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Business Member Spotlight: South Shore Adventures looks to cultivate a welcoming vibe with “Midwest Aloha”

Business Member Spotlight: South Shore Adventures looks to cultivate a welcoming vibe with “Midwest Aloha”

Thousands of miles separate the beaches of Hawaii from the Apostle Islands, but that isn’t stopping the newest area kayaking company from shooting for an Aloha kind of vibe. “Think of it as Midwest Aloha,” says Jared Kirschmann, who along with his wife Sydney, have opened South Shore Adventures just outside of Bayfield.Jared and Sydney Kirschmann - Jeff Rennicke photoBorn and raised in Kailu-Kona, Hawaii, Jared says that his love and passion for the water began at a young age, surfing, diving, and kayaking. Those skills would take him to many other places – whitewater rafting on the Pigeon...

Business Member Spotlight: It’s in the water with AquaMedix

Business Member Spotlight: It’s in the water with AquaMedix

For Will Benson of AquaMedix, the Apostle Islands cast a deep net into the waters of family history. “My great-grandfather Karl Bernstein was an early commercial fisherman on Rocky Island from the early 1900’s until his death in 1945,” Benson says. “Many of the buildings he used for that operation are now a part of the Rocky Island Historic District. Several members of the Benson family and I still come up to preserve the site and to enjoy the islands.”For several years now, Benson has been involved in the work of the Apostle Islands Historical Preservation Conservancy. Now, the...

Business Member Spotlight: Island City Kombucha & Friends are a batch made in heaven

Business Member Spotlight: Island City Kombucha & Friends are a batch made in heaven

They had us at that label. One look at the branding of their Elderberry Wellness – the familiar Sand Island Lighthouse perched on the edge of Lake Superior -- and we knew that Friends and our newest Business Member, Island City Kombucha, were a perfect match. So did Samantha Haertle, co-owner of Island City Kombucha. “I’d been wanting to find programs and initiatives that aligned with our company’s values,” Haertle says, “and so when Instagram pushed forward one of your posts I went on your website and knew immediately that this was perfect. And then you guys made it so easy to join and have...

Islands of possibilities for your holiday shopping list

Islands of possibilities for your holiday shopping list

Do you have an Apostle Islands lover on your holiday shopping list this year? Friends of the Apostle Islands is supported by a long list of local businesses that love the islands too and offer island-related gift ideas for your holiday shopping. This year, you can please your island lover and support the businesses that support Friends by putting these items on your shopping list:Both Honest Dog Books and the Apostle Islands Booksellers stock a long line of good reading on the Apostle Islands and Lake Superior. May we suggest: Apostle Islands Water Trips by John C. Frank Jewels on the Water:...

Business Member Spotlight: Port Superior Marina – Gateway to the Islands

Business Member Spotlight: Port Superior Marina – Gateway to the Islands

Tucked safely into a quiet bay just two miles south of Bayfield, Port Superior Marina with its more than 200 slips, is a prime gateway to the adventure, beauty, and history of the Apostle Islands. Recently, we sat down with Morgan Wright of the Port Superior Marina team to discuss their long-time commitment to safe boating, the islands, and their support of Friends of the Apostle Islands.Port Superior Marina from the airWhat is the mission of Port Superior Marina?Port Superior Marina's mission is to be the premier resort marina on Lake Superior by providing a quality boating experience to...

The picture of support: how you can support the park you love and enjoy the beauty of original island photography

The picture of support: how you can support the park you love and enjoy the beauty of original island photography

Photographer Peter Wagner fell in love with the Apostle Islands through the lens of his camera. Now, the Friends Business Member and owner of Superior Photographic would like to give back to the islands through offering his art in support of Friends of the Apostle Islands.Purchase any of Peter Wagner’s work through his Superior Photographic website between now and the end of the year and you will both receive a 20% discount on his work and trigger another 20% donation to the projects and programs of Friends of the Apostle Islands.For Wagner, his photographic journey began more than 53 years...

Introducing Faces of Friends: Sue Nelson

Introducing Faces of Friends: Sue Nelson

The heart and strength of Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is people. People who love the islands and step up to support the national lakeshore with their time, talent and treasure. With that in mind, we're launching Faces of Friends, a new series where we introduce some of our Friends and explore their personal connections to the islands. So many of our Friends have great stories to tell, whether they're park lovers, volunteers, donors, business members or board members. During the coming weeks, we'll be sharing these stories, starting with charter boat captain Sue Nelson,...

In Focus: Friends welcomes Superior Photographic as a new Business Member

In Focus: Friends welcomes Superior Photographic as a new Business Member

Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands have long attracted artists – painters, poets, musicians, and photographers. That draw was particularly strong for the newest Business Member of Friends of the Apostle Islands, Peter Wagner, owner of Superior Photographic. For Wagner, his photographic journey began more than 53 years ago when he first picked up a camera to become the photography editor of his high school yearbook back in Guilford, Connecticut. From that moment, he set out to begin learning the art of photography. “Just as a guitar player must learn how to strum and fret a guitar,” he...