Door County Pulse Podcasts

When a young woman faces a life-changing decision, she calls upon her inner circle to gather for an outdoor camping trip. Sunflowered is on stage at Northern Sky’s Gould Theater, and Andrew Kleidon is joined by Lachrisa Grandberry, Molly Rhode, Alexis J Roston, and Aidaa Peerzada to talk about the musicals inception, workshopping, and world premiere this season.

DKAF is back in person for the first time since 2020, and Andrew Kleidon is joined by Alan Kopischke to talk about the history and mission of the event, some of the guest artists who have come to Door County to workshop their art, and the full schedule of events this week at Bjorklunden. Find out more and buy tickets at doorkinetic.com

There are roughly 29 known species of orchids at The Ridges Sanctuary in Baileys Harbor and Tony Kiszonas is now responsible for assuring their health, productivity and future. While that may be a bit of an overstatement, it's not far from the truth: Tony is the Ridges new Director of Research, the organization's first. Tony talks with Debra Fitzgerald about the research being done at the Ridges – including what smelling an orchid root can reveal about the plants.

Sister Bay residents are fighting to preserve the old village hall, while Liberty Grove makes plans to remove old fishing shacks from its new public waterfront. Myles Dannhausen Jr. and Andrew Kleidon discuss how the two communities are thinking about the price of preserving history. Plus, a look at the new issue of Door County Living magazine, which includes a look back at Door County through images from 1974, before the boom.

Are small towns too small to self-govern? Myles Dannhausen Jr. and Deb Fitzgerald dive into that question in a week when Sevastopol officials held a last-second meeting to reconsider a rezoning request along an important highway corridor, and Judge Todd Ehlers overruled the Egg Harbor Plan Commission’s denial of a Conditional Use Permit for Shipwrecked’s expansion.

In this episode, Grace Johnson is joined by the 2022 Hal Prize Poetry judge Adrian Matejka. Matejka was named the new editor of Poetry Magazine in 2022, is the author of seven books and his poetry collection, The Big Smoke, was awarded the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and was a finalist for the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize in poetry. The two talk poetry, how music inspires Matejka and the future of Poetry Magazine.

Peninsula State Park is in line for a host of upgrades this fall, including the repaving of some of its most-traveled roads. Superintendent Eric Hyde joins Myles Dannhausen Jr. to talk about new roads, a new playground, the totem pole, and more improvements coming to the state’s second most-popular-park.

The end may be coming for the Sister Bay Village Hall. The village has struggled to figure out what to do with the building for years, but its plan commission has now recommended it be removed to potentially make way for a new visitor center with better facilities. Andrew Kleidon talks to Myles Dannhausen Jr. about the hall’s future, then they discuss the county’s deliberations over what to do with the intersection by Culver’s, where a run of crashes has left many looking for safety improvements.

In this episode, the Pulse's literature editor, Grace Johnson, is joined by author Toya Wolfe. Wolfe is one of the featured authors at the 2022 Washington Island Literary Festival, Sept. 15-17. Wolfe's debut novel, The Last Summer on State Street, was released this year to rave reviews. The two discuss how Wolfe's life experiences in the Robert Taylor Homes informed her story, writing fiction and how her story fits in with the theme of this year's festival – "Crossroads."

George Harmon, the winner of the 2021 Hal Prize for nonfiction visits the podcast studio to read his winning story, “The Beast that Ate Words.” Nonfiction judge Faith Adiele called the story “a breathless beast of an essay that reads like fiction.” Harmon recounts the scene of his early days in the newspaper industry at the Chicago Daily News, when the newsroom was rollicking, loud, and full of characters. The deadline for the 2022 Hal Prize is Sept. 16. You can read Harmon’s story, and all the winners of the 2021 Hal Prize, in the 8142 Review, available at DoorCountyPulse.com/store.

Brian Stephens, CEO of Door County Medical Center, joins Myles Dannhausen Jr. to talk about construction progress at the hospital’s new Sister Bay clinic. They discuss what patients can expect to find there when it opens in the spring of 2023, the data behind the decision to build it, and what is next for the Fish Creek clinic.

As Door County's population and numbers of visitors continue to rise, so do the calls for help due to car crashes, falls, and accidents on the water and local trails. Aaron LeClair, director of the Door County Emergency Services department, joins Debra Fitzgerald in the Baileys Harbor studio to talk about the growing demand for his department, the top emergency calls they receive, where those emergencies are most likely to happen, educational opportunities to prevent emergencies and what the future holds for his county-wide department.

And just like that it's August! Andrew Kleidon and Sara Lancaster sit down to talk about the Dog Days of summer and all the sights, sounds and activities you'll want to cram into the final weeks of summer, including a tour of Door County's beaches by activity and trailblazer singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco's upcoming performance at Door Community Auditorium.

The “totem pole” that stood for 91 years on the Peninsula State Park Golf Course was quietly taken down this summer. Myles Dannhausen Jr. talks to Andrew Kleidon about why it came down, and the story behind why and how it was erected in the first place. Plus, they discuss the reaction to a proposed housing development in Ephraim.

“Well, it’s been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon, Minnesota, my hometown, out there on the edge of the prairie…” The News from Lake Wobegon comes to Fish Creek as Garrison Keillor, writer, humorist and radio personality — most well known for hosting A Prairie Home Companion — brings his tour to Door Community Auditorium July 30. In advance of the show, Arts & Entertainment editor Sara Rae Lancaster caught up with Keillor by phone to talk about the tour, how he approaches writing for the stage versus the page, and why getting older is the best exercise for learning to live in the moment.

Andrew Kleidon is joined by Sara Rae Lancaster, which means there is a ton of stuff to get out and do this weekend, like the debut of the Death’s Door Dance Festival. Also, Plein Air starts up this weekend, and a quick roundup of a few new restaurants that opened this year.

Debra Fitzgerald sits down with Nic and Christiana Trapani, owners of Door County Candle Company in Carlsville, to talk about their wild journey that began with an intent to help their relatives in Ukraine and exploded into the sale of tens of thousands of candles and $700,000 donated to date to a Ukrainian nonprofit.

Andrew Kleidon talks to Myles Dannhausen Jr. about major changes that may be coming to Ephraim’s north end (and Andrew discovers where north Ephraim is!) in the form of a housing development and walking paths. Plus, a look at noise ordinances in Sister Bay and an airing of old grievances.

Andrew Kleidon and Sara Rae Lancaster are joined by Pulse intern Erica Bouska to talk about exploring Door County with fresh eyes. Bouska has taken it upon herself to hike every trail in Newport State Park, and you’re invited to join her on her journey.

As Egg Harbor continues to refine its plans for redesigning Highway 42 next year, Myles Dannhausen Jr. and Andrew Kleidon discuss concerns raised by property owners on the north end of the village about the impact the project will have on the landscape there. They also discuss the Women’s Walks that took place in Sturgeon Bay and Sister Bay earlier this week.