|
Happening
at the Crossroads
June 23,
2008
by Coggin
Heeringa
Everything
old looks new again at the Historical Village at the Crossroads. The
Kohl Fish House has been restored by Mr. Kohl's grandson Chuck
Olson; the Petersen Granary has a fresh coat of paint, thanks
to Girl Scouts of Troop 373 and their families.
The
Kohl Fish House was moved to the Historic Village at the Crossroads in
1993, and since that time, it has been used as a storage shed. As of
this week, it is one of our interpretive buildings.
Chuck Olson,
with partial funding from the Raibrook Foundation and assistance
from Robert Grimmer, has been working diligently for several
years to restore the building to a time when fishing was at its peak in
Door County. Stepping into the Fish House is like stepping into
the past...minus the distinctive scent of fish.
Rachel Andres,
Dominique Bowers and Lucy Schmitz are working toward the Girl Scout
Silver Award, which represents the girls' accomplishments in Girl
Scouting and their community as they grow and work to improve their
lives and the lives of others.
This award has a number of
requirements. The Service Project helps the community and
requires about 40 hours of labor. When the girls approached
Crossroads for ideas, the project of painting the
Granary in the Historical Village seemed perfect (and much needed!).
Before
planning their project, the girls became familiar with Crossroads by
volunteering at the United Way Day of Caring and helping the Door
Peninsula Astronomical Society with their Astronomy Day.
Then
the Scouts created a plan of action which they presented to the
Board of Directors of the Door County Historical Society. The society
requested that they work out a safety plan, which they completed.
The
next step was to acquire materials. Sherwin Williams, Lamperts, Zoerbs,
Door County Ace Hardware, Wal-Mart and Econo all helped with supplies.
The girls' mothers and one dad all pitched in on the project.
Weather
cooperated with the painting and the Granary was ready in time for the
Historical Society Fish Boil on Monday night. Unfortunately, the
weather was not quite so cooperative with the Fish Boil which ended up
being held indoors at the Moravian Church where Chuck Olson presented a
fascinating program on the fishing industry.
But anyone wishing
to see the Fish House and Granary is encouraged to visit The Village on
Sunday afternoon when members of the Historical Society offer free
tours from
1:00-3:00.
And an added enticement is the live acoustic concert scheduled
at 1:00 on Sunday, June 29. Steve Lavell, of the Door County Folk
Alliance, LTD will present "The Art of the Six String Guitar" in The
Chapel at the Crossroads. The concert is free, but donations for the
musician are gratefully accepted.
On Mondays at 10:00 AM, a
family program, "Old School Days" will be offered in the Vignes School.
"Schoolmarm"/naturalist Joan Wilke will present a program for children
ages 4-10. She will welcome "students" to a quieter time when children
of all ages gather in a one room schoolhouse to learn about the world.
They will explore the history of the village and learn some science
outdoors. This is a free program.
Crossroads is happy to welcome
summer intern Amberle Eversen. On Monday afternoon, she will lead a
family program called "Walk on the Wild Side," which in which kids will
participate in a capture/release excursion to Big Creek.
Visitors
are always welcome at the monthly meetings of the Door Peninsula
Astronomical Society. Following a short general meeting, the feature
lecture will be "Variable Stars" presented by Professor Ray
Stonecipher. Meetings are held at the Stonecipher Astronomy Center.
Please use the Utah Street entrance.
The Collins Learning Center
is open 1:00 -3:00 daily, but will be closed for a private function on
Saturday, June 28. The trails are open to the public. Bicycles and pets
(on leash and under control) are permitted. Crossroads is located at
the intersection of Highway 42/57 and Michigan in Sturgeon Bay. For
more information or to reserve a building, please call 746-5895.
The
Collins Learning Center at Crossroads is located at on County Highway T
across from Whitetails Unlimited. To reach the Leif Everson Observatory
and Stonecipher Astronomy Center, use the Utah Street Entrance. If
skies are clear, call 746-5896 for a recorded message announcing
whether the observatory will be open.
Many of the Past News articles may be retrieved from this directory,
indexed and named in the following manner: 080101-news.htm where
the first two numbers are the year, the second two the month and the
last two the date.
|
