Door County NewsPixels™ & Wish Books & Brochures MAG. THE DREAMING ISSUE | Page 79

Madonna Siles Continued
exhibit the last three years and will
again this year. So those are just a
few of this years events, I am sure a
few more will pop up in the coming
weeks.
What non-profits do you
work with?
Birch Creek Music Performance
Center, Door County Art League
Gallery, Miller Art Museum, the Door
County Humane Society. I also teach
a summer program on plein air painting
for kids through the Manitowoc
Maritime Museum.
What is your all time
favorite eating place, past
or present in Door County?
My favorite has always been
Al Johnson’s. I loved it as a kid and
love it still today.
A fun place I used to hang out at in
the 80’s was The Florian Supper
Club in Baileys Harbor. It was the
weekend hotspot. The bar usually had
a band or dancing and it would just be
wall to wall people. I do have a funny
story to share about some events that
occurred there one evening. I was with
my mom and another friend. My mom
was insisting that she introduce me to
the man she was sitting next to at the
bar. She said, “Madonna, this is
Craig Stadler”. I said hi, nice to meet
you. My mother kept nudging me

whispering, “Craig Stadler, ‘The
Walrus’, you know, the
professional golfer”. I really
had no idea, but turns out he was
here for the weekend on a golf
outing with some friends. We spent
the majority of the evening
dancing. He was such a perfect
gentleman and a lot of fun.
Favorite beach?
Because of the fond
memories I have of it, it would
have to be Alpine Beach. I still
plein air paint there and when I
look at that old peer, I can still
remember my little brother catching
his first fish there. Well
actually, I caught it because he
asked me to hold his fishing pole
because he had to run to the
bathroom.
Where is your favorite
place to take in a Door
County sunset?
Lately it has been Sunset
Park in Sturgeon Bay. To me, with
the trees and grasses along the
bayshore, and the sun reflecting
in the little pond just in front of
it, it looks as exotic as Hawaii to
me. I also love a late winter
sunset at Peninsula State Park, it
just leaves such a magnificent
glow on the cliffs and rocks

along the shore, turning them bright
orange.
Last time you took in one
of Door County’s beautiful
parks and which one?
Cave Point never ceases to
thrill me. I just can’t imagine a bad
day at Cave Point.
What makes someone a
Door County ‘er’?
When I purchased my home
along the waterfront in Door County,
this heavy thought came crashing
down on me and that is, no one owns
Door County. I just felt that I had
no right to keep this from anyone
else, if someone wants to take in the
sunset on the beach in front of my
house, then that is their right. Now,
that I no longer own that house, I
realize that it only takes me a little
while to walk anywhere in Door
County to reach something that is just
drop dead gorgeous. That is one of
the things that makes this place so
special, the most magical things
about Door County are free and
available