Washington Island Observer

It's all about the island

Mary Bernier

The Community Is Making Our Gym a Reality!

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The Bradley Jordan Foundation has incredible news: The Door County Community Foundation has awarded the project a generous $100,000 grant! This brings total donations since July to an amazing $271,181.20! The total raised has now reached a phenomenal $3,334,228.84. With a final goal set at $4.2 million, just $865,771.16 remains to make this dream a reality for the Island students and community.

People often ask us if this project is truly supported by the community—and the answer is a resounding YES. Beyond the very generous $2.5 million gift (anonymous donors), the Foundation has received donations from 175 people. Of those, 78% are Island residents, Island non-resident homeowners, or those with strong family ties to the Island – all incredible indicators of strong community support.

And speaking of community support, the Foundation recently received a couple of donations and notes too sweet not to share: They came from a couple of young Island residents who attend the Island School. These two dedicated students spent their summer raising money with a lemonade and grilled cheese stand, and they donated every penny to the gymnasium fund. Another donation came from two students who sold lighted wine bottles and bags. Lastly, an Island summer child raised money selling baseball necklaces.

These kids are so excited to have a gym to play in, and their efforts are a powerful reminder of why we’re doing this. Every single donation, no matter the size, gets the Island closer to our goal. If you have been holding off on donating, now is the time. Please consider helping get this project across the finish line!

You can donate in one of these ways:

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/…/Bradley…/61567620403358/…

The Foundation Website https://www.bradleyjordanfoundation.org/

Nicolet Bank account

Let’s make these dreams a reality, together!

Submitted by Michelle Jordan

Your eyes do not deceive you; Christmas did occur on Friday, September 4th.

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Washington Island hosts throngs of tourists every summer, and with that traffic comes a need for an additional workforce in order to operate the restaurants and businesses that make the magic of the Island function.

Workers come from all over the United States for various reasons. Some may have seen an ad and thought the Island looked like a fun place to spend the summer. Others travel internationally on a J-1 visa.

The Island has a long history of employing students on a J-1 visa, which allows individuals to participate in a work- and study-based exchange program. The responsibility to integrate those on a J-1 visa and give them a good experience is tremendous because for those here on a J-1 visa, their experience on the Island may be the only perspective they retain when viewing the United States as a whole.

Sena Euksel from Turkey came to the Island to improve her English. She is currently studying international trade and finance and concluded it would be beneficial for her to learn as many languages as she can. Why did she choose Washington Island? Well, her mother found a job posting for Fragrant Isle and her favorite flower is lavender. Sena found that Islanders have been helpful and supportive, and she would love to come back.

Fragrant Isle, also known as the Lavender Farm, employed a group of young women over the summer who hailed from regions throughout the United States and across the world. Many of them rent a house together located next to the Lavender farm.

Wendy, who could be considered the house mother, Donna Russell, and Karen Taylor, who all work at Fragrant Isle, made sure to get to know these girls throughout the summer and positively enhance their overall experience on the Island.

Stella Bushey, Shannon Oehmen, Cheyenne Kernats, Vivian Vanzante, Emily Ellis and Kiki Warner found themselves on the Island working at Fragrant Isle from places like Phoenix, Chicago and St. Louis.

When it was discovered some of these young women had never experienced Christmas, what started as a flicker of “why not” turned into a full-blown Christmas in September extravaganza. Except for the absence of snow, one would not have known the clock had not sped up and it was not truly December. A feast was served featuring chicken, salmon, roast ham with all the sides one would salivate over; corn flake potatoes, piping homemade rolls, green beans, roasted carrots, Mexican pin-wheels, and cherry coke Jello, a family specialty of Emily Ellis. Savory dumplings were made with love by Jade Zha (Feicui Zha) and Elowen Zhang, both from China, both never having experienced Christmas; the dumplings are a tradition back home where they make them for occasions such as Chinese New Year and are considered a privilege to indulge.

There was a special table allotted solely for desserts, overflowing with scrumptious choices, including the great idea by Susan Vrasky to have a decorate your own gingerbread cookie station, an essential part of the holiday. Everyone involved pitched in, but a good portion of the cooking and decorating was attributed to Susan Vrasky. Santa Clause, (Kiki Warner) made an appearance as did his mischievous rival the grinch (Susan Vrasky)! Presents were exchanged, games were played; Bingo, one of Donna Russell’s specialties was thoroughly enjoyed by those familiar with the game and those playing for the first time, as Donna operated as Master of Ceremonies calling the numbers.

Christmas tunes were played on the piano in the background as homemade hot chocolate with miniature marshmallows decadently floating on top was offered. People came and went eating, drinking, and laughing with a fully decorated and lit up Christmas tree prominently dis-played. Friends stopped by including members of the popular Island band Frog Furr, Diego Anderson, Pauline Tayor, and Talya De Young, and friend of many present, Claire.

The merriment and spirit of Christmas was overwhelming, which I believe was the intent; to give all the girls, from near and far, who worked at Fragrant Isle over the summer a chance to realize what the hype of Christmas is all about, not just the food, the gifts, but the love, the inclusiveness, the belong-ing. May every visitor, every foreign exchange student, every outsider, be so lucky to find themselves in such a group and feel accepted and includ-ed, truly a home away from home.

The true mark of a place, a group of people, or of an entity, is not what is overt, what seems obvious, but how individuals treat one another, and especially how people treat those considered outsiders, those that may just be passing through, or those who crave the community of the Island and wish they too could belong to something most everybody agrees is special.

The women and the girls of Fragrant Isle exemplified the spirit of the Island community with their love, acceptance, and immeasurable generosity. Donna Russell had a box full of her mother’s rings, and she allowed all the young women of Fragrant Isle to select a ring. Tears came to her eyes and theirs and she explained the rings had belonged to her mother. Over the lump in her throat, she said she could not think of a better group of girls to be the rings’ recipients. I can only dream of a world where this sort of love, this type of acceptance, this level of kindness takes precedence, not just sometimes, but all the time.

Donna Russell, Karen Taylor, and Wendy deserve your recognition; if you see them around the Island, take a moment to say thank you for representing and embodying the Island spirit. I personally want to thank everyone present at this Christmas in September Celebration, for inviting me into their home with open arms and letting me witness a night of true joy, love, and magic, and from what I have heard the festivities carried on long into the evening, Merry Christmas!

Story & Photos by Jennifer Gates

Islanders’ season ends with loss to Baileys Harbor

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On Sunday, Aug. 17, our Islanders traveled to Baileys Harbor to take on the A’s. It was a must win game to get into the playoffs. Besides winning we also needed either West Jacksonport or Maplewood to lose to get in. And as it would turn out, both did lose that day, but we still needed a win to advance.

Our Islanders went scoreless in the top of the first inning, and the A’s scored one in the bottom, so we had a 1-0 deficit after one. But in the very next inning we were able to make up for that. Ray McDonald got on base on an error, Matt Petersilka walked, and Alex Johnson got a base hit to load the
bases. Then top of the order, Caleb Cornell walked, sending Ray on a lei-
surely stroll home, to score. But then we flew out, leaving the bases loaded.

The A’s were able to score one run in the fifth and one in the sixth innings, to take a 3-1 lead. We also left the bases loaded in the third, and men on base as far as second in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings. So we had our chances, but were unable to score, and we ended up with a season ending 3-1 loss.

Caleb, Matt Foss, and Alex had hits for our Islanders, but we would need more than three. The A’s only had four hits, including one from Jaxin Lindgren, from the Island, but who decided to play for the A’s in order to get more playing time. It was pretty much a pitchers’ dual, plural, since we used three, and they used two. One highlight was the seventh inning, when our young reliever Bennett Isaacson-Krueger struck out their side in three straight, providing hope for the future.

Kolberg, Sister Bay, West Jacksonport, and Maplewood advanced to the playoffs.

By Jim Rose

High Water house is new landmark on Washington Harbor

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Some people call it the “Stilt house,” and others call it the “High Water House,” and its owners, Tom and Krista Gardiner, prefer the latter.

Built on metal stilts that vary in height according to the topography of the land, the modern, modular house on Main Road overlooking Washington Harbor was designed by Charlie Lazor of Lazor Office in Minneapolis and constructed in Farmington, MN, before it was brought by ferry to the Island.

“It was a house planned during the pandemic by going online and looking at different modular designs,” says Tom. “We saw Charlie’s designs and really liked his approach”.

But once they found the design, they had trouble finding someone to build it. The first contractor they hired embezzled some of their money. They say it is a long story, but the builder went to prison for multiple fraud cases. But they lucked out with the second contractor, Nomadic Shack, who rescued the project and finished the build in Farmington, MN, and had it delivered in four pieces via truck to the Island in 2022. Both Ted and Jim Jorgenson were instrumental in preparing the site and completing the build onsite.

Since then, curious onlookers have slowed down to stare at the un-
usual construction.

The house is actually three different modules, all on metal stilts, put together using connectors. The largest module contains a kitchen, dining, and living area, as well as the master bedroom and bath with indoor and outdoor showers. The light wood used inside is primarily white cedar and Douglas fir. A second module has two more bedrooms and a bathroom, and is accessed via a connector, essentially a hallway that the couple has turned into their office. The third module is an outdoor screened living room with swinging daybeds hanging from the rafters.

“One of the design goals was to preserve the native landscape and topography”, says Krista, who is an artist and designer. They worked with a couple of landscapers to remove invasives and restore the property with native species that would support local wildlife.

It was Krista who first brought her husband to Washington Island. She spent her childhood summers with her grandparents, Ernst and Heddy Eller, who had a home at Northport overlooking the ferry dock. Her grandfather delivered mail to the island for many years and was known as the “Mayor of Northport”. The Ferry Line later bought her grandparents’ property, and the house has since been torn down, but the garage, along with a couple of rental cottages, still remain.

Early in their marriage, Tom and Krista began visiting Northport and Washington Island with their young children and fell in love with the quiet and beauty of the Island’s water and landscape. Krista is also related to Jim and Margaret Young, architects who also live on Main and first welcomed them here. Jim is the one who coined the term “High Water House”, and he’s still trying to convince Tom and Krista to suspend a boat from the side of the deck so it looks like it’s a dock (ha, ha).

Then residents of Santa Rosa Beach, FL, where they raised their two daughters, they began working with Butch Gordon to find a home or lot on Washington Island. They purchased their lot on Main Rd in 2019, just prior to the pandemic.

The couple owns a boat club business, which is an alternative to ownership called Nautical Boat Club, which allows members to use a variety of club boats for a monthly fee. Nautical Boat Club currently has 30 locations nationwide. They work remotely so they can manage the business from just about anywhere and currently split time between FL and the Island.

The “High Water” looks over the old Irish fishing village, where the homes, stores, and docks were perched right on the harbor and deteriorated over the mid to late 1800s due to waves and weather. Homes built in the 1900s were set back further from the lake to prevent damage from changing lake levels. It is plausible that this new “High Water” house built high on the beach in the 21st Century signals a new trend of lakefront homes providing protection from higher Lake Michigan waters predicted in some climate
change models.

But that is far from the minds of Tom and Krista as they sit on their high deck among the trees with the water sparkling below them. Despite the beauty and safety from high lake waters the house provides, they admit that building and transporting such an unusual home to the Island did have its difficulties.

In spite of it all, they say “We would do it all over again. The island is a magical place with special people.”

Submitted by Karen Yancey

More photos from the 2025 Washington Islands Birding Festival

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Birdwatchers returned to the Washington Islands Birding Festival sponsored by the Washington Island Art & Nature Center once again for three days in the middle of May. Low water levels kept them away from an
excursion to Plum Island, but plenty of warblers, woodpeckers, raptors, hummingbirds and water fowl were on display throughout the 23 square miles of Door County’s largest island.

A total of 54 birders were led by seven expert guides to places like the Potato Dock, Percy Johnson Park, Schoolhouse Beach, West Harbor, the Jackson Harbor Ridges, and a very special backyard.

Again this year, great bird photographers shared their photos with the Observer for our readers to enjoy. Tim Sweet, Steve Waldron, and Monica Novak documented the joyful avian encounters.

Tim Sweet contributed to this introduction to the photos.

Feast at the 2025 Scandinavian Smorgasbord!

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The Scandinavian Muses are waking the Viking spirits on Washington Island! Soon the pots and bowls will be filled with Island cooks’ favorite
salads, Swedish meatballs, smoked salmon, fruit soup, Lefse, Christmas
breads, cold cuts and an assortment of amazing homemade desserts!

Enjoy demonstrations by costumed youth making Lefse and Krumkake, a skilled Rosemaling painter and a Scandinavian needle crafter.

Join us at Bethel Church Friday, August 1st, 11:30-1:30 for the Scandinavian Smorgasbord as the Scandinavian Fest weekend begins.

You will leave with a full and happy Viking stomach and heart!

Submitted by Leila Nehlsen