But earlier this year, Governor Walker’s budget plan cut state funding for the arts by 73% and eliminated the WAB as a state agency.

Let's fill this dining room with local support for the arts in Door County!

“It’s been the PAA’s mission over the past 74 years to grant financial support dollars to individual artists and local institutions,” says Peninsula Arts Association (PAA) Board member and musician Pete Thelen. “And with greater community support we can continue despite the changes in our funding resources.”

Each year, raising the matching funds to bring a flow of cash into Door County is a new and greater challenge, especially in the wake of recent budget cuts. While board members work to meet these demands, their volunteer time is also spent on reviewing hundreds of grant applications and attending numerous lengthy meetings in order to come to consensus over their twice-yearly funding disbursements.

Last year, three local individuals put together the first of what is now an annual, fall, post-season, fundraising event in support of the PAA. On Wednesday, November 9, from 5 pm ‘til close, you are invited to enjoy an evening of great food, silent auction fun and live music in Fish Creek at The English Inn for the 2^nd Annual PAA Artfund Benefit, sponsored by the publishers of DoorCountyChefs.com, DoorCountyGuide.co, DoorCountyLodging.com and DoorCountyResorts.com.

pAt macdonald and melaniejane AKA “Purgatory Hill”

A live concert beginning at 6 pm will feature performances contributed in-kind by local musicians leading off with the Mighty Mouth Trio comprised of Jay Whitney, Richard Whitney and Pete Thelen. Next, Ben There, Dan That (Ben Larsen and Dan Mayhew) will take the stage followed by Jeanne Kuhns with Lost Mothra (Patrick Palmer and George Sawyn) . Capping off the evening, pAt macdonald and melaniejane AKA “Purgatory Hill” will certainly fill the dance floor.

Guests are invited to enjoy a buffet dinner, bid on a variety of silent auction items, win raffle items and a grand prize provided by local businesses.

“Raising money for the Grandmother of the Arts in Door County is something we are always enthusiastic about,” says Management Resources owner and promoter Jon Massad. “The arts in Door County are a vital community asset – one that fuels the rest of the tourism industry. Now, the PAA needs a return on their investment, having worked so hard for the Door Community over the years. It’s time we give back with a helping hand.”

Tickets for an evening of fine dining and live music at The English Inn are $30 in advance and $35 at the door. Businesses wishing to contribute items to the silent auction are encouraged to call 920.785.3515 or 920.854.2688. You may also call those numbers or email a request for tickets in advance to: tickets@doorcountylodging.com.

Co-owner of Sweetie Pies in Fish Creek, Dave Lea, will face the consequences of his excessive optimism as he peered out the door at the sunny Easter weather this Sunday. Two rows of lovely pies sat forlorn for most of the day, hoping to see hoards of eager admirers – all in vain.

So come Monday, Lea plans to throw in the sponge and offer deep discounts on all the baked pies in the shop.

“A guy can only eat so many of his own pies in a day, even if they do taste just like grandmas!!,” he was overheard muttering to himself as he turned out the lights and locked the doors.

Sweetie Pies is part of the Settlement Shops located right next to Fish Creek’s popular Settlement Courtyard Inn – open seven days a week, 9 to 5.

On Sunday April 24 The English Inn serves a delightful Easter Sunday Buffet from 10 am – 3 pm. The buffet includes:

• 5-tier chocolate fountain is surrounded by goodies to dip… fresh fruit, cookies, marshmallows, biscotti, etc.
• chef-carved Ham and Turkey,
• Baked French Toast,
• Stuffed Hash browns,
• Eggs Benedict,
• Quiche,
• Pancakes,
• Scrambled Eggs,
• Sausage,
• Bacon,
• Kielbasa and Sauerkraut,
• Au Gratin Potatoes,
• Pepper Steak,
• Swedish Meatballs,
• Shish kabob,
• Baked Chicken,
• Blackened Whitefish,
• Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Vegetables and a Full Salad Bar
• Full Dessert Table with assorted Desserts.

The price is $17.95 per person.

The English Inn is open on Easter weekend, Thursday – Sunday, serving dinner from 4 – 9 pm. On Easter Sunday they will feature the lavish Easter Buffet served from 10am ’til 3pm with the chocolate fountain running throughout the day until close at 9 pm. Come celebrate Easter at the English Inn.

Kelly will be displaying many new photographs taken during Glas Coffeehouse’s weekly Wednesday Open Mic sessions, some winter scenes in Door County and photos from her most recent trip to Maui. The Avenson Photography exhibit will be on display at Glas throughout the month of April.

Immediately after Kelly Avenson’s graduation from Hawkeye Community College in 2007, she jumped at the opportunity to use her photojournalism degree in the Dominican Republic, documenting nursing students’ relief efforts in the Jarabacoa’s emergency room. In 2009, she traveled to Jamaica to provide family portraits to the people of Hagley Gap. Both trips not only taught her a lot about photography, but proved to her that she choose the right path.

“My goal is to make a difference in peoples’ lives with photography,” she explains. “Whether it’s putting a smile on the faces of a family or giving a voice to those in need, I have one mission – to make a difference.”

After moving to Door County in 2007 for a newspaper internship, she progressed to freelancing. Her work has been seen in the Resorter Reporter, Door County Now and the Door County Advocate. In 2008, having made a name for herself in the community, Kelly decided that it was time to open the doors to her own photography studio on Jefferson Street. She is thankful for all the support and guidance provided by Marilyn Beachler (Java on Jefferson) and Irene (Anna Rose ReSale).

“I can’t thank those wonderful ladies enough for all their help and input while I got my feet on the ground with a fresh business,” says Kelly.

Greco Gallery on 3rd Avenue

Now she is moving and expanding her business to a new spot on 3^rd Avenue, a studio and art gallery located between two book stores. Greco Gallery will showcase local artists working in all media from jewelry to paintings and even some concrete art!

Kelly says, “It’s been a labor of love. I’ve transformed the space into something I’m truly proud of and looking forward to opening.”

You can visit www.KellyAvenson.com to view samples of her work.

The Door County Buy Local program is a grass-root economic development initiative that seeks to strengthen local businesses, increase employment opportunities and educate the public about the importance of buying locally whenever possible.

The Buy Local Agriculture sub-committee will present a 20-minute program designed to stimulate discussion of the issues facing local producers and consumers. Refreshments and appetizers will be served.  A $5 donation is requested.

Attendees are asked to bring business cards and information about their farms and businesses. A set of tables will be used to display promotional literature and information about Door County Buy Local and its members.

To join Door County Buy Local or to check out the events scheduled throughout the year, go to www.DoorCountyBuyLocal.com.

The Door County Board of Realtors® education committee held a “Shop Talk” on “Auctions and Short Sales” on Wednesday, April 6, at Glas Coffeehouse in Sturgeon Bay. Members of the organization are committed to education and Shop Talk is an opportunity for Realtors® to meet informally once a month to discuss industry news and stay up-to-date in an ever-changing industry.

Facilitator Karen Lee De Noto of ERA Starr Realty stressed the importance of an event like this: “We are advocates of continuing education. This board has top notch REALTORS® in Door and Kewaunee counties who are always striving to give our clients what they need.”

Shop Talk is held on the first Wednesday of every month and is open to all Door and Kewaunee county REALTORS®. The next “Shop Talk” will be held on May 4. The topic will focus on “Shoreland Zoning.”

For more information on initiatives by the Door County Board of REALTORS® call 920.743.9651, or visit them online at www.dcbr.org. Door County Board of REALTORS® was established in 1962 and currently serves 232 members and affiliates with combined real estate listings of $663,228,186.

pat mAcdonald and melaniejane aka Purgatory Hill

Purgatory Hill, comprised of Door County’s own pat mAcdonald and Milwaukee transplant melaniejane is coming home to perform at Sturgeon Bay’s Cherry Lanes on Saturday April 23 at 10 pm. This duo has been hard at work since August of 2007 when pat mAcdonald first saw melaniejane perform on her electric cello and invited her to “sit in on a few.” The rest is history in the making, as they have been performing non-stop ever since.

Nowadays, even though their current sound is heavy with mAcdonald’s low-down, dirty, amped-out cigarbox guitar and melaniejane’s organ and percussion, they have not abandoned their original configuration featuring guitar and electric cello. With an entire night of their own, you can see it all at Cherry Lanes on Saturday April 23. melaniejane opens with solo cello/looping at 10pm. Look for Purgatory Hill’s second studio album “Invisible Pistols” to be released later this spring.

Continuing to thrive on a state of constant evolution and the ever-increasing mileage accumulated their white Chevy Astro, we look forward to the return of this rockin’ duo!

The purpose of the event is to help connect producers, consumers, retailers and restaurateurs interested in locally produced agricultural products. A short program will feature comments from a local grower, a local restaurateur and a local retailer on the advantages and obstacles to selling and using local foods, designed to stimulate discussion of the issues facing local producers and consumers. Following the program, the attendees will have opportunities to network and exchange information about their local businesses.

The Buy Local Initiative will begin by encouraging networking opportunities between local businesses. A second priority will be educating the public about the economic value of keeping as many dollars as possible in Door County along with efforts to share information about what services and products are available through Door County enterprises. A third focus will be to encourage non-profit, civic organizations and governmental bodies to do as much business as practical with Door County firms.
Representatives of local agriculture producers, chefs, restaurateurs, institutional users, consumers and supporters of sustainable, local agriculture are invited to attend. Attendees are asked to bring business cards and information about their farms and businesses. A set of tables will be used to display this promotional literature and information about Door County Buy Local and its members.

Refreshments and appetizers will be served, along with a cash bar. A $5 donation is requested to defray costs. For more information, to join Door County Buy Local or view an upcoming event schedule for the rest of the year, go to: www.doorcountybuylocal.com.

The Door County Buy Local program is a grass-roots economic development initiative that seeks to strengthen local businesses, increase employment opportunities and educate the public about the importance of buying locally whenever possible.

The Door County Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC) is a public/private partnership dedicated to improving the economic vitality of the county and its residents. Founded in 1989,  DCEDC has been successful in helping existing businesses create and retain thousands of jobs through a myriad of programs and initiatives. Additionally, DCEDC places strong emphasis on fostering entrepreneurial instincts in county residents as well as those who vacation on the Door County Peninsula. Door County Economic Development Corporation offices are located within the small business incubator DCEDC founded in 1997 at 185 East Walnut Street in the Sturgeon Bay Industrial Park.

Food for Health

The free classes are being sponsored by the Ministry Door County Medical Center (MDCMC) Women’s and Children’s Health Center and the Community’s Garden. The medical center is partnering with the UW-Extension Door County office, area organic gardeners and local chefs in the program that begins Tuesday, April 12.

Parents and their children, ages 8 to 15, will participate in the entire series. Classes will take place from 3:30 to 5 pm on April 12 and 26; May 10 and 24; June 14 and 28; July 12 and 26; August 9 and 23; and September 6 and 20.  Classes will be held at various locations including the MDCMC conference center, the Community Garden (on 16^th Avenue across the street from the medical center) and at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.

Each session encourages parents and their children to get involved with these healthy food steps and others:

• starting a plant from seed;
• transplanting the plant as it grows;
• planting in the garden;
• caring for the garden;
• harvesting the food; and
• cooking and eating the food (the last three classes).

Participants will grow and eventually prepare peas, beans, tomatoes, peppers, carrots and more.

“The idea is to make nutrition more fun for kids,” says Jennifer Fischer, MDCMC’s director of women’s and children’s health services. “Kids will come away with an understanding of what fresh food is, where you can get it and how to prepare it. It’s going to be an extremely unique and cool class. I’m excited about it,” says Fischer.

Dr. Amy Fogarty, a pediatrician affiliated with North Shore Medical Clinic and medical advisor to Food for Health, said the program is important today as kids are often far removed from food production and have difficulty understanding what goes into growing the food they see in the grocery store.

“French fries are the number one consumed vegetable – if you can call them that – for kids.  Most children don’t even recognize many of the fruits and vegetables in their raw form,” Fogarty says.

“The Food for Health program allows kids to participate actively in planting, growing, harvesting and preparing their own food. Studies have shown the more involved kids are in preparing the food, the more likely they are to eat it,” Fogarty continues.  Studies also point out that ages 8 to 15 is a good time to get kids to develop healthy eating habits that can last into their young adult years.

Jennifer Spude is a nutrition coordinator at UW-Extension, which help to establish the Community Garden (along with MDCMC, the City of Sturgeon Bay and other participating organizations).  Spude and Gina Newton, nutrition educator at MDCMC, will be teaching some of the classes.

“When families learn together, try new foods together and include those foods in a life together, habits start to form.  Good habits of eating and exercise will help to limit overweight in our families and our communities,” she says.

“MDCMC has purchased program related materials and equipment – including a light system for nurturing the plants,” says Fischer, who adds that grant funds may be available in the future.

Food for Health, along with Art for Health, is part of the Women and Children’s Health Center’s commitment to extending health offerings to children, young adolescents, teenagers and women in Door County, Fischer says.

“There is a national movement toward teaching our kids to eat healthier. We are all fighting an uphill battle, as the environment kids grow up in is filled with television commercials showing foods filled with sugar and corn oil,” Fischer says.

“We need to close the loop, instead of just telling kids they should eat healthier, the Food for Health program will show them how,” she adds.

Fogarty says the program is consistent with her approach to patient care. She has been in practice since 2009 after graduating from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

“It’s such a wonderful program and so in tune with what I am trying to do as a pediatrician,” Fogarty says.  “It’s not just about diagnosing ear infections, but also about preventative care and teaching healthy choices that will last into adulthood.”

Parents can register children for Food for Health by calling the Ministry Door County Medical Center, 920.746.3592 or email: foodforhealth@ministryhealth.org.

A portion of the proceeds, as designated by each individual business, will go towards the Door County YMCA Strong Kids Campaign. For example, Cornucopia Kitchen Corner will be donating 10% of their sales each Monday in April to the campaign while Fatzo’s will be donating $1 for every pizza sold and Van’s Bar and Grill $1 for every fish fry sold all month long. Specific details on the specials available at all the participating business will be available soon.

The Strong Kids Campaign is the annual campaign to provide funds for scholarships and affordable programs “for all” in Door County regardless of age or financial need. In 2010, the community helped the Door County YMCA raise $410,000 to support this program. The goal for the 2011 campaign is $425,000.

If you have any questions about the Business Campaign or if your business would like to participate please contact Nancy Felhofer at the Door County YMCA at 920.743.4949 or e-mail nfelohofer@doorcountyymca.org.