ELY — The room at the Grand Ely Lodge was packed on Tuesday, but rather than the usual program of guest speakers and thoughtful discussion, people came for something more bittersweet: a celebration of endings and beginnings.
For Steve and Ann Schon, the occasion marked the closing of a significant chapter in their lives, one that has spanned more than 40 years in this small  Minnesota town, where they helped weave the fabric of community life through everything from organizing weekly discussion groups to running a food co-op and performing music and theater.
“I couldn’t have been more happy,” Steve told the crowd. In characteristic self-deprecation, he admitted to worrying in the days before whether anyone would show up say goodbye.
He needn’t have worried.

From an inauguration
to a movement
The story of the Tuesday Group — a weekly gathering that has become a fixture of Ely’s civic life — begins with a moment of national hope. In 2009, community members gathered at a local venue to watch President Barack Obama’s first inauguration speech. Nancy Powers, who organized the viewing, was surprised when 60 people showed up.
“(We) decided that it was such a positive evening, they had to keep this feeling going,” Schon said, recounting the group’s origin story.
What started as post-inauguration enthusiasm evolved into something more enduring. The fledgling group began meeting in the back room of a local restaurant, though attendance was unpredictable. Steve recalled sessions with just three or four attendees, and at least one meeting where only he and “one guy” showed up.
“We didn’t always have speakers,” he said. “We would sometimes just have open forums.” Early topics ranged from wolf management to book discussions, with participants bringing items to share and debate.

Growing into
something more
Over time, the Tuesday Group found its rhythm and its audience. Regular speakers became the norm. Some were recruited from within the group, others reaching out to participate. The programming remained deliberately diverse, reflecting the group’s commitment to hearing multiple perspectives.
Steve recalled hosting speakers from both sides of contentious local issues, including mining development and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 
“We’ve never turned down speakers for their view,” he said. The group toured mining operations and heard from environmental advocates, political candidates and wilderness researchers, DNR officers, and wildlife experts.
“We once had a local guy who spoke,” Steve said, launching into one of the afternoon’s many stories. The speaker’s presentation, essentially arguing that Ely was dying based on various statistics, was soon challenged by folks who noticed his statistics had been cherry-picked. But the speaker didn’t want to hear it. 
“He was packing up his stuff,” Steve said. “He said, ‘I don’t have time for questions’ and left at like 12:30.”

A volunteer spirit
Inspired by Obama’s calls for community service, the fledgling group also launched a volunteer initiative as an offshoot. They organized snow shoveling, lawn mowing, brush clearing, and other assistance for elderly residents.
The program revealed both the best of community spirit and the complications that arise when good intentions meet practical realities. Steve recounted the tale of one woman whose lawn they mowed regularly using her own gas mower. After they had to take the mower in for blade sharpening, she became convinced they were siphoning her gas.
“We tried ‘No, no, we just got that blade fixed,’” Steve said. Later, she asked why they didn’t trim around the edges, a job for which she didn’t have the right tool. “She said, ‘What kind of business are you guys running here?’”
The phrase became a running joke. “Every time something goes quite wrong,” Steve noted with a grin, we say, “’What kind of business are we running here?’”

Passing the torch
When Steve felt ready to step back from running the Tuesday Group, Lacey Squier was eventually able to take over.
“I feel very indebted to you, Steve,” Lacey said, crediting the Schons with creating something worth preserving.

A life fully lived
As speakers took turns at the microphone, a portrait emerged of the Schons’ deep integration into Ely’s community fabric. Ann managed the Northwoods Whole Foods Co-op for a decade, including during its quirky tenure in the lobby of the former Ely Theater, where overflow stock was stored on theater seats.
Steve led nature tours, teaching countless visitors to appreciate the wilderness. 
“You were helping them to move toward keeping wilderness,” one speaker noted, presenting Steve with a signed book. He also served as master of ceremonies for the Isabella Christmas Bird Count for years.
Their niece, voice thick with emotion, credited them with teaching her “the love of nature and appreciation for the wild world around me.”
Another speaker praised Steve’s willingness to “be a guy to watch the Vikings lose with at the bar,” adding with a laugh, “And the Twins, too.”
Squier offered a more philosophical reflection on what the Schons represent. After interviewing them for an upcoming podcast episode, she described their journey as “quintessential Ely:” moving to town because it aligned with their values, staying because it charmed them, doing whatever entrepreneurial work was necessary to make ends meet, and using their free time to build community and enjoy nature.
“You did what you had to do to stay because you loved it,” Lacey said. “And you were so entrepreneurial and industrious... so that you could do the things you wanted to do in your free time and be a member of the community and hang out with the birds and count the birds and go to Bible study and play music. That is just really poetic to me because I’m at the start of that journey.”

One last serenade
The celebration concluded with a musical tribute. Attendees sang “Sloop John B” to the Schons. Steve just happened to be wearing a Hawaiian-style Beach Boys shirt.
The Tuesday Group will continue in Ely, carrying forward the spirit of open dialogue and community engagement that Steve, Ann, and the original organizers established. But as one speaker noted, looking at the large turnout, “It’s gonna be a huge loss to the community.”