Harbor Theater fundraiser raises $4,750 for Stewart Trail fire relief

Four thousand, seven hundred fifty dollars will not replace the 34 structures damaged or destroyed in the Stewart Trail fire, but it does give Lake County residents something immediate: cash that can move now, through local hands, while the longer recovery process keeps taking shape.

That was the point of the Harbor Theater fundraiser in Two Harbors on June 2, where a Fire Relief Fundraiser ran from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and drew support for people still sorting through losses after the blaze north of town. The event turned a familiar North Shore venue into a relief stop, with live music from Shore Thing, Rick Evans, the Scandinavian Fiddlers, Gene LaFond and Amy Grillo. Nacho Bizness provided food, and Harbor Rail handled beverages.

The Stewart Trail fire began May 15, about 3 miles north of Two Harbors, and Lake County later said it burned 356 acres and was caused by a power line. County updates listed 34 structures destroyed or damaged, including 8 primary structures and 26 outbuildings. Containment reached 62% by May 18 and 100% by May 19, but the recovery effort quickly became a separate and more complicated job.

By the time of the Harbor Theater fundraiser, Lake County had already set up a broader relief structure. On May 28, county officials held a Community Outreach Event at Sonju Arena in Two Harbors for affected property owners, with Minnesota DNR Forestry and Restoration, Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management, the Minnesota Department of Commerce, United Way, the American Red Cross, the Two Harbors Food Shelf and Justice North all available to help.

Financial aid has also been routed through Head of the Lakes United Way, which is serving as fiscal agent for wildfire donations and charging no administrative fees. The organization’s 2026 Lake County Wildfire Recovery Fund can provide one-time disbursements of up to $2,000, and wildfire relief applications remain open until June 30. Lake County and local partners have said at least 20 people were still affected, underscoring how much of the burden remains on residents, donors, venues and relief systems to fill the gap between emergency response and full rebuilding.

For Lake County, the $4,750 total is small beside the scale of the fire’s damage, but it is immediate, local and usable, the kind of money that helps bridge the hard stretch between what was lost and what comes next.