Birch Legacies - Stories From Years On The Birkie Trail by Jon Peterson

 

Birch Legacies - Stories From Years On The Birkie Trail. Listen to new episodes from Jon Peterson who is sharing stories celebrating the motivation, the perseverance, and the lifestyle choices necessary to reach the status of Birchlegger - that is, skiers who have completed 20 or more American Birkebeiner ski races. Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts and other podcast sites. We will also be posting up new episodes on our Birchleggings Club Social Media. Jon's website is below.

  https://birchlegacies.buzzsprout.com/2450262

Birchleggings Club Birkie Week Social at Mosquito Brook Hut - February 18, 2025

 

Birchleggings Club Birkie Week Social at the Mosquito Brook Hut. Come join us on Tuesday afternoon, February 18, 2025, between 1 PM and 5 PM for a social gathering at the Birchlegger's warming hut. You can find us just off of Mosquito Brook Road and the Birkie Trail. See the GPS coordinates below.

S’mores-N-More will be our theme. We will have a nice fire going at our new fire pit as we roast treats, share stories and renew friendships. This is the day before the open track events, and it may also serve as an opportunity to test your wax. A nice flat stretch of trail is nearby. Treats and beverages will be provided. This activity is free and open to everyone. Please bring your friends and family. We would appreciate you signing up on this site at the link below so that we have a better idea of what supplies are needed. Hope to see you there. Ski on!

GPS: 46.049948, -91.404207

 https://runsignup.com/Race/WI/BirkieTrail/BirchleggingsClubBirkieWeekSocialatMosquitoBrookHut

Skiers that have finished 20 or more Birkie, Korte, or combination of both Races are now eligible for Birchleggings Club Membership!

 

Skiers that have finished 20 or more Birkie, Korte, or combination of both Races are now eligible for Birchleggings Club Membership!

Members of the Birchleggings Board gathered on November 21, 2024 to send out over 350 letters to newly eligible skiers, which includes all those who have completed any combination of Birkie and Korte races that equal 20 or more!

The group included from left to right, Paul Thompson, Bill Hamilton, Edward Eroe, Julie Virkus, Gus Virkus, and Steve Carmazon. Thanks to Julie and Gus for hosting!

The Birchleggings Club is now posting on Instagram!

 

The Birchleggings Club is now posting on Instagram and continues our posts on Facebook and LinkedIn. We are no longer posting on X as there were limited followers. See our Social Media page for links.

Follow the Birchleggings Club to keep up with news and information about the club, the American Birkebeiner Ski Race, and Nordic Skiing.

Please Note: Instagram does not allow live links so you will have to copy and past them to get to articles. Facebook and LinkedIn have live links.

Birchleggings Club 2024 Annual Meeting a Celebration and a Milestone

On September 27, 2024, the Birchleggings Club (BLC) held its 2024 Annual Meeting at the Johnson Family Outdoor Center at the OO Birkie Trailhead.

Along with the BLC board members, approximately 20 additional persons attended.

Special guests for the day included John and Nina Kotar. John is a co-founder of the BLC. Louise Droessler, American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation (ABSF) Development Director and the BLC’s liaison with the ABSF represented the Birkie Foundation.

A pre-meeting picnic lunch was prepared by Tom Rowley, Grillmeister, and other board members. Because of the very-unseasonably warm conditions in the sun, the pre-meeting festivities were moved from the patio to inside the Johnson Center. 

 

The BLC Strummers, consisting of Dave Balsiger, Tim Burke, Edward Eroe, and Jim Tenorio (JT) performed several songs, including Birkie Fever, two songs written by Tim Burke—Double O and Born in the Jackpine, and one song with lyrics by JT—Let Me Go Home Klister. Dave Balsiger ushered in the formal opening of the annual meeting by performing his Birkebeiner Morning song.

 

The meeting itself began with President Paul Thompson giving a warm welcome to all attendees and to Kortelopet 20+ Skiløpers and Birke+Korte 20-year-combination race finishers who are now eligible to join the Birchleggings Club (BLC).

A report was given on each of the 2024 BLC summer events that had taken place. The organizer of each event gave a summary of their event. Slides provided by Paul Thompson & Mindy Ahler illustrated each of the events.

 

Gus Virkus encouraged persons to attend our final summer event, the Fall Foliage Hike and Cornhole Tournament, to be held on October 10, 2024.

 

 

 

 

 

Louise Droessler gave an overview of the Birkie One Initiative and the different events/programs that are ongoing and planned. Birkie One is the ABSF’s effort, along with the support of the BLC to encourage and help persons of traditionally underrepresented persons/groups to become involved in Birkie-sponsored events and in outdoor-active physical activities in general here in the Northwoods. Louise also gave an update on the progress and the grand opening of Telemark Village and the Telemark Basecamp Building.

One of the regular agenda items at the annual meeting is the election of our board of directors. Two members, Dave Balsiger and Kim Ruud, were stepping down from the board.

Formal nominations were made for the following persons to join or continue on the BLC Board of Directors. A slate of candidates was recommended by the board as follows:

-       To renew their three-year terms on the board were Paul Thompson, Connie Meek, and Jim Tenorio (JT)

-       To join the board as treasurer: Tom Rowley

-       To join the board: Nona Goertz

The candidates above were elected by the members present to the board of directors.

 

The highlight of the day was a celebration to recognize Dave Balsiger for his many years of service to the BLC. Dave has been instrumental in founding and running the club since its inception 32 years ago, although he himself places his years of service at 26. Dave’s wife Linda was also recognized for the help she provided during all those years. Dave’s “retirement” from the board sets a milestone for the club as Tom Rowley steps in to assume the responsibilities as club treasurer.

Dave reminisced for the audience some of his experiences skiing, forming the club, and serving as treasurer and membership manager over the years. John Kotar, the co-founder of the BLC with Dave, expressed his appreciation and shared some of his memories of their involvement. He stressed several times that one of the most important benefits of the BLC is to develop and nurture the many friendships developed among skiers and club members over the years.

Paul Thompson presented Dave with gifts of appreciation for his service—a restaurant gift card and a gift certificate to Farm & Fleet, one of Dave’s favorite stores.

The tribute to Dave concluded with JT and the audience singing, With a Lot of Help from Our Dave. Sung to the melody of the Beatles’ With a Little Help from My Friends, JT wrote the lyrics, which were displayed on the screen, so folks could join along in the singing. See lyrics below.

 

With a Lot of Help from Our Dave Sung to the tune of, With a Little Help from My Friends September 27, 2024 Lyrics by Jim Tenorio, with apologies to Paul McCartney & John Lennon
 

1) What will we do in the Birchleggings Club
Since our treasurer has “turned in his keys?”
For 32 years Dave has managed the books,
And kept the membership records for free.
 

Chorus 1:
Oh, we got by with a little help from our Dave.
No, we thrived with a little help from our Dave.
No, we thrived with a lot of help from our Dave.
 

2) Dave paid the bills, and he took in the cash
At our breakfast with Tom at his side.
He’d maintain the lists from the ABSF
So you knew at what rank you reside.
 

Chorus 2:
Oh, we got by with a little help from our Dave.
Mmm, we thrived with a little help from our Dave.
Mmm, we would fly with a lot of help from our Dave.
 

Bridge 1:
(Do you need anybody?)
We need a new treasur-er.
(Could it be anybody?)
Tom has stepped in to serve.
 

3) Dave did big mailings and set up our booth,
Linda helped him with all the work!
He could tell you just when your membership will expire
And sold all of our hats and T-shirts.
 

Chorus 3:
Oh, we got by with a little help from our Dave.
Mmm, we thrived with a little help from our Dave.
Mmm, we would fly with a lot of help from our Dave.
 

Bridge 2:
(Will we miss anybody?)
We’ll miss Dave after he goes.
(Will we miss anybody?)
We thank him more than he knows.
 

Final Chorus:
Oh, we got by with a little help from our Dave.
Mmm, we thrived with a little help from our Dave.
Mmm, we would fly with a lot of help from our Dave.
Yes we would fly… with a lot of help from our Dave…
With a lot of help from our Daa-aav

 

In spite of formal adjournment, socializing continued well after the meeting ended. The conversations and fellowship are a common theme of Birchleggings Club get-togethers, and they are one of the joys and benefits of membership.

Birchleggings Club Fall Foliage Hike and Cornhole Classic Wrap-Up

On a sunny Thursday afternoon, October 10, 2024, at beautiful Hyland Park Reserve in Bloomington, Minnesota, the Birchleggings Club had the final event in its inaugural year round of activities. Twelve people attended the Fall Foliage Hike And Cornhole Classic.

Three pits were available for cornhole, and the contestants were “Pitchin’ for Pumpkin Pies”, as six pies were raffled off and another consumed on site. A good time was had by all.

A big thanks to Gus and Julie Virkus for arranging for this fun event!

Stay tuned for next year’s calendar and hope to see you all at the Turkey Birkie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BLC Annual Meeting • September 27, 2024 • Double OO Johnson Center

 

The Birchleggings Club will hold their annual business meeting and picnic:

Friday, September 27, 2024

11:00am to 02:00pm 

Samuel C. Johnson Family Outdoor Center at OO Trailhead near Seeley.

 

All BLC members, Birchleggers and Korteloppet 20-year finishers, family and friends are invited to this gathering.

 

The event will begin with a picnic at the Johnson Center with veggie and non-veggie grill items, potato salad, garden salad, loads of condiments and “Birkie Bars” from Bob Britz for a sweet finish. 

Birkie brews and non-alcoholic beverages will be served. This will be a zero-waste event, and participants are encouraged to bring their own picnic utensils and beverage cups as part of our commitment to the values of Birkie Green.

 

Background music will be performed by the BLC Strummers and potential performance by our guest of honor. Following the picnic on the patio, we will move inside the Johnson Center for our Annual Meeting. If you are coming, please register at the link below!

Register for the Meeting Here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe8UfnsbQ5hdR8_FjJekf82RY6IddQnuHH-OL814rAYkX8S-w/viewform

Agenda Here: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:f3311e8a-8a0c-4ec8-8f36-edb5eb4c2612?mc_cid=f81395cb39&mc_eid=aba22f36c1

If you are not a Member, Join Now at this link: https://runsignup.com/Race/WI/Hayward/BirchleggingsClubMembership?mc_cid=f81395cb39&mc_eid=aba22f36c1

Finally, don't miss reading the September Birchleggings Club Newsletter at this link: https://mailchi.mp/d2e510750d36/birchleggings-club-newsletter-8873778?e=aba22f36c1

 

See You on September 27th, from 11:00am to 02:00pm, at Double OO!

Birchleggings Club Disc Golf and Dinner Wrap-Up

Following the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation Annual meeting on August 10, 2024, with 60 people, Birchleggings president, Paul Thompson, toured the existing disc golf course at Telemark Village, which needs to be re-designed and improved. The move to include a new course is off to a slow start, however, Paul did receive interest and support from Dave Twork, co-owner of Home Base, the on site lodging location on the Telemark Village property.

There is much more to come as the mountain bike and roller ski trails are completed which allows for a new design of the disc golf course, removing safety concerns.

Thanks to Birchlegger Scott Smith for his interest in developing this new addition to the Telemark Village design.

If you are a disc golfer and would like to help with this project, please contact Paul Thompson at paul@coolplanetmn.org

Have you never played this fun sport? If not, here’s a primer on the game of disc golf:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7Buk1Hn8jM

Birchleggings Club Dakota Trail Bicycle Ride Wrap-Up

A rainy morning turned into a mostly sunny and comfortable day for the 1st Annual Birchleggings Club Dakota Trail Bicycle Ride on August 15, 2024. We had seven riders, with six doing the 57-Mile Wayzata to Lester Prairie Route and back and one rider that did the 38-Mile option from Mound and back. Two riders turned it into a 100-Mile Century ride, by riding to and from Wayzata and Minneapolis. Things were iffy since there was lots of rain the night before the ride, but the clouds opened up, and we had mostly sunshine for the ride.

All riders are now Founders of the Birchleggings Club Dakota Trail Bicycle Ride in the tradition of Tony Wise and the American Birkebeiner Ski Race!

The riders had lunch at the famous Central Cafe at the end of the Dakota Trail in Lester Prairie. "Mary Kate's Bitchin' Kitchen" did not disappoint the riders with her delicious sandwiches on homemade bread!

The photographs are all from the Central Cafe. The owner Mary Kate took the photographs. The one outside, from R to L, include Edward Eroe, Greg Fields, Ed Hasselman, Adam Smith, Julia Virkus, Gus Virkus, and Sophia Beal.

A big thanks to all the riders that have completed several Birkie and / or Korte races and one, Sophia, who now wants to do one of the races in the future, after listening to all of our stories!

Birchleggings Club / Birkie Green Race-Bib Recycling and Landfill Tour Wrap-Up

 

One of the positive efforts of the Birkie Green initiative of the American Birkebeiner has been to source the thousands of race bibs used every year from recycled material. Borah Teamwear produces the bibs in Wisconsin using recycled fiber made from plastic water bottles. Unfortunately, every year after Birkie week concludes, the ABSF is left with a good number of unused race bibs. The Birchleggings Club has taken some of those bibs and crafted them into reusable shopping bags. Some folks have returned their used race bibs so they can be repurposed or recycled, but the Birkie Bib Bags only make a small dent into the number of leftover bibs that would be destined for a landfill.

 

On July 19 the Birchleggings Club collaborated with the ABSF to take the next major step in reducing bib waste by preparing over 2800+ bibs for recycling. In a day-long environmental-action event, volunteers not only ushered the bibs on their way to a new life, but learned what happens to everyday trash when it gets thrown “away.”

 

The day began with a tour of the Republic Services Lake Area Landfill near Sarona, WI, about 45 minutes south of Hayward. Jason Eraquam, Operations Manager of the facility gave the group an overview of the facility, its history and operation, and then guided them around the 300+acre site. While visiting a landfill might not seem very attractive or exciting, Jason’s excellent presentation opened our eyes to the complexity and long-term considerations that go into creating, operating, and maintaining a landfill. Site selection, site preparation, remediation/cleanup of old landfill sections, watershed design and protection, leachate collection and treatment, water monitoring, methane capture and reuse, windblown refuse collection, pest prevention, recycling, restoring the vegetation when done, local road maintenance, educating the public, using new technology, and more go into operating the site beyond just burying trash in the ground. The care that is taken to manage the site responsibly was impressive.

 

After the tour, more volunteers joined the group to “strip the chips” from thousands of Birkie, Korte, and Prince Haakon race bibs. The timing chips and year stickers on the bibs needed to be removed before they would be acceptable for recycling by Terracycle, the company doing the reclamation. The nineteen volunteers completed the work in a few short hours.

 

Some of the bibs were given to Julie Virkus and Nancy Bauer, who created “The Bib Boutique” where they use their sewing and quilting skills to transform the bibs into an array of colorful quilts, mittens, ski bags and apparel. Be sure to look for their creations, as well as Birkie Bib Bags, at the Birchleggings Club booth during next year’s Birkie Expo. The proceeds from the sales are donated to local ski organizations such as Emily Foundation, Spooner Nordic Ski Team, Hayward Nordic Ski Team and Nordic Kids.

 

The Birchleggings Club sends its thanks to Jason Eraquam of Republic Services, Rachel Frydenlund, ABSF Event Logistics Manager, Paul Thompson, BLC President, and the volunteers who made the event a success.