Debra Fitzgerald talks with Keren Cotter and Jen Aldrich from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Wisconsin about the life-changing work they do matching adult mentors (Bigs) with young people (Littles) in our communities, including Door County. We dive into the organization’s mission, the positive impact these mentoring relationships have on kids, and their new recruitment campaign, the Big Draft, inspired by the upcoming NFL draft in Green Bay. Keren and Jen share insights on why they need 700 new volunteers, how they match mentors with youth and the challenges volunteers face. Plus, hear heartwarming success stories and learn how you can get involved.

As Gibraltar High School prepares for the next stage of its big renovation, the community is gearing up to celebrate its rich history with The Last Dance. The event aims to honor the memories made in the old gym, a cornerstone of the school since its construction in the 1930s.

The Last Dance is not just a farewell; it's an invitation for alumni and community members to come together, reminisce, and create new memories. The old gym has hosted countless events, from dances to graduations to Peninsula Music Festival, and it holds a special place in the hearts of many who walked its floors. Organizers have formed the Gibraltar Schools Historical Preservation Committee to ensure that the history of the school is preserved even as renovations take place.

This project aims to educate current students and visitors about the rich history of the school and its surrounding areas. The committee is also working to preserve key elements of the old gym, including a beloved tile mosaic and parts of its iconic arches.

The Last Dance promises to be a multi-generational event, welcoming alumni from all eras. With music, dancing, and opportunities to walk through the newly renovated spaces, attendees will have a chance to connect with their past while looking forward to the future. Tickets are available for $20, with a reduced price of $15 for alumni, making it an accessible event for everyone.

This celebration of community spirit and school pride is not just about saying goodbye; it’s about honoring the legacy of Gibraltar High School and ensuring that its history is not forgotten. The Last Dance is a reminder that while the old gym may be closing its doors, the memories and stories will live on in the hearts of those who have called it home.

Owen Alabado joins the podcast to discuss this weekend’s Northern Door Pride Cabaret at Northern Sky’s Gould Theater. The founder of Northern Door Pride chats with Myles Dannhausen Jr. about bringing locals together for the show on stage and in the audience, the Knobs, and why he’s been so driven to do community work from the day he landed in Door County almost five years ago.

Debra Fitzgerald talks with Wisconsin Rep. Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay) about his priorities as chair of the Assembly Committee on Education, and a new bill he’s introduced that would ban cell phone use in K-12 classrooms. They also talk about immigration policy and how it would impact Wisconsin farmers; priorities for crafting the new, biannual budget this year; and how some federal orders coming down from the Trump administration may impact us at the state level.

Door County is in an electrical region that is considered high risk for shortfalls occurring at normal peak conditions this summer and for the next 10 years based on assessment data. Door County resident Roy Thilly, who spent a career working in the electricity sector – attorney, CEO of WPPI, board member and chair of NERC – talks with Debra Fitzgerald about the factors causing the risks and what we may expect in the future.

TJ Klune, author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, talks with Debra Fitzgerald about his (extremely well-written) book that was selected for this year’s Door County Reads program, which began Jan. 18 and runs through February). Klune talks about his writing process, why he writes, who he writes for – and life on a remote 10 acres in Washington state. The Lamda Literary Award-winning author Klune has written 30 books, including the sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea – Somewhere Beyond the Sea.

The craft beer industry is at an inflection point. Many upstart breweries have shuttered not long after opening, and even some of the original stars of the craft beer scene have gone bottoms-up in the last couple years. But one of the original craft breweries and most famous is doubling down. New Glarus, brewers of Spotted Cow, Moon Man and some of the most appreciated beers in the country, announced plans in October to build a $55 million, 65,000 square-foot addition to its campus. Founders Deb and Dan Carey join Myles Dannhausen Jr. to talk about the expansion, Dan’s 40-year beer-making journey, and of course, why New Glarus beer is only sold in Wisconsin.

The husband-and-wife filmmaking team of Zach Melnick and Yvonne Drebert join Myles Dannhausen Jr. to discuss their new documentary film, All Too Clear, which explores how quadrillions of tiny invasive mussels, known as quaggas, are re-engineering the ecosystem of the Great Lakes at a scale not seen since the glaciers. To capture this epic change, they spent more than 150 days filming underwater, making it the most ambitious underwater film ever made about the Great Lakes.

The Town of Gibraltar has finally closed on its purchase of the 118-acre Redmann property to expand Fish Creek Park. Administrator Travis Thyssen joins the podcast to talk about property and discuss what the process will look like as the town embarks on trail and park improvements for what will now be a 150-acre public space.

Most public “input” sessions aren’t actually designed to put constituent feedback to use. John Kamp and James Rojas, authors of the book “Dream, Play, Build” argue that most of these sessions are used simply to tell the public what has already been decided. The sessions are usually intimidating to the average resident and aren’t designed to build community and generate ideas, but to meet statutory requirements. They join Myles Dannhausen Jr. to talk about a different approach to public planning sessions that helps create the communities desired by the people who live and work in them.