GRAND RAPIDS – Doors had hardly opened for the day when energized children began flooding in with smiling parents and grandparents in tow.

“It’s going to be a busy day,” said John Kelsch, Children’s Discovery Museum director.

As the only children’s museum north of Duluth, the 17,500 square-foot facility has over the past few months been full of life.

That’s partly because the museum in April opened a new exhibit – Lake Life.

Supported by an Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Culture & Tourism grant and Minnesota Legacy funding, Lake Life teaches children about water quality, invasive species, and a variety of outdoor topics. 

Within the interactive exhibit are a fishing dock, maple syrup operation, a cabin, log crawl, bog walk, climbing wall, bicycle-propelled wind turbine, deer stand, bird on an overhead track, and a stage. 

A water tank and secchi disk, allowing children to learn about water transparency and turbidity, are being added this summer.     

“We thought how great it would be at an early age for kids to learn about these things,” said Kelsch. “And we felt the exhibit should relate to our area because we have 1,000 lakes here (Itasca County). It’s something you couldn’t really do at other children’s museums.” 

Since opening the exhibit in April, more than 2,000 early childhood, kindergarten, and grades first through third schoolchildren from across northeastern Minnesota have learned about water clarity, zebra mussels, and the natural environment.

“Knowing that many people come up here and stay at their cabins, we thought an ‘up north’ theme would be good,” said Vickie Rassmussen-Wilcox, a member of the museum’s board of directors. “And we’re seeing more and more fathers bring their children here, which is nice to see.”

All schoolchildren and teachers who attend as a group during the school year are admitted free thanks to Minnesota Legacy funding.

Since 2000, the museum has hosted 222 different schools from 87 communities.

Read the full article.

Pictured above: John Kelsch, Children's Discovery Museum director, in the museum's new Lake Life exhibit.

COOK – Mary and Eric Hanson see a bright future at Pehrson Lodge Resort – both literally and figuratively.

That’s in part due to the installation of LED lighting, a new 32 kilowatt solar panel array, heat pumps, and construction of a new lodge at their Lake Vermilion resort.

The Hanson’s improved the energy efficiency of their business with assistance from the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation’s Business Energy Retrofit (BER) Program.

The program provides business owners within the agency's service area with a grant of up to $20,000 to cover one-third of the total cost of an energy retrofit project.

The Hanson’s also plan to utilize the program to install additional solar panels on the resort’s 7,200 square-foot lodge currently under construction.

“We thought it was just a way to reduce our energy footprint and offset our demand,” said Eric Hanson of the energy improvements, which increase efficiency in the resorts 28 cabins and support buildings. “The BER program helped us immensely. It’s going to help us over the long-term in lowering our costs.”

The new lodge will include game and exercise rooms, library, reading area, information kiosk, reception desk, and meeting space for special events such as reunions, business groups, weddings and retreats.

Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation's Commercial Redevelopment program provided assistance for demolition of the former 87-year-old lodge. 

“The new lodge is meant to be an amazing place for our guests to have a lot of fun and allow us to be able to expand business into the off season,” said Hanson.

Since the BER program began in 2013, 150 businesses have received assistance to help finance a variety of energy retrofit projects.

Business owners interested in learning more about the program can RSVP to the Chisholm Chamber of Commerce for a 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Thursday, July 13, information session at Valentini’s Supper Club in Chisholm.

Information on how businesses can apply to other energy assistance resources such as MinnPACE, REAP and USDA, will also be available. 

RSVPs should be made to info@chisholmchamber.com or (218) 254-7930. 

Pictured above: Eric and Mary Hanson utilized Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation's Business Energy Retrofit Program to make energy improvements at their Pehrson Lodge Resort on Lake Vermilion.

Classical musical talent from across the world is coming to the Iron Range.

The 14th annual Northern Lights Music Festival, a three-week extravaganza featuring world caliber classical musical performances, opens Sunday, July 2, and runs for three weeks in communities across northeastern Minnesota.

“It started out as a way to bring some action to the community,” said Veda Zuponcic, an Aurora native and concert pianist who founded the festival. “It’s now a big operation with over 100 people who come in from all over the world to perform.”

Internationally known performers in opera, chamber music and orchestra, along with award-winning young performers, will conduct musical performances, chamber music coachings, masterclasses, and daily lessons over the three-weeks.

It’s an opportunity for northeastern Minnesotans and visitors to be entertained by the music of composers such as Tchaikovsky and Copland performed by renowned musicians from Russia and across the United States.

Gavriel Heine of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia, is the festival’s conductor/music director. Russian bass Maxim Mikhailov performs, teaches and directs the festival’s opera.  

“If you like classical music, symphony or opera, it’s for you,” said Zuponcic of the festival.

Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation is supporting the festival with a Culture & Tourism grant.

Read the full article for additional event information.

The growing season in northeastern Minnesota is short.

But the opportunities to buy locally grown, healthy foods are many.

Farmers markets across the area are growing in popularity and expanding offerings.

“We have many new vendors this year,” said Marlise Riffel, an organizer of the Virginia Farmers Market. “We also have the Power of Produce program for kids age 4-12 starting on July 6.” 

Power of Produce (PoP) is a farmers market incentive program that each week provides a $2 token to children ages 4-12 to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables. The goal is to engage children at farmers markets and empower them to make healthful food choices.

Within the region, the PoP program is also available at the Ely and Hibbing farmers markets.

For all shoppers, it’s best to get to farmers markets early to buy the most popular items, or show up late to perhaps get the best deal, according to the University of Minnesota Extension.   

Get a quick list of area farmers markets.

Weekly tours of Hibbing Taconite are this summer being offered to the public.

Comprehensive tours of Hibbing Taconite’s mining and processing facilities depart from Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm via bus promptly at 1 p.m. each Thursday until Aug. 17. Buses load from 12:45 p.m. to 1 p.m. 

Hibbing Taconite, owned by ArcelorMittal, Cliffs Natural Resources, and United States Steel, produces about 8 million tons of iron ore pellets annually.

Iron ore pellets produced at Iron Range taconite plants are the primary ingredients used to make steel. Iron ore pellets produced at northeastern Minnesota taconite plans account for 80 percent of the “first pour” steel in the United States.   

Cost of the tour is $13 per person, which includes complimentary admission to Minnesota Discovery Center.