Little Sturgeon’s Robert Carmody Park and New Franken’s Bay Shore Park are being suggested as alternative boat launch sites once Chaudoir’s Dock closes for dredging operations next month.

The Door County Parks Department announced Wednesday that dredging operations will begin July 13.

This is the second phase of a dredging project with a price tag of more than $551,000. The project is being funded through a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and county boat launch fees. The county completed the first phase of the project last spring.

During the dredging process, a turbidity barrier will remain in place at all times to protect water quality.

The county dock and boat launch will be closed for six to eight weeks because of the confined nature of the harbor and the presence of dredging equipment. Parking also will be restricted because dump trucks will be needed to remove dredged material from the area.

Door County Parks Director Wayne Spritka said earlier this month during the ribbon-cutting ceremony at Sugar Creek County Park that boat launches such as Chaudoir’s Dock are typically dredged on a 10-year cycle. He added that the county will take advantage of the closure to complete other projects at the popular park.

According to the county website, the outer entrance to the harbor was dredged in 2001, again in 2005 during bin wall repairs caused by ice damage, and once more in 2014 because of low water levels.

Picture courtesy of Door County

Even with relief at the gas pump, many of your neighbors are still struggling to put food on the table.

According to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Marketbasket Survey, the total cost of 12 food items needed to host a summer cookout for 10 people was $75.50, an increase of 7.5% from last year's state average and the highest total since the survey began in 2013.

Increases of more than 20% for items such as ground beef, strawberries and vanilla ice cream are the primary drivers of the higher cost. Many other grocery items also are becoming more expensive, sending more people to their local food pantries to help make ends meet.

Sandi Soik of the Lakeshore Community Action Program Food Pantry says the pantry is ahead of last year's pace, when it served more than 6,300 people. With everything costing more, Soik says many families are looking for any way possible to keep the lights on and food on the table.

Soik says donations also are down so far this year. In addition, the pantry is receiving 75% less food from the U.S. Department of Agriculture because of budget cuts.

You can support Lakeshore CAP by dropping off food donations, making a financial contribution or participating in this weekend's Sunny Slope 5K in Egg Harbor. Click the link above for more information about the event.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the citizen group Potawatomi Advocates for Trees, Conservation and Heritage will be back in court next month as the legal battle over a road construction project resumes.

Door County Circuit Judge Jennifer Moeller signed an order Tuesday temporarily blocking additional tree-cutting inside Potawatomi State Park after announcing the injunction during a June 19 hearing.

The lawsuit was filed about a week after PATCH announced it was suing the DNR and DNR Secretary Karen Hyun over a road construction project that resulted in hundreds of trees being cut down to widen Shoreline Road and South Norway Road by up to 10 feet for new bike lanes.

Speaking shortly after the lawsuit was filed, PATCH Executive Director Dave Allen argued the project violates the park's 2018 master plan, which states that road projects should maintain the park's current level of development. He said the work completed this spring exceeded those guidelines and expressed hope the lawsuit would protect other parts of the park from similar projects.

Attorney Gabe Johnson-Karp told the court paving work could continue because the trees within the affected area had already been removed.

The next hearing is scheduled for July 14 at 1 p.m. Meanwhile, PATCH plans to hold a public meeting July 2 at 4 p.m. at the Door County Granary to present its case. The group's attorney, Brian Potts, is expected to attend.

While most Americans will honor the United States' 250th birthday with fireworks, sparklers and festivals, others, like Sturgeon Bay's Meredith Renard, will use it as a time to remember.

Renard is among the more than 100 active members of the Jean Nicolet Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. It took Renard nearly 10 years to discover that two of her sixth-great-grandfathers were patriots during the American Revolution, helping pave the way for the country we know today.

She is now among nearly 190,000 active members spread across approximately 3,000 local chapters worldwide. Her own journey discovering her connection to the American Revolution inspired her to help others find their connection to the nation's founding.

Renard said people are drawn to their families' patriotic backgrounds and to learning how their ancestors came to Wisconsin to start new lives.

The chapter has adopted Bayside Cemetery in Sturgeon Bay, caring for gravesites that include those of four daughters of American Revolution patriots.

As the lineage research chair and volunteer genealogist chair for the Jean Nicolet Chapter, Renard said she loves helping others discover their stories so they can pass them down through generations.

The DAR is active in several initiatives throughout the area, but even more so this year as part of the America 250 celebration. Renard has toured the area giving presentations that tell the stories of patriots and inspire others to dig deeper into their own family lineage.

There is still time to catch the summer reading bug in Door County.

The United Way of Door County and the Door County Bookmobile are doing their part to make that happen through their Love of Reading events across the peninsula. The organizations kicked off their efforts Tuesday with stops at the Door County Library branches in Forestville and Sturgeon Bay.

Not only could children from birth to age 5 receive a free book, they could also sign up for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to receive books during the other 11 months of the year and learn more about the bookmobile.

Shaun Tauber and Jessie McCains shared stories of the program and the impact it can have on the youth in Door County.

If you missed Tuesday's stops, don't worry. The United Way and the Door County Bookmobile will visit the Door County Library branches in Sister Bay from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., Baileys Harbor from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. and Egg Harbor from 1:45 to 2:45 p.m. Wednesday. They will also stop at the Door County YMCA in Sturgeon Bay on Thursday during the summer lunch program from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

You can step back in time while seeing something new at Eagle Bluff Lighthouse on Friday.

The Door County Historical Society has spent the past two years returning the Peninsula State Park attraction to its former glory. In addition to rehabilitation work inside the lighthouse, which dates to 1868, the reimagining of the site included restoring the oil house and privy and reconstructing the summer kitchen and barn.

Executive Director Amy Frank hopes that visitors for generations to come will experience what it was like to be Keeper William Duclon, who, along with his wife, Julia, and their seven sons, called the lighthouse home from 1883 to 1918.

The Door County Historical Society raised more than $3 million to bring Duclon's story back to life, and Frank says it took a lot of people to make it a reality.

You can see the new buildings and improvements for yourself when the Door County Historical Society hosts its grand reopening celebration Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

In addition to a formal presentation at 11 a.m., there will be historic food preservation and cooking demonstrations, as well as a petting zoo. Admission is free with a state park vehicle admission sticker, but RSVPs are encouraged.

Picture courtesy of Jonah Frank and the Door County Historical Society

The Door County Economic Development Corp. is happy with the gains it has made over the past seven years, but Executive Director Michelle Lawrie wants to ensure the organization stays on track moving forward.

In its 2019 housing study, the DCEDC found that the county was hundreds, if not thousands, of housing units short of what was needed for the community, especially in terms of affordable and workforce housing. Due to the pandemic, Lawrie said the area saw a net gain in migration, and the study served as a catalyst for communities to find ways to bring more housing to the area.

With the 2026 edition of the housing study, Lawrie said she wants to talk with employers and community leaders to see how far they have come and what still needs to happen to meet their needs moving forward.

She added that people's desire to move to Door County has helped efforts to increase housing options in the area, but infrastructure needs such as sewer, water and broadband service continue to be hurdles in some communities.

The DCEDC hopes to begin preliminary work in the coming weeks on the approximately six-month study, with plans to release its findings early next year. The city of Sturgeon Bay recently became the latest community to support the endeavor. Lawrie added that she is working to get more municipalities and school districts on board to help fund the study.

While bad weather or a rogue seagull could spoil your family’s day at the beach, some potential dangers are harder to see.

The Door County Public Health Department works with UW-Oshkosh to test water at Door County’s public beaches. Testing takes place one to four days a week, depending on a beach’s popularity.

Beach closures and advisories are primarily issued because of elevated bacteria levels, including E. coli, harmful algal blooms and other water quality concerns. The testing regimen resulted in 80 beach advisories and more than 40 closures in 2025.

Helping communicate the possible dangers lurking in the water are digital signs at 10 Door County beaches. Door County Public Health Strategist Shauna Blackledge says the signs allow staff to update a beach’s status in real time rather than wait for test results and for someone to return to the beach to make the change.

If you are planning a trip to the beach, you also can log on to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website to check its current status. As of Wednesday, no beach advisories or closures had been issued for Door County.

A few weeks ago, local law enforcement coordinated with our state law enforcement partners for what is known as High Visibility Enforcement. This is a statewide initiative supported by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation based on traffic citation and motor vehicle crash data.

During this enforcement effort, we focused our resources on educating our community about safe driving practices and vehicle equipment laws. We also utilized K-9 units from our partner agencies to detect and deter drug trafficking and drug abuse within Kewaunee County.

This operation resulted in 70 traffic stops, during which K-9s were deployed on 19 occasions. Those stops resulted in citations for the following violations:

• Operating without a valid license
• Operating while suspended
• Speeding
• Failure to provide proof of insurance
• Failure to fasten a seat belt
• Possession of open intoxicants
• Failure to register a motor vehicle
• Passing in a no-passing zone
• Possession of THC
• Possession of drug paraphernalia

In addition, those contacts resulted in 11 criminal charges or arrests for the following offenses:

• Possession of methamphetamine
• Possession of drug paraphernalia
• Operating while intoxicated (alcohol)
• Operating while intoxicated (drugs)
• Resisting or obstructing an officer
• Operating without a valid license
• Operating while revoked

Although the violations listed above are ones we deal with on a daily basis, our ability to focus on traffic enforcement and related criminal violations is limited by our day-to-day staffing levels. These enforcement events are intended to increase awareness of traffic laws and improve compliance with the laws designed to keep our community safe.

For those who were negatively impacted by our enforcement efforts because of the choices they made, we hope this serves as motivation for positive change. To everyone else, thank you for making good decisions and helping keep our roads safe.

The Miller Art Museum's Dome House has a new resident.

The Sturgeon Bay art museum announced Friday that Juan Carlos Rodríguez Rivera has been selected as its 2026 Dome House Al & Mickey Quinlan Artist in Residence.

The Detroit-based artist will spend the summer at the Sturgeon Bay retreat creating artwork while developing a public program and presentation based on his work.

According to the Miller Art Museum, Rodríguez Rivera uses nature not only as his inspiration but also as his medium. He plans to use pigments extracted from locally sourced flowers and plant materials gathered from the grounds of the Dome House and throughout Door County. His work will also incorporate handmade paper and bioplastics made from Lake Michigan water.

"The Dome House residency provides a rare opportunity to test how locally specific ecologies — like freshwater and humidity — will shape material outcomes, and to explore large-scale production within a truly unique environment," Rodríguez Rivera said. "I'm especially interested in how this work will expand my understanding of temporality, ecological engagement, and the material potential of pigment and bioplastic systems."

Rodríguez Rivera's interest in landscape and ecology made him an ideal choice for the next chapter of the Miller Art Museum's Dome House Al & Mickey Quinlan Artist in Residence program, according to Miller Art Museum Executive Director Elizabeth Meissner-Gigstead.

"His interest in how landscape and ecology shape the making process aligns beautifully with the spirit of the Dome House, and we're excited to see how Door County's waters, light, and seasons leave their mark on his work," Meissner-Gigstead said.

The museum will announce dates for Rodríguez Rivera's residency and public programs in the coming weeks. All events will be free and open to the public.

It is not easy to go from a nursing home in France to a writers' room in California to a detective's office in Boston in the span of nearly three months, but not all places are Third Avenue PlayWorks.

Rehearsals have begun for TAP's next production, Red Herring. The comedy follows a female detective in Boston as she tries to solve a murder while navigating her relationship with an FBI agent during the Cold War.

With weeks between the closing of Moonlight and Magnolias and the opening of Red Herring, the costume and set designers are hard at work creating the perfect looks and scenery to help bring the story to life on stage.

Artistic Director Jacob Janssen said TAP is fortunate to have a team with a keen attention to detail when it comes to creating the setting for each production.

Audiences will be able to see how the costume and set design team captures 1950s Boston when Red Herring opens July 15. You can hear more about the show and the stories behind its production by clicking the link below.

Picture courtesy of Third Avenue PlayWorks

Door County Emergency Management Director Jeb Saelens hopes you see the county’s new safety barriers at events throughout the peninsula this summer and that you feel safer because of them.

After borrowing the Sturgeon Bay Police Department’s set of safety barriers for select events, including Sister Bay Fall Fest, last year, Door County Emergency Management debuted its own barriers at last weekend’s Ephraim Fyr Bal.

The mobile safety barriers are designed to protect festival attendees by preventing unauthorized vehicles from entering gathering areas.

The purchase of the safety barriers was made possible in part by a grant from Destination Door County’s Community Investment Fund, which has turned room tax dollars into more than $3.7 million in support of 66 projects throughout the peninsula.

Saelens said he had been looking into adding mobile safety barriers ever since he took the job with Door County, and he is happy to see them being deployed.

He hopes more local municipalities, event organizers, law enforcement agencies, fire departments and community partners reach out to his department to identify opportunities to strengthen event safety and preparedness.

Supporters of the Boys and Girls Club of Door County sampled bourbon flights and barbecue in the name of charity at Sister Bay’s Northern Haus on Thursday evening.

Blues, Brews, Bourbon & BBQ is one of the organization’s signature summer events, allowing community members to enjoy a summer evening while enjoying food and drinks, participating in raffles and silent auctions, and hearing inspiring stories from the Boys and Girls Club of Door County. The event raised thousands of dollars for the organization, including more than $11,000 during the live auction alone.

The organization is currently hosting more than 180 members through Camp LeVoy, a 10-week summer program that gives participants the opportunity to explore local museums, take field trips to area businesses and participate in other activities.

Boys and Girls Club of the Bay and Lakes Region CEO Johanna Wicklund said Thursday’s event is one of the organization’s two major summer fundraisers supporting its mission of serving area youth.

Earlier this year, the organization was represented by Elian N. and Izzy H. at the regional Youth of the Year competition, where they showcased the leadership, resilience and personal growth they have developed through their experiences at the Boys and Girls Club of Door County while connecting the dots between music and leadership.

As a record crowd of visitors and residents said goodbye to the Winter Witch last Saturday, they also welcomed the new Ephraim Fyr Bal chieftain.

Third-generation Ephraim resident B.D. Thorp was bestowed the honor at this year's Fyr Bal, the village's take on a traditional Scandinavian midsummer festival.

Thorp was recognized for his efforts to preserve Ephraim's historic character, most recently by painting over graffiti on the Anderson Dock building. Over the years, he also has served on multiple municipal committees and volunteered with Ephraim Moravian Church.

As chieftain, Thorp was escorted across Eagle Harbor before lighting the Fyr Bal bonfire along the village shoreline.

The ceremony was just part of a day full of activities, including a visit from the Door County Bookmobile, food-eating contests, Scandinavian dancers and fireworks.

The 62nd Ephraim Fyr Bal will take place June 19, 2027.

Picture courtesy of Ephraim Business Council

If your student enjoys what they hear at Birch Creek Music Performance Center, imagine if they were the ones who wrote it.

Birch Creek officials are developing a new music composition program that would take place during the Percussion, Steel Pan and World Music Summer Academy. Many of the pieces performed during the academy are original compositions written months before students step onto the organization's Egg Harbor campus. In addition to refining their percussion skills, students would also have the opportunity to learn how to compose the music they perform.

Percussion faculty member Peter Naughton is excited about the possibility of offering the program to future students.

This is the final weekend of the Percussion, Steel Pan and World Music Summer Academy, with performances scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

You can hear more from Naughton about the proposed composition program and this year's Percussion, Steel Pan and World Music Summer Academy by clicking this link.

Kewaunee County Sheriff's Deputy Brent Reimer continues to receive praise for his lifesaving actions last fall, this time from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.

U.S. Rep. Tony Wied recognized Reimer during remarks he delivered in the U.S. Capitol earlier this month. The recognition comes after Reimer received the Wisconsin Professional Police Association's 2026 Certificate of Merit at its annual conference in April, as well as the Kewaunee County Sheriff's Department's Life Saving Award and Sheriff's Commendation Award. He received the honors for using an airway suction device to save a person who was choking in November.

Wied noted it was Reimer who researched the lifesaving device that is now carried by patrol officers and used in schools and nursing homes.

A 2011 Kewaunee High School graduate, Reimer joined the Kewaunee County Sheriff's Department in 2017. According to the National Safety Council, approximately 5,500 people die from choking each year, making it the fourth-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death in the United States.

A pair of 20-year-old brothers from La Crosse were injured in a moped crash in the town of Liberty Grove.

The accident occurred Monday shortly after 2 p.m. on State Highway 42 near Europe Bay. One of the brothers lost his hat while riding behind the other and attempted to retrieve it from the roadway before crashing his moped. The lead brother also crashed his moped while looking back at his brother after he went down.

The brother who crashed first suffered injuries to his face and legs and was transported to Door County Medical Center for further treatment. According to the accident report, he was treated and later released from the hospital.

The other brother suffered minor abrasions in the crash but declined additional treatment from paramedics. He later traveled by ambulance to the hospital to support his brother.

Both men were cited for failing to register their mopeds and were warned for not having insurance.

The crash closed one lane of traffic for approximately 20 minutes while the mopeds were removed and the scene was cleared.

Another slow week in the fields did not hinder crop progress for Wisconsin farmers.

According to the USDA Crop Progress and Condition Report, Wisconsin had 4.3 days suitable for fieldwork last week, with rains in the northern part of the state limiting activity for several days.

The extra precipitation is not going to waste, with corn and soybeans still emerging in some parts of the state and the second crop of alfalfa continuing to develop.

Corn emergence reached 97%, and soybean emergence was at 95%, both two to three percentage points ahead of the five-year average. Crop conditions remained strong, with about 80% rated good to excellent, up 1 percentage point from the previous week.

Oats are 51% headed, and winter wheat is 92% headed, both a few percentage points ahead of the five-year average.

Many farmers are using the time to complete their second cutting of alfalfa, which is about 11% complete. The first cutting is about 93% complete.

The Door County YMCA has thousands of members across the peninsula, and it needs your help to continue providing services to the community.

On this week's Y-Wednesday Podcast, Communications and Outreach Executive Amy Gamble highlighted several job opportunities available at the YMCA's branches in Sturgeon Bay and Fish Creek. In addition to program instructors, summer camp counselors and lifeguards, the Door County YMCA is seeking an aquatics director and a gymnastics coordinator in Sturgeon Bay.

Gamble also highlighted volunteer opportunities available through next month's Door County Triathlon. Volunteers would help keep intersections along the course safe for the hundreds of participants who swim, bike and run throughout Door County, while also helping the Door County YMCA raise funds for its annual campaign.

A second Patriot Racing Team vessel is calling Sturgeon Bay home this summer.

The Door County Maritime Museum announced the arrival of the Stjarna on Monday, joining the Utopia for its summer residency. The vessel was donated to the Patriot Racing Project in 2023 and restored soon afterward after being sailed for decades by veterans following the Vietnam War.

It is the flagship of the Patriot Racing Project, a veteran peer-support charity that brings veterans together as a team through sailing and hands-on craftsmanship. The vessel returned to Door County during last year's Tall Ships Festival hosted by Destination Door County.

After the arrival of the Utopia earlier this month, Door County Maritime Museum President and CEO Kevin Osgood expressed his excitement about having the ships serve as a way to connect with local veterans.

While plans include deck tours, the Utopia and Stjarna will come and go as they fulfill the organization's mission, in addition to offering charter and sailaway opportunities to help raise funds for the program.

Picture from Door County Maritime Museum

After being closed for part of Monday evening's commute, the Bayview Bridge is safe to use, according to Door County Highway Commissioner Thad Ash.

Law enforcement blocked traffic on State Highway 42/57 at approximately 4 p.m. Monday after a sensor failed on the Bayview Bridge. Ash said the bridge uses a sensor when the two draw spans close that locks them in place and raises the gate to allow traffic to proceed.

When the sensor failed, the bridge gates would not move, bringing traffic to a halt and forcing motorists to use Sturgeon Bay's downtown bridges to cross the bay. Ash said the bridge tender confirmed the locks were engaged before overriding the system to ease the bottleneck created by the closure.

Most of the necessary repairs are expected to be completed by the end of Tuesday, but Ash said the bridge is safe for travel.

The Bayview Bridge received an aerial drone inspection April 27, along with concrete patching on the deck as part of its annual spring maintenance.

For the past 10 years, Open Door Pride has been more than a daylong event at Sturgeon Bay's Martin Park. It has become a larger movement promoting inclusivity throughout the community.

The annual Open Door Pride Festival returns to the east-side park Saturday, serving as a crescendo to Pride Month activities across the state, including Northern Door Pride in Sister Bay on June 16. Over the past decade, Open Door Pride has expanded beyond its annual festival, including a weekly presence at the Sturgeon Bay Farmers Market and the monthslong "What's My Pride?" art installation at a local gallery.

Founder Cathy Grier said the event does not try to be more than a local celebration, and she is proud of the impact its message of inclusivity has had on the community, the LGBTQ+ population and beyond.

Featuring live music, food vendors, community resources and more, Open Door Pride Fest will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Martin Park.

You can enjoy theater in a garden setting this month as Peninsula Players Theatre welcomes audiences to its production of "Baggage."

Written by Sam Bobrick and starring Aja Alcazar, Sean Blake, Christopher Sheard and Bri Sudia, "Baggage" tells the story of two single people coming off disappointing relationships who are brought together after their luggage is mixed up at an airport.

It is a fitting start to Peninsula Players' 91st season, during which much of the cast and crew reside on the Fish Creek campus as one production follows another. While many of them, including Alcazar and Blake, are familiar with the Door County summer lifestyle, it is the first time in the area for Sheard and Sudia.

Peninsula Players Theatre Marketing Director Peter Kelly said all four are well-established actors, but there is something unique and special about performing in Door County and its atmosphere.

Directed by Linda Fortunato, "Baggage" runs through July 5 before Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap" takes the Peninsula Players Theatre stage July 8.

A 64-year-old Hermitage, Tenn., man was taken to Door County Medical Center on Sunday morning, after he was struck while riding his motorcycle.

The crash occurred on State Highway 42/57 near County Road MM just before 8:30 a.m. The motorcyclist was traveling southbound when a 60-year-old Sturgeon Bay man pulled out in front of him. The motorcyclist was unable to stop in time and crashed into the side of the vehicle.

The motorcycle was towed due to disabling damage, and the Tennessee man was transported to the hospital for additional treatment.

No citations were issued as part of the incident.

El-Na Farms co-owner Barry Fenendael says attendees can thank his late mother, Nancy, for two years in a row of beautiful Father’s Day weather at the Kewaunee County Breakfast on the Farm on Sunday.

Thousands filed through the food lines before exploring the rest of the operation through farm tours, a petting zoo, children’s activities and drone demonstrations as part of the annual event. While the first scoops of eggs and ice cream were not served until 8 a.m., well over 100 people made their way to Sunday Mass, with St. Mary’s and Holy Trinity Catholic Church Pastor Daniel Schuster presiding and the Sugar Bush Boys serving as cantors.

Sunday was not just a celebration of dairy, but also of family. It was the second straight year the Fenendael family welcomed families from across the region to their farm to celebrate Father’s Day. It was something that brought a smile to Barry’s face as he walked the grounds.

The Kewaunee County Dairy Promotion Committee, which runs the event, announced Sunday that Deer Run Dairy in Kewaunee will be next year’s host farm when the Kewaunee County Breakfast on the Farm returns on Father’s Day 2027, June 20.

According to Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, there are still 13 opportunities to celebrate the industry at events across the state, including the Sevastopol FFA Dairy Breakfast at Lazy J Dairy in Luxemburg on July 5.