Articles written by Ann Markusen
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 147
By 
On The Mark: Summer brings outside work, beauty
It’s been a long and challenging summer in our part of Carlton County. So little rain, so many detours on Highway 210. Not even one swim in a lake! We’ve made up for it with home improvements. The... Full story
On the Mark: FinnFest tour was a real North Shore treat
Last week, hundreds of locals and visitors, some from abroad, journeyed to Duluth to celebrate Finnish culture and its enduring presence in our communities. It was challenging to choose among many opt... Full story
On the Mark: Freerange Films return to the barn this weekend
Again this year, the Dugan family and friends host two nights of films in their Wrenshall barn. I’ve been enjoying this year’s slate of films on my computer. I can’t review them all in this... Full story
On The Mark: Wright native is worth celebrating
Often, lifetime residents bring joy, humor and learning to their communities. Two weeks ago, Cromwell-Wright area residents celebrated the life and work of Margaret Webster. Born and raised in...
Fabric art tells a story
The latest Knot Gallery art show features seven artists, who sew, knit, weave and otherwise create art out of fiber and fabric. Last week we featured three of the artists - this week we introduce... Full story
Next in the gallery: Fabric arts
The Knot Gallery is taking a different tack for its next display, hosting a fabric art exhibit for May and June. Join fabric artists and Pine Knot News staff for a reception from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m....
Performing comes with joys and some jitters
Lately, I’ve been pondering how marvelous and challenging live and in-person human performance can be. Of course, machines perform as well, by design. But machines don’t have feelings and/or...
Choral students shine
Cromwell-Wright choir students worked hard this past month and it paid off as many students achieved high marks at the choral subsection contest Tuesday, March 7, at Virginia High School. Max Hanni... Full story
Cromwell Cardinals hold winter recital
The Feb. 8 choral program at Cromwell-Wright School treated an enthusiastic audience of grandparents, parents, siblings and community members to vocal and instrumental performances with 28 students... Full story
On the Mark: What a classy, classic show
This past Sunday, the Moose Lake High School auditorium rang with a stunning mash-up of horns, reeds, drums, guitar and keyboard. Billed as the Andrew Walesch Big Band, it was the third of this...
On the Mark: Cromwell gets a makeover
If you’ve been driving through Cromwell on Minnesota highways 210 or 73 these past few months, you’ll have seen the remarkable infrastructure redo taking place. The Minnesota Department of...
On the Mark: Putting the garden to bed
For 50 years, I have been vegetable gardening on the same plot. My grandfather had brought Danish practices and preferences to his garden. Long widowed from my grandmother’s ovarian cancer, he was... Full story
On the Mark: Artists, photographers share urban views
Travel near and far in the Pine Knot Gallery’s “urban landscapes” exhibit, opening Friday. Our fall exhibit includes unique urban perspectives from a number of area artists, including Rhonda... Full story
On the Mark: A teacher worth fighting for
In the mid-1920s, my grandmother Ruth Lee Markusen began teaching at Cromwell High School. Although she had earned a degree from the University of Minnesota in English and social science (1910) and... Full story
On the Mark: Ode to small town cemeteries
This morning, we had a visitor. Aaron Aho, the son of the recently deceased Wright resident Marvin Aho, came by to speak with husband Rod Walli about the burial site and interment for Marvin’s...
On the Mark: The joy of jazz
Live jazz is a beautiful experience. Last Sunday afternoon, husband Rod and I drove to Dovetail Cafe & Marketplace on West Superior Street in Duluth. My cousin, Beth Wilson – a former choral...
On the Mark: Wrong Days has it all: music, sport and politics
It's impossible to take in every pleasure and message at a community festival. Wrong Days in Wright last weekend was as joyful as ever. Arriving early, I watched some energetic softball as I walked... Full story
On The Mark: Week in Brazil is a thrill
Often, we learn a lot about our own country, state, city and workplaces by sharing experiences with counterparts around the world. In late June, I flew to Belo Horizonte, Brazil, to participate in a... Full story
On the Mark: Cromwell community makeover underway
If you’re driving east or west on Minnesota State Highway 210 between Carlton and McGregor over the next few weeks, you’ll be slowed down going through the city of Cromwell. A major makeover of th... Full story
On The Mark: Music is elixir for gray spring days
It’s been a chilly, damp, dark stretch, from early March through April. The beautiful winter ice for skating melted months ago. Snow for skiing disappeared in bits and drabs. Purple finch and...
On the Mark: Students hit stage with song
It was an exciting night in the Cromwell-Wright school auditorium last Thursday. It began with 11 of our high school choral students singing their hearts out in solos, duets, and ensembles. The solos... Full story
On The Mark: Portraits with a camera
Ivy Vainio's large-scale photo prints of Anishinaabe elders grace our multicolored brick wall at the Pine Knot News office, a striking introduction to a portrait exhibit which opens today, April 8,... Full story
On The Mark: Invasion thwarts democracy
Russia’s current invasion of Ukraine, a peaceful independent nation, can only be explained by revisiting late 20th-century history. I am rusty on much of this, so I’ve spent some time reviewing... Full story
On The Mark: Song and comedy brighten winter days in Cromwell
For two weeks in a row, classmates, parents, grandparents, siblings, and community members were treated to marvelous song — alone and with others — and a sparkling One Act Play at the...
On The Mark: Racism: a persistent American crisis
You may have heard that some school boards and communities in our state are fighting over the oddly named “critical race theory.” Oddly, because if you read what some of the theory’s... Full story
