Traditions burned into memory
Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 09:01AM
AP Photo Fire destroys the historic Lutsen Lodge. Star Tribune, February 6, 2024.
“It's all happenin' at the Polar Bear lounge”
My friend and I along with our sons would sing this original ditty each time we entered the bar at Lutsen Resort. Just outside the entrance was the very large stuffed polar bear after which the lounge was named. Cary and I would order beers; the boys would order Roy Rogers. And we all looked quite manly perched on our bar stools, quaffing our pre-dinner cocktails. We were "Les Hommes du Nord"!
A visit to the Polar Bear Lounge was just one of the many traditions we established on our yearly spring trips to the North Shore. Often taking advantage of the long weekend provided by school Easter break, Cary and his two sons and I with my one son would stay in cabin G2 in the Sea Villas, just a mile or so from the lodge. The villas sat on the shoreline of Lake Superior, with pounding waves often providing a dramatic view from the dining room windows. I got the bedroom. Cary got the living room couch. The boys got the loft. We usually swam at the pool. The boys would scramble over the shoreline rocks. Given whether Easter came earlier or later, we skied the nearby resort or hiked one of the many sections of the Superior Hiking Trail. We took meals at Blue Fin, the Angry Trout, or Coho Cafe.
But Easter morning breakfast was always eaten at the Lutsen Lodge where we could indulge in the hearty buffet while looking at the foot bridge crossing the Poplar River. On the shore, trout fishermen cast their lures, often successfully. Not only did we eat breakfast each Sunday in the Lusen restaurant, we sat at the same table each time. Except one morning, the table had already been taken by another family. The boys were not happy.
Their unhappiness was a vivid reminder of just how important tradition can be to people -especially children. Traditions are reassurance that in a quickly changing world, some things will remain the same: the fun we have with our friends, the love of our parents, the comforts of a small cabin visited but once a year.
Like many other Minnesotans, I was deeply saddened to learn of the fire that destroyed the Lutsen Lodge this week. The polar bear, the buffet table, the game room, the log paneled lobby - all now ashes.
But memories, strengthened by tradition, cannot be incinerated. I hope Lutsen will be rebuilt in a way that provides happy experiences for young and future wilderness explorers.
Les Hommes du Nord (circa 1991)
Reader Comments (3)
Well said. Thanks for posting.
That’s a shame. Sounds like a wonderful place! My family and I always went to Biloxi/Ocean Springs, MS for a visit to my aunt and uncle’s house every Memorial Day weekend when I was growing up. It was really sad to go back and visit 4 months after Katrina hit. All of our favorite places were gone or reduced to ruin. Thank goodness for our memories!
Aren't we lucky we have good memories to reflect upon!
Doug