North Shore, Nordic Soul

For boaters arriving in Grand Marais, Minnesota, during the summer months, the harbor is the heart of this small community on Lake Superior’s North Shore. Sailboats and powerboats share the waterfront with fishing boats and the schooner Hjørdis, while visitors explore the shops, galleries and restaurants that line the streets nearby.

Come back on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and the scene looks very different. Boating season is long gone, winter is settling over the north woods, and residents and visitors are gathering downtown for Oh Ole Night, a beloved Grand Marais tradition that serves as the community’s kickoff to the holiday season.

Organized by Visit Cook County Minnesota, Oh Ole Night is more than a festival. It’s a homecoming, complete with parade, tree lighting, fireworks and Santa Claus. People who grew up in the area return for the festivities, sometimes bringing their own contributions.

“Sometimes we see floats from as far away as the Minneapolis-St. Paul area,” says Linda Jurek, Visit Cook County Minnesota’s executive director. “Oh Ole Night is near and dear to our hearts. It’s a charming, small-town event.”

“Our parade goes around the block twice!” Kjersti Vick, marketing and public relations director, says with a laugh. “We’ll get maybe 400 people, which feels like a lot. It’s really good energy.”

Local radio station WTIP hosts an hour-long show titled “Oh Ole Night: The Radio Special,” which includes schoolchildren singing holiday classics. Downtown shops compete good-naturedly for the Winter Window Wonderland Award as they welcome locals and visitors alike with seasonal treats such as cookies and cocoa.

After the parade, everyone gathers at Harbor Park for the tree lighting, followed by fireworks launched from the campground.

“It’s very sweet — not at all the same experience you’d have in a major city,” Jurek says. “The weekend has a big impact on our small businesses here.”

Northern heritage

The Scandinavian flavor of Oh Ole Night is right at home in Grand Marais. Scandinavian immigrants were among the settlers who began arriving along Minnesota’s North Shore during the 19th century, making their homes in an isolated region where commercial fishing, logging and other natural-resource industries helped sustain growing communities.

Lake Superior was essential to those communities. Before reliable roads connected Cook County to the outside world, the lake carried people, supplies and news along the North Shore, and Grand Marais developed around its natural harbor.

Today, one of the most visible expressions of the area’s northern heritage sits directly on that waterfront. Founded in 1997 and inspired by the Scandinavian folk-school tradition, North House Folk School teaches traditional crafts and skills ranging from woodworking and fiber arts to foodways and wooden boatbuilding.

During the warmer months, North House also operates Hjørdis, a 50-foot, traditionally rigged steel schooner named for a figure from Norse mythology. The schooner sets sail from the school’s harbor campus throughout the summer, giving visitors an old-school sailing experience on the big lake.

When winter arrives, the school’s programming continues. North House hosts its Winterers’ Gathering and Arctic Film Festival each November; this year’s event, scheduled for November 20 – 22, celebrates northern crafts, stories, skills and adventures. Oh Ole Night follows the next weekend, on November 27, and Jurek and Vick say holiday markets and activities continue nearly every weekend through Christmas.

December also brings the Dark Sky Festival, scheduled for December 10 – 12 this year. Cook County’s remote location and limited light pollution make it an exceptional destination for stargazing and night-sky photography, and the nearby Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is a certified International Dark Sky Sanctuary encompassing more than 1 million acres.

The festival brings together scientists, artists, photographers and other night-sky enthusiasts for talks and activities, but visitors don’t need to attend the event to experience the region after dark. Throughout the winter, Cook County draws people hoping to see the aurora borealis shimmering above the North Shore.

Explore beyond the shore

After the holidays, visitors look beyond the harbor to the mountains and forests surrounding Grand Marais. Lutsen Mountains, located just 20 miles southwest of Grand Marais, draws downhill skiers with its 95 runs, four peaks and 1,088 feet of vertical drop; it’s the largest ski resort in the Midwest.

Then there’s the 57-mile Gunflint Trail National Scenic Byway, which extends northwest from Grand Marais into the heart of the Superior National Forest. Climbing nearly 1,200 feet to its terminus near the Canadian border, it offers opportunities for snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

While those destinations are entering their busiest season, Jurek says Grand Marais itself becomes quieter. That makes February an ideal time for two events that celebrate the creative and snug aspects of northern life: North House’s Fiber Week and Visit Cook County’s Hygge Festival.

The Danish concept of hygge (pronounced “hoo-gah”) centers on embracing life’s simple pleasures and cultivating a sense of comfort and well-being through good food, firelight and time spent with family and friends. In Grand Marais, the annual festival encourages visitors to balance outdoor winter adventures with opportunities to slow down and warm up.

“Visitors can go out and enjoy winter sports like snowshoeing and skiing, and then return to celebrate a warmer, more cozy culture,” Jurek says.

Local businesses offer activities throughout the festival, and a Winter Fireplace Tour highlights inviting gathering places around Cook County. At North House, meanwhile, Fiber Week showcases traditional textile arts — such as spinning, knitting, weaving and felting — through courses and demonstrations.

When you’re ready to take a break, don’t miss an important Nordic winter tradition: The sauna. Sauna culture has deep roots in Finland, where the practice has been an important part of everyday life for centuries. Immigrants carried the tradition with them to the Great Lakes region.

Today, sauna experiences are available at dedicated businesses such as Sisu + Löyly Nordic Sauna. Many area lodges and resorts also offer saunas.

“Nothing is better than looking out at Lake Superior in winter, watching the waves crashing, while you’re sweating in a sauna,” Jurek says. “Then you can step outside and instantly cool off. Maybe make a snow angel!”

Over the generations, Grand Marais has evolved from an isolated Lake Superior settlement into a popular recreational destination, but its Nordic heritage and relationship with the lake remain part of the community’s identity. For boaters accustomed to visiting during the warmer months, winter offers an opportunity to experience that familiar harbor from an entirely different perspective.

The docks might be quiet, and Hjørdis might be tucked away for the season, but Grand Marais is anything but dormant. And there is plenty to do while you wait for spring.

To learn more, visit visitcookcounty.com.