Dan Cruikshank grew up riding his bicycle around the Twin Cities and pedaled his way to college.

After founding an outdoors business in Two Harbors with his friend Jeff Knight, Cruikshank is readying to open another Two-Harbors-based business. SpokeNGear, a 3,200 square-foot retail bicycle shop, manufacturer of bicycle bags, bicycle repair facility, and coffee shop, is expected to be open by Christmas in Two Harbors.

“Everybody is really looking forward to it opening,” said Cruikshank, a former owner of Granite Gear, an outdoor gear manufacturer in Two Harbors. “I can’t go to the grocery store without having people ask me about it.”

One of Minnesota’s top tourist destinations, the North Shore offers a variety of paved and mountain bike trails. The need for a high quality bicycle shop to serve local residents and visitors became obvious to Cruikshank, an avid bicyclist.

‘We don’t have a bike shop in Two Harbors,” said Cruikshank. “The local people have to go to Duluth to get their bike worked on. When we moved Granite Gear here, you could stand in town and count the number of canoes go by on cars. Now, it’s the same with bicycles.”

The facility will manufacture custom fit, lightweight, aerodynamic bicycle bags under Cruikshank’s own brand name, Cedaero. 

IRRRB provided a grant to the City of Two Harbors for site development and infrastructure for the project. 

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Pictured above are: Bob Palmquist, ARDC and the Northspan Group; Joe Radinovich, IRRRB; John Elden, Northland Foundation; Randy Bolen, mayor; Dan Cruikshank, developer; Terry Stein, MN Business Finance Corporation; Brad Roden, National Bank of Commerce; and Miranda Pietila, City of Two Harbors.

Excuse the pun, but attendance at a popular Iron Range tourist attraction is sky-high.

In its final season of operation, Mineview in the Sky in Virginia has so far this summer attracted more than 10,700 visitors, said Lori Beth Maki, whose company “Mineview in the Sky The Shop at the Top” operates the facility.

The 36-year-old scenic overlook, high atop a waste stockpile along Highway 53, closes for good in September to make way for a mine expansion at United Taconite. 

“We’re seeing a lot more local people coming by to see it for the last time,” said Maki. “A lot of old miners and people that worked at LTV (Mining Co.) are stopping by and talking about mining. And we’ve had a lot of people stop here who are surprised that it’s closing.”

Over its life, Mineview in the Sky has attracted tens of thousands of visitors from within the United States and across the world. The simple guest book in which visitors write their names and hometowns, reveals visitors from throughout America, Europe, Australia, Russia, Brazil, New Zealand and beyond.

Maki is planning to have a big “shutdown” party atop the Mineview after the center closes for good in September. Until then, Mineview remains open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week. Meanwhile, Maki is working hard to find another Mineview location.

Read the full article. 

Pictured above: Rich Johnson of Cotton points out where a new Highway 53 bridge will be located while visiting Mineview in the Sky.

Dr. Trent Janezich has been named Advanced Minnesota executive director, Northeast Higher Education District (NHED) President Bill Maki announced.

Advanced Minnesota provides customized training on behalf of the NHED colleges in northeastern Minnesota – Hibbing Community College, Itasca Community College, Mesabi Range College, and Vermilion Community College. Advanced Minnesota was launched in 2012 to integrate customized training into a single entity in collaboration with the academic departments of the five colleges. 

“Trent has been instrumental in providing steady leadership to this new organizational structure,” said Maki. “I look forward to working with Trent in his new role.”        

Janezich previously served as director of the Arrowhead University Consortium for NHED and was interim director of Advanced Minnesota since its inception.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to serve as Advanced Minnesota’s executive director, said Janezich. “We have an exceptional team of education professionals with a combined 200 years of experience serving our states’ business and industry partners through workforce training, and we look forward to continuing this tradition for years to come.”

Janezich holds a bachelor of arts degree from Hibbing Community College, a bachelor of arts in political science from the University of St. Thomas, a master of education degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth, and a doctorate in education in teaching and learning from the University of Minnesota.

Talk about a list of hockey classics!

Some of America’s best-known hockey greats will be on the Iron Range Saturday, August 8 to participate in the United States Hockey Hall of Fame Golf Classic. The event kicks off at 9 a.m. at the Eveleth Golf Course with a shotgun start. Approximately 110 golfers are registered to participate in the fundraiser for the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, located in Eveleth. 

“It’s always full,” Doug Palazzari, United States Hockey Hall of Fame executive director said of the golf classic. “Everyone likes to play in it. We have a great time every year.”

John Mayasich, Dick Meredith and Jack McCartan, members of the 1960 U.S. Olympic gold medal hockey team, highlight the event. Mayasich, an Eveleth native, became a legend at the University of Minnesota where he set an NCAA record for most points in a game (8) against Michigan in 1954. He is known as the first hockey player ever to use the slapshot. 

Others signed up to play include: Babbitt native Buzzy Schneider, a member of the 1980 Olympic gold medal team; United States Hockey Hall of Famers Lefty Curran and Gary Gambucci; Pete LoPresti, a former Eveleth High School and Minnesota North Stars goalie; Bob Pazzelli of Eveleth, who played for national champion Denver University; Sparta native Craig Homola, an All-American at the University of Vermont; Cal Cossalter, assistant captain of the 1974 champion Minnesota Gophers; and Palazzari, an Eveleth native, who played at Colorado College and with the St. Louis Blues.

“We have a lot of local players and groups from the Twin Cities who support the event every year,” said Palazzari. 

Rampage at the Ridge, a 5K obstacle course and mud run, will return to the alpine mountain at Giants Ridge on Saturday, August 22. The event tests participants' strength, stamina and teamwork. Each runner will tackle more than three miles of tough terrain and 19 crazy obstacles. New obstacles include "Vertical Limits,” “Creep and Crawl,” and “Tunnels of Anguish.”

A new kid’s course will be available on race day free of charge to all children ages 5-12. A post-race party also will be held.  

All proceeds benefit the United Way of Northeastern Minnesota's veterans initiative, which seeks to expand critical services for veterans and their families in northeastern Minnesota. 

Learn more about Rampage at the Ridge.

Photo credit: Paul Pluskwik

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