THE SEASONAL MOMENT

Mid-September and the fall festival season is fully underway. Harvest Fest in Sturgeon Bay is this weekend.

The leaves have not turned yet but give it two weeks. The air is cool enough in the mornings to want coffee outside, warm enough by afternoon to not need a jacket.

It is one of the best stretches of the year.

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This week:

• New Educational Panels

• Murder Girl Opens

• Remembering Fred and Fuzzy’s

• My Weekly Pick

DOOR COUNTY UPDATES

A few things worth knowing about this week.

Escarpment Park gets new educational panels. The outdoor museum known as Escarpment Park in Ellison Bay is adding four new educational panels.

The panels, funded through a grant from the Door County Community Investment Fund, explain the geological features of the Niagara Escarpment that runs through this part of Wisconsin, including the historical impact of the Menominee tribes. It’s free to visit.

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Murder Girl opens at Peninsula Players. The final show of Peninsula Players’ 91st season is now running through October 18. Murder Girl, written by Wisconsin playwright Heidi Armbruster, is set inside a supper club in the Northwoods where twins are keeping the family business alive when a shocking revelation about a missing employee sends everything sideways.

Performances run Tuesday through Sunday at 7 p.m.

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Sister Bay honors Marge Grutzmacher. The village dedicated a Little Free Library at Waterfront Park in honor of Marge Grutzmacher, a former first-grade teacher who also ran Passtimes Book Store in Sister Bay.

The library box was painted by Gibraltar art teacher Emily Salm. Marge stocked it herself with banned and challenged books, each with a personal note inside and was on hand for the dedication with her son Steve.

STORIES FROM THE DOOR

This week our featured guide is about waterfront dining, and that got me thinking about Fred and Fuzzy’s.

If you spent any time in Door County in the late 1990s or 2000s, you know the name. Fred and Fuzzy’s Waterfront Bar and Grill sat right on the water in Sister Bay and was everything a waterfront restaurant should be.

Kelly, Riley, Tyler, and I spent countless evenings out there. The sunsets. The kids running around. The whole easy feeling of a place that knew exactly what it was and did not try to be anything else.

It closed years ago. It’s condos now. A lot of people (including me) still mourn the loss. Some places leave a mark on a community that outlasts the place itself. Fred and Fuzzy’s was one of those places.

THIS WEEK’S FEATURED GUIDE

Fred and Fuzzy’s closing left a hole in the Door County waterfront dining scene that nobody has quite filled. But the good news is that the county still has some of the best restaurant water views you can find.

The complete waterfront dining guide covers the best options from Sturgeon Bay to Gills Rock, organized so you can find what you are looking for before you arrive.

Read the complete waterfront dining guide here.

HOUSES OF THE WEEK

Every week we spotlight a recently sold home and an active listing to give you a feel for what the Door County real estate market looks like today.

JUST SOLD: Sturgeon Bay

A three bedroom, three bath home in Sturgeon Bay sold for $982,250 with Green Bay frontage and a pier included. Spacious three-season porch, multiple fire pit locations, and a finished walkout lower level. A remarkable piece of waterfront at a price that reflects it.

FOR SALE: Brussels

A wooded one-acre parcel in Brussels is listed at $349,900 with Green Bay shoreline. On a natural rock shorefront with mature trees and sunset views. If you have been thinking about owning land on the bay, this might be worth a look.

MY WEEKLY PICK

Boathouse on the Bay in Sister Bay is one of the most unique waterfront dining experience in the county. The upstairs bar has panoramic views of the marina and Green Bay. The patio is even better on a warm evening.

Lobster rolls, fresh fish, craft beer, and a full bar. Live music through the season fills the evenings with the kind of waterfront energy that makes Sister Bay what it is in summer and early fall.

WHERE TO STAY THIS WEEK

Homestead Suites has deep roots in Fish Creek going back generations. The property sits in the heart of the village with a range of accommodations from standard rooms to king suites with whirlpools and fireplaces.

Indoor and outdoor pools, a sauna, and a whirlpool on site. Walking distance to Fish Creek shops and restaurants, and a short ride from Peninsula State Park. Julie’s Park Cafe is right next door for breakfast.

If you are thinking about a fall getaway, browse Door County availability on Booking.com or find properties on VRBO.

WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE DOOR

Sturgeon Bay Historical Hiking Tour on Thursday morning. A guided walk through the history of one of Door County’s most underrated villages.

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Washington Island Literary Festival on Thursday. Books, authors, and the island. A combination that works.

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Sturgeon Bay Harvest Fest on Saturday. One of the best fall festivals in the county, running downtown with food, vendors, live music, and the first real taste of autumn.

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Door County Folk Alliance Barn Dance on Saturday evening. Live folk music, dancing, and the kind of event that makes you remember why people have been gathering like this for centuries.

DOOR COUNTY ALMANAC

Week of September 15, 2026

Tuesday arrives at 72 degrees with a 45% chance of rain, the warmest and wettest day of the week. Wednesday drops to 64 and dries out considerably. Thursday brings another round of rain chances before the weekend closes out around 64 degrees. Saturday looks like the rainiest day of the week at 85% chance.

Harvest Fest in Sturgeon Bay on Saturday may need a rain plan but fall festivals have survived worse. Bring a layer.

Sunrise Tuesday is at 6:27 a.m. Sunset comes around 7:11 p.m. Under 13 hours of daylight now.

WHAT I’VE BEEN LISTENING TO

Bleachers has been one of my new favorite bands for a few years now. Kelly and I saw them live earlier this summer and they are exceptional in concert. Jack Antonoff puts everything into it.

The self-titled album from 2024 is the one I keep coming back to. Sad and joyful at the same time, which is a hard thing to pull off. Tiny Moves, Alma Mater, and Ordinary Heaven are the standouts for me.

Bleachers – Bleachers

DOOR COUNTY PETS

Meet Moose McCuddles.

Moose belongs to Kimberly Stowell, who moved to Door County less than a year ago and has been navigating the adjustment. According to Kimberly, finding a quiet place to sleep during all the summer excitement was equally exhausting for both of them. Moose apparently solved his part of that problem.

Kimberly, welcome to Door County. Moose looks like he has already figured out the most important thing about living up here, which is knowing when to slow down.

Send us your pet photos. The best ones end up right here.

Moose McCuddles

BEFORE YOU GO

• Fred and Fuzzy’s may be gone but the memories are still there.

• Harvest Fest is Saturday.

• Murder Girl is running through October.

• And Moose McCuddles has found his spot.

See you up here,
Brian.