Don’t you agree that Ely ought to have a specialty shop called “The Dorna Loon?” One with seating and shelves of romance novels? Picture yourself lazily nibbling on a shortbread cookie while languorously leafing through a romance novel from the shop’s library. The sign hanging over the Sheridan Street sidewalk would welcome you in on a rainy October day, wouldn’t it?
This notion came to me as I struggled to develop a response to a reader’s inquiry about how I write these columns.
First I decide on a topic. I try to submit a column for inclusion in the first Ely Echo issue of each month. I usually start about midway through the previous month by considering which topic from my backlog I’ll try. Most months there are no topics in that cache. But I got lucky this month.
I noticed, for the first time, that the “Kwazy Wabbit” sign was hung upside down. Now I’m sure I’ve seen that before, but this time I noticed it. I think it’s a clever name and a clever gimmick. This enlightenment came the day after I enjoyed dinner and music at “The Lazy Loon” at Silver Rapids Lodge -- and a few days after Karen reported having had a lovely lunch with a friend at “The Frisky Otter.” And on our recent walk around the Chapman - Central - Sheridan - First Ave block, Rigby stuck her foreshortened nose into the entryway of “The Blue Loon Gallery and Boutique.”
So the trend, the in-thing, the rage, the hip idea these days is to couple an evocative modifier to a creature when naming your business. Give it some spark. Some charge. Some juice.
And since the loon is the Minnesota State Bird, why not repeat it around the area. Thus: the Dorna Loon.
OK, why stop there. On your stroll along Ely’s colorful streets and visits to area attractions, would you be surprised to see “The Good for Ewe,” an outdoor clothing store featuring wool wear? Next stop, our hiking headquarters, “Lea Dawn.” Where you’ll find maps and bug dope required for walks through fields and copses. If you’re looking for upscale jewelry, you might pop into “Billy Nuff.” Don’t we need a music store called “The Tuney Loon?”
But back to how do I write columns. As I disclosed, I first try to think of a topic. I always have much difficulty with this initial step. You can see what happens when I struggle with it.
But, as they say in Ely, all seriousness aside. After picking a topic, I consider the tone, the spirit I want to convey. Does the topic deserve serious, factual handling? If so, I dump that one. How about a persuasive slant? Nah, everyone’s mind in today’s America is fixed. How about philosophy? You kidding?
That leaves frivolity as you’ve read above.
Yet, I’d like to curl up in a large leather chair some drizzly afternoon and read about Lorna Doone. And the history of Nabisco. Maybe I’ll get a good idea for a column there.
Doug Luthanen grew up in Ely and graduated from Memorial High School in 1967. He wrote a weekly viewpoint column for the Northwest Arkansas Times for four years and is an occasional contributor to The Ely Echo.
