Local Features

A unique art exhibit has been the focus at ArtStart Rhinelander since May. Layers by artist Phillip Faulkner is on display through Saturday, August 10th. The exhibit combines appropriated imagery with original work and the artist behind it says he's open to any and all interpretations you might have of it. Mackenzie Martin has this report from the opening reception in June. The current exhibit at ArtStart Rhinelander through August 10th is called Layers and features 60+ works on display, ranging

You've heard of John Dillinger and the famous shootout at Bohemia Lodge in Manitowish Waters, but have you ever heard of Evelyn Frechette? That's the topic of this week's A Northwoods Moment in History with Gary Entz. Evelyn Frechette grew up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin and gained a measure of fame in the 1930s. Her celebrity did not come from being a film actress or anything of that sort. Rather, Evelyn Frechette became famous and drew crowds for national speaking tours because of her

Springtime woodpecker worries are the focus of this week’s Wildlife Matters, as the Masked Biologist tackles another Curious North question from one of our listeners. I get questions or concerns pretty frequently about woodpeckers hurting or killing trees, so when I saw this Curious North question, I thought I would try to address Jane Trotter’s concerns. She asks “A Hairy Woodpecker is busily working on a Hemlock tree right outside our bedroom window. The Hemlock appears to be alive and well...

Climate Change can be overwhelming to think about. Author Nancy Langston has been researching Lake Superior for over a decade now though and she says local stories of people taking action give her hope. Larry Lapachin continues our We Live Up Here series with the story. It’s unusual for someone visit Lake Superior during a cold, blustery week in January and decide that they want to spend as much time as possible on the largest freshwater lake in the world. But for Nancy Langston, a professor of

This week's A Northwoods Moment in History comes from a Curious North question. Bob Nussbaum from Rhinelander asks: Why, and when, did the famous smokestacks of Rhinelander Paper, get shortened, so that the word "Glassine," the description of the butcher paper that changed the world, lost its "G"? To answer Bob's question, here's Gary Entz. The Rhinelander Paper Mill has two old smokestacks that stand out as landmarks in the local area. The southernmost stack has the words “Rhinelander Paper Co.

In this month's installment of Field Notes Scott Bowe of Kemp Station discusses bird’s-eye wood, some of the most beautiful material a woodworker can use. When I say “figure in wood” you may not be familiar with the phrase. But if I say bird’s-eye maple, an image of beautiful swirls pops into your mind. There are many other types of wood figure such as curly, tiger stripe, fiddleback, and quilted, but I would like to focus on bird’s-eye today. First, we should cover some basic wood anatomy.

In this week’s Wildlife Matters, the Masked Biologist tackles one of WXPR’s Curious North questions. Emily DiGiorgio from Ironwood, MI, asks : How can we help accommodate wildlife in our backyards without disturbing our home aesthetic? To answer Emily's question, here's the Masked Biologist. I took a look at some of the curious north questions that have been submitted from listeners, and thought I would take a couple weeks to answer some of them. This question is from Emily DiGiorgio, who asks

We continue our We Live Up Here series this week with a story of a family-owned fishing lure manufacturer in Antigo that uses squirrel tail hair on their famous Mepps spinners. Jim Skibo has the story. “Squirrel Tails Wanted,” reads the sign on highway 45 in Antigo. If you have traveled down that road, you might have wondered, like me, who buys squirrel tails? It turns out that squirrel hair is one of the essential pieces of MEPPS spinners, one of the most popular fishing lures in the world. The

Donald Karr of Rhinelander was a true war hero, but his heroism during World War II didn’t prevent an awkward homecoming when he returned to Wisconsin in 1944. Gary Entz has this story for this week's A Northwoods Moment in History. After his graduation from Rhinelander High School, Donald Karr enlisted in the Army Air Corps in late 1940 and was stationed at Maxwell Field in Montgomery, Alabama. In all he served twenty-eight months as an enlisted man and attained the rank of sergeant, but in

Local public radio gives your friends and neighbors an opportunity to contribute to something truly special, and you—the listener—are an important component that makes radio work. This week the Masked Biologist takes a step away from wildlife to talk about the magic of radio and the spoken word on Wildlife Matters. As one of WXPR’s feature contributors, I had the good fortune to attend a reception earlier this summer during which the station hosted Sally Kane, CEO of the National Federation of