Episode 11: Bayfield County Wild Talks with Fred Erickson of Erickson's Orchard
On this episode of Bayfield County Wild, Co-hosts Nancy Christopher and Mary Motiff, director of Bayfield County Tourism, speak with Fred Erickson, the third generation owner of Erickson’s Orchard, one of the area’s oldest and largest apple orchards and berry farms. They discuss the history of Fred’s family business and the upcoming Strawberry Festival, as well as other fun events happening throughout the month of July.
Wisconsin Lake Superior Scenic Byway
It’s a spectacular time of year to enjoy the outdoors in Bayfield County! One of the best ways to explore the area is to drive the Wisconsin Lake Superior Scenic Byway, a 70-mile stretch of State Highway 13 that goes up and around the Bayfield peninsula. But don’t just assume you’re getting the whole experience from the road alone: What’s truly magical is the natural, cultural, geographical and historical beauty surrounding it. There are kiosks within each community along the byway, which provide maps, guides and other information so take your time, pull over and explore! More at lakesuperiorbyway.org.
Experience Bayfield Culture
There are many ways to experience the history and culture of Bayfield County during the summer, including:
The reservation of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is located three miles north of Bayfield. Experiencing the serenity of Frog Bay Tribal National Park, the lakefront campgrounds and the fun to be had at Legendary Waters Resort and Casino are all recommended. The Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center is open daily and has interactive exhibits, an observation tower, movie theater, historical archives, gift shop and more. The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is truly a sight to behold. The National Lakeshore is home to the largest collection of lighthouses in North America, and there are tours and cruises available to give you incredible views. The visitor center at the Park headquarters (located in a beautiful old brownstone building) also shows a great documentary about the islands, and offers other resources and interpretive opportunities. A new visitor center is currently being built at Little Sand Bay. A huge part of the history and culture of Bayfield County can be experienced at Big Top Chautauqua, a legendary music and performance venue. Their house shows are based on the history and culture of the area, telling a story and entertaining attendees with songs and visuals. This is all above and beyond their vast concert lineup every summer, attracting some of the biggest names in music! Erickson’s Orchard
Fred Erickson’s grandparents, Martin and Christine, planted their first apple tree around the turn of the century (circa 1910). In 1954, Fred’s parents Jim and Muriel took over the orchard, with Muriel crafting her renowned apple cider donuts. Today, Fred and his family have about 15 different apple varieties on the oldest and largest apple and berry farm in Bayfield County, as well as plums, peaches, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. They also have a couple of shops on premises, plus they make about 14,000 gallons of apple cider per year through their processing plant! Homemade jams, jellies and their new hard cider are also available.
USA Today has named the Bayfield Apple Festival one of the 10 best fall harvest fests in the country. Fred’s dad Jim had come up with the idea for the festival, which launched in 1963, due to a flat tire. While broken down in Duluth on the way to North Dakota, people gathered around to try Jim’s apples and they couldn’t believe they were grown in Bayfield. So instead of bringing apples out of town, Jim had the thought of putting on a festival to attract people to Bayfield. Now, the festival brings over 60,000 people to Bayfield and it’s truly a community-wide event.
The Strawberry Festival dates back to 1936 but had not been a consistent annual event. About two years ago, Fred brought the fest back to coincide with the peak of the year’s berry crop. The festival takes place July 6, 7 and 8 this year, and features specialty food items, vendors, artisans, live music and anything that has to do with strawberries.
For more information, visit EricksonOrchard.com or follow them on Facebook.
July Events
There is so much to do in Bayfield County during the dog days of summer!
July 2 – 6: Bayfield is a world-class sailing destination and no time is that more apparent than during Bayfield Race Week at Wayzata Yacht Club. So take in an international sailing race on the south shore of Lake Superior!
July 4: There’s plenty of fun to be had on our nation’s birthday, so visit travelbayfieldcounty.com and click Seasonal Fun for a list of all the various fireworks displays and other gatherings during the Fourth of July.
July 6 – 8: The 40th Annual Red Cliff Traditional Pow-Wow features traditional drums, singing and dances, as well as delicious food, craft vendors, games...
Episode 13: September Celebrations
On the one-year anniversary of Bayfield County Wild, Co-hosts Nancy Christopher and Mary Motiff, director of Bayfield County Tourism, have some fun with Mary Grant, the owner of the Keeper of the Light Gift Shop and coordinator for the Annual Apostle Islands Lighthouse
Celebration. It’s also the 20th Anniversary of the Northern Great Lakes Visitors Center, so let’s get this party started!
Northern Great Lakes Visitors Center’s 20th Anniversary Celebration
For 20 years, the Northern Great Lakes Visitors Center (NGLVC) has been keeping the history of the area alive on its 150-acre site on County Hwy. G, just south of Washburn. Run by six, partner organizations – the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Wisconsin Historical Society, the University of Wisconsin Extension and the Friends of the Center Alliance, the NGLVC is hosting a day-long event on Sept. 29 packed with activities for everyone.
Starting at 8:30 a.m., you can sign up to participate in a native grass planting on the property. There will be book signings by area authors and a visit by the artist who painted the huge mural on the back wall of the center. In addition, a ribbon cutting ceremony is planned for the new exhibit documenting the Center’s $2 million Energy Renovation Project. U.S. Fish & Wildlife staff will lead guided hikes on the boardwalk trails. Plus, there will be Junior Ranger activities hosted by the National Park Service and appearances by Smokey the Bear. There will also be face painting and prizes for scavenger hunts.
Throughout the day, visitors will have a chance to participate in voting for the winner of an art contest where artists submit photos of artwork that has been inspired in some way by the Visitor Center. The artwork can be anything from paintings and drawings to pottery or woodcarvings or whatever medium the artists choose. Artists who want to enter can find out more on the 20th Anniversary Celebration of the NGLVC Facebook Events page. The artist with the most votes will win a cash prize.
Visitors won’t want to miss “Who Goes Bump in the Night,” an evening hike on the NGLVC’s boardwalk to listen to the owls and other night critters.
The NGLVC is open 7 days a week, except holidays. Many of the exhibits are interactive with local personalities featured in interviews portraying commercial fishermen, loggers, Native Americans and others, and sharing stories of the past. For those who have an interest in Lake Superior, shipwrecks or lighthouses, there is a great collection of books, some with rare titles, in the Gift Shop. And you don’t want to miss the breathtaking views from the NGLVC’s five-story Observation Tower with spotting scopes.
Apostle Islands Lighthouse Celebration
From now through Sept. 15, the community is celebrating the largest collection of lighthouses located in a national park in the United States. The celebration includes guided cruises to all six lighthouses. Every lighthouse is different, so every cruise, conducted by Apostle Islands Cruises, is a different experience.
Mary Grant coordinates all of the cruises from her Keeper of the Light Gift Shop in Bayfield. She says her favorite lighthouse is on Sand Island. After the cruise over to Sand Island, you’ll take a two-mile hike through beautiful, old-growth forest to get to the lighthouse, which built with Brownstone that was quarried from the island.
The “Showplace of the Apostle Islands,” according to Mary, is the Raspberry Island Lighthouse. It’s the easiest lighthouse to get to (although there are quite a few steps once you arrive) and is a duplex with furnishings from the early 1900s. This is a living history exhibit, where your guide dresses up as the Keeper and gives you a tour of the lighthouse from his perspective.
There are very few Lighthouse Keepers left. New technology has made it no longer necessary to have working lighthouses, which for many years served as beacons to safely guide mariners through the waterways surrounding the Apostle Islands and into the protected waters of the bay.
Mary says there are lots of great stories about the lighthouses the guides love to talk about. One haunted tale involved a cruise to Raspberry Island, where during the tour, the group heard cries from a young girl coming from the Assistant Keeper’s quarters. When they asked their tour guide who was crying next door, the guide assured them there was no one there. When the group returned from their cruise, they learned there was an Assistant Keeper who lived on the island with his family, and one of his children was a girl about the same age. Needless to say, they were all quite spooked.
Mary tells another story from Michigan Island, where the head keeper and his assistant went on a fishing trip. They left behind the Keeper’s wife and three children. Gone...
Washburn County — Northwoods Hospitality | Discover Wisconsin
In this episode we'll take you to a Northwoods destination that will make you feel right at home. From Trego to Spooner, Shell Lake and Stone Lake, the scenic beauty will keep you coming back. As for event, thrill to the Spooner Rodeo or the Stone Lake Cranberry Festival which rivals any in the state. The trails are open any time of year for hiking, biking, cross country skiing or snowmobiling. And of course there's the fishing. Enjoy an elegant dinner on board a train as you travel through the countryside or stop at the Railroad History Museum or the one of a kind Canoe Museum. Just some of the things you'll see on this episode, Washburn County-Where You Can Find It All.