearing through a ziplock baggie. The dusty sweet Kool Aid was his favorite–he tore through our entire stash before milling through some of the other desirable loot. Meanwhile, adrenalin-crazed Brian totally forgot the split in his finger, ran as he’d never run before over a short trail leading to the lake, and garnered our attention with remarkable sky-tickling jumping jacks and his newly acquired ability to yodel. “A bear!” he screamed. We paddled to the shore and followed Brian back to camp in hopes that, with blustery noise and rattling pans, we’d frighten the bear from his stolen feast and retrieve our supplies and Duluth sack. Thinking I could snap a picture, I grabbed my camera and carefully traipsed into the heavy undergrowth toward the mutterings of Bear’s party. I followed Basil, my shorthair pointer, also on his first BWCA trip, as he sniffed his way along the bear’s trail. Basil was good with birds, but he hadn’t encountered a bear previously. He stopped short of a The Ely Summer Times

takes action—the kind of action campers in the BWCA don’t want to witness. But I got the picture! It still shivers my spine. The second bear encounter involved more damage, but nary a sight of the perpetrator. They left their signature, however. Finding our camp empty while we were busy with adventures, a bear—or maybe two, who knows—entered our campsite in search of anything tasty, I suppose. Frustrated when nothing was available, the critter(s) rampaged, leveling the posts and stomping on the nylon rainfly and a tent.

particularly dense stand of brush and we listened as the bear ripped canvas and tore through cellophane wrappings. I focused my camera on the swathes of black that peeked through the dense green foliage, snapped a few frames, and barely noticed that Basil had shifted position to immediately behind my right leg. All fell still, and both Basil and I stood motionless, listening for changes in the bear’s movements. Silence filled the woods, interrupted by rounds of sharp clicking and clacking, louder than the sound of the shutter on my camera. Basil and I retreated to our camp where our group waited, wondering what the old bear might do next. Well, old bear followed me and Basil right back to camp. We all backed away, some seeking cover behind the tents, others to the shoreline to give ample right of way. Nonplussed, the bear tracked back through camp, ignoring us and leaving without so much as a thank you. My photos proved to be a mosaic of green leaves and black patches. One, however, showed ivory white fangs under lifted lips. Big ones—teeth that is. Later, on showing the photos to a friend who worked in the Forest Service, I learned that teeth clacking is a signal. Old bear felt threatened. I was lucky. So was Basil. Clicking jaws are a last measure of warning before a threatened bear

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At a second tent, a rather tall-sided structure, a bear stood at a corner, reached to the roof, and with one paw on the right of the corner and the other on the left, slit the nylon walls into ribbons, each nylon strip running perhaps four feet from top to bottom. We wondered, as we watched the ribbons shimmer in the breeze, whether it would have been better to leave the food in reach to keep the bears from destroying our shelters. We decided, no. My third bear encounter happened far to the south, in Arizona with my son. But you’ll need to find me to hear that story. Suffice it to say I returned with scratches on my car, which I never buffed out. We rather cherish them. That experience reinforced the lessons previously learned. You never know when a bear will pay a visit. And it’s a worthy practice to keep your stores of food out of reach. – Russ Vanderboom © NABC

The Intruder A freshly-baked pan of brownies–my son’s first and amazingly delicious attempt at baking from scratch–awaited me when I arrived home late from work on a hot July night. The kids had long since gone to sleep, and it didn’t take much time for me to chow down a brownie and a glass of milk and head upstairs to bed. I was at the edge of a dream when I heard a loud bang and came fully awake, heart pounding. Then an alarming sound of smashing and destruction rose from what seemed like the kitchen. I was sure a raging axe murderer was taking the dishes out of the cupboard and throwing them on the floor, upending the table, dashing canisters of flour and sugar off the counters, and plotting a ghastly end to the lives of my children and myself. (And I don’t even watch horror films.) Adrenaline surging, I crept across the hall to my daughter’s room where there was a phone (land lines only in those days). I woke her and told her to put shoes on and be ready to climb out the window where there was a ladder I used to reach the roof to clean the chimney. “Run into the woods, not on the road,” I cautioned. “Get to the neighbors’ and wait there for me.” Then I called 911. “There’s someone in my house and they’re rampaging through the downstairs,” I reported in a panic-stricken voice. “I’m upstairs with my kids. Please send help.” A reassuring voice responded with the less-than-reassuring information that one sheriff was in Embarrass and the other was far up the Echo Trail. It would be about 45 minutes before either could get to my house. The Ely Summer Times

“Tell me what happened so far,” said the dispatcher, still speaking calmly. I gave a quick rundown of the sounds of destruction and my increasing fear that the intruder would come up the stairs any second now. “Bar the door with a dresser or bed,” the dispatcher advised. “The door opens out,” I exclaimed. “I’m going to go across the hall and get my rifle.” “No,” he insisted. “It’s best for you to stay in the room with your daughter.” “There’s more crashing!” I tried to whisper so as not to alert the axe murderer to our presence in case he would be satisfied just destroying the kitchen. “And my son is sleeping in another room. Should I go get him?” “No, just stay where you are,” was the reply. “Do you think it could be an animal?” It seemed we would have plenty of time to chat about the wildlife before a sheriff arrived to fend off the criminal, by which time my children and I would probably be hostages with knives to our throats. “It’s too noisy,” I answered, imagining a huge red squirrel trying to break the china set. But then I noticed our cat had come in through the window and was looking huffy. About then headlights pulled into the driveway. Someone with a flashlight was walking toward the house. Did the axe murderer have an accomplice?! I urged my daughter to the window so she could escape while I, in my nightgown and with her French horn case as a shield and weapon, held the burglar at bay. We would distract them from her still-slumbering brother. The ruckus stopped, and I heard a friendly voice calling my name. It was an Ely cop, a friend who had heard the call and, having a slow night in town and realizing how far away the sheriffs were, came to check on the situation. As he approached the house, he shone his flashlight into the kitchen window and saw a most unusual sight. Sitting on a chair with elbows on the table was a bear, ravenously consuming the brownies. A big, black cookie monster. His meal having been disturbed, the bear exited through the same window he had entered, causing minimal damage.There was nothing actually destroyed 2022

in the kitchen–just the garbage strewn about and a bread box knocked off the counter. The uproarious noise had apparently been produced by my stress hormones and imagination. My son slept through the whole thing. My daughter, a teen-ager, did eye rolls and accused me of over-reacting. But we all learned a lesson. Since then, if we cook something delicious-smelling on a summer night, we close the ground floor doors and windows. © NABC

Holly - a former NABC resident 11

Bear Attack Black bears hold special meaning for me. They are strong, smart wild animals, so I respect them. But I’m not afraid of them, most of the time. Fishing Opener 2007 was just a few weeks after my husband, Mike, died. His fishing buddies camped on their favorite BWCA Wilderness site. Swapping Mike stories around an evening campfire, they heard people yelling and banging pots nearby. “Bear’s coming.” The men laughed and poured more coffee. Soon a bear clambered out of the lake, water streaming from its fur onto the ledge rock. It sniffed one of their canoes and pushed it around a little as if making sure it was securely landed. Mark, our friend, told me the bear walked like Mike, who was flat-footed and had been an All-State wrestler in high school. Each foot was planted firmly as he transferred his weight. The bear moved toward the fire. Mark said, “Hey Mike. About time you showed up.” The bear looked at the men for

a few moments, shook his head (as Mike often did in mock disgust), and ambled back toward the lake. He slid back into the water with a sighing grunt.The men laughed until their sides hurt, listening to a series of yelling and pot banging as the bear worked more sites along the shore. The bears I’ve seen since haven’t responded to my calling them Michael, but I do, just in case. A little carved bear on the windowsill above my writing desk is a symbol of him. In my book Hauling Water: Making a Home in the North Woods, I wrote about adventures with bears in the chapter titled “Our Neighbors.” After thirty-five years, I sold our home in the woods to be closer to my daughter and her husband so I could provide day care for their baby. Babbitt has a wonderful system of trails that connect to trails outside of town. Bears, deer, wolves, and coyotes visit town too, but I missed seeing them in the woods. In late summer of 2020, I found a rustic lakeside cabin just down the road from my kids. With it came a four-foot-tall chainsaw statue of a bear. The former owners called it Smokey Bear. Smokey was one of my coworkers before I retired from the Forest Service, so I was delighted to have the statue. I called the power company to change the service to my account within hours of signing the closure papers. Maybe because it was a Friday and maybe due to pandemic staffing issues, the person in accounts insisted she couldn’t find the address. I called another local power company whose receptionist easily located my cabin in the first company’s area. I

The North American Bear Center residents

Ted 12

©NABC

Holly The Ely Summer Times

called the first power company back. The accounts person said not only could she not find the address, she couldn’t find anything in the area with a similar name. Could she be checking Ely , Nevada?! There are at least four roads in this area with the same lake’s name. I asked her to find the account under the former owners’ names. She insisted she couldn’t help me, even refusing to take down my information. I’d had power supplied from this company for more than thirty years at my old address and hadn’t ever had such poor service. In fact, previously they had impressed me with how quickly they responded to power outages. Then I blew it and didn’t call the power company again the following Monday. When I got back to the cabin that evening, the electricity was out. Outages are frequent where there are so many trees to fall on power lines. It took me a while to realize mine was the only place on my road without electricity. I took my old dog, Mantis, on her leash down a flight of outside stairs to the

Lucky 2022

maintenance room. Smokey Bear stood guard on a mossy patch of ground between the sauna and maintenance room door. Mantis sniffed around at Smokey’s feet. I turned on my headlamp and stepped down into the crawl space with my right foot. WHAM! Something heavy and sharp dropped onto my left heel. My foot came loose from the weight and I spun around. Smokey Bear lay face-down in the opening. Mantis on her leash must have knocked him over. Smokey’s sharp wooden nose tore a flap of skin off my heel. His attack narrowly missed damaging my Achille’s tendon, maybe because I was wearing thick socks in my old water shoes. My fashion advisor will say, “Mom, you shouldn’t admit that.” Probably also shouldn’t admit that it took me until then to realize that the power company, who couldn’t find my address to start an account on Friday, had found my address fast enough to shut off the power within one business day. I was offended that Smokey attacked me so viciously. Also, I apologize if you’re afraid of black bears and are reading this in your tent

Tasha 13

with heart pumping. Because, yeah, a lawn art bear took a bite out of my heel. Luckily my phone was charged and in my pocket. I limped up the stairs, blood flowing, and called my daughter. I didn’t want the new-to-me cabin carpet spotted so I lay down on the deck, wrapped my heel in my shirt, raised my leg and pressed my heel on the railing (elevate and apply direct pressure). My daughter, proved her love for me when she came to my rescue. She gets nauseous at the mention of blood. The emergency room staff in Ely declined to list my injury as a bear attack, but cleaned my wound and put 17 stitches in my heel as gently as possible. The next day a much more helpful person at the power company found the cabin in their records, started my account, and turned the power back on. I was glad the statue hadn’t landed on my old dog. Celin was afraid the bear might tip over onto her toddler daughter. When we got back to the cabin, she gave Smokey a swift kick and sent him rolling down the hill to the firepit. We planned to cremate him, but a neighbor offered him a foster home. Her husband toted him off to a more secure post. I hope living bears will forgive me for using them as a hook for this story. They’ve come to visit the cabin a few times since Smokey’s attack. The first time, my two-year-old granddaughter spotted the bear and dashed for her mother’s arms, which were already full of her baby sister. Celin yelled “Hey Bear!” and he took off for the neighbors’. She yelled, “Bear coming!” and a neighbor who’d just moved in, on her knees in a flower bed, felt the ground rumble. She turned around just as the 14

bear ran past her, within inches. Her husband came out of the garage just in time to watch the bear charge between them and disappear into the next neighbor’s yard. He also yelled, “Bear coming!” Bears do sometimes injure people. They’re strong and if hungry can forget their fear of humans. In recent years, a few bears habituated to humans have attacked people. A bear who attacked three men may have been chained as a ‘pet,’ then released in the woods. Campers unwittingly invite bears into their tents with yummy smelling treats or toiletries. A nylon tent doesn’t fare well when a black bear knocks with its claws. One evening at the cabin, I sat at the table eating popcorn. The door stood open on this warm summer night. Something thumped hard against the screen door. Thinking it was a neighbor coming for a visit, I called “Come in!” and stood up to open the door. Heavy scrambling outside, off the deck, made me glad the bear hadn’t accepted my invitation. The cabin is small with no other egress. I mean, it might be a manifestation of Mike, but also, probably not. I have respect for bears, yes; fear of them, not so much. Lawn art is apparently much more dangerous. – Becca Brin Manlove, author of Love With Roots blog and Hauling Water The Ely Summer Times

CAMP VOYAGEUR

A camp for boys 10-18 with water and land sports plus wilderness canoe trips. Guided trips for girls. Located at the edge of the Boundary Waters. 800-950-7291, www.campvoyageur.com

Baby Bear A few days after the opening of bear season, a very small bear wandered into an Ely yard and found a well-stocked bird feeder. Thinking it would be best for this bear to leave, the home-owners decided to ensure it didn’t get food, so emptied their feeders and made every effort to discourage the cub. But it was so adorable and so obviously hungry and small that they realized its mother had probably died and this little bear would be unlikely to survive hibernation. They contacted the DNR and various agencies for help and ended up reversing their no-feeding approach. It was already a chilly October and the hope was they could catch the cub in a live trap and move it to a Minnesota rescue facility that over-winters young bears and re-locates them in spring. So lots of food was put out near the trap, then closer to the trap, and at last in the trap. Baby bear scarfed it all down but didn’t trip the trap. A different trap was positioned, but the wary bear could not be caught. Finally, with a belly full of sweetened condensed milk, oats, baby formula, peanuts, and high-quality dog food, the little bear disappeared one cold night. 2022

The people wondered about Baby Bear through the winter, whether he could possibly survive those sub-zero weeks without his momma’s warm body. Then on a fresh spring morning, a little bit bigger bear came by the yard, enjoyed some bird seed and a little sweetened condensed milk for old times’ sake, and didn’t return until October. By then he was yearling-size and looking healthy, but the big surprise was that he brought a very large companion with him. Now feeling emotionally attached to the bear they believed they had saved from starvation, and happy it had a friend for the winter, the home-owners fed the two bears some treats for a few days before Big Bear and Baby Bear apparently headed into hibernation. They returned briefly the next spring and still occasionally visit the yard. Luckily–and most unusually–they never became problem bears in this yard or the neighbors’ yards. It's not a good idea to feed bear visitors because most will become accustomed to humans in a way that could endanger both people and bears. Something special about this situation led to a happy ending and, although no one really knows what that special something was, it’s nice to think mutual respect was at play.

NABC bears playing in their pond

Tasha Bear’s Story One spring evening in Kentucky, a mother bear was hit by a car and died on the scene. A man who witnessed the accident noticed cubs running into the woods. He was able to catch one of the youngsters, and he brought it to his 40+acre homestead to release it. He provided some food to be sure the little one could survive without her mother, and he named her Tasha. He tried to let the bear be wild, but the cub became good friends with the resident dogs and never seemed to want to wander off. After about five years, the man (apparently not well-educated in bear behavior) decided this bear really needed to be wild, so he took her to a far-away state park and released her there. Listening to his radio on the way home, he heard about a bear approaching campers at the state park, creating quite an uproar, and he turned back. When he reached the campsites where the ruckus was playing out, he got out of his pickup and called “Tasha!” The

bear ran to his truck and jumped into the back. DNR officials who had been called to the scene followed the man home and inquired whether he had a permit to keep this bear. Well, of course he didn’t, and the law was clear about harboring wild animals. Luckily for Tasha, someone at the Kentucky DNR was familiar with the North American Bear Center (NABC) and made a call to see if it would possible for NABC to take this bear. Most often when bears are orphaned they are sent to a rehabilitation center and returned to the wild. But some bears don’t have a successful rehabilitation, meaning they still see humans as a source of food and perhaps social interaction, so they don’t go off into the woods and become a good wild bear who avoids people. It was clear Tasha was such a bear, but she had such a gentle and sweet personality that the DNR staffers were reluctant to euthanize her. And so she joined Lucky, Ted, and Holly, the other bears at NABC, fitting in well with the group and enjoying human company.

The Ely Summer Times

One of the gardens in Whiteside Park carefully tended by Whiteside Bloomers

Ely Blooms Tending a garden provides much more than flowers and vegetables. There is the time outdoors, a respite from the predominance of indoor life. Bugs, you say? Sun? Nothing a little repellent and sunscreen can’t handle, or maybe in early June a headnet, long sleeves, and long pants with your socks pulled up. But it’s hot, you say? Don’t complain– you could live in Missouri or Florida. Ely is not hot–by comparison.

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There are the cheerful colors, delicate beauty, and delightful fragrances of flowers. But they bring bees, you say? And butterflies! Then they turn brown and are messy. But others take their place if you’ve planned for the whole season, and you can just compost the brown parts to enrich your soil next summer. Speaking of soil, there’s that feeling of getting your hands into the dirt,

The wax model of the bronze statue “The Voyageur” soon to be in the Whiteside Park garden, donated by Bill and Holly Rom

digging, once again being that kid who loved to make mud pies. Eeewwww. There are worms and crawly things. OK–get the kids to do that part; they’ll love it. You get to serve your family the nutritious fresh vegetables that could never be matched by produce departments in northern Minnesota. But

they don’t come in a plastic bag prewashed three times. And treated with noxious chemicals, right! And there’s nothing like a garden to remind us that miracles are real. What’s more miraculous than a tiny seed becoming a giant pumpkin, or a golden sunflower, or salad? Oh, it’s just too much work. Well, no one ever said miracles were easy to come by. If a garden isn’t for you, go to the Farmers

Flowers grow in an old boat at the Dorothy Molter Museum 18

The Ely Summer Times

Market and pick your vegetables there while you enjoy the flower gardens tended by the Whiteside Bloomers). But if you want to garden in the Ely area and it’s new to you, there is much to learn. Many Ely gardeners are willing to share their wisdom gained by experience. One of the best ways to meet them, and to garner some thinnings, is to volunteer with the Whiteside Bloomers on Tuesday mornings from 9 to 10 am at Whiteside Park. Of course, they are delighted to have experienced gardeners join them as well as novices. Ely once had a large garden club that was part of a state-wide horticultural organization, but the 40plus membership dwindled as the oldtimers began pushing up the daisies. Many of the projects they had managed since 1967 were taken over by other groups or discontinued. Now the City of Ely works with local garden stores to provide planters for the Ely Chamber and City Hall. Ely Flower and Seed adopted the west end entrance display, and individual volunteers have taken over the Highway 1 and 21 entrances. Today some of the former garden club members along with new volunteers maintain the Whiteside Park gardens. A group of 5-10 volunteers 2022

clean up, weed, mulch, plant, and water at the park. They are sometimes helped by City employees and Ely Community Resource youth. When the perennial bulbs need to be divided, the excess is passed on to any volunteers who want them or other public places like the assisted living facilities and churches. The Whiteside Bloomers is an informal organization that welcomes newcomers, whether they are transplants or native. © Lacey Squier

Not everything in Mealeys garden needs watering

Container gardens work well in Zone 3 19

Zone 3 Pollinator Flowers Courtesy of Gracie’s Plant Works SPRING Creeping phlox Lungwort Ajuga SUMMER Catmint Yarrow Monarda (Bee Balm) Salvia False Sunflowers heliopsis FALL Purple Dome Aster Autumn Joy Sedum Black Eyed Susan Coneflower HERBS Calendula Borage Lavender Mint Be certain the plants you buy are not treated with pesticides as those will kill not just the pests, but also the pollinators. 20

The Bloomers would love to expand public gardens in the city if they had more help. New volunteers don’t need to know anything; the old guard will teach them and share skills that can be used in a home garden as well if they simply show up some Tuesday morning, bringing garden shears, clippers, a trowel, and a bucket if they have them handy. Knee pads and garden gloves might add a degree of comfort. The other places to get sound gardening advice and the plants or seeds that will flourish here are the local greenhouses: Ely Flower and Seed, Gracie’s Plant Works, and the Old Truck Greenhouse. Big box store plants can’t compete with the locally-grown, thoughtfully-tended supply in Ely. It doesn’t make sense to save the price of a few hothouse tomatoes to get an inferior plant that is less likely to provide a bountiful harvest. This is one place where Buy Local saves you money. Along with your garden supplies you can get plenty of free suggestions for which plants will work best in whatever situation you have and instructions for gardening methods most likely to ensure your success. The staff at these businesses are knowledgeable and will take all the time needed to answer your questions. Gardening in a cold climate can be intimidating to new Elyites who’ve arrived at their dream location from Zone 4, 5, or 6. Here it’s Zone 3 at best, and helpful to choose a hardy selection of plants to be safe if your garden is on The Ely Summer Times

a north-facing slope or you want a harvest before August. Small, carefullycared-for plots in protected corners facing south can often support some Zone 4 perennials or produce a crop the seed catalog says needs a 100-day growing season. Theoretically, Ely has a growing season a bit more than 100 days, but that’s an average based on last frost by June 1st and first frost in midSeptember. There have been freezing temperatures and snow every month of the year. Warm May weeks can lure the unwary into dreams of ripe tomatoes by mid-July, only to bury that dream under a heavy frost over Memorial Day weekend. That happened last year and was followed by a shopping frenzy reminiscent of Black Friday at all the commercial greenhouses in the area. By June 2nd there wasn’t a starter vegetable to be found except in the gardens of people who probably thought they were late getting their seedlings in the ground. June 1st is the date the old folks with lavish gardens use to plan their first outdoor plantings. Of course, the crocuses weren’t told about that and pop up when most of the snow is gone and some sunshine warms their patch of ground, so it’s nice to include some of them along your south walls. Recently with climate change Ely falls have been warmer, but the angle of the sun hasn’t changed and vegetables don’t ripen in September like they do in August. So if you have squash and pumpkins or other 2022

Kids and gardening are a natural, healthy, and educational combination. This story of the life of a bumble bee will develop an understanding of life cycles, pollination, and bees as well as gently guiding them in the way of being friends with nature. Facts and story-telling blend with bold illustrations, creating a book that’s a creative blend of art and science. You can find this book and many other gardening resources for all ages at the Ely Public Library. late season crops, plant them where they’ll get sun all day at the end of summer to help them fully ripen. Get to know your property–how the sun and shade change through the season, where the water pools, what the wind does during storms–and take that into account when you plan your gardens. As in much of the world, pollinators in the Ely area need extra support to survive loss of habitat and the plants they depend on as well as extirpation from nicotinamides and other pesticides. The Highway 1 entry garden has been planted with bee balm and lilies in hopes of providing the plants needed by bees and butterflies, some of which are threatened species. 21

This pollinator garden includes sedum and bee balm There are many gardens to admire in Ely even if you have no aspirations to dig your own. If you’re tired of shopping, take a seat in the area between the two Mealeys stores. Gorgeous throughout the season, this garden always has interesting artichokes and flower-like kale plants along with blooms of all colors. The Children’s Garden had limited action during the pandemic but hopefully will be in full bloom this summer. Kids are welcome to join the craft and garden activities there by registering with Ely Community Resource at 218-365-5254. Taking a walk? Go through the alleys in Ely’s residential neighborhoods to see countless thriving vegetable gardens. You’ll also find floral spreads from rambling cottage-style arrays to formally structured beds. Take a turn around the school driveway to see the circular bed maintained by elementary school teachers and students, and don’t miss one of Ely’s best perennial plots just across Harvey Street. 22

Whiteside Irises The Ely Summer Times

Ely Dining Guide Hours vary through the season, call or check FaceBook. (Area Code is 218) Check menus for most places on their websites or FB page. Price ranges are for a meal. C: children’s menu, V: vegetarian meals, # is location on the maps, page 77. Most places have take-out and even curbside delivery if you request it.

The Boathouse

Ely’s only brewery also serves seasonal brews and tasty food in the family dining room or bar. Duck wings, steak bites, and many more appetizer choices. Burgers, Cuban and beer brat sandwiches, walleye, and salads to satisfy big appetites. Beer in growlers and BW containers. Sports on big TVs. Full bar. 47 E Sheridan St., 365-4301 $11-16, C V #68

Brainstorm Bakery

Did you have a crappy morning? If not yet, stop on in and add some healthy fiber to your diet with locally made, mostly organic granola, yogurt parfaits, smoothies, cookies, fair-trade coffee, and fresh-baked goods. Buy extra for gifts in pun-filled packaging. Bumper stickers and T-shirts too. 402 E. Sheridan, 235-6161 $5-8 V #89

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Britton’s Cafe

Open at 5:30 am all summer, this is the place to get a breakfast that will fill you up for a full day of fishing, paddling, or chasing the kids around. Lots of omelet choices, stuffed hashbrowns, pancakes and waffles. Lunch starts at 11 with specials and homemade soup. A favorite spot with Ely locals. B’fast served all day. 5 E Chapman St, 365-3195 $6-16 C V

Chocolate Moose

An Ely favorite for decades! Dine inside or on the spacious porch. If you have a sweet tooth for breakfast, try their house-made pastries or liege wafflesextra rich with crunchy bits of sweetness inside. Pastries and coffee to go every morning. New Supper Club dinners Sat-Mon with ethnic flavors. 101 N. Central Ave, 504-5555. $10-15 C V

Domino’s

Pizzas, wings, sandwiches, pasta, salads, breadsticks, and desserts. Open at 10am until late 7 days a week; Fri-Sat until 1am, Sun-Thurs until midnight. Dine-in, carry out, and delivery. Find coupons there and at Dominos.com. 32 E Sheridan St, 235-6262 $6-26 V

Ely Steak House

Steaks, walleye, seafood, chicken, and French onion soup prepared to perfection. Prime rib Fri and Sat. Sr discounts 4-6 pm. More than 3/4 million Bucky Burgers have sold (and still counting)–the most popular burger in Ely. Generous servings. The lounge is a favorite night spot with games and specials. 216 E Sheridan, 365-7412 $12-$40. C V #73

Evergreen Restaurant & Antlers Lounge

at Grand Ely Lodge. Sunset view of Shagawa Lake on the deck for bar or dining. Extensive dinner menu, b’fast and lunch specials, light dinners and appetizers. Pasta specialties, salads, walleye, and steaks. Open 365 days a year. 400 N Pioneer Rd, 365-6875 for reservations and take-out. $10-27 C V #37 24

The Ely Summer Times

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Front Porch Coffee Co.

Open daily at 7 am, this is the place for organic coffee, espresso drinks, chai, and fairtrade teas–hot or iced. Also wraps, burritos, soup, salads, quiche, and delicious desserts. Now featuring organic, local eggs, dairy, and more. Browse area newspapers and use the book exchange. Kids’ area with toys. Indoor or outdoor seating, dog-friendly patio. 343 E Sheridan St, 365-BEAN $5-9 C V #88

Gators Grilled Cheese Emporium Comfort foods and

healthy alternatives, including hearty b’fasts. Grilled sandwiches, burgers, homemade soups,and salads. Little Free Library outside. Very popular spot; come early or late for faster seating. Sunny deck or cozy fireplace. 955 E. Sheridan St, 365-7348 $7-18. C V

Insula Restaurant

This popular dining spot serves many locally-sourced and organic ingredients in the New American cuisine from lunch and dinner. Featured plates daily. Expand your palate with fresh flavor blends, or choose old favorites. Casual-dining ambience. Specialty cocktails, beer, and wine. Open Tues-Sat. 145 E. Sheridan St, 365-4855 $9-32 C V #82

Northern Grounds

Coffee and wine bar. Espresso, single-origin coffee roasted on site, tea, chai, and mocha. 50+ by-the-glass fine wines, craft beers, and specialty cocktails on tap. Charcuterie, fresh-baked breads and pastries, smoothies, soup and sandwiches. Upstairs Society Hall for co-working space or special events. 2 W. Sheridan St.. 365-6162 $5-8 V #63

Organic Roots

Natural Food Market with deli-style grab-and-go organic local foods. Enjoy your meal at the tables by the big sunny windows or at the Chapman St. Commons, a pocket park just down the street. House-made gourmet soups, salads, sandwiches, and healthy baked goods. Vegan options. Organic wine and beer. 141 E. Chapman St. 365-2799 $5–16 V

Oriental Orchid

More than 100 authentic Vietnamese and Chinese menu items for take-out or eat-in. Weekday lunch specials and dinner combinations for 2, 3, or 4. Curries, spring rolls, wonton or egg drop soup, sweet and sour entrees, seafood dishes, and much more. Their specialty is soft rice noodles. Call for faster service. 506 E. Sheridan St, 365-7502 $9-$19 V

RockWood

Enjoy a craft beer, glass of wine, or a signature cocktail on the spacious converted patio or in the outdoor beer garden. Smoked meats and simple eats, handhelds and items to share. Dogs allowed on the patio and in the beer garden. Open Wednesday through Sunday at 3 pm. Live music on the patio Wed-Fri evenings. 302 E Sheridan, 365-7772 $8-20. C V 2022

Grab Something Quick Dairy Queen Ely State Theater Log Cabin Coffee Subway Zup’s Deli

1441 E Sheridan 238 E Sheridan 1340 E Sheridan 1520 E Sheridan 1500 E Sheridan

Red Cabin Custard is closed. The building is available for lease. 1114 E Sheridan

Sir G’s

Italian cuisine with pasta made by hand right there. They season their own meat for flavorful fillings and delectable meatballs. Build your own pizza from a large selection of toppings or order one of their specialties. Expansive appetizer menu includes wings. Save room for an Italian dessert. Wine and beer. Take-out (call ahead). 520 E Sheridan, 365-3688 $10-19 C V

Stony Ridge

This restaurant provided free meals during the pandemic so no one in Ely would have to go hungry. Ely’s biggest burger selection (50 kinds!) plus lots of appetizers, pan-fried walleye, chili, salads, and a full bar. Enjoy their specialty–a refreshing strawberry mango Margarita. Now open every day. Bring your appetite! Lovely patio. 60 N. Lakeview, 235-9441 $13-40. C

Wilderness WoodFire Pizza Specialty combos or create your own with

their variety of toppings. For dessert have a large woodfired chocolate chip cookie! Tuesdays at the Farmers Market, Friday and Saturday 4-9 pm around Ely, usually Whiteside or check their Facebook page for updates and specials. Call in orders for faster service. 235-8752 $6-27 V

The Ely Summer Times

Homes for Vacationing The long drive from Chicago finally ended at a quiet driveway lined with big pine trees where a picturesque log cabin stood looking like a magazine cover for northern living. The kids, restless and a little cranky with each other, practically flew out of the car and were at the private lakeside beach before Mom could yell “Don’t forget your life jackets!” She followed them across the well-kept lawn, relieved to stretch her legs, listen to the breeze in the pines, and inhale the fresh up-north air, and happy they had chosen Ely as their vacation spot this year. Dad was not about to take on the whole chore of unloading the car by himself, so he grabbed his tackle box and pole and headed to the dock. Half-an-hour later, the pent-up tension now dissipated, everyone headed inside to explore their home for the next week. A hand-written welcome note was propped between a bottle of wine and a plate of home-made cookies on the kitchen table. In the living room a bouquet of wildflowers stood next to a collection of brochures inviting the reinvigorated travelers to make plans to see bears and wolves; to explore the 2022

trails by foot, bike, or ATV; to rent a canoe and take a day trip into the Boundary Waters; to learn a new handson skill at the Ely Folk School; and to discover the bountiful art, delicious food, and extraordinary gifts in downtown and the surrounding area. Dad called for take-out dinner while Mom and the kids settled into the cozy bedrooms. Soon it was dark and everyone was tired out, but they traipsed out to the dock to look up at a night sky with more stars than they had ever seen before. A pair of loons called back and forth creating the sweetest lullaby. Otherwise the night was still–a quiet unimaginable in a city scape.

Ahhh... vacation. The cabin owners were home in town, relaxing after a full day of cleaning, lawn mowing, and answering email inquiries about the three rental properties they owned. Unlike many vacation rental home owners, they lived nearby and could do the work themselves rather than hire a cleaning service and property management company. But they still listed their property with the big online travel agencies, AirBnB and VRBO. The high fees charged by those companies sometimes led to customer complaints, but most of their new customers signed up through them. Repeat renters could make arrangements directly and save money. These repeat customers were the owners’ favorites because they had met most of them in person and had

become friends. The vacationers felt reassured that the owners knew them and they could make requests regarding their stay, trust any recommendations, and ask for help if need be. There are destinations popular with tourists where huge corporations have bought up so much real estate for vrbos that there is a shortage of affordable housing and residents are surrounded by visitors who they never get to know, ruining the neighborliness of neighborhoods. The City of Ely has put restrictions on the number of permits available for short term rental units (STRs as they are known in the business) to ensure that neighborhoods retain their residential flavor. Addie and her husband were excited to buy a log cabin that was remote and off the grid, but equipped with solar

The Ely Summer Times

provide visitors with a less-thandesireable experience. So she began filling in the forms and reports. Requirements vary by location, but all STRs need a permit from the county, city, or both. Numbers of permits are limited. STR owners are required to collect and remit sales and lodging tax. The Minnesota Health Department has rules regarding just about any cleanliness or safety issue imaginable including construction, furnishings, water and plumbing, lighting, fire protection, and even the linens and dishes that are provided. Under the newly implemented Ely

power, great internet, and running water. She had grown up in Ely and loved to return here for a break from everyday life in the Twin Cities. But the cabin stood vacant for weeks at a time, and she thought about renting it as a vacation home. Addie is well-versed in business and marketing, so that aspect seemed like fun to her. The permits, licenses, and specific details about the premises required by the county and state were a bit intimidating even for her. She recognized that they were designed to ensure the safety of her clients and that there were some less-thanscrupulous folks out there who could

2022

Area Short Term Rental Standards Program, the Ely Area Joint Powers Lodging Tax Board requires accreditation for STRs, defined as any place that rents for less than a full month. To obtain accreditation, properties need to have policies for parking, quiet hours if there are neighbors, waste and recycling, emergency procedures, and pets. Taxes on the units beyond property tax include a lodging tax of 3-4%. Those funds go to the Board, then to the Ely Tourism Bureau, which oversees promotion and so benefits the property owners by bringing people to the area. That organization also helps the STR owners comply with regulations to ensure that guests have a good time and that owners don’t get fined for inadequate filings. Starting this summer

the Board is requiring accreditation and suggests anyone reserving a vacation home rental checks to be certain their choice is accredited. It will be the guests’ assurance that their home away from home is clean, safe, and doesn’t disturb the neighborhood. If you are considering a move to Ely, renting a vacation home is an ideal way to get a feel for living here. You can check on potential work places, try out the high-speed internet at the coworking space above Northern Grounds, visit the schools and college, spend time with real estate agents, and visit typical homes for sale at your budget level. After a day of research, you come back to what feels like home–just as if you already lived here. If you want a home-like place to spend your vacation or if you’re a VRBO # 2655634

The Ely Summer Times

farther ahead you make your reservation, the more choices you will have, and most rentals have a free cancellation policy up to a week or two before your arrival. If you are the owner of property that could become a vacation rental, you can learn what’s involved and be guided through the process by contacting tourism@ely.org. Accreditation, at no cost, will help ensure you’ve dotted your i’s and crossed your T’s on the permits, and will let guests know you have a safe, welcoming place.

business traveler, vacation rentals can be a comfortable and affordable option for accommodations. Sometimes in mid-summer, when resorts are full and the motels all have No Vacancy signs, STRs are the only way to find an available room. Ely STRs come in all flavors from remote, rustic log cabins to in-town, modern apartments. They sleep 2-20 guests at prices from $80 to $800 a night, most running in the $100-$200 range. Many require a minimum stay of 2-7 nights because much of the cost to owners is the change-over process. The

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ART in ELY ARTISTS’ WEBSITES Chris Koivisto Ceramics ElyArt.com Eric Sherman Photography EricShermanImages.com Heidi Pinkerton RootRiverPhotography.com Roy Misonznick Images ElyPix.com

ORGANIZATIONS

WALLS & SHELVES

The Art Corner 301 W. Sheridan Street Arts in Ely ArtsInEly.org Ely Art Walk ElyArtWalk.org Ely Arts & Heritage ElyArtsandHeritageCenter.org Ely Photographic Collaborative Find it on Facebook Ely Folk School 209 E. Sheridan Street Gardner Humanities Trust GardnerTrust.org Greenstone Art Miners Dry Northern Lakes Arts Assn. NorthernLakesArts.org Tofte Lake Center TofteLake.org

Art & Soul Gallery 427 E Sheridan Street Art by Abbey 545 E Sheridan Street Brainstorm Bakery 402 E Sheridan Street The Brandenburg Gallery 11 E Sheridan Street Fernberg Art Gallery 2267 Fernberg Road Front Porch Coffee & Tea Co. 343 E Sheridan Street Gallery Ali 6 E Sheridan Street Kekekabic Studio 118 E Chapman Street Mealey’s Gift Shop 124 N Central Avenue Ornamental Hermit Studio 132 N 1st Avenue E

Beading details from the Thank You Bag, Daina Antanaitis, Art & Soul Gallery Made in appreciation of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa for their sense of community in providing Covid vaccine to all, this bag is donated to Vermilion and Nett Lake tribes. 32

The Ely Summer Times

by Lacey Squier Open mic night with the group Finn Hill at the Boathouse Brewpub: Steve, Brooks, and Jeff

Bring Back the Boogie

icture this: It’s a Wednesday night in April. The snow has melted considerably, but tonight it’s falling again, fluffy flakes meander outside the Boathouse Brewpub where open mic takes place each week in the off-season. Inside the knotty pine walls glow golden in the dim evening light, and the pleasant din of people dining, convening, and listening to live music makes one feel at home. Finn Hill–named after the Ely neighborhood atop Finn Hill on the northwest edge of town (though none of the band members are Finnish, and the

2022

neighborhood, referred to as Chandler by old-time locals, has allowed nonFinns for quite a few y e a r s now)–is set up in the back of the building by the brewery, where the live music This listing is sponsored by takes place. Each member of the trio is plucking away at a guitar, crooning “Old Flames

Can’t Hold a Candle to You”–a classic country song best known as a Dolly Parton cover. Finn Hill first played together in 2018, “out at Andy Hill’s place,” as they tell it. Brooks was always on the lookout for jamming partners. Brooks and Steve found each other, yet Brooks felt they still needed another banjo player. “The world needs more banjos,” he assures me. It needs them now, and apparently it needed them then, too. Enter Jeff, the banjo-playing brother of one of Brooks’ golfing buddies. This is how music groups happen in Ely. Every band has an origin story, and every musician has a personal network of other musicians. Each conversation with a member of the Ely music scene contributes to an ever-growing web of musical connections that go back generations, including the self-taught and classically trained; professional musicians and folks who simply want to jam; active members of the public music scene and those whose participation remains underground. In spite of their

differences, it seems there is a major theme that connects Ely-area musicians. They want to play. Take, for instance, Joey Kenig, who moved to New York City in the early 1970’s after leaving college, having discovered his vocation as an actor and musician via the theater department. While Joey studied acting in NYC he also held a job in a daycare center. Riding the subway to and from work, he realized that he had begun to see adult commuters–who had learned to keep their distance from one another and rarely, if ever, made eye contact–as the wild and joyful three-year-olds they used to be. Joey has used this insight as a springboard for his artwork ever since. Joey’s music and performances are grounded in nurturing and encouraging us to be in touch with our inner-child, and in celebrating playfulness. Joey recognizes, “It starts with me.” Thus I ponder the thought that the creative adult is the child who survived. Play comes so naturally to children, but as we grow older play gets replaced with work and obligations. What about fun?! Ely area musicians know that playfulness is a tool for learning. For Brooks of Finn Hill, being a musician is about always, always, always learning. After all, playfulness is rooted in curiosity. What do you like? It takes very little time or energy to be curious, but it can pay dividends.

Whirled Muse plays at one of Andy Hill’s house parties. Claudia Schmitt was a regular there too. Joey is at the right.

The Ely Summer Times

Irene Hartfield, for example, followed her nose all the way from Ely to a career as a professional musician in New York City and aboard international cruises. “When I’m playing music I don’t think about other things, I’m completely immersed,” she tells me. Irene is a pianist and a singer who

came from a musical family. “People always sang,” she says. “In those days everybody had a piano!” She took lessons from Ina Dunstan, who taught piano to Ely children for decades. Irene, like Ina, played at church and in talent shows, she accompanied choirs and band solos. “I never sought to be a

Van & the Free Candies setting up at Zaverl’s

Irene 2022

when he was four years old. Nick collaborates with Nick Holtz to facilitate these open mic nights at the Boathouse as part of a strategic effort to grow the Ely music scene. So what is their vision for the growth of the scene? More gigs for local performers, and importantly, more gigs for local audiences to watch and enjoy. Growth also looks like greater diversity of genre. And now that we’re hopefully post-pandemic, let’s bring back music festivals! (Remember the Boundary Waters Blues Fest?!)The more, the merrier! Tonight Nick is playing with open mic collaborator Nick Holtz and Zeb Butterfield. Nick is part of multiple local bands, including Van and the Free Candies, as well as a group called Close Enough for Country, which includes © CykoArt Productions

professional musician, but I played well and I followed opportunity.” Since returning to Ely Irene serves as the director of music for Reflections Dance Company, which is unique in that performances are set to a live band. Irene also plays organ for two churches, and performs whatever shows she books for herself, since–like all Ely musicians–she’s her own booking agent. With the wisdom afforded by decades in the business, Irene advises, “You need to create your own circumstances to make music.” This is something Nick Allen appears to understand well. Nick has been a part of the ebbing and flowing music scene since moving to Ely in 2009. He is a classically trained musician who participated in orchestras and choirs after learning to play piano

The annual Ely Spring Musical showcases local talent. This year it was “A Grand Night for Singing.” 36

The Ely Summer Times

there’s nothing to own, it’s only about the experience.” Indeed, one of the best ways to support the scene is to experience it as a member of the audience. Jason Brandriet regularly swings in on open mic night. He’s a musician, but he says it’s going to take a bit of doing to get the cobwebs off his saxophone. Jason’s Ely-music-era of reference is the early 90s to 2010s, when he played with the Shack Burners, and he is full of intel. He tells me about Pete Venditoille, who used to run the open mic nights; about Grant Young’s connection to the area; he tells me about Jerry Fink, the Bulinski brothers, and the Jack Daniels Band; about the Holy Cows out of Duluth; and Gordon Thorn & the Abandoned Neighbors out of Finland. “The conversation has to expand to the

Holtz and Butterfield, as well as Dee Karekan on drums. Dee is relatively new to the Ely music scene, but could not be more enthusiastic with her support for it. “Music fills out the scene in the summer. It’s kind of the icing on the cake for Ely; it indicates a next-level of tourism. Sure, the BWCA is a big part of why people come here, but there is also an exciting social aspect of Ely. Have a burger, dance a little,” she encourages the proverbial tourist. Dee’s goal as a musician is to help people have fun. “Music is fabulous, and the most fabulous thing about music is the exchange of energy between the musicians and the audience. Energy is enjoyed, absorbed, and given back in a beautiful, ongoing cycle. Live music, in particular, creates an ephemeral gift–

Northern Lights Music Festival brings opera to Ely (but not this summer due to auditorium construction) 2022

Nick and Nick Range,” Jason advises. “Back in the early 90’s, boogies were a thing,” he tells me. What’s a boogie? It’s a camp-out with live music, dancing, and a potluck. “Like… Woodstock, but smaller” Jason explains. He recalls that Bill Miller used to host boogies, and the Deer Lake Boogie out in the Togo area was always a good time. I bet it was! I’m all for bringing the boogie back. In the meantime, however, we’re inside at the Boathouse and I’m not mad that I’ll be sleeping on my bed inside tonight (what with the snow, and all). Plus, I’m here with dozens of friends and people I know. I ask them what they think about the Ely music scene. Gabi calls it chill, Deanna says it is versatile, and adds that music is like a mind massage–live music even better–so she’s grateful for open mic night, and

looking forward to this summer’s exciting line-up of steady live music programming. On Tuesday evenings there will be live music at Mealey’s Tiki Deck (musicians vary). On Wednesday evenings Van and the Free Candies will be playing at Rockwood, Close Enough for Country will be there on Thursdays, and on Friday evenings at Rockwood you’ll see Joey Kenig with the occasional collaborator. Elyites and visitors are also encouraged to check in on the Northern Lakes Arts Association website and FB page to stay up to date on the annual musicals and theater productions, and the Mesabi Symphony Orchestra for their complete roster of concerts. We can trust that once construction on Washington Auditorium is

The Ely Summer Times

Ely Area Calendar Summer 2022 For the most up-to-date event information go to www.ely.org, check posters, the local papers, and the Ely Shopper. “What’s Up Ely” Facebook page is a great source for current info whether it’s a lost dog or a big concert. Northernlakesarts.org and ArtsinEly.org are other websites to check. Find locations on the maps starting on page 77; church addresses on page 64. Call phone numbers (area code is 218 unless noted) for more info or to register, or search online for websites and FaceBook pages. VCC = Vermilion Community College

MAY

23, 3pm 26, 5-7pm 27-28, 7-4

Find the ELY FOLK SCHOOL CLASS SCHEDULE at www.ElyFolkSchool.org Find more ELY COMMUNITY ED classes at www.ElyClasses.com Events in GREEN are especially for children Hey! It’s a Holiday: World Turtle Day, 365-5140 Ely Public Library New Residents Social, new and old Elyites, all welcome Society Hall Wilderness First Aid, register at ElyClasses.com or 235-2189 VCC

JUNE 3, 7:30pm 4, 8:30am 4, 9:30am 4, 11am & 2pm 4, 12pm 5, 1:30pm 5, 7pm

Live Concert featuring David Huckfield, tickets online National Trails Day Hike with NMW Women’s Mountain Bike Group Ride with Ely Bike & Kicksled Studio North Recital, 365-2493 for tickets AltaZmeja Golf Tournament, golf@elymngolfclub.com Stages on Screen: Henry V, tickets online Ely Memorial High School Graduation

Ely State Theater Save the BW Hidden Valley Whiteside Park Ely Golf Club Ely State Theater Washington Aud

Fitness Drop-in Classes Yoga

see pg 44 for Pickle Ball End of the Road Yoga See website for times 235-7294, endoftheroad.yoga Heavy Metal Sports see website hmsfunctionalfitness.com Ravens Wing Yoga 8:30 M W F 218-365-4322 (also Zoom) Studio North call, 3-7 M-F 218-365-2493 Tofte Lake Center 8:30 Th, 6/9-9/29 TofteLake.org Studio North may have HIIT or Pilates classes, see their FB page Heavy Metal Sports has a full range of classes and times starting at 5:15 am including Spin, Hybrid, Power Fusion, and Evolution. 2022

Ely Community Resource Summer Youth Programs Writing Workshop Video Production Club Children’s Garden Club Game Club Art Club Healthy Kids Club Outdoor Adventure Club 6-7 6-10, 9-12 6, 8am 6, 2pm 6, 6pm 6 or after 7-9, 9am-12pm 8, 7pm 9, 11am 9, noon 10, 3pm-12am 11-12 11, 1-4pm 11, TBA 11, 9-4 11, 10-4 11, 1-3 13-17, 9-12 13, 3pm 14, 1pm 14-16, 9-12 14, 5:30pm 14-17, TBA 16, 11am 16, noon 16 & 17, 7pm 17-19 18-19 18-26 18, TBA 18, 10am 18, 7pm 22, 7pm 23, 2pm 24-25 24, 7pm 25-26, 8:30 26, 11am-2pm 27, 9-3pm 27, 10am 27, 3pm-12am 40

M 10-11* M 3:30-5:30 M, W, F 8:30-11:30 T 3:30-5:30 T, Th 8:30-11:30 W 1-3:30 TH 5-7*

June 13-Aug 26

218-365-5254 Kids who have not signed up through the school are welcome if space permits. Call at least a few hours before the activity to learn if there is room and the location and other details. •Times may vary, so call to check.

Junior Wolf Biologist Mini-Camp, age 7-12, wolf.org, 365-HOWL Int’l Wolf Center Vacation Bible School, age 4 through 6th grade, 365-4890 Ledgerock Church Red Cross Babysitting Class, ages 11-15, elyclasses.com VCC CC109 Friends of the Library movie, The Shining Ely Public Library Game Night, free, all ages, 235-0138 Ely Folk School Register for Summer Reading Program, all ages, prizes, 365-5140 Ely Public Library Greenstone Art Camp, grades 1-6, artsgreenstone@gmail.com Miners Dry Ely-Winton History Museum History Night, VCC history 100th year VCC CL 104 Hey, It’s a Holiday! National Donald Duck Day, all ages, 365-5140 Ely Public Library Art Show for Children’s Art Camp, all welcome, free Miners Dry Narnia Kahoot! Chronicles of Narnia trivia game online, pre-register Ely Library Jr Wolf Biologist Mini-Camp, ages 7-12, wolf.org Int’l Wolf Center Car Club Foreign Car Show, come see collector Jags, Ferraris, more Fortune Bay Northwoods Kids Fishing Derby, ages 6-14, 365-6900 Veterans on the Lake National Sauna Day Festivities feat. music by Tyler Burkum Nelimark Homestead Walleye Whamma Fishing Contest, 827-3464 Birch Lake Beach, Babbitt “Through Kelly’s Eyes” Kelly Godfrey Photography Open House Art & Soul Gallery Kids Art Experience, 5 projects, 5 days of FUN., 365-2263 The Art Corner Friends of the Library Book Club, The Shining Ely Public Library Friends of the Library Annual Mtg & Centennial Celebration Ely Public Library Greenstone Arts Teen Art Camp, grades 7-12, artsgreenstone@gmail.org Miners Dry Community Bike Ride around Trezona Trail, 365-2453 Ely Bike & Kicksled Ely Golf Club Youth Lessons, ages 8-14, elymngolfclub.com, 365-5932 Ely Golf Course Get Crafty with Tricia: Rock painting for all ages, 365-5140 Ely Public Library Art Show for Teens Art Camp, all welcome, free Miners Dry Rumble Strips Dance Performance by April Sellers Tofte Lake Center Peter Mitchell Fun Days, Carnival and Activities Babbitt Wolf Family Rendezvous, ages 6+, wolf.org, 365-HOWL Int’l Wolf Ctr NLAA art show Ely State Theater Greg Mosher Memorial ATV ride to Babbitt Prospector Trail Polish Delight Tournament, golf@elymngolfclub.com Ely Golf Course North of Broadway concert by Mesabi Symphony Orchestra VCC Theater Ely-Winton History Museum History Night, Murals of Carl Gawboy VCC CL 104 Design an Egg-Drop Lander for all ages, 365-5104 Ely Public Library Painting with Wool, June 24 5-8pm, June 25 9-12pm, 365-2263 The Art Corner Summer Musical, TBA, students from 9 area schools NE Range School Aud.,Babbitt Junior Wolf Biologist Mini-Camp, wolf.org, 365-HOWL Int’l Wolf Center Dorothy Day: Preserving a Legacy, free entry Dorothy Molter Museum Healthy Eating Expo for Seniors, 365-8019 Grand Ely Lodge Prairie Fire Theater Wizard of Oz registration and auditions, rehearse daily VCC Babysitter’s Club Kahoot! Book trivia game online, pre-register Ely Public Library The Ely Summer Times

JULY 2, 1-3pm 2, 2 and 5pm 2, 4-6pm 2-3 4, 8am 4, 11am-4pm 4, dusk 6, 7pm 7, 2pm

“Transparent Nature” Nancy Ensley Watercolorist Open House Art & Soul Gallery Wizard of Oz Prairie Fire children’s theater performances VCC Theater Boundary Waters Connect BBQ Chapman St Commons Wolves After Dark, wolf.org or 365-HOWL Int’l Wolf Ctr 4 on the 4th Four Mile Run & Walk supporting Ely Track Team Trezona Trailhead City of Ely 4th of July Celebration, kids activities & 1pm parade Whiteside Park Fireworks (Please donate $ at City Hall) Over Miner’s Lak E-W History Museum History Night, Intergeneration Ely business I VCC CL 104 Friends of the Library Movie, The Joy Luck Club Ely Public Library

8, 3pm-12am 8, time TBA 8-21 11, 3pm 11, 6pm 14-17

Library Trivia Kahoot! library trivia game online, pre-register Ely Library After Antarctica film & discussion with Will Steger Ely State Theater Lord of the Rings marathon, runs for 3 weeks, show times vary Ely State Theater Friends of the Library Book Club, The Joy Luck Club Ely Public Library Game Night, free, all ages, 235-0138 Ely Folk School The Magic Flute, Northern Lights Music Festival opera, 780-2292 Aurora & Chisholm

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Weekly Events Visit wolf.org and bear.org for daily programs for all ages at the Int’l Wolf Center and the Bear Center. Most locations are on the maps pages 77; church addresses are on page 64. 218 area code Activities are open to the public, but registration may be required. Child-focused activities are in GREEN. Mon-Thurs, 9:30am Be Active Kids Camp,ages 7-13, drop-ins welcome, 365-7765 Heavy Metal Sports Mon, 4pm Ely Women’s Golf League, 6/6-8/29, 365-7853 Ely Golf Club Mon, 6pm Group Bike Ride(Mtn Bikes), May-Sept, elybikeandkicksled.com Hidden Valley Tue, 10am Tai Ji Quan:Moving for Better Balance, pre-register, 365-8019 Ely Rec Center Tue 10:30am Girls Who Code, kids who finished grades 3-5, 365-5140 Ely Public Library Tue 12-1pm Tuesday Group Speakers elytuesdaygroup@gmail.com Zoom or Grand Ely Lodge Tue 2-5pm Pioneer Mine Shaft House tours, Memorial Day-Labor Day Arts and Heritage Center Tue 5-7pm Farmers Market and Artists Market, 6/7-9/27 Whiteside Park Tue 5:30-9pm Tiki Tuesday, live music 6/15-mid-August Tiki Deck across from Mealeys Tue, 7pm Karaoke, just for fun-no talent required Zaverl’s Bar Wed 10:30am Wellness Wednesdays, free BP checks and more, 365-8019 Ely Senior Center Wed 10:30am Girls Who Code, kids who finished grades 6-11,365-5140 Ely Public Library Wed 1-3pm Senior Bingo, age 55+ Ely Senior Center Wed 8 pm Howling Safari (August only) 365-HOWL, wolf.org Int’l Wolf Center Thur 10am Tai Ji Quan:Moving for Better Balance, 365-8019 Ely Rec Center Thur 10:30am Community Exercise for seniors, free 365-8019 First Lutheran Church Thur 5:30-7pm Ely Community Health Center free clinic and dental 111 S. 4th Ave E. Thur 1-3pm Conversational Finnish, join other Finn speakers Embarrass Town Hall Thur 6pm Group Bike Ride (odd weeks road/even weeks gravel)), May-Sept Ely Bike & Kicksled Thurs 6 pm Game night, Schmear and Cribbage alternate weeks Ely Senior Center Fri 9:30am Kids Makers Mornings, 6/3-8/26, free Ely Folk School Fri 10:30am Pre-School Story Time, 365-5140 Ely Public Library Fri 3-6pm Pioneer Mine Shaft House tours, Memorial Day-Labor Day Arts and Heritage Center Fri 8pm Howling Safari (August only) 365-HOWL, wolf.org Int’l Wolf Center Sat 7am Wildlife Watching, car pool elyfieldnaturalists@googlegroups.com Spirit of Wilderness Sat 9-10am Ely Field Naturalist Resource Center open above NAPA store Sat 10:15 Ely Field Naturalists brunch Society Hall Sat 12-3pm Ely Field Naturalists field trips, car pool Spirit of the Wilderness Sat 8pm Howling Safari (Sept-Oct only) 365-HOWL, wolf.org Int’l Wolf Center Sun 1pm Birch Bark Canoe Project, 6/5-7/31 Ely Folk School

The Ely Summer Times

15, 2pm 15 & 16, 7pm 16-24 17, 2pm 17, 1pm 18, 6pm 20-25, 10-4pm 20, 1pm 20, 7pm 21, 11-12pm 23, 10am 23, 7:30pm 24, 11am-2pm 24, 1:30pm 25, 3pm-12am 27-8/3 10-4pm 27, 5:30pm 27, 7:30pm 28, 11am 28, 6-8pm 29-31 29-31, 10am-5pm 29-31, 10am-5pm 30, 8:30 am 31, 6pm

Get Crafty! Make a Tie Quilt, Grades 1-6, 365-5140 Ely Public Library The Quiltmaker’s Gift: A Musical & More Ely State Theater NLAA art show Ely State Theater Steger Homestead Kitchen book signing, Will and Rita Mae StegerPiragis Northwoods Co. The Quiltmaker’s Gift: A Musical & More (tickets available online) Ely State Theater Professional Development Workshop: CliftonStrengths, Northern Grounds Greenstone Arts Watercolor Show Miners Dry Kids for Kids concert by Northern Lights Music Festival, free Ely Public Library E-W History Museum History Night, Intergeneration Ely business II VCC CL 104 Book Bingo for all ages, 365-5140 Ely Public Library Blueberry Ball Golf Tournament, golf@elymngolfclub.com Ely Golf Course Live Concert with The Northstars & CDH Band Ely State Theater Coffee at Dorothy’s, free entry to displays Dorothy Molter Museum Stages on Screen: Title TBD Ely State Theater Nancy Drew Kahoot! Nancy Drew series trivia game online, pre-register Ely Library Greenstone Arts Fine Arts Show Miners Dry Manoomin & Carving Wild Rice Knockers, 235-1038 Ely Folk School Stages on Screen: Title TBD Ely State Theater Hey, It’s a Holiday! National Chocolate Milk Day, 365-5140 Ely Public Library Reception for Greenstone Arts Show Miners Dry 41st Annual Blueberry Arts Festival, 10am-6pm Whiteside Park Ely Winton History Museum open for free E-W History Museum Blueberry Bazaar, indoor vendors & senior cafe, 365-4139 Ely Senior Center Wildlife Career Day, ages 12+, wolf.org, 365-HOWL Int’l Wolf Center Folk Music & Storytelling with Marta Duarte d’Almeida, all ages Tofte Lake Center

Monthly Events (Open to all, visitors welcome!) 1st Monday, 6pm Game night, all ages, free Ely Folk School 2nd Monday, 3pm Friends of the Library book discussion Ely Public Library 1st&3rd Wednesday, 6pm Chipping Away, Carving & Crafting Club Ely Folk School 3rd Wednesday 11-6pm Food Shelf Open, 235-8527 15 W. Conan 1st Thursday, 6:30pm, Writers’ Group, any genre, 235-1984 Boathouse Brewpub 4th Thursday, 10am Caregiver Support Group, 365-8019 Ely Senior Center 4th Thursday, 6:30pm Heart of the Woods Quilters, 365-4907 LedgeRock Comm. Church 1st Saturday, 8-11am Pancake Breakfast Timber Hall, Embarrass 1st Saturday, 10am-2pm Summer Market Town Hall, Embarrass Saturday after 3rd Monday 11-5 Food Shelf Open, 235-8527 15 W. Conan 2022

AUGUST 1, 2pm 1, 6pm 3, 7pm 5, 1pm 5, 7:30pm 6-7, 11am 6, 10am-12pm 6, 12-4pm 6, 1-3pm 8, 3pm 11-13, 7pm 11, 11am 13, 7pm 14, 1pm

Friends of the Library Movie: The Perks of Being a Wallflower Ely Public Library Game Night, all ages, free, 235-0138 Ely Folk School Ely-Winton History Museum History Night, Ely HS sports history VCC CL104 The Magic Flute, street theater by Mixed Precipitation, free Ely Public Library Lawn Jukebox Time Machine, live with Pat & Donna Surface Ely State Theater 15th Annual Ely Watercross Race, 235-8940 Fall Lake at Longbranch Breakfast in the Garden, Gardner Trust celebration, 365-5254 Children’s Garden Chalk Festival, all ages welcome, free chalk Ely Public Library parking lot “The Art of Beads & Baskets” Pamela Davis Open House Art & Soul Gallery Friends of the Library Book Club: The Perks of Being a Wallflower Ely Public Library Math in Motion, multi-media dance program by Reflections Dance Co. VCC Theater Hey, It’s a Holiday! Hip Hop Day, 365-5140 Ely Public Library J. Jeffrey Messerole Live in Concert, $20 Ely Folk School Math in Motion, multi-media dance program by Reflections Dance Co. VCC Theater

15-21 15, 3pm-12am 15, 6pm 18, 6:30-8:30pm 18, 10am 19, TBA 22 23, 2pm 26-28 27-28, 9am-2pm 27, 7pm 27, 7pm 28, 9:30am 29, 3pm-12am

NLAA art show Ely State Theater Keeper of the Lost Cities Kahoot! Trivia game online, pre-register Ely Library Krila, Slovenian singers folk song concert, reception following VCC Theater Cocktails at the Cabins, free entry Dorothy Molter Museum Big Cup Tournament, oversized cups, golf@elymngolfclub.com Ely Golf Course Anniversary Celebration, 365-5140 Ely Public Library Vermilion Community College fall term begin, vcc.edu VCC Get Crafty with Tricia: tie-dying for all ages, 365-5140 Ely Public Library Annual Embarrass Regional Fair Embarrass Timber Hall Wolf Family Rendezvous, ages 6+, wolf.org, 365-HOWL Int’l Wolf Ctr NLAA Kick-off membership concert VCC Theater Music & Storytelling with Joey Kenig and Tim Stouffer Tofte Lake Center Sunday Worship Service in the Park with Grace Lutheran Whiteside Park Dragonriders of Pern Kahoot! trivia game online, pre-register Ely Public Library

Ely Folk School Bonfire at Semers Park 44 44

The Ely Summer Times

SEPTEMBER 2-5 5, 6pm 6 TBA 7-14, 10-4pm 8, 2pm 8, 6-8pm 9-11 9-11, 10am-5pm 9-11 9, 5pm 10, 9am 11 4pm 12 12, 3pm 14, 5-7pm 17, 9-3pm 23, TBA 24, 7:30 and 8am 24, 8:45am 24, 9am 24, 10am 29, 5-8pm

Fest DuNord, concert and music for families Camp duNord Game Night, free, all ages, 235-0138 Ely Folk School First day of school, grades 1-12 Ely Public Schools Check elyclasses.org for the return of Thai cooking classes this fall Ely Senior Ctr Greenstone Arts Photography, Pottery, Poetry, & Prose Show Miners Dry Friends of the Library Movie: The Time Traveler’s Wife Ely Public Library Reception for Greenstone Arts Show Miners Dry 28th Annual Harvest Moon Festival Whiteside Park Ely Winton History Museum free entry E-W History Museum Women & Wolves Weekend, ages 21+, wolf.org, 365-HOWL Int’l Wolf Center Listening Point Fundraiser 365-8889, listeningpointfoundation.org Grand Ely Lodge Soup Cup Golf Tournament, golf@elymngolfclub.com Ely Golf Course Community Night Out, music and food, 984-3012 Seitaniemi Homestead Embarrass Studio North – Fall dance classes begin, studionorthelymn.com Studio North Friends of the Library Book Club: The Time Traveler’s Wife Ely Public Library New Residents Social, new and old Elyites, all welcome Society Hall Ely Area Free Hearing Screening, appointments at ECHC Ely Senior Center 5K Northern Lights Glow Run, all ages and abilities Whiteside Park Ely Marathon and BW Bank half marathon, elymarathon.com Ely Area Dorothy’s Root Beer Kids Marathon, kids run 25 miles before race day Ely Area National Public Lands Day Community Outing USFS Kawishiwi District Office Manoomin (wild rice) Parching Demonstration, Ely Folk School Oktoberfest Fundraising Dinner for Northwoods Partner, 365-8019 Miners Dry

Ely Field Naturalists This is a large, active group whose members share information on the natural world, mostly in the Ely area, such as photos from trail cams and sightings of rare species. This summer they have Saturday field trips, brunch, and open hours at the resource center. (See Weekly Events) They organize field trips, plan service projects and citizen science activities, have special interest groups such as the Lichen Club, and keep a well-stocked resource center upstairs of NAPA on Chapman St. with an extensive library and equipment that can be borrowed. To join go to Google Groups and search for Ely Field Naturalists. If you don’t have internet or a Google account, check at the resource center on Saturday mornings. 2022

Ely Pickleball Register at ElyClasses.org, $35 for summer. Walk-ins are welcome, $5 per person per time May 3-Sept 30 • High School Pickleball Courts (see map inside back cover) VCC gym in the fall. Mon-Fri 8-10 Open Play • Mon-Fri 10-1 Level Play PICKLEBALL NOTE: Please don’t park in the high school parking lot as there will be construction traffic

OCTOBER 1-2 1-2 1, 10am-4pm 2 3, 2pm 3, 6pm 7, TBA 10 3pm 20, 10-1 21, TBA 22-23 28-30

Wolves after Dark, overnight ages 12+, pre-register, wolf.org Int’l Wolf Center Wolf Photography Weekend, wolf.org, 365 HOWL Int’l Wolf Center Jake Forsman Memorial Car Show & Burnout Competition Chapman St. at City Hall Dance classes start for Reflections Dance Company, Friends of the Library Movie: Ready Player One Ely Public Library Game Night, free, all ages, 235-0138 Ely Folk School Ely Public LIbrary’s 100th Anniversary, Big Celebration Ely Public Library Friends of the Library Book Club: Ready Player One Ely Public Library Open House for students, parents, and anyone else, 235-2193 VCC Admissions One Summer/Winter Up North book signing with John Owens Piragis Northwoods Co. Wolf Family Rendezvous, ages 6+, wolf.org, 365-HOWL Int’l Wolf Ct Halloween weekend family fun camp, ymcanorth.org Camp Northern Lights

The Ely Summer Times

Six Ely Seasons Early Summer arrives with warmth that brings out the wildflowers; daylight that lasts until 10pm; lake water that’s warm enough for a quick refreshing dip. Late Summer offers buckets of ripening berries; overflowing tables at the Farmers Market; long days of swimming and boating at the lake. Early Fall brings cooler nights just right for saunas; bright forest colors to make even mundane drives festive; especially good lake trout fishing. Late Fall is time to huddle around the wood stove again; greeting buddies at the hunting shack and quiet hours in 48

photos © Ken Hupila, Snotty Moose Studio

the woods waiting for the big buck; lakes foggy as they release the last bit of heat. Early Winter excites the sled dogs, skiers, and snowmobilers with the promise of snowy trails soon to come; snowflakes stir holiday memories and anticipation; evenings start early with plenty of time to spend on a good book. Late Winter provides opportunities to brag about thriving in sub-zero temps; a sky full of stars and a good chance to see the northern lights; glittering snow. Early Spring is a premier time for winter sports; longer warmer days when you can ski in a T-shirt; the ice and The Ely Summer Times

snow retreating to let new life emerge; maple sap flows; at last the first paddle, first frog songs, first loon. Late Spring is filled with bird song; buds become leaves and forests glow with the chartreuse aspen shining against dark evergreens; the breeze smells like pine needles and warming earth; marsh marigolds line the ditches.

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We could split hairs and define the subtleties of even more seasons, but the point is, Ely is a place to enjoy at any time of the year. When it’s not summer there are no lines at restaurants, little traffic, a slower pace. If you’ve only been here in summer, it’s time to venture into a new season and discover more of what Ely has to offer.

Fishing at Freeze-Up Photos ©Cecilia Rolando

unting and gathering is an evolutionarily-instilled human activity that can provide deep satisfaction and a remedy for the hassles and anxiety of the modern world. The basket full of blueberries, the freezer full of venison, the frying pan sizzling with walleye provide more than comfort food; they also provide the gratifying experience of harvesting them. A few hours of berry-picking, a week at deer camp, and an afternoon of angling are some of our best times with friends and family and give us that healing connection to nature that we miss in much of our work-a-day lives. Many such activities are common for Ely locals and visitors, but one rare pursuit these days is netting fish. A traditional practice for indigenous people and Scandinavians, netting was quickly adopted by all those who moved here and needed to provide for hungry

families. Gill netting became a source of healthy protein for thousands of Minnesotans. Today only about 700 non-commercial netting licenses are sold by the Minnesota DNR, compared to 1.4 million total angling licenses. There are still plenty of fish out there, so if this story leads you to an interest in this challenging but rewarding way of putting food on the table, find one of those 700 netters who can teach you. Two of those people in Ely are Cecilia Rolando (yes, the prolific Ely artist whose story you may have read in the 2019 Ely Winter Times) and Randy Sjolander. As individuals now over 70, Cecilia comes late to netting fish, but remembers her father going out every winter to net; and Randy, in comparison, began netting fish as a youngster with his father. Here is their story, followed by a few more facts and Randy’s recipes for anchovies and pickled tullibees.

OUTBOARD REPAIR

Joe’s Marine and Repair. Chainsaw and outboard service. Mechanics on duty Monday through Saturday. Our show room is full of boating accessories for “Fun on the Water.” 25 W. Chapman St., 218-365-6264 50

The Ely Summer Times

When the first strains of Fall indicate that warm weather will soon end, we begin to dream about setting nets out under the ice for Cisco. Frozen fingers and bitter winds go unremembered – only visions of flopping fish locked in the 100-foot net dominate. We prepare the nets, obtain the necessary Minnesota licenses, and eagerly await the opening of the season. Soon we are out on Shagawa Lake’s waters in the little wood-canvas Pennyan boat rowing around the point in sunshine. We set the net from the boat and return the next day to check it. Overnight a severe weather change occurs, and we must row through charcoal gray waves, battling 20- mile-an-hour winds to get back to the fish-laden net. After a few days we temporarily remove the net, having

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watched the weather prediction of freezing temps. We don’t want our net to freeze in. Walking on thin ice becomes the new consideration, with four inches being recommended by the DNR. Soon the lake is one big reflective sheet of ice we can firmly stand on. Now, however, in order to get fish, we must place the net underneath the ice. The boat is back in the garage for winter. With our sled we walk out on the ice, checking it all along the way with a pick to guarantee safety. Then, once placement and required water depth are determined, we prepare the necessary holes under the see-through ice for the season’s duration. Holes are cut with a special ice saw, extremely sharp for the job at hand. The first and last holes must span the 100-foot

length; cut larger because they are the ones where the net will be drawn in and out each day. To secure it under the ice, several small holes need to be cut between the first two larger holes. A rope,

fixed to a long pole, is pushed under the ice to the first small hole and to each hole thereafter until reaching the end hole. This rope is then separated from the pole and attached to one end of the net. With the

The Ely Summer Times

rope stretched under the ice, a visible yellow line, and one of us at each end hole, the net is slowly let loose off a forked wood stick. Slowly the net is extended, much like a tennis net, from one large hole to the other. The top and bottom ends are attached to two new poles which keep it upright in the water. These are secured into the ice, protruding up from the hole to indicate where the net is, with an identifying license number tag visible. That accomplished, the net sits overnight; we mustn’t leave it unattended longer than 24 hours. When we go back in the morning, the holes have frozen over and must be recut to set the poles free. Often snow has totally covered the pristine ice, and all is now white. The rope is reattached to the net at one end and then pulled out at the other. As it comes out, if there are fish, each one is grasped and pulled free of the net. The numbers vary greatly depending on air and water temperature and the current fish run. Once totally out of the water, the net is drawn back into the hole and poles are reset. The day’s stunning fish catch flops on the ice and is collected in a big bucket. As the Shagawa season closes, we move to another favorite lake to net ciscos, the fledgling form of tullibees. The net mesh size on this lake varies so the smaller fish can be caught. The process is the same. Occasionally non-seasonal fish, northern pike for example, get caught in the net. These are let back in the water, as law requires. Each lake provides a varied experience for the netter, due to the natural environment and weather. One must be geared up for a variety of conditions once out on the lake. Simply going around a point can produce serious windchill. Also, removing the catch from the nets is difficult with gloves. Hands get wet and cold freeing the ensnared fish. This winter activity of netting fish offers many paybacks. Being able to enjoy the quiet on the lake, observing contrasting weather conditions, witnessing sky and cloud variations, spotting animal tracks – the aesthetic wonders are intense. Time 2022

together and exercise give great satisfaction too. The ciscos generate tasty sardines and anchovies. These are canned before or after smoking. The larger mature fish, the tullibees, are good fried or baked fresh, smoked, or pickled. Once the season ends with canning complete, a simple taste treat - crackers with warm fish dip - in front of the TV watching football is a warm reminder of the fine times we had netting the local lakes. -Cecilia Rolando and Randy Sjolander

The season starts after most people have put away their paddles and motorboats and are preparing their skis and snowmobiles for the upcoming winter. Icy cold water and November’s wind and waves make netting risky from a canoe or rowboat. Netters look forward to freeze-up creating a stable platform for their work. But to those inexperienced at “reading” the ice, this can also be risky. For those days when a few cold calm nights have created two inches or more of clear solid ice, netting is ideal and looking into the lake can be astonishing. Netting is permitted on only a few lakes in the area. The opening and closing dates of the season are set by the DNR and vary by lake. Whether or not the fish are “running” depends on their spawning schedule, which is not completely understood by humans but is correlated to water temperature. In the Ely area Isabella Lake is the earliest to open in the first week of October. Fall, Newton, Basswood, and Vermilion open at the end of October; Shagawa in early November; and Ojibway and Bear Island at the end of November. Ojibway and Bear Island are the last to close–shortly after Christmas. 54

Regulations require netters to be a current Minnesota resident with a fishing license plus the $10 gill-netting license. Nets must be 100 feet long or less, set in water no deeper than six feet, with a pole at each end sticking at least two feet above the surface. An ID tag must be attached to the pole. One net per license may be set at any time, no closer than 50’ from another net, and it must be checked during daylight at least every 24 hours. The minimum size of the net mesh ranges from 1 3/4” for catching the smaller ciscos up to 3 ½” for larger tullibees and whitefish. Mesh size determines the size of the fish the net will catch when they try to swim through and get caught by their gills. Fish smaller than the mesh will be able to pass through without getting caught, while larger fish will just bounce off the net. Sometimes predatory fish will make a meal of the fish that are stuck in the net, and anglers will find bites taken out of their catch. Ciscos and tullibees are the same species of fish, sometimes also called lake herring, but the term cisco is usually used for smaller fish. Whitefish are similar, but generally larger as adults and with a different mouth shape. All are The Ely Summer Times

RANDY’S RECIPES Anchovies Clean ciscos and remove heads and fins. Pour a layer of canning salt on the bottom of a glass or ceramic container. Then add a layer of fish. Cover the fish with another layer of salt. Continue until the fish are used up or the container is full. Cover the last layer of fish with salt. Dissolve 1 cup of salt in 1 quart of water. Pour over the layers to completely cover. Cover the container and refrigerate for 3 months. Remove skin and bones from fish, pack into jars, and cover with olive oil. Refrigerate jars.

Pickled Tullibee Fillet fish leaving bones, removing skin. Freeze 48 hours and cut into bite-size chunks. Put pieces in glass container and pour over a brine of 1 C. salt and 1 Qt. water. Let sit 48 hours. Drain and cover fish with white vinegar. Let sit 48 hours. Drain. Layer fish and sliced onions in pint jars. Make pickling brine2 C. white vinegar 1C. sugar 1/2 C. white wine 4 T. pickling spice Simmer 5 minutes, cool. Squeeze a lemon wedge into each jar, add the lemon rind, cover with brine. Cover jars. Refrigerate at least a week.

delicious! Ciscos are most often used for making sardines or anchovies; tullibees for pickling or frying; whitefish for smoking or baking. Any of them make tasty kalamojakka, a creamy Finnish stew with potatoes and seasoning. A good day’s harvest will provide many meals.

These would keep for months, but you’ll probably eat them up before that as they are delicious. 2022

Cecilia makes more than food from her fishing fun. She also makes art from the photos she catches.

The Ely Summer Times

Good Fire, Bad Fire

lames creep along the ground, consuming dead branches and pine needles, charring fallen logs, running a few feet up the side of a big red pine before the fire-resistant bark extinguishes them for lack of fuel. Wildlife moves away with no trouble outpacing the smoke and flames. The smoke settles as evening’s higher humidity sets in. The fire is easily directed away from the homes nearby as it moves slowly through the forest for a few days, eventually succumbing to a light rain.

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Flames flash up a dead balsam and engulf the top of a tall red pine. The wind pushes hard on the flames, driving them into the crowns of neighboring pines. Fiery branches tumble through the air, landing a hundred yards downwind where they catch on another balsam and repeat the terrible process until the whole forest is burning, putting up black smoke that rises so high it can be seen for miles, making breathing difficult in a distant city, and changing the region’s weather pattern. Hundreds of people work for weeks to keep the fire from

eating up tens of thousands of acres, stealing houses, killing wildlife, changing the landscape for centuries. Good fire, bad fire. Either can be started by lightning or humans– intentionally or carelessly. This year is the 10th anniversary of the Pagami Creek fire, which torched 93,000 acres, mostly in the wilderness. No human lives were lost; no homes were burned. It’s also the 10th anniversary of the Highway 1 fire, which threatened homes on the southeast edge of Ely, causing the school to close and about 230 residents to evacuate, eventually scorching 175 acres. But again, no lives or homes were lost. Last summer the Greenwood Fire, near Isabella, about 28 miles south of Ely on Highway 1, burned 27,000 acres. But this time the flames consumed homes and cabins that had been in families for many generations. 14 buildings were lost, but no lives.

What’s next? No one knows, but it’s definitely a “when, not if” situation. Fire is a natural phenomenon in the north woods and has been part of the landscape since enough vegetation to provide fuel grew up after the last glaciers receded. Drought, wind, blowdown, and lightning are what Nature contributes to putting fire on the landscape. But humans are also an important part of fire here, and that has changed dramatically through history. The earliest record of humans using fire for land management in the Arrowhead region is from the early 1500s. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t used before that, but researchers would have a tough time definitively identifying such ancient evidence. The people who lived on this land prior to European settlement used fire intentionally as part of their cultures. A well-behaved fire cleared the land so

After Greenwood Fire - moderate and low severity

After Greenwood Fire - high severity

The Ely Summer Times

that there were open areas for building structures, created a favorable habitat for the growth of many plants used for food and medicine, allowed hunters to see game and move easily through the forest, eliminated ticks, and prevented lightning-ignited fires from exploding into infernos that could threaten villages and food supplies. Fire-dependent tree species like red and jack pines flourished and are the overstory in some of our forests today. Forestry researchers and anthropologists identify fire cycles by examining the charred growth rings on old tree stumps and by looking at layers of charcoal in the soil of peatlands. It appears that in previous centuries almost everyplace in the Ely area had fire on the ground every 20-30 years. The more inhabited areas had fires every 8 years or so, with blueberry fields as often as every 4 years. With European settlement, native people were displaced, and managed fire was limited to the areas where they hunted and gathered. Logging removed many of the trees, but with logging came slash and enormous stores of dried lumber near towns. When hot, dry conditions occurred in the late 1800s, huge fires razed whole towns and killed thousands of people. The government saw wildfire as bad because of the destruction and because it threatened the forests that were important sources of timber. Fire suppression became the way to manage wildfire. Laws forbade deliberate use of fire with the Minnesota Act of June 4, 1888 stating “…every person who wantonly destroys timber upon…lands of any tribe of Indians shall be punished by a fine of not more than $500 or be imprisoned not more than 12 months, or both…” (Hard to imagine what $500 in 1888 would equal today, but no doubt more money than a whole Indian village could raise quickly in a trade-based economy.) Cultural burning stopped, lightning starts were put out as soon as possible, and Smokey’s “Only You Can Prevent 2022

Forest Fires” campaign infused American culture with the stern message that wildfire is bad. Forests began to accumulate fuels and to transition to a balsam-dominated understory. Now, 125 years later, we live with the consequences. “Fire wants to burn big here,” says a retired U.S. Forest Service fire management specialist. Balsam burns hot and fast even when it’s green or wet. It serves as a ladder fuel–carrying flames up the branch-free lower trunk of fire-adapted pines to the highly flammable upper branches and needles. Recently, with dense balsam populations, the spruce bud worm (which actually prefers balsam to spruce) has multiplied beyond its normal limited spread, killing most of the balsam trees and making them even more likely to torch and spread fire. Many forest managers now believe the best way back to a healthy forest is to reinstitute the cultural burning practices that were part of the native way of life. “Native perspectives and 59

Even after a severe burn, life comes back quickly values offer insights on how we can collectively return to a reciprocal relationship with fire,” says one forestry researcher. “We have a lot to learn about how to live on a landscape without destroying it.” With the heavy fuels present, intentional burning is not the low-risk task it was 150 years ago. There is so much area to be restored, and the varied land ownership means lots of agencies with all their different policies need to cooperate with one another and with private land owners. There is resistance to prescribed fire from a number of sources. Naturally it is disturbing for a land owner to see a nearby forest burned on purpose; it feels risky, the smoke is unpleasant, and the forest may lose some of its aesthetic quality for a few years. In these days, when so much care needs to be taken to control the fire, setting a match to a patch of woods is

very expensive, requiring months of planning and preparation by professionals. Heavy equipment and air craft need to be on hand just in case an unpredicted wind shift takes the flames where they aren’t wanted. Resources may be committed to the many wildfires burning out of control nation-wide, so not available for a local prescribed fire. What’s the solution? It’s not simple, but also not impossible, to make the Ely area more fire resilient. In addition to governmental agencies doing as much prescribed burning as time and funding allows, individuals can make a big difference. Private home owners can implement recommendations from Firewise evaluations, which are provided free from the county. They can learn more about wildfire and support those entities using fire to fight fire. To have the best chance for people and homes to survive, it’s important for everyone to have a plan. When an evacuation is ordered, it’s too late for the road association to figure out how to avoid a traffic jam or for a family to decide what they need to take for sheltering away from home for several days or even weeks. There are plenty of resources to help individuals educate themselves and take the steps necessary to give their property a better chance to survive a fire. Find pamphlets at the Forest Service, DNR, and county offices. Watch YouTube videos “Oshkigin, Spirit of Fire” and “Prescribed Fire on Burntside Lake.” And don’t forget to clean out your rain gutters and rake litter out from under your deck. Talk to your neighbors, make a plan, and remember “not all fire is bad.”

Resources The most comprehensive place for land owners, managers, and administrators to find fire info is at the Minnesota Arrowhead Fire Adapted Communities website:

https://minnesotafac.org 60

The Ely Summer Times

Teaching, Technology, Teeth, and More For working parents, finding child care is as hard in Ely as everywhere else, and for those families who prefer an active outdoor life, it has been do-ityourself or do without for a few years. That’s changing this summer with the start up of Ely Adventure School. A place where kids will learn to be at home and comfortable in nature regardless of weather and mosquitoes, the summer camp program fosters learning through doing, social development through challenges that require cooperation, and healthy habits through plenty of physical activity and good food. School founder Sunshine Gardner (officially Benjamin, but he’s been going

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by Sunshine his whole life) was one of those kids who would be outside from morning till night whenever he had the chance. His parents were lucky enough to find a farm school for his elementary years where he could use his energy stealing eggs from chickens, weeding the pumpkin patch, and stacking firewood. “But that’s work!” some might protest. One of the goals of such a learning environment is ditching the dichotomy between work and play. Work can be fun; play can be hard; both should be enjoyable, or at least satisfying. Sunshine had a harder time when he had to sit six hours a day in high school, but that didn’t deter him

from getting a great education. He found the colleges that provided experiential education and now has an MA in Adventure Education with a focus on pre-school and elementary outdoor programs, but he claims he gets most of his learning from 3 and 4-year olds. One of his research findings: kids in these programs have a bit of a struggle when they transition to a traditional school setting, but within a year they have passed up their classmates in academic subjects by up to two years. His education and work in outdoor pre-schools led Sunshine to want to start his own school where he wants to live– Ely. This summer’s day camp for 3 to 12-year-olds is a pre-cursor to offering child care for 3 to 5-year-olds starting in September. Programs will run from 8 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday at least, giving working parents the time they need. For the summer, flexibility will permit kids to be enrolled for just certain days of the week, for just one week, and even possibly on short notice if registration hasn’t exceeded the 20person limit. Non-profit status and certification as a summer camp is in place, and school licensure–with much stricter standards–is assured by fall. A large classroom building is under construction on the private property on Fall Lake where the school will be established, but with most of student time spent outside, it will mainly be a place to keep recreation equipment and supplies, prepare food, use the bathroom, and wait out any dangerous weather. Staff is the next big need: certified teachers and assistants are 62

both being sought. The state requires a 10 students to 1 teacher ratio, but the hope is to keep it closer to 8:1 or better. With dreams of growing to meet whatever demand there might be in the Ely Area, finding teachers and volunteers, fundraising for scholarships, and getting the word out are the next challenges for Ely Adventure School. To learn more, apply for a position, or make a donation contact ElyAdventureSchool@gmail.com.

High Tech Co-Working Space Once again there is a space with fast internet, office equipment, and pleasant surroundings for Ely residents or visitors to use for work. Now Ely vacationers who need to check in with work, or remote workers who need a break from their home offices, can access fiber optic communication that’s as good as that in metropolitan areas. Families can extend their stay to a week instead of a weekend with working members able to do their jobs while the others are off enjoying shopping, visiting the area attractions, or recreational activities. Northern Grounds found that their coffee shop seating was often full and included many customers who brought their computers to work for several The Ely Summer Times

hours, taking advantage of the fast internet connection. But there really wasn’t adequate space for those workers plus those who wanted to sit and chat with friends over a latte. The second floor of this historic building, called Society Hall, is a lovely event space for weddings, reunions, and evening programs, but was rarely used during weekday business hours. So the natural solution was to turn Society Hall into a work space. Spacious tables and plenty of natural light from the big windows create a much more pleasant environment than most business centers, but with the same amenities, plus the fresh-ground, invigorating coffee beverages available from downstairs. Open from 6 am to 5 pm throughout the summer, this secure work space can be accessed with a monthly or annual membership or with passes for a halfday or full day. To learn more and apply for a pass or membership visit www.thenortherngrounds.com/workspace.

Gotta Toothache? Hopefully not, but the cost of simple preventive dental care like cleaning and fluoride treatments could be giving you a headache if you aren’t independently wealthy and don’t have dental insurance. Dental health is a major contributor to overall health, but that doesn’t seem to have swayed insurance companies to add affordable coverage. And not all dentists will take every insurance plan, with low-cost insurance like MNsure most likely to be refused. To the rescue in Ely come two nonprofits funded by government and private grants and staffed by a dedicated semi-retired dental hygienist. The Ely Community Health Center (ECHC), which also offers a free clinic every Thursday evening, now does cleanings by appointment and fluoride treatments during the clinic, 5:30-7pm. These are free to everyone! Minneapolis-based Children’s Dental Services offers fillings and sealants in 2022

addition to cleanings on the fourth Thursday of the month at the St. Louis County Public Health facility and the following Monday at the Ely Senior Center. These are free for patients under 19 and charged on a sliding scale for

Dental hygienist Peggy’s pick-up loaded with dental equipment

ages 19 and up, and Medicaid and MNsure are accepted. For now, x-rays and exams done in Ely provide a teledentist with information to diagnose and suggest treatment options. Soon the dentist may come in person to provide care. It’s possible, due to the demand, that these public health sessions will increase to once a week. Watch for announcements in the local papers. Dental hygienist Peggy, an Ely High School graduate, is passionate about keeping teeth and mouths healthy. Her enthusiasm buoys her through the need to haul a full dental office worth of

equipment in the back of her pick-up to provide care. The ECHC office has a dedicated dental room, but there isn’t space at the county office to leave everything set up for one-day-a-month clinics. So Peggy recruits help from friends to move the heavy chair and the dental tools back and forth between the Senior Center and county office. If you, your children, or others you know need dental care, send an email to dentalechc@gmail.com or stop by ECHC on Thursday evenings to set up an appointment. We want everyone in Ely to have a great smile!

Anishinaabe Place Names Map

display for public viewing at locations in Ely, Tower, and the Lake Vermilion area. Sites are not yet determined as of this writing, but the Ely Folk School, one of the sponsors of this work, will have one eventually. There is also hope that smaller versions will be available for the public to purchase. What is now the Boundary Waters Wilderness is also slated to become mapped with Anishinaabe names. Meanwhile, there are still plenty of native lake names to be found on today’s maps such as Wisini–we eat, Niibin–Winter, and Beshik–one.

Bois Forte member Louise Isham has been hard at work finding out how the Anishinaabe people referred to geographic features before Euro-centric names dominated maps of the area. Elders are the best reference, but when the people were forbidden to use their language much was lost and few people have those memories. Still, through research and conversation with elders, Louise has pulled together an impressive amount of information and beautifully applied it to her map. 12 large maps will be printed and on 64

The Ely Summer Times

Party Puzzler Looking for unique entertainment for your next gathering? OUT Mobile Escape Rooms brings a fun team challenge to your friends, families, or employees. Escape rooms are like being in a video game, movie, and real life mind teaser. You must solve puzzles, find clues, unlock game pieces, and complete the mission before the time runs out. A little magic may also be needed at Wizard Academy to solve the riddles, break the spells, and decipher the codes needed to get your wizarding diploma. Or you could be a contestant

Matt liked doing it, but even more he liked encouraging others and seeing how they solved the problems. When he heard escape rooms could be portable, he ordered two printed tents and began building his own props and puzzles. Being mobile allows him to take the rooms across the region and to set up for indoor events throughout the winter. Matt has begun to see puzzle options everywhere. Patterns, shadows, and interesting objects start the wheels turning. On a winter camping trip he thought, "What if this experience was turned into a “Fallen Through the Ice”

in Immunity Quest and strive to find the life-saving mask before your time runs out on a tropical island. Both themes are filled with fun while creating camaraderie and cooperation. OUT Mobile Escape Rooms owner Matt Graves was intrigued from the first time he played. “I’ve played with friends and family solving a murder, recovering stolen art, curing a disease, working as an archeologist in an Egyptian tomb, and more,” he shared. “Each time there’s a new role and a new way to problem solve. The conversation afterward is interesting too.”

theme where players have to find pieces to build a 3-D fire, unlock warm clothes, and learn a survival skill?” Maybe that will be offered someday. The OUT Mobile Escape Rooms have been set up at a variety of area festivals, the Ely Marathon finish line, all-night grad parties, and post-proms. Ideally a group of about five people venture into the mystery together and take up to 30 minutes to meet the challenges. To learn more or to book a memorable adventure for your next gathering, go to the website www.OutMobileEscapeRooms.com.

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Ely Spiritual Gatherings All are in person now, live streaming as indicated. Berean Baptist Church 2281 Hwy 169 365-5413 Sun 10:30 Ely Gospel Church 3 E Allaire St 365-5272 Wed 6pm, Sun 10 FB First Lutheran Church LC MS 915 E Camp St 365-3348 Sun 10:30 First Presbyterian Church 226 E Harvey St 365-5131 Sun 11, ElyPresbyterian.org Grace Lutheran Church ELCA 301 E Conan St 365-5605 Sun 9:30, FB Ledgerock Comm. Church 1515 E Camp St 365-4890 Sun 9:30, FB Oasis Int’l Church 10 W Pattison 235-1151 Sun 10, FB Praise Fellowship Christian 302 E Boundary St 365-6033 Sun 10 St. Anthony’s Catholic Church 231 E Camp St 365-4017 Sat 5pm, Sun 10 FB Th, F 8am FB St. Mary’s Episcopal Church 715 S Central Av 409-6870 Sun 9:30 United Methodist Church of Ely 305 E Camp St 365-3355 Sun 10, YouTube@ElyUMC1

Ely Area 12-Step Meetings AlAnon District8Online.org for other meetings Babbitt Woodland Presbyterian Church, upstairs Thu 7 pm Alcoholics Anonymous Ely Women’s Meeting, Open – Ledgerock Church Mon noon Miracle on Camp St, Open – 1st Lutheran Church Mon 7 pm Babbitt, Open - Babbitt Baptist Church Tue 7 pm Ely Wednesday Night, Open – 1st Lutheran Church Wed 7:30 pm Lake Vermilion 12x12, Open, – Immanuel Lutheran, Tower Thu 6:30 pm Back to Basics, open – Woodland Presbyterian Church, Babbitt Thu 7 pm Happy, Joyous, and Free, Closed – Presbyterian Church Ely Fri 7 pm Ely Saturday Night, Open – 1st Lutheran Church Sat 7:30 pm NA Ely NA – 1st Lutheran Church Fri 7 pm NAMI (not 12-step) – Well Being Development Ctr every other Wed, 6 pm Codependents Anonymous CoDA Ely – Well Being Development Ctr (former Ely Bowling) Thu, 5:30 General - all 12-step welcome HOPE – 1st Lutheran, for anyone whose life is touched by addiction Mon 7 pm 66

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Books for Summer It’s summer, and meals can be simple to give more time for all the fun and work summer brings, or they can be elaborate, celebratory gatherings with family and friends, taking advantage of lush gardens and abundant wild foods. The Steger Homestead Kitchen has recipes for both. All start with wholesome ingredients and move on to create flavorful, hearty dishes. In between recipes you’ll find musings by Will and his niece Rita Mae on their lives at the Homestead from the earliest days of a simple cabin and a few friends to the present educational endeavors involving hundreds of folks in Climate Generation, Will’s legacy of hope for and action toward a resilient and equitable future. Eating well and sustainably is part of that. Wonderful photography! Grab a kid or two, give them a good sharp knife, and start carving. There are only a few rules to ensure their (and

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your) safety, and then it’s just the thrill of turning a stick into a spoon, or a branch into a slingshot, or a chunk of firewood into a toy canoe. This Whittling book is the best of several available and can help with the rules, but also with a bit of inspiration. So now your time around the campfire or on the deck can be even more memorable. But kids aren’t going to sit still too long, so use Primitive Technology to engage them in some wilderness skills that could prove useful. Learn to make and use simple tools such as an ax or bow drill. Use the tools to build shelters or make fire. Fashion clothing from plants, make a loom, build a kiln and make pots. Apply to be on “Survivor” (just kidding, but this book would be a big help if you were). Sound tiring? Maybe just give the kids this book and see what they come up with. It’s bound to be better than another video game!

For decades, assigning human emotions to animal behavior was a sin in scientific circles. But pet owners and zoo keepers knew otherwise. Recently that strict view of animal emotion has come to light as the dogmatic BS it was, opening up research projects to learn about animals’ feelings in their relationships with others of their kind, other species, and us humans. The Inner Life of Animals translates some of those findings from the language of research into fun reading for all, along with glimpses into intelligence we humans may not even have the smarts to see. Did you know that many animals recognizer their relatives even after a lengthy absence? Domestic pigs and wild boars are clean, intelligent beings and very good mothers? Goats can distinguish between serious and minor volcanic eruptions before they happen? Ravens use names for each other? 68

The Ely Summer Times

Chapman Street Books

Quality used books on all subjects, including many with local interest. Bring yours in for a discount. Big free box. Home to Prairie Fire Tobacco, with imported and domestic blends. 139 E. Chapman St. 218-365-2212 Perhaps even more amazing to us humans, who tend to consider ourselves the peak of evolution, is the communication, sharing of resources, and even what can be called mothering that happens in plant communities. Finding the Mother Tree is the story of one researcher’s quest to understand the civil life of a forest. She has learned how trees relate to one another, remember the past and anticipate the future, care for their offspring. The book reads like a novel, blending the author’s research activity with her personal life from falling in love to motherhood, to surviving cancer. Part of a family of loggers, she thinks hard about how to achieve a balance of managing forests for human use and managing them to benefit the natural world that is so important to human life and all life. Warning: reading these two books will make you think twice about eating a pork chop and buying a 2x4. Not that it can’t or shouldn’t happen, but that there are choices to consider that will make you part of the destructive forces yielding to greed, or part of the resilience the world so needs.

The Boundary Waters Coloring Book is the only one filled with just scenes from the BWCAW. Lots of canoes, fire grates, tents, tarps, packs, and the iconic wildlife–loons, moose, gray jays, otters. Grab some crayons or colored pencils and eliminate the “I”m bored” complaints during long paddles. Heavy, high quality paper will make finished pages suitable for framing.

Enjoy Canoe Country all year with The Boundary Waters Calendar!

$13.95 at your favorite stores, by mail, phone, or online + $6.50 per shipping address. MN delivery add 6.875% sales

PO Box 188, Ely, MN 55731 • 218-365-3375 • www.RavenWordsPress.com 2022

Topics that fit well into rural up north life, but probably seem odd to others, fill Down at the Dock. Deer camp conversation, peeing off the deck, and skinny-dipping take their place with choosing a puppy, lawn-mowing (or lack thereof) and rhubarb. Elyite readers will identify with plenty of these stories, and the rest of you will be well entertained by this Midwest Book Award winner. The short essays make for good outhouse reads–or they go fine with indoor plumbing too. On a more serious note, Combat to Conservation is written by Ely’s own Fitz Fitzgerald. From his birth on a stormy winter night, to a family farm childhood spent outside as much as possible, to an influential road trip to the Rockies, Fitz had a fairly idyllic youth. Then he enlisted in the Marines at the peak of the war in Vietnam. The hell that followed left him injured, but he recovered and returned home to go to college in hopes of becoming a game warden. His wounds dashed that hope, but his life came to focus on wild places anyway–that and family. This is a moving story of healing unbearable wounds through a life dedicated to the land. Sometimes logs can build much more than a cabin. - F. Fitzgerald All these books are available through the Ely Public Library and at Piragis’ Upstairs Bookstore. 70

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Details from the stained glass windows at the Ely Public Library

Ely Area Attractions Locations for many of these can be found on the maps, page 77. Area code is 218 unless noted.

Adventure Seaplanes

410-7935

AdventureSeaplanes.com

Air charter service to nearly any place in MN, WI, and Canada with an airport or waterway large enough to land. Scenic flights over the region are customized for each group so you can choose what to see. Everyone gets a window seat! Call or text to check availability and pricing.

ATV Trails

www.facebook.com/ProspectorLoopATVTrail

The Prospector trail system reaches from Ely to Tower, Babbitt, and Embarrass and connects to trails that go south and west across the Iron Range, north to Crane Lake, and east to the North Shore of Lake Superior. Forests of tall pines, river crossings, vista views, and boardwalks through cedar swamps provide great riding experiences. Try the Jackpot Loop Trail #7 to see the Greenwood fire area. Info and maps at the Facebook page.

Bearhead State Park

235-2520 www.mndnr.gov/bearhead

A gem of a park with terrific hiking trails, remote lakes, rental cabins, camping, boat and standup paddleboard rental, swimming beach, birding, and a knowledgeable staff. MN State Park vehicle permit required, available for this and all state parks at the office.

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The Ely area has 1000s of miles of remote ATV trails and Forest Service roads for exploring

Bois Forte Heritage Center

753-6017 BoisForteHeritageCenter.com

At the Bois Forte reservation on Lake Vermilion near Tower, the displays portray Ojibwe life past and present, indoors and out. One of the best things to do on a rainy day! See the new map of the Lake Vermilion area with native place names. Open Tues-Sat 9-5. $8, age 4-12 and seniors $6, family $20, veterans $3, free for band members.

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

365-7600

Ely is the put-in place for the western and central parts of the BWCAW. Permits are required for day or overnight. Get more information at any Ely outfitter or the U.S. Forest Service station.

Chamber of Commerce

365-6123

800-777-7281 Ely.org

Information on resorts, outfitters, events, and businesses. Coupons for discounts at Ely stores. State and area maps. Located in a log bunkhouse originally built on Basswood Lake in 1938. 1600 E. Sheridan St. Open M-F 9-5 year round, Sat 9-4 May 29-Sept 30. Closed holidays and June 11.

Children’s Garden

365-5254

Pattison and 3rd Ave. W.

Children and adults welcome anytime to explore the green bean teepee, tomato house, pumpkin patches, strawberry lane, raised vegetable beds, the rain barrel, butterfly and perennial gardens. Art and garden activities for kids through Ely Community Resource. Call to register.

Dorothy Molter Museum

365-4451 RootBeerLady.com

The "Root Beer Lady" was the last non-indigenous resident of the BWCAW. Three of her cabins were relocated to Ely as a tribute to her unorthodox life. Exhibits cover BWCA history, root beer making, travel to Knife Lake, and original guest registers. Ice-cold root beer, nature trails, bird watching, pet area. $7 adults, discounts for kids, seniors, AAA. Members and military free. 72

The Ely Summer Times

Ely Arts & Heritage Center 365-3578 ElyArtsandHeritageCenter.org The Pioneer Mine Museum and the Miners Dry building, where miners transitioned to and from their underground jobs. Learn about Ely’s iron mining heritage on their free tours. See equipment, clothing, and lots of photos of Ely miners. Memorial Day thru Labor Day, Tues 2-5, Fri 3-6, or any time the green jeep is in the parking lot and by appointment. 401 Pioneer Rd.

Ely Folk School

235-0138 209 E. Sheridan St. ElyFolkSchool.org

Learn a new skill or teach one you know. Free Makers Mornings Thursdays for adults, Fridays for kids. Birchbark canoe building Sunday afternoons. Take classes in blacksmithing, ceramics, baking, fiber arts, painting, birding, foraging, and much more both online and in-person. Stop by or see the website for a current schedule of classes, community dances, and other events.

Ely Golf Course

365-5932

ElymnGolfClub.com

9-hole, par 36, 3,268 yards. Carts and rental clubs, snack bar. Open May-Sept, snow allowing. On S. Central Ave, right at sign. 7am to 7pm July and August. 9 holes $20, 18 holes $30.

Ely Public Library 100th Anniversary! 365-5140 ElyLibrary.org Children’s area, computers and internet, audio books, music, DVDs. Large regional book section. Summer residents and visitors welcome. Kids can pick up monthly activity kits and enjoy story time Fridays at 10am. 9-6:30 Mon-Fri. See Calendar pg. 37 for activities and check the website.

Ely Recreation Center

365-5254

ElyCommunityResource.org

Ely Wheel Park, basketball court, pick-up soccer in the hockey rink, indoor games, music, snack bar, and more. The base for many kids’ activities. Available to rent for private parties by calling the City of Ely at 365-3224 x1. Supervision Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri, Sat. Call or see website for current hours and activities open to all.

Ely Steam Sauna

365-2984

127 S. 1st Ave. E.

One of the last public baths in Minnesota, this has public men’s and women’s rooms and private rooms. Friendly and clean, an Ely social scene. Towels included. Open again! Wed, Fri, Sat 4-8pm.

Ely State theater 235-6300 ElyStateTheater.org 238 E. Sheridan Two theaters with classical movies, new releases, and live events. Stages on Screen series brings outstanding live performances to film. Waffles, popcorn, beer, wine, and hard cider at the concession stand, which is not restricted to movie-goers. Enjoy refreshments whenever they’re open. $5 a ticket (except Stages and live events).

Ely Winton History Museum 365-3226 Ely’s cultural heritage, Indian life, archaeology, voyageurs, logging, and mining. Amazing 3D model of mines and homes, today’s Trezona Trail area. Book shop features local history titles. Hours Tu-Sat, noon to 4pm. Free admission, but please consider donating or becoming a member. See FB page for more. At VCC Theater bldg. 2022

Embarrass Heritage Tours 984-2084 Call for updated info Visit restored historic farmsteads where hard-working mostly Finnish immigrants created homes and farms from forest and rock. Tours leave from the Visitor Center at Hwy 21 and 135, Thu-Sat at 1 pm or by appt. Memorial weekend-Labor Day. $6, $5 seniors and 12+groups, under 12 free.

Hiking Trails There are dozens of places to hike near Ely whether you want to stretch your legs, get aerobic, exercise the dog, or make an expedition of several days. The Bass Lake Trail is one of the most popular with a waterfall, great views, swimming, fishing, and berry picking. Ask for trail maps at the USFS Visitor Center. The Koschak Farm is close to Ely, offers great birding, and isn’t so much a trail as a spot to poke around with kids or dogs and see what you can discover.

Hidden Valley Recreation Area

ElyNordic.org

Hidden Valley trails are great for mountain biking, hiking, wildlife sighting, and walking your dog. XC ski trails provide good aerobic conditioning. 2 miles of new single-track trails this summer. Also a terrific place for birding. The chalet is a secluded yet convenient spot to rent for special events–info at the website. Turn right east of Ely city limits.

International Wolf Center 365-HOWL

800-ELY-WOLF Wolf.org

New pups this year!! Observe wolves up close and learn about their prey, and other canids in the displays. Check the website for programs for all ages. Open 9-5 until Oct 23. $15, Seniors 60+ $12, Child/Student $9, under 4 free. Check out online programs, some free for kids! Webcam always available at wolf.org.

Kawishiwi Falls A well-developed trail goes to the falls and down to a small beach on Fall Lake. Warm microclimate supports unusual yellow birch forest. View an eagles’ nest across the bay. Great fishing below the falls. Easy access by road or lake. Watch for poison ivy and keep the kids close by. 74 The Ely Summer Times

Lake Vermilion State Park 218-300-7000

MNDNR.gov/VermilionSoudan

This new park has 31 electric campsites, 3 group campsites, 8 year-round camper cabins and a rustic island cabin rental. The day-use picnic shelters and fishing pier are open daily. More trails are being developed and installed this summer. Please be careful of the continued construction at the park.

Listening Point

ListeningPointFoundation.org

Take a guided tour of Sigurd Olson's historic cabin on Burntside lake, family homestead, and iconic writing shack. To schedule a tour, please visit the website. No set cost, donations appreciated.

Miners Lake The site of the first iron mines in Ely, this was a shallow open pit mine for just a few years before operations went underground to reach the ore. The lake was created by flooding of the collapsed drifts and shafts. There are two fishing docks; the one at the landing is wheelchair accessible. Stocked trout.

Nelimark Finnish Homestead Museum 984-3503 SisuHeritage.org In Embarrass, Minnesota’s Cold Spot, 28 miles from Ely. Finnish heritage and Embarrass history. Sauna exhibit, historic buildings. Nice to walk around when home isn’t open. Call or check website for up to date open hours with coffee and cardamom bread. Free.

North American Bear Center

365-7879

bear.org

Observe resident black bears as they play, eat, rest, and wander through their natural habitat. Northwoods Ecology Hall features more than 60 exhibits with wildlife displays and easy-to-use touchscreens. Cub room for kids, nature trail. 9-6pm daily May28-Oct 2; 10am-4pm daily May 327 and Oct 3-29. $15, seniors & military $14, age 3-12 $9 under 3 free.

Pillow Rock

1200 block of Main Street, north side

You’ve heard of bed rock. Well, here’s the pillow, made of Ely Greenstone. Follow the historic site signs at 13th Avenue to see this 2.7 billion-year-old geologic formation.

Senior Citizen’s Center

365-4139

In-person Bingo Wed at 1pm and Mon game nights for schmear and cribbage at 6 pm. A place to socialize, do puzzles, play games. Some community ed classes and other events are held here. Noon meals have been discontinued for now since Covid reduced participation.

Semers Park

365-3224 x1

On Shagawa Lake, this park has a sandy beach and pier, playground, picnic facilities, restrooms, a campfire circle, hiking trails and islands. Indoor event space for rental for reunions and parties. Timberframe pavilion for rain shelter. Follow signs from N. Central Ave. 2022 75

Ely Golf Course

Shopping See maps on page 77 for advertiser locations. Visitors, don’t miss Chapman

Street, one block south of Sheridan Street. Used books, hardware, gifts, yarn, car parts, organic food and restaurant, café, banks, small engine repair, floor covering, and WELY.

Soudan Underground Mine at Lake Vermilion State Park Join a tour of surface facilities to learn about the surface jobs that made mining possible, see what happens to the ore once it reaches the surface, and explore the different equipment that was used in mining. Underground mine tours will return in 2023. Wide variety of naturalist programs, including an outstanding one on bats. See website for hours and tour schedule. $5, ages 5 and up. Under 5 free. 22 miles west of Ely on 169. No vehicle permits required. 218-300-7000 mndnr.gov/vermilionsoudan

Swimming Spots Semers Park in Ely; Forest Service campgrounds at Fenske Lake, Fall Lake, and Kawishiwi; Dry Falls on the Bass Lake Trail; Fall Lake at the bottom of Kawishiwi Falls (watch for poison ivy), the Longbranch in Winton. There are no lifeguards. Good biking to most of these spots.

Tofte Lake Center

TofteLake.com

Artists on creative retreats and dance or theater company residencies fill the cabins and studio space here each summer. Public programs in the calendar, pg 37. If you need creative space in a northwoods setting, check out the website and plan an artist residency here. 2209 Fernberg Rd

Trezona Trail Four miles for biking or hiking within the city limits. Goes through historic mine sites around Miners Lake. Interpretive signs explain some of Ely’s mining history. Spurs to Int’l Wolf Center, USFS, and VCC. Good berry-picking. Dogs welcome, but clean up after them!

The Ely Summer Times

Vermilion Mail Boat 753-4190

AronsonBoatWorks.com

Ride along on the mail delivery route that covers 80 miles of scenic Lake Vermilion and includes 105 water-access only mail boxes. The driver is a knowledgeable local who can give a history lesson and share other information about the lake and its residents. Reservations recommended. Dress for the weather! Adults $20 Kids 12 and under $12. 9 am Mon-Sat. June1-Labor Day.

U.S. Forest Service Visitor Center 365-7600

Recreation.gov

The place to get informative brochures, maps, and kids activities; pick up BWCAW permits; and browse the displays on wildlife, fire, wilderness history, and more. 8-4:30 daily 1393 Hwy 169.

Vermilion Community This year join our interpreters as they College 365-7200 guide you through the various Soudan VCC.edu Mine surface facilities. Visitors will learn The “Boundary Waters College” offers about the surface jobs that made mining possible, they will see what happens to Vermilion Range Trap the ore once it reaches the surface, and explore the different equipment that was Club 365-6036 used in mining. Underground mine tours Join local sports shooters at this will return in 2023. Wide variety of naturalist programs, including an Whiteside Park outstanding one on bats. See the website Located in the middle of town, this is or call for program hours and tour the site of many summer events schedule. 22 miles west of Ely on 169. including Blueberry Festival, Harvest Surface tours are $5 for ages 5+, under 5 Moon, and Farmers and Artists Market. no charge. No vehicle permits required.

2022

I can’t really tell if the feeling was unusual. The softened dirt squishing in between my toes and the accidental step on pointy pebbles felt odd, yet it was a nice feeling of strange, I suppose you could say. Staring into that blue-glass water that jumped onshore and skated back into the Burntside Lake gave me a breath of relief. The dock is where I used to lay my stress away while tall jack pines rocked back and forth. The whole scene felt like love, and I could tell the little dock covered by friendly wilderness was made with love. I couldn’t help but sink my feet into the crisp waves, and the tense feeling of emotion that had drawn away seemed like the start of summer. Finally, some moments of whispered sound and quiet harmony had arrived. It was that moment when I shut my eyes, and I heard a harmonic song that distanced far from the water. I quickly reopened them and looked about to see a mother loon with a set of twins. She kept singing dulcetly across the lake and her cry resonated across the wilderness. I decided to do an old practice from when I was a youth and call out to the loon. An eerie call came from my lungs, and then I paused patiently to see if the mother would call back. Instead, one of the twins sang. I kept calling past the dock while the infant echoed like it was a conversation, and it was a pleasant talk we had. With the beginning of this new fellowship, I returned to Burntside Lake to that dock for delightful afternoons of peace. Almost every time, I would see a baby loon who would grow a bit with every visit. I could never determine if it was the same one, but I like to think it was. I had a lovely conversation every week with that precious loon. - Morgan Lassi

High School Writers’ Retreat In 2020 award-winning MN author Mary Casanova helped two Ely teachers start a writing retreat for girls in 9th-12th grades. Ten Ely girls spent five days at a Rainy Lake island resort writing and enjoying lake life, undistracted by apps. This summer 20 Ely girls will attend and 20 more northern MN girls will be in a second session. Girls can attend each summer until graduation with the goal being to make a positive and lasting impact on their lives. A second awardwinning author, Margi Preus, has joined too. For photos and more info or to donate visit atsokan.weebly.com

The Ely Summer Times

Maps of the Ely Area Moose Lake Snowbank 17 Lake

Cloquet Line

7 5 4

Rt 88

Shagawa Lake

Fernberg

Winton

Lake One Garden Lake

Ely

Farm Lake

White Iron Lake

Hwy 169

22 To Tower, Soudan, Virginia

Fall Lake

Echo Tr

Burntside Lake

South Kawishiwi

Hwy 1

Hwy 21

Bald Eagle Lake

15 14

Bear Island Lake

Hwy 1

Birch Lake Tomahawk Tr

Hwy 21 To 21 Embarrass

Babbitt

Adventure Seaplanes Airport Alder Inn Bass Lake Trail Bearhead State Park Bois Forte Heritage Ctr Camps du Nord & Widji Camp Northern Lights Camp Van Vac Camp Voyageur

Tomahawk Tr

22 12 13 2 22 22 1 24 23 10

To Isabella, Lake Superior

Embarrass Timber Hall Janisch Realty Kawishiwi Falls Koschak Farm Lake Vermilion State Pk Lamppa Manufacturing LaTourell’s Outfitters Longbranch Marjo Motel Nelimark Museum

21 22 6 4 22 22 17 5 22 21

To Isabella Lake

Little Free Libraries are for taking or donating books. Nordic Home North Outdoor Learning Center River Point Resort Soudan Mine State Park Timberjay Newspaper Tofte Lake Center Vermilion Trap Club Veterans on the Lake Voyageur Outward Bound White Wilderness

22 7 14 22 22 16 5 7 15 20

13336 Pine Rd • 1932 Pine Tree Tr • Veterans on the Lake • Winton Comm. Ctr

2022

Downtown Area Area map 1-29

88 95 94

82 83 84 85

Sheridan St.

76 77

96 Whiteside Park

81 Chapman St.

Harvey St. 90

97 Conan St.

School

Memorial Field

75 72 78 74 71 79

3rd Av E

Central Av.

3rd Av W

73 86

Camp St.

65 66 64 67

S V W The Art Corner8 Art & Soul Gallery Boathouse Brewpub T Boundary Waters Connect Brainstorm Bakery 3 Brandenburg Gallery Chapman Street Books Chapman St. Commons Children’s Garden City Hall/Police/Fire Ely Area Food Shelf Ely Bike & Kicksled Ely Comm Free Clinic Ely Comm Resource Ely Farmers Market Ely Field Ntr Resource Ctr Ely Folk School Ely Historic State Theater

60 94 68 63 89 67 78 72 93 81 60 65 90 90 96 71 84 86

Ely Public Library Ely Steak House Ely Steam Sauna Ely Surplus Store End of the Road Yoga Friends of the BWCAW Evergreen Cottage Friends of the BW Front Porch Coffee Co. Gracie’s Plant Works Healthy Families Chiropractic Insula Restaurant J&L Hardware & Rental Joe’s Marine Kekekabic Studios Marissa of the North Mealey’s Gift & Sauna Mike’s Liquor

80 73 91 65 70 70 77 70 88 61 75

82 76 62 76 94 66 95

Minnesota Canoe Museum Nancy Ensley, artist Northern Grounds The Pebble Spa Piragis Northwoods Co Post Office Potluck Kitchen Store Prairie Fire Tobacco Senior Center Sisu Yarn Shop Save the Boundary Waters Society Hall State Farm Insurance Steger Mukluks Sweet Fern Soap Washington Auditorium Wintergreen Women’s Wild Discovery

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84 94 63 85 64 98 79 78 99 62 75 63 74 68 64 97 83 94

Downtown map 60-99

Public Landing

Shagawa Lake

37 36

Pioneer Rd

Tr ai

Tre z

a on

Public Landing

Miners Lake

4 N

N 34

Hospital 31 & Clinic

Madison S

Conan St. School 32

12 Ave

10 Ave

Harvey St.

Whiteside

Chapman St.

8 Ave

Sheridan St. 1st E

Central Av

1st W

2nd W

3rd W 30

Main S

Washington St.

Camp St.

See Detailed Downtown Map on Page 78

Hwy 169 to Tower

Mine 35

6 Ave

Semers Park

r’s D

r St. Chandle W.Shagawa Rd.

White St. Pattison St.

James St. 33 Golf Course

Boundary St. Wilson St.

Beacon Hill Hwy 21 to Babbitt

Arrowhead Outdoors Children’s Garden Dorothy Molter Museum Ely-Bloomington Hosp./Clinic Ely Chamber of Commerce Ely Community Pharmacy Ely Golf Club House Ely Arts & Heritage Center Ely Ice Arena Ely Liquor Ely Nordic Ski & Bike

52 32 49 31 47 31 33 36 38 40 53

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Ely Recreation Center Ely-Winton History Museum Grand Ely Lodge Greenstone Art Hidden Valley Chalet International Wolf Center Memorial Field Miners Dry Building North American Bear Center Pillow Rock R&R Transfer

42 46 37 36 53 51 39 36 30 43 44

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Pioneer Rd

N 43

Hwy 88

Savoy Rd

St. 44 45

St.

17 Ave

N Vermilion Community College 46

Little Free Libraries are for taking or donating books.

50 41

Hwy 169 to Winton/Fernberg Trail 49

Kawishiwi Tri

Cemetery

Va l

Hwy 1 to Airport and North Shore

Hidden Valley Chalet & Recreation Area

Ely

S Recycling Center Spirit of the Wilderness Steger Mukluks Plant Studio North Fitness Center Trezona Trail US Customs US Forest Service Visitor Center VCC Theatre Veterinary Clinic Wolf Track Classic Zup’s Grocery

51 Hi

14 Ave

Sheridan St. 48 52

54 48 34 45 N 50 50 46 35 47 41