Travis Novitsky (www.travisnovitsky.com) got this incredible shot of the Northern Lights last week. There is a chance of auroras later this week. Check www.spaceweather.com for the latest info.

Memorial Day Weekend launches the summer season in Cook County with lots of things to see and do as well as plenty of live music. This year is no exception.

Print by Noah Prinsen, who is exhibiting at Betsy Bowen’s Studio as well as at the Angry Trout.

The weekend begins at on Thursday, May 23, when Betsy Bowen opens her studio for the season featuring prints and paintings by Noah Prinsen, pottery by Grand Marais potter Bob LaMettry, Lutsen potter Jeannie Knight and Thunder Bay potter, Fritz Lehmberg, as well as a sneak peak at new woodcuts by Bowen.

The studio is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. this summer.

The next day, Friday, May 25, is really busy.

The Cross River Heritage Center opens for the season with a special exhibit, “Up from the Ashes: Forest Fires on the North Shore.”  It uses text and photos to tell the stories of forest fires from the viewpoint of settlers and homesteaders and describes firefighting from the days when there were no roads from lake to lake. It also shows the importance of forest fires to the ecology of the forest and its inhabitants.

A Quilt & Fiber Show with works by Nancy Hansen, Mary Brislance, Mary Jane Huggins, Coralyn Koschinska and Betsy Zavoral will be on display at the Heritage Center through June.

The Heritage Center is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from 1-4 p.m. Sunday.

Also on Friday, the Grand Marais Art Colony launches its special Friday  Clay Demo with Joan Farnam at 2 p.m, which will be held on Fridays throughout the summer. All invited. Free.

The Tall Tales Yarn Shop opens for the season on Friday at 10 a.m., too.

The Joe Paulik Band will be in concert at What’s Upstairs, above Betsy Bowen’s Studio, at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Then, on at 7 p.m. Friday night, the Joe Paulik Band will perform the “Seventh Arrow,” a new album with a selection of new songs, at What’s Upstairs above Betsy Bowen’s Studio. The show will be recorded and a video will be made.

Also, there’s a wood-oven pizza party with pizzas by Lola’s from 5-7 p.m. before the concert, and a selection of sweets during the intermission. The pizza menu includes cassic pizza margherita, shrimp,chevre-cilantro pesto and Italian sausage with smoked mozzarella. The pizza will be for sale whole or by the slice.

On Saturday, photographer Bryan Hansel starts the day with a Photography Walk at 7 a.m. on Artist Point. Then naturalist Ann Russ leads a guided hike on the Point at 9:30 a.m. For either event, meet at the Artist Point sign behind the Coast Guard Building.

Also on Saturday, the Cook County Farm & Craft Market opens for the season in the Senior Center Parking lot at 9 a.m. The market runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is open on Saturday and Sunday this weekend.

And Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center on the Gunflint Trails opens for the season on Saturday at 10 a.m. Admission is $3 adults, $2 children from 5-18. Youngsters get in free. There are a number of beautiful hiking trails around Chik-Wauk to explore as well.

Painting by Jan Wise.

Last Chance Gallery in Lutsen opens an exhibit, Home is Where the Art Is, with a variety of new work by local and regional artists.

The gallery is also hosting author/illustrator Jan Wise, who will talk about and sign her new book, “A Storytelling of Ravens and Crows: World Lore: Myths, Facts, Stories and Poems” from 1-2 p.m. Blues fingerstyle master Gordon Thorne will play from 3-5 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

The Art Colony is hosting a Community Ink Day in the Print Studio on Saturday from 1-4 p.m. as well. Participants can print  their own custom T-shirts using one ink color and several Art Colony designs or design your own.  T-shirts are available for purchase: $10 kids, $20 adults, or bring your own clothing item for a  $10 drop-in fee.

The Art Colony is also featuring a tour of the historical building at 2 p.m. All invited.

Then, at 5 p.m. Kathy Rice will read and sign her book, “The Pie Place Cafe Cookbook” at a Writer’s Salon at Drury Lane Books.

To hear a preview, tune in to The Roadhouse on WTIP Community Radio on Friday night where Kathy will be one of the guests on the show. Hosts Buck Benson and Bob Carter will also talk with Melody Swenson, author of a new book on champion boys’ basketball teams from the Arrowhead. And Adam Harju will drop in to chat about all things biking—May is National Bike Month. Note: This is Carter’s last night on The Roadhouse, so it should be a fun show. The Roadhouse airs from 5-7 p.m. Fridays.

Also on Saturday, Master naturalist, Margie Menzies, will speak about Lake Superior’s place in the world’s water supply at East Bay Suites at 2 p.m. She will also discuss some of the time-honored stats about Lake Superior and take a look at some of the things that are already changing in a big way as the big lake warms up. There’s a Trivia contest, too!

There’s lots of great music over the weekend, too.

Michael Monroe will hold a Log Cabin Concert on Saturday night at 7 p.m. and The Sivertones are playing at a number of different venues over the weekend, including at Sivertson Gallery on Friday afternoon and the Gunflint Tavern on Friday night. Check out all the music below.

Thursday, May 23:

The Sivertones, 4-H Log Cabin at the Community Center, 4 -5:30 p.m. at the Move It In May party.

The Sivertones, Gunflint Tavern, 7 p.m.

Friday, May 24:

The Sivertones, Sivertson Gallery, 4-6 p.m.

Maria Nickolay, Lutsen Resort, 6 p.m.

Joe Paulik Band Concert, What’s Upstairs, above Betsy Bowen’s Studio, 7 p.m.

The Sivertones, Gunflint Tavern, 8 p.m.

Michael Monroe, Bluefin Grille, Tofte, 9 p.m.

Saturday, May 25:

Gordon Thorne, Last Chance Studio and Gallery, Lutsen, 3 p.m.

Briand Morrison, The Pie Place Cafe, 6 p.m.

Joe Paulik, Lutsen Resort, 6 p.m.

Portage Band, North Shore Care Center, 6:30 p.m.

Maria Nickolay, Cascade Lodge Pub, 7 p.m.

Michael Monroe, Log Cabin Concert, rural Grand Marais, reservations & info at 387-2919.

Sunday, May 26:

Jim & Michelle Miller, Cascade Lodge Pub, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, May 29:

Eric Frost, Bluefin Grille, Tofte, 9 p.m.

For photos this week:

Here’s a beautiful Thomas Spence  North Shore waterfall shot. To see more of his work: http://thomasjspence.smugmug.com

“Along the River,” by Thomas Spence.

Stephan Hoglund (www.stephanhoglundphotography.com0 took this intriguing shot of lakeshore rocks.

Photo by Stephan Hoglund.

We found quite a few weather shots. Here’s a beauty by Nace Hagemann. ( www.nacehagemannphotography.smugmug.com)

Photo by Nace Hagemann.

And this one by Sue Prom, documenting the ice leaving Sagnaga Lake.

Photo by Sue Prom.

On the other hand, we’ve been having some nasty, stormy weather. Sandra Updyke caught one of these days. (www.moosevalleyphotography.com)

Photo by Sandra Updyke.

But I guess that’s pretty tame compared to what Layne Kennedy was photographing this week. He’s working on a project looking at the effects of global warming on the planet and went down to Kansas/Oklahoma with Minnesota-based storm chaser, Melanie Metz, earlier this week. He wasn’t in Oklahoma for the big one, but they were in the area where the storms were raging. Here’s a shot from Viola, Kansas.

Photo by Layne Kennedy.

Meanwhile, back in Minnesota, the moose are hanging out …

Photo by Sue Weber.

And the creeks are flowing ..

Photo by Mark Tessier.

June is just around the corner! Have a good Memorial Day Weekend everyone.

Stephan Hoglund (www.stepanhoglundphotography.com) caught this shot of the Milky Way the other night.

It’s warming up — in more than one way, as we charge through May towards a very busy Memorial Day weekend in 10 days.

This week, temps actually reached  79 degrees by Lake Superior, thanks to an offshore breeze, and everyone and everything perked up.

Drum-roll for that, and for a very  cool percussionist who will be in Grand Marais this week to teach children and perform for us as well.

Mark Powers performs at the ACA on Saturday.

Mark Powers, who has performed and studied drumming throughout the U.S., China, Thailand and West Africa, shares his passion for music through private lessons and workshops for schools, businesses, correctional institutions and community events. He has also written and published many solo/ensemble compositions and is the co-holder of the Guinness World Record for the longest drum roll by a group. He’s performed with a wide range of bands including Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick), Devon Evans (Bob Marley and the Wailers), Afrodisiac and Tim Rie (saxophonist for The Rolling Stones.)

He is brought to Cook County by the North Shore Music Association to work with students at Great Expectations School in “Junk Jam” workshops  on Friday and then performing a Junk Jam concert at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts on Saturday night. The 7:30 p.m. performance is free. The students will play and Powers will also do a solo performance.. All invited.

For a preview, tune in to The Roadhouse on WTIP Radio on Friday night from 5-7 p.m. where Powers will be interviewed and play a drum roll or two.

This is also the weekend for the spring Superior Trail 25K and 50K races.Organizers promise wet, muddy trails, but do-able. The races start at Caribou Highlands. For more info, click here.

Also, Joe Paulik plays at the Cascade Lodge Pub on Saturday night and Briand Morrison plays at The Pie Place.

Also on Saturday, in celebration of spring and the quickening to summer, there will be a Cook County Tennis Block Party on the tennis courts from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m with music, fun, food and prizes for all ages. There are free group tennis lessons and activities in the morning, followed by a free lunch, a summer program information session and drawing for door prizes.

Next weekend, there are all kinds of activities planned, including the season opener at the Betsy Bowen Studio on Thursday featuring new prints by Noah Prinsen, a selection of local pottery and a sneak peak at new work by Betsy Bowen.

On Saturday night, May 24,  the Joe Paulik Band will be in concert at What’s Upstairs, above Bowen’s Studio, and Lola’s Sweet Life Bakery will  sell slices of wood-fired pizza before the concert and during the intermission.

In other noteworthy events, the Cook County Farm & Craft Market opens for the season in the Senior Center Parking lot on Saturday and Sunday, featuring new vendors (including a breadbaker and a glassblower), lots of arts and crafts and seedlings, perennials and tomato plants.

The Cross River Heritage Center opens on Friday, May 24, with a special fiber exhibit by North Shore artists as well as the exhibit “Up from the Ashes: Forest Fires on the North Shore.”

The Grand Marais Art Colony will host a clay demonstration on Friday, May 24 ,and a Community Ink Day in the Print Studio the next day where participants can print their own T-shirts.

Stay tuned for more events and details next week and/or check out the Memorial Day Weekend activity schedule, including music and more here.

This sculpture by Sculptor Gareth Andrews, “Shoulder by Shoulder” is at the Veteran’s Center in Virginia.

In other art news, the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council has announced the winners of the 15th annual Arts and Cultural Heritage Arrowhead Arts Awards. A festive celebration will take place in The Underground, the newest venue of the Duluth Playhouse, located on the lower level of the Depot in Duluth from 2-4 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 9. The event will recognize two individuals who have made significant contributions to the arts in the Arrowhead Region: Sculptor Gareth Andrews and Choral Director/Music Advocate Stanley Wold. Stay tuned for details.

Art-A-Whirl takes place in Minneapolis this weekend, sponsored by the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association, and features lots of art in a variety of venues as well as music.  It is billed as the largest open studio tour in the country. For all the info, click here.

For a local art whirl, check out Aaron Kloss’ latest work at Sivertson Gallery.

Aaron Kloss’ “Spring Forest Shadows” is at Sivertson Gallery.

The Grand Marais Playhouse will hold auditions on Tuesday, May 21, for “Fit to Kill” by Victor Cahn. The play will be directed by Jackson Nickolay. There are roles for two women and a man. The auditions will be held at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts at 6:30 p.m.

Nelda Westerlind will present “A History of Mineral Center” at the Johnson Heritage Post at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 18, as part of the Small Talk series of the Cook County Historical Society. All invited. Free.

The Waterfront Gallery in Two Harbors is exhibiting “To Tree or Not To Tree,” a mixed-media art exhibit presented by the North Shore-based Voyageur Art Club.  WDSE’s The Playlist visited the exhibit recently and interviewed the artists. To view, click here.

And last, but not least, the panel discussion “More than Pretty: The Economics of Cook County’s Arts and Crafts” with Greg Wright, North House Folk School; Amy Demmer, Grand Marais Art Colony; Jay Andersen, WTIP Radio and Jan Sivertson, Sivertson Gallery was held at Cook County Higher Ed last week and was a resounding suceess. The standing-room only crowd had lots of great suggestions about how to grow the arts economy in Cook County. Contact Jim Boyd at Higher Ed for more details and how you can be involved at 387-1134.

A video of the session was produced by Boreal TV. Here’s the link.

Here’s the music line-up for this weekend.

Thursday, May 16:

Rich Mattson & Germaine Gemberling, Gunflint Tavern, 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 18:

Briand Morrison, Pie Place Cafe, 6 p.m.

Junk Jam with Mark Powers, Arrowhead Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m., free.

Joe Paulik, Cascade Lodge Pub, 7 p.m.

Sunday, May 19:

Joe Paulik, Gunflint Tavern, 8 p.m.

Luckily, there were lots of interesting photos this week.

The first photo, “It’s a Wave!” was taken by Jeremy Church on Lake Michigan.

Photo by Jeremy Church.

A little closer to home, check out this awesome portrait of the High Falls on the Pigeon River by Linda Otis.

Photo by Linda Otis.

Bryan Hansel  (www.bryanhansel.com) captured this fantastic image of a sunset on Two Island Lake.

Photo by Bryan Hansel.

David R. Johnson (davidrjohnson.zenfolio.com) shot this rushing river earlier this week as well.

Photo by David R. Johnson.

With the end of winter, comes rock hunting. Thomas J. Spence found these agate beauties on a North Shore beach.

Photo by Thomas J. Spence.

And there’s lots of wildlife to photograph.

Here’s one that could win the cutest-ever prize for sure. It’s by Paul Sundberg. (www.paulsundberg.com)

Two fox kits by Paul Sundberg.

Did you know white pelicans can yawn? Sure looks like it in this Sparky Stensaas shot. (www.thephotonaturalist.com)

Photo by Sparky Stensaas.

And for pure elegance, check out this photo by Travis Novitsky. (www.travisnovitsky.com)

A Sandhill Crane & the Full Moon, by Travis Novitsky.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

We did find some intriguing wildlife photos, too.

Here’s a moose by Nace Hagemann. (http://www.nacehagemannphotography.smugmug.com)