SEPTEMBER 2026
Tourism News & Insights Looking Ahead with Gratitude and Optimism By Jon Jarosh President/CEO
As I begin this new chapter as President & CEO of Destination Door County, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue serving an organization and community that have been such an important part of my professional life. Over nearly three decades with Destination Door County, I’ve had the opportunity to serve in a variety of roles and experience firsthand how our organization—and tourism in Door County—has evolved. I’m humbled by the confidence our Board of Directors has placed in me, and I’ve been especially touched by the calls, emails, messages and conversations I’ve had with people throughout the community since the announcement. Thank you for your support and encouragement. It means a great deal to me. While I’m grateful for the journey that brought me here, I’m even more excited about what lies ahead. Destination Door County recently began implementing a new threeyear strategic plan built around three priorities: Economic Vitality, Community & Workforce, and Stewardship & Regeneration. Together, they reflect our belief that a healthy visitor economy should strengthen our businesses and communities while helping care for the place we all love. At the same time, our team is already looking ahead to 2027. We’re moving into our annual budget planning process, which gives us an opportunity to align our resources with our strategic priorities and thoughtfully consider where Destination Door County can have the greatest impact in the coming year. We are also hard at work on two important tools that help us connect visitors with local businesses and experiences throughout the county. Our 2026-27 Winter Guide is nearly complete and will be available later this month for visitors during our busy fall season. Planning and production are also underway for our 2027 Destination Guide.
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These publications allow us to showcase the incredible businesses, communities, people and experiences that make Door County special while helping visitors discover more of the peninsula and islands throughout the year. That year-round approach is an important part of where we’re headed. We want to continue attracting mindful travelers who appreciate what makes Door County special, while placing greater emphasis on year-round and shoulderseason visitation. We also want to help our local businesses remain vibrant, share authentic stories about Door County, and ensure the economic benefits generated by tourism extend throughout our communities.
Destination Door County’s Mission Statement To inspire travel that drives community enhancement. Through innovation and partnerships, we will share stories of Door County’s people and places, deliver world-class experiences, strengthen the industry, work to ensure all travelers feel welcome, and preserve Door County’s way of life and its natural resources.
It also means continuing to invest tourism-generated dollars back into Door County. Through programs like the Community Investment Fund (learn more about the latest grant awards in another article in this publication) and other partnerships, tourism can play an important role in supporting projects that enhance quality of life for residents while strengthening the visitor experience. And stewardship will remain central to our work. Our Destination Stewardship Plan provides a long-term roadmap for protecting our natural environment, enhancing experiences, improving infrastructure and strengthening collaboration throughout the county. Importantly, this isn’t work Destination Door County can—or should—do alone. Our role is often to lead, but just as importantly, to convene, advocate and support others doing good work throughout our community.
What’s Inside?
02 Christmas Movie Trail the World 02 Wheel Partnership
02 Water Stations
I believe strongly that Door County’s future is something we shape together. That requires listening to residents, working closely with local governments and community organizations, supporting our tourism partners, and being willing to have thoughtful conversations about both the opportunities and challenges ahead.
in the Door Artist 03 Art Laureates
I’m excited to be part of those conversations and incredibly optimistic about where we’re headed.
04 Winter Guide
Most of all, I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue serving a place that has given me so much—and I look forward to working together to ensure Door County remains an extraordinary place to live, work and visit for generations to come.
03 Heritage Trail 04 Partnership
Information/ Upcoming Events
Three Local Projects Receive Funding Through Destination Door County’s Community Investment Fund Destination Door County (DDC) has awarded $190,260 in its latest round of Community Investment Fund grants, supporting three local projects focused on accessibility and historic preservation. With this funding cycle, the program has now supported 74 projects across Door County.
positive impact they will have for both our residents and visitors.”
Three local nonprofit organizations were the recipients of funding, with individual project awards ranging from $29,060 to $87,000.
Destination Sturgeon Bay received support to create ADA-accessible public restrooms that improve downtown Sturgeon Bay for visitors and residents as they attend festivals, shop, dine, and enjoy historic 3rd Avenue. Investment amount: $87,000.
All awarded projects had to meet specific requirements in order qualify for funding as the dollars DDC is using for this program come from room tax collections that overnight visitors to the county pay and that DDC receives as part of their agreement with the Door County Tourism Zone Commission. Wisconsin state statute dictates the use of those dollars. “Tourism plays an important role in Door County, and this fund gives us a meaningful way to reinvest a portion of room tax dollars into projects that benefit our community,” said Jon Jarosh, President/CEO of DDC. “We’re excited to see these three projects move forward and the
The projects that were awarded funding in the program’s fourteenth grant cycle include:
Patriot Racing received support to preserve and restore the historic tall ship Utopia to expand maritime experiences, education, and veteran programming that is unique to Door County and its surrounding waters. Investment amount: $74,200.
Community Investment Fund Information Session Wednesday, September 23rd at 1 PM Meeting Room at the Gibraltar Town Center, 4097 Main St, Fish Creek Learn about the impact this program has had on Door County through the investment of nearly $4 million in community projects since 2023. Also find out how your organization could apply for funding to help with your community project!
Open Door Bird Sanctuary received support to build a year-round, ADAaccessible songbird aviary that expands environmental education and wildlife experiences while providing a permanent home for non-releasable
songbirds. Investment amount: $29,060. This project also received an additional $9,000 from other funds at the Door County Community Foundation, bringing the total investment for the project to $38,060. These three projects join 71 local projects that previously received grant funding, bringing the total impact from DDC’s Community Investment Fund to $3,964,883 since the program began in May 2023. A list of every grant that has been awarded is available at DoorCounty.com/cif. The next grant application deadline is Monday, September 28, 2026 at 4 PM. Qualified applicants include 501(c)(3) public charities, 501(c)(6) organizations, and local units of government. Destination Door County encourages any interested local non-profit organization or local municipality to schedule a meeting with the Door County Community Foundation, DDC’s Community Investment Fund administrative partner, to discuss their idea before submitting an application. Call the Community Foundation at 920-7461786 or email grants@givedoorcounty. org to schedule an appointment. For details about the program and to view funding requirements along with the online application, visit CommunityInvestmentFund. org.
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From Cups to Community: Turning Single-Use Waste into a Sustainable Solution
Christmas Movie Trail Updated for 2026
A simple cup has become the foundation for a growing sustainability effort in Door County, showing how small changes in everyday practices can create a meaningful community impact. Since 2024, Destination Door County’s bamboo cup initiatives have introduced compostable bamboo cups as an alternative to single-use plastic at community events while encouraging visitors and businesses to rethink how cups are used and disposed.
The Door County Christmas Movie Trail returns November 1 with new stops, prizes and ways to experience the holiday magic of A Cherry Pie Christmas. New this year, the trail will feature “Scenes You Didn’t See,” highlighting businesses that played a behind-thescenes role in the movie. Participants can also earn new prizes, including a Cherry Pie Christmas ornament after five stops and a Renard’s cherry cheddar coupon, Door County, Wisconsin-branded cheese grater and recipe card after 10 stops. Complete 15 stops to receive both.
Through DDC’s water stations at community events, visitors and residents can refill their water rather than rely on single-use plastic bottles. So far in 2026, volunteers have dispensed 14,580 ounces of water into 1,471 compostable bamboo cups and 77 reusable bottles, engaging more than 1,500 event-goers.
Weekly receipt drawings will encourage participants to shop along the trail, while expanded weekend hours at the Door County Welcome Center will make it easier to pick up prizes. A new online video tutorial will also help participants navigate the mobile pass.
The impact doesn’t end when the cup is emptied. A collection system
The trail was a finalist for a U.S. Travel ESTO Award in the Bridging Communities category, which recognizes destinationled programs that positively impact local communities.
for the bamboo cups has achieved a 68% return rate, allowing used cups to enter a local composting process rather than the landfill. In about six months, the cups decompose into compost that can support local community gardens. The effort also expanded to local businesses through a month-long regenerative cup pilot. Kick Ash in Ellison Bay, Get Real Café and the Inn at Cedar Crossing in Sturgeon Bay replaced conventional singleuse cups with compostable bamboo cups, which were collected and composted locally in partnership with the Climate Change Coalition of Door County and Mighty Wind Farms. The idea is simple: reduce what we use, find a better alternative and return what remains to the earth whenever possible. What started with an everyday cup is becoming a larger effort involving visitors, residents and businesses across Door County.
Find Our Water Stations Look for Destination Door County water stations at these upcoming community events: September 12 – Autumnfest, Baileys Harbor
Sign up for the trail beginning November 1 at DoorCounty.com/movie.
September 18 & 19 – Literary Festival, Washington Island September 19 – Harvest Fest, Sturgeon Bay October 3 – Door CANcer Run/Walk, Sevastopol Town Park October 16 & 17 – Fall Fest, Sister Bay
Wheel the World - Building a More Accessible Door County Door County’s accessibility work with Wheel the World helped advance an important goal: making it easier for people of all abilities to experience the destination with greater confidence and independence. Wheel the World specializes in accessible travel, working with destinations and tourism businesses to evaluate accessibility, identify barriers and provide travelers with detailed information they can use when planning
a trip. Through the project, approximately 73 Door County businesses and attractions were mapped and assessed for accessibility. The work provided a much clearer picture of the barriers visitors with disabilities could encounter, while also showing that meaningful improvements did not always require major construction or significant investment. That was one of the most important lessons from the project. Barrier free travel is not simply about meeting a standard. It is about making sure more people can participate fully in the experiences that make Door County special; from lodging and dining
DOOR COUNTY
HOSPITALITY HEROES Warm welcomes, insider tips and next-level service. Door County’s hospitality professionals deliver unforgettable experiences every day. Hospitality Hero Award nominations open this November!
Scan the QR code or visit DoorCounty.com/Hero to learn more.
to outdoor recreation, attractions and community spaces. The mapping also created a stronger foundation for Door County’s broader accessibility efforts, including visitor information, business education and accessibility grants. Most importantly, the project moved accessibility from a general aspiration to something businesses could better understand and act on. By identifying real barriers, sharing practical solutions and giving visitors more reliable information, Door County took an important step toward ensuring that more people could experience the destination comfortably, confidently and with fewer obstacles. The work reinforced a simple principle: a more accessible Door County is a better Door County for everyone.
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2026 Artist Laureates
Wendy Cooper
Fred “Doc” Heide
Wendy Cooper was nominated for her ability to capture the essence of Door County through art that celebrates its landscapes, native plants, and ecological heritage. Working from her Sturgeon Bay studio, The Wildflower Press, Cooper creates hand-built botanical porcelain, cyanotype photography, and pressed-flower works inspired by the region’s natural beauty. A former art professor, gallery director, and museum curator, she brings decades of creative experience to a practice rooted in observation, craftsmanship, and a deep connection to the environment.
Recognized for his extraordinary contributions to music and theater, Fred “Doc” Heide was nominated for a body of work that celebrates Door County with authenticity, empathy, and insight. Since first performing in the county in mid-1970, Doc has become one of the region’s most respected creative voices. His original musicals for Northern Sky Theater, along with a catalog of acclaimed recordings, showcase a songwriter whose storytelling captures the character, history, and people of Wisconsin in ways that are both entertaining and deeply meaningful.
3D Art Laureate
Music Laureate
Dan Klarer
Julie Rohn
Dan Klarer was nominated for the remarkable impact he has made on Door County’s theater community as a performer, educator, designer, and mentor. One of only a handful of artists to have worked with all four of the county’s professional theater companies, Dan has spent more than a decade helping audiences and aspiring artists connect with the performing arts. While many know him from his work on stage, his contributions extend to costume design, stage management, fight choreography, and arts education. As Education and Community Engagement Coordinator at Third Avenue PlayWorks, he leads school programs, teaches acting classes, and helps cultivate the next generation of theater artists.
Julie Rohn was nominated for her contributions as a painter whose work has quietly built a dedicated following in Door County. Born in Milwaukee, she first exhibited her pastel paintings at Charlene’s Gallery Ten in Gills Rock in the late 1990s. During her time in Minnesota, she studied oil and acrylic painting at the Bloomington Center for the Arts, expanding her artistic practice beyond performance art. Today, Rohn lives in Sister Bay and exhibits her work at ARTicipation Studio and Gallery in Sturgeon Bay.
Theatrical Arts Laureate
2D Art Laureate
Learn more about Art in the Door at doorcounty.com/artinthedoor
1. Jacobsens Museum
Heritage Trail Pass Returns with New Opportunities to Explore Door County History Destination Door County’s free Heritage Trail Pass is back for its second year, offering a fun way to explore 32 historic and cultural sites throughout Door County. From lighthouses and maritime museums to Belgian chapels and local history centers, participants can check in along the way and earn prizes, including a custom pin and illustrated poster. New this year, additional historical markers offer even more opportunities to discover the people, places and stories that shaped Door County. The mobile pass is free, available year-round and requires no app to download. Visit DoorCounty.com/heritagetrail to learn more!
24. Door County Museum and Archives
2. Jackson Harbor Maritime Museum
25. Door County Granary-Sturgeon Bay Historical Society
3. Plum Island 4. Death’s Door Maritime Museum
26. Door County Maritime Museum
5. Liberty Grove Historical Society
ROCK ISLAND
27. Tugboat John Purves
6. Sister Bay Historical Society
28. Belgian Heritage Center
7. Anderson Barn Museum & Svalhus Research Library
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29. Asa Thorp’s Cabin 30. Encounter History Walking Tour
8. Anderson Store Museum
WASHINGTON ISLAND
31. Chambers Island Lighthouse
9. Pioneer Schoolhouse Museum & Goodlestone Cabin
32. Pottawatomie Lighthouse on Rock Island
10. Iverson House Museum & Groenfeldt Stable 11. Cana Island Lighthouse
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20. Door County Bookmobile (Location May Vary)
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SAVE THE DATE Destination Door County Partner Mixer Join us on Tuesday, September 29th from 5-7pm at Drömhus in Sturgeon Bay for our partner networking night! Enjoy heavy appetizers with a cash bar.
2026 Annual Gathering Join us for our 2026 Annual Gathering on Tuesday, October 27 from 5:30 to 8 pm at The Landmark Resort for an evening to reconnect with friends and colleagues, make new connections, and celebrate the collective successes of our Door County business community. Register for both events at DoorCounty.com/rsvp.
Welcome Center Partner Reminder As we move through the busy season, a reminder to our partners that the Destination Door County Welcome Center is here as a resource for both visitors and local businesses. Our team regularly helps visitors with recommendations for lodging, dining, attractions, shopping, events and other things to do throughout Door County. Partners are encouraged to keep us updated with current brochures, menus, event information, changes in hours, new offerings or anything else our Destination Specialists should know when talking with visitors. The more current information we have, the better we can help connect visitors with businesses and experiences throughout the county.
Door County Winter Guide Destination Door County’s 2026–2027 Official Winter Guide will arrive late September, offering inspiration and resources for exploring Door County during the winter months. A supplement to the Official Destination Guide, the Winter Guide highlights seasonal activities, events and businesses open from November through March, along with stories designed to help visitors plan a winter getaway. New this year is “Pick Your Park,” a feature that helps readers choose their perfect Door County state park for a winter adventure and pairs it with ideas for making a day of it, including nearby dining recommendations. The guide also brings back a local perspective with a new group of Door County shop owners sharing their favorite places, activities and ways to enjoy the peninsula during the quieter winter months. A total of 20,000 copies of the 2026–2027 Official Winter Guide will be distributed this fall at the Door County Welcome Center, area visitor centers and businesses throughout the county. A digital version will also be available on DoorCounty.com, where visitors can order a free printed copy.
Become a DDC Partner
— It’s FREE! NO MEMBERSHIP DUES.
Door County Gift Certificates
Destination Door County Partnership is FREE and open to businesses and organizations physically located in Door County. Not a Partner yet—or didn’t realize we did away with membership dues? We’d love to encourage you to join TODAY! As a DDC Partner, your business receives a free Business Listing Page on DoorCounty.com, along with access to promotional opportunities, industry communications, educational resources, networking opportunities and other benefits designed to help connect you with Door County visitors, residents, and our local business community.
Door County gift certificates are available to purchase through Destination Door County in-person at the Door County Welcome Center, by phone at 800-527-3529 or online at DoorCounty.com. They make great gifts for residents, visitors or rewards for employees! Any business in Door County is encouraged to accept them and will be reimbursed by Destination Door County at 100% face value. Nearly $500,000 worth of Door County gift certificates were sold through Destination Door County in 2025, and they can only be spent at local businesses in Door County. View a list of Door County businesses that happily accept Door County gift certificates and order some today at DoorCounty.com/giftcertificates.
Destination Door County Staff Main phone line: 920-743-4456 or 800-527-3529
JOIN FOR FREE TODAY!
Scan the QR code to get started or visit DoorCounty.com/partnership for benefits Questions? Contact Phil Berndt phil@doorcounty.com | 920-818-1136
Jon Jarosh, President/CEO jon@doorcounty.com Yvonne Soto, Vice President of Finance & Operations yvonne@doorcounty.com Phil Berndt, Director of Partner Services phil@doorcounty.com Jen Rogers, Director of Media Relations jen@doorcounty.com Pat Nash, Director of Visitor Services pat@doorcounty.com Elizabeth Charney, Marketing & Sales Manager elizabeth@doorcounty.com Amy DeMeter, Administrative Services Manager amy@doorcounty.com Abigail Sternard, Marketing & Sales Assistant abigail@doorcounty.com Sue Schwartz, Community & Board Liaison Sue@doorcounty.com Brittany Flores, Destination Specialist brittany@doorcounty.com Molly Nelson, Destination Specialist molly@doorcounty.com