National Park Service advances plans to relocate Chequamegon Point Light Tower
(Apostle Islands National Lakeshore News Release) BAYFIELD, Wis. — Apostle Islands National Lakeshore has awarded a...
A shared commitment to wonder: Apostle Islands Booksellers joins Starry Skies Initiative
December 17, 2025
Demaris Brinton and Theron O’Connor have stood under starry skies from the high Atacama Desert in Chile to the Wadi Rum in Jordan, but no stars mean more to them than the brilliant sky above their cottage on Mawikwe Bay on the south shore of Lake Superior.
“Years ago our then eight-year old Los Angeles grandson, Ishmael, led us blindfolded out of the cottage to see the Milky Way,” they told us recently. “As we watched in awe it was suddenly cut by a falling star and we told him to make a wish. He replied that he was too happy to wish for anything.”
Apostle Islands Booksellers exterior and interior
Experiences like that one and the desire to keep them available to all, inspired the couple to become sponsors of our Starry Skies Initiative through their Bayfield business, Apostle Islands Booksellers.
“Apostle Islands Booksellers has always been rooted in a deep respect for place,” they say, “for Lake Superior, the Apostle Islands, and the rhythms of life shaped by long winters, dark nights, and natural beauty. Being part of Dark Sky, Star Bright and the Starry Skies Initiative reflects our belief that protecting and celebrating the night sky is an essential part of caring for this place.”
Their bookstore, right in the heart of Bayfield, is a place they hope will reflect the beauty and wonder of the islands beyond. “Books invite attention, curiosity, and reflection — the same qualities that dark sky experiences awaken. Through science, story, poetry, and art, books help people understand their relationship to the natural world and to one another. Supporting this project allows us to extend that mission beyond our walls and into the wider community.”
As part of their commitment to the Starry Skies Initiative, the Apostle Islands Booksellers will be hosting a pair of events during the Dark Sky Star Bright Festival.
The first event features a book signing and conversation with author Jeff Pfaller, (Saturday, January 17th 2pm-3pm, free). Pfaller’s work examines the importance of protecting dark skies and the natural world, blending science, observation, and a deep sense of place. A book signing will follow the talk.
The second event offers a very different—and deeply enriching—perspective, designed especially for families and young listeners. Native American storyteller and flute player Michael “Laughing Fox” Charette will share stories, music, and teachings that reflect Indigenous philosophies of stars, darkness, and the natural world (1:30pm-3pm, Sunday, January 18th, free). Through storytelling and song, Laughing Fox invites children and adults alike to experience the night sky as a source of wonder, guidance, and connection across generations.
Demaris Brinton and Theron O’Connor
But for the Apostle Islands Booksellers, Dark Sky, Star Bright is not just an event. “It is,” they say, “a shared commitment to stewardship, wonder, and slowing down enough to notice what is easily lost. We’re proud to stand alongside Friends of the Apostle Islands in helping ensure that future generations can experience the profound beauty of a truly dark night sky.”
Apostle Islands Booksellers is located at 112 Rittenhouse Avenue in downtown Bayfield. For a full schedule of events and to see an interactive guide, explore the Dark Sky Star Bright Festival page on our website. Visit our Starry Skies Initiative page for information about how you or your business can support the Starry Skies Initiative.
We asked Apostle Islands Booksellers for a favorite poem. They chose “The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry which, they say, captures what many people actually do under a dark sky: go outside to steady themselves. The poem pairs perfectly with winter, silence, and Lake Superior nights—darkness as refuge rather than threat.
Wendell Berry — “The Peace of Wild Things”
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
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