About Bayfield County, WI

As part of the ongoing "Bayfield in Bloom" celebration, this weekend brings art gallery openings, orchard tours and more springtime shop openings.

Bayfield County Garden & Orchard tours begin at 10 a.m. and run until 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 24. Participants may pick up an orchard map at the Bayfield Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center, located at 42 S. Broad street. The map is also available online at http://www.bayfield.org

Erickson's Orchard Store opens this weekend as well. The Erickson Orchard Country Store will be open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., with a special twenty per cent discount (minimum $20 purchase).

Discounts will also be available this weekend at Eckel's Pottery Gallery and the Austin Miller Studio & Gallery, on the outskirts of town. And Donalee Designs will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

Remember, the annual "Free Ferry Passenger Day" (vehicles excluded from free passage offer) offered by the Madeline Island Ferry Line is coming soon! This year's "Free Passenger Day" is scheduled for Sunday, June 8..don't miss it!

This was pretty cool.

I was "beachcombing" near the Port Wing Marina in northwestern Wisconsin a couple weeks ago. I'm like a kid when I'm walking the beach up here. There's the usual assortment of nature's unique driftwood sculptures, twisted by the blustery winds of Lake Superior and polished by waves. There are flat sandstone slabs, agates and miscellaneous rocks shaped by the action of sand and water.

But what caught my eye was the gleaming edge of a piece of rock embedded in the sand.

I knew it was metallic by its weight and density. And it was clear from the glint of metal in one corner of the rock that there was some sort of ore present.

I took it home, cleaned it up with a little vinegar and showed it to a friend, who informed me that it was a piece of basalt containing a sizeable quantity of native copper.

Lake Superior is a mineral-rich region. For decades, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan was the source of a significant percentage of the copper mined in North America. In addition to copper and iron ore, silver and gold have been found along the shores of Lake Superior.

My mentor in the real estate business, R. E. Waide, once showed me a large chunk of native copper he found on a beach on Madeline Island. It weighed several pounds and was mostly copper, slightly larger than a tennis ball. He wound up donating it to the Madeline Island Historical Museum.

I'm keeping this one for my own collection.

A second home is an affordable luxury.

Discover why a vacation retreat on Lake Superior is the ultimate indulgence!

Contact Broker Eric Kodner today at 612.670.2539.

Eric Kodner is a luxury property specialist and real estate educator with a unique perspective on the Madeline Island real estate market. Madeline Island Realty is a member of the LuxuryRealEstate.com luxury properties network.

© Copyright 2007-2008 Eric Kodner & Madeline Island Realty

The sixth annual "Bayfield in Bloom" celebration is on its way!

From May 16 through June 15, Bayfield will be alive with springtime events and activities. The event kicks off with an on-location broadcast of "Garden Talk" at the Bayfield Lakeside Pavillion, with Wisconsin Public Radio personality Larry Meiller. Garden Talk features an "Ask the Experts" segment and audience members are invited to participate as part of the studio audience.

Other special events during the month-long celebration will include

Chequamegon Bay Birding and Nature Festival, May 16-18

Twenty-seventh annual 10K "Apple Blossom Run", May 17

Bayfield County Orchard Tours, May 24

Bayfield "Bloomin' Yard Sale" and city-wide Garden Tour, June 7

Madeline Island Ferry Line "Free Passenger Day", June 8

"Blessing of the Fleet" at Bayfield City Harbor, June 15

This year's Bayfield in Bloom celebration is sponsored by the Bayfield Chamber of Commerce, with participation and cooperation of area businesses, including several on Madeline Island.

A second home is an affordable luxury.

Discover why a vacation retreat on Lake Superior is the ultimate indulgence!

Contact Broker Eric Kodner today at 612.670.2539.

Eric Kodner is a luxury property specialist and real estate educator with a unique perspective on the Madeline Island real estate market. Madeline Island Realty is a member of the LuxuryRealEstate.com luxury properties network.

© Copyright 2007-2008 Eric Kodner & Madeline Island Realty

On May 17, the Big Top Chautauqua 2008 Gala Fundraiser will take place at the Ashland AmericInn. The Gala features a "Vintage Railroad Dinner", with entertainment by Warren Nelson and the Blue Canvas Orchestra.

The theme of this year's Gala will be the railroad era of the late 1800s and 1900s. There will be a "Whistle Stop" prize drawing, with one hundred prizes already donated.

Tickets to the Gala may be purchased online at the Big Top Chautauqua website.

Only 51 days left until the Big Top opens its 2008 season!

Summer show ticket booklet saves you $20!

Four tickets for $40 Now Available Online at the Big Top Website

The list of performers scheduled at Big Top Chautauqua this summer has been released!

Bobby Vee, Arlo Guthrie, Garrison Keillor, Bela Fleck, The New Christy Minstrels and Three Dog Night are just a few of the headline acts to appear at the Big Top June 13 through September 6.

Also appearing this summer at Big Top on Lake Superior:

Martin Sexton

Luxcinda Williams

Abigail Washburn (With Bela Fleck & the New Sparrow Quartet)

Mason Jennings

Corey Carlson

Adaawe

Trampled by Turtles

The BoDeans

Cowboy Junkies

Keb' Mo'

John Hiatt & the Ageless Beauties

Warren Nelson & Friends

Iris Dement

Gaelic Storm

Greg Brown

Capitol Steps

Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy

The Wailin' Jennys

Check out the complete season schedule and ticket information at the Big Top Chautauqua website.