“Where the coffee’s hot, the lakes are cold, and all the children are above average.” — Serving the Chain since 1897.
Tuesday, July 28, 2026 · July 21 Edition · 2 stories item(s) in this section.
The Fishing Report
Tim Brevik on a week when the lake disappeared from the middle out, the walleye carried on underneath it, and the evening bite moved to what several anglers described as a different planet.
Read the full story →
The Loons of Big Pelican
Thursday morning, in the haze, after a summer of practice and a runway measured in astonishment: the brave one got up, stayed up, turned once, and landed like a dropped duffel. The log has been updated.
Read the full story →Monday–Tuesday. Smoke arrived Sunday on the north wind and unpacked. The sun rose the color of a canning tomato and stayed in character. Advisory posted; windows shut; the Chain lost its far shores.
Wednesday. Thickest of the week. The creamery’s steam was reported as smoke (it was bread). Visibility on Big Pelican: local.
Thursday. A loon flew through it anyway. See the log. Some weeks the weather is not the headline even when it is.
The weekend. Hazy but thinning; red sunsets attended by crowds who had been advised otherwise; the corn came in and was picked at six regardless.
Verdict. Above average, filtered. The children remain above average without qualification. — T.B.