My Trip to Door County

An Essay by Joseph Anderson


When I was asked to accompany the New Horizon Band for their Door County weekend, I’ll be honest; I wasn’t too thrilled. The prospect of driving a rickety old van four hours to Door County to listen to band music all weekend didn’t sound like my cup of tea. As the time to leave drew near, I started asking Peter Ziegler questions like, “What exactly is my job when I’m there?”. He told me I was there to “be available”. I wasn’t really sure what that meant. I left Ward-Brodt Thursday afternoon in the pouring rain in an ’85 Chevy Van, loaded to the top with about 300 pounds of percussion instruments, luggage, a bike and my directions to Bailey’s Harbor. It took a while to get used to the van but, after about an hour of driving, it felt like I had been driving it for years. It was raining in Bailey’s Harbor and my arrival was wet, cold and frustrating since I had put my luggage near the center of the van, I was forced to take a bunch of instruments out to free my bag. I reserved a room at the Square Rigger Motel because registration was early on Friday morning. My room was a typical motel room except for the unbelievable view I was greeted with the in early morning. By then, the sun was rising over the waters of Lake Michigan and the sky had cleared and it would stay that way for the whole weekend.
Arriving at Bjorklunden Retreat Center, I was immediately struck with memories of summer camp. Everybody arrived around the same time with all of their luggage and smiles on their faces. The retreat center was an immense and beautiful building furnished with a predominately Scandinavian theme. The rooftops were adorned with dragon heads in the style of old Viking ships. The inside was wood decorated with large, framed posters from Sweden, beautiful armoires and hutches. My room was the last one on the second floor and to my surprise, it was huge! I had four beds to choose from! I picked the one near the window. After unloading the van, the band room was set up and rehearsal began at noon. I took some time to get to know the area a little bit by taking a bike ride into town. I returned to the sounds of sirens behind me. Had I been exceeding the speed limit on my bike?! It turned out that one of the members had severe chest pains in the middle of the very first rehearsal! An ambulance took him to the nearest hospital in Sturgeon Bay and the rehearsal continued after a short break. Apparently, this was the first incident in about 14 years. It turned out he was O.K., but a lot of people were pretty scared. The town of Bailey’s Harbor was pretty much what I expected. One main road lined with shops, restaurants and motels. All of the towns look the same up there and it’s impossible to get lost because everything is connected to hwy 57. I never made it to “ the end of the world”, but I went to Fish Creek and Sister Bay, which is where I ended up having dinner by myself right on the shore of the lake during sunset. Both of these towns would have fit perfectly into any touristy area. I kept myself entertained for a good portion of the time I was there with bike rides, my guitar and general exploration of the area.
Saturday night, everyone had dinner at Florians, an old supper club straight out of the ‘60’s, right down to the cheesy lounge singer in the bar. Dinner was served under a domed glass patio overlooking the lake. I sat with some of the younger members of the band, and by younger, I mean they were in their sixty’s. Conversation centered around me mostly. They asked to regale them with my youth so I told them I was going to buy an engagement ring, which turned the conversation to the topic of marriage and then politics. I was surprised by the amount of profanity the topic of politics can produce. Then again, everyone was pretty snockered near the end of the meal. Dinner was over and the party began with a jam session of various band instruments. Everyone trading solos on clarinet, sax, banjo and even piccolo. I could appreciate the musicality but the music itself wasn’t exactly for me. The party continued into the night from what I understand. I actually ended up back at Bjorklunden early and went to bed.
The next morning I woke around 8:30, went to town and grabbed some delicious coffee at the Espresso Café. When I returned the band was rehearsing for the last time and they sounded great. It’s amazing what an intense weekend of rehearsal will do! At noon it was all over. I packed up the van, said my goodbyes and headed south, back to reality. I really enjoyed meeting all of these new people and the time I spent in Door County. I really hope to do it again sometime.