Door County Pulse Podcast

Kendall Weisgerber loved a great playground. When she died at age six in 1991, her family and the Baileys Harbor community built a playground in her memory. On Saturday, they opened the revamped Kendall Weisgerber Memorial Park with an incredible new playground. Kendall’s sister, Kari Baumann, joins the podcast to talk about her sister, the building of the playground, and what it meant to her to watch scores of kids rush onto the equipment on Saturday.

With the latest exhibit at the Miller Art Museum in Sturgeon Bay as the springboard – Newfangled, which presents artworks from the museum's permanent collect that illustrate the Modernist period – Debra Fitzgerald receives a spectacular primer from a woman who has a fascinating and accessible way of talking about art and its meaning and importance in the world: Helen Del Guidice, the museum's curator of exhibitions and collections.

It’s the final weekend to check out Christkindlmarkt in Sister Bay and John Nelson joins Myles Dannhausen Jr. to tell you what’s new on the grounds this year. Then they talk a bit about the evolution of Sister Bay from the doldrums of the mid-2010s to the thriving climate of today.

An unprecedented number of Door County municipalities are going through market updates and revaluations given the meteoric rise in the real estate market, especially residential homes. This year, Baileys Harbor, Gibraltar, Union. Sister Bay and Liberty Grove have gone through this process, with more coming up in 2024. People always wonder what will happen to their property tax bill when their municipality goes through this. Dean Peters, vice president of operations for Associated Appraisal, unpacks it all with Debra Fitzgerald.

Myles Dannhausen Jr. and Debra Fitzgerald discuss the sudden closure of Zion Early Childhood Center and what it means for the families of the 60 children there. But first, a look at the vote by Gibraltar voters to say no to a road tax.

Myles Dannhausen with an essay on life in winter on the peninsula, with some words from the late writer Norb Blei.

Ben Jones joins the podcast to talk about his recent story about the reinvention of Baileys Harbor. He talks with Myles Dannhausen about the evolution of the town from the sleepy, “quiet side” to a bustling food and drink hub still holding tight to its small-town, laid-back ethos.

Sturgeon Bay is kicking off the holiday season with Christmas By the Bay, then the rest of the county joins in the cheer next week. Myles Dannhausen Jr. and Debra Fitzgerald run down everything going on for the season, plus a look at the latest round of Destination Door County’s Community Investment Fund grants.

It took over 100 hours of footage, 43 interviews and 1,400 hours of editing to create Ridge and Swale, the documentary celebrating the legacy of conservation in Door County. Myles Dannhausen Jr. talks to director Brett Kosmider about the film, his process and what lessons we can learn today from the conservation battles of the past.

It’s municipal budget season and several communities have big expenses on the docket that will trickle down to their taxpayers. Myles Dannhausen Jr. and Debra Fitzgerald break down a couple of these budgets and why its so hard for municipalities to get ahead. Plus, Peninsula Players gets a big grant and the Northern Door Children’s Center embarks on the last phase of its expansion and renovation.

A plan for new multimodal paths to connect Egg Harbor to Fish Creek is taking shape with the help of the National Park Service. Community Planner Christopher Morgan and Landscape Architect Patrick Lydon of the National Park Service join the podcast to talk about their work assisting the village in engaging the public and planning the route for a path that could provide an off-road connection from Murphy Park to downtown Fish Creek.

Jewel Peterson Ouradnik is the 11th child in a family of 12 kids who grew up at Rowleys Bay Resort in Ellison Bay, which was purchased by her parents in 1970. A fire the day after Labor Day weekend destroyed a big part of the resort, lodge and bakery at the end of County Road ZZ that she has owned and operated with her husband, Bob, since 2013. Jewel talks with Debra Fitzgerald about the fire and their decision to sell the property, which is currently on the market for $2.15 million.

Anders Erickson got his start behind the bar at the late, great T. Ashwell’s in Ellison Bay. Twenty years later he has turned his cocktail skills into a thriving cocktail channel on YouTube where he has nearly 500,000 subscribers and his cocktail recipe videos garner millions of views. He joins Myles Dannhausen Jr. to talk about his journey and how the channel has grown.

In 1959 legendary coach Curly Lambeau was finished roaming NFL sidelines, but football was never far from his mind. Retired to his cottage in Fish Creek, he showed up at a Gibraltar Vikings high school football practice and was soon instructing players for coach Pat Spielman. Herb Gould joins Myles Dannhausen Jr. to talk about his article detailing Lambeau’s stint in Fish Creek.

Fishers Island is a community of about 400 people off the coast of Long Island that has faced some of the same housing shortfalls for residents that Door County is grappling with. But in 1987, residents of the island came together with land and money to devise a solution. Myles Dannhausen Jr. talks to the program director of Walsh Park, Matt Edwards, about the nonprofit housing trust the island created to provide homes for firefighters, teachers, laborers and even Edwards himself.

Pulitzer-nominated author Dan Egan joined Mark Holey and Myles Dannhausen Jr. for a special Fish Tales lecture series event at Crossroads at Big Creek on Oct. 16. Egan, the author of Phosphorus: The Devil’s Element. They talked about the vital element that is a key component of one of the most vital substances on earth: fertilizer, which has sustained life for billions of people. It has played a critical role in some of the most lethal substances on earth: firebombs, rat poison, nerve gas. But the supply of phosphorus is not endless. This live edition of the podcast was recorded from the Fish Tales event by Laddie Chapman.

What's a citizen scientist and why are they so important to Door County conservation and land protection organizations? Debra Fitzgerald finds out from Paige Witek, community conservation coordinator for the Door County Land Trust, and Tony Kiszonas, director of research for The Ridges Sanctuary, prior to the first Citizen Science Symposium that will take place at the Ridges on Oct. 21. To learn more about that event, go to doorcountypulse.com/a-collaborative-celebration-of-citizen-scientists/.

Myles Dannhausen Jr. and Debra Fitzgerald dive into the news of the week with a brief look at Fall Fest and a deeper dive into the latest room tax numbers and what those returns say about the state of tourism in the county. Then they talk about what’s coming for Egg Harbor’s highway reconstruction project and the latest broadband news.

In the third part of our series on the affordable housing shortage, Mia Vlaar joins the podcast to talk about the variety of approaches the Town of Vail, Colorado is using to build its affordable housing stock. She talks to Myles Dannhausen Jr. about their program to purchase deed restrictions, changes in legislation to divert funds to workforce issues and a new sales tax implemented to support housing projects.

In July the most ambitious affordable housing project to date in Door County opened in Sister Bay. Within weeks, nearly all of the income-restricted units were full. Myles Dannhausen Jr. talks to developer Marissa Downs about what it took to make it happen, some of the misconceptions about the development, and why it’s so hard to do it in Door County.

A familiar name returns to Door County in October when musician Tony Brown comes home for a show. Deb Fitzgerald talks to Myles Dannhausen Jr. about her interview with Brown in this week’s Pulse, then they talk about Cycling Without Age, a program that gets people back outside and in nature with the use of electric trishaw bikes.

In the first of a series of conversations over the next few weeks, Myles Dannhausen Jr. discusses local initiatives and challenges in piecing the housing puzzle together. We also look beyond the county’s boundaries to examine approaches being used in other communities, such as Vail, Colorado and with local leaders, developers and Fisher Island, New York. This month the Door County Community Foundation launched the Workforce Housing Lending Corporation. Bret Bicoy, the President and CEO of the Community Foundation, joins the podcast to discuss the program and what its creators hope it can accomplish to close the housing gap on the peninsula.

An August windstorm exposed serious problems with the Egg Harbor Marina’s floating pier system. Deb Fitzgerald joins Myles Dannhausen Jr. on the podcast to discuss what happened, plus a proposal for a pop-up roundabout in the village. Then they talk about dog rules at a northern Door County park.

The County of Door is replacing all the emergency, green-and-white fire signs in all of the towns at every single address, at a cost that's been estimated at more than $1 million and is being funded, in part, with American Rescue Plan Act dollars. Debra Fitzgerald talks with Mariah Goode, director of the county's Land Use Services department, about why this is being done and why, in the age of GPS, those signs are still needed. She also touches on the county's comprehensive plan process now underway, and how the county's vision of land use across the peninsula interacts with, and overlays, municipal versions of future land use.

Andrew Kleidon is joined by singer, songwriter, and playwright Katie Dahl to talk about her musical journey thus far. From the broken wrist that got her to pick up a guitar, to making a career in music in Door County, and touring beyond. After the break we dig deeper into her songwriting and performance process around her newest album, Seven Stones.

Door County municipalities are almost all engaged in a process to bring reliable, high-speed internet access to all addresses within their communities. Jessica Hatch, County of Door broadband coordinator, reviews with Debra Fitzgerald exactly where each community is in the process, how much money is out there for grants to get the work done, future challenges that could arise and how they're preparing for those now.

There is nothing like a tragedy to show a community who it is, and the Sept. 5 fire at Rowleys Bay Resort was all that. Myles Dannhausen Jr. and Deb Fitzgerald talk about the Sept. 5 response to the fire, the aftermath, the memories, efforts to help the displaced employees and the owners' vow to rebuild

Author Meghan O'Gieblyn joins the podcast to discuss her book, God, Human, Animal, Machine: Technology, Metaphor and the Search for Meaning. She is one of the featured authors at the Washington Island Literary Festival, which takes place Sept. 21-23.

Eric Lewis joins Myles Dannhausen Jr. to talk about the Camp David Reunion Concert at Fishstock, where Lewis has been packing the barn for 25 years for the Labor Day concert. He returns to the state Sunday night. They talk Fishstock, the legend that is Dave Ellmann, and the way the Fishstock thread of musicians changed the county’s live music scene in the early 2000s.

Andrew Kleidon is joined by Eric Simonson to talk about the 2023 Door Kinetic Arts Festival, a celebration of a diverse range of performance styles. From Cocktails to short films, dance to opera, and everything in between.

What does the raid of a Kansas newspaper in early August say about today's society? Has journalism, citizenship and civic discourse disintegrated to such a degree that our democracy is threatened? Here to talk about that with Debra Fitzgerald is Mike Killenberg and Rob Anderson, former professors of journalism and communications, current Jacksonport residents, and authors of the newly released book, Democracy's News: A primer on journalism for citizens who care about democracy.

Few things shape the look and economics of our communities more than parking requirements. Unfortunately, most villages, towns and cities write their requirements to produce the exact opposite of the communities they want to encourage. Myles Dannhausen Jr. talks to UCLA professor and author Donald Shoup about why parking minimums hurt communities and how thinking differently about parking can help businesses, ease congestion and help pay for other services.

Are municipalities and school boards abusing the spirit of transparency in open meetings and records? Debra Fitzgerald and Myles Dannhausen Jr. discuss the disturbing trend of local boards using closed session meetings for dubious reasons. Plus, a look at Sister Bay’s new facilities plan draft, the search for a pigeon and an update on reporter Sam Watson.

Andrew Kleidon talks with Pulse intern Emma Chamley about her favorite stories and experiences from the summer.

Getting people to engage in democracy and government has been a central theme in the work of artist Bronwyn Mauldin. She joins Myles Dannhausen Jr. to discuss the intertwining of art and democracy and her upcoming seminar at Bjorklunden Aug. 6-11. Mauldin is a writer, zine maker and researcher. She serves as director of research and evaluation at the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, where she leads a team that utilizes data and research methods to strengthen the arts ecology and ensure all residents have equitable access to the arts.

Pulse assistant editor, Grace Johnson, is joined by author Edward McPherson who is the nonfiction judge for the 2023 Hal Prize. The two talk about how McPherson got into writing, his three books and what he is working on as a newly minted Guggenheim Fellow.

Myles Dannhausen Jr. sits down with Paige and Cam to talk about Sturgeon Bay’s big maritime celebration Aug. 1-12.

Andrew Kleidon hangs out with Matthew Gordon, one half of the band Chicago Mule, to talk about what it takes to make your band your full time job, gigging in Door County, and much more.

Myles Dannhausen Jr. catches up with Matt Sampson, the brewer and owner of Sway Brewing and Blending, the small brewery that just celebrated its first birthday in Baileys Harbor. Sampson talks about his vision for the brewery, his path to helming his own shop and partnering with others to create a place for beer, food and community.

Door County may seem like paradise to many, but those who work in the wellness and mental health fields understand that trauma, anxiety and depression are just as common here as in other rural communities where there's more isolation and access to services. Local professionals want to help our community become more resilient and are starting with a day-long conference, Aug. 15 in Sturgeon Bay: Hope Beyond the Hurt. Debra Fitzgerald talks with two of its organizers: Rebecca Nicholson, community connector with the Door County Partnership for Children and Families, an internal program of United Way of Door County; and Sophie Sielen, Door County coordinator and victim advocate for the Sexual Assault Center through Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin.

In this episode, Pulse assistant editor, Grace Johnson, is joined by Sean Hill, poet and judge for the Hal Prize in poetry. They talk about his first steps into poetry, the themes he explores in his work and what he’s looking for in Hal Prize submissions.

Andrew Kleidon and Myles Dannhausen Jr. have a few updates to some long-term stories, including Fish Creek’s second chance to purchase the Reddmann Property. Also, Door County will welcome athletes to challenge their bodies in the Door County Triathlon this weekend.

Acclaimed actor Billy Bob Thornton is coming to Door Community Auditorium next week in a new role – as the lead singer of his band the Boxmasters. He joins the podcast with bandmate J.D. Andrew to talk to Debra Fitzgerald about his love of music, performing and creative influences.

The bookmobile was a conduit to the outside world for thousands of Door County children in the days of one-room schools and before satellite libraries existed in every community. Now a committee of the Egg Harbor Historical Society is raising funds to bring it back to life to educate people about the history of education in the county, support literacy programs on the peninsula and revive a cherished piece of local history.

Debra Fitzgerald joins Myles Dannhausen Jr. to give a brief rundown on everything going on for the 4th of July holiday week in Door County. Then they dive into the news, including a roundabout that is likely coming to the Culver’s intersection, a graffiti crackdown at Anderson Dock, and the latest on broadband expansion projects.

Debra Fitzgerald talks with state Rep. Joel Kitchens about the Right to Read Act he authored and is on track to becoming law. The bill would transform the way reading is taught in Wisconsin. They also discuss another of his bills that has passed the Assembly that would make hormonal contraceptives available without a prescription and what is and isn't in the 2023-2025 budget, that's expected to go to a vote June 29 and 30.

Wolfe broke onto the Chicago literary scene in 2022 with the release of her debut novel, Last Summer on State Street. Since then, the awards have been piling up for the author, educator and judge for the 2023 Hal Prize in fiction. Now with the Chicago Book Award under her belt, Wolfe is looking towards a year of new writing projects. In this episode, she is joined by Pulse assistant editor, Grace Johnson, to discuss those new projects as well as the upcoming Hal Prize.

Scott Watts joins Myles Dannhausen Jr. to talk about his restaurant, Hill Street, and the many twists and turns it took to get it open. Watts shares his theories on how to run a restaurant that doesn’t suck your soul and attracts staff; serving nightmares; business succession challenges; and creating a menu that you actually want to cook.

Debra Fitzgerald talks with Emma Chamley, the 2023 summer intern for the Peninsula Pulse, who arrived a few weeks ago and is already into her beat covering various entertainment and outdoor activities. Emma is a double journalism/political science major going into her junior year at Butler University in Indianapolis who has spent summers in Door County since she was a baby. She talks about her interests in journalism, why she applied for the internship and what she's looking forward to experiencing while spending a summer with us. Also see Chamley's introductory column in the June 9 issue of the Peninsula Pulse.

Pulse assistant editor, Grace Johnson, is joined by author and professor Liam Callanan to discuss his new book, When in Rome. Callanan will be in Door County June 8, 7 pm, at the Kress Pavilion for an author reading and Q&A.