New weekly AA, NA, and Al-Anon meetings start in Grand Marais this February

Starting at the end of February, a new support group will be available to individuals in Grand Marais seeking help with addiction and recovery.

The weekly meetings are Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and Al-Anon, and will offer support to individuals struggling with substance use.

“This is just another resource to get people into a meeting and keep them away from the temptations that are out there,” said Jeff Bartheld.

Grand Marais residents Jeff and Dana Bartheld have helped organize the new weekly meetings, which will be held at Cornerstone Community Church. The first session is set for Friday, Feb. 27, and meetings will continue every Friday at 6 p.m. Looking ahead to spring, the Barthelds said they hope to host a bonfire behind the church, giving participants a chance to connect and unwind after a meeting.

The decision to hold meetings on Friday, Jeff and Dana Bartheld said, was to avoid interfering with other AA, NA, and Al-Anon gatherings in town, aiming instead to provide additional support in the community.

“We’re hoping that if there are people out there struggling to get into recovery, that we will be able to help them do that, give them another resource to be able to do that,” said Dana Bartheld. “And that they would be successful.”

Dana and Jeff Bartheld | Photo by Kalli Hawkins

The inspiration to start the weekly meetings stems from personal experience with alcoholism and drug addiction for Jeff and Dana Bartheld.

Jeff Bartheld said his son struggled with a fentanyl addiction and nearly lost his life, and his dad was a functioning alcoholic. “When you see what’s going on in your own family, it makes you more empathetic of what’s going on out in the community,” he said.

Dana Bartheld said she battled alcoholism following the loss of her daughter, who passed away after a long illness following effects from a drowning accident. Over time, she said she sought treatment and recovery meetings and eventually became a licensed alcohol and drug counselor to help support others on their journey to recovery.

While the Barthelds have been involved in organizing the new Grand Marais meetings and will be there to support people throughout their recovery, they will not be the facilitators at each meeting. Instead, Jeff and Dana Bartheld said they have found two other individuals who have gone through the official AA and NA recovery process and will lead each meeting.

WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins sat down with Jeff and Dana Bartheld to talk about the new AA, NA, and Al-Anon meetings in Grand Marais. The audio is below.

Kalli Hawkins February 12, 2026