Illinois Outdoors

The September Newsletter from the Forest Lake Country Store came to my door (computer) this week.  Again, I enjoyed a morning cup of coffee and reading about what's happening in the Land O Lakes area of Wisconsin.

I'll be making trips up north this fall and in December.  The entire Vilas County area has been a favorite destination for my family and me and I can't wait to get back up north to visit some frineds...

"September 2010

Last month's letter started with talk of rain and so will this letter.  The lakes continue to rise, even late in the summer. Rumors are rampant that lakes are up; well over eight inches since ice out.  Progress continues, and water levels slowly increase after 8 years of drought. 

Fall is stealing into the north woods.  The days are getting shorter, you do not really notice it but we lose a little daylight in the morning and the evening.  The trees start to change, just a little.  A very subtle change.  A tree doesn't go from green to gold overnight.  They look like an artist sneaks in with a giant palette, dips in a big brush and shakes it over the north woods.  If you watch the trees one day there is a smattering of red on one of them, a sliver of gold on another.  The tops of the grass and ferns slowly shift from green to a light straw color.  Each day you notice another small spot that received a splash of new color, or yesterdays spot getting a little larger.  Little sentinels that warn us of the big change to come.  It is a show to enjoy and if you are up here you will have a front row seat!

The Country Store was the site for a 50th wedding anniversary get together for Judy and Fred Madigan and a crew from Black Oak Lake.  First of all congratulations to both of them.  It is a testament of their mutual respect and compassion for each other that 50 years are shared.  We served them all breakfast, tidied up and could not help but overhear parts of the discussions.  Some of the people are relative newcomers to the area.  Others are maybe third or fourth generation living or vacationing in Land O' Lakes.  A mutual love for the area is shared by all.  We have touched on this before, but we continue to be in awe of the influence the area has on generations of families.

Last, and certainly the biggest news, we were honored to be mentioned in the Milwaukee Magazines E edition.  John Burns is a well known wine consultant, travelling the globe tasting, then consulting both wine makers and wine cellars on noteworthy products.  He regularly visits the north woods to relax and recently spent some time in the store.  Here is a hot link to his column!  Are we bragging?  Yup.  Thanks John for the very kind words!

New in the Store

CD's from Jake Donzi.  Jake played here in July for a fund raiser for the Food Pantry.  Many folks were interested in getting some of his CD's.  We have three different CD's for sale with Jakes music!

We have a handful of Vilas/Oneida County fishing map books put together by a Medford Guide named Dave Strebig in 1995.  There are unique anecdotes, fishing advice and marked maps for many local lakes.  They are at home on a coffee table or in the boat.  Look at our counter copy.  There are only about 5 of these available!

Check the beer coolers for a bounty of fall Oktoberfest releases.  Sprecher, Lakefront, HackerPschorr, Capital, Leinies and more.  New ones show up almost every week.  Also look for a couple new beers from Chameleon Brewing.  This satellite operation is the brainchild of Randy Sprecher.  Hopefully, in time for Labor Day, you will find the Hop on Top, Fire Light, and Witty varietals from Chameleon.  Check their web site for more information.

In the wine area we have added some very exceptional, highly rated wines.  From Cakebread Cellars we added their Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay Reserve.  From Siduri we added their Parson's Vineyard 2007 Pinot Noir,  and from Owen Roe we added the Abbots Table Red Blend. 

For value wines we added a line called Night Harvest.  Their claim to fame is that they harvest their grapes at night.  This late night harvest happens because the grapes are cooler than daytime temperatures, concentrating the flavors.  It started as a small operation with lanterns and a generator on a cart; now it has grown to an elaborate lighting system spread over many acres.  We have added the Chardonnay, Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Labor Day Weekend we will offer free tastes of each wine.  These represent a huge value in the wine market.  The shelf price on these wines is just $6.99 per bottle.  If you are interested in a case of wine it is just $5.99 per bottle.  This is not a one-time special; our intent is to run this as long as the supplier keeps these wines available.  Stop in and try this unique wine.

Take and Bake Pizza's are not new, but our sales always increase dramatically when we shift our hours to an early close.  We par bake the crust and build your pizza on top.  You take the pie home and bake it in your oven.  If you have a yearning for a Country Store Pizza, on one of the nights we close early, call us up and order a Take n Bake pie to go!

Events in the Store

November 8th 5:30 PM   Wein-Bauer Tasting
Amanda Ryba-Nuechterlein, from Wein Bauer, will be here with Nina, to present a great cross section of the Wein Bauer portfolio.   Some of their brands are Bauer Haus, Schlink Haus, Mo-Velt,  Angioletta and more.  A common denominator is that they are very approachable wines.  Easy to drink; not big chewy, tannic wines.  Slightly sweet, modestly priced, and attractively packaged.  If you are entertaining for Thanksgiving or Christmas, or looking for some unique wines to use for holiday gifts, Wein-Bauer has some real crowd pleasing products.  Cost is $7.00 per person.  Advance reservations required!  Limited to 25 people.

Kitchen Ideas from the Country Store

This recipe comes from Linda Wheeler:

Cheesy Beer Bread

8 ounces all-purpose flour
4 ounces whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh, or freeze-dried, dill
4 1/2 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
12 ounces cold beer, ale or stout
1 to 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, optional

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat the inside of a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and set aside.  Whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour; baking powder, salt, sugar, and dill in a large mixing bowl.  Add in the cheese and stir in the beer just to combine.

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the sunflower seeds, if using.

Bake on the middle rack of the oven until the bread reaches an internal temperature of 210 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer; about 45 to 55 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer the loaf to a cooling rack for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Makes 10-12 servings

Modified from original Beer Bread recipe courtesy Alton Brown, FoodNetwork, 2009

(EDITOR'S NOTE:  I tried this recipe for the beer bread but it never turned out well.    Hmmmmm....  I guess the beer is meant to be put into the mix, not as a refreshment while making the bread)

Events in the North Woods

Please remember the Headwaters Food Pantry.  If you are cleaning out your cabin for the season and find some canned or dry goods that you would rather not pack (shoot maybe you just feel benevolent and want to help someone) we can collect them at the Forest Lake Country Store.  Drop them off and we will get them to the Food Pantry for you!

Here are a couple great events presented by Mery Krause:

We are starting two events downtown Land O Lakes this summer.  The first is a DIABETIC CLUB that will meet on Tues. morning @ 9 - 10 a.m., each week in the lower level of the library.  Pre Diabetics are welcome to attend, too, or family members who are taking care of a Diabetic family member. The first meeting will be on Tuesday July 13th.  

There is also an OPEN MIKE NITE in the Farmer's Market lot downtown LOL on Friday nights from 7-9.  We are building a stage for this event on the 9th of July and the first Open Mike Nite will take place on Friday, July 16th.  This will continue every Friday night from the 16th thru the end of Sept. weather permitting.   Anyone who would like to share a musical talent, or a comedy act, or a poem they have written, can perform in front of a very friendly audience, made up of anyone who wants to come and listen.  People need to bring their own chairs to sit on and children under the age of 14 need to be accompanied by an adult.  We hope this brings some life to downtown LOL.  This event is sponsored by the LOL Chamber of Commerce.  Come one, come all and enjoy an evening outside with free entertainment.  Special thanks to Forslund Building Center for a generous donation of materials for the stage!

Farmers Market  Downtown Land O' Lakes

Every Thursday is the morning to head down to the old lumberyard for your fresh produce and more.  The market is open at 9 AM until 12 PM every Thursday thru the summer.  Fresh produce, crafts, and more are in town every week. 

Special Farmers Market "Fall Harvest" on Saturday September 25th. 

Here is something cool for the Land O' Lakes area from John Helminiak:

Have Historic Photos of Land O' Lakes?
With the endorsement of the Land O' Lakes Historical Society and the Chamber of Commerce, local resident Jon Helminiak is compiling a pictorial history book of Land O' Lakes and the surrounding vicinity.  Published by Arcadia Publishing Company, the book will be completed and available for purchase by May, 2011.  If you have historic photos, and know the subject matter [important], please contact Jon at jon2036@earthlink.net before October 20!

Jon has two other published books, "Course Set for Manito-wish", the history of the Manito-wish YMCA in Boulder Junction, and "Nothing Routine - A Quest for Adventure in Remote and Storage Places", which chronicles many of his global adventure-expeditions.  His website is adventurequestproductions.com

From the Land O' Lakes Public Library

Wednesday, September 22nd at 10:00 a.m.
Children's Story Time. This is the first one of the new school year!

Wednesday, September 29th at 10:00 a.m.
Children's Story Time.

September 2nd NSDAR 1 PM Land O' Lakes Public Library

Nokomis Chapter, NSDAR will hold its regular September meeting Thursday September 2, 2010 at 1pm at the Land O' Lakes Public Library located in downtown Land O' Lakes, WI.  Please note that the library itself will be closed, so the ONLY access to the community room in the lower level will be from the north door adjacent to the main parking lot.  NSDAR members, prospective members and guests are welcome to attend.  The program will be on the Constitution of the United States of America.

September 25th 10AM - 4 PM  Art in the Yard at the Fir Tree Cottage

The Art Gypsies will be setting up their displays for the popular fall outing.  Look for them at the fir Tree Cottage across from the Post Office!

September 25th  4 - 10 PM  Family Fun Day/ Barn Dance  Town Hall Grounds

Old Fashion Kids games from 4 - 7 PM, including a scarecrow contest and Pie Baking competition.  From 7 - 10 PM there is a Barn Dance and raffles.  Come join the fun at the Town Hall grounds!

September 26th 11 AM - 2 PM Colorama Dinner St. Albert's Church

Probably the best Colorama dinner in the north woods.  Ham, chicken and all the trimmings.  Eat in the Church or take the meals to go.  Contact the Chamber of Commerce for ticket info at 715 547 3432

People around Land O' Lakes

September 3 Sue and Mike Keintz celebrate their wedding anniversary

September 5th Barb Nehring celebrates her birthday.  (Barb and Harry were in the store recently with their newest grandson.  A very handsome Nehring!)

September 7th is a big day, Harry Nehring has his birthday.  Dick and Elsie Mendham have their anniversary and Carol and Wayne Schemmer celebrate their anniversary.

September 8 is the birthday for John Sarama

September 14th is Bob Baumler's birthday.

As always we thank you for the time spent at the Forest Lake Country Store.  We strive to find new products or events to make your visits enjoyable.  Do not hesitate to tell us if there anything we can do to make your time spent here more enjoyable.

From George Hollaway regarding the Tamarack Flowage:

Bids which have been received for the Flowage Dam engineering study will be presented tomorrow at the Conover Board Meeting (7pm Thursday, September 2, 2010 in the Conover Center.) Any interested parties are urged to attend the meeting to express support for the Town's efforts to preserve the Flowage.
 
In the next week, the "Town of Conover Little Tamarack Flowage Dam Committee" will meet to discuss the situation, and recommend a course of action. More news at that time.

This was discussed in an earlier newsletter.  The dam that holds the water for the Tamarack Flowage has become a political pawn and there is talk of removing the dam.  The removal would destroy an incredible watershed of floating bogs, cattails, bird paradise and fishing bonanza.  Solitude, and assets like the Tamarack that provide solitude, are the backbone of Vilas County.  For more information or to become an associate member of the Alliance contact George Holloway at flowagepreservation@gmail.com

Here is another event planned for Colorama weekend just received from Sara Beedie:

Land O' Lakes Colorama Bike Ride
Enjoy fall colors in the Northwoods while biking and exploring the Wilderness Lakes Trails' system on Sunday, September 26, in Land O' Lakes.  Several free non-sponsored ride options will be available, with something for every ability level.  Tour guides will lead a 37-mile trip around the Sylvania Wilderness and also an up-and-back mountain bike ride of 20 miles.  Additionally, maps will be available for self-guided tours. Tours will begin, and maps will be available, at 9 a.m. at the Land O' Lakes Town Pavilion in Memorial Park.  Representatives of Wilderness Lakes Trails will be at the Pavilion from 9 a.m. to noon to explain ride options and discuss exciting trail expansion plans.  Plenty of parking and restrooms will be available.  After the ride, everyone is invited to the Fall Colorama Dinner at St. Albert's Catholic Church, located near the Pavilion, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.. Cost for the dinner is $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under.   For additional information on the Wilderness Lakes Trails visit www.wildlakes.org. 

Here is another birthday just received from an admirer of the birthday boy:

September 17th is the birthday for Bob Turnquist

Last, we have planned our winter cleaning and closure.  We will be closed Monday November 29th and re open Wednesday December 22nd.  Our hope is to have some time to spend with our kids and grand kids to celebrate the holiday season. 

Thanks again for all of encouragement, trust and business that you give to us at the Forest Lake Country Store. 

Store Hours
Monday - Saturday 7 AM - 8 PM
Sunday 7 AM - 3 PM 

Winter hours start on Tuesday September 7th.  We open at 7 AM, 7 days a week.  3 PM close on Sunday thru Wednesday and 8 PM close on Thursday thru Saturday.  We are also closed at 3 PM on Saturday September 18th for a private event."