October 2022

Fear Not October is the month where everyone tries to scare me. They plant ghosts and goblins and witches and skeletons in their front yard.

Pizza Casserole This is a tasty dish to serve to your family or bring to a potluck. A crowd pleaser for sure! - 7 oz.

My husband and I went to a friend's house for a full moon fire. It appears that Random Strangers has become something bigger than me.

Have you ever heard a young child sing a familiar song as they play? Or break out in a dance upon hearing a catchy tune? Just last week, one of my preschool students sang the chorus to ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” for 20 minutes straight while swinging as high as he could fly. We are naturally receptive to rhythm and music, starting even before birth. Music is an important aspect of early childhood development and learning, and often where there is music, there is movement. Put the two together and you have a fun and powerful learning tool for children.

I'm a dying breed who still believes Haunted by American dreams -Neko Case AP Carter traveled throughout central Appalachia collecting folk songs from local residents, which would eventually be recorded by The Carter Family. And author and paranormal investigator, Chad Lewis travels the United States and beyond, documenting people’s stories of the unusual.

I've always wondered why there are cyclists on certain stretches of Highway 61, after all, isn’t there a perfectly good bike path right along the way? Two weeks ago, I learned why. I joined Mr. Jacobs’ 5th grade class from William Kelley School as they rode their bikes on the Gitchi-Gami trail from Silver Bay to Split Rock Lighthouse where they met up with DNR Naturalist Kurt Mead and Assistant Park Manager Ashley Huinker. Mr. Jacobs provided bicycles and helmets to students that didn’t have them, which was made possible by a grant that the Gitchi Gami Trail Association applied for from the Parks and Trails Council of Minnesota. They were awarded $1,000 to purchase three bicycles and four helmets from Continental Bike and Ski in Duluth. They have also added to the William Kelley bike fleet from a bike donation from Alice Tibbetts, owner of North Shore Adventure Park, and bikes that Mr. Jacobs has fixed up himself. Along the way we were cheered on by Michelle Pierson with the GGTA, who met with us during almost every pit stop to provide encouragement and take photos of this enthusiastic group of young cyclists. She was also able to provide some excellent information on all the GGTA has done to contribute to this iconic landmark of the north shore, and the biking field trip that they have supported since 2019. The Trail Association was formed in 1997, when the trail was just an idea! People wanted to see a trail connect the North Shore. The first mile of trail was built in 2000. Right now, we have 36 miles of an eventual 86+ or so miles. The stretch connecting Silver Bay to Beaver Bay and the falls on the Beaver River, and then on to Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, crossing several more rivers, connecting to the new Lake County Shipwreck Creek mountain bike system, and continuing on the mouth of the Split Rock River and to Iona’s Beach Scientific and Natural Area, and then navigating over the Gooseberry River and ending up near the mouth of the Gooseberry Ri