Everything arts & culture in the vibrant and charming community of Ely, Minnesota!
ISSUE ONE: TRADITIONAL CRAFT | A CULTURE OF GATHERING | ELY SNAPSHOT: INDEPENDENCE DAY | SEASONS INFLUENCING CREATIVITY / SEPTEMBER 2025
Arts & Culture ELY, MINNESOTA
JOURNAL
“To dance with people, you have to look them in the eye, you have to hold hands. There is power in this genuine and physical engagement with others.” LUCY SODERSTROM in ‘DO-SI-DO’
“You’re mastering the craft, but you’re also exchanging your culture and values and learning about life through another human being.” WILL STEGER in ‘STONE & STORY’
CREATED & PUBLISHED BY THE ELY AREA TOURISM BUREAU
ELY, MN ARTS & CULTURE JOURNAL - ISSUE ONE: craft & gather
Creative Inspiration in Ely with Karl Kubiak > Northwoods Craft: Q&A with Lucy Soderstrom > Do Si Do: A Tradition of Gathering > Time to Dance: Reflections from a Contra Dance Caller > Stone & Story: Learning a Time Honored Craft > Ely Snapshot: Independence Day > More Ely: Podcasts, Email Newsletter, Directory, and More >
CONTRIBUTORS
Karl Kubiak - Ely City Band & Ely High School Band Director Lucy Soderstrom - Ely Folk School Chris Ellerbroek - Corvid Images Lacey Squier - Boundary Waters Connect Sarah Vogl - Visit Ely, MN Aurora Wahlstrom & Ian McKiel - Steger Center Will Steger - Steger Center Terrence Smith - Ely Folk School
Click here to read about the team behind this publication >
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Cover Photo: AV Photography
Creative Inspiration in Ely HEAR FROM LOCAL CREATIVES ABOUT WHAT MAKES THIS PLACE SPECIAL
How do the seasons influence creativity for you here? “Our distinct seasons influence us immensely. Changes in our environment affect our mood, energy level, and our creativity. Just as certain foods grow during certain times of the year, we focus on certain things in each season. I thrive in winter time, most creativity happens for me then. In spring, I find myself starting to recede and find inner creativity. Summer is my most contemplative season, where I spend my days planning and preparing for what’s next. In fall, I come out of the gate running and am fully immersed in creating music again.” - Karl Kubiak, Ely High School Band & Ely City Band Director Karl’s favorite area gatherings are the Ely Farmer’s Market and NLAA productions.
Listen to Karl’s conversation with Lacey on the What’s Up, Ely? Podcast, Episode 70 >
Photos: AV Photography for The Ely Echo
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Northwoods Craft Q&A WITH LUCY SODERSTROM OF ELY FOLK SCHOOL Q: Why do you think it’s important to preserve traditional crafts and skills? A: Preserving and learning traditional crafts and skills is one of our main modes to preserving culture. It maintains identity and uniqueness in a world of globalization. It’s a way for us to share connection with one another and to promote our values to the world. Q: What role does Ely Folk School play in protecting or reviving these skills? A: We offer many learning experiences in traditional skills and craft. Our instructors are passionate and have often learned from elders and family passed down over the years. The Ely Folk School collects these stories, recipes, memories, and practices. We archive them in our class resource catalogue and spread them through oral storytelling and learning in our programming. Q: How does this hands-on learning connect people more deeply to the land, and each other? A: Our programs focus on knowing where our materials and products come from and why we use them. By going through the process of harvesting bark, making cheese, or milling clay — we get a deeper understanding of the value, time, and sentiment that goes into each product we utilize or consume. We can feel more connected to the materials that go into it, the places they came from, and the people who create them.
Q: Are there any particular skills that are seeing a big resurgence? A: Our most popular youth classes are our sewing classes!
Q: Why do you think Ely is a good place for this kind of teaching and learning to happen? A: Ely is full of people with strong cultural ties and an even stronger commitment to living in harmony and deep respect with the land and people and culture around them. Q: What are some of the most meaningful classes or experiences you’ve offered in recent years? A: Some of our most powerful classes are our heritage cooking classes. For example, potica is a Slovenian pastry made for celebrations - Christmas, Easter, birthdays, funerals. We have classes focused on making potica using a traditional Ely family recipe. Many students find the classes unexpectedly emotional, having always wished they’d learned from their grandmothers while they were kids. Q: What do you hope someone gets out of being part of this type of learning with your organization? A willingness to try something for the first time. A recognition that we’ll learn best by asking for stories and lessons from the people around us.
Lucy Soderstrom is the Executive Director of Ely Folk School . Her favorite EFS class is Joan Hunn’s ‘Dyeing with Buckthorn’, and her favorite area gatherings are the Ely Marathon and the annual EFS Thanksgiving Potluck.
Click here to browse Ely Folk School classes and events, happening year-round!
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A CULTURE OF GATHERING Do Si Do
with Lacey Squier & Lucy Soderstrom
O n a summer evening just outside of Ely, the sound of fiddles and the rhythm of stomping feet rise from a crowded barn. Children chase farm puppies, elders trade smiles as they twirl, and strangers link hands like longtime friends. Events like this—Ely Folk School’s barn dance at Ethel’s Acres—may be rooted in old-fashioned tradition, but they remain as alive and vital as ever. Why? For many, it comes down to connection. “To dance with people, you have to look them in the eye, you have to hold hands,” said Lucy Soderstrom. “There is power in this genuine and physical engagement with people of all ages and all levels of friendship. Whether it’s a stranger, an
acquaintance, or a best friend, moving together builds trust.”
That sense of trust and belonging is part of a wider hunger. “We know that loneliness is one of the medical and mental health challenges of our times,” observed Lacey Squier. “People are realizing there’s no replacement for in-person social connections.” Traditions like dancing or learning old-fashioned skills are more than nostalgic gestures—they are ways of keeping knowledge alive across generations. To learn a dance from someone older or to teach a younger dancer a step connects you
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across time. Place, too, plays a major defining role. In Ely, gatherings happen against the backdrop of towering pines during long winters, brilliant autumn seasons, and fleeting summers. “Our surroundings keep us in tune with the rhythms of nature and the cycles of life,” Lacey said. Lucy added that programming at the Ely Folk School intentionally follows the seasons—from cozy winter markets to spring bonfires before fishing opener—always grounded in the life rhythms of the North woods. The result is a culture of gathering that bridges differences and brings neighbors together. “Community events bridge gaps simply by introducing people to each other,” said Lacey. “After you’ve met someone, you start seeing them all over town.” Lucy agreed: “It’s no longer true that the only place where you can meet people is the bar.”
There are the moments when all of these threads— connection, tradition, and place—come together to create something truly magical. Lucy recalled the recent summer barn dance at Ethel’s Acres: “The dust rising from everyone stomping their feet and whooping around. Stumbling out of the crowded barn and into the fresh summer night. Looking around and seeing children, elders, strangers, and friends all moving together. That’s Ely.” At the heart of it all is something simple yet enduring: a commitment to show up for one another. As Lacey put it, “Being in community is both fun and strategically wise for the health and vitality of our region.” Or as Lucy summed it up: “People want to show up for each other. That’s what keeps us strong.” ■
Lacey Squier is Visit Ely, MN Podcast Coordinator, What’s Up, Ely? Podcast host, manager of Boundary Waters Connect , and teaches pie and potica cooking classes at Ely Folk School . Her favorite area gatherings are Rock the Park and EFS Bonfires.
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Photos 1, 2, 4, and 6: Brett Ross. Photos 3, 5, and facing page: AV Photography.
Time to Dance REFLECTIONS FROM A CONTRA DANCE CALLER by Terrence Smith
I t happened again last night. I was invited to call the dance and run the sound. It was a Community Dance in a barn outside of town on the 10th Anniversary of the Ely Folk School, where we jammed and potlucked before the dance. I’d been with EFS dances since the start, and recently I have really enjoyed the fruition of all of this time spent working with like-minded friends. In these later years of my folk livelihood, I savor relationships with those who keep the traditions alive, and am grateful for all those musicians who cross my path. I’m out to share the simplicity of creating music and dance and I’m addicted to the joy it brings to all of us. A dancing movement is a winning movement, and the least we owe each other is to celebrate the moment. The Ely Folk School band is a local group willing to play the old tunes for the reward of making the people dance. Our present crew has done over a half dozen dances, and working together is pretty seamless. All of the dances have had that high energy component, with plenty of hooting and hollering, and the band has been champion in putting up with all the commotion. Through the night, things gradually settle a bit, allowing the music to emerge and
Terrence Smith is a local contra dance caller. This essay was written by him on June 9th, 2025 for the Ely Folk School blog . Adapted and republished with permission. Photo: Brett Ross.
Ely Folk School Event Calendar >
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dominate, as it should. I make it a point to have the crowd honor the band during the dance, and then as I’m wrapping up the cords, to express my deep appreciation for the solid, uplifting music. Such joyful teamwork is a gift and a blessing. It’s the teamwork that brings the magic. I have become acutely aware of all the components in this process, and this allows me to tap into everyone’s role and to direct their goodwill and skill. I am a catalyst that is still able to provide that service, and I am the beneficiary of the magic as much as everyone else. Over ten years, a maturity of working together set in, and this reassures me. We do our best work when we are relaxed! In this case, the venue has all the right stuff that says “Saturday Night Dance”. It’s a barn close to town with a warming fire on a magnificent summer’s night. There is a potluck beforehand, friends and neighbors flow in, conversations are lively and animated. When I have the sound set up, the band arranges itself, and that first tune ignites the party. The barn is a small one, and soon it is packed. I seize the moment, and do those figures which use the space wisely. Beginner dancers have not yet developed the skills to dance in cramped spaces, but the veterans have, and they pass those skills along quickly with the right dance. At the end of that first dance I can build on that by advising small steps, watching out for those around you, listening and flowing with the music. The second dance is still plenty crowded, but since the first one was short, I can add to new figures, and keep doing plenty of interactions with the neighbor as well as the partner. The long-time dancers in Ely are all very nice people, and again, this is the magic of the dances. Every caller should have a group of “ringers” like this. If you pick the right dance, you really can’t miss.
We did an open waltz after that, and then I finished out the night. It would have gone on and on. But, better to end a little after closing time to keep the hosts happy, the band in good shape for the next one, and me back to my own bed in Duluth at a reasonable hour. There will be more dances in the future and folks were happy to linger by the fire, tuck in the corners with friends, and call it a night. I enjoyed a few words with the band, wrapping up my cords, packing up, hanging by the fire, taking in the whole scene. More and more I want to savor these times, be in the moment, appreciate all the good things that came my way. The good jam, the good sponsors, the terrific band. The warmth of the fire and hosts with open hearts. Ah, on the way home I think of all these things and say to myself: You should really take some time to write it all down, capture it if you can. The troubadour’s life has these golden moments, and you want your grandchildren to know their lives will too, if they listen to their hearts, love those around them, and share the good times while they are there. ■
Photo: AV Photography
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Stone & Story LEARNING A TIME-HONORED CRAFT, CONNECTING WITH THE LAND AND EACH OTHER by Sarah Vogl
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Y ou need to apply for this,” my mom messaged me on a Sunday evening, along with a link to an Ely Folk School post about a stone masonry workshop at the Steger Center. The day before, I had begun to stack short decorative stone walls on either side of a trail on our property. We purchased acreage next to our home a couple of summers ago, and my favorite hobby—as a counterweight to my largely digital career— is exploring those acres and discovering what the land has to offer. Turns out it’s lots and lots of stone. And so, I threw my hat in the ring for the five- day, $100 workshop with no expectations other than learning how to build things with stone. They were prioritizing local applicants who wanted to create things with stone around their properties or homes. My acceptance email came about a month later, along with a packing list and brief description of what we’d be working on. On a hazy Monday early morning in late July, I pulled into the Steger Center along with a dozen or so other workshop students. The unassuming entrance gave way to a flurry of activity and projects being worked on by various staff and volunteers. Stacks of reclaimed wood, metal, and other materials lined the driveway alongside cabins, outhouses, and tool sheds. Then you see “the castle”, a veritable monument to traditional trades and craftspeople. Over the span of 40 years (and counting), stone masons, timber framers, and glaziers have built something that seems like it should be impossible to build.
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This impossible castle sits atop a bedrock ridge overlooking the largely private Picketts Lake in the heart of Steger Wilderness—1,000 or so forested acres at the end of the road, literally. It was all dreamed up by Will Steger on an expedition when he was traveling across the Antarctic plateau for nearly five months. “I put it together in my head in Antarctica. I was traveling for 227 days, and we were on the plateau for 2700 miles, with nothing around us. The challenge was: what do you do with your head? So I went into this design space in my mind. And came up with this. A place for people to come together and quiet their minds to solve seemingly unsolvable problems, which have a larger share of now than when I dreamed this up.” On our tour of the property with Will, we paused in an atrium with exposed bedrock and a stream bed running right through the floor, and he explained his approach to building the homestead and castle: “We build always with the apprentice-master model. You have someone teaching you. You learn, but there’s also an exchange of culture and values. It’s the best form of education,
Instructors Ian and Aurora discuss stone building in front of the Steger Center. Above: The original sketch from Antarctica. Below: Will Steger talks light & shadow. Background: Antarctic expedition photo by Will Steger.
hands-on with other people. You’re mastering the craft — or teaching the craft — but you’re also learning about life through another human being.”
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That is how our instructors Ian McKiel and Aurora Wahlstrom came to be connected to the center. They both teach stone masonry workshops but have also contributed an immense amount of their own skill and labor to the beautiful stonework running through the property. Aurora began as a workshop student, learning from Ian—who has been a full time stone mason for 20 years and owns his own masonry business in St. Paul. She now does stone masonry part time, is an arborist, and teaches alongside Ian. We were served three home-cooked meals made by Russ, a dairy cattle farmer from Mora, who’s there nine weeks out of the summer to manage the open-air kitchen. “We’re lucky to have him here. It’s difficult to find someone who can really cook,” Will said. After breakfast on our first day, our instructors took us to our two project sites—a dry stack retaining wall hugging a grouping of currant bushes near the castle, and a wood stove surround in a bunkhouse-in-progress, a replica of the “hut” of famous arctic explorer Ernest Shackleton.
We learned the basics first: how to select rocks, tools of the trade, why our local stone breaks the way it does, and proper lifting technique. Then we split up into two groups and jumped right in, learning from our instructors and from each other. My preference was working on the dry stack wall near the main building. I liked the simplicity of working with just one material, and being outside. The prospect of building a wall made up of thousands of stones with no prior experience was daunting. Before my hands felt hundreds of different rocks and before my brain started to understand how they need to fit together, it was frustrating work. It was difficult to abandon the desire to try make things when they’re not working. If a rock isn’t fitting in the space you have, it’s not the rock. You have to toss it to the side and find another, it’ll fit somewhere else. It was arduous work; we ended each day hot, tired, and sore. Our instructors patiently guided us through it all with great expertise and care. Like a tie stone sliding perfectly into place, in the afternoon of day two, I found a flow and started to work at a faster clip with less frustration. The thunk of a discarded rock hitting dirt and the rasp of stone sliding against stone became slightly addicting. “Has everyone found their zen state?” Aurora asked on day four. We all replied that we had. My mind was clear for the first time in a long while.
Workshop student Pamela and instructor Aurora work on veneering the Shackleton hut wood stove surround. Right: The dry stack wall takes shape.
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As the wall rose, we had deep conversations and simple, technical ones. The challenges of raising kids today. How much “banter” (or back lean) you want for every foot of height on a dry stack wall. The toll that being behind a computer and sitting at a desk takes on our bodies; and conversely the toll that being a stone mason as a career takes on one’s body. For mortar work like our wood stove surround project, find and set your corner pieces first in the front-facing plane. On day three, we discussed the importance of keeping traditional crafts alive and thriving with instructor Ian. Q: Why do you think its important that people continue to teach and learn traditional skills and crafts? A: Our world seems to be ever increasing in speed and complexity with this digital revolution. The more we live digitally, the more we lose of the physical and tactile nature of our world. I think that’s what the resurgence in these old crafts and trades is all about. People are drawn to it because of what it offers them. Whether it’s masonry, carpentry, farming—it all keep us connected to the physical world that we’re in. We have physical bodies, we have to live in the physical world and we’re almost forgetting how. Q: Do you see a resurgence in people wanting to learn traditional skills and crafts like masonry? A: Yes, I see a lot of new interest. More so people wanting to learn it to do things on their properties than take it on as a career. The generation ahead of me in my craft has aged out, and there still aren’t enough people to take over for those retiring. But I think a wave of craft and trades career interest is in the near future. Q: Why do you think that is? A: The pendulum swung hard into the digital world, and I think we’re seeing it swinging back. Because people finally realize we’ve lost something.
Instructor Ian discusses mortar work. Below: Years-old decorative mortar work.
They have a gut feeling that they’re missing something but may not be able to put their finger on what it is. Also, people in the trades are seeing a surge in demand, surpassing white collar jobs in some areas. Some of that may have to do with AI and automation. Stone masonry is one of the only trades left out there that still has a bit of artistry to it. We have a bit of creative freedom, which is unique. Floating on Picketts Lake that evening, I realized just how lucky I was to have a week away to focus on learning a new skill. We built something that may outlast us with our hands, using what the earth provided, and shared the process with an incredible group of people.
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What I thought was a simple stone-working class unfolded into an unexpectedly meaningful experience of craft, community, and connection. I left with a deeper respect for the craft and gratitude for the teachers and fellow learners who made the experience so meaningful. Years ago, when I walked away from my corporate cubicle, I couldn’t name exactly what was missing—I just had the same gut feeling Ian described. I knew I needed more time outdoors and more work with my hands. Life still involves screens, but the balance is different now: more time in the garden than in meetings, more actual building than team building, and more hikes than commutes. Back home, my stonework so far is just a pile of rocks by the garden and the first course of a short wall. Daily life quickly took over, with deadlines, school prep, and laundry. Still, I carry the basics of stonework with me, an invaluable skill on a young homestead. My kids took note, too, and I was reminded of how important it is to expose them to different trades and hands-on learning. As our homestead outside Ely takes shape, I’ve been drawn to experiences that ground me more deeply in this place. This week at the Steger Center wasn’t just about learning stonework, it was a step toward living in closer rhythm with the land, and carrying that spirit of stewardship into the life we’re building here. ■
Sarah Vogl is an Ely-based graphic designer, illustrator, and writer. She moved from St. Paul to the North woods with her husband and two kids in 2021, where they reside today. Her favorite area gatherings are barn dances and Ely Winter Festival.
To learn about future Stone Masonry Workshops, follow Ely Folk School on Facebook and Instagram . For more info about the Steger Center, visit their website.
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Every year on Independence Day, something beautiful happens in Ely. The air crackles with an electricity that is hard to describe, but you know it when it happens. It’s a homecoming. A yearly All Class Reunion of sorts. Locals and visitors. Neighbors and strangers.
All walks of life, celebrating our nation’s independence. An incredible experiment as a democratic republic.” - CHRIS ELLERBROEK
Chris Ellerbroek is an Ely photographer and content creator who documents community gatherings, the night sky, recreation, and nature. Chris’ favorite area gatherings are the Fourth of July festivities and Ely Marathon.
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Ely snapshot
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More Ely STAY CONNECTED TO NORTHWOODS CREATIVITY & COMMUNITY - CLICK FOR INFO
PODCASTS
Lacey Squier is Visit Ely, MN Podcast Coordinator, host of the What’s Up, Ely? Podcast , manager of Boundary Waters Connect , and teaches pie and potica cooking classes at Ely Folk School . Her favorite area gatherings are Rock the Park and EFS Bonfires.
Brett Ross is Visit Ely, MN Podcast Producer, host of the Forest North Podcast , Ely’s Ride the Range Trail Ambassador , the Ely Folk School Mercantile Manager, and is involved in local filmmaking and production. His favorite area gatherings are EFS Bonfires.
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Arts & Culture Directory
ART GALLERIES Brandenburg Gallery | 11 E Sheridan St, Ely • Facebook • Instagram Art & Soul Gallery and Gift House | 427 E Sheridan St, Ely • Website • Facebook The Meadows Gallery and Studio | 15 E Sheridan St, Ely • Website • Facebook • Instagram
The Art Corner | 301 W Sheridan St, Ely • Website • Facebook Kekekabic Studios | 118 E Chapman St #1230, Ely • Facebook
PERFORMING ARTS & FILM Northern Lakes Arts Association (NLAA) | 1900 E Camp St, Ely • Website • Facebook • Instagram Reflections Dance Company | Website • Facebook • Instagram Studio North Dance | 550 E Washington St #24, Ely • Website • Facebook • Instagram Ely’s Historic State Theater | 238 E Sheridan St, Ely • Website • Facebook • Instagram Vermilion Fine Arts Theater | 1900 E Camp St , Ely • Website MUSEUMS Dorothy Molter Museum | 2002 E Sheridan St, Ely • Website • Facebook • Instagram Pioneer Mine Museum and Tour | 401 N Pioneer Rd, Ely • Website Bois Forte Heritage Center & Cultural Museum | 1500 Bois Forte Rd, Tower • Website • Facebook • Instagram Ely-Winton Historical Society | 1900 E Camp St, Ely • Website • Facebook
EDUCATION, RETREATS & MORE Ely Folk School | 209 E Sheridan St, Ely • Website • Facebook • Instagram Tofte Lake Center | 2209 Fernberg Rd, Ely • Website • Facebook • Instagram Listening Point Foundation | Website • Facebook • Instagram Ely Cultural Alliance | Website Ely Area Tourism Bureau | Website • Facebook • Instagram
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Something special happens at the Ely Folk School winter and spring bonfires. It’s an ancient tradition that is still alive in all of our bodies: a desire to be in fellowship, outside, with voices singing and flames dancing. - LUCY SODERSTROM
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