A Portrait of What Door County Used to Be
And the story of how the best marketing device Door County ever came up with, Peninsula State Park, came to be
By Myles dannhausen jr.

“Let the State of Wisconsin give to its children this vast playground, where the old, and tired, and worn may grow young in spirit and rested in body, nursed by the purity of Nature’s medicine, and where the young may romp and their bodies grow strong among the wonders of scenic beauty.”
– Assemblyman Thomas Reynolds addressing the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1909

William Tishler never had it so good.

The Baileys Harbor native spent the summers of 1956 and 1957 living at Nicolet Bay and collecting camping fees for Peninsula State Park, where visitors would see him patrolling the grounds and pull him from his duties to offer a cup of coffee or a plate of eggs. (more)

“Handshake and Trust”
Washington Island and the Cultivation of Island Wheat Beer
By Melissa Ripp

“People love the story of the beer,” Kirby Nelson says simply. “They love the fact that the ingredients are close to home, and that it’s made by a Wisconsin brewery.”

For people who are in love with the way Door County “used to be,” it certainly doesn’t get better than Washington Island. The island, located six miles off the tip of the Door County peninsula, is a scenic gem, with beautiful public beaches, pastoral landscapes, and lovingly preserved historic structures. The most unexpected beauty might lie in the many breathtaking rural spaces on the island. Lush and expansive farm fields line the major roads, standing as a testament to the island’s rural and agricultural history. (more)

You Have to Find the Right Insect - Dr. Guy L. Bush
By Jessica Sauter

“You have to find the right insect to study, to take you to the right places.” This is what Dr. Guy Louis Bush always told his entomology and evolutionary biology students at the beginning of the semester.

Dr. Bush is speaking from experience, as his study of the apple maggot fly, Rhagoletis pomonella, has taken him all over the world, including Door County. (more)

The Peninsula’s Golden Buzz - Gathering honey in Door County
By Lauren Bremer

Ray Bradbury once asserted that all bees have a smell. And if they don’t, they should for, “their feet are dusted with spices from a million flowers.”

I roll this thought around in my head in slow motion, as I listen to the low hum of thousands of bees circling the three of us. We are not intruding on their business, not causing any hiccups in the process; we are merely observers, witnessing with awe, one of nature’s tiniest and most efficient factories: the bee hive. (more)

Music Man Charlie Eckhardt is Leading the Parade
By Patricia Podgers

Like Professor Harold Hill in The Music Man, Gibraltar Schools’ music teacher Charlie Eckhardt is leading the parade…and his students are keeping step. Since first walking through the Gibraltar Schools’ music room in 2000, Eckhardt has won the hearts of teachers, students, and parents. With an infectious enthusiasm that radiates through his students, Eckhardt’s influence is clearly evident.

Since assuming the position of music teacher and band director seven years ago, the program has grown from 33 students to 78 in 2007. “Teaching band to 6th through 12th graders is a demanding responsibility,” said Gibraltar Secondary School principal Kirk Knutson. (more)

Gratitude is Attitude -
Uncle Tom’s
By Jacinda Duffin

It’s not unusual for the soul searcher to pull up roots and start a new life in a new place. A man compelled to search for peace and quiet might pack his things, travel as far north as possible, turn right at the farmer’s field onto a quiet, seldom traveled road, and hole up in an old schoolhouse where local farmers store their potatoes.

On the way to nowhere. A rural refuge. And after this soul searcher convinces his wife that this would be the perfect place to live and love, (“Looks more like the perfect place for a murder,” this soul searcher’s wife was overheard saying), he might start a small, quiet business – a little something to pay the bills. Soon after, almost against his will, he just might become a local celebrity. Maybe it’s destiny. Or, put more simply: wherever you find yourself, there you are. (more)

On The Road Again -
Road biking in Door County
By Sam Perlman

Road biking has enjoyed a major resurgence in recent years with the phenomenal success of American bike racer Lance Armstrong and his unprecedented seven consecutive victories in the Tour de France, the premier road biking event in the world. The secondary and tertiary backcountry roads in Door County offer fantastic opportunities for those who want to fulfill their desire to be the next Greg LeMond (the first American to win Le Tour) or Lance Armstrong. (more)