Rain will continue today, tomorrow, and Saturday, leaving approximately an inch in the village before the skies begin to clear. A few scattered showers may return Tuesday, but otherwise the coming week should bring seasonable temperatures and generally pleasant conditions. By next Thursday, warmer air will arrive and temperatures in the village should climb into the 80s.
I am pleased to report that on Tuesday the weather radio station finally hummed to life. A receiving set placed at the Courthouse picked up the first broadcast of WGMW, proving that after many months of delayed parts, damaged equipment, meetings, and considerable patience, my voice can indeed travel down the hill without the rest of me.
Beginning next Monday, WGMW will broadcast each weekday at noon. Weekends will remain free, which should provide ample opportunity for Miss Fjell and me to be seen about town and subsequently reported upon. Each broadcast will include the day's weather forecast, special warnings for those traveling on Lake Superior, a little local news, and perhaps some entertainment suitable for the lunch hour. We expect to remain on the air for fifteen minutes each day, although the station has been allotted an hour should I discover that I have considerably more to say than anyone presently suspects. The format may change as we learn what the village and county find useful.
There are other signs of modern life about town. New Chevrolet, Dodge, and Ford sedans have recently been spotted on our roads. The steamer Cook called at the harbor last week, and members of her crew attended the dance at The Wigwam. Our baseball club has finally received its uniforms, and, if I may say so, whatever happens against the Northern Hardware team this weekend, we shall at least look the part.
From Boston comes word of four modern Vikings arriving in a vessel patterned after that of Leif Erikson. The craft, built in Bergen, Norway, measures forty-two feet in length and thirteen feet across the beam. As a Norwegian who reached Grand Marais by the White Bus Line, I admire their dedication while remaining satisfied with my own choice of transportation.
Laurence Sterne once wrote, “I pity the man who can travel from Dan to Beersheba, and cry, ’Tis all barren.” With fifteen minutes of radio to fill each noon, I hope I shall continue to notice what the village and county provide. Judging from this week's automobiles, sailors, baseball uniforms, and wandering Vikings, I do not believe that will be a difficulty.
Editor's note: The cited Viking ship sailed from Bergen, Norway to Duluth, Minnesota. It arrived in Duluth on June 23, 1927. It now sits in Knife River, Minnesota, a short distance by car from Grand Marais.