Community
Upcoming Events
Summer food program
Cook County Schools hosts a summer food program from June 9 to August 15. The program provides meals for all children 18 and younger. No registration or income requirements necessary.
Meals are Monday to Friday, breakfast from 8:30 to 9:15 am, and lunch from 11:15 am to noon. Meals must be eaten in the cafeteria.
Hovland Death Cafe
All are welcome to the Hovland Death Cafe, a safe and confidential place where loss of all colors are honored and listened to. The June Hovland Death Cafe will be held on Wednesday, June 18, from 1:30 to 2:30 pm at Trinity Lutheran Church.
Queer History
Cook County Higher Education is hosting an event on Queer History on Wednesday, June 18th from 5:30-7 pm over Zoom. More information and registration is available at myCCHE.org/events.
Cook County West End Alanon
The West End Alanon family Group meets each Wednesday at 7 pm at the Lutsen Town Hall. Alanon is a group that supports friends and family members of alcoholics. The group welcomes anyone who has been affected by a friend or family member who has a problem with alcohol.
Northern Lotus Meditation
Northern Lotus Meditation takes place on Wednesdays from 7 to 8 pm, with instruction in meditation and room manners at 6:45 pm, at Two Birds Healing Arts Center in Grand Marais.
Bird Banding
Sugarloaf Cove Nature Center hosts bird banding on Thursdays from 7 to 11 am. Special programs about bird banding will be held at 10 am. More information at sugarloafnorthshore.org.
Bird banding is weather dependent; rain or excessive wind may cause the banding session to be cancelled. Sugarloaf Cove can be reached at 218-663-7679 to check.
Summer food program
Cook County Schools hosts a summer food program from June 9 to August 15. The program provides meals for all children 18 and younger. No registration or income requirements necessary.
Meals are Monday to Friday, breakfast from 8:30 to 9:15 am, and lunch from 11:15 am to noon. Meals must be eaten in the cafeteria.
Memory Café
Care Partners of Cook County’s Memory Café meets on the third Thursday of each month, from 1-2:30 pm at The Hub. A Memory Café is a casual gathering where people with memory loss and the family or friends who care for them can come together in a safe, supportive, relaxed environment.
More information is available at carepartnersofcookcounty.org.
Thursday Art Night
Joy and Company hosts Thursday Art Night every Thursday from 3:30 – 5 pm. New events are planned each week. More information is available on the Joy and Company Facebook page.
Grand Marais Farmers Market
The Grand Marais Farmers Market is held on Thursdays from 4:30 to 6 pm through mid-October at the Cook County Community Center parking lot. The market is a partnership between the Northwoods Food Project (a 501c3 non-profit organization), the Cook County Community Center, and the Cook County U of MN Extension.
More information is available on the Grand Marais Farmer’s Market Facebook page.
Summer Solstice and Wooden Boat Festival
North House Folk School hosts the Summer Solstice and Wooden Boat Festival on Friday and Saturday, June 20 and 21. Festival highlights include hands-on crafts for all ages, BBQ and ice cream social (Lions Club fundraiser), a community contra dance, the Lake Superior Chowder Experience (Empty Bowls fundraiser), and the Summer Solstice Pageant by the Good Harbor Hill Players.
More information and a full schedule of events are available at northhouse.org.
Summer food program
Cook County Schools hosts a summer food program from June 9 to August 15. The program provides meals for all children 18 and younger. No registration or income requirements necessary.
Meals are Monday to Friday, breakfast from 8:30 to 9:15 am, and lunch from 11:15 am to noon. Meals must be eaten in the cafeteria.
Emerald Ash Borer Early Detection Workshop
Cook County Extension and the Cook County Invasives team are hosting an Emerald Ash Borer Early Detection Workshop on Friday, June 20, from 1 to 2:30 pm at the Cook County Community Center. Emerald Ash Borer has been confirmed in Silver Bay and Thunder Bay, and it is expected that this invasive insect will make its way to ash trees in Cook County in the coming years.
More information and registration for the workshop is available at z.umn.edu/EAB-CookCounty. More information is also available from Sarah Waddle at swaddle@umn.edu or 218-387-3015.
Opening Reception: Recent & Past Works from Brock Larson that Capture Northern Life
Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery hosts the opening reception for recent and past works from Brock Larson that Capture Northern Life on Friday, June 20, from 5 to 7 pm. The gallery exhibit will run from June 21 to July 13.
More information, including the latest hours at the JHP is available at cookcountyhistory.org.
Cook County Market
The Cook County Market is held on Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm at The Hub parking lot. The market features local arts and artists. More information is available on the Cook County Market Facebook page.
Meet and Greet with John Owens, "One Spring Up North"
Drury Lane Books hosts a meet and greet with John Owens, author and illustrator of “One Spring Up North,” on Saturday, June 21, from 11 am to 1 pm. More information is available at drurylanebooks.com.
The Muffin Man Children’s Story Hour
The Muffin Man, Kevin Kager, reads his favorite picture books on the beachside at Drury Lane Books each Saturday at 11 am (weather permitting) from Memorial Day to Labor Day. More information is available at drurylanebooks.com.
The 3rd Annual Invasive Species Brewery Event: Emerald Ash Borer Edition
The Cook County Invasives Team is hosting its 3rd Annual Invasive Species Brewery Event on Saturday, June 21, from 2 to 4 pm at Voyageur Brewing. This year, they are highlighting the invasive species Emerald Ash Borer, a beetle that has destroyed hundreds of millions of ash trees in North America, but has yet to be found in Cook County.
There will be educational booths and demonstrations from organizations such as the Invasives Team, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Levy Tree Care, Minnesota DNR, Shoreview Natives, and Prairie Moon Nursery.
More information is available on the Cook County Invasives Team Facebook page.
2025 Summer Solstice Puppet Pageant
The Summer Solstice Pageant Performance will take place on Saturday, June 21, at 8 pm at the North House Folk School Main Plaza. In the event of rain, a rescheduled performance will be held on Sunday, June 22, at 2 pm at the same location. All are welcome.
More information is available on the Good Harbor Hill Players’ Facebook page or at goodharborhillplayers.org.
Al Trippel – The Geology of Cook County Minnesota: Oceans, Volcanoes, and Glaciers, Oh My!
Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center hosts The Geology of Cook County, Minnesota – Oceans, Volcanoes, and Glaciers, Oh My! with Al Trippel on Sunday, June 22 from 2 to 3 pm. More information is available at gunflinthistory.org.