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| photo courtesy of Door County Compass |
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| photo courtesy of Door County Brewing |
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The world is a little less joyous since the mortal departure of Door County legend Freddie Kodanko, who was a happy man, known for his love of polkas, dancing and playing his homemade "polkacello" at the AC Tap, and crate-building. Door County Brewing has created a beer in honor of Freddie, with the perfect name of Polka King Porter. Also in honor of Freddie is a tractor parade beginning from the AC Tap.
"The passing of Freddie K, a.k.a. The Polka King, famous disc jockey, inventor of the spider dance, stick drummer, farmer, canner, crate maker, expert tractor driver, and visual Door County icon representing what makes Northern Door a unique place, marks the end of an era - a loss to all who visit and live on the Door."
– section from Door County Compass
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 A.C. Tap
9322 Highway 57
Baileys Harbor, WI 54202
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Goats Grazing on Sod Roof
at Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant and Butik
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location: Sister Bay
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| restaurant with character |
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Several goats graze on the restaurant's grass-covered roof. Watch yourself as you enter the building as to avoid taking a hoof to the forehead if one of the goats should happen to tumble off the edge. Well, it's possible, isn't it? Anyway, just head inside and enjoy the Swedish pancakes.
[ Also check out the Traumatized Troll in the lobby (right) ] |
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700 N Bay Shore Dr.
Sister Bay, WI 54234
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web links
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books & video
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book:
"Wisconsin Curiosities"
by Michael Feldman and Diana Cook
Globe Pequot Press
(2nd ed., 2004) page(s) 105 – 106
(3rd ed., 2009) page(s) 99 – 102
buy it at
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com
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book:
"Oddball Wisconsin"
by Jerome Pohlen
Chicago Review Press, Inc. (2001)
page(s) 176 – 177
buy it at
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com![icon]()
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“Goats on the Roof at Al Johnson's in Sister Bay, Wisconsin, 2012 ”
video by seanoconor1
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“Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant & Butik ”
video by DoorCounty Today
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Cherry-Pit Spitting Competition
at Lautenbach's Orchard Country
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location: Fish Creek
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| event |
Take a tour of the vineyard, drink a little wine, pick your own cherries, then try your hand at breaking the state record for spitting pits.
Current records:
MEN: 48 feet, 1 inch
WOMEN: 38 feet, 3 inches |
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9197 State Hwy 42
Fish Creek, WI 54212
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hours:
Market: (May through November) open daily 9am – 5pm |
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web links
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books & video
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book:
"Oddball Wisconsin"
by Jerome Pohlen
Chicago Review Press, Inc. (2001)
page(s) 164
buy it at
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com![icon]()
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“Orchard Country Winery & Market”
video by OrchardCountryWinery
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“Door County Farm Markets”
video by ExploreTheDoor
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Door County-Shaped Grave
at Blossomburg Cemetery
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location: Fish Creek
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| unique grave |
The grave marker of Sheriff Hollis Bridenhagen bears resemblance to the county he served.
Read more about it in the 2000 edition of Michael Feldman's "Wisconsin Curiosities". |
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9462 Shore Road
Fish Creek, WI 54212
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| Pa looks like he could cause some damage if he wanted to. Say 'please' and 'thank you' to Ma when accepting a piece of pie and you'll leave with your limbs intact. |
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(6 miles north of Bailey's Harbor on Highway 57 or 3 miles south of Sister Bay)
9669 Highway 57
Baileys Harbor, WI 54202
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hours:
May thru October (open daily at 8am) |
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Banana Split Sturgeon
at Culver's Restaurant - Citgo Station
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location: Sturgeon Bay
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| roadside oddity |
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| No, not a real flavor... |
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| This sturgeon-shaped figure has been given a banana-like color scheme and topped with three scoops of custard, which hopefully does not represent Culver's new flavor combination. |
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(at the drive-thru lane)
5581 Gordon Rd.
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54325
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| These are two more examples from the area of this mouse variety, which differs from those such as the kind found at Arena Cheese in Dane County. This may be known as your "northeastern cheese mouse". |
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Renard's Cloverleaf Dairy
2189 County Road DK
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
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Renard's Rosewood Dairy
248 County Trunk S
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
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Albert Zahn's Bird Park
PRIVATE PROPERTY
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location: Baileys Harbor
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| unique architecture |
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"Albert Zahn, a native of the Prussian province of Pomerania (then located in Germany), came to Wisconsin as a young man. His nickname in life was “the birdman of Door County,” so-called because of the manner in which he transformed his home in Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin, into an art environment covered with his carved and painted bird forms and angels. Although the art environment is now disassembled, the house that Zahn called “Birds Park” still stands at the north end of Baileys Harbor."
– section from Kohler Arts Center website
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was at: 8223 State Highway 57
Bailey's Harbor, WI
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| One of many signs of Belgian influence in the area. More shrines are located in Kewaunee & Brown counties. |
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on Highway 57, 2 miles east of Brussels on south side of road
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Ethnic Wisconsin
www.ethnicwisconsin.org
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UW-Green Bay
Walloon Emigration to Wisconsin
www.uwgb.edu
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Walloon Belgians Door Peninsula
walloonbelgiansdoorpeninsula.
weebly.com
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Silent Sports
article "Head to eastern Wisconsin for a BELGIAN BIKE TOUR" or archived (here)
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location: all over Door County |
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| One fine kettle of fish sits idly by as the other nears boiling over... |
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| ...thanks to a little help from good old "paraffin oil". |
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| In brief: whitefish, potatoes & onions set in boiling water get a final "boil over" from a can of kerosene thrown into the fire below the kettle. Usually served with a piece of cherry pie. Dinner and a show. |
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look at Door County Visitor Bureau link at right for participating restaurants
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Harbor House Inn
lighthouse-shaped building
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location: Ellison Bay
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| unique architecture |
| Throughout Door County, you will see a theme of seagulls, boats, and lighthouses. Many yards & businesses are decorated with such motifs, way too many to list on this website. But here we see one that makes the cut, thanks to its size & accessibility. |
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12666 State Highway 42
Ellison Bay, WI 54210
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Official Site
www.harborhousedoorcounty.com
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Door County Navigator
www.doorcountynavigator.com
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“Door County Wi - Harbor House Inn - Lodging Review ”
video by DoorCountyNavigator
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Noah's Ark
at Stewards of Grace Ministries
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location: Brussels
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| roadside oddity |
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| This repainted boat is located between the highway and the church. Somehow I don't think this reproduction represents the actual size of the original nautical craft. |
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10821 Stage Road
Brussels, WI 54204
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Official Site
stewardsofgrace.org
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| You will definitely spot an azure bovine theme to the decor when you walk in. |
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| Aside from having a great-looking exterior & interior, the Ox also offers a challenging game to visitors which involves swinging a ring onto a "bull's" nose. The rings hangs from a wire attached to the ceiling and it is harder to do than it looks. |
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| Understandably, the bartenders are able to get the ring on the bull's nose within three tries. |
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8151 State Road 57
Baileys Harbor, WI 54202
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Cookie the Giant Cow
at the Dairy View Country Store
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| Corn Maze |
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location: Sturgeon Bay
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| roadside oddity / big bovine / maize maze |
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| photo courtesy of official site |
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| Come for the giant cow statue, stay for the dairy tour, where you can "milk" a mechanical cow. Then enjoy a cold treat at the Dairy View Ice Cream Parlor before working off the calories as you make your way through a challenging corn maze. |
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5169 County Road I
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
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hours:
(Mon - Fri) 10am – 6pm
(Saturdays) 10am – 7pm |
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Boynton (Björklunden Chapel)
at Lawrence University
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location: Baileys Harbor
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| recreated historic structure |
"Boynton Chapel is a small wooden chapel built in a late 12th-century Norwegian stave church (stavkirke) style...A popular site for weddings and a favorite stop among Door County tourists, the chapel contains 41 hand-painted frescoes and numerous exceptionally fine carved-wood furnishings."
– section from the official website
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7603 Chapel Ln.
Baileys Harbor, WI 54202
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hours:
mid-June thru late August (Mon & Wed afternoons) 1pm – 4pm |
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Coffee Cup Museum
at Door County Bakery
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location: Sister Bay
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| museum |
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"The Spike O’Dell/WGN Coffee Cup Museum is now a part of the Door County Bakery. Plan on stopping by to see the signed celebrity coffee cups the next time you visit the bakery. There’s also a growing number of art works on display for purchase."
– section from the official website
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10048 Hwy. 57
Sister Bay, WI 54234
(888) 39-BREAD |
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hours:
June thru October (Tues - Sat) 8am – 5pm
(Sun & Mon) 8am – 3pm |
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Giant Apple
at Wood Orchard Market
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location: Egg Harbor
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| roadside oddity / produce effigy |
| Wood Orchards Market offers the best in pickings for cherries, mushrooms and, obviously, apples (including the intriguing SweeTango variety) and more. |
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8112 State Highway 42
Egg Harbor, WI 54209
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| photo courtesy of official Facebook page |
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Official Site
www.woodorchard.com
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Facebook (official)
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Kari's Kitchen
www.karisann.com
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Terra Cotta Pot Giants
PRIVATE PROPERTY
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location: Sturgeon Bay
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| roadside oddity / yard art |
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| photos courtesy of Midwest Living |
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| A pair of 13-foot-tall garden giants (and their 'poodle') have made their home in the superbly manicured yard of Dale and Joan Jeanquart, who live just outside of Sturgeon Bay. The long-limbed sculptures stand amongst beautiful flower beds and impressive landscaping, almost blending in with their surroundings. They are even lit up as a Christmas display during the holidays. Shelley Ryan, PBS's "Wisconsin Gardener", interviews Dale about his family's eye-catching yard (link at right). |
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1647 Texas Pl.
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
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Easter Island Heads
at Harbor Ridge Winery
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location: Egg Harbor
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| roadside oddity |
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| photo courtesy of official site |
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| Two concrete monoliths stand near the vineyard at this popular destination for peninsula oenophiles. Not content to simply allow the replica moai to sit on their property as quaint oddities, the winery has released a red wine called "Knockin' Heads Red" using the statues for the logo. The statues were only two of six constructed by Cool Crete of New London (Outagamie County). |
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4690 Rainbow Ridge Ct.
Egg Harbor, WI 54209
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Clustered Belgian Gravestones
at the Belgian Heritage Center
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location: Brussels
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| graves with stories / historical oddity |
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| No, the people of Namur are not tiny, nor are they buried vertically as has been surmised. St. Mary of the Snows Catholic Church, founded by Belgians in 1860 and closed by church consolidation in 2001, had a big problem when it came time to decide where to place a badly needed parking lot in the 1960's. Their best option was to use the space occupied by the dearly departed next to the church. Instead of exhuming the bodies, only the headstones were removed and relocated in a cluster not far from the actual cemetery. To this day, you can park your car on top of the Belgian settlers' graves to visit their monuments in the nearby rock garden. The church is now home to the Namur Belgian Heritage Foundation. |
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1253 CTH 1255 CTH DK
Brussels, WI 54204
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Facebook (official)
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Peninsula Belgian American Club
www.belgianamerican.org
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book:
"Badger Boneyards"
by Dennis McCann
Wisconsin Historical Society Press (2010)
page(s) 98 – 102
buy it at
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com
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Bookmark the Wisconsinosity home page! wisconsinosity.com
(From Sturgeon Bay, take Highway 57 north through Valmy. Look for the signs for the park.)
7791 State Highway 42
120 N. Madison Ave.
