That’s a lot of quilts

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Let’s hope we don’t need to cover up in them for a while, but there will be plenty of quilts in Duluth this week.

More than 300 quilts will be on display during the 35th annual Minnesota Quilters Inc. show and conference starting at 9 a.m. Thursday and running through Saturday at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.

This includes an exhibit of Mariners Compass quilts, curated by Claudia Clark Meyers of Duluth.

More than $25,000 in awards will be given to quilts entered for judging, and there will be vendors with sewing-related booths. Mayor Don Ness will select two quilts to receive $100 Harbor City Awards.

Minnesota Quilters has 700 members in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and other states.

Tribute to WWII hero

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Paul Sailer, author of “The Oranges are Sweet” and the 2012 Minnesota Aviation Writer of the Year, will present a tribute to World War II hero Maj. Don Beerbower at the Grand Rapids Public Library from 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday.

Beerbower, of Hill City, led all Minnesota fighter pilots in aerial and ground victories in World War II. The program will include archive film footage of Beerbower.

Go to lodenbooks.com for more information.

Bear party moves on

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For years, Stockton Island in Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands National Lakeshore was known for having the most bears per square mile in the country.

Not anymore. That title now goes to nearby Oak Island, according to Wisconsin Public Radio. Lakeshore superintendent Bob Krumanaker told WPR reporter Mike Simonson that’s just the facts of life in bear country.

“They swim. They move around,” Krumanaker said. “That confirms some anecdotal things we’ve noticed which is we’re having fewer problems with bears on Stockton and more on Oak and Sand.”

Oak Island has 14 of the 41 bears on the Apostle Islands. And hair samples collected from strategically placed barbed wire tell us that all 14 are related.

Those hair samples also help officials track bears, Simonson reports, including one female that was born on Sand Island, lived on Basswood Island, mated on Oak Island and then gave birth to two cubs on Hermit Island.

Northshore mercury roundup

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Residents of Silver Bay and Babbitt are invited to turn in their old mercury-laden products and old electronics — free of charge — during two events sponsored by Cliffs Natural Resources’ Northshore Mining operations.

From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today in Silver Bay — and 9 a.m. to noon June 18 in Babbitt — you can drop off the following items from your home, small business or nonprofit organization:

  • Mercury containing fluorescent bulbs, tilt switches, mercury thermometers.
  • Gas range pilot safety shutoffs. Electronic waste accepted includes computers, towers, printers, stereos (but not speakers) cell phones, computer monitors (two each,) TVs (two each,) circuit boards and microwave ovens.

The effort provides a free way for people to safely dispose of items that can be environmentally harmful if not disposed of properly.

The Silver Bay event is at John’s Sanitary, 15 Golf Course Drive. The Babbitt event is at the city recycling bin area on North Drive, under the city water tower.

You created a robot

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Lake Superior College says its Robotics Summer Camp develops critical thinking skills, creates problem-solving scenarios and teaches the importance of teamwork.

Plus it’s four full days your teen can spend away from the TV or Xbox.

From June 17-20, Duluth-area students ages 13-17 will have a chance to work in teams to build robots at LSC. They’ll use a variety of manufacturing tools and equipment in the process while meeting new friends and learning valuable skills for their future endeavors.

Wanna register? Or know someone else who’d be interested and need more info? Call Ed Wrazidlo at (218) 733-2033 (office) or (218) 464-3710 (cell), or e-mail him at e.wrazidlo@lsc.edu.

What a deal

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Here’s a nudge to get you and the kids to some local tourist attractions you’ve been meaning to visit.

Great Lakes Aquarium, North Shore Scenic Railroad and the Vista Fleet have teamed up for a three-for-the-price-of-two deal. Their “Must See Duluth Pass” provides admission to all three attractions at a discount — $33 per adult, $15 per child.

That equals one for free.

You can get these passes at duluthpass.com, mustseeduluth.com, any of the three attractions or at participating hotels.

Passes include a general admission to Great Lakes Aquarium, a 1¾-hour narrated Vista Fleet sightseeing cruise and a 90-minute trip on the North Shore Scenic Railroad train.

Reservations are required for the Vista fleet and the North Shore Scenic Railroad. Passes are good through the 2013 season.

Crime Wave coming to Two Harbors

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The headline isn’t meant to scare anyone; it’s for anyone who’s a fan of whodunnits.

The Minnesota Crime Wave, featuring crime authors William Kent Krueger, Carl Brookins and Ellen Hart, visits the United Church, 531 Third Ave. in Two Harbors, at 7 p.m. today.

The free event (thanks to a Minnesota Book Awards grant) will have an authors’ talk, interactive audience game “Spot the Imposter” and a book signing with copies available to purchase. Donations will be accepted for the Two Harbors Public Library’s “Love Your Library Renovation Project.”

Contact Micky McGilligan at (218) 834-4891 or mmcgilligan@mediacombb.net for more information.

Brothers in balloons

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Two more balloons — piloted by brothers — have joined the lineup for the Duluth Hot Air Balloon Festival, event organizers announced this week.

Sunny Daze is a 120,000-cubic-foot balloon piloted by Mark Spanier of Webster, Minn. Oh! Zone is a 90,000-cubic-foot balloon owned by Tom Spanier, of Corcoran, Minn. Tom Spanier has been involved in ballooning for about four years and received much of his training from brother Mark.

The addition of the two balloons brings to seven the number of balloons confirmed for the Sept. 20-22 festival at Bayfront Festival Park.

“Our goal is to secure 10-12 for the first-year event,” festival founder Ryan Kern said in a news release.

Fishing contest Saturday

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The Duluth Sail and Power Squadron’s ninth annual Captain’s Platter Fishing Contest is 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday on Lake Superior and the St. Louis River basin.

Last year’s event drew more than 160 participants; it has awards for four divisions: Lake Trout, Walleye, Chinook Salmon and Coho Salmon.

The DSPS will offer free vessel-safety checks to those who want their boats inspected.  Boats will be checked for appropriate, necessary equipment for operating vessels on Lake Superior and the St. Louis River basin. The safety checks are part of a national program in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Tournament headquarters is at the Duluth Sail and Power Squadron Dock in Allouez Bay (44th Avenue East and Superior Bay).

Cost is $15 each for adults and free for kids 15 and younger. Tickets and rules are available at Marine General, Bait Box, Fisherman’s Corner, Northwest Outlet or today at the Squadron Dock.

Contact Todd Carlson at (218) 348-4733 or go to duluthsailandpowersquadron.com for more information.