In the areas affected by the restrictions:

• No campfires are allowed for dispersed, remote, backpacking, or backcountry camping on all lands, whether there is a designated fire ring or not. On state lands, this means campfires are not allowed in state forests, state day-use or recreational areas, or backpacking sites in state parks.
• Campfires are allowed only in an established fire ring associated with a state park, home, cabin, permanent campground, or resort.
• No burning of brush or yard waste is allowed. Burning permits will not be issued or activated.
• No fireworks may be ignited on any public or private land outside city limits.

These restrictions are consistent with burning restrictions that are being implemented by the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa and Voyageurs National Park. In addition, the U.S. Forest Service has issued restrictions for all campfires in the Superior National Forest in these counties and throughout the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. 

"The risk of fire is increased with these unusually dry conditions in the area in combination with the predicted hot, dry, and windy conditions starting Sunday, “said Karen Harrison, wildfire prevention specialist. "One unintentional spark could result in thousands of charred acres and property damage."

While the DNR and wildfire agencies are ready to respond, the responsibility for preventing wildfires largely falls to people.

“We don’t issue burning restrictions lightly. And Minnesotans have a history of making a difference in preventing wildfires when they keep safety top of mind,” Harrison said.

With little precipitation and above-average temperatures in the extended forecast, fire danger is likely to remain high until the area receives significant precipitation. The burning restrictions will remain in effect until terminated by the DNR. This will happen after weather and environmental conditions indicate a significant reduction in fire danger.

The health and safety of people and firefighters is paramount. If you spot a wildfire, call 911 from a safe location.

Put on by Ely band Stony River, the family-friendly event celebrated its 10th year from 3-9 p.m. and featured six local music groups: Stony River; Dan Phipps; Shagawa Shorty, Julie Nester and Friends; Kearcher and Friends; Jeremy Harmon and Ambrose Richter.

“There never used to be music in town and I felt like there needed to be music for the Fourth of July, because there was this big dead spot in between the parade and fireworks,” said Nick Allen of Stony River. “We started doing this, and it’s turned into a really fun time.”

Semers Park saw far more attendees for the 2026 Shagawa Shindig than the event’s first year, when Stony River played for about 40 people.

“The whole idea is that people can bring a picnic and whatever they need to be comfortable, and we are only providing music. There’s nothing for sale,” Allen said. “Music is the best part of life, so I wanted to share it.”

Allen said the event’s focus on bluegrass and Americana music mirrors the overall lean of Ely’s music scene.

“It’s all pretty grassy,” Allen said, though he added that there are also undercurrents of blues numbers and a large cohort of local heavy metal fans and musicians.

Stony River band members coined their group’s genre as “Northern Crabgrass.” After meeting through general life circumstances, including shifts at the Boathouse and a connection through daycare work, Allen said Stony River band members first began as a group of jam musicians before formally organizing into a band 10-15 years ago.

“One thing led to another and we started playing together,” Allen said. “Now we’re a little more serious about it.”

Allen, who additionally plays guitar and fiddle for the local band Van and the Free Candies, said Ely’s music scene is blossoming.

Stony River attends open mics and other regional events, including a recent appearance at the Blue Ox Music Festival in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. They will host a release party on July 24 at Ely’s Historic State Theater for their new album, 10 Miles of Bad Road.

The Free Candies play at Zaverl’s Bar every Wednesday throughout the summer. Allen organizes open mic nights at the Boathouse between deer season and April.

“There’s a ton of really fun music that goes through (the open mic) in the wintertime,” Allen said. “It’s a nice, more local vibe, where it’s just the people who winter here.”

For the Shagawa Shindig, Allen said they decided upon Semers Park for its lakeside appeal in the July heat. Semers also offers a variety of amenities, including bathrooms, a playground, picnic tables and an off-the-beatenpath feel.

“We just wanted to have music in the park, and we thought this was a better space than Whiteside,” Allen said. “It’s (not) right in the middle of town. It’s a little more chill.”

This Independence Day, Semers heard a solid mix of original songwriting from bands like Stony River, while others like Kearcher & Friends played popular covers from artists like Zach Bryan, Caamp, Tyler Childers and more.

“Sometimes it’s fun to just play covers,” Allen said. “People can appreciate the quality of talent a little better if they recognize a song, versus a bunch of music they’ve never heard before.”

Allen said his favorite part of the event is simply seeing people relax, go swimming and make food.

“I love watching people just have a good time,” Allen said.

And since graduating, Faltesek has dominated a fundraising event for the school’s track teams.

For the second straight year, Faltesek crossed the line first in Ely’s annual Independence Day race around the Trezona Trail.

Faltesek, 23, was the overall winner at the Janet Gensler Memorial Four on the Fourth.

Faltesek, who went on to race collegiately at Concordia- St. Paul, won the event in 22 minutes, 28 seconds, but he had to battle to finish first.

Gaven Greshowak, 18, was just eight seconds behind in 22:36 and moved up after placing seventh overall.

Taking third place overall was another former Ely track standout, Izaak Nosbisch, 27. He was third in 22:45.

The women’s race was won by Emma Hatanpa, 15. She was first among females and ninth overall in 25:52.

The event doubles as a fundraiser for Ely’s high school track teams and attracted about 250 participants.

Rounding out the top-10 male finishers were:

• Sam Gausmann, 22:51;

• Blake Houde, 15, 23:43;

• Isaac Taylor, 23, 24:04;

• Nathan Bean, 14, 25:35;

• Trent Monson, 33, 25:37;

• Tim Laehn, 40, 26:00;

• August Laehn, 12, 26:17. Behind Hatanpa, the top-10 women were:

• Sierra Geatz, 17, 26:47;

• Penelope Laehn, 14, 27:22;

• Anna Klein, 25, 28:13;

• Lena Holloway-Schwinghamer, 17, 28:31;

• Molly Brophy, 17, 28:48;

• Keri Goetl, 50, 29:05;

• Jamie Blumentritt, 38, 29:22;

• Jillian Wills, 36, 30:23;

• Sydney Augustin, 66, 32:05.

A one-mile kids’ race was also held, and winners were 11-year-old Dailia Laehn (6:54) and 10-year-old Walter Townsend (7:18).

The event is named after the late Janet Gensler, who was instrumental in starting the race several years ago.

The trail’s passage into Tower is under construction along Highway 135 north of Wahlsten Road. The paved path currently comes to a halt at West Two River about two miles south of Tower.

The final segment is set for completion later this fall.

“It won’t quite be 100% done when we do our grand opening, but it will be complete enough that the whole thing can be ridden or walked. We’ll have the ‘window dressing’ part of the work to complete next spring,” wrote Sarah Ciochetto in an emailed statement.

Ciochetto is the deputy director for the St. Louis and Lake Counties Regional Railroad Authority, which owns and manages the Mesabi Trail.

“It’s fun. Every segment is interesting and unique in its own way,” Ciochetto said. “Knowing this is the final piece is pretty exciting.”

The final segment will bring the Mississippi (Grand Rapids to Nashwauk), Mesabi ( Nashwauk to Gilbert) and Laurentian (Biwabik to Tower) segments into full connection with the Vermilion stretch (Tower to Ely).

Once complete, the trail corridor will wind 165 miles through the Northwoods.

“I don’t know the specifications, but all the research I’ve done suggests that we are the longest paved trail in the country,” Ciochetto said. “I’ve found others that are significantly longer, but they’re not paved.”

The Mesabi’s corridor is around 99% paved, besting many other, longer trails that might include extensive sections with limestone or another solid, but non-asphalt, surface.

“I hesitantly say ‘one of the longest’ just to cover my bases,” Ciochetto said.

Once its 165 miles of pavement makes the final connection, at the very least the Mesabi will rival the 115-mile-long Paul Bunyan State Trail for the title of Minnesota’s longest paved bike trail.

The Wahlsten-to-Tower segment was initially supposed to be completed as one project in 2023, wrote Ciochetto. Ultimately, costs ran up and the Railroad Authority split the segment into the two sections it now represents, with the first of the two completed early this spring.

The deadline postponements after 2023 came due to permitting delays, creating what Ciochetto called a snowball effect.

Permitting from MNDOT, environmental agencies and others poses a challenge to trail construction, Ciochetto said. The process can take a long time and additional logistical hoops might surface along the way.

The trail’s route through townships with a patchwork quilt of privately-owned land can drag up additional challenges for trail authorities as they seek agreements and easements to pass through properties.

“We always want the best option that we can create, so if somebody says absolutely not, you can’t go across my land, I won’t give an easement, then we have to move to the next option we have and figure out how to route around it,” Ciochetto said.

When plotting a route between two communities, trail authorities first visit the area to scout out three possibilities: a good route, a better option and then the best-case track.

“Ideally, we like to get our trail out in the woods where you don’t feel like you’re in any sort of civilization,” Ciochetto said.

Ciochetto said the route along Highway 135 was not the most ideal option for the area. Challenges with landowner permissions required the trail’s construction within MnDOT’s right-of-way.

The landscape itself resisted trail construction efforts, with occasional steep and rocky sections interspersed with low, boggy areas. The Mesabi cannot climb or descend a grade greater than 8% for ADA accessibility reasons.

“That determines how much work we have to do to make the trail the right grades,” Ciochetto said. “So, a lot of challenges up there, but not insurmountable.”

Several new spur developments are on the drawing board as potential additions to the soon-to-be-completed 165-mile trail.

“The intention now is to bring in communities outlying from the trail into the trail corridor,” Ciochetto said.

Tree clearing is underway from Aurora to Hoyt Lakes, with segment completion projected for later this year or in 2027, according to an update on the Mesabi Trail’s website from earlier this year.

New trail communities may include Babbitt, Side Lake and Cook. Plans for a Lake Vermilion trail segment from Tower to Fortune Bay and potentially Cook are already in the works.

Infrared trail counters at 20 points along the trail counted about 300,000 users on the Mesabi last year. Ciochetto anticipates those numbers will rise significantly following the trail’s completion.

“I’d estimate half a million in the next couple years,” Ciochetto said.

The Railroad Authority aims to maintain the trail through grants. The organization also deposits funds annually into an ongoing maintenance account for any emergency needs that may arise and require immediate repair.

The Mesabi maintenance team currently features a seasonal crew, with one team member working throughout all seasons.

“They’re out there every day, cutting trees, brushing, watching for any sort of washouts or problems along the trail,” Ciochetto said. “We’re really on top of it every day.”

Mesabi Trail authorities might hire a contractor for larger projects, such as section reconstruction that requires the old trail to be removed and new asphalt to be installed. Ciochetto says the Railroad Authority maintains good relationships with regional contractors.

The trail’s 2026 completion marks the 30th anniversary from its beginnings in 1996, with some of the earliest segments breaking ground near Grand Rapids and Ely. Trail authorities plan to commemorate the anniversary with a special 30th logo.

Unofficial plans are in the works for a September 5 grand opening in Tower, with the Depot Park already reserved. Ciochetto anticipates a speaker lineup with remarks from people who have driven the trail’s implementation from the very beginning.

Interested individuals may visit the “Trail Conditions” page on the Mesabi Trail website for ongoing construction updates.

But going into the biggest regular season tournament of the year, Ely has yet to taste defeat.

Post 248 ran its record to 13-0 with a dominant, July 2 sweep at Blackduck, and then made it 14 straight Tuesday night at Marble, cruising past Deer River 16-1 in a five-inning rout.

At Blackduck Hunter Halbakken hit his first career home run and pitched three scoreless innings in a 16-0, first-game victory.

In the nightcap, Owen Marolt was perfect on the mound for four-and-onethird innings and finished with a one-hitter as Ely prevailed 6-1.

Off to its best start in more than 20 years, Ely was set to tangle with Thunder Bay, Fergus Falls, Aitkin and Roseau in the annual midsummer event.

The Aitkin clash is set for 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Veterans Memorial Field and is one of six games at the ballpark on the day.

The tournament closes Sunday with four more games, with Ely slated to meet Roseau at 3:45 p.m. in what’s been billed as “the grand finale” at the ballpark.

After the game, the field will go dark for the remainder of the year as work begins on a major renovation project that includes a complete resurfacing of the field, construction of a first base side viewing deck and a new concession stand and restroom building that will be just adjacent to the existing third base side pavilion.

That means for the first time in years, Ely won’t have a postseason game at home.

The Division II Northeast Substate Playoffs begin on Friday, July 17 at Cherry, with Ely set to be joined by Proctor, International Falls and South Ridge in the tournament.

The top-two teams advance to the Northeast Substate Final Four, which begins July 24 at Proctor.

“The season goes by quickly and it’s hard to believe we’re talking about the playoffs already,” said Ely Head Coach Tom Coombe. “I think this group got a little taste of it at the state tournament last year and wants to get back.”

Tonight’s home contest with Aitkin could be a Final Four preview of sorts. Aitkin advanced to the state tournament in Class AA baseball and looms as an obstacle in Ely’s quest to get to the state tournament, which begins July 31 at Glenwood.

“Aitkin is going to be a tough team to beat so we’re happy to get a chance to see them and compete with them in our home tournament,” said Coombe.

Other teams in this weekend’s tournament - which is the largest Legion baseball event in northeastern Minnesota - are Cloquet, Viroqua (WI), Tri City Maroon (Irondale), St. Louis Park, Aitkin, Fergus Falls, Roseau and LeSueur-Henderson.

• Ely is rated sixth in the state among Division II Legion teams according to the latest state poll.

St. Cloud Chutes are atop the list, with Montevideo, Le-Sueur-Henderson, Dilworth and St. Charles rounding out the top five.

Grand Rapids is ranked 13th among Division I teams.

• Halbakken’s three-run blast over the left field fence helped ignite Ely, which cruised in its sweep at Blackduck.

Halbakken also worked the first three innings on the mound and lefty Stig Majerus finished up, retiring six straight batters to close things out.

In the second game, Marolt fanned eight but gave up a fifth-inning single to lose his bid for a perfect game.

• Chittum was four-forfive with three doubles and four runs batted in as Ely won easily against Deer River.

Marolt doubled, tripled and had two RBI and Drew Johnson ripped a bases-clearing double off the right field fence.

Majerus, who has yet to allow an earned run this summer, worked three innings, gave up one hit and struck out four.

Both Halbakken and Marolt tossed one inning in tune-up action for this weekend’s tournament.

The DNR and its partners have conducted ruffed grouse surveys for 75 years to monitor the state’s breeding population. Through decades of surveys, DNR researchers have found that ruffed grouse populations tend to rise and fall in a cycle that typically ranges from 8-11 years.

“Drumming counts alone are not an accurate way to predict the birds that will be present during the fall hunting season,” said Charlotte Roy, DNR grouse project leader. “Nesting success and chick survival during the spring and summer are contributing factors that influence the number of birds present in the fall. These factors can be reduced by heavy rain during June, when nests hatch and chicks are young.”

The ruffed grouse populations were surveyed by counting the number of male ruffed grouse drums on established routes throughout the state’s forested regions.

“In a typical year, we have 13 cooperating organizations helping us count grouse drumming,” Roy said. “We are grateful to our federal, Tribal and other partners for their assistance in completing routes.”

The 2026 ruffed grouse survey report can be found on the Minnesota DNR’s grouse management webpage (mndnr. gov/wildlife/grouse.html).

CO Sean Williams (Ely 1) reports: warm and generally dry weather dominated the week into the fourth of July weekend. Heavy recreational watercraft use was seen as well as angling activity. Violation included: no lifesaving device on board awatercraft, fail to display current watercraft registration, and angling without a license in possession.

CO Brent Ihnen (Ely 2) spent the week checking anglers and watercraft operators.OfficerIhnenalsofocusedon patrolling for ATV and ORV activity. Additional time was spent monitoring AIS compliance near area lakes and at public water accesses.

CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Grand Marais) worked the busy holiday weekend with area officers. Time was spent in the BWCAW and on area lakes. Enforcement action was taken for angling, BWCAW and boating violations.

CO Hudson Ledeen (Hovland) spent the holiday weekend working the waters, woods, and trails. Many people were visiting the area and taking advantage of all the recreation opportunities the North Shore has to offer. Enforcement action was taken for angling, boating, ATV, and OHM violations.

CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) worked lots of boating and fishing enforcement over the past week and the busy 4th of July weekend. Time was spent on Lake Vermilion with CO Larson one day, with the remaining time spent of station lakes and ATV trails. Enforcement action included: PFD violations, registration violations, litter, PWCviolations,andtransportinga watercraft with the drain plug in place. CO Megan Franzen (Silver Bay) spent the week primarily monitoring angling and boating activity around the area. Beautiful weather over the holiday weekend brought many people to the area.Enforcementactionwastakenfor angling and boating related violations. CO Trent Anderson (Tofte) focused on boating and angling activity for the Holiday week. Time was spent on nuisance bear issues. Many folks were out enjoying the lakes and woods with favorableweatherconditions.Enforcement action was taken on a variety of angling and boating related violations. CO Cassie Block (Two Harbors) Spent time this week checking anglers on area lakes. Block focused efforts on boating enforcement, and AIS enforcement with K9 Jet. Time was also spent patrolling for ATV activity.

District 5 - Eveleth area

CO Paul Kennedy (International Falls #1) had a busy week leading into the holiday weekend monitoring angling and watercraft related activities. He took several reports of injured animals and worked with wildlife staff regarding the calls. He also worked a small detail with partner’s patrolling Rainy Lake. Enforcement action for the week included Boating Under the Influence,anglingwithoutalicense,no PFD on personal watercraft, and dogs chasing deer.

CO John Slatinski IV (Ray) The weather cooperated for eager boating and angling enthusiasts over the July 4th weekend. Anglers were reporting catching fish that were too big to keep and not enough for the frying pan. Temperaturesencouraged more people to soak up the sun in and around the water than to chase the wily walleye as theweekendprogressed.Campgrounds were full and festivities were well attended.

CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports holiday weekend traffic appeared down from previous years. Area lakes were monitored as were area forest roads. Bear and beaver continue causing problems, bear sightings over the week were numerous. Public access sites were checked and equipment worked on. Assistance wasprovidedtoDNRFisheries. CO Sean Cannon (Cook) spent the majority of the week out on the water checking anglers and monitoring boating activity. Some time was also spent monitoring ATV activity. CO Cannon worked long shifts out on Lake Vermilion over the very busy 4th of July weekend. Enforcement action taken included: Angling with an extra line, PWC violations, PFD violations, children not wearing PFDs, gunwale riding, registration violations, navigation light violations, and multiple arrests for Impaired Operation.

Bass too are moving out to cooler water during the heat of the day, 8-10 feet. Give soft plastic approaches like Ned and WhackyRigsatry.Thesepresentations are very versatile and can be worked on rocky flats or through heavy weed cover. As evening approaches, move shallower and throw topwater crank baits.

Crappies are still in 12-15 feet of water in the tall cabbage cover. The easiest approach is a crappie minnow under a slip bobber in either the early morning or late evening, 7-8 pm. You can also jig a marabou jig or cast a Beetle Spin. Lake trout are running deep, 40+ feet. Troll using downriggers or leadcore line with large Dr Spoons, Salmos, Reef Runners or Rapala’s. Concentrate your efforts over rock piles rising from very deep depths to 40 – 50 feet. You can also Jig large bucktail jigs or spoons tipped with frozen smelt over that same structure.

For the next two and one half days, I saw him fish but a few times, unlike stepping out of his canoe, at each and every island, they so fascinated him, rocky shores, sandy shores, mucky bottoms, large pond weed in the bays, crowned out cedars. For a grown man, he really liked the impromptu swimming quite a bit, he handled endless freshwater clam shells, pointing out dipping birds tracks, he started a drift wood collection that simply got out of control, he dialed back his wet wood souvenir shopping finally settling on one rooty web of tangles, and if he would have had to portage it, it would have remained shore side, it was fairly heavy.

At the trip’s end, everything was tied on top of the trucks, and like a true showstopper, there was his regal piece of driftwood. He had it packed up top so, going down the road, nobody would be able to miss it. And his favorite part of the trip wasn’t any huge fish or the memory of a moose; nope, never mentioned a sunrise. I never saw him take one picture; he just kept smiling at that piece of driftwood.

--The trout whisperer

In 1976, America was celebrating its Bicentennial and Ely held an all-class reunion in conjunction with that celebration.

For a six-year-old who rode along the parade route in one of Ely’s fire trucks, the result was one of those memories that indeed lasts a lifetime.

There were people everywhere, it seemed, as crowds were many deep along the parade route, which is somewhat similar today.

And just as it was last weekend as America turned 250, even a half-century ago, Whiteside Park was again a hub for community activity, games, food, beverages, and gathering in the hours after the parade.

On the Iron Range, July 4 or the days leading up to and after have also been synonymous with street dances.

The concept is simple: Close off a few blocks downtown, usually in proximity to local watering holes, and a band (or bands) perform well into the evening for one giant community party.

Ely had an occasional street dance in the 1980s but the concept never really took off here as it did in Eveleth, Gilbert, Chisholm or other area towns.

Word has it that an influential bar owner or two may have had a hand in holding those events back here.

Sentiment seemed to shift a few years back in Ely.

The late Paul Ivancich, one of the most giving and community- minded people Ely has ever seen, often said that the street dance was a tradition this town needed to revive.

The talk even reached the city council table and it was clear that there would be no “Footloose” style interference from the city leaders.

They all but said, “Let them dance.”

From that, and thanks in large part to the formation of the Ely Events Group - Rock the Park was born.

While Ely wouldn’t close down city streets, the community’s midtown gem - Whiteside Park provided a perfect venue.

Ample space, a bandshell, plenty of room for food trucks, beverage tents, lawn chairs, and even room to dance.

The Ely Events Group took on the massive responsibility of coordinating and putting on the event and set the plan in motion with the inaugural Rock the Park in 2022.

Members collectively held their breath and the organization invested both money and time amid this question “If we have it, will they come?”

Indeed they did, and the rest is history.

The first Rock the Park brought hundreds to the park and in 2023 it was estimated that over 1,200 people turned out to see two bands.

The Ely Echo reported at that time that “The audience was an eclectic mix, with adults and teens, Ely area residents and summer visitors, families with young children and a couple of busloads from Ely’s Carefree Living all part of the throng.”

The following year the Events Group doubled down and had back-to-back Rock the Park concerts as part of that year’s Ely High School All-Class Reunion.

In 2025, Rock the Park was held the night after the Fourth but after a heart attack just six days earlier, a walk from home to the park’s perimeter was all that was advisable to take in.

There was nothing holding me back this year, and plans were made to be part of this year’s festivities.

Some first-timers, a dear friend of Hollee and her two college-age girls, joined us and both took in and savored the Ely experience.

Despite the noise and street dance roots, Rock the Park is truly an event for all ages.

During the late afternoon and into the early evening, one could find dozens of young families and kids into the hundreds.

There were bouncy houses, the nearby park playground equipment, and both a sawdust pile and a medallion hunt coordinated by yet another community-minded business owner - the one and only Jim Zupancich. Whether it’s Rock the Park, the July 4 parade or events such as the Fun Run, Peter Mitchell Days or the recent Nisky ATV Ride, he’s there with a prize list that seems to have no end.

Whoever puts together the band lineup and order of appearance at Rock the Park does a fabulous job, as each year it seems to go from more easy-going, toe-tapping fare early in the night to a louder, dance-party version as the skies turn dark.

That seems to be by design and the crowd changes a bit as more families head for home and the crowd gets a tad younger as the night goes on.

But by no means is it only for the youngsters. The audience had its fair share of those in their 50s, 60s, 70s and even 80s into the night.

There were fourth-generation Elyites and newcomers. Ely residents and summer cabin owners. Those visiting Ely for the first time and Ely natives back for the Fourth of July weekend.

In some aspects, Rock the Park serves as an impromptu, annual, mini-class reunion.

In many ways, the United States and even Ely are hopelessly divided politically.

But at Whiteside on a July Friday night, pro-mining folks mixed with those ardently in opposition. There were red and blue, maskers and anti-maskers from the Covid days and without a doubt those for and against the Silver Rapids project.

Yet in a first, this was one Ely event where politics seemed to be put aside in favor of a good time for all.

Indeed, the police officers present weren’t really needed as there were no hints of violence or even unruliness.

The music continued until about 11 p.m. or so, and Ely’s firefighters had to have sold beer cans by the thousands. The water station operated by the PTO did brisk business and perhaps the only negative was that the food lines were long and more vendors were needed to accommodate the crowds.

It was a time to connect and reconnect and enjoy, and our stay lasted well past 11, deep in conversation with great friends even after the last band had stopped and the beer tent was coming down.

We turned down a ride downtown and walked the three blocks home instead, enjoying a welcome breeze and a picture-perfect July night in Ely. Heck, there weren’t even any bugs.

It may not be a street dance, but Ely has its own tradition now with Rock the Park.

We’re already looking forward to next year.

Parades and other weekend events passed, and the calendar offered thoughts of other summer activities. A walk and a stop to take in the color, texture, and abundance of needles on white pine branches brought out appreciation for what needles and leaves do to provide life, growth, seeds, fruits, food, and variety within the landscape.

Recalling only a couple of days ago when they were absorbing a storm and high winds, and now reverting to a calm, still, bathing in the morning sunlight.

Along that walk, plants displayed flowers in all stages. Some were wild and native to this area.

Others not originally native to this area were making a home here. Arriving home, a forest backdrop framed the landscape plantings. An area where tansy had taken over was re-landscaped with the planting of native plants. Flowers caught my eye, and they topped an area of swamp milkweed.

Swamp milkweed is a native plant that grows throughout our area, often in wetlands. They have been planted in rich soil of both wetland and upland sites. Unlike common milkweed, the flowers are redder and the leaves are narrower. Common milkweed is not a forest plant and is more commonly found in open landscapes.

Because of common milkweed’s well-known association with monarch butterflies, it has been planted outside of its historic range. It does well in drier soils in open areas and gardens, and people can see monarch butterflies’ arrival and use of it each summer.

Last summer, although the milkweeds in our area performed as usual, there was a notable lack of monarch butterflies. Concern for their welfare led to extensive discussion but no conclusive answers explaining their absence.

Monarch butterflies migrate in the spring and fall. They winter in the southwest and migrate across country to arrive here in June. After feeding on pollen and producing eggs, their caterpillars feed on milkweed plants before becoming a new generation of monarchs that migrate back to the southwest for winter. Since, as people, we are interested in the weather, one thought from last year was that the spring weather may have inhibited monarch spring migration.

Upon seeing flowers on the swamp milkweed and investigating the plants, a monarch caterpillar was found. Later, seven caterpillars, still quite small, were found.

It looked like the fruits of the milkweed plant labors were potentially serving milkweed this year.

Now to test some other patches of milkweed. Common milkweed once planted can be very aggressive in growing and taking over an area. At a friend’s cabin, a planting claimed an area, and on a visit to that large patch, one caterpillar was found, and a single adult monarch was seen flying nearby.

A similar large patch of common milkweed exists at Ely’s brush dump, and one caterpillar was found there. I haven’t checked the similar common milkweed patch at the southeast corner of the Ely Cemetery yet.

Then the last visit was to the pollinator garden planted in front of the Ely Elementary School. Both kinds of milkweed are planted there and have done well, providing a comparison of monarch use.

Both milkweeds were fully grown and flowering.

Again, the common milkweed dominates this year’s regrowth. There were caterpillars on the swamp milkweed, but not on the common milkweed yet.

However, there were at least five adults flying around, with some chasing each other.

It looks like migration went well this year for monarch butterflies, and it will be interesting to hear about their milkweed plant explorations and monarch sightings. Don’t forget those leaves are at work to produce food; more monarchs and more milkweed seeds come fall.

The donation allowed Boundary Waters Choral Arts to launch the Ely Community Bell Choir, who took to the stage for the first time last Sunday at the Boundary Waters Choral Arts’ “I Hear America Singing” concert celebrating America’s 250th anniversary. 

“It’s almost a magical sound in my mind. It’s just so, so pretty,” said Wendy Norcross, who recently joined the bell choir. 

A set of items like these would amount to around $30,000 if purchased new. 

Boundary Waters Choral Arts director and artistic director of music at the Ely Presbyterian Church Mike Rouse said the Hastings church had listed the bells for a sale price of $18,000 as it prepared to close its doors. 

“That beautiful historic church started saying, you know what, if we’re going to close, these bells were given to us so we need to gift them on,” said Billie Rouse, who helps run the program. 

Hastings transplant Robyn Keyport, who moved to Ely in 2022, previously rung for a community handbell group in Red Wing called Bells of the Bluffs. She learned about the Malmark bells through another member of the group. 

Corey Larson, pastor of Ely Presbyterian Church, and Mike Rouse began corresponding with the Hastings First Presbyterian Church, explaining Ely’s community and his plans to launch a community handbells group — which ultimately served as the deciding factor for the church to choose Ely out of its final three candidates. 

“I think they chose Ely and this Presbyterian church because we consistently do outreach,” Mike Rouse said. “It’s not just inside these walls. The things here are to bring the community together, bring people in.” 

The new choir offers the opportunity for bell ringers of all experience levels to practice or learn the instrument, whether they are other transplants with a bell-ringing background or new ringers who now can access the bells for the first time. 

The new bells replace the handchimes which previously accompanied Ely Presbyterian Church services. Chimes differ from handbells by their long, rectangular shape. 

The Ely Community Bell Choir was not the only new choir on stage last Sunday. 

The Unforgettables, a memory-loss-friendly choral group, performed live after gathering for their first practice just five weeks ago. 

The group’s model is a welcoming environment where volunteer singers comprise one-third of the chorus and the other two-thirds are individuals with memory loss and their care partners. 

“Some choirs are known for their musicality and some choirs are known for their community or their family. I would say this is more community-focused,” Billie Rouse said. 

Mike Rouse creates special arrangements for the group that are straightforward to follow. Rouse uses large letters to mark the position within the music and eliminates repeat signs so that performers can sing straight through a piece. 

The songs are no less intricate or authentic, even with the alterations. Billie Rouse said the choir aims to maintain musicality while still upholding the philosophy of a failure-free environment filled with humor and community. They align themselves with the motto “there is no wrong in this room.” 

“It’s a place of comfort for people,” said Norcross, who paddled in all 50 states to raise money for Alzheimer’s through The Purple Canoe project and now partners with The Unforgettables as the group’s operational manager. 

Practice launches with vocal warm-ups and a get-to-know-you icebreaker question, followed by rehearsal interspersed with movement and laughter, and finally social time after practice complete with cookies and coffee. 

The choir follows the Minneapolis-based Giving Voice Choral Initiative model, which has been implemented in memory-friendly choirs around the nation. 

Mike Rouse said Giving Voice executive director Eyleen Braaten reached out to him with an interest in launching a choir in the Ely area as part of their Giving Voice Rural Initiative. 

“I could write a book about all the instances of magic I’ve seen happen (through music),” Mike Rouse said. “So when we were contacted about this, it really sparked our interest.” 

The Ely Unforgettables have drawn outstanding numbers of participants right from the get-go. By just their fourth rehearsal, 26 community members had attended a practice, nearly matching Minneapolis’s numbers, whose Giving Voice chorus launched with about 30 participants. In comparison, many other similar choral groups might launch with six to eight vocalists. 

“What really made me believe how important these choirs are and realize the value of them was because it becomes a support group in essence. They’re meeting every week, they are coming together joyfully,” Norcross said. “We have a good time.” 

The Boundary Waters Choral Arts program also includes the organization’s foundational choir, the Ely Area Community Choir, who performed at last weekend’s “I Hear America Singing” concert along with the Ely Community Bell Choir and The Unforgettables. 

Boundary Waters Choral Arts looks forward to the months to come, with plans in the works for a children’s chime choir and preparations for the Unforgettables to star in their own concerts. 

“To me, music boils down to two things: joy, but more importantly, communication, being able to communicate emotions and express feelings,” Mike Rouse said. “That’s been a big part of my entire life.” 

“There are these moments where you’re performing something and truly just nail it and the hair goes up on the back of the neck,” Mike Rouse said. “We hope the audience is experiencing that same thing.” 

In fact, he said it was overwhelming with a long line of people coming in to get rid of their garbage. He said overall most were patient. A citizen thanked Barrett for the help he was given.

The dumpsters were moved to the south side of the site, and brushing was done on the corner of the road.

The board received the IRRRB grant, and with Lake County Commissioner Joe Baltich present, he clarified the grant was from mining funds.

He said he spoke with Whitney Ridlon about the grant who will be the point of contact at IRRRB. The money will be used to extend a Sunset Road project for another half mile beyond the reroute LRIP project. Baltich said there shouldn’t be a lot of paperwork involved.

More information is needed though. Clerk Cheri DeBeltz said, “We need to include the scope of the work, project location and infrastructure involved.”

Supervisor Roger Murawski talked about the Bollig Engineering packet received and the Zoom meeting he was on with them concerning the community center.

He said Bollig has a program for searching for funds, and he was very impressed “We did get a IRRR grant to start working on the engineering design,” said Murawski.

The packet included scope of services that Bollig will be doing in the administration of infrastructure funding source. The annual fee will be $5,000 due upon execution of the task order and annually to pursue funding for the township.

The board wants more information for the August meeting before approving the funding application.

The board received three quotes for the Winton Point Road as there was no material available from the Minnesota Power site. The bids would be for gravel from the township pit, class five and culverts needed. This was tabled to see if there are grants available or if FEMA money is available.

Jeff Goetzman made a call in on Zoom and updated the Sunset Road project. He said there was good progress being made.

“We are on target to finish by the end of July or the first week of August,” said Goetzman.

He said the state has another local road improvement program for grant opportunities.

“It was announced last week and is open for application starting in September and due by the end of November,” said Goetzman. “There are opportunities for the township to look at applying for money to make improvements on other roads. This was something we talked about a while back about capital improvement projects.”

Concerning the relocation of Locust Road through the county pit, Baltich said the township needs to make a request to the county. He said the county would like a plan submitted to the county.

“What they want to see is what exactly the township wants to do, what would be done by the township,” said Baltich. “That it will be a township road and there are plans to maintain it.”

Sup er visor Hudson Kingston said as all could see, he is still on crutches. He said he would be on crutches for a few more months as he will be having surgery.

Kingston reported that the environmental document for Silver Rapids update is on available.

“Everyone in Fall Lake Township should know they can now read the document and make comments,” said Kingston. “The comment period is over on Aug. 6, a day after our next meeting.”

Supervisor Craig Seliskar asked if the document was on the Lake County website. It is not. Kingston gave the website for people to download the document. This is a link: https://shorturl.at/aWgJ7 Murawski had a bid for upgrading the security lighting system, but after discussion about the direction of the light for dark sky, another bid will be requested.

Seliskar said chloride hasn’t been applied to the Cloquet Line yet and application will have to wait until the Sunset Road project is complete. The cost for the chloride for the two roads will be around $14,000. The roads will have to be graded beforehand.

Beavers are a problem again on the Cloquet Line and Seliskar will contact USDA.

Baltich reported he had attended an interagency quarterly meeting with the Forest Service and the DNR. Cook, St. Louis and Lake counties were there. He brought up sustainable aircraft fuel made out of balsam at the meeting.

Also discussed at the meeting was the BWCA 30year review that the county wants to have a seat at the table.

The Lake County website was review with county auditor Ronnie Radle and there is a lot of information on it.

“How often have we had three levels of government represented in the same room as the same time,” said Baltich.

He was referring to the fact that Rep. Roger Skraba (R-Ely) had stopped in to the meeting. Skraba was thanked for helping to get the additional grant money with Sen. Grant Hauschild (DFL-Hermantown).

Deb Bradt questioned if a needs assessment has been done for the community center. Her concern was about maintaining the building after it was built. Baltich said they haven’t even gotten to that point yet.

“The community center group has been going on for two years,” said DeBeltz. “The concept will be voted on by the township.”

Skraba said he sits on the LCCMR committee, the Environmental Trust Fund and also on the Legacy committee. He spoke about the funds available.

The DNR rules on helium came out recently so extracting can begin. Skraba said there is a lot of interest in the project. He said he attended the World Helium Summit in Austin, TX last year. There is great interest in the Pulsar project.

“There is a world shortage of helium,” said Skraba. “It’s used for MRIs, for computing, for making computers and more. So, it would be nice to get this one across the finish line.”

In correspondence:

• Received a thank you from the Class of 2026 for the donation for their day in Duluth instead of the All-Night Grad party.

• A thank you was received from the Ely Igloo Snowmobile Club for the donation given.

• Received information from the IRRRB of the Business and Community Development Resources Workshop to be held on Tuesday, July 14 at the Mineland Reclamation Office.

• Received information from IRRRB on the 2026 Outdoor Industry Summit to be held on Thursday, Sept. 24 in Bloomington.

• RAMS sent an application for Point Source Implementation Grant Program (PSIG). Application will be accepted from July 1-31 for grant awards for Fiscal Year 2027.

• A request for funds was received from the Ely Golf Course. $500 was approved.

• A request for funds was received from the Ely Baseball Association. $400 was approved.

• The next Morse/Fall Lake fire meeting will be held at the Fall Lake Town Hall on Wednesday, July 15 at 6 p.m.

• The next regular township meeting will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 6 p.m.

• A resolution approved election judges Teresa Sagen, Nancy McReady, Gary Nevalinen and Cheri DeBeltz for the August primary.

• Primary election will be held at Fall Lake Town Hall on Tuesday, Aug. 11 with polls opening at 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

We’ve had rhubarb, and still have giant bushes of it, for a while now. Our strawberries have been producing handfuls every couple of days or a few each afternoon still. The raspberries and black raspberries are full of bees and the tiny green fruit is getting bigger by the second. Our two different grapevines are full of clusters. My favorite Thai basil plant is growing new pungent green and purple leaves. Man do they smell fantastic.

Two days ago, our first red poppy bloomed and now there’s over a dozen of them waking up early with me on this rather gray Wednesday. They brighten up the corner and my morning. I snapped this picture a few days ago of the shadow of my Poirot cat sitting on the porch bannister against our white storm door. He’s watching a couple of larger birds and listening attentively to the new cache of song sparrows and chipping sparrows that chirp incessantly every morning seemingly at him and his sister.

There’s a pair or more of brown thrashers and the large northern flickers come each morning now. Accompanying them is the occasional recurrence of the albino squirrel whose pure white appearance confuses the cats and Mr. David Byrne. No one is used to the brown rabbit that sprints through the neighbor’s yard and occasionally noses up to the galvanized edges of the small diamond spaces in our fence. Minnow is nearly a match for his color with her tabby pattern and acts very calm as though they might be distant cousins without the alarm bells that ring when a visiting cat ventures nearby.

In the late afternoon before it cools off, the robins come and use the drinking water pan as a bird bath. The cats are always napping inside when this takes place. Poirot prefers to spend the warmest part of any day buried under a quilt on our bed. This from a cat who will literally lay on the couch as near as possible to the air conditioner and stick his face right in front of the vents later in the evening if it is running. He’s an enigma. Even his shadow is interesting. He’s a stark reminder of my summer hopes and dreams from the last summers of the 80s and early 90s. Crisp and defined, they remained in stark contrast to future possibilities that I wanted to avoid. I’d wanted to be a writer from probably the age of five and I was becoming one. I felt that my own definition was less blurry.

What I couldn’t understand then, but have come to figure out, is that life tends to blur out around the edges. The contents of the garden change from year to year and shift around.

That makes for a better crop, just like a larger field. It keeps things interesting and even if your home remains the same for three decades and more, the details define themselves in new and more interesting ways. If you have children or help raise children and or you are married, your life becomes about your family, the possible rotation of pets, etc. Your story writes itself differently. It defines you. Though unexpected, these things are more than good. There’s no way I could’ve expected how rewarding they would turn out to be.

My story or stories have done that. On their own. They continue to, in ways that I never would have imagined during that summer I worked in our old antique shop back in Illinois. Stripping everything back to the beginnings, just like I did that summer, only with chemicals and wood, I can begin to see the original paths my grain was taking. As I try to finish some of my written creations, it is important for me to be able to do this and to follow the branches shooting off. To trace some things back to their roots. To uproot some things and migrate them elsewhere.

Those expectations seem to be met, and then some.

Thousands gathered on Ely’s streets and sidewalks for Saturday’s July 4 parade, and an estimated 1,500 people turned out at Whiteside Park for the July 3 Rock the Park event.

Together, those events and associated activities made for a hectic weekend in town, one capped by the July 4 evening fireworks display over Miners Lake.

Mother Nature cooperated, with temperatures reaching 80 but not unbearably hot during the roughly 90-minute parade.

As usual, parade-watchers got a head start, putting chairs out along the parade route as early as a day-and-ahalf before the parade.

For the first time, a count was conducted and it was noted that more than 2,200 chairs were placed along the route.

Given those numbers, and crowds lined up deep beyond the chairs along many city blocks, crowd estimates of 10,000 or more for the Ely parade may not be far off.

Bands including one from Ely Memorial High School as well as the always-popular Ely Klown Band entertained along the parade route, and Ely Echo publisher and longtime community volunteer Nick Wognum served as grand marshal.

The parade started with the Ely Honor Guard and veterans atop a giant truck, and ended with a caravan of emergency vehicles.

In between, parade-watchers saw floats, classic cars and political candidates including gubernatorial hopeful and current U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D), DFL U.S. Senate candidate Angie Craig and both State Sen. Grant Hauschild (D) and her Republican opponent Babbitt’s Andrea Zupancich.

And as always, Zup’s Food Market played a large part in the parade, distributing everything from pretzels to plungers to those in the audience.

Before and after the parade, the city park was filled with children, families and others for games, food and beverages.

The previous evening, the park was the hub of activity for Rock the Park.

Since the initial event in 2022, Rock the Park has taken off and has now become a staple on the Fourth of July weekend calendar and serving as a true community gathering.

“I started thinking back to the first year when we were like ‘is anybody going to come to this thing?’ to now we’ve got to the point where there are bands reaching out to us, and we know who needs to be booked a year out in advance,” said Rob Wilmunen of the Ely Events Group.

Three acts - Willie Martin and the Rangers, The Whiskey River Band and Aftershock - entertained an audience that included all ages.

Sponsored by the Ely Events Group, Rock the Park includes a variety of musical acts and numerous components aimed at children and young families, including bouncy houses, a medallion hunt and a sawdust pile for kids, and free watermelon.

“We try to say that friends, family and fun is our motto,” said Wilmunen. “We invite YoungLife to participate and we have the inflatables, and I think the PTO did very well on pop and water, and then Jimmy Zup has taken over with the sawdust piles and medallion hunts and those sorts of things and it adds a family aspect to all of it.”

The event lasted several hours and resulted in long lines at food trucks and brisk business for the Ely firefighters, who sold beer and other beverages.

Like July 4, organizers also had the good fortune of cooperative weather. “We were fortunate on the weather front,” said Wilmunen.

Determining attendance was an inexact science, but the Ely Events Group sold out of 1,000 buttons for the event and then sold hundreds of stickers and can coozies as substitutes.

Plans for 2027 are already in the works and next year’s Rock the Park is already booked for Saturday, July 3.

Nick Wognum of the Ely Events Group emceed the event.

“We’re going to start today with a special guest. This is a tough day for him,” said Wognum. “He lost two uncles on the 4th of July. He lost one in World War II and he lost one in 2007. We’re going to talk a little bit more about the one who died in World War II today. I’m going to ask Rico Mondati to come up and raise the flag for us today.”

Following a prayer, the national anthem and the crowd gathered saying the Pledge of Allegiance, Wognum gave a background on the Bataan Death March.

“It stands as one of the darkest and most harrowing episodes of World War II. It was a brutal ordeal.

“It tested the limits of human endurance and exposed the cruelty of war. Began in April of 1942 following the fall of the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines to Japanese forces. It left an indelible scar on both American and Filipino history.

“The march, the Bataan Death March, was a forcible transfer of 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war on the Bataan Peninsula, in the central Luzon area of the Philippines. The dis- tance they marched, about 70 miles. Mark that down next time you’re driving.

“Estimates vary, approximately 5-10,000 prisoners died during the march itself, about 1,000 to 2,000 Americans, 4,000 to 8,000 Filipinos.

“We really don’t know the number. Many more died in the weeks following, due to disease, starvation, and abuse and prisoner of war camps.”

Wognum read the names of Ely soldiers listed on the plaque at the Veterans Memorial who were in the Bataan Death March:

• Louis “Gigi” Tome

• Donald Debler

• Reino Tuomala

• Don Grinden

• John Lobe

• Ed Folio

• Claude Taylor “The final one we’re going to talk about today is James C. Mondati. The family, who is here today, didn’t really know a lot about what happened. Rico’s uncle, James C. Mondati, he enlisted in the U.S. Army from Ely, ended up in the Philippines, obviously.

“Rico told me that James would take his Army pay and send it all home to support his family. That’s kind of an interesting thing if you think about it. He didn’t keep that money. He wanted to make sure his family was good.

So he took care of them from so far away. This is a family who had recently arrived in America. They were just getting here. So they were starting out their lives and sending a son to war.

“James Mondati was listed as missing in action after the Bataan Death March. But just recently the family was contacted by the U.S. Army. The remains of James Mondati have been found.

“This fall, he finally comes home. Well, why did this happen now? Why did it take so long?

“In today’s technology, today’s world, you think you could find those things. I’ll give you some reasons why.

“For one, Japanese forces were really kind of unprepared for this. It was a large number of prisoners total of about 75,000. They didn’t have any Apple computers.

“They didn’t have any record keeping per se. So there were a lot of prisoners that were killed or died without any official documentation. On the march itself, bodies were left behind.

“They were just discarded along the way. Prisoners who collapsed were too weak to continue, were often executed, or frequently left on the roadside, buried in shallow graves, were thrown into mass graves. There’s no time or effort made for proper identification.

“Also, the conditions where this was. This is in the Philippines. Pretty warm, humid climate. Bodies decompose rapidly, making visual identification impossible after a short time. Many remains were never recovered. Also, Japanese guards confiscated or destroyed personal effects, dog tags, identification, in many cases, prisoners were stripped of anything that could identify them. Fellow prisoners who witnessed all this, pretty traumatized. So for them to even talk about what they saw, what they dealt with.

“Some never did. Some took years before they could come forward and say what they saw. After the war, the American Graves Registration teams faced enormous challenges, recovering the remains from the Philippines.

“Many sites have been disturbed, and records were incomplete. In the case of James Mondati, it was DNA testing. That was the key to solving the mystery.

“And the key came from Rico. The Army asked him if he would provide a sample of his DNA. Take a swab in your cheek and send it to us, and maybe someday we’ll be able to find your uncle. It worked. Technology worked. It took a long time, Rico, but it finally worked.

“Rico told me that his mother was notified by General MacArthur, in a letter dated October 11, 1945, that she had lost her son in World War II. And he died on July 4th, 1942. So for three years, she didn’t know. Nobody knew. Oh, he knew. The Lord knew. Nobody else did.

“But the family knows now is that James Mondati survived the Death March. What he didn’t survive with the prison conditions.

“The Cabanatuan Prison Camp held over 9,000 prisoners. Life there was capitalized by extreme hardship, brutality, and high mortality. There was severe overcrowding, poor sanitation, prisoners lived in bamboo barracks, little protection from the elements, disease spread rapidly, filthy conditions, open latrines, lack of clean water, starvation, malnutrition and diseases and lack of medical care.

“Dysentery, malaria, Dengue fever, tropical ulcers were rampant, and there was almost no medicine available. Also, for those who survived, they were working in pretty harsh conditions.

“They had to deal with beatings, torture, executions. Many died from exhaustion. Tens of thousands of prisoners passed through this prison camp, and the first year alone, roughly 3000 Americans died there due to starvation, disease, and abuse.

“For Sergeant James Mondati it was those camp conditions that claimed his life. It is now believed he died of dysentery. If you don’t know what dysentery is, I’ll try to couch it a little bit. It’s a severe intestinal infection causing extreme diarrhea, dehydration and often death. Prisoners suffered from it due to contaminated water, poor sanitation, and their starvation-weakened immune systems.

“We’ll never know the exact story of what happened to James Mondati, what he went through in service to his country. But what we do know is some good news, and I think it’s going to be a great community celebration when his remains come home this fall. I would like to thank the Mondati family for being willing to share that with this community.”

The speech wrapped up with a paragraph from the Declaration of Independence: “That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.”

“Let us all keep in mind what our Declaration of Independence means, why we’re all here today, 250 years later, and our country’s still going. Still going strong,” said Wognum.

Declaration

Starting Monday, July 13, the Minnesota Department of Transportation will temporarily change the traffic control and both the intersection of Sheridan Street and Central Avenue, and up the hill at Sheridan Street and Third Avenue East.

According to a news release issued this week by MnDOT, the signals will be placed into flashing red and stop signs will be installed to change the intersections into all-way stop control for approximately six weeks.

It comes as the state ponders what to do next at both intersections, given that the traffic signals are reaching the end of their useful life and amid considerations to switch to other options including the possibility of mini-roundabouts at both locations.

The state’s plans have generated significant pushback in Ely, including via social media, a public hearing last fall and at the city council table.

The city’s police force also has concerns, largely for safety reasons.

“I’ve been here long enough to know we have to have stoplights at Central and Sheridan,” said Chad Houde, Ely’s police chief. “The buildings are so close to the intersection. We had a child that was hit by a vehicle there, and that was a kid in the crosswalk. If you’re going east to west or north and south you don’t know what’s coming. I’ve seen many cars blow those stoplights there. It’s a dangerous intersection.”

Mayor Heidi Omerza voiced concerns at Tuesday’s council meeting and city officials have publicly expressed doubts about Mn-DOT’s plans.

Omerza said she completed a survey put out by MnDOT and encouraged others to follow suit.

“The stoplights are going to be flashing red very shortly and yes, I already filled out the surveymonkey attached to it,” said Omerza. “I highly encourage that you fill it out.”

Anyone can complete the survey at this link: https:// www.surveymonkey.com/r/ M3P95Q2.

While the state unveiled plans last year showing that mini-roundabouts were the preferred new alternative for both locations, they also stressed that nothing was imminent, no funding had been secured to make any changes, and that change would not likely occur for years.

They said the first step would be to test four-way stops, with the first test conducted in Febuary and early- March and the second this summer.

The second round of testing comes during one of the community’s busiest times of the year, and will intersect with the Blueberry/Art Festival, an event that fills the town and attracts thousands of people to the community.

Houde said that Ely police will watch the intersections and at times have officers stationed there “as a friendly reminder” to slow down and observe the four-way stop.

“People aren’t used to this and it will take some time to get used to,” said Houde.

The conversion away from regular traffic signals was the result of MnDOT studies of traffic counts, crash data and other information.

Although there is no money currently budgeted by the state to remove the traffic signals and install mini-roundabouts, that indeed is the recommendation of the state, although city officials and many attending last fall’s public hearing were skeptical.

Houde said he preferred that both stoplights stay for safety reasons.

“My involvement is the safety aspect of this,” said Houde. “I’ve been here 21 years and I remember when we took out the stoplight at First Avenue and that was a big issue then,” said Houde. “With stoplights it’s controlled access, and we have a county road and a state highway at Central and Sheridan. That’s the one I’m most concerned about. In my opinion, I want both of these stoplights to remain. I think they work the best for their location.”

According to MnDOT, the mini-roundabouts are preferred because they:

• Are the safest form of traffic control for all users;

• Create the least amount of delay for all users;

• Reduce vehicle speeds in the downtown area;

• Provide U-Turn opportunity for those looking for parking;

• Easily and efficiently handles large fluctuations in traffic including seasonal changes and special events.

But that sentiment has generated plenty of opposition locally, resulting in a firestorm of sorts on social media.

Houde also expressed reservations.

“When traffic is steady it does help our traffic moving,” said Houde. “When you go to a four-way stop not only do you have people taking turns you have pedestrians to wait for. And if we go to a roundabout you’ll have to yield to pedestrians there. I think roundabouts are good in a lot of places. I’m 100 percent in favor of installing one by the Y Store (near Tower).”

MnDOT determined that there was no warrant for traffic signals at the Third Avenue intersection, and nothing currently for Central Avenue, although in some future scenarios a warrant was met.

At a quiet City Hall on a warm summer evening, the council heard from Bradley Peterson, executive director of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities CGMC is a lobby group that represents the interests of 110 cities outside of the Twin Cities. Key issues include local government aid, funding for environmentally conscious infrastructure, transportation, labor and employee relations, economic development, and emergency medical services.

Peterson spent the bulk of his report on the results of the recently-completed state legislative session in St Paul.

“There were two main drivers of the 2026 session: the divided nature of the government…DFL maintains a one seat majority in the Senate, and the House is evenly divided…the other thing that drove this session was the fact that it was not a budget year…there really wasn’t a lot of talk about spending and taxes,” said Peterson.

According to Peterson, focal points for this session were fraud, guns, a bailout for Hennepin County Medical Center, school safety and a bonding bill.

CGMC’s priorities were to protect LGA, pass a bonding bill with investments in water, waste water, lead service line replacement and economic development for communities like Ely.

“The budget work they did last year along with changing economic assumptions and forecasts has created a small balance of $77 million, but I think the overall take on the state budget situation is that it is still very fragile because we are bringing in less money than we are spending over time,” said Peterson.

The total bonding bill passed was $1.24 billion to be distributed to cities across the state, with Ely one of the winners, having landed state funds to complete the water line project to Burntside Lake.

Also Tuesday, Rachel Heinrich, the city’s librarian, reminded folks that the library has two state park passes and two Minnesota Discovery Center passes available for patrons to check out.

“You do not have to have a library card to check these out,” said Heinrich.

Police Chief Chad Houde announced Ely’s participation in the National Night Out, which this year is set for Tuesday, Aug. 4, from 4-8 p.m., with Whiteside Park serving as the focal point.

“There will be bounce houses, dunk tanks, face painting, worm races and a petting zoo,” said Houde.

In other business the council:

• Approved a recommendation from Ely Utilities Commission to pay $6,396.83 to RESCO for the Pattison Street project.

• Approved a recommendation from EUC to approve an energy rebate of $400 to Jim Robbins.

• Approved a motion for a residential rehab loan of $10,000 for Larry and Amy Wier for a new propane furnace for 10 West Shagawa.

• Approved city and EUC claims for $366,560.51.

• Received the latest monthly police activity report (see related story) from Houde.

Family Firecracker Bingo on July 12 from 1-4 p.m. at the Ely Community Center.

The Ely Weavers and Fiber Artists group will meet on Monday, July 13, at the Grand Ely Lodge at 11:30 a.m. If you share these interests feel free to join in.

At the Ely Public Library on Monday, July 13 at 3 p.m. the program will be Friends of the Library Book Club – for adults and older teens. Book to be discussed: Black Woods, Blue Skies by Eowyn Ivey.

Reflections Dance Company summer dance workshops at Semer’s beach pavilion July 13-15 with Scott Stafford. The free workshops are Move and Groove 1-3 p.m. (ages 8+) movement classes; Evening rehearsals for “Honey” contemporary jazz from 6-9 pm (ages 11+). Thursday, July 16 will be a showcase presenting what the participants learned at 7 pm at the Semer’s Pavilion. Contact Molly Olson for more information at 218-410-9457 or register at www.northernlakesarts. org At the Ely Public Library on Tuesday, July 14 at 11 a.m. the program will be Get Crafty: Rock Painting – for all ages (with help for younger kids). Get ready to craft with Tricia and make some kindness rocks. Pre-registration is required. Sponsored by Friends of the Library.

At the Ely Public Library on Wednesday, July 15 at 11 a.m. the program will be Kids for Kids Concert – for all ages. Come hear a small group performance of some of the students that are taking part in this year’s Northern Lights Music Festival. This is a great free opportunity to hear some very talented young musicians. This program is presented in cooperation with the Northern Lights Music Festival.

Ely Watercolor Club will once again present paintings and greeting cards this summer at Ely’s Miner’s Dry building, Thursday through Sunday, July 16-19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Lake Vermilion Cultural Center, on Thursday, July 16, at 1 p.m. will host “ Kids Watercolor Fun” instructed by Linda Smith at the Vermilion Park Inn classroom at 30 Center Street in Soudan. The students will paint a picture of a sea turtle. Purchase tickets and reserve a spot for your schoolaged child at the LVCC website. Tickets for this class are $20; all materials are included. Class limited to 15 students.

At the Ely Public Library on Thursday, July 16 at noon the program will be Deadly Knits – for teens and adults. Knit-along (or crochet) while listening to and discuss a true crime podcast. Registration not required. This program is sponsored by Friends of the Library.

The July meeting of Ely P.E.O. Chapter FD will be held on Thursday, June 16 at Grace Lutheran Church. Social time will start at 6:30 p.m. with the business and program to follow. Visiting members are welcome. Call the program chair, Kathy Champa, 218-220-0969, with any questions.

At the Ely Public Library on Friday, July 17 at 2 p.m. the program will be Armchair Traveler: Italy with the Petersen Family. This month, Mandy and Reed Petersen will talk about taking a family holiday in Italy. This program is sponsored by Friends of the Library.

Ely Braver Angels Alliance will be holding its Summer Social on July 22, from 5-7 p.m. at Samz Place.

The Ely Chamber of Commerce presented the Ely Blueberry/ Art Festival July 24-26 in Whiteside Park.

The public is invited to a public screening of God and Country, a documentary produced by Michele and Rob Reiner that explores the relationship between faith, politics and democracy in the United States on Thursday, July 30, at 6:30 p.m. at the Ely Community Center. Following the film, participants will be invited to engage in a civil discussion grounded in mutual respect, curiosity and a commitment to understanding one another. Hosted by Ely Indivisible.

Ely’s Second Annual National Night Out will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 4, from 4-8 p.m. at Whiteside Park for an evening of free family fun, community connections and plenty of Northwoods smiles. National Night Out is all about strengthening the connection between law enforcement and the community they proudly serve.

Everyone is welcome to play MahJong at the Ely Community Center. Don’t know how to play? No problem. There is a table for beginners with instructors. You can learn on the fly plus there is online help as well. MahJong is played on Thursdays from noon to 3 p.m.

No less than gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar indicates as much this week, when in a social media video she said of the Ely parade, “This is a parade everyone should see once in their life.”

We wholeheartedly agree with the Senator, who of course has Ely roots, and we’d go so far as to say that extends to the whole Fourth of July weekend experience in our town.

Rock The Park has become a stand-alone event in its own right, with 1,500 people of all ages taking in this year’s concerts and all the associated fun. Who doesn’t enjoy food trucks, beer tents, inflatable bounce houses and a good ol’ fashioned sawdust pile after all?

The Fourth in Ely starts early with the Four on the Fourth race around the Trezona, and the nearby flag-raising was solemn and emotional, with the story of Elyite Rico Mondati’s uncle, James Mondati, a World War II veteran who was captured and taken part in the Bataan Death March. His remains will soon be returned to Ely and he can finally be put to rest at home, more than 60 years after he left town to serve his nation.

The centerpiece of Ely’s Fourth of July celebration is, of course, the parade, and once again we had it all.

There were high school bands and the one and only Ely Klown Band, who even had an encore performance at Zaverl’s after the parade.

The parade had veterans and kids, classic cars and floats and a few politicians including Klobuchar.

And to top it off, no Ely parade would be complete without Zup’s Food Market and all of the goodies, the boxes and boxes of stuff which this year included pretzels and plungers.

A fringe benefit of an Ely parade is that those who think ahead to bring a bag can walk home with candy, snacks and even a few grocery items.

Whiteside Park is home to fun, games and food on the Fourth and a there is also the concert after the parade at Semers Park. That too is well attended and provides a picturesque setting, combining music and beach time on what - at least this year - was a picture-perfect Fourth.

The grand finale of course are the fireworks and once again they didn’t disappoint, treating the thousands who gathered at viewing points ranging from near the Trezona Trail to the Catholic Church parking lot to the area near the Grand Ely Lodge.

After they were done, there was the annual traffic jam on that end of town.

One can drive through many a city on July 4 and it would not appear that it was anything other than a typical day.

That’s not the case in Ely, with its thousands of chairs out for the parade and the throngs who turn out to celebrate America.

Great job, Ely, and we’ll see you all again next year.

1. Dan’s Garage

2. Étoile du Nord

3. Weisinger Construction

Non-Commercial

1. Babbitt Figure Skating

2. Ely Pickleball Club

3. Northwoods Partners

Most Patriotic

1. Wave after Wave

2. Alice Moren

3. Veterans on the Lake

Honorable Mentions 

End of the Road Services 

Dutchman 

zUpNorth 

Steve Stepec 

Kids Winners:

Most Patriotic

1. Kayden Wiley, age 10

2. Grace Korb, age 11

3. Taylor Hughes, age 9

4. Weston Wiley, age 7

Most Creative

1. Ethan Knoop, age 11

2. Everett McLinn Belehar, age 3

3. Millie Prall, age 7

4. Maddy Prall, age 6

Raffle Winners: 1. Mary Zupancich

2. Dan Ojala

3. Mark Mourek

4. Laura Marsolek

5. Casey Larson

The show will again include an outstanding variety of each member’s particular subject and technique interest.

This show and sale has been going on for 46 years with many well-known members now deceased.

The Ely Area Credit Union has a fine collection of past members’ work.

Home collections of many local and Minnesota visitors, those from other states, and countries - who attend the show each year - contain examples of the Ely Watercolor Club paintings.

Member artists paint individually and then come together for this annual showing at the Dry, held one week before the Blueberry Festival.

They meet monthly at Frandsen Bank sharing recent paintings and work on plans for the next anticipated exhibit and sale.

Artists busily paint all year long for the Ely Watercolor Club Show and Sale. Members invite all interested to mark their calendar with the July dates.

The Dry will be loaded with their efforts for visitor enjoyment and purchase, July 16-19, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Angleworm Lake (OP) #20, Angleworm Trail (OH) #21, Blandin Trail (OH) #11, Herriman Trail (OH) #13, Little Indian Sioux River North (OP) #14, Little Vermilion Lake (OP, OM) #12, Lac La Croix Only (OP, OM) #12A, Moose/Portage River North (OP) #16, Mudro Lake – Restricted (OP) #22, Mudro Lake (OP) #23, South Hegman Lake (OP) #77, Stuart River (OP) #19 and the Sioux Hustler Trail (OH) #15 access points will be closed until further notice. 

Superior National Forest authorities cited public safety concerns brought on by the Thumb, Wolfpack and Bear Trap wildfires for the restrictions. All three wildfires are within the LaCroix Ranger District. 

Ongoing wildfires and dry conditions additionally led the Superior National Forest to issue an Emergency Forest Order on Friday to restrict campfires within the BWCAW, effective July 11 until further notice. 

Authorities wrote in an emailed statement that the new order will restrict “the ignition, building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire, including charcoal grills and barbeques, coal, and woodburning stoves.” 

Campers may use gas or propane cooking stoves, but no stoves or grills fueled by charcoal or food. 

Limitations aim to prevent further wildfire incidents. 

The Forest Service recommends added precautions when using smoking devices, dragging chains, recreational vehicles and other potential sources of sparks. 

Outside of the Boundary Waters where bans have not been implemented, authorities urge campfire users to ensure their fires are completely cold to the touch after use. 

Wildfire updates are available via InciWeb or Watch Duty. Recent updates, in decreasing order of wildfire acreage, are listed below. 

Thumb Fire

The Thumb Fire had expanded to 20 acres as of Thursday at 4:53 p.m. The incident is located in a remote area of the Boundary Waters near Thumb Lake, south of Lac La Croix. The locale poses a challenge to access, but area firefighting resources responded to the fire Thursday by dropping water on the location via aircraft. 

Sioux Fire

The Sioux Fire’s acreage jumped to six as of Friday at 9:24 a.m., as reported by WildCAD, an online dispatch system. It is located just north of the Echo Trail and west of Little Indian Sioux River. 

Nine Fire

Nine Fire was active as of Friday at 6:42 a.m., having burned four acres since it was first reported by WildCAD on Thursday at 3:50 p.m. It is located just north of the Echo Trail, south of Echo Lake and immediately west of Forest Road 1007 in St. Louis County. 

Section Three Pond Fire

The Section Three Pond incident had reached full containment at 2.3 acres by Friday at 8:35 a.m. Firefighting personnel dropped water on the fire from the air on Wednesday in order to lower the fire’s intensity, supporting the safety of the four firefighters who accessed the area via ground on Thursday. These four personnel applied a direct extinguishment strategy to limit the fire’s spread. 

The incident is located south of Lac La Croix in a remote area near the Canadian border. 

Bear Trap Fire

The Bear Trap Fire, off the Bear Trap River and north of Sunday Lake in the BWCAW, had burned two acres as of Thursday at 3:52 p.m. Local firefighting personnel have responded to the incident via aerial support. On Wednesday, single-engine air tankers repeatedly dropped water on the fire, eliminating smoke from the fire. Suppression will continue as needed. 

Fools Gold Fire

The Fools Gold Fire had burned 1.5 acres West of Norway Road and south of Lake Jeanette in the Superior National Forest by Thursday at 3:44 p.m. On Thursday, five firefighters conducted direct on-the-ground suppression following Wednesday’s aerial efforts. A water tanker, which transports water, joined the crew on the job. Further resources were ordered to the fire. 

Camp Fire

The Camp Fire is located eight miles north of the Cloquet Line, north of Ely. Its size has been updated to 1.06 acres. There were eight personnel on the fire as of Thursday, following Wednesday’s aerial water drops. Responders plan to continue direct extinguishment strategies. 

Newton Fire

The Newton Fire on Newton Lake north of Fall Lake reached 100% containment by 3:47 p.m. on Wednesday at just a quarter acre in size. 

Sanford spoke throughout her allotted four minute comment period, then received council approval to speak for an additional four minutes yielded by her husband.

Sanford said her resignation came voluntarily and not due to Facebook gossip.

“I was not asked to resign, I was not fired. There is no incidence of me being written up for non-performance or performance issues. Let’s get that clear right away,” Sanford said. “The reason I resigned is because any normal person working in a toxic and bullying work environment would resign.”

Sanford alleged that Mayor Andrea Zupancich had repeatedly talked with Sanford’s staff in order to seek out issues with her performance.

“It came to a point where it was more than my mental health could handle,” Sanford said. “There were councilors aware of what was going on, and there were councilors that suggested to the parties that were bullying and harassing to knock it off and let me get my job done, but they wouldn’t knock it off.”

“The workload was intense, and I was working very, very hard. I left the city in a better position than when I came here. There were a lot of improvements,” Sanford said. “If Sara and Kirsten carry forward the things that we were in the process of doing, that will really create much better transparency, better reporting and a better outcome.”

The council did not respond to Sanford’s public input.

The city has already received seven applications for the open city administrative assistant position previously held by clerk-treasurer Kirsten Traut. The council approved council member Duane Lossing’s motion to bump the application deadline up from July 30 to July 16.

City administrators will also revise the position’s job description, which was written in 2006 and contains outdated information.

Council member Jim Lassi suggested that language referring to the finance officer position, which no longer exists, should be substituted for deputy clerk-treasurer, and references to a city administrator should be substituted for clerk-treasurer.

Lassi also suggested that three years of experience in city administration should become a preferred, rather than required, qualification.

Further amendments may also be established, pending further review from Traut prior to the next council meeting.

Lossing said Traut raised the bar on the job to provide greater support for the clerk-treasurer and deputy clerk-treasurer. Lossing suggested the job description be updated to continue to provide that support.

Traut preliminarily suggested adding specifications about facilitating annual record retention.

The council tabled a discussion on whether or not to hire an interim clerk-treasurer from the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC). This will give Traut and deputy clerk-treasurer Sara Powell more time to determine their needs.

Powell recommended the city should seek customized training for Traut rather than general assistance from an interim clerk-treasurer. She urged the city to put their time and effort into filling the administrative assistant position rather than hiring an interim.

“I feel like a lot of the stuff (the interim clerks) say they will do and have to offer are things we have covered and have been covering for four years,” Powell said.

Powell suggested one-on-one, hour-long training sessions from specialists at LMC who could provide the opportunity for Traut to learn specific skills. Powell said these sessions might run $100 for an hour.

“I’ve always been a little bit skeptical of getting an interim clerk up here. We have to train the interim clerk to learn the job up here, and then they would train our clerk and so on,” Lassi said. “It just seems we train them, then they train us, and it doesn’t make sense to me.”

The Ron Castellano Ice Arena will soon discontinue rear parking near the football field due to slippery ice conditions and facility maintenance issues with dirt tracked in from the gravel lot.

“If you weren’t dealing with the Zamboni and ice and skates, it probably wouldn’t be a big deal, but it does bring a lot of extra dirt in the building,” Lossing said.

The recreation department will discuss arena scheduling and usage for the upcoming season at their July 14 meeting.

“It’s (been) my understanding since I took the job that we want to increase the arena usage,” said recreation department director Caitlin Stern.

Stern said coordination challenges arose in a previous season between user groups, particularly Ely Hockey and the Babbitt Figure Skating Club.

“Ely’s rink was in trouble, so they had to come use our rink. We had the opportunity to increase usage and it went really poorly. It was really hard to combine two arena schedules together,” Stern said. “What we’re trying to do is make sure we can increase usage and increase flexibility of the user groups.”

Stern said that reports came in that Ely Hockey did not feel welcome at the arena.

“That’s not the message we ever want to send to anybody that wants to use our arena,” Stern said.

Both user groups have been invited to the next recreation board meeting, where Stern hopes to smooth out any issues before bringing details on winter scheduling to the council.

In other business, the council:

• Decreased the police committee structure from seven members to five, due to challenges meeting quorum requirements.

• Cancelled the Green Mining land purchase agreement in order to make the lots available to the public.

• Appointed 19 election judges for the 2026 primary and general elections, including eight new judges.

• For city campground bookings longer than a week, the council approved an alteration to campground regulations allowing the campground host to override the two-night reservation rule requiring campers to book both Friday and Saturday nights.

Air Fried Baja Fish Tacos with Zucch-ado Salsa

Ingredients

Salsa:

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 1/3 cups diced zucchini (1 medium) 

1 cup diced white onion (1/2 medium)

1 medium jalapeno, ribbed and seeded 

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth 

1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted

1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro

Juice of 1-2 limes   

Salt and pepper, to taste 

Tacos:

Cooking spray, as needed 

1 pound frozen fish fillets, thawed and patted dry

2 teaspoons Zup’s Baja Fish Taco seasoning

6 corn tortillas

Zucch-ado salsa

Cilantro and diced white onion for garnishing

Salsa:

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. Once hot, add the zucchini, onion, and jalapeno. Cook until lightly charred, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cumin. Cook for 30 seconds, then add the broth. Cook until the liquid reduces by about half. Remove from heat and cool completely. Once cool, add the zucchini mixture to a blender with the avocado, cilantro, and juice of 1 lime. Blend until smooth. Taste the salsa and season with salt and pepper to taste, and the juice of 1 more lime, if desired.  

Tacos:

Spray an air fryer basket with cooking spray and preheat to 400 degrees F. Toss the fish with the seasoning. Place the fish in a single layer in the basket (cook in batches if your basket is too small). Spray the top of the fish with more cooking spray. Insert the basket into the air fryer and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the fish is opaque throughout and flaky. Flake the fish into large pieces, then spoon it into the tortillas. Drizzle with salsa and garnish with cilantro and onion. Yield: 2 servings. 

Notes:

I used walleye, but you can use whatever fish you have in your freezer. If desired, spray the tortillas lightly on both sides with cooking spray. Cook in a skillet over medium-high heat until lightly charred on both sides. I kept the toppings simple, but you could top the tacos with shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, diced mango, or sliced jalapeños. Serve with a side of tortilla chips for dipping into the extra salsa.

July 13 at 1 p.m. Book Bingo

July 13 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 321 Art Studio (Full Moon with Trees Painting for Adults)

July 15 at 10:30 a.m. Preschool Storytime -- Time for an Adventure

July 15 at 1 p.m. Elementary Explore Time –- Watermelon Taste Testing (Make Perler bead fruit magnets)

New Arrivals

Adult Fiction:

“Choke Point” by Brad Thor

“Fear the Reaper” by David Housewright

“Ghost Town” by Tom Perrotta

“Keep Them Close” by David Ellis

“Not So Neutral Zone” by Susan & Sarah May Warren

“Storm Tide” by Paul Doiron

“Wait & See” by Iris & Roy Johansen

“Weddings” by Danielle Steel

Babbitt Street Department director Tony Chamberlin told the city council at Tuesday’s regular meeting that things have progressed well, despite crews operating three to four days behind after the holiday weekend.

“I had a lot of goals of getting done before the holiday, but that was just to push the boys a little bit,”said David Mitchell of Rachel Contracting at the West Babbitt Development team meeting on Tuesday morning.

Mitchell said the crew drifted after the holiday with lift station work after running into challenges with rocks and water, while the force main was complete up to Manhole Two.

The team planned to flush the water main in the following days and complete their last of three trench compaction tests around the lift station.

The West Babbitt construction crew received approval at Tuesday evening’s council meeting to add eight hour work days from 6:30 am to 2:30 pm on Saturdays as necessary, beginning on July 18.

Chamberlin said that the request came from the surface crew, who were set to begin cutting on Thursday. The change will not cost the city any additional money.

“More than anything, it would just be a noise and/or dust control (consideration), but they have water out there to control the dust, and the noise hasn’t been an issue this far,” said clerk-treasurer Kirsten Traut.

Another upcoming challenge for the crew will involve coordination with Minnesota Power to install electrical utilities.

Unlike the rest of the city’s electricity, West Babbitt’s infrastructure will go underground. This could create complications for the paving team, should Minnesota Power operations encounter delays.

“We don’t want them ripping up our brand new pavement,” said John Green of Rachel Contracting.

The team discussed installing conduits under the road, in case MinnesotaPowerdoesnotcomplete the electrical work in advance of paving operations. This could tack on a minor added cost to the project, Green said.

A Minnesota Power designer is scheduled to come on-site in Babbitt for a pre-installation meeting toward the end of the month, possibly the week of the 20th or 27th.

Mitchell stressed the importance of notifying the team about the date of the visit in order to ensure power goes in on the most efficient timeline possible.

“I just don’t want to give them any reason for delaying anything,” said Jason Chopp of the project’s engineering firm, Short-Elliott Hendrickson.

Sidewalk concrete is scheduled to be poured toward the end of July, while the project’s progress chart maps road paving for the middle of August.

Veterans Rummage Sale this Saturday, July 11 from 9 a.m. to noon in the back building of the Municipal Building at 71 South Drive.

“ Hay Days” at the Nelimark, Saturday, July 18, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Explore the early days and lost arts of pioneer settlers of Embarrass. Take a walking tour of museum grounds, visit the petting zoo, watch craft and homemaking demonstrations, listen to live music and feast at the food truck. 4839 Salo Rd, Embarrass, across from the Timber Hall.

A firearms safety hybrid class will be held on Saturday, Sept. 12, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Students must pre-register by calling Terri Loewen at 218-290-4810. Requirements: Must be 11 years of age before class start date.

The Babbitt Farmers Market is held on Thursday evenings from 4-6 p.m., rain or shine in the city’s public park located on Central Boulevard, organized by the Babbitt Farmers Market. Any interest in participation or questions: babbittfarmersmarket@gmail.com.

A 50th Reunion of the State Baseball Championship will occur on Saturday, Aug. 15 at the Hideaway in Babbitt. A private reunion for the team will be held from 1-3:30 p.m. Friends, family and the community are welcome to greet the team beginning 3:30 p.m.

A team picture will be taken at 3:45 p.m. For additional information: rosett.mary@gmail.com

The center is already busy with preparations for the pair, who will arrive from Alaska as nine-month-old cubs.

“With great pleasure after many, many years of searching and having our name out there, waiting on lists and other lists, we are pleased to announce that we are not getting a cub, (but we are) getting two cubs,” said program director Sharon Herrell via a live Facebook announcement.

Herrell, along with senior executive director Scott Edgett and biologist Spencer Peter have been in conversation with the Alaska Fish and Wildlife Service for a few years, waiting for an opportunity to arise.

The cubs came into custody of the Fish and Wildlife Service after their mother was killed. The chance to look after the pair landed with the North American Bear Center.

“We contemplated and talked about it for a little while as a staff to see if we felt we could do it, and the staff felt confident,” Edgett said.

Scott said they’re all a little nervous, but the center has the situation handled.

“We’re going to go with what we know best. Sharon’s got the experience, this group has the experience,” Edgett said.

“I’m super excited. This is really good for the bear center. We’re going to grow a lot from this and we’re going to keep going up, so this is really good,” said biologist and intern director Macy Bernard.

The Bear Center has not yet solidified an exact date for the cubs’ arrival yet. The Alaska Fish and Wildlife Service is currently looking after the pair, working to ensure they are in good health for their new home.

In the meantime, the center will be working hard to prepare the enclosure for the safety of the bears, staff and visitors.

The public will have the chance to brainstorm names for the two new arrivals. The Bear Center plans to narrow public recommendations to three to four favorites, and then name the pair from the shortlist.

Edgett and Herrell plan to retire next year toward the end of the season, handing over the director position to Spencer Peter.

“This will be our last exciting thing that we’ve honestly been waiting for for a long time,” Edgett said.

The Bear Center looks to increase fundraising efforts to cover the cost of the cubs’ transport and care, which could run up to about $25,000.

Individuals can donate via the North American Bear Center website.

Emergency responders were dispatched at approximately 6:12 p.m. Saturday, July 4, to a report of a one-vehicle crash with injuries.

Upon arrival, first responders found a vehicle in a ditch with one occupant trapped inside. The Babbitt Fire Department extricated the driver from the vehicle.

The driver was transported by the Babbitt Ambulance Service to Essentia Health-Virginia with serious injuries.

According to the Babbitt Police Department, speed was a contributing factor in the crash. The incident remains under investigation.

The Babbitt Police Department was assisted at the scene by the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota State Patrol, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conservation officers, a Lake County deputy, the Babbitt Fire Department and the Babbitt Ambulance Service.