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Greetings!
The warm weather is here in spurts as Spring springs its way back into Door County! It's time for fun on the Peninsula!
Check out our warm-time videos on our site,
and take an extra trip to Door County this year - make it special - come up now in the quiet season - you will love it.
Here's your April issue of Navigator News(tm), our monthly publication, now in its third year already!
NEW: We continue this month with our new lead feature content, taking a look each month at a different Door County town, featured in our Door County Getaway town or village profiles. If you don't see your favorite town, just wait. We'll get to it some time in 2010. You'll continue to learn a lot more about Door County through the new Door County Getaway. Enjoy!
Through Navigator News(tm) you'll keep seeing unique things in Door County - so please tell your friends to subscribe too!
"Door County Happenings", our weekly podcasts talking about what's happening in Door County right now, continues to grow in popularity. So listen in and hear about openings, closings, new info and more! It's a cool and easy way to learn lots more about Door County. Let us know what you think.
All the Newsletters are "archived" and available anytime through our website, DoorCountyNavigator.com. So you can go and read all of our back-issues if you'd like!
- The April Giveaway is already running . . . have you entered yet? A wonderful 2-night stay in Sister Bay, at the great Inn at Little Sister Hill! Awesome place. And the February Winner is posted!
- "Social Media" is hot! You can now follow DoorCountyNavigator.com on Twitter! Yes! Look for DoorCountyInfo or click right here and follow our Twitter posts (they also feed to our BLOG). You can even have Twitter alerts delivered to your mobile phone - so when you are in Door County you might get some important info! Follow us on Twitter!
- And join our Door County fan page on Facebook!
- Visit our BLOG for special April Discounts only for DoorCountyNavigator.com users!
Visit Our Sponsors - Please!
And please visit our Sponsors' websites! They make the Navigator News(tm) possible! And they are some of the best places to stay in Door County - click on their pictures and see what they have to offer - you will like what you find! Thanks!
Dan Silvestri
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Door County Getaway: Ephraim
By Donna Marie Pocius
Special to DoorCountyNavigator.com
From historical attractions to cultural events and water sports, Ephraim has a way of enticing people to visit Door County. And then it brings them back again and again.
The Village of Ephraim sits on Eagle Harbor, and is renowned for its skyline-Green Bay waters in foreground, white buildings all over, church spires punctuating the hills beyond.
But there's more to do than just look at Ephraim. Here are some tips for enjoying the area.
What's to do? This is a convenient location to board a sailboat for a ride on Green Bay waters. Also, just enjoy the beach, which the village improved last year by bringing in new sand (to aid the drainage and run-off concerns). Beyond water sports, there are a lot of attractions to keep you on the ground here. Head south of the village hall to find the Ephraim Wetlands Preserve. Seven acres of wetlands have been preserved by the Village of Ephraim. There are two trails with man-made bridges, making it possible for you to hike about one-third of a mile through the area. Check out some of the 60 different types of wildflowers and don't miss seeing the Hine's emerald dragonfly on the Federal List of Endangered Species. Look for green eyes.
The annual Fyr Bal is a festival that welcomes summer while celebrating Norwegian heritage. Locals and visitors gather around the bonfires on the beach, which symbolically burn the winter witch. An arts and crafts festival, with food and drinks for sale, are also part of the weekend-long Fyr Bal, which takes place this year June 18 to 20.
What to buy: Many of the shops are near Eagle Harbor, so you have a view of the water as you walk around. Others are north of the Ephraim Village Hall and are definitely worth a drive. Near town are Hanseatic Art Gallery, 3060 Hwy. Q (Church St.). It presents art by Karsten Topelmann and Ellen Sprogo-Topelmann. They work in oils, watercolors and acrylics and the art depicts vast subject matter from Door County landscapes and flowers to still lifes and European scenes.
Next door is Celeste Wegman Interiors, a lovely shop for home furnishings, accessories and personal items such as handbags. On the upper level is a design studio, where fabric samples and more are available.
Head north on Hwy. 42 to find the Shops of Green Gable and more galleries including the Rustic Fish Gallery. Erik Rinkleff sells his hand-carved Santas and other characters. His wife, Mary Ann Rinkleff, shows her line of greeting cards with inspirational quotes and her photography. Fine Line Designs Gallery, 10376 Water St. (Hwy. 42) is also a destination for viewing and purchasing art. The paintings by Sister Bay-based artist Pamela Murphy highlight the vast collection.
Where to eat: Eat at Wilson's Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlor-especially during your first visit to Ephraim. The restaurant, established in 1906, overlooks the water, has a wide porch for outdoor dining and an old-time soda fountain. They make the root beer here, and ice-cream is made in Wisconsin. Flam-broiled burgers and much more are on the menu. Another place to try is Second Story Restaurant at Ephraim Shores. You don't have to stay at that hotel to enjoy the restaurant and the water view from the upper level.
Historical highlights: The historic Iverson House on Cedar St. is an 1853 log and frame Moravian parsonage-the oldest frame house in Door County, according to the Door County Historical Society. Guided tours are available. Two old schoolhouses are also open to the public including the Pioneer Schoolhouse, 9998 Moravia St., built in 1880 at a cost of $658. The 1858 Anderson Dock and Warehouse (transformed into the Francis Hardy Center for the Arts) and the Anderson Gas Station (circa 1915) are other attractions. Find out more about historical sites and tours, by contacting the Ephraim Historical Foundation, 920/854-9688.
Where to stay: Relish the choices. If you want a view, try the Bay Breeze Resort or Pine Grove Resort. The Lodgings at Pioneer Lane gets you up close to shopping and restaurants. Stay at a charming B&B: The Ephraim Inn. And there are lots more choices from cabins and cottages to resorts and more. Read about these places and many others at www.DoorCountyNavigator.com, of course.
To learn more: Ephraim Visitor Center, 10049 Water St. (Hwy. 42), 920-854-4989., www.ephraim-doorcounty.com |
Groovin' Sisters in Sturgeon Bay
By Donna Marie Pocius
Special to DoorCountyNavigator.com
An April event, billed "Groovin' Sisterhood Weekend" will offer women a variety of seminars, entertainment and opportunities for rejuvenation, according to the Sturgeon Bay Visitor Center, the organizer.
Lodging partners for the April 23 to 25 event are Bridgeport Resort and Stone Harbor Resort in Sturgeon Bay. The activities begin Friday, April 23, with a sunset cocktail cruise of the Sturgeon Bay waterfront on the Harbor Lady. Later, nationally known television and stand-up comedian Sonya White and "gal pals," will offer the audience laugh therapy at the Stone Harbor ballroom.
On Saturday, April 24, various Sturgeon Bay businesses present educational sessions (some free and others have a nominal charge). Free offerings include "skin care at its best" at 9 a.m. and "all about eyes" at 10:15 a.m., both at Younkers.
Other free choices include "iced cookie decorating" 10:15 a.m. Saturday at Inn at Cedar Crossing and a "makin' glass demonstration" 10:15 a.m. Saturday at Popelka Trenchard Glass Studio.
More getaway sessions are offered Sunday, and the event closes at 1 p.m. with a B&B tour on the Door County Trolley.
The Groovin' Sisterhood Weekend costs $55 per person, which includes a tote bag, coupon book, Friday and Saturday evening entertainment, some classes and seminars and trolley rides. More information is online at sturgeonbay.net or by calling 800-301-6695. |
A Special Place: Red Door Gallery
By Donna Marie Pocius Special to DoorCountyNavigator.com
What's it about: Red Door Gallery presents original art by Lyle Lamont, who moved his gallery last year from an area near the Ephraim Village Hall to a two-story coach style building (garage below and his studio and gallery above).
Lamont creates landscapes of Door County in oil as well as pen and ink drawings of a variety of subjects. His landscapes include iconic Door County sites like Cave Point. But most of them depict hidden gems, such as a harvesting maple syrup scene, a creek or a scene from an inland road. "I tend to focus on the quieter spots in Door County. I love doing inland pictures as well as coastal pictures, but generally the quieter places, where you find yourself alone on a country road," he said.
He also enjoys capturing street scenes, buildings and more of the Cotswolds, a vast area in west-central England, where Lamont and his wife, Nancy, often visit.
Why it's special: The Red Door Gallery is worth a visit, because you get an opportunity to see the art up-close. The paintings are lovely and created by an artist who uses loose, bold and spontaneous strokes to capture the backgrounds and contrasting detail to emphasize focal points. You may also see the artist painting. It's a working gallery and studio, so he'll most likely have a painting in process. And he encourages people to ask questions.
"They are more than welcome to join me while I work. I love to give tips, and it is fun. I meet a lot of people who are artists or budding artists. And I know how valuable it is to get tips," Lamont said.
He also has giclee prints of many of his more popular paintings for sale. So the prices of art at Red Door Gallery suit a wide variety of budgets.
Quick facts: Red Door Gallery, 3050 Cedar St., Ephraim, 920-854-9812. And please tell them that DoorCountyNavigator.com sent you!
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