My friends Bob Durfey and Ann Barthelemy, who live and work in Bayfield, Wisconsin, sent me a copy of their 2012 holiday season letter last week. And while reading the chronology of Ann & Bob's past year, I came across the following: "We started out getting our house (in Bloomington, Minnesota) ready to sell ourselves. We hosted three open houses which only produced curious neighbors. We got married Saturday, April 21 in a small ceremony in our home and we hosted sixty friends that evening. Eric Kodner approached Bob at the reception that same evening and said he could get the … (0 comments)
big top chautauqua: Big Top Chautauqua Gala Fundraiser May 17 at AmericInn, Ashland, Wisconsin
- 04/23/08 05:48 AM
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!
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 … (0 comments)
big top chautauqua: Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua Guitar Artist Don Pavel Dies
- 02/01/08 12:05 PM
Wisconsin celebrity bandleader and guitarist Don Pavel died Wednesday of an apparent heart condition. Don was just sixty years old. Don Pavel was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1947. He was a veteran who served in Vietnam for six years. Don began partnering with Warren Nelson in the mid-1970s and helped found the Lost Nation String Band and the Big Top Chautauqua Blue Canvas Orchestra. Don frequently appeared with Chequamegon Bay celebrity Ric Gillman and the two performed jointly on the popular "Nothin to It" CD, which features music that will be familiar to Big Top fans.
Fans will remember Don's broad smile, his lightning … (2 comments)
big top chautauqua: Winter Events Warm Things Up on Madeline Island!
- 01/11/08 01:30 PM
On February 2nd, the Bell Street Tavern hosts the "Cabin Fever Reliever", with Big Top Chautauqua's Warren Nelson and the Blue Canvas Orchestra providing the music and entertainment. The event starts at 5 p.m. and donations will be taken at the door. The event is a fundraiser for Big Top Chautauqua events. February 23rd is the date of the Fourth Annual "Big Ice Golf Tournament"in downtown LaPointe. The course will be located across the street from Ed & Marilyn Hartig's Island Store, next door to the Madeline Island Realty office. A mere $5 donation includes nine holes of golf on the ice! Irons and yellow … (0 comments)
big top chautauqua: Washburn, Wisconsin Mourns the Death of Phil Ross
- 12/30/07 11:13 PM
Phil Ross loved boats, snowmobiles and the outdoors. But most of all, Phil loved people. His Washburn, Wisconsin repair and retail shop, Ross Marine, was as much a social center as it was a retail operation. On any given day, you'd encounter a handful of locals chatting with Phil while his wife Jan labored in the back of the shop. Phil was a past chairman of the Washburn Chamber of Commerce, an avid outdoorsman and snowmobile enthusiast (a member of the Washburn Val Hellers snowmobile club) and a sort of town historian. I learned more about Washburn area history from chatting with … (7 comments)
big top chautauqua: Madeline Island Radio Hour Becomes Northwest Wisconsin’s Answer to the “Prairie Home Companion” Show
- 11/10/07 03:08 AM
The Madeline Island Radio Hour is the recent creation of local entertainer and producer Ric Gillman, who is well-known for his musical appearances at Big Top Chautauqua and other performing venues in the Apostle Islands. The show has drawn an impressive and loyal following in its brief time on the air. Gillman draws from local area talent to put together his radio production. The show offers up great live music, humor and lively conversation about Madeline Island events, news and history. Announcer Carl Brooks (known as "The Voice") introduces and closes each show. Featured columnist "Donna Askme" delivers a hilarious spoof of … (0 comments)
big top chautauqua: 46th Annual Bayfield Apple Festival, October 5-7, 2007
- 08/23/07 06:44 AM
The renowned 2007 Bayfield Apple Festival runs October 5-7, 2007 in Bayfield, Wisconsin. Bayfield is located on Highway 13, about 79 miles east of Superior, Wisconsin. This year's events will include a Venetian Boat Parade with music by the Pipes and Drums of Thunder Bay, an Apostle Islands Grand Tour cruise, live music by Big Top Chautauqua entertainers, the annual Apple Festival Parade, carnival rides, dozens and dozens of food vendors (featuring just about every apple-related treat you could imagine) and more. A twenty-minute ride by car ferry will take Apple Festival visitors to nearby Madeline Island, where you'll find lots … (0 comments)
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