Issuu

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

contents

City Notes

Highlights of important happenings in the area

18 Then & Now December 2023 No. 416

Publishers

Jane Hutchens James Larsen II

Managing Editor Michael Murray

Calendar Editors Erin Elliott Bryan Carrie Usher

Graphic Design

Superior View The Richter Brewery in Escanaba

New York Times Crossword Puzzle Double Talk (answers on page 69)

21 On Campus

News from U.P. universities & colleges

25 Essay

The Christmas Eve Wrinkle

Marty Achatz

Kristi Evans Generations have treasured Presque Isle Park

27 Feature 35 Locals

Erin Elliott Bryan David White tells the stories behind John Voelker’s books

Jennifer Bell

Proofreader

40 The Arts

Circulation

42 Back Then

Pam Christensen

46 In the Outdoors

Alex Lehto-Clark

Kingsley Agassi Dick Armstrong

Chief Photographer Tom Buchkoe

Marquette Monthly, published by Model Town Publishing, LLC, located at PO Box 109, Gwinn, MI, 49841, is locally and independently owned. Entire contents Copyright 2023 by Model Town Publishing. All rights reserved. Permission or use of editorial material in any manner must be obtained in writing from the publishers. Marquette Monthly is published 12 times a year. Subscriptions are $65 per year. Freelance material can be submitted for consideration to editor@marquettemonthly.com. Events can be submitted to calendar@marquettemonthly.com. Ad inquiries can be sent to jane@marquettemonthly. com or james@marquettemonthly.com.

906-360-2180 marquettemonthly.com

About the Cover Artist This month’s cover artist is Carol Papaleo, a full-time artist who works in watercolors, acrylics and mixed media. She is the owner of the Art U.P. Style Gallery in downtown Marquette. See more of her artwork at her shop and on Facebook and Etsy.

Jennifer Donovan Cathy Bolton’s voice captivates audiences

Barb Crill was a pioneer in girls sports

The Marquette hatchery has stocked fish for a century

50 Sporting Life

Brad Gischia Physical activity is important in enduring winter

52 In the Outdoors

Kathy Ihde

54 Sporting Life

Jim LaJoie

Volunteers work to preserve public lands Mettlachs have patrolled football sidelines for decades

58 In the Outdoors

Scot Stewart The natural world offers an abundance of patterns

Conversation

Coloring Page

Andie Balenger Bay College’s new president adapts to U.P. life

72 Superior Reads

Michael Murray

John Smolens’ new novel blends history and suspense

74 Superior Reads

Victor R. Volkman Mikel Classen revisits U.P. history

Poetry Blessing

77 Out & About

Roslyn Elena McGrath Erin Elliott Bryan & Carrie Usher

December events and music, art and museum guides

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

city notes Travel Marquette announces holiday, winter events

Winter Games returning to Marquette

ravel Marquette has announced the schedule of upcoming winter events and programming. The third annual Holiday Lasers on the Ore Dock runs through Dec. 31. In partnership with Fresh Coast Light Lab, this artistic light show is projected onto the north side of Marquette’s Lower Harbor ore dock. Mattson Lower Harbor Park is a recommended spot from which to enjoy it. It takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. The Downtown Holiday Market will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays (Dec. 2, 9 and 16) indoors at the Marquette Commons. This market will feature local artisans and producers selling holiday gifts, along with farmers providing fresh local food and Christmas trees. Ring in the new year in downtown Marquette at the annual New Year’s Eve Ball Drop on Dec. 31. The 100 block of West Washington Street will be closed for this event. The Noquemanon Ski Marathon, a premier point-to-point cross-country ski event, is set for Jan. 26-27. This event is projected to bring more than 1,200 skiers to the area to compete in various races, including the 50-kilometer marathon and 50K relay, a 24K Half Noque and the Noque 12. A 15mile snowshoe event is also available, as well as adaptive ski, a junior Noque for kids and more. For an authentic Yooper celebration of Finnish heritage, the Heikki Lunta Festival is an annual mythology event created around Heikki Lunta, a fictional snow god that would perform a dance to bring the snow. The festival, slated for Feb. 2-3 in Negaunee, will include several events such as the Irontown Rail Jam. The UP200 is one of America’s premier 12-dog, mid-distance sled dog races and draws mushers from around the United States and Canada. The race covers approximately 220 miles from Marquette to Grand Marais, with a return to Marquette along the same trail. It is set for Feb. 15-19. Visit travelmarquette.com for more information about these events.

Pow wow set for Dec. 2 on NMU’s campus

he Sault Ste. Marie band of Chippewa Indians and NMU’s Native American Student Association will host the Learning to Walk Togeth-

After successfully hosting a northern Michigan hub of the Meijer State Games in Marquette for the past two winters, the State Games of Michigan has tapped the nonprofit Great Lakes Sports Commission to act on its behalf as official host of the northern Michigan hub of the Winter Games in Marquette starting in 2024. The Meijer State Games of Michigan was started in 2010 as an Olympic-style, multisport event that welcomes athletes regardless of age or ability level. Scheduled for Feb. 9-11, the Marquette-based Winter Games will feature seven sports at six venues, as well as an opening ceremonies event on Feb. 9 at Marquette Mountain sponsored by NMU. For information and to register for the Winter Games Marquette hub, visit stategamesofmichigan.com/marquette-winter-games. (Photo courtesy of the Meijer State Games of Michigan)

er Pow Wow on Dec. 2 at NMU’s Northern Center ballrooms. Grand entries will take place at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., with a feast at 5 p.m. The event is open to the public, and everyone is welcome. For information, email nasa@nmu.edu.

daily at 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday with an additional screening at 7 p.m. on Thursdays through Dec. 15. On Dec. 6, the screening will be followed by a Q&A with the directors, Rory K. McHarg and Bret Miller. For information, visit nmu.edu/devos.

Film depicts story behind iconic Bell’s beer label

Calumet library to host author Groth on Dec. 6

n connection with the 2023 NMU School of Art and Design Senior Exhibition, the DeVos Art Museum will host free daily film screenings of Two Hearted Tale: The Story of Ladislav Hanka and the Art of Bell’s Beer. Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale is America’s No. 1 IPA. The iconic trout image is found in convenience stores nationwide, but the story of this one label twists and turns over the span of 40 years. The vision created at Bell’s started a revolution in the craft brewing industry that changed what a beer label could be: a piece of art. The film is the unconventional story of Ladislav Hanka, an artist and naturalist from Kalamazoo, whose love of fishing, the Upper Peninsula and beer found its way into stores across America. Two Hearted Tale will be screened

he Calumet Public Library will welcome author Kathy Groth for the launch of her second book, Sunken: Shipwrecks of Lake Michigan, on Dec. 6. Groth is also the author of Sunken: Shipwrecks of Lake Superior. Both books offer a mixture of true stories with a touch of fantasy. They address Great Lakes maritime history and legend to inspire young readers to go deeper and explore the mysteries behind the shipwrecks. Maps and photographs illustrate the adventures of Chase and Bri as they learn the stories of the deep. The books are intended to intrigue readers from ages 8 to adult. Groth’s talk at 6:30 p.m. will be followed by a book signing in the library’s Community Room. Books will be available for purchase, and proceeds will be used to support the Friends of the Calumet Public Library.

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

Additionally, the monthly meeting of the Friends of the Library will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 12. Preschool Story Times is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. each Thursday. For information, call 906-3370311, ext. 1107.

League of Women Voters to discuss Electoral College

he League of Women Voters of Marquette County will hold its next meeting on Dec. 6. It will feature a discussion about the history of the Electoral College titled “Why the U.S. has an Electoral System that No Country on Earth has Copied.” The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major policy issues and influences public policy through education and advocacy. All community members are welcome to attend. Social time will begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by the meeting at 6:45 p.m. in Studio 1 on the lower level of Peter White Public Library. If hazardous weather occurs, the meeting format will be changed to Zoom. For information, write to lwvmqtco@gmail.com or visit lwvmqt.org.

Anniversary read-through of ‘Requiem’ planned

ll are welcome to join an explorative read-through of “A Child’s Requiem” from 2 to 5 p.m. on Dec. 30 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Marquette. The piece was commissioned in 2013 by the Marquette Symphony Orchestra and composed by Marquette native Thomas LaVoy (with a libretto by local poet Esther Margaret Ayers) to mark the 100th anniversary of the Italian Hall disaster. Attendees are welcome to sing in an ad hoc choir of interested individuals and alumni of the 2013 premiere of the work, or simply observe the discussion and listen to the music. The cost is $20 for those who would like the music to sing along or study the score, or free for those who would simply like to observe. Scores must be purchased in advance no later than Dec. 15 at thomaslavoy.com/ scores/requiem. For information, call 267-4383119.

Japanese printmaking talk scheduled for Jan. 9

he Lake Superior Art Association will continue its monthly programming in 2024 with a series of art talks and workshops. The first event

Bradford Veley is a freelance cartoonist, illustrator and farmer in the U.P. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram and at bradveley.com.

will be an Art Talk on Japanese block print techniques with Mary Brodbeck on Jan. 9 in the Shiras Room at the Peter White Public Library. Brodbeck is a Michigan artist who, since 1988, has studied, implemented and taught the traditional methods of a Japanese woodblock printmaking process called mokuhanga. The Zenlike qualities of her stylized Great Lakes landscapes have received critical acclaim in both Japan and the United States. During the Art Talk, Brodbeck will show some of her work and explain the traditional printmaking process.

Notable Book Club presents Q&A with Matt Hellman

he Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers and Authors Association has scheduled author events with winners of the U.P. Notable Book List. The 33rd event will be with novelist Matt Hellman, author of The Biting Cold, a dark fantasy set during the worst snowstorm in recent memory in Copper Harbor. Supernatural threats and an ancient evil not seen in those parts in more than a century menaces an already isolated community at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula. The conversation will take place at 7 p.m. on Jan. 11 via Zoom. Contact

Evelyn Gathu in advance at egathu@ crystalfallslibrary.org or 906-8753344. It is recommended you borrow a copy of the book from your local library or purchase one from your local bookseller in advance to get the most out of these events. More information about the U.P. Notable Book list, U.P. Book Review and the UPPAA can be found at UPNotable.com.

Marquette church offers free Christmas Day brunch

oveMarq Church in Marquette will host a free Christmas Day brunch that is open to the community. The meal is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 25. Gluten-free and dairy-free options will be available. LoveMarq Church is located at 728 W. Kaye Ave. in Marquette. Visit lovemarqchurch.org for more information.

Ishpeming library adds Comics Plus to offerings

he Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library announces the addition of Comics Plus — a new digital resource available to library cardholders. Comics Plus allows readers of all ages to access thousands of digital comics, graphic novels and manga online or on the LibraryPass app free with a library card. Digital books are available

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

Did You Know ... when tourism began in the Upper Peninsula?

he earliest tourists arrived in the 1830s seeking to view the wonders of Pictured Rocks, like New York physician Chandler Gilman. With the end of the fur trade, Mackinac Island developed hotels and attracted tourists including foreign ambassadors and southerners who sought its beauty and cool air and fishing opportunities. At Sault Ste. Marie, tourists arrived to fish the rushing waters of the St. Marys River. Others proceeded westward to view the fabled iron and copper mines. The rest is history. Submitted by Dr. Russell M. Magnaghi, history professor emeritus of NMU and author of several books, including Classic Food and Restaurants of the Upper Peninsula.

simultaneously, which means there are no holds, wait times or borrowing limits. Library cards for the Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library are available for free to residents living within the City of Ishpeming and surrounding townships including Champion, Ely, Humboldt, Ishpeming and Tilden townships. Negaunee residents with a Negaunee library card are also eligible to sign up for an Ishpeming card.

Choral Society to present Transcendence this month

he Marquette Choral Society will present two concerts in December. The theme of the programs is “Transcendence: Celebrating the Transcendence of Life over Death and Peace over Strife.” The group will perform Tarik O’Regan’s “Martyr,” written in 2008; and Joseph Haydn’s “Paukenmesse,” or “Mass in the Time of War,” written in 1796. O’Regan’s recent work investigates and has been influenced by his dual Arab and Irish heritages. His setting of the “Agnus Dei” was performed at the coronation service of King Charles III. “Martyr,” the piece to be performed by MCS, celebrates the life of St. Alban, the first known British Christian martyr. It was written as a counterpart to Haydn’s “Missa in Angustiis” (Nelson’s Mass) using the same orchestration. The concerts will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 16 and 3 p.m. on Dec. 17 at Kaufman Auditorium. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for students and can be purchased online at nmu. edu/tickets. The MCS is a mixed-voice, nonauditioned, adult choir of about 100 singers from a four-county region in the Upper Peninsula. For information, visit marquettechoralsociety.org.

Organization seeks mail connections for prisoners

n Your Cell, a jail/prison ministry for the U.P. and beyond, is seeking men, women, couples or families to adopt a male prisoner in Michigan for once-a-month U.S. mail connection to offer encouragement, support, a listening ear, respect and friendship. About 75 percent of Michigan inmates have zero to little outside connections. All inmates apply and are vetted, and outside adopters can receive mail through the organization’s address if desired. There are no phone calls or money involved, and both parties are asked for an initial one-year commitment. In Your Cell has adopted 22 men and is seeking at least six more matches. Adopters need “to be kind to the Christian faith,” according to a press release. For information, contact Mike at 906-241-7731 or wyolaramie@yahoo.com.

U.P. recipients earn Governor’s Service Awards

ov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Community Service Commission honored two U.P. individuals and one organization at the 2023 Governor’s Service Awards presented on Nov. 28. The Governor’s Service Awards is an annual statewide recognition event that acknowledges the contributions made through volunteerism, service and philanthropy. Andrew Rickauer, executive director of United Way of Marquette County, received a Community Impact Award. Rickauer spearheaded the creation of Yoopers United, an online volunteer platform, the Marquette Trail Running Group and the annual City-Wide Egg Hunt and Kids Egg Hunt. He currently serves as president of the Kiwanis Club of Marquette, as well as part of several other nonprofit organizations.

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

Marcia Gonstead of Big Bay was recognized as Volunteer of the Year. Over the last 20 years, Gonstead has served on numerous boards that work to protect and promote the U.P.’s natural environment, including the Noquemanon Trail Network and the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve, and has worked to raise funds, plan events, manage land acquisition and coordinate volunteers. The Suicide Survivors Fund, which is administered by the Community Foundation of Marquette County, was also recognized with a Community Impact Award. The group provides financial support to individuals and families who have lost loved ones to suicide.

Marquette resident honored as outstanding employee

achael Guth of Marquette was one of the winners of the 2023 Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development honor awards. Guth, who serves the Upper Peninsula as the department’s environmental stewardship division conservation program regional coordinator, earned the Front Line Ambassador Award. This award is given to an employee who is regularly put in precarious and difficult situations, all the while demonstrating a positive attitude, identifying creative options for resolution and following through with the constituent. The award is not given for a singular achievement or activity, but rather reflects a continuing commitment to the mission and values of the agency.

Deerton artist awarded development grant

ulie Highlen of Deerton has been awarded a professional development grant of $1,250 from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council. The grant was awarded through the MACC peer review process. The funds will support a personalized artist-in-residency at Isle Royale National Park in August 2024. Most of Highlen’s current artwork depicts Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Lake Superior shorelines and northern Minnesota. Her goal is to expand her artistic scope by adding Isle Royale scenes from personal experience to her portfolio. During the roughly two-week island residency, Highlen’s primary focus will be to use acrylic paints on small wood block panels to create a collection of “mini moments” that portray life on Isle Royale. “I feel honored and privileged to be awarded this grant,” she said. “I plan on being very disciplined during this

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

residency to capture as much of the island as possible.”

Michigan Tech library earns excellence award

mployees at the J. Robert Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library at Michigan Tech University were awarded a 2023 Citation of Excellence for exemplifying excellence in customer service at the Michigan Library Association’s annual conference on Oct. 18. The Library of Michigan Foundation and the Library of Michigan support this annual award, which is open to public, school, academic and special libraries across the state. MTU library director Erin Matas said receiving the award reaffirms the library’s dedication to fostering a welcoming and enriching learning environment.

Organizations earn grants as entrepreneurial hubs

ov. Gretchen Whitmer on Nov. 9 joined the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to announce that 27 organizations have been selected to serve as entrepreneurial hubs across the state of Michigan, providing comprehensive resources and support to the state’s small businesses. The Small Business Support Hubs program received approval from the Michigan Strategic Fund in June, following the passage of the $75 million Small Business Smart Zones and Business Accelerators initiative by the Michigan Legislature in February. The program is funded by a one-time appropriation using American Rescue Plan Act dollars to create and operate programs to support small businesses disproportionately affected by COVID-19. In Region 1, the grantees are Michigan Tech Enterprise Corporation ($3,426,316), Lake Superior Community Partnership ($3,426,315) and Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation ($1,426,315). Among the awardees for Region 1, Lake Superior Community Partnership has provided support to its business community in Marquette County for 25 years, where 95 percent of businesses are classified as small businesses.

MTU team awarded Department of Energy grant

team at Michigan Tech led by Kuilin Zhang, associate professor in transportation systems and computer science, recently received $1.2 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop technolo-

gy that can model a low-carbon, intermodal freight transportation system of the future. Zhang’s team is developing a predictive tool that companies can use for faster, cheaper and more energy-efficient shipping — even when the logistics are affected by unexpected events. Zhang envisions a user-friendly graphics interface for rail, shipping and trucking companies to configure scenarios that deal with route changes due to unexpected events like inclement weather or accidents. He’s seeking industry members to give feedback as the model is developed. The project, “A Decarbonized and Resilient Intermodal Freight Transportation Modeling Platform for Intermodal Logistical Decisions Under Uncertainty” — DRIFT, for short — is one of six the DOE awarded nationwide. Michigan Tech’s project was the only one awarded in the state.

Report bear dens to DNR

UPHS–Marquette awarded Stroke Center Certification

West End Health Foundation awards several grants

he West End Health Foundation hosted a check presentation for the fall programmatic grant awardees during the WEHF’s Business After Hours event on Nov. 6 at The Mather in Ishpeming. The total funding allocated for the programmatic grants was $50,000. The board of directors presented the following grant awardees: Just Believe ($3,580) for sun safety/skin cancer awareness and prevention and sunscreen dispensers; Ishpeming-Negaunee-NICE Community Education Division ($5,220) for Beyond 26; Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes ($2,500) for The Girl Scout Leadership Experience in the West End; Ishpeming Cancer Society, dba Cancer Care of Marquette County ($10,000), for patient care services; Upper Peninsula Hospice Association, dba U.P. Hospice Foundation ($2,500), for hospice comfort

supports organizations dedicated to promoting the health and wellness of the Marquette County West End communities. The board of directors also awarded the Marquette County Cares Coalition (MC2) $19,755, which was raised during the 2023 Golf Classic that took place in September. MC2 is a coalition that is committed to promoting the healthy development of young individuals. For information, visit westendhf.org or call 906-2266591, ext. 104.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is asking outdoor enthusiasts to keep an eye open for black bear dens. Reporting den locations is a simple yet effective way to support bear management programs. Depending on their location in the state, bears typically enter dens in November and December. They tend to select dens in locations that provide shelter from the elements, which can include areas with dense vegetation, rock crevices, fallen trees or excavated holes. Bear dens may look like brush piles covered in snow or excavated holes in the ground. If you believe you have found a bear den, keep a safe distance away and avoid disturbing the den or the bears inside. It is illegal to disturb a bear den or disturb, harm or molest a bear in its den. Record the location, using GPS coordinates if possible, and report the information to Cody Norton in the U.P. at 906-202-3023 or NortonC3@michigan.gov. After receiving a report of a denned bear, DNR biologists will determine if the animal is a good candidate for joining its ongoing project to support bear management. (Photo courtesy of the Michigan DNR)

programs; My Community Dental Centers ($10,000) for the Marquette Dental Services Expansion Program; Superior Child Advocacy Center, dba Northern Lights CAC ($5,000), for forensic interviews and victim advo-

cacy; Feeding America West Michigan ($10,000) for mobile food pantries on the West End; and Superior String Alliance ($1,200) for health care and supplies. The WEHF programmatic grant

December 2023

P Health System–Marquette has earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval and the American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Primary Stroke Center Certification. UPHS–Marquette underwent an onsite review on Oct. 11 as part of the process to achieve the certification. During the visit, a team of Joint Commission reviewers evaluated compliance with related certification standards, including timeliness of stroke treatment, compliance with established stroke care guidelines and stroke center organization and protocols. The reviewers also conducted onsite observations and interviews. Certification means that UPHS– Marquette has demonstrated a commitment to providing the highest quality care when evaluated against the highest standards of performance for stroke. The Stroke Steering Committee at UPHS–Marquette focused on several performance improvement projects including patient education materials, collaborative education and training with EMS and first responders. The committee worked with every department in the hospital that would be involved with the patient care path to set best practices.

Marquette Monthly

Superior Health Foundation awards more than $942,000

he Superior Health Foundation in Marquette awarded more than $942,000 in health-centered grant funding at its Fall Grants Celebration on Oct. 26. The foundation awarded $722,065.93 in proactive pediatric mental health grants to six nonprofit organizations in the U.P.: Michigan State University–Department of Pediatrics and Human Development ($389,237.00) to create UP-TEACH to help expand mental health literacy for the next generation of U.P. providers; Upper Peninsula Health Care Solutions Inc. ($106,165.93) to support its Upper Peninsula Behavioral Health Network project; Great Lakes Recovery Centers Inc. ($80,000) for the creation of a day treatment program; Catholic Social Services of the Upper Peninsula ($70,194) to expand its evidenced-based treatment program for mental illness; Northern Michigan University ($36,673) for its U.P. Behavioral Health Education Hub project; Marquette-Alger RESA ($23,000) for its Upper Peninsula Wellness Task Force project; and Marquette-Alger RESA ($16,796) for its School-Based Universal Mental Health Screening pilot project. The Superior Health Foundation also awarded $204,654.15 in fall grants to eight nonprofit organizations in the U.P.: Fork Farms Foundation ($65,099) to increase food security in K-12 schools in the Upper Peninsula through indoor agriculture; UPCAP ($38,000) for the U.P. Food as Medicine Infrastructure Expansion project; MPTA/Michigan Transportation Connection ($25,000) for indigent support for MTC ConnectUP transportation services; OSF St. Francis ($22,634.15) for the expansion of cardiology services at St. Francis Hospital; Marquette-Alger RESA ($21,421) for Phase II of the Teen Mental Health First Aid U.P. Expansion Project; Trillium House ($15,000) for its “Meeting Healthcare Needs in our Communities: An Awareness Campaign of Respite and Hospice Support Services” project; Eversight ($10,000) for sight-saving eye tissue donation and transplantation support; and The Lakes Community Health Center Inc. ($7,500) for the Hurley Pediatric Therapies Lending Closet. Pilot project and equipment grants were also awarded to the following organizations: Camp New Day U.P., Camp UPeninsulin, County of Alger, Gogebic County Sheriff’s Office, Little Learners Early Childhood Center, Marquette Chapter of National AM-

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

BUCS, Negaunee Fire Fighters Association, Negaunee Public Schools and U.P. Chapter AACN. SHF accepts grant proposals monthly for pilot project and equipment grants. Applications for the spring grants cycle will be accepted from Dec. 15 through Jan. 15. For information, visit superiorhealthfoundation.org.

Great Lakes Recovery awarded state funding

s part of an effort to reduce overdose deaths in Michigan, the state Department of Health and Human Services recently awarded 17 grants totaling $2.7 million to help increase access to services for economically disadvantaged individuals seeking or engaging in treatment, harm reduction or recovery support services. These grants are being made available through Michigan’s opioid settlement funding. Among the recipients was Great Lakes Recovery Centers in Marquette County, which was awarded $200,000. Reducing health disparities in overdoses and substance use disorder treatment and recovery services is a priority for MDHHS. Lack of access to transportation is cited as a major barrier to individuals seeking to access these services, particularly in rural and economically disadvantaged areas. These grants will provide direct funding support to agencies to expand their capacity to transport participants to and from treatment appointments and other supportive services. Funding will also be provided to agencies to support the distribution of gas cards, bus passes and taxi or rideshare services.

U.P. organizations receive MACC funding

he Michigan Arts and Culture Council has awarded $666,567 in grants to U.P. arts and cultural organizations and individuals for the 2023 fiscal year. The Upper Peninsula Arts and Culture Alliance promotes MACC grants to U.P. organizations and individuals. The following grants were awarded by county: Alger, $52,580 (Munising Public Schools, Superior Central School District, U.P. Arts and Culture Alliance); Chippewa, $113,677 (Eastern U.P. Planning Commission, Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, Le Sault de Ste. Marie Historical Sites, Sault Area Arts Council, Soo Locks Children’s Museum and Soo Theatre Project); Delta, $17,550 (The Boni-

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

Northwoods AirLifeline purchases plane

Thanks to the generosity of several donors, including the Rod and Holly Aldrich Donor Advised Fund, the Community Foundation of Marquette County recently awarded a $50,000 grant to Northwoods AirLifeline to purchase a second aircraft. Northwoods AirLifeline is a nonprofit organization of volunteer pilots from the Upper Peninsula and northeast Wisconsin who donate their time and aircraft to help patients and their families with urgent medical needs to travel for services that are not available locally. Since its founding in 1989, more than 2,200 missions have been flown to destinations throughout the Upper Midwest at no cost. Pictured is pilot Jesse Bell, vice president/secretary of Northwoods AirLifeline, who said, “I feel like the luckiest guy in the world helping people who desperately need a lift while sharing my love of flying airplanes.” (Photo courtesy of the Community Foundation of Marquette County)

fas Arts Center and Players de Noc); Gogebic, $51,400 (Ironwood Downtown Art Place and Ironwood Theatre); Houghton, $107,500 (Calumet Theatre Co., Copper Country Community Arts Council, Copper Country Suzuki Association, Michigan Technological University Rosza Center and Pine Mountain Music Festival); Iron, $15,500 (Crystal Theatre and Northwoods Music Collaborative); Mackinac, $51,000 (Mackinac Arts Council, Michilimackinac Historical Society and Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum); Marquette, $209,712 (City of Marquette, Hiawatha Music Non-Profit, Lake Superior Theater, Liberty Children’s Art Project, Marquette City Band, Marquette County Historical Society, Marquette Maritime Museum, Marquette Symphony Orchestra, Marquette-Alger Regional Educational Service Agency, Northern Michigan University DeVos Art Museum, Superior Arts Youth Theater, Superior String Alliance, Upper Peninsula Children’s Museum and U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame and Museum); Ontonagon, $18,000 (Friends of the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park); and Schoolcraft, $29,378 (Lake Effect Community Arts Center). Applications for the second round

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

of grants are due Jan. 15, 2024. For information, visit michiganbusiness. org/industries/macc/macc-grants/ or email sue@upacalliance.com.

Whitmer appoints Germain to rural development board

ov. Gretchen Whitmer appointed Chris Germain, CEO of the Lake Superior Community Partnership in Marquette, to the Rural Development Fund Board on Nov. 2. The board is charged with advising the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on how to distribute tax revenue collected from mines to improve and strengthen local communities. Germain’s term expires on Dec. 31, 2026.

Local business news in brief

• UP Health System welcomes Ishpeming native Luke Edwards, M.D., to its urology practice. Edwards sees patients ages 12 and up for general urology issues, with specialized training and experience in the removal of kidney stones and urologic cancers. Board-certified in urology, Edwards is a graduate of Michigan Technological University, where he received a bachelor of arts degree in biological sciences and played on the football team. Following his un-

dergraduate studies, Edwards earned his Doctorate in Medicine from the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit. In his postgraduate training, Edwards joined Beaumont Health System (now Corewell Health) in Royal Oak to complete his internship in general surgery and residency in urology. Prior to joining UP Health System, he was a practicing urologist at Pikeville Medical Center in Pikeville, Kentucky. • UP Health System–Marquette has welcomed board-certified vascular surgeon Ryan Meehan, M.D., to the Heart and Vascular Center team. Meehan specializes in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of vascular diseases, from varicose veins to life-threatening aneurysms. Originally from Detroit, Meehan most recently worked as a vascular surgeon at REX Vascular Specialists in Raleigh, N.C., where he also helped train UNC vascular surgery fellows. Meehan joins the team of more than 30 providers in the UP Health System–Marquette Heart and Vascular Center, located at 850 W. Baraga Ave., Suite 20. • Wattsson & Wattsson Jewelers has announced sales manager Lacee J. Hartzell earned the Graduate Gemologist diploma from the Gemological Institute of America. This achievement signifies Hartzell’s knowledge and expertise in the field of gemology. By earning this credential, Hartzell has demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of gemstone identification and grading. She has worked at Wattsson & Wattsson Jewelers for 10

years and is the only graduate gemologist working in a jewelry store in the Central Upper Peninsula. • New Power Tour Inc., a Hancock-based energy nonprofit, has received a $220,000 contribution from the Klungness Foundation to support the $1 million recently awarded to the Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority through MI HOPE (Michigan Housing Opportunities Promoting Energy Efficiency). The program is designed to repair and/or replace the roofs, windows and doors of income-qualified households. The contribution will enable more families and homeowners to upgrade old, expensive and poorly performing HVAC systems and assist with sealing and insulating old, leaky housing stock. To sign up for the program, call 906-482-7205. • The Superior Health Foundation added Scott Sampeer, a certified financial planner with Northwestern Mutual in Marquette, as a new director to the Upper Peninsula board at its November meeting. As a certified financial planner, Sampeer conducts financial assessments for clients to create tailored financial plans. He also provides guidance on retirement planning to enable his clients to achieve their retirement goals. Sampeer also serves as vice president of the Marquette Federation of Women’s Clubs and serves as the membership committee chair for the Marquette Lions Club.

From playground to pumpkin patch

Students in Pre-K Gold at Father Marquette Catholic Academy recently turned the playground into a pumpkin patch. Students were each given $5 of pretend money to pick out their pumpkins. The pumpkins ranged in price, so the class had to count out money as they paid the cashier. (Photo courtesy of Father Marquette Catholic Academy)

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

Supporting local food systems

The Western Upper Peninsula Food Systems Collaborative invites the public to review its fourth annual report, which highlights a sampling of area projects that support stronger and healthier local food systems. Among the projects featured include Manoomin (Wild Rice) Camp, coordinated by Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the Humongous Fungus Festival, Biblio Bistro series, Portage Lake Seed Library and the first season of Calumet’s community garden. Regional farm-to-school efforts and the launch of a regional food systems survey combined partner collaboration and research to identify next steps in improving access to fresh, healthy foods; and local farmers and partners kicked off a new grassroots effort, From the Ground Farmers Market Collaborative, to better support local farmers and food access across our communities. For information, visit wupfoodsystems.com/reports. (Photo courtesy of the Western Upper Peninsula Food Systems Collaborative)

• The Community Foundation of Marquette County has welcomed Kyle Aho, Alex Flannery, Andy Herro and Emily Leach to its board of trustees. They will each serve three-year terms. Aho was born and raised in Gwinn, graduating from Gwinn High School in 2010. He joined the team at Active Physical Therapy and served as the clinic director in outpatient orthopedics for four years. During that time, he and his wife continued to grow a real estate investment company that they started in 2010; it has become their fulltime role with the mission of changing the culture of attainable housing in Marquette County. Aho serves on the Gwinn Area Community Fund, a CFMC affiliate fund. Flannery is the first Upper Peninsula resident hired on a remote basis to the Michigan Arts and Culture Council, an agency of the State of Michigan. Currently, he serves as program manager and works with his colleagues to distribute more than $12 million in operational and project-based grant funding to arts and culture organizations around the state. He also serves on the CFMC grants committee. Herro grew up in Manistique and graduated from NMU. He has been

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

in lending his entire career, holding leadership positions for the last 10 years. His current position is community bank president for Upper Peninsula State Bank, a role he’s held since 2020. During his career, he has covered Marquette, Houghton, Baraga, Delta, Iron and Dickinson counties. Leach studied environment studies and sustainability as well as Native American studies at NMU and had an internship with the Alger Conservation District. She transitioned to a program manager position with Superior Watershed Partnership, and after six years she advanced to work as senior planner with Marquette County. Previously, Leach worked with CFMC on the Marquette County Master Plan 2040, Our Common Future initiative and grants and the Clean Energy grant through the Mott Foundation. She has also served as chair for the Marquette County Climate Adaptation Task Force since 2019. MM How to submit to City Notes The deadline for event and press release submissions for City Notes is the 10th day of the month prior to publication. Email your press release to editor@marquettemonthly.com.

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

then & now

The Richter Brewery on Ludington Street in Escanaba was built in 1900 and 1901. At the end of the Prohibition era, it was sold to the Delta Brewing Co., which occupied the building from 1933 to 1940.

Photos provided by Superior View Studios, located in Art of Framing, 149 W. Washington St. Marquette viewsofthepast.com

The Richter Brewery is now a mixed-use building featuring apartments and commercial space.

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

Double Talk

No. 1112

Reprinted from the New York Times By Rich Katz / Edited By Will Shortz

ACRO S S 1 Pulled one’s pants up? 7 Group of mimes, maybe 13 Neither crushed it nor got crushed 18 Revenue source for a website 19 Excitement 20 Really bad 21 But wait! 23 One of the Wayans brothers 24 Output of Michel de Montaigne 25 Asian honorific 26 Bone insert following an accident 27 In the past 28 She shares a home with Homer 31 Small plateau 33 Broad key 35 Pig 36 Potato, in Indian cooking 37 Buffoon 38 To peace! 41 Totally phat 43 Nail-polish brand 44 Queen’s accessory 45 ‘‘Star Wars’’ queen 47 Go ____ 50 Classic Greek archetype? 54 Word for word, in Paris? 55 Holy Week 58 Get ready 59 Place to drop off a package 61 With 2-Down, end of the Gettysburg address? 62 Wipe clean 63 Lhasa ____ 65 Pointer 66 ‘‘E pluribus unum’’ appears on one 69 Crushed (it)

Answer key To check your answers, see Page 69.

70 ‘‘The Glass Bead Game’’ author 72 Lipa who sang ‘‘Levitating’’ 74 Martini ingredient 76 Text tweaks 77 Air rights 79 ‘‘Cool’’ that’s no longer cool 82 Mind-numbing detail 84 Skip a party, in a way 85 French cosmetics chain 87 Coming ’round again 89 Padre’s hermana 90 Psychedelic dose 91 Bare feet 96 Snoop 98 Ones who get setters better? 99 Surface alternative 100 One praised at the Kaaba 101 Actress Rowlands 103 One winging it? 104 ‘‘And so on’’ 105 Professional connections 106 Guacamole or tahini 108 Air-____ (extra-secure, as a computer) 110 ‘‘How considerate!’’ 112 We won! 117 Goes ‘‘bottoms up’’? 118 Brainstorms 119 Beethoven work once called the ‘‘Bonaparte’’ Symphony 120 Impatiently agitated 121 Volkswagen model 122 One of eight in a V8 DOWN 1 Visit to the Kaaba 2 See 61-Across 3 Certain web portal 4 Deliver (on), as a promise 5 Beethoven wrote a piece ‘‘für’’ her 6 Relaxation spots 7 Lock

8 Spoil 9 Yours and mine 10 Loan shark 11 Grilled sandwich on Italian bread 12 Part of a Western herd 13 You might get it for a lot 14 ‘‘____ been thinking . . . ’’ 15 Peak once known as Mount McKinley 16 First state to legalize psychedelic mushrooms 17 ‘‘Star Wars’’ Jedi 19 ‘‘Mmm, I see what you’re saying’’ 20 Hershey toffee confection 22 Scottish toppers 26 Commit a holidayetiquette no-no 28 Term of address that becomes less formal when its middle letter is removed 29 Enterprise alternative 30 Flew by 32 Have ambitions 34 One of its uses is boring 35 One doing kickflips and ollies, in slang 37 Red-faced 39 Exhaust . . . or something found near the exhaust 40 Wrathful 42 Yoga equipment 43 Memorable part of Rossini’s ‘‘William Tell’’ 46 First of five at the Globe Theater 48 Toss in 49 Infuser contents 51 See in 52 Trick 53 Column that might lead to a row? 56 Home-organizing guru Marie 57 Focuses of some sonograms

60 Put on airs 63 [purposeful cough] 64 Salon treatment, for short 67 Book before Obadiah 68 Like those at the top, it’s said 71 Ingredient in perfumes 73 Early ISP 74 Using an e-cigarette 75 Delivery org. 77 Sources of winter strains 78 ‘‘You’ve got the wrong guy’’ 80 Muse of love poetry 81 Blue Ribbon beer 83 Connective tissues in the legs, informally 86 Some YouTube content, in short 88 Real head-turner 91 Midday nap 92 ‘‘____ Girl’’ (Billy Joel hit) 93 Ketchup container, maybe 94 ‘‘Well, aren’t you the cat’s meow!’’ 95 Complains, complains, complains 96 Manages to acquire, as a table at a popular restaurant 97 Bear whose porridge was too hot 102 Everglades bird 103 ____ dish 105 Like a leaky pen 107 Smartphone predecessors, for short 109 Word with school or cook 111 1040 collector 112 Currency unit in Laos 113 Flight spec 114 Small problem 115 Lead-in to sphere or system 116 Sought office

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

on campus

Northern’s BEAR Center serves a community need

orthern Michigan University has dedicated the new Presque Isle Avenue location of its Behavior Education Assessment and Research Center, known as BEAR. The university clinic and research facility provides behavior and learning support to children, adolescents and adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and/or traumatic brain injury. The $2 million renovation of the two-story building features new and expanded space to accommodate treatment, observation, workroom and classroom functions. “The BEAR Center’s mission is threefold,” director Jacob Daar said. “It gives our community access to quality behavior analysis services, provides training and professional development to future and current behavior analysts, and facilitates student and faculty research in the areas of clinical practice and management.” Applied behavior analysis, or ABA, is a therapy based on the science of learning and behavior. It helps people to increase or decrease behaviors that are helpful or harmful, and to learn new skills by promoting specific domains of functioning, such as social, communication and academic. ABA uses positive reinforcement to

help clients function as independently and successfully as possible, and can be customized to each person’s needs. “The BEAR Center showcases a lot of what makes NMU special,” NMU President Brock Tessman said. “One is the top-notch faculty and staff working here. The cutting-edge research they’re doing applies to some of the most significant needs we have in the region and attracts major external funding. Another thing is that this center captures our philosophy at Northern that immersive learning is oftentimes the best way to dive in. A third thing is talent attraction; this kind of place draws world-class talent to this region, and hopefully we can retain that talent. And this also contributes to Northern’s role as a workforce development engine in the Upper Peninsula. Most importantly, the BEAR Center provides critical services and resources that were otherwise extremely limited for families in Marquette and the surrounding areas.” The center was founded in 2016 as part of the NMU department of psychological science’s applied behavior analysis program. At that time, there were only four board-certified behav-

The BEAR Center’s new location features this second-floor classroom. (Photo courtesy of NMU)

ior analysts in the Upper Peninsula. The center’s first program, the Early Intensive Language Learning Clinic, opened in 2017, providing verbal behavior therapy for children ages 2 to 5. Next, it partnered with regional community mental-health facilities to support individuals of all ages with adaptive learning and behavioral difficulties. In 2019, work began with local schools to develop enhanced functional behavior assessments and behavior support plans for students experiencing skill deficits and difficult-to-manage behaviors. In 2020,

December 2023

services expanded to include the Comprehensive Behavior Support Program for children of all ages. Since opening, the BEAR Center has engaged in a variety of initiatives to support professional development and scientific activities of behavior analysts in the U.P. An online registered behavior technician training program was developed and made available to U.P. residents. The center also helped to found the Upper Peninsula Association of Behavior Analysis, a nonprofit professional network. MM

Marquette Monthly

NMU professor publishes book about role of literature in World War II diplomacy

Northern Michigan University associate professor has published a scholarly book about British literature of World War II that looks at fictional British diplomats, officials and spies in books and films that respond to wartime Fascism and to the political instability of the postwar years. In Diplomacy in Postwar British Literature and Culture, Caroline Zoe Krzakowski focuses on British writers and filmmakers working between 1935 and 1970 whose fiction, nonfiction and films tried to build cultural bridges between Britain and other countries such as the United States, Egypt, Romania and the former Yugoslavia. These cultural producers found new ways of telling stories about British identity and belonging during a time of political and societal shifts brought about by Britain’s loss of its empire and the new prominence of the U.S. in global affairs. The book began as a doctoral dissertation at McGill University and was completed with funding and support from NMU. Krzakowski decided on this topic because her own life was affected by WWII. During the war, her family worked for the anti-Nazi resistance in Poland, and her grandfather was killed in a concentration camp in Germany for his anti-fascist work. Her mother lived through the bombing of Warsaw as a child, and her father spent a year in a forced labor camp in Dessau, Germany. After the war, the family emigrated to Can-

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

Caroline Zoe Krzakowski

ada in the 1950s as postwar refugees. “The aftermath of World War Two was still felt decades later, even after cities were rebuilt. Any armed conflict will leave wounds, both social and political; it’s a kind of trauma for the whole society,” Krzakowski said. “I was really interested in exploring what the notion of political commitment meant for writers in this time, and this led me to the work of British writers who were writing both as private individuals and on behalf of their country.” One chapter of her book looks at the spy fiction of John le Carré, whose novels weren’t about heroic spies like James Bond. Le Carré shows instead how spies are used by their countries, left to their own devices and sometimes even betrayed. In another chapter on the films of Alfred Hitchcock, she argues his films, like Foreign Correspondent, work as a kind of diplomacy to convince the U.S. to join the war effort, and the characters in those films are like envoys who work on behalf of their country. “I’m thinking about British national identity from a post-colonial perspective, which means I’m interested in how ideas about stories about national identity are also very violent and can lead to violence. I try to, as much as possible, always think about where writers are situated in terms of race, class and gender. So I look at the film Notorious with Ingrid Bergman as showing us a female character who works as a spy and who is somewhat sacrificed in that role.” MM

Tech recognized for sustainability

or the first time in Michigan Technological University’s history, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education recognized the school’s sustainability achievements with a STARS Gold rating. After earning a STARS Silver Rating in 2020, Michigan Tech is one of only five public universities in Michigan to earn gold in 2023. STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education. The framework offers points in five categories — academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration, and innovation and leadership — that add up to a final score. “This accomplishment is a testament to years of work by an active community of faculty, staff and students across campus,” said Alan Turnquist, director of sustainability and resilience at Michigan Tech. “For decades the people of Michigan Tech have worked to advance sustainability in everything from research and teaching to planning and facilities management. We’re proud to finally see all the hard work pay off and be recognized.” MTU’s overall STARS score of 65.69 places the university in the top 25 percent of all schools nationwide that submitted STARS reports. The areas for which Michigan Tech received the highest marks include research and

Michigan Tech students install solar panels in L’Anse. (Photo courtesy of MTU)

teaching, innovation, and planning and administration. Over 200 Tech researchers and instructors across all academic departments are conducting sustainability-focused or sustainability-inclusive research and education, creating knowledge and solutions for a more sustainable world. According to Turnquist, one of the major factors leading to MTU’s gold rating was the administration’s commitment to expanding short-term sustainability initiatives by giving them long-term direction and institutional investment. STARS ratings are intentionally designed to show how

serious an institution truly is about sustainability, not just how well they talk about it. Universities that get the highest ratings do so only by setting sustainability goals and committing tangible resources to achieve them. “Since the launch of the Tech Forward initiatives in 2018, Michigan Tech has been very intentional about sustainability,” Turnquist said. “We not only included sustainability in the university’s strategic plan, we also created an office and a full-time position solely devoted to campus sustainability. That kind of investment of resources and intention is exactly

December 2023

what AASHE rewards in the STARS ratings, because ultimately that is what makes sustainability on campus a reality.” A number of campus sustainability initiatives have contributed to Michigan Tech’s STARS Gold recognition, including many energy savings and climate mitigation efforts that have reduced the university’s carbon footprint by over 25 percent since 2017. Nearly 140 tons of material each year are diverted from the landfill thanks to a number of campus reuse, recycling and waste reduction programs. MM

Marquette Monthly

MTU student selected for exclusive scholarship program

iven the amount of hours Michigan Tech Huskies devote to research, it’s not too surprising that Quinn Riordan was in a lab when she received some of the biggest news of her life. In July, Riordan briefly stepped away from entering data and organizing gear as part of a summer research opportunity at the University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center to check her email. Results for the 2023-24 selection of the Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship for Public Service were expected soon. “All of July, I was checking my email more often than usual,” Riordan said. “Although I never really thought I’d get it.” But she did. Riordan, a junior majoring in applied ecology and environmental science at Michigan Technological University, is one of 100 students chosen nationwide for the Voyager Scholarship’s second cohort. She joins students from 33 states and territories representing 75 colleges and universities. As a scholarship winner, she’ll receive up to $25,000 per year in last-dollar financial aid for her junior and senior years, covering Riordan’s remaining tuition after other federal, state or institutional aid is applied. The scholarship also includes a $10,000 stipend and free Airbnb housing to fund a six-week Summer Voyage between her junior and senior years. Riordan will work with mentors to design a work-travel experience that exposes her to new communities and helps her gain experience in her chosen field. She’ll also take part in an ongoing speaker series and attend an annual fall summit to network with fellow Voyagers. In addition, the scholarship includes a 10-year travel stipend of $2,000 per year in Airbnb travel credits after Riordan graduates, ensuring she’s able to continue growing and making connections as she pursues her career in public service. After graduation, Riordan will also become a member of the Obama Foundation’s global community, with access to continued resources and programs to help her develop and sustain her potential as a leader. Riordan was elated to discover she’d been chosen for the scholarship and didn’t keep the news to herself for long. Her first call was to family.

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

Quinn Riordan

“They had been rooting for me,” she said. “And family was how I found out about the scholarship in the first place.” Riordan said her family has always promoted her interest in the outdoors. That’s what led her to Michigan Tech. “I have an outdoorsy family. I was always in the water, always outside,” she said. In addition to canoe trips and visits to national parks, Riordan participated in outdoors programs for students in her hometown of Minneapolis, many specifically designed to provide members of historically underserved communities with access and opportunities in the outdoors. She also participated in pre-college programs that helped her decide on a career focus. “I found out about Tech through the Youth Conservation Corps,” she said. “When I was out on Isle Royale, I met Rolf Peterson (co-leader of the Isle Royale wolf-moose study). He actually grew up down the street from where I live in Minneapolis. He told me what he does at Tech, about Fall Camp and all the amazing projects here,” she said. Riordan followed up with a tour of campus and Michigan Tech’s College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science. “I could see myself here. It just made sense to go into ecology.” Her experience since she arrived at Tech has only made her more certain about a career path. “I took veg [North American Vegetation] and said, ‘I want to do this for the rest of my life!’” MM

essay

The Christmas Eve Wrinkle

By Marty Achatz

or five years, I had been roped into being the accompanist for St. Jude’s children’s Christmas Eve mass. For five years, I had banged out Silent Night for tinsel-winged, gum-chewing, bathrobed and foil-crowned angels, Marys, Josephs, shepherds and kings. And after each of those years, I had gone home, eggnogged myself silly and tried to survive the holidays with what was left of my sputtering Christmas spirit. It usually started at the beginning of each October. And this year seemed no different. Mrs. Janice, mother of the twin terrors of last year’s heavenly host, approached me one Sunday. “Oh, Jeremy and Justin are so looking forward to being in the choir again this year.” Dr. and Mrs. Bingly, parents of a two-year shepherd alumnus, had said to me during a chance meeting at the IGA, “Well, I hope that little Matt has a shot at Joseph this year.” Andrew Elbow’s mother and father, holding the same high aspirations for their son, volunteered for the Christmas decorating committee, the Christmas bazaar organizing committee, the Christmas adult choir and the Christmas bell-ringing committee. Finally, the hammer had fallen. Father George, beloved pastor of St. Jude’s, had pulled me aside after choir practice one Wednesday, laid a quaking hand on my shoulder, and sighed, “Well, I guess it’s about time to get the children’s Christmas Eve mass rolling.” And so ensued a flurry of announcements, bed-sheet costuming, telephone calls, prodding stage parents and, for me, two months of Saturday morning rehearsals with 20 off-key 7-year-olds under the direction of Theta Creed, retired kindergarten teacher and unchallenged führer of the Christmas Eve program. “Now, boys and girls, we must all use our best singing voices.” Theta marched up and down in front of the children, waving sheet music in their faces. “Remember

Illustration by Mike McKinney

who’s going to be out there. It’s going to be mommy and daddy and grandma and grandpa and brother and sister. A whole church full of people are going to be here to listen and watch you sing and read. They’re not here for their health. So

sing nicely.” Theta glared at her charges. “And smile.” I waited and watched for the usual array of mishaps, calamities and setbacks. First came little Tony Dickens’ disappearance into the room behind the organ

December 2023

pipes, and the two-hour search that resulted. Then there was sweet Mary Agnes’ refusal to once again be relegated to the angel choir when she was obviously Mary material. And, of course, there was the whole messy business of explaining how God was Jesus’ father when Mary was married to Joseph. I witnessed all of these things and saw the days of December slowly climb into the double digits. Nothing completely shocking happened (unless you count JayJay Feebler wetting his pants in front of the altar). No major casualties. No lawsuits. No unexpected wrinkles, until … “I just want to try something a little different!” Hector Hicks fairly glowed with Yuletide joy. Father George eyed him uncertainly. “I’m not sure, uh …” He looked at Theta’s tight-lipped expression, and then at me. “It would seem more, uh, uh … appropriate to uh, uh … .” He looked at Theta again. “Once the children remove their costumes, I don’t—” “Something special, Father George.” Hector smiled. “I don’t seem to be … ” Father George floundered. Theta’s foot began to tap. “Perhaps—” I began. “Mr. Hicks,” Theta geared up. “I really don’t know if—” “I only wish to underscore the true meaning of Christmas, Miss Creed.” Hector saw Theta’s cheeks flush. “Uh, just as you do every year with all of your under-appreciated work.” “Well, I—” Theta’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You do such a beautiful job every time.” Hector took her hand. “And all out of the goodness of your heart.” Theta smiled. “Yes.” She removed her hand from his hand. “Yes, well, we all want to show the children what Christmas is all about.” “You have such a natural rapport with them, too.” Hector shrugged. “I don’t know how you do it. For me, you’re enough to inspire any Christmas.”

Marquette Monthly

And then I heard it. It was a sound frighteningly foreign, like a rusty hasp being pried open. Theta Creed giggled. “What was your idea, Mr. Hicks?” She linked arms with Hector and led him away. On Christmas Eve, I sat on the organ bench, the music for Joy to the World spread out before me, waiting for Theta’s signal to play the final song. The entire program had come off with relatively few hitches. Parents had delivered their children on time. The wise men had tripped only once during their entrance, causing a slight domino effect through the shepherds. Mary didn’t drop the baby Jesus as she carried him to the manger. The angels had remembered to remove the gum from their mouths. Joseph even managed to put his arm around Mary. And now, everyone waited for Theta’s signal. But Theta didn’t signal. Reggie Feebler, Jay-Jay’s brother, fidgeted with his bath/shepherd’s robe. Pauline Paisely straightened her coat-hanger wings. Jeremy Janice, one of the three kings, traded his gold for his brother Justin’s frankincense. But Theta didn’t signal. Someone in the first pew coughed.

Marquette Monthly

A kneeler banged to the floor. Arms throughout the congregation waved in the air as jackets were pulled on. But Theta didn’t signal. She simply stood before the children at the head of the church, holding her music in front of her, smiling strangely. Father George looked at me. I shrugged. The door at the rear of the church opened. All heads turned. Santa Claus stepped in. He stood unmoving for a few seconds, meeting everyone’s gaze, and then slowly began walking up the center aisle. The buckles of his boots chinged in the silence. The children’s choir was going into paroxysms of whispering and pointing. Jay-Jay Feebler had his arm tucked between his legs and was doing a jig. The kings had abandoned their precious, glittery gifts. And the angels were crowding the shepherds. I looked at Father George. Father George shrugged. Santa didn’t stop in front of the children when he reached the altar. Quietly, he crossed to the manger scene displayed by the side entrance. He knelt before the crib, folded his mittened hands and bowed his whis-

December 2023

kered head. Mary and Joseph stopped elbowing. The angels stopped pushing. The shepherds stopped whispering. The wise men stopped poking. Jay-Jay stopped jigging. Everyone watched Santa. After almost half a minute, Santa stood. He looked at the children. He looked at Theta. He looked at me. Then he looked at Father George, and he nodded. Father George nodded back. Santa left by the side entrance. Theta never gave the signal. She closed her music folder and tucked it under her arm. She straightened her jacket, reached down and sniffed the corsage pinned to her lapel. She walked over to the organ. “Merry Christmas, Martin,” Theta said and smiled. Then she quietly left by the side entrance. I stared after her. After a few moments, parents began to come up and collect their children. Wings disappeared under winter coats; halos, under stocking caps. Hugs and handshakes were exchanged. But the church remained as silent as snow. I turned off the organ and began packing my music up. “Who was that?”

I looked up into the face of Dr. Bingly. “Who was that?” Dr. Bingly repeated, hooking a thumb toward the manger. I shrugged and smiled. “Santa Claus.” I picked up my music. “Make sure Matt comes out for the choir next year, doc.” I began walking away. “He’s sure to have a shot at Joseph.” MM Marty Achatz lives in Ishpeming with his wife and children. He has taught for NMU’s English department since 1998. He holds a master’s degree in fiction and an MFA in poetry. His work has appeared in many journals, anthologies, the book-length collection The Mysteries of the Rosary and two spoken-word albums, Slow Dancing with Bigfoot and Christmas with Bigfoot. Marty served two consecutive terms as U.P. Poet Laureate and is currently president of the U.P. Poet Laureate Foundation. Marty is also the adult programming coordinator for Peter White Public Library. Editor’s note: Marty allows that names and places in this essay have been changed to ensure that people stay on Santa’s Nice List.

feature

The timber gazebo on the southeast side of Presque Isle Park — a favored venue for many marriages — offers a stunning view of the horizon. (Photo by Kristi Evans)

The jewel in Marquette’s crown Generations have treasured and preserved the natural beauty of Presque Isle Park

Story and photos by Kristi Evans

resque Isle Park is widely considered the crown jewel of Marquette, an appropriate descriptor for the treasured asset of the “Queen City of the North.” Located on a 323-acre forested peninsula that juts into what regional bias dictates is the Greatest Lake, it is enjoyed by residents and visitors for its diverse and largely untouched landscapes, sweeping vistas and abundant recreational opportunities.

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

Near the timber gazebo on the park’s southeast side — a favored venue for many marriages — one can enjoy a meditative view of the horizon, where azure sky meets the blue-gray water. Coaxed by a gentle breeze, waves crest and fall gracefully in syncopated rhythm before they splash against the breakwater, rousing a gull from its rocky perch. A fenced platform farther up the coast overlooks sandstone cliffs that tower above coves carved by the thrashing motion of Superior during her feistier mood swings. On the west shore, lined with distinctive red ledges of Jacobsville sandstone, many find themselves transfixed by the tangerine glow of a glorious sunset. As the radiant orb descends, it casts a shimmering trail on the water’s surface, illuminates the clouds hovering above in vibrant hues, and leaves the Huron Mountains and small islands silhouetted in the distance. There are also stone-skipping havens heading north. At the tip of the peninsula is arguably the park’s most famous feature: Black Rocks, ancient outcroppings dated by geologists to be more than a billion years old that were scoured by glaciers. The interior of “the island,” as lo-

cals call it, is dominated by a dense forest that boasts more than 100 species of native plants and is occupied by white-tailed deer and other wildlife. Those who hike its trails are treated to softly dispersed light filtering through the trees, light that flickers at a faster cadence for those traveling by vehicle or bike beneath the canopy on Peter White Drive. In addition to nature’s sound machine — waves crashing, birds chirping — one might hear laughter from the playground and picnic areas, an outdoor concert by the Marquette City Band or piercing shrieks of delight and trepidation as people launch themselves off cliffs into the frigid lake as a rite of passage. The immensely rewarding sensory experience of time spent at Presque Isle was not lost on Frederick Law Olmsted, considered the father of landscape architecture in the United States and the designer of New York City’s Central Park. During a trip to Marquette in 1891, after Peter White had successfully lobbied Congress to deed the land to the city, Olmsted was asked to develop a management plan for turning it into a park. He refused and wrote a letter imploring the city to maintain it as a wilderness: “It should not be marred by the

Ojibwe Chief Charles Kawbawgam, whose grave is in the park, was the last person to live at Presque Isle except for the park’s caretaker. (Photo by Kristi Evans)

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

A fenced platform on the eastern shore of the park overlooks sandstone cliffs that tower above coves carved by the thrashing motion of the Greatest Lake. (Photo by Kristi Evans)

intrusion of artificial objects. … Preserve it, treasure it, as little altered as may be for all time. … We beg to congratulate Marquette on having one of the most beautiful parks in the world, and to earnestly advise that its natural beauty be religiously preserved at whatever inconvenience, as it will be worth far more than everything that art and wealth can create in a park.” Centuries before Jesuit settlers arrived and gave it the French name for “almost island,” Presque Isle was inhabited by Native Americans. This is symbolized in exquisite detail on the park’s entrance sign, which depicts an Indigenous man paddling near Black Rocks toward Sunset Point. It is based on an oil painting by Ojibwe artist Sherri Loonsfoot Aldred, who told The Mining Journal she researched old photos to ensure the work was historically accurate. For example, it is the inner bark of the birch tree, not the white surface layer typically portrayed, that covers the outside of his canoe. The late Northern Michigan University Professor John Ander-

“

IT SHOULD NOT BE MARRED BY THE INTRUSION OF ARTIFICIAL OBJECTS. ... PRESERVE IT, TREASURE IT, AS LITTLE ALTERED AS MAY BE FOR ALL TIME.

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

ton, whom the park’s trail system is named for, researched the area’s Native American presence, geology, landscape evolution and early attempts by prospectors to mine silver. All are addressed in his 2009 book, The Jewel in the Crown: An Environmental History of Presque Isle Park, Marquette, Michigan. Anderton and his students found evidence of the area’s earliest inhabitants, dating back as far as 5,000 years. He determined that “Presque Isle’s first visitors were likely small families who arrived each spring, camped on the shoreline, and probably speared fish from the lake.” Anderton also found lingering remnants of a short-lived silver mine encampment built in 1845, including two of the three reported shafts and the empty shell of a root cellar used to insulate perishable foods in the pre-refrigeration era. During a guided tour and interview for a 2005 issue of NMU’s alumni magazine, Anderton pointed to a grassy hill marked by a

series of small terraces that serve as visual time breaks left in the wake of varying water levels. Contrary to its name, he said Presque Isle was once a true island. “The oldest surface at the top of the hill dates back to the last glaciation 10,000 years ago, when the lake levels were much higher,” Anderton explained. “Now this land is connected to the mainland by a strip of sand deposited by currents over time. When the lake level dropped, we got the formation we have today.” Aside from the former caretaker, whose house overlooking the lake is now occupied by Superior Watershed Partnership, the only other person allowed to reside within the bounds of Presque Isle Park was Chief Charles Kawbawgam. He is often mentioned in local lore as a good friend of Peter White. However, his prominent role in founding Marquette and his ability to walk a fine line to keep peace between the Ojibwe and white Americans are

Peter White Drive is a route enjoyed by motorists, cyclists and walkers alike — especially in the splendor of autumn. (Photo by Kristi Evans)

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

“

Presque Isle Park’s western shore is a popular spot to watch the sun’s descent beyond Sugarloaf Mountain, Hogback and the islands of Middle and Partridge bays. (Photo by Kristi Evans)

often overlooked, according to author Tyler Tichelaar, a seventh-generation Marquette resident who wrote a fulllength biography titled Kawbawgam: The Chief, the Legend, the Man. “He was recruited to greet the white settlers upon their arrival and to help ensure their survival during Marquette’s early years, only to be pushed to the city’s margins as Marquette grew and prospered,” Tichelaar said. “Chief Kawbawgam met Alfred Kidder one day and was expressing frustration about things. Kidder said, ‘Let’s build him a house’ and went around town collecting contributions to pay for it from wealthy residents, including Peter White. The house was built at Presque Isle in 1886. It’s believed to have been located around where the ice cream store pavilion is, but I haven’t been able to verify that, or when it was torn down.” As the park commissioner for Marquette, White determined Kawbawgam and his wife, Charlotte, would be the only people buried at Presque Isle. Tichelaar said White likely paid for Kawbawgam’s large funeral at St. Peter Cathedral and had his coffin transported by streetcar out to the park. White also tried to have a statue built in the chief’s honor by the same man who designed the Father Marquette statue, but it never materialized.

WE BEG TO CONGRATULATE MARQUETTE ON HAVING ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PARKS IN THE WORLD, AND TO EARNESTLY ADVISE THAT ITS NATURAL BEAUTY BE PRESERVED AT WHATEVER INCONVENIENCE.

“A giant rock washed up on shore at the island one day,” Tichelaar said. “Robert Hume, the park’s caretaker, decided it should be placed atop a pedestal of stones as a marker at Kawbawgam’s grave, even though Hume was reportedly offered a lot of money for it. The sign by Charley’s grave

is correct that he died in 1902. But it says he was born in 1799. We don’t really know that because of some conflicting information over the years. My research suggests it was closer to 1816.” The city has largely abided by Olmsted’s plea to leave the park as natural

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

The northern tip of the park features Black Rocks, ancient outcroppings that were scoured by glaciers. (Photo by Kristi Evans)

as possible. There have been a few exceptions over the years, including the Island Store, now an ice cream shop. Adjacent to the bog walk was Shiras Pool, where generations of Marquette residents spent their summers. Droppings from geese and ducks caused problems with water quality, and high maintenance costs forced its closure in 2006. The property was leased to the Moosewood Nature Center and is slowly reverting to a natural pond. The Shiras Zoo operated for about 60 years. According to records in the J.M. Longyear Research Library at the Marquette Regional History Center, it once housed a menagerie including white-tailed deer, fox, bobcat, bear, a “docile timber wolf,” otter, peacock, snow geese and guinea hens. In the early 1990s, there were calls to modernize the facility or close it because of inhumane conditions. A proposed $540,000 expansion to create a

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

Marquette Zoo and Discovery Center never made it to the city commission after residents adamantly opposed the “exploitation and commercial development” of Presque Isle. A marker for the zoo is located near the log pavilion, just right of a buried Marquette time capsule that is scheduled to be unearthed and opened on the Fourth of July next summer. In 1994, the city removed the remaining deer pen and stopped feeding the animals, but many stayed in the area. Overpopulation in subsequent years, which the Parks and Recreation website attributes to “artificially-provided food by park visitors and lack of predation and hunting … have required culling, removal, and other measures to prevent over browsing and waste accumulation.” This is a relatively rare example of exerting influence over the natural order of things at the park.

“Our approach in recent years has been to echo what Olmsted expressed and treat it as a nature preserve, even though it’s not classified that way,” said Andrew MacIver, assistant director of Marquette Community Services, which oversees Parks and Recreation. “The only things we really do are related to public safety, such as signage, removal of trees and trying to mitigate unnatural risks associated with the human element. The main challenges we’re facing is that people are blatantly ignoring signs. There’s been a noticeable increase in the number of dogs, which are not allowed. This has led to undesired interactions, dogs chasing wildlife off cliffs and owners not cleaning up their pets’ excrement.” Other issues MacIver listed include erosion encroaching on some of the perimeter walking trails and potentially the road in the future because of reduced vegetation buffers; traffic and overcrowding, especially on hot days when cars line both sides of the road near Black Rocks; hammocks that can adversely impact trees, despite an ordinance against them; and camping and smoking, both of which are prohibited and raise concerns about forest fires. It is abundantly clear that more people are becoming aware of Presque Isle’s attributes through tourism promotions, word of mouth and novel events such as the annual blue-spotted salamander migration. There are

efforts to promote responsible enjoyment of the park and other pristine areas that have become increasingly popular. “We launched the Respect Marquette County Coalition in partnership with Leave No Trace in April 2022 to help understand the needs of our community, proactively work to protect our natural areas and inspire travelers to implement responsible stewardship of the outdoors,” said Travel Marquette CEO Susan Estler. “This partnership was the first of its kind in the state of Michigan, and we were the first group in the state to enter a destination partnership with Leave No Trace.” A new archway was erected at Presque Isle Park’s entrance in late October to replace the previous one damaged by a large vehicle with inadequate clearance. It provides a visually appealing welcome to repeat and first-time visitors who pass through to experience Marquette’s crown jewel. As Olmsted wrote, those who have the “good fortune to see it will be enchanted, and will bless those who had the foresight and public spirit to secure the land and preserve it as nature made it.” MM Kristi Evans is a public relations professional, writer and hobby photographer who spends much of her free time outdoors.

Famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted urged Marquette to keep Presque Isle as natural as possible. (Photo by Kristi Evans)

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

locals Researcher creates narrative bibliographies of Voelker’s books

The stories behind the stories By Erin Elliott Bryan

avid White is a self-confessed bibliophile, a great lover of books. He collects old and rare books “a bit obsessively,” he says, and has been a part-time rare-book dealer for more than 40 years. He is also president of the Friends of the Peter White Public Library in Marquette. He explained that collectors of rare books love bibliographic information about their finds — how to identify the first edition, how many copies were in the first print run, etc. — but he allowed that such information can be boring to read. In his retirement, he embarked on a project to supplement that information for one of his favorite Michigan authors: James Oliver Curwood.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, it was impossible for White, who lives in Ishpeming, to travel to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where Curwood’s personal papers are kept, to do the kind of research he wanted to do. Instead, he turned his attention to another Michigan author and perhaps one of this area’s most beloved native sons: John D. Voelker. “When I started, I’d only read one of his books, though I had bought and sold John’s books in the past,” White said. “I think they’re really good. I was surprised at how well I liked his books.” David White hopes to reintroduce Marquette County residents to one of the area’s most beloved native sons. (Photo courtesy of David White)

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

Ishpeming native John Voelker practiced law and served as Marquette County’s prosecuting attorney, but he long dreamed of literary success. (Photo courtesy of David White)

White is a trustee of the Ishpeming Area Historical Society, the IAHS, and has published — in the organization’s newsletter, which he edits — six of what he terms “narrative bibliographies” of the first five books Voelker wrote under his pen name Robert Traver. (White wrote two pieces on the bestseller Anatomy of a Murder.) White explained that the pieces include traditional bibliographic information combined with biographical tidbits about Voelker’s life during the time he was writing each book. A native of Petoskey, White first came to the U.P. as a Michigan Tech student in the late 1970s. After a long career with the Michigan Department of Agriculture, he retired in 2017, at which time he and his wife, Peggy, bought a home in Ishpeming’s Eighth Addition neighborhood. Soon after, he joined the IAHS. White’s first article appeared in the organization’s Winter 2021 newsletter, and he took over as editor for the Summer 2021 issue. “One of my missions is trying to get people to join the historical society, to pay dues, attend our summer functions,” White said. “I want to make the newsletter attractive so they want to read it.” White starts his process by reading the book he’s going to feature. Once he’s done, he heads to Marquette, to the Central Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan University Archives, where Voelker’s personal papers were donated by his wife, Grace, in 1992, one year after his death. The NMU archives include more than 200 boxes of materials related to Voelker, and White usually makes two

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

or three visits to research each book he’s writing about. Among the items he sources from the archives are personal correspondence between Voelker and his editors and others. White estimates he’s already read through about 1,000 of Voelker’s letters. The pieces are remarkably well researched and provide fascinating insight into the time surrounding the writing and publication of each of Voelker’s 11 books. And White doesn’t shy away from including the difficulties Voelker faced when submitting each of his manuscripts for consideration. Each manuscript was shopped to multiple publishing houses and read by countless editors before being returned to Voelker, most of them accompanied by a rejection. White has also purchased multiple editions of each of the books to note the differences (“That’s the book collector in me,” he said) and paid a graduate student to source additional material from the St. Martin’s Press archive at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island — all at his own expense. “It was well worth it,” White said. “I had no idea that I would begin a sort of ‘crusade’ to try and reacquaint people in Marquette County with John Voelker and his books.” What follows are some excerpts and highlights from White’s pieces, which provide a captivating portrait of Voelker, his unique personality and his lifelong desire to become a successful author. “I like to include little, funny things John might have said, about the book or about fishing,” White said.

“The Trouble-shooter, Ishpeming’s Favorite Son” — Winter 2021 Trouble-shooter: The Story of a Northwoods Prosecutor (1943) hat appears in the IAHS newsletter is an edited version of White’s first article. The unedited version totaled about 3,750 words. Here, White talks about Voelker’s early life in Ishpeming, his college years, both at Northern Michigan Normal School (now NMU) and the University of Michigan Law School, as well as his aspirations to become a writer. After the successful publication of a handful of short stories in a string of small-circulation magazines, Voelker began working on a full-length book, which was autobiographical in nature and described his family as well as legal cases in which he was involved as an assistant prosecuting attorney and as the elected Marquette County prosecutor. Voelker sent the manuscript, with the title County Prosecutor, to Modern Age Books, who initially said the book “shows real promise.” They proposed extensive revisions and two title changes, but the publishing firm folded because of World War II. The book was cleared for publication at the larger Viking Press, whose editor, Marshall A. Best, changed the title to Trouble-shooter: The Story of a Northwoods Prosecutor. It was published in February 1943. “High initial public demand for the first edition spurred Viking to publish a second printing only a month later in March,” White wrote. In White’s unedited version, he noted Voelker’s exchange with Best regarding an offer to autograph copies of the book at J.L. Hudson’s in Detroit: “Inasmuch as they didn’t say anything about paying my expenses, and I understand the trout fishing is very poor in the Detroit River, I am declining their kind offer.”

“The Fabulous Doings of Danny and the Boys of Hungry Hollow” — Summer 2021 Danny and the Boys: Being Some Legends of Hungry Hollow (1951) ollowing the initial yet modest success of Voelker’s first book, it came as a shock when Best informed him that Viking Press would not publish his follow-up, a collection of stories about the legends of Hungry Hollow with the title at the time of On Native Wings. Voelker submitted the manuscript 11 times before securing the services of Helen Strauss with the William Morris Agency in New York as his

Author John Voelker, above center, appears with the cast of Anatomy of a Murder, the film adaptation of his bestselling novel. The movie was shot on location in Marquette County in 1959. Upon the film’s release, he received a congratulatory telegram from his publisher, left. (Photos courtesy of David White)

to December 1951 showed a final balance due to Voelker, after subtracting his initial 3,000-book purchase, of just $89.98, which the publisher held pending further returns. The total sales came in at 5,760 copies. “Confessions of an ex-D.A.” — Winter 2021-22 Small Town D.A. (1954) y November 1950, Voelker had lost his bid for re-election as Marquette County prosecuting attorney, a position he had held since 1935, and his private practice was struggling. His wife, Grace, had taken a job with the Jones & Laughlin Co. In February 1951, in the postscript of a letter he wrote to Targ, he said he had “developed some dim notions of writing a sequel to Troubleshooter. … But perhaps we’d better see what happens to Danny.” Throughout 1951, Voelker worked on chapters for the book, which he eventually sent to Targ for consideration. But in December, Targ rejected the book, as did Best at Viking Press. It was also rejected by Atlantic and Random House. In August 1952, Voelker was re-

B book agent to negotiate a contract for publication with D. Appleton-Century Co., which eventually fell through. Over the next five years, Voelker submitted the book to another 10 publishing houses before finally finding a home with The World Publishing Company. There, editor William Targ proposed that the title be changed to Danny and the Boys, and it was published in March 1951. As part of the contract, Voelker took 3,000 copies on publication date and paid for them in advance. Through the summer of 1951, Voelker traversed the Upper Peninsula as

well as the Straits of Mackinac to sell books. “Every tourist has to stop at Mackinac [sic] City to wait for the ferry which deposits him an hour later in St. Ignace, where he again prowls the shops for hundred-year-old tomahawks made in Grand Rapids, copper bookends and all of the rest of the tourist junk,” Voelker wrote to Targ in May 1951. “To this I plan to add Danny and the Boys, making a summer bookstore out of every drug store, curiosity shop, restaurant, saloon, gas station and every place a tourist pauses.” The royalty statement from March

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

tained as the defense attorney to represent Army Lt. Coleman A. Peterson, who was charged with the murder of Maurice “Mike” Chenoweth. Peterson claimed Chenoweth had raped and beaten his wife, Charlotte. After the trial, Voelker again shopped his manuscript, with the title Mister District Attorney, which was again rejected by a handful of other editors at large publishing houses before finding its way to the desk of Sherman Baker at E.P. Dutton. White wrote, “Little did John know that with mailing the manuscript to E.P. Dutton he would finally get the manuscript published, but more importantly, he would begin the process of developing a lasting professional relationship with an editor, an editor who would become a close personal friend, an editor who was fundamental in helping him become a successful author.” The publication date for the book, which was now titled Small Town D.A., was slated for July 28, 1954. In a letter to the editorial staff at E.P. Dutton in June, Voelker noted that Ishpeming planned to commemorate its centennial the week of July 25 and requested a loan of 500 to 1,000 copies as “this would be a good time and place to peddle a whole raft of my new book.” Elliott Graham, the company’s publicity director, responded and suggested “a special publication date of July 25th for Ishpeming.” In July 1955, Baker, who had parted ways with E.P. Dutton prior to the publication of Small Town D.A., informed Voelker that he was now an editor with St. Martin’s Press. In response, Voelker wrote to let him know that he was working on his first novel with the working title The Trial. “Anatomy of a Murder (Part One, Before Publication)” — Summer 2022 Anatomy of a Murder (1958) hite writes that soon after Voelker successfully defended Peterson for the murder of Chenoweth in September 1952, “he began thinking that a novel based upon his trial experience would make a great story, a story that might sell.” Voelker made a vague reference to the project in a letter to Baker in September 1953: “Your friendly interest in what I may write next seems to have stimulated me. I lately find myself blocking out the main characters while shaving, making cryptic little notes, beginning to see a small gleam of light at the end of a long empty corridor. Fishing ends this Sunday and

Marquette Monthly

your book, honesty, integrity and faith in human beings, are in you.” Voelker indeed won enough votes to fill a seat on the court for a threeyear term. St. Martin’s Press had originally set the publication date for Sept. 15, 1957, but the date was pushed back when Anatomy of a Murder was chosen as the January 1958 Book-of-theMonth Club selection. On Jan. 6, Voelker received a “long and glowing review” by Orville Prescott in The New York Times, who wrote, in part: “In a few days thousands of delighted readers are going to be telling their friends what fun it is to read ‘Anatomy of a Murder’ by Robert Traver, a racy and rousing novel about a murder trial.” “Anatomy of a Murder (Part Two, After Publication)” — Winter 2023 Anatomy of a Murder (1958) natomy of a Murder first hit a major bestseller list, third from the bottom, in the New York Herald Tribune on Jan. 19, 1958. The following week, it landed on The New York Times bestseller list in seventh place. It reached first place on March 9, 1958, and remained there for 65 weeks. Sales for Anatomy soared, and by March 14, 1958, the Voelkers had closed on a new home on Deer Lake Road. By April, Voelker and St. Martin’s Press began discussing the sale of the film rights to noted director Otto Preminger. On April 30, 1958, Voelker sent a telegram to Baker: “Have decided to accept Preminger offer.” On Feb. 9, 1959, Preminger sent a letter to Voelker noting that the cast and crew would begin arriving in Ishpeming between March 13 and 21 to shoot the film adaptation of Anatomy of a Murder entirely on location. Voelker responded with a bit of a conflict, as he was campaigning for a full eight-year term on the Michigan Supreme Court: “Present campaign plans have me leaving here on March 27 and remaining away through April 6. I am also supposed to go into a twoweek term of court in Lansing beginning April 7, but I am now working on shortening that to one day.” Before he left, however, he organized an event that included the governor greeting the Hollywood visitors at a ski jump competition on March 22. “You would probably be in the same car with Joseph Welch, Otto Preminger and possibly Jimmy Stewart and Lee Remick,” Voelker wrote to Williams. “I will ride on the bumper.”

As a child, John Voelker was a frequent visitor of the Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library. Upon publication of Anatomy of a Murder, he inscribed a copy of the book for the institution and librarian Margaret Dundon. (Photo courtesy of David White)

then maybe I go to work. The thing is so big it kind of scares me.” He finally completed the first draft of his “massive novel” throughout the winter of 1956 and mailed the first two parts to E.P. Dutton in mid-April. It consisted of 25 chapters and 254 manuscript pages and weighed four pounds. On May 11, Voelker received a rejection from Harry Shaw, who told Voelker that three Dutton editors had read his submission, “but we frankly feel that you have seriously overwritten, and we are doubtful that the story can sustain what we think is too bulky a development.” Voelker quickly pivoted and submitted the manuscript to Harper’s Prize Novel Contest. He didn’t win any prizes, just a rejection letter that stated, “It’s not for us, I’m afraid. The story as a whole seems to us overlong and unwieldy, the characterization not as strong as it might be.”

December 2023

Similarly, a rejection arrived from Alexander Williams at Little, Brown & Co., who said Voelker needed to cut the novel “approximately in half to be considered,” adding “you could cut out almost all of the trout fishing.” Baker encouraged Voelker to send the manuscript to him at St. Martin’s Press and assured him that “our friendship will survive any decision made on the book.” On Dec. 20, 1956, Baker informed his friend that Anatomy of a Murder had been accepted for publication. A day later, Gov. G. Mennen Williams appointed Voelker to fill a vacancy on the Michigan Supreme Court that would last three months. On March 29, 1957, two days before Voelker’s election for a full term as a Supreme Court justice, Baker wrote to him with encouraging words: “Just to let you know that we are thinking of you and are sure it will come to pass. All the things that are in

On June 29, 1959, Voelker’s 56th birthday, he received a congratulatory telegram from Ian MacKenzie at St. Martin’s Press: “All of us at St. Martin’s Press wish you much happiness on this and many other anniversaries especially on this important day in your life and ours. Have you seen any good movies recently? We highly recommend Anatomy of a Murder playing in your neighborhood theatre.” “From Murder to Madness” — Summer 2023 Trout Madness (1960) fter a grueling six-year journey to publish his second book, Danny and the Boys, Voelker had been working with the idea to write a book on trout fishing. In a July 20, 1951, journal entry, he wrote that it would be “a book in which the fish were to the fishing what the onion is to onion soup; a damned important ingredient but far from everything. … In it, I could pile all my woods’ lore, such as it is, and my ‘reflections on the water’ and the ways of men.” The manuscript languished until May 1958 when his friend and editor Sherman Baker expressed interest in the project. Baker convinced his superiors it could sell now based on Voelker’s success with Anatomy of a Murder. St. Martin’s Press also sold secondary serial rights for chapters from the book, titled Trout Madness, for publication in popular magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post, True, Outdoor Life and Esquire. The idea was to persuade “untold millions of readers” that this is a “Christmas gift book for everyone who has ever looked longingly in Abercrombie and Fitch’s windows.” It was slated for publication on Aug. 21, 1960. St. Martin’s Press went through five printings of what White terms Voelker’s “fishing dissertation,” and it is readily available today. In 1997, NMU graduate student Elizabeth Delene wrote a thesis titled “John Donaldson Voelker, Life’s Influences on a Man’s Writing Career” and noted that Trout Madness proved to be a success story. “It was well received by the public and voted one of the fifteen best fishing books ever written by Trout Unlimited’s Trout magazine,” Delene wrote. White also noted that there is a 14-minute documentary titled Trout Madness that was produced in 1964 by Voelker’s friend Elihu Winer, a playwright. Voelker stars in and narrates the film, guiding viewers on a typical day of fishing in the Upper Peninsula. It is available on YouTube.

A day after learning that St. Martin’s Press had accepted Anatomy of a Murder for publication, John Voelker was appointed to the Michigan Supreme Court. (Photo courtesy of David White)

Five books remain hite has five more books to go. He is working on a piece for Hornstein’s Boy (1962), which will be followed by Anatomy of a Fisherman (1964), Laughing Whitefish (1965), The Jealous Mistress (1967), Trout Magic (1974) and People Versus Kirk (1981). Once White completes this project, he is considering compiling his articles into a published volume of his own. “I want the information out there, so collectors of John’s books can access the information,” White said. “Reading his letters gives a whole new insight as to who he was.” Though White never knew Voelker, he did happen to know Voelker’s daughter Elizabeth. White was 11 or 12 years old when Elizabeth and her husband, Dr. Victor Tsaloff, and their family moved into the house next door to his on Rose Street in Petoskey. “For several summers they hired me to mow their lawn and do other odd jobs outside the house,” White said. “I remember Elizabeth as being a very nice lady — always had a smile on her face. I remember my parents telling me that Elizabeth’s father was

a famous author, but that was the extent of it at the time.” Though Elizabeth has passed away, Voelker had two other daughters, Julie and Grace. White has connected with Julie Voelker Cohen, who lives in Glenview, Illinois, and received a letter from her just recently. “Julie mentioned in her letter that she will try and arrange a visit for me to ‘Uncle Tom’s Pond,’ John Voelker’s fishing camp, next summer,” White said. “Very exciting.” For those interested in reading White’s articles, they are available online on the Ishpeming Area Historical Society’s website, ishpeminghistory. org/newsletter. Once there, you can also join the IAHS to receive a copy of the newsletter in the mail. “Once I got into this, I was on a mission,” White said. “I really enjoy doing this, and I want people to enjoy it. I want people to know who John was, even though he’s probably the most famous person in Marquette County.” MM Erin Elliott Bryan grew up in Ishpeming. She is a freelance writer and a Marquette Monthly calendar editor.

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

the arts Cathy Bolton captivates audiences with a blend of country, folk, pop and rock

‘I came into this world singing’ By Jennifer Donovan

iners are chatting and laughing, glasses are tinkling, servers come and go from the kitchen, taking orders and delivering food. And Cathy Bolton is singing. How can she possibly sing with all those distractions? “I just get up there and do my thing,” she says with a grin. Dwarfed by her big guitar, Bolton holds diners spellbound with her haunting voice, captivating chords and long, swinging blond hair. She sings old, familiar country songs and folk music, classic rock, a little blues: John Denver, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac. She livens things up with an Elvis Presley classic, Don’t Be Cruel, and Dolly Parton’s Jolene. Her liquid velvet voice can turn rough and tough when the song demands it. She also sings songs that she wrote herself. Remember Who You Are silences her audience with its soulful refrain: “It’s so easy for the hard times to leave scars if you forget to remember who you are. Don’t forget to remember who you are.” Where does she get the inspiration for her songs? “I listen,” she says. “I hear lyric lines all the time. I write about people’s stories and feelings, the things that affect their lives.” Music is Cathy Bolton’s life. It always has been. “I came into this world singing, and I have been singing ever since,” says the U.P.-based singer-songwriter, whose mellow voice and unique blend of country, folk, pop and rock music draws audiences in venues all over our region. “I realized by the time I was about 13 and singing for family and friends that I might have a voice and talent worth honing,” she says. Country and folk music are her roots. Bolton performs regularly at the Bonfire in Houghton and at schools, theaters, private parties and outdoor venues across the U.P. Recently she sang at the annual E.B. Holman

Marquette Monthly

Singer-songwriter Cathy Bolton of Baraga County performs with Paul Smith as part of the duo Gypsy Soul Food. (Photo courtesy of Cathy Bolton)

Country Jamboree at Houghton High School. She is also half of a duo called Gypsy Soul Food, which is preparing for concerts at fairs and festivals next summer. The duo consists of Bolton and Paul Smith, whom she calls “an amazing guitarist, male vocalist and Nashville recording artist.” They perform two or three times a month in the U.P. Her life’s story olton lives in Baraga, right near where she was born and raised on a farm between Baraga and Pelkie. Her father wanted to farm for a living, but when the kids started coming one after another — six in all — he became an electrician to support the family. “Mama was a ‘domestic engi-

December 2023

neer,’ a homemaker and caretaker of all,” Bolton says. The singer and her siblings kept the farm running for the family’s own consumption. “It gave us a great work ethic,” she says. Three of her older brothers were self-taught on the guitar, and Bolton decided she wanted to learn to play too. “Dad had seen the musical interest in us, so, for Christmas one year, ‘Santa’ delivered guitars for my brothers and a microphone with a stand, a cassette recorder and an electronic keyboard for my sister and me,” she recalls. An older brother purchased a folk acoustic guitar. He took it with him when he left home, but, returning for a Christmas visit, he found Cathy singing and accompanying herself so well that he gave his guitar to her.

Although music was her passion, she also was drawn to clerical work. “I loved everything that pertains to an office,” she says. “I received a toy typewriter for Christmas when I was 10, and I wore it out.” Then her aunt and uncle gave her the real thing, an old Royal typewriter. “I plunked away on it until I was able to take typing class in high school,” she says. For years, Bolton supported herself doing clerical work while continuing to sing. She had two children, Jennifer and Daniel. Jennifer, who lives in Oregon, recently gifted Cathy with her first grandchild. Eventually she married her childhood sweetheart, but two years later he died in a small-plane crash. After his death, she recorded her seventh album, which she calls “my grief-heal-

ing album.” Titled Angels and Eagles, it featured six original songs, including one based on a poem by the late actor and environmental activist Dennis Weaver, who had asked Cathy to write music to the poem. It received a lot of radio airplay and was nominated for a Grammy. Weaver more than just admired her singing and songwriting. “Cathy’s music speaks to your heart and sings to your soul,” he said. Now, when she isn’t singing or writing songs, she likes to sew. “I used to make all my own performance outfits,” she says. She also likes to garden and to cook. “I love to cook healthy, wholesome food,” she says. “I make at least one full meal for myself, most days, set a table with linen and pour a glass of wine, giving gratitude for my life and the food that nourishes me.” Her musical journey he singer launched her music career by building bands, interspersed with solo performances. “But it became obvious that most players weren’t serious about this being their life’s work, so I decided to stick with solo work,” she says. Solo performing supported her for more than 30 years. Bolton opened for many wellknown performers including Dan Seals, Toby Keith, Pam Tillis, Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Kathy Mattea, Patty Loveless, Lorrie Morgan, Doug Kershaw, Dottie West and Porter Wagoner. “Sharing the stage with such seasoned performers only whetted my appetite for more,” she says. Every summer for 10 years, she traveled to Nashville, attending songwriting workshops, meeting record producers and performers, getting to know the music business. “I just kept knocking on doors,” she says. While in Nashville, she had a chance to sing at the Bluebird Café, a renowned songwriters club. Performing there is by invitation only. “It was a great honor,” she says. She became a recording artist herself. Her first album, Changes, was released in 1992. She now has 10 albums under her belt. Bolton’s 10th album celebrated her silver anniversary — 25 years of making music. Called Back to My Roots, Volume II, it was released in 2018 and featured folk song favorites from the late 1960s and early 1970s. She meant to retire then. But she happened to visit Bonfire in Houghton and was entranced by the performers there, so when management asked her to play and sing something, how could she refuse? Now she performs at the upscale restaurant twice a month.

Previously Bolton had only performed in concert halls. But she found that she loved the intimacy of a supper club, the connection she makes with individuals in a small audience. She’s also started singing at private gatherings and parties. She recently performed for the senior citizens at The Bluffs retirement community in Houghton. Her spiritual side n 1997, Neale Donald Walsch invited Bolton to provide music for the release of his book Conversations with God, Book One, before 800 people in a packed theater. Thus began what she calls her ministry of music. Monthly, she and Walsch conduct a spiritual retreat on Zoom. “It assists others in changing and enhancing their lives forever,” she says. “The book reached millions of people and changed people’s lives forever with an understanding of God that makes sense to the human heart and mind,” Bolton says. “The retreats let people gather from around the world to share their life stories as they move beyond their fears and self-limitations with grace and gratitude.” She calls herself spiritual, not religious. Yet she says: “God’s gift of music moves through me — from God to me to you. I want my gift of music to touch hearts and lives in a profound way. It is always my intention that the words of the songs that I write and sing — either my own or another songwriter’s — and the vibration of my voice strike a chord in you so that it can change that moment, your day, or even your life. It is my intention that the vibration of my voice and guitar are healing. To deliver my gift of music is a huge privilege and honor for me. What I have achieved is beyond what I could ever have imagined as a child growing up on a farm in the middle of Baraga County, singing in the hayloft of our barn, or while walking through the fields. I am so grateful and so blessed.” Reflecting on her music career, Bolton says: “I am a small fish in a very large sea of amazingly talented, gifted humans. To be able to keep swimming in that sea is a gift for me.” MM

Jennifer Donovan is a freelance writer based in Houghton. She has decades of experience as a newspaper reporter, magazine writer and university communications specialist, most recently as director of news and information at Michigan Technological University.

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

back then

A lasting legacy

Barb Crill was a driving force behind girls sports Editor’s note: This article is the first in a new series called The Story Behind the Name, which will look at the namesakes of local sports venues. By Pam Christensen

oach Barb Crill’s first girls basketball team at Marquette Senior High School was in 1969. Judy Manning Vonck was a member of that team, a team that was overlooked when it came to providing practice time, equipment and respect. “We didn’t have uniforms; we wore our gym uniforms and made our own numbers out of felt,” Vonck said. “We had to practice at 6:30 a.m. because the boys got priority for the gym. I don’t think in the years I played basketball we ever had a practice time that wasn’t 6:30 a.m.” Lack of uniforms, practice time and respect were not the only disadvantages for the team. There was also a lack of teams to play against. Michigan high schools had long offered boys sports, but girls sports were overlooked. If a community organized teams for girls, it was usually through recreational or community schools programs. Crill looked across the Upper Peninsula for competition, often finding it in faraway places like Ironwood, Bessemer or Sault Ste. Marie. The girls endured long bus trips and often lopsidedly outscored their opponents. The competition Crill’s teams needed just wasn’t available. “When you think that she started girls basketball from nothing at MSHS and in seven years that team was state champions, that is amazing,” Vonck said. Whether Crill knew she had the talent to win a championship or she thought it could be done on sheer will alone, nobody knows. Her conviction that her team could be state champs was never questioned. “I remember when she sat us down freshman year and said, ‘Your team will be state champions,’” Karen Levandoski Helmila said. “At the time, that seemed impossible, but she believed it, and as time went on, we did too.” And talent she had. Despite being a team that was shorter than many they played, the team made up for height challenges with a ferocity and skill honed over the years. Unlike today, when many student-athletes dedicate themselves to one sport, Crill expected ev-

Marquette Monthly

Principal Bill Hart and Coach Barb Crill pose with the scrapbook Crill’s basketball team gave her after its state championship season. (Photo courtesy of Marquette Senior High School)

eryone to train year-round. That meant they joined one of the other teams she started while at MSHS. Sue Micklow played golf, and she breathed easier when basketball ended and golf began. Marquette’s winter weather often delayed the opening of area golf courses, and Micklow looked forward to several weeks of rest. Unfortunately, Crill didn’t let her take a break. “Coach Crill asked why I wasn’t at track practice, and I said, ‘Miss Crill, I play golf; I am not on the track team. Of course, Crill had checked with the golf course and found out that they would not be opening for two weeks. The next day, there was a tracksuit on my desk, and I ran track before we started golf practice. You just didn’t question things once Coach Crill made a decision.” Kay Levandoski Angeli and her twin sister, Karen Levandoski Helmila, demonstrate just how far Crill would go to keep the team in shape. Crill also coordinated basketball camps at Northern Michigan University and Michigan Tech as a way to give U.P.

December 2023

players experience and competition, but the cost of basketball camp was out of the question for the Levandoski family, who had five children. Crill met with Kay and Karen’s parents and told them the girls would be attending camp that summer. Their parents told Crill they did not have the funds to pay for camps, and Crill replied that the girls would pay their own way with money they raised by being lifeguards. It was a great plan, except for one small fact: Neither of the girls knew how to swim. Crill didn’t let that stand in her way, however. She taught both girls to swim and made sure they passed the Water Safety Instructor test, or WSI, to become fullfledged lifeguards. They were able to pay their way to camp. “You better believe we learned to swim and pass the WSI,” Helmila said. “We couldn’t do anything else.” Determined and fiercely loyal to her team, Crill was nominated for the U.P. Sports Hall of Fame multiple times, but she refused induction until her

1976 state championship team got the honors due to them. That finally happened in 2001, when the 1976 team was declared Legends of the Game by the Michigan High School Athletic Association. Crill was finally inducted into the U.P. Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. A lack of respect for the Redettes was something the girls were used to when traveling to Lower Michigan. “We were told one of the downstate sports writers called us a girls basketball team from the U.P. that played like a football team,” Angeli said. Helmila added, “In 1975, when we got the runner-up trophy, it didn’t even have the U.P. on it. It was just the Lower Peninsula.” In fact, the team picture was omitted from the 1976 Class A girls basketball finals program — an oversight that still stings 47 years later. The team often played in gyms filled with fans of the opposition and very few supporters from the U.P., but the girls had one constant: bus driver Bill LaMora. “All of the other teams came to the games in fancy coach buses,” Angeli said, “but we traveled in a school bus with Mr. LaMora. That was our choice. He called us his girls, and we called him our good luck charm. He was with us from the beginning to the end.” That travel could be grueling, but LaMora made sure each girl got home after every away game. “He would drop each of us off at our house,” Helmila said. “He didn’t want us to have to walk home in the dark, and he didn’t want our folks to have to come out late at night to get us.”

The 1976 girls basketball team at Marquette Senior High School was undefeated on the way to winning the Class A state title. (Photo courtesy of Marquette Senior High School)

MSHS was a Class A school, and there were few other schools of that size in the U.P. Crill set up games across the U.P. and in neighboring Wisconsin, but it was not enough. Many of the contests were lopsided victories, not at all challenging for the team whose coach had big dreams for them. Realizing she needed to go where the competition was, Crill, an alumna of the University of Michigan, tapped her network of friends and colleagues in Lower Michigan. She packed the team up and traveled downstate to scrimmage other notable teams over Labor Day weekend in 1976. This time, the girls didn’t have LaMora driving a school bus. Crill loaded half of the team in the open bed of her pickup and the other half in the Levandoski family’s new sta-

tion wagon. Angeli and Helmila still aren’t sure how she wrested the keys to the brand-new car from the family, but that was just one of the supposedly insurmountable tasks that Crill accomplished. “We had lawn chairs in the back of the open pickup, and nobody thought anything about it,” Micklow said. “If you tried that today, you wouldn’t get a mile before you got pulled over.” The team stayed in a cottage on Harsens Island with one of Crill’s coaching colleagues — sleeping on the floor in their sleeping bags. They scrimmaged some of the best teams Lower Michigan had to offer. The MSHS squad was not a tall one in comparison, but it was scrappy and could hold its own thanks to Crill’s philosophy that the first team

December 2023

is only as good as the second team. She challenged the junior varsity and second-team players to go after the varsity and first-team players constantly. She knew point guard Janet Hopkins would be a target for opposing teams, so she urged her team to put extra effort into guarding her during practices. Crill encouraged the girls to harass Hopkins with aggressive guarding, pushing and shoving. She wanted to condition her players to remain unfazed no matter what the competition threw their way. And that plan worked. As Micklow said, “We did our job, the team was tough and Hops was the toughest. You couldn’t shake her up at all.” Later during the 1976 season, Crill arranged for the girls to stay in East Lansing for over two weeks so they would not have to travel back and forth for the quarterfinal, semifinal and final games that would be played in Lower Michigan. She even pulled strings to enroll the girls at East Lansing High School. The girls would meet before school to work on their homework from MSHS and then attend classes with their East Lansing student partners for the rest of the day. Crill told the girls, “We won’t go home till we bring the state championship trophy” — and once again her prophecy came true. Crill’s focus on conditioning and getting her girls the best experience and competition was evident during the 1976 season. At that time, girls basketball was played in the fall, so the finals were held in December. During the state championship game,

Marquette Monthly

Barb Crill’s former players led the movement to name the school’s gymnasium in her honor. (Photo courtesy of Marquette Senior High School)

Crill played her first string without any substitutions. Helmila, Cheryl Aho Reynolds, Hopkins (19 points), Shel Chapman (23 points) and Caron Krueger Larkin (14 points) played the entirety of the 68-41 victory over Farmington Our Lady of Mercy. The Redettes finished the season as unbeaten state champs. Crill died on Feb. 4, 2010, in Marquette. In honor of their mentor, Crill’s team banded together in 2018 to mount a campaign to have the MSHS gymnasium named for Crill. During her 10-year tenure at MSHS, Crill was instrumental in establishing several sports at the school. She is credited with forming the tennis, swimming, golf and track and field teams for boys and girls as well as the girls gymnastics, field hockey and basketball teams. Her squads in various sports racked up a combined total of 33 U.P. championships: eight in girls basketball, seven each in track and tennis, six in golf and five in swimming. Her girls basketball teams posted a win-loss record of 267-11. “When I think of what all of us have become, I know Coach Crill would be proud of us,” Angeli said. “Each and every member on the team has made their mark on the world. She shaped us, but we have gone on to accomplish remarkable things and really make a difference in this world.” In recognition of their coach and the achievements she helped them attain, the team established the Barb Crill Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to a female student-athlete who exhibits leadership skills and demonstrates academic perseverance. The 2023 scholarship

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

recipient was Hetty Fuess. Donations to the scholarship can be made to the Marquette Area Public Schools Education Foundation. Eric Hammerstrom’s media production students at MSHS produced a documentary on Crill and her legacy at the school. The students recounted Crill’s accomplishments and interviewed members of her teams at Chapman’s home on Lake Superior. During the wide-ranging discussion about Crill, Chapman stopped and said, “Look.” Out in Lake Superior was a fully inflated basketball being pushed to the shore by waves. Chapman explained that things often washed up on shore, but never once had she seen a basketball. The women retrieved the ball and posed for a photo with it. That experience led the players who were gathered that day to see the basketball as a sign that Crill was still with them. They saw it as a signal that she was proud that they were telling her story and sharing the impact she had on their lives. The video can be found on YouTube by searching for “Barb Crill, an MSHS Legend.” The 1976 Class A girls basketball champions were victorious once again when the Barb Crill Gymnasium was dedicated at MSHS. It is a legacy to the coach and mentor who made sports history and touched many lives. MM Pam Christensen graduated from Western Michigan University with a major in English and later a master’s in the science of librarianship. She loves to write and do research about the people, places and events that make the U.P. a special place.

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

in the outdoors Michigan DNR facilities have supplied fish for 150 years

Hatching a plan

By Alex Lehto-Clark

ichiganders, especially those lucky enough to call the Upper Peninsula home, fish all year long, eager for each season and what it will mean for their walls, their grills or their deep freezes. And much of that, on any body of water in the state and beyond, is because of the work done in complexes like the one on Cherry Creek Road in Chocolay Township, just a few miles south of Marquette. For 100 years, people like fish technician Kynzie House have watched over a big investment: fish stock for Upper Michigan’s many rivers, lakes and streams. The Michigan DNR has operated hatcheries across the state for 150 years, going back to 1873. Naturally, it’s important to begin a tour of the Marquette State Fish Hatchery at the nursery, where hundreds of thousands of fish eggs are kept in large drawers that have a steady stream of flowing water. “The white ones are dead eggs,” House said, pointing them out. “We’re just going to wait until they get a little bit bigger, and then we’ll sort them out.” Much of House’s time is spent watching these eggs and making sure the healthy ones stay healthy. The Marquette hatchery was built in 1922. According to information provided by Charles and Betty Shirtz, its water source is Cherry Creek, which is over 96 percent groundwater supply. That means the water is clean and cold and perfect for the hatchery’s work. Throughout its time, the hatchery has found innovative approaches to protecting and breeding native fish, but it’s known for one species of fish in particular: trout. Superintendent Paul Robertson established a lake trout program in 1939. This had a significant impact on the ecosystem, as lake trout had been all but exterminated in the Great Lakes. House said the trout don’t stay in the nursery drawers for too long. It takes the eggs a few weeks to become

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

Kynzie House hand selects viable and healthy fish eggs. (Photo by Danielle Pemble)

fish, and after that happens, House said it’s time to see which ones will make it to the next phase. And it’s truly a game of survival of the fittest. “My favorite part is after they hatch, we’ll bring them over to the Challenger,” House said. The Challenger is a large maze with a gentle current the fish must swim against to maintain their place among their kin. “We take each tray and we’ll dump it inside of here and all of the strong fish will move up into the current,” House said. “Any fish that have mutations or inflammation in their sac will not make it through.” By 1944, Robertson had cultivated a broodstock of 18 female trout, yielding 18,120 eggs; 224 lake trout, held in reserve back in 1949, created 1,330,638 eggs. Those fish and their offspring have accounted for almost all of the lake trout eggs used in lake trout planting programs across Michigan and the United States, according to an article from the Saginaw News provided by the Shirtzes. Robertson also created a new spe-

Kynzie House shows different trays of fish eggs at the Marquette State Fish Hatchery. (Photo by Danielle Pemble)

cies: splake trout, a hybrid of brook and lake trout. Splake can be fished everywhere in Michigan. The increased stock required a remodel of the hatchery, and prison laborers in 1954 built concrete retaining walls and walks, the first expansion in three decades. Another expansion occurred in 1990, adding a larger indoor rearing area, outdoor raceways and new research offices. Another expansion is planned for the near future, House said, which will add another building. Today, the fish hatchery holds around 15,000 adult trout and 1.5 million production-sized trout. House said that while most people are familiar with fish hatcheries, many do not know just how complex and far-reaching the work is. She admitted that she did not know until she started working for the DNR. “Hatcheries play a really important role in our ecosystem — and from the social science side,” House said. “The fish division is made up into different branches. We are fish production, which are your hatcheries. And

upstairs, we have our research team. And then the tribal coordination unit and the management unit, which for us, is in Crystal Falls. They go out to the lakes and rivers and figure out how many fish are out there.”

The scientists use an unusual method to count fish in some areas, one with a Frankensteinian element. “We shock the fish in the water to count them sometimes. It’s called electro fishing,” House said. “We have big

December 2023

boats that have these tentacle things that hang out of them. We also have backpack shockers for lakes and rivers.” Scientists use this data to decide which bodies of water to restock with

Marquette Monthly

popular species such as trout and walleye. Giant water-filled trucks are used to take the fish to the water bodies, and a large tube plops them into the water. The restocking is a constant activity, in good weather or in bad. “You can feel the water slopping around when you drive the truck,” House said, rather excitedly. Every hour of every day, someone is at the hatchery, taking care of the fish and watching for any issues. In fact, techs like House are required to live within a 15-minute drive of the building in case problems arise. The 2018 Father’s Day floods were very destructive to the hatchery. House said that the water took out multiple tanks and cost thousands of dollars in damage. According to House, the most dangerous issue would be disease. To prevent that, tanks are cleaned daily and UV lights are used. The fish are vaccinated against common diseases. In the 1980s, a virus wiped out 700,000 lake trout and 400,000 splake, which meant there were far fewer fish in Michigan’s water bodies. It took the hatchery three years to fight off the virus fully, according to research provided by the Shirtzes. From delivery to counting to keeping the place clean, it takes an incredible amount of funding for fish hatcheries to do their work. And anglers help keep the fish swimming, so to speak. “We run almost completely off of angler dollars,” House said. “Fishing passes pay for almost all of this.” House stressed that buying a license is one of the most responsible things any angler can do. The next stop on the tour introduced some new arrivals — and they came from another place known for

cold and snow. They’re called Arctic grayling, and they have an incredible silver and blue shimmer. They bolted around the tank as House turned the lights on. How these little guys will do in the wilds of Michigan remains a mystery. According to House, Arctic grayling went extinct in Michigan around 100 years ago because of deforestation and overfishing. These grayling, while not native to Michigan, are similar enough that scientists believe they may have a chance at flourishing in the wild. “We’re going to try and see what our spawning success will be,” House said. “Out in Alaska, they said their maturity out there was seven to nine years. And ours are three to four years old, and we’re already seeing eggs and sperm. I was so excited because we thought it was going to be years before we ever see anything.” The final stop on the tour was the broodstock tank. House confidently padded over thin metal grates. Large fish, some a foot or more in length, looked up and huddled in groups. The oldest ones, those that had survived out of thousands of eggs, swam slowly in their own tank. They are taken out periodically, put to sleep and their eggs and sperm are extracted. The cycle continues. Some fish are released into the waters, some become broodstock. All of them are tracked. Scientists know exactly where and how many have gone into any body of water. That information, House said, is available to the public. The public has a lot of input in what goes on in its state hatcheries, House said. “The relationship was rough back in the ’80s, based on the conversa-

The Michigan DNR has started a process of introducing Arctic grayling from Alaska. (Photo by Danielle Pemble)

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

DNR stocking trucks transport fish from the hatchery to lakes, rivers and streams. (Photo by Danielle Pemble)

House, who has been an avid outdoors person her entire life, said that she feels a special connection to her work. “If we didn’t have hatcheries, we wouldn’t have fish in our inland lakes. It’s really easy for lakes to get overfished. We supply the fish so that the sport can continue,” she said. “I absolutely love stocking fish and seeing pictures of people catching them. The daily stuff we do and the on-call we have to do — every day someone is here, rain or shine, someone’s here — and that makes it worth it.” The Marquette hatchery is open to the public from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the weekends. The address is 488 Cherry Creek Road, and admission is free. MM

tions I had as a creel clerk,” she said. “Now we have citizen advisory committees for each area, and manage-

ment and research come together and show the public what we’re doing. A lot of issues that people do have with

the DNR come from miscommunication and not understanding what’s going on.”

December 2023

Alex Lehto-Clark is a poet and essayist who lives in Ishpeming. He has called the Upper Peninsula home for 12 years and graduated from Northern Michigan University with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English.

Marquette Monthly

sporting life Exercise in the cold months is vital to physical and mental health

Staying active through winter

By Brad Gischia

t is as regular as the turning of the calendar. As the months pass, the weather cools and people tend to go indoors for longer stretches of time. Those relaxing walks on your lunch hour look far less attractive when the wind is whipping out of the west and blowing snow sideways across your window. Much more inviting is the warm living room, the hot cup of tea or coffee steaming on the table, the book you’ve been meaning to get to. Activity is important, though. It’s good for your mind and your body to stay moving despite what your skin tells you as it’s hit with crystals of solid water. “It’s amazing how many people don’t get outside in the winter,” said Brett Conklin, a personal trainer at the YMCA of Marquette County. “I don’t know why. Maybe they’ve never done it.” Conklin, who has been a personal trainer for 18 years, added, “There’s definitely more people coming into

our facility in the winter. In the summer, people try to enjoy the outdoors as much as they can, but the weather drives everyone indoors.” There are only a few types of people in the Upper Peninsula: those who love winter, and those who begrudgingly accept that, no matter what, it will be gone in a few months. Those months are important, though, and staying active enough to keep the pounds off and the blood pressure at acceptable levels is worth a few minutes outside. Despite the temperatures, there are many things to do both indoors and outdoors in the Marquette area that can get your heart rate up and keep you active during those frigid months. Several gyms offer monthly memberships or day passes. Conklin noted that the YMCA’s programming stays fairly consistent year-round at the organization’s facilities in Marquette, Negaunee, Marinette-Menominee and Iron Mountain. In addition to the climate-controlled comforts of a gym workout, Upper Peninsula residents can always

Miles of bike trails are maintained throughout the winter months in Marquette County. (Photo courtesy of RAMBA)

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

Al Quaal Recreation Area in Ishpeming offers abundant opportunities for snowshoeing. (Photo by Danielle Pemble)

turn to the outdoors. Finding a way to get outside in the winter, and stay active on top of it, is vital to maintaining a high quality of life. The Iron Ore Heritage Trail is a good way to do that. “We contract with the Ishpeming Ski Club to groom the trail between Ishpeming and Negaunee,” said Bob Hendrickson, administrator of the Iron Ore Heritage Recreation Authority, which manages the trail. “They also run cross-country ski tracks on it, but mostly it’s just there as a hard-packed walking surface.” Conklin said walking is one of the best ways to get outside. “It might seem simple,” he said, “but just going for walks or hikes or snowshoeing on a packed trail, that’s a huge step for people.” It’s a step that is important to take, however, because the decrease in daylight during the winter months can have a major effect on people’s overall health — both physical and mental. Conklin said that seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, can have a huge impact on one’s mental well-being. According to the Mayo Clinic’s website, SAD is a type of depression that starts and ends around the same time each year. The disorder affects individuals’ energy levels and moods. However, Conklin said, “A lot of the issues we see with SAD can be resolved or at least minimized with regular activity.” Danny Hill, a founding member of the Range Area Mountain Bike Asso-

ciation, or RAMBA, said, “You just feel so much better when you get out in the winter. You’re so much healthier. You sleep better. In the wintertime, everyone is cooped up. Getting out in the weather, you don’t feel so trapped inside the house.” RAMBA has evolved over the last 30 years from a mountain biking club to a nonprofit organization that also builds and maintains trails. The group maintains tracks between Negaunee and Ishpeming for the entirety of the winter, though Hill said after a storm it takes anywhere from four hours to several days to get them back into shape for winter bikers. “It’s become kind of a science over the years,” Hill said. “Getting the trails into good condition for all of the people who want to use them is hard.” Hill said that, between the four snowmobiles and the group of volunteers, there are ample opportunities to be outside just helping with the trails. “It’s not unusual to put a post on our volunteer Facebook page and get six or eight people out there working after a storm.” Even for those who go to a gym regularly, Conklin advises that getting outside is still important. “I really encourage people I work with to continue to cross-train,” he said. “Cross-country ski, downhill ski, winter bike — all of those things will help. Do things inside that will enhance their ability to do things outside.”

Those steps that you take now are vital to your health. “I think the information is clearly available,” Conklin said. “Physical activity is very important to mental health. Research shows that … getting outside is really important for our mental and physical health.” Motivation is a problem that many people can struggle with. Again, the coffee and warm living room seem eminently more attractive than slippery roads and icy beards. “Commit to creating a habit,” Conklin said. “Build that into your daily life, whether it’s going outside or going to a facility. Make a plan and make a commitment.” Sometimes people discover that they need help. That assistance can come in the form of an accountability partner. “Meet somewhere and walk or work out,” Conklin said. Once the habit starts to form, the motivation will switch from extrinsic (outside oneself) to intrinsic (from within). “It takes about a month for something to become a habit. That’s a pretty safe bet,” Conklin said. “In a couple of weeks, you start to notice a change. If someone is super inactive and sedentary, they’re going to notice a change in their physical ability, their conditioning, their mental state and mood, in a couple of weeks. They’re just going to feel better about themselves.” Those changes may not be evident for everyone at the same rate. “Someone who is not a regular exerciser, but

December 2023

somewhat consistent, may take a little longer,” Conklin said. “A month’s time frame is where someone really feels that benefit. Because of that benefit, it becomes habitual. Dopamine is released when you exercise, and you want more of it.” If the weather is your biggest gripe, the best thing to do is get out into it. “It’s surprising how much people enjoy the winter when there is something to do,” Conklin said. “My biggest piece of advice is to encourage people to just get outside and be active.” The best way to enjoy the weather is, according to Conklin, attire. “It’s only cold if you don’t have the right clothes,” he said. “You can be 100 percent comfortable. True, it’s not as easy as throwing on your flipflops and going to the beach, but a little time is all it takes. Just be prepared for conditions.” Hill said, “If I had to choose between summer and winter riding, I would choose winter. It’s so fun. You head out, and it’s like riding on a white sidewalk.” Visit facebook.com/rambatrails for information about group rides, trail maintenance and other activities. MM Brad Gischia is a writer and artist native to Upper Michigan. He has published two children’s books and done illustrations for both comic books and novels.

Marquette Monthly

in the outdoors

Keeping it clean

Volunteers band together to maintain Keweenaw land By Kathy Ihde

he Keweenaw Outdoor Recreation Coalition was formed in 2019 to secure permanent public access to at-risk land in the Keweenaw Peninsula. The group’s mission sometimes involves high-level work like encouraging state agencies and other nonprofits to purchase available land and open it up for recreation. And at other times, the coalition’s members get a bit more down to earth. Twice a year, KORC members round up their work gloves, shovels and trash bags and head out to the terrain they care so much about. Andrew Ranville, the group’s community outreach coordinator, said, “We’ve been doing two cleanup events [each year] over the past three years: our spring cleanup on the third weekend of May and our fall cleanup on the third weekend in September. … We were picking garbage up off all the trails, roadsides, beaches and Brockway Mountain. Our KORC tent was set up in the park to help guide volunteers and visitors. We had door prizes and a cookout in the park pavilion.” KORC’s cleanup weekend brought in many volunteers, people who are members of the coalition as well as others who care about the environment and want to collaborate with the organization. “We always need volunteers,” Ranville said. “We’re going to spend everything we have to keep this vision alive.” The spring cleanup is usually scheduled for May, Ranville said, when enough snow and ice has melted in shadowed areas, allowing volunteers to clean up trash, pieces of broken machinery and “other junk that accumulated over the winter.” Likewise, their September cleanup weekend is a time for workers to remove garbage and other debris that gathered in the summer months. In the past, KORC collaborated with the Alliance for the Great Lakes, volunteering with its Adopt-A-Beach cleanup event. “Each year, we station our headquarters in the Donny Kilpela Memo-

Marquette Monthly

Excess asphalt from a recent repaving job near Bête Grise will be used to help build a new canoe and kayak launch on the Lac La Belle Sloughs. (Photo courtesy of Gina Nicholas)

rial Park [in Copper Harbor] for both the spring and fall cleanups,” Ranville said. “Most of our volunteers return there with all the trash and garbage they’ve collected. It’s all transported to a parking lot where it’s sorted before going to a metal pick-up facility or the transfer station.” One of the organizations KORC collaborates with is the Keweenaw Overland Adventure Retreat, which is the only overlanding base camp event in the Upper Peninsula. In conjunction with their own event at the Trails End Campground outside Copper Harbor, these “mostly city people” jump in with local volunteers during KORC’s September cleanup weekend. From their base camp at Trails End, attendees spend the weekend exploring the beauty of the Upper Peninsula in four-

December 2023

wheel-drive vehicles, cleaning up trash along the way. These “Overlanders,” as they are known, come from all over the Midwest. Other organizations volunteering during the weekend include the local ATV and snowmobile clubs. The snowmobilers usually clean up at the south end of Keweenaw County, but they do not always take the trash they collect back to Copper Harbor. Some Eagle Harbor volunteers drive across Brockway Mountain collecting “whatever they can put in their trailers,” Ranville said. Recently, with help from their volunteers, KORC was able to purchase and place trash bins at Schlatter Lake and High Rock Bay. “It’s neat that all these people want to get together to help us out,” Ranville said. “They

work as a big team. They get things done! It’s not all lip service. It’s actual hands-on work.” KORC President Gina Nicholas said this event began as a coastal cleanup that grew into a popular semiannual weekend. “Since the beaches have gotten better over the years, we’re asking people to clean up along the roadsides, the county roads, the highways, the parks and the trails,” she said. “Our beaches are so much better than they used to be 20 years ago, when the beach cleanups first started. It was pretty scary back then. “Some of the roads in the area have recently been repaved, so there’s a lot of asphalt laying around. We went to Bête Grise North to pick up trash this year, and we’re going to collect all that asphalt. It’s going to be reused as

More than 50 volunteers from the Keweenaw Outdoor Recreation Coalition and associated organizations participated in KORC’s fall cleanup weekend. (Photo courtesy of Gina Nicholas)

fill, sort of like recycling. We’re going to accumulate it where the new Bête Grise parking lot launch is being built. “KORC will officially turn four at the end of 2023. We have room for everybody. We all want the same thing: to have these beautiful places remain in the public trust.” Many local clubs and organizations are doing similar work to manage the motorized and nonmotorized trail infrastructure. KORC is planning to keep doing what it can to coordinate with local groups while also advocating for them at the state level. Its role was made clear when The Rohatyn Group listed 33,000 acres for sale in the Keweenaw. KORC and others got to work, trying to ensure the land was preserved for public use, an objective that was achieved when The Nature Conservancy purchased the property. “They’re the interim landholders for the next few years,” Nicholas said, “but they have to pay back their internal loans.” Ranville said KORC would like to see the state purchase 7,000 to 10,000 more acres in the area. “Our coalition members are sending nomination letters to the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund,” he said. “It’s like, ‘Oh! Who kicked up the hornet’s nest in Keweenaw County?’ We did, because we know what we need to preserve.” The areas where logging has been significant have been devastated. Nicholas said the affected land will eventually recover over the years. “It will be interesting to see what comes back from the different successions,” she said. “It’s going to happen over the next few years, but these lands need time to rest.” Reforestation projects could en-

compass not only planting seedlings but all the activities that go into making the work successful. These activities might include collecting seeds, growing them in nurseries and identifying where, when and which species to plant. Ranville gave a tip of his hat to local veteran environmentalist Charlie Eschbach, who, with the help of Jim Rooks, established the Estivant Pines Nature Sanctuary. “They built the trails, created the signage and gave the tours,” he said. “Charlie was instrumental in getting the State of Michigan to pick up the Estivant Pines property. At the time, it didn’t make the news because of what happened that September morning. The day the state made the decision to purchase the property was the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. The acquisition never made the news because of Sept. 11. … It’s a long legacy, going back to what Charlie Eschbach and Jim Rooks were doing with their grassroots activism.” In her latest report to KORC members and volunteers, Nicholas noted, “The good news is that our beaches and trails are staying cleaner. The bad news is that county roadsides, parks and parking areas have more new trash.” She highlighted the fact that several legacy dumping sites on public land still needed more work. KORC volunteers have collected more than 4,000 pounds of trash and are gradually cleaning up heavy, bulky objects like old culverts, truck bodies and stoves. The September cleanup resulted in 680 pounds of trash being collected (not including the asphalt picked up at Bête Grise). More than 50 people worked from Copper Harbor to Eagle Harbor to the beach at Bête Grise.

Volunteers Mark and Tess Ahlborn set up the KORC station at the Bête Grise North public beach. They supervised the collection of large asphalt chunks that KORC will reuse to help build out the new canoe and kayak launch on the Lac La Belle Sloughs, across from the public beach. The Keweenaw Snowmobile Club collected about 2,000 pounds of metal in addition to 16 old tires. Nicholas said the most unusual item volunteers found during the September cleanup was the lower jaw of a cow. Nicholas thanked the local clubs and businesses that made donations to the volunteer door prizes: Calumet-Keweenaw Sportsmen’s Club, Cross Country Sports, Down Wind Sports, Laughing Loon Gifts, Rhythm Bike & Board, The Gas Lite General Store, Studio 13, Minnetonka Resort and the Copper Country Running Co. It takes a team of volunteers and friends to make any event a success, and the Keweenaw Outdoor Recreation Coalition counts on that generosity during its semiannual cleanup weekends. MM Kathy Ihde is a freelance writer based in Copper Harbor. She enjoys spending time in the great outdoors and loves to watch the birds (and birdwatchers) who spend time in her yard. On Oct. 19, a birding friend (Braeden Leddy) spotted a rare bird in her yard — a juvenile black-chinned hummingbird — that somehow missed Mexico on its migration trip from the West Coast. This is believed to be the first sighting of this bird in Michigan, and Kathy is grateful that it happened in her yard.

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

sporting life Mettlachs have coached U.P. squads for decades

Dan Mettlach recently completed his first season as the head football coach at his alma mater, Michigan Tech. (Photo courtesy of MTU)

A football family tree By Jim LaJoie

n Upper Peninsula football circles, the name Mettlach is synonymous with coaching. Make that successful coaching. Dick Mettlach Sr., 89, led the Crystal Falls Forest Park Trojans to a 23973-6 record from 1956 to 1990. In that span, his team reached the Class D state championship game twice, winning both times. He is still the winningest football coach in the school’s storied history.

Marquette Monthly

Dick Mettlach Jr., who played for his father on one of Forest Park’s state title teams, led Gwinn High School to several playoff berths spanning a 23year coaching career, including an appearance in the Division 6 state playoffs in 1999. That year, Dan Mettlach, Dick Jr.’s son, was the Modeltowners’ star quarterback. Twenty-four years later, Dan has just completed his first season as head coach of the Michigan Tech Huskies. It’s a coaching family tree that spans seven decades and has three degrees

December 2023

of success written all over it. “He was on track from the get-go to be a head coach. … It was his goal from the beginning,” Dick Jr. said when asked when he knew his son had the makings of a head football coach. “At each stop he made, you could see he was on track. “He’s very knowledgeable about the game and has good communication skills. He works on it and stays on top of everything. It’s kind of in our blood.” Dan, a Michigan Tech alumnus,

was named the 17th head coach in school history in November 2022, taking over a team that was 10-11 in the previous two seasons. That level of performance fell short of the success the program enjoyed during Dan’s playing career, when he helped guide the Huskies to a conference championship and a trip to the NCAA postseason tournament in 2004. Dan was named one of the top quarterbacks in the 100-year history of Michigan Tech football after earning numerous personal awards.

“

YOU WANT TO PUT KIDS IN THE BEST POSSIBLE SITUATION TO WIN. ... WE DO OUR BEST TO DEVELOP THESE KIDS, SO THEY LEAVE HERE WITH GREAT SUCCESS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMMUNITY AS FATHERS, AS HUSBANDS.

He was an All-America selection, the 2004 GLIAC Player of the Year and a two-time all-conference honoree. He ranks fifth in Michigan Tech history in total offense with 6,348 yards and 66 touchdowns. He is seventh overall in passing yards, having completed 358 attempts for 5,261 yards and 50 touchdowns. He said that not only did he dream of being a football coach, he aspired to coach at the collegiate level. “Coming out of high school, I was leaning that way,” he said. “I thought I would end up at Northern [Michigan University] and be a high school teacher. Then Tom Kearly was named the offensive coordinator at Tech, and the whole plan changed. It all ended up working out.” After his playing career, Dan held a number of assistant coaching jobs before joining MTU’s staff in January 2017 as the offensive coordinator and assistant head coach. He said he positioned himself to be a head coach thanks in large part to the guidance and support he has received along the way. “I’ve had many influences in my life,” he said. “The way I was coached by my dad — he was very demanding, but always fair. I’ve always expected a lot of myself. Coach Kearly was the same way. I got coached up in a way to execute and respond to challenges. I’ve always appreciated coaches who pushed me. I try to do the same thing with our guys. I’ve been influenced by great people.” Dick Jr. said, “When my dad was 35 years old, I was out on the practice field, as a ball boy, as a manager, from the time I could walk. Dan was the

same way with me.” Growing up in Gwinn, Dan said, he never had to be told to put in the extra work to get to where he wanted to be. It came naturally. “I knew that if I wanted to be good, the work had to be put in,” he said. “Those are the lessons my dad instilled in me. At the time in Gwinn, playing quarterback, you live with the head coach and have those conversations at the dinner table. “There were lessons in leadership. Nothing was ever given to me. I had to go earn it. And I learned how to go about it, the proper way to speak to the guys in the locker room.” In Dan’s first season at the helm in Houghton, the Huskies finished with a 5-5 record, including a 62-0 drubbing of Upper Peninsula rival Northern Michigan in mid-October. That win marked Tech’s 13th consecutive victory over the Wildcats. Earlier in his coaching career, Dan spent three seasons at NMU, serving as quarterbacks coach, wide receivers coach, strength and conditioning coach and academic coordinator. Dan knows the road to success has a series of potholes, with unexpected twists and turns. He knows firsthand, having experienced them as a player, the academic and emotional challenges that come with playing at Tech — which has high academic standards for its students, including athletes. “A lot of people lose sight of the fact that these kids are 18 to 22 years old. We were all there at one point, right?” he asked. “We thought we had things figured out. Here, there are academic rigors, with a majority of my team coming a long way from home. “In the end, you want to put kids

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

Three generations of Mettlachs have enjoyed success as Upper Peninsula football coaches (from left): Dan, Dick Sr. and Dick Jr. (Photo courtesy of the Mettlach family)

in the best possible situation to win. Yet, we have closed-door meetings to make sure they are OK mentally and get them the help they need. We do our best to develop these kids, so they leave here with great success to contribute to the community as fathers, as husbands.” During the playing season, Tech’s practices are only 90 minutes long. Other time is devoted to making sure the players are whole. “How are they doing emotionally? We try to do as much as we can to help these guys out as people and also compete on Saturdays,” he said. “People care about what you are getting done on the field. We care about much more.” Although he is just one year into his head coaching career, Dan has underlying, yet realistic, goals for the future of the program. “When the coaching change was made,” Dan said, “I met with the staff to get our culture in place and make sure everyone was

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

going in the same direction. If you’re not in it for the right reasons, this is not for you. “Fortunately, we had an incredible group of seniors who bought in. The locker room leads itself. We have four core values: commitment, relentless pursuit of excellence, toughness and discipline. Those are the pillars of our success. That is how we go about our business. The type of kid we have here understands those four things.” “It was his time,” Dick Jr. said. “He was the next guy in line, and he was ready. There is no question I am proud of what he has done.” MM Jim LaJoie was a newspaper sports writer and sports editor from 1986 to 1996. He is an award-winning sports columnist for The U.P. Catholic. The executive director of the Superior Health Foundation, LaJoie lives with his family in Marquette.

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

in the outdoors

A northern red oak leaf rests atop ice on a pond. (Photo by Scot Stewart)

Patterns in nature

Story and photos by Scot Stewart

“Seven colors dance / Random thoughts in time and space / Patterns form our world.” —Amogh Swamy

he pattern of colors in a rainbow is always the same. The rainbow following a storm, the rainbow from the spray from a hose or through an ornate cut of glass in a window — they are all the same: violet at the bottom, then indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. There are some reverses in double rainbows, but the colors and sequences remain. Patterns in nature create a sense of wonder in their beauty and intricacies, a sense of curiosity in their formation and a sense of harmony with a vision of the logic and predictability of repetition. Paisley, plaid, stripes — most everyone likes some form of pattern.

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

Patterns help observers understand order and bring a sense of harmony to their lives. When life presents itself in a new way, the eyes of the observers quickly scan the arrangement of forms to make sense of what is seen and help to understand it. Finding a pattern brings a sense of control; the viewer recognizes a repeating set of images with a predictable reiteration. A set of stripes with a uniform repeating pattern brings a sense of purpose with a knowable return, over and over, of fixed symbols. It is easy to understand. But not all patterns are the same. In a striped shirt, the repeating stripes are expected to be uniformly similar within the constraints of neck and sleeves. Creative designs may add more colors or changes to the stripes, but most basic shirts have stripes with consistent widths and defined color patterns. A shirt with angled stripes always draws extra attention, as intended, but some-

times with jarring effect. The slighter alterations have the greatest effect: “Is it supported to look like that?” Nature’s patterns often don’t exhibit the same uniformity. Spots on a leopard may have a random repeating sequence to them. The density and arrangement of veins from leaf to leaf on trees may help determine the success in receiving the water the leaf needs to make sugars for the tree’s growth. The stripes on monarch caterpillars exhibit all sorts of irregularities, and no two have the same pattern of stripes. Those stripes will vary in color brightness, stripe combinations and width. Diversity in design can serve to enhance the chances of success of one pattern’s owner over another. The success of sending a clear message of the toxins the caterpillar holds can determine whether it is eaten or not. “Genetics was, I would say, the first part of biology to become a

pretty good theoretical subject, based on the theory of the gene and patterns of inheritance of characteristics.” —Linus Pauling

xplaining patterns in nature has turned to some mathematical biology first developed more than 70 years ago by Alan Turing. A British mathematician, Turing is recognized for a number of monumental breakthroughs including crypto-analysis used to decode Nazi naval messages during World War II; early computer technology; the beginnings of artificial intelligence (he is considered the father of the science); and what is considered his greatest idea, “The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis,” known also as the Turing Model. This last work developed as Turing examined a biological explanation for the growth of organisms developing life as a single cell. As he studied the colors and stripes of mammal fur and the development of bird feathers, he constructed a theory of two chemicals working in those organisms, one directing chemical reactions producing a specific physical characteristic and a second stopping that reaction. If the reaction was turned on and off, it could produce characteristics like rows of feathers or stripes. His theory was completed in 1951, two years before Watson and Crick announced their discovery of DNA. It was a revolutionary theory. In recent years, several experiments have been conducted to test this hypothesis and have successfully shown this mechanism is

The aggregating anemone is the most abundant species of sea anemone on the Pacific coast. (Photo by Scot Stewart)

present in living organisms and works as Turing described it. “To understand is to perceive patterns.” —Isaiah Berlin

t is similar with all sorts of patterns. A quiet conversation brings calm-

ing; add a violent sneeze, and that order can be upended. A steady line of waves draws observers to the beach; a rogue wave can bring chaos or delight as it rushes over feet or sends huge splashes over shoreline rocks or cliffs. Some patterns are not apparent until there is a change in it, like those noises or waves. Or something from the

December 2023

outside enters that pattern and creates a new experience: the green branch in a forest of tall tree trunks, a spider or butterfly in a cluster of flowers. “Patterns drawn in ultraviolet might make those ordinary little petals into the exotic peacocks of the botanical world, and yet we can-

Marquette Monthly

not appreciate them.” —Victoria Finlay

nd it is those small changes to a pattern that hunters — animals and humans alike — seek when searching for prey. It is the blueberry or raspberry in a field of green leaves bringing delight to those seeking something special. Patterns bring understanding and some sense to the chaos of literally millions of tiny details in the surrounding world. The rainbow in the layers of clouds in a departing storm front brings delight to that understanding. Those changes in the patterns bring new patterns themselves. Some patterns are known only to others. Many patterns on the petals of flowers, on feathers, and even the backs of animals like scorpions, are visible to those with vision capable

of discerning ultraviolet patterns. Humans need an ultraviolet light source, a black light, to convert these patterns into visible light to see what insects and some birds see. In flowers, these patterns act like runway lights to guide insects into the nectaries and assist the pollinators over and past pollen so insects can load up and take it to the next flower. Some patterns are visible but not really explainable. Philip Ball, author of Patterns in Nature: Why the World Looks the Way it Does, discusses the design pattern of snowflakes. Many are aware of the six points that most, but not all, snowflakes have. Snowflakes have been observed, captured, photographed, measured and studied for a long, long time. Most know there is an inexhaustible number of variations in snowflake design, but these

Meanders are a prominent feature of the Carp River in Negaunee Township. (Photo by Scot Stewart)

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

Monarch caterpillars move along a common milkweed leaf. (Photo by Scot Stewart)

variations are not totally understood. Humidity, temperature and winds, especially updrafts, all play a part in the different forms snowflakes take, from hexagonal plates to extremely intricate branching on those six points. Careful examination of those six points reveals that the details are nearly identical, yet science cannot explain why that is so. Thought is now being given to consider parts of the Turing theory to explain this through chemistry, but the idea is far from complete. “A mathematician, like a painter or a poet, is a maker of patterns. If his patterns are more permanent than theirs, it is because they are made with ideas.” —G.H. Hardy

hotographs, paintings, poems and stories frequently incorporate some form of patterns into their creation. The beauty and mystique fascinate those fortunate to discover and observe patterns. Some patterns are simple — symmetry of a face or a flower, a repetition from one side to the other. Nature contains many straightforward patterns. Spirals spin outward: snail shells; the center of some flowers like daisies; and nebu-

lae in space. Branches are all around, from shrubs to treetops and water-detailed sand as small streams race downward from waves and rain. Helices can be a challenge to find but are at the tip of the tendrils of ivy, cucumbers and morning glories, wrapping around anything they can find to hold themselves up. Meanders form as rivers follow the paths of least resistance around hills and mountains, winding back and forth on themselves. Waves and ripples are multiple lines running along-

side each other. Polygons run in from all sorts of living and nonliving sources — those snowflakes, bee and wasp nests, stone portions of coral colonies, crystals of minerals and the patterns of dried mud from cracking. Spheres round out the basic list with water drops, eyeballs, planets and stars, to name a few. Others can be much more complex, involving repetitions like tessellations and fractals. Tessellations are patterns abutting each other like multiple honeycombs of bees or the scales on a

December 2023

beaver’s tail. Fractals are perhaps the most intriguing of all, where patterns may occur inside or beside larger similar patterns. Patterns in nature come as the result of other forces besides the Turing Model. Some behaviors in animals come from genetics. Orb-weaver spiders are programmed to build spider webs filled with a variety of polygons, and bees and wasps build their hexagonal combs. Natural selection favors certain forms of patterns. American bitterns with streaked chests that blend in best with dried cattail leaves may best avoid detection by predators. Chemistry and physics limit the content, colors and structure of most everything and the shapes that are possible with chemicals. Water molecules work into the individual cells of most multicellular living organisms most efficiently through the branching of specialized tissues. Spheres retain their contents, especially liquids and gases, better than most other shapes. “It is easy to surround yourself with people who think in the same

Marquette Monthly

A mollusk fossil is an example of the Fibonacci spiral in nature. (Photo by Scot Stewart)

ways, believe the same ideas, and live life in similar patterns. Many communities are made up of the same kind of people to the extent that we intentionally have to seek people whose stories are completely different from ours.” —Holly Sprink

here are of course several different groups of patterns. Patterns of behavior and events and patterns of design are probably the two most familiar. Both require experience with previous contacts to recognize a new one. Becoming aware of the different types adds to the understanding of what is present. There is nothing like exploring the outdoors with others who are familiar with differing aspects of life — birders, gardeners, botanists, insect lovers, astronomers. Once individuals recognize different types of patterns in nature, it becomes apparent they are literally everywhere. Spring to fall is probably the best time to watch new patterns develop and explore in temperate locations like the Upper Peninsula. Growing plants,

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

animals, fungi and colonial protists — one-celled organisms living together, like slime molds — create an amazing array of spheres, branches, polygons, spirals and helices. Tree buds kick off the start of the season, and early leaves and tree flowers have some of the very best designs and pastels to start spring off well. Snakes, caterpillars and moth and butterfly wings have some of the very best colorful patterns. These early starts demand a little more of the observer as they are often small and easily missed, and some start when there is still snow on the ground. They require the knowledge of their existence and natural history to help in finding some of them. Some of the smaller ones also are more impressive with a little help from a magnifying glass or macro lens on a camera. New patterns and remnants of summer, however, can be found throughout the year. Shelf fungi and polypore mushrooms dry, but because of their sturdiness they can remain attached to logs and dead tree trunks for years. Seeds of milkweeds and Queen Anne’s lace and seed pods of locust trees also

Sunlight reflects on shoreline pebbles in shallow water. (Photo by Scot Stewart)

dry and can be located into winter months if they are discovered before the squirrels find them. Shed antlers are true treasures of pattern and continue to gain character as mice, voles and porcupines find them and leave their tiny teeth marks on them. Water contains some of the very best patterns. Finding window frost is one of the highlights of a winter morning as the warm rays of the rising sun define the branches, polygons and frozen droplets on the glass in an array of rosy hues. Pockets of rock along the Lake Superior shoreline filled with water turn into galleries of triangles, rhomboids and hexagons as the water surface hardens in freezing temperatures. Black Rocks at Presque Isle and the small, clear creeks feeding the lake can hold great examples in cold weather before snow falls to cover them. Even street puddles can have great ice crystals stretch across them if they freeze slowly at night. The slower the temperatures drop at night after a warm day, the larger the crystals can be. In areas where open water persists, the reflections of treetops, clouds and sunlight can create incredible patterns across the water, shaped by the light, wind and the proximity of the objects to the water. A walk on the breakwater on a partly cloudy day before the ice begins to build on it almost always offers great rewards. In small streams at the start of win-

ter, and in larger rivers and the shore of Lake Superior, tree branches and other projections catch the spray of dancing water and wind-swept droplets. Layers of freezing water create icicles, spheres of ice and other patterned formations of crystalline beauty. There are plenty of small creeks right in the middle of many towns to hike along, like Whetstone Brook at Founders Landing. A search there can lead to a little fast-running water

splashing and even lovely falls to create new ice. When the temperatures drop to extreme cold, even Lake Superior itself begins to seal over. This creates a thick layer of ice subject to the pressures of a huge undulating body of water below. The cracks and fissures in the ice can sink all the way down to the water and help to bring bubbles closer to the surface and into the freezing ice. The combination of long, slender cracks

December 2023

and perfectly round bubbles is arresting. After a good snowfall, though, a snow shovel may be required to reveal the ice beneath. In warm nooks out of the wind near Lake Superior, like the mouth of Whetstone, maple, aspen and alder trees may hold their leaves a bit longer, offering another opportunity to hold onto autumn. Late fall leaves can offer incredible hand-sized landscapes of branching patterns across

Marquette Monthly

The florets in a sunflower produce a pattern of interconnecting spirals. (Photo by Scot Stewart)

deep red, yellow and gold fields. They may require closer examination to fully appreciate their beauty, though. “Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns, so that each small piece of her fabric reveals the organization of the entire tapestry.” —Richard P. Feynman

ilson Bentley was a nature photographer in Vermont in the early 1900s. Known today as Snowflake Bentley, he found the intricacy of snowflakes irresistible and perfected a way to photograph individual snowflakes outside with a huge primitive macro photography system. His collection of more than 5,000 images is found in his 1931 book Snow Crystals, still in print. His collection underscores the incredible beauty and diversity of snowflakes; over 90 years later, it is still unrivaled. Mich-

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

igan winters do provide challenges in finding those perfect snowflakes. The temperatures and humidity must be just right. If it’s too warm, the clumps of wet flakes cake together. Unsettled conditions with too many updrafts can form grapple, those popcorn snow pellets. Lastly, extremely cold temperatures with windy weather will lead to small, needle-like crystals forming. When the conditions are just right, it takes only a minute to check the flakes on a cold car windshield to find those perfectly formed ones. A cold piece of black felt or cardboard can catch more to observe comfortably — just don’t take them inside! For more color in winter, lichens can be just the ticket. Often partnerships between algae and fungi, they can stretch across tree bark, rocks and even stonework-like breakwaters in a wide array of browns, grays, bright oranges, lemon yellows and deep greens. They form random alignments

Pressure cracks and bubbles are prominent in this Lake Superior ice. (Photo by Scot Stewart)

on most trees but can form neat circular patterns under the right conditions. When the Lower Harbor froze several years ago, it paved the way to the ore dock, where some beautiful circles of brilliant orange lichens were found. Keeping a winter home warm can also lead to some great patterns. Those cutting firewood can observe trees that offer terrific colors and patterns of annual rings. Sumac, not usually used for firewood because of the small diameter of the trunks, has a bright yellowish heartwood. Although both osage orange and walnut are more southerly trees and have wood valued for flexibility or woodworking, they too offer gorgeous colors. The osage orange lives up to its name with bright orange wood. Walnut presents a deep mahogany color. Some of the biggest patterns do require extra help to see. An airplane ride along Lake Superior can reveal the geologic history of the rising land of the U.P. following the melting of the last glacier. Released from the mile-high layer of ice, the land rises up in lurches and creates new beach-

es with new dunes. These swell and swale ridges, like ancient waves, can be seen really well just past Big Bay.

Meanders are also seen best from the air. Some of the best can be seen just west of the old county airport in

December 2023

Negaunee Township where the Carp River bends around as it heads toward Lake Superior. It flows through a low

Marquette Monthly

Frost covers a bracken fern. (Photo by Scot Stewart)

flood plain where hiking itself can be difficult due to thick vegetation and wet soil. “Nobody knows the future with certainty. We can, however, identify ongoing patterns of change.” —Alvin Toffler

he Upper Peninsula, with its clear nights and areas away from city lights, can be a great spot to see even larger patterns — in the stars. Nebulae are made of huge spirals of clouds best seen with a telescope. With a bit of guidance on where to look, some amazing patterns can be seen above. And for those wishing for a warmer evening indoors, the Hubble and James Webb telescopes provide plenty to see where patterns and color truly shine.

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

Finally, one last place to look for patterns in the sky: The red, green and violet waves of the aurora borealis have been great during the fall of 2023 and promise to continue into the new year. Websites like spaceweather. com can provide information to plan some time outdoors when good displays can be seen. As individuals become more attuned to the patterns of nature and where they might be, the out-of-doors becomes even more of a visual feast and a joy to behold. MM Scot Stewart has lived in Marquette long enough to be considered a true Yooper even though he was born in Illinois. He loves to be outdoors photographing and enjoying nature.

conversation

Bay College president adjusts to role By Andie Balenger

erita Hughes became the sixth president in the history of Bay College in July, and her inaugural ceremony took place on Nov. 2. She arrived in Escanaba from North Hennepin Community College in Minnesota, where she was interim associate vice president for academic affairs and workforce innovation and a dean. Hughes holds degrees from National American University (bachelor of science) and Saint Mary’s University (master of business administration and doctorate of education in leadership). She discussed her adjustment to Bay College in a recent Q&A session with Marquette Monthly. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Andie Balenger: How have you and your family adjusted to life in the Upper Peninsula?

Nerita Hughes, left, became the sixth president of Bay College in July. The school has campuses in Escanaba and Iron Mountain. (Photos courtesy of Bay College)

erita Hughes: My oldest daughter from Minnesota came with me, and we have been adjusting. The one thing I can honestly say is I have had an overwhelmingly positive response of people being welcoming. And I have to remember that it is a small town, but people have offered me their cell phone number and said, “If you need anything, call me.” And all I am thinking is, “That would never happen in Minneapolis.” They are very welcoming and very open because they want me to feel at home. It has been a blessing to me. It has been a blessing to walk into a community that you know does not necessarily reflect you but has this overwhelming response of welcomeness. That has been great, and my daughter has received the same thing. What about this area has stuck out to you?

t is a very communal area. The people are a huge part of this area. The other interesting piece I have now figured out is the highway. I found that it is M-35, U.S.-2 and U.S.-41, so that was one of the things that took some figuring out. When you first move here, you are on your GPS and trying to figure out where things are. But now I am like, “OK, this is the same

highway that will take you from one direction to the other.” Everything is a straight shot. That really stuck out to me. That is different. If you think of the cities, you can probably get to the same spot 50 different ways, whereas here, it is a straight shot. Even when I went to meet with [NMU President] Brock Tessman, all I had to do was drive straight. Even when I went downstate, I was like, “Seriously. I am just taking this highway?” How have these first months been for you?

hey have been great. I have been doing what I call a listening and

learning tour. … I have met with multiple stakeholders, internal, external and what I call outside community. So even giving the example of the Rotary Club, they had asked me to speak, and they wanted to know my background, so I shared a bit about my background. Then I turned it into a listening session. I said, “I can take an opportunity to ask you all what Bay should be doing.” So I have maintained the three things I have been asking: What do we need to start, stop and continue? So what should we start doing? What is that big, hairy idea? Think ideation. Think radical imagination. What should Bay be doing that, for whatever reason, we are not doing? What do we need to stop doing? Are we doing it because this person did it, and that person did it, but nobody has ever stopped to say, “Does it make sense for us to do that?” And I am prefacing it by saying that if it doesn’t have an imprint or an impact, why are we continuing to do it? And then the last piece that I am asking is, what should we continue to do? It’s working, but maybe we need to take it up a notch. We need to expand what we are doing and make our brand a little larger and more significant. Having those conversations with

December 2023

internal and external people has been great because it has made it easier for people to say what they think. If they feel like they are naysaying, if you will, I always tell them they are not. They just say, “I don’t know why we are doing this, but maybe we don’t need to.” Using that start, stop and continue has allowed for more free-flow conversation versus feeling like you are complaining. People often feel they are giving all negatives, but they are not. I just want people to talk, and I will take copious notes. What am I going to do with all of this? I did a listening session with the students yesterday, and they asked me what I would do with all this information. What I do, well, this is how I spend my weekends. I unpack what I heard and start to outline themes. What themes have I heard, and how will those themes inform the future of Bay? So, what will come out of this is using those themes as a benchmark or framework to identify our strategic plan and then be able to move us forward as far as the future of Bay is concerned. Have any common themes developed so far?

Marquette Monthly

Nerita Hughes, center, is from Minnesota, where she worked for North Hennepin Community College before assuming the presidency of Bay College. (Photo courtesy of Nerita Hughes)

es. The No. 1 theme is communication. It is different from the communication that people would think. It is not who should be communicating what. It is more about the process and about whose job it is to communicate what, or why haven’t we communicated this? Why doesn’t the public know about X, Y and Z, and the lack thereof? Some things people presume because you have been here for years, and then there are other things that people are like, “I had no idea that this was going on.” So, communication from the external and the internal. The biggest piece around communication has been our brand, and I have heard this from the community, I have heard this from students and I have heard this from faculty and staff — all saying that we have got to stop

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

being the best-kept secret. So that is a communication thing. That is a brand piece; that is a marketing aspect. What are we doing so that people know who we are and what we have to offer, versus having this secretive piece that people just happen to stumble across versus saying, “Yes, I know about Bay. I know what they are about.” Whatever the case may be, that theme has come up strong. Another theme that has come up strong is responsibility, and it’s more about who is responsible for moving the needle, creating or not creating change. How are we ensuring that this person is informed? From a project management perspective, I think about the RACI model. So who is responsible? Who is accountable? Who do we need to consult? And who needs to be informed? Those are what I have been

hearing as far as themes and concerns, but then you get into the nitty-gritty of the common themes, especially when you talk about the differentiation between West [in Iron Mountain] and the campus here, the East Campus [in Escanaba]. You are hearing about transportation and student services. Why can’t we have some of the services that the other campus has and vice versa? How can we discuss Bay as “One Bay, Multiple Campuses” instead of “West and Main.” Why do we call it Main? Why can’t we call it “East.” So there is going to be further discussion about that. What is your favorite part of this job so far?

am a people person, so the fact that I am literally able to enact all of

my strengths and my skills and abilities. That is my favorite part. I listen first before I act and truly think from a strategic lens, and not that I didn’t do that before, but I love that strategy and visioning. I also love what happens after it is done well. And then also moving to data-driven decisions. So the fact that I can bring in a totally different energy, totally different ideas, and having people be very receptive to that has been the best part. And people have just been open. When I walk through the campuses, I am speaking to people. I have been told that I bring a totally different energy by multiple people. They say that I have almost reignited our fire on both campuses. And I said, “That is great to hear.” Whether that is just me, just because I will always be energetic, it is something new, and everybody likes something new. You have somebody new on campus, and it is like, “Wow, maybe we can do that thing that we have always wanted to do,” or “We have been like this, tunnel vision, so we haven’t thought about what we could be doing because we are so focused on what is in front of us.” I think I am coming in and saying I am not tied to any old practices. I am not tied to the way things used to be. I am just looking and listening to hear about where we can go from here. What does this look like, and how do we do it together? How do

we walk alongside each other? It’s not me being at the top and looking down on everyone. Yes, I am leading, but I have to lead alongside you. How can I bring people along with me as we are casting these visions and looking at the future of Bay? Even from an enrollment perspective, I truly believe that once we get some of the infrastructural pieces in place, there is no reason why Bay’s enrollment cannot be doubled or even tripled. I truly believe that because we have a phenomenal brand, it is a matter of how we tell and showcase that brand. There are some things that we have to clean up behind the scenes so that the brand remains positive and not, “Ugh, Bay.” I feel like I bring that energy, which is the most exciting — ideating with it. That, by far, has been the best part: hearing what people are looking forward to and then me, behind the scenes, getting my brain going and mapping this out. What keeps you inspired as an individual in higher education?

he students. When I hear the students’ stories, when I listen to what they have been able to accomplish as a result of something that we have been able to do, whether it was walking alongside them, providing them resources and getting them to the finish line of walking across that

Answers for the New York Times crossword puzzle, located on Page 19.

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

Bay College offers a broad range of associate degree programs, including several in nursing. (Photo courtesy of Bay College)

stage, that is what keeps me inspired. Knowing that I am fulfilling my purpose, and knowing that I can help someone that probably was unhopeful, maybe knowing that someone that has gone through several barriers and has had to face adversity, and now all of a sudden they are like, “I would have never thought I could be a college grad.”

Marquette Monthly

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?

would say the best advice that somebody has shared with me, and this was from my dad. He would always say this: It doesn’t matter how many letters are behind your name; what matters is the impact you

December 2023

create with those letters. That stuck with me because I don’t always lead with my title when I meet people. I wouldn’t always lead with Dr. Nerita Hughes. I am Nerita. I would never tell until I am asked. Because some people lead with their title, but your title should not define you. My father has always said that to me, and he passed before I even got my MBA, so that was just his mindset of how he viewed leaders. As a firefighter, he helped everybody. Letters don’t mean anything, then. What are you doing with the letters? That is what matters. I have always led that way, which has allowed me to humble myself and not walk around like, “Do you know who I am?” I don’t do that. I don’t think I have ever been that person. That is not me. People will refer to me as Dr. Hughes or President Hughes. But at the end of the day, when I go home, my child will call me Mom. She is not going to call me Momma President. She is going to call me Momma. The grandson will call me GG. He has no clue. He doesn’t understand. He is 6. He doesn’t know why his grandma moved. I have never looked down on anybody. I have never looked at people with a certain distinction. That is what sets me apart. MM Andie Balenger is a native of Gladstone who is attending graduate school at NMU for administration of outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism.

coloring page

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

superior reads

Smolens offers suspense in 1920s-era Michigan Review by Michael Murray

hen the orphan train rolled into Otter Creek, only five children remained. The farmer and his wife inspected them like livestock at auction, clearly disappointed that the best of the lot had long since been claimed. They stopped in front of a 17-year-old girl named Mercy, and the farmer’s wife seemed to hold her breath. “Will you look at that skin?” she muttered in disgust. “And those eyes?” Her husband’s response: “Mixed blood, no doubt.” Next they examined a boy called Rope, around the same age as Mercy, quiet but strong. What was wrong with him? Why was he still here? He pulled a hand from his pocket, revealing his secret: A shoe factory back in Massachusetts had taken his fingers. These two orphans possessed obvious flaws, but they were better than the others. And with winter approaching, and a 60-acre spread to manage, the farmer figured they were better than nothing. With this exchange on a railroad platform in a village near Michigan’s southern border in 1924, John Smolens sets into motion the gripping narrative at the heart of his 13th book of fiction, and 12th novel, A Cold, Hard Prayer, published this fall by Michigan State University Press. Smolens is a Marquette resident and professor emeritus at Northern Michigan University, where he directed the master of fine arts program in creative writing. (He’s also a regular contributor to Marquette Monthly.) Two of his recent novels, Wolf’s Mouth (2016, MSU Press) and Day of Days (2020, MSU Press), were selected as Library of Michigan Notable Books, and A Cold, Hard Prayer should join them on that list. After their purchase at auction, Mercy and Rope become virtual prisoners on the farm of Harlan and Estelle Nau outside of Otter Creek. An incident in the home propels the teenagers northward as Mercy follows a dream and Rope follows Mercy. Soon others join the chase, forces of good and evil driven by competing definitions of justice. This pursuit is

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

John Smolens

led by Otter Creek’s police captain, a man named Kincaid. Smolens expertly reveals elements of the captain’s character through the eyes of a subordinate: “Milt leaned against the door jamb to the coffee room as he watched Kincaid take the phone call. There was an efficiency in the way the man sat at his desk. Straight up, no slouch. Always at the ready. When he first started talking to the caller, he jotted something on a notepad, but then he put the pencil down and never bothered to write anything else. It was hard to distinguish between his expression of tolerant indifference and keen interest, but the tautness in his posture reminded Milt of a well-trained hunting dog.” Smolens doesn’t do fluff, in his language or his plots. The lean, crisp prose stands as an ideal complement to the narrative itself. Every scene, every description, every passage of dialogue serves the story. Even the physical surroundings carry part of the load. Several of Smolens’ novels are set in Michigan, and his integration of location and plot reveals a knowledge of the state and its people that goes far deeper than identifying a dot on a map. In Smolens’ fiction, place becomes a character. As Mercy, Rope, Kincaid and others make their way north to the Straits of Mackinac, they encounter the physical environment that Michiganders

know well — including the power of the weather. As Smolens’ narrator informs us, “This terrain had something to do with all this, in a way that Rope couldn’t fully grasp. It was a wild, merciless place, woods and fields, and long views across water to islands and distant shores, that seemed the geographical embodiment of eternity. No beginning, no end. As he watched her walk through it, he felt both drawn and captive. But chosen, too.” Readers will also feel drawn to Mercy, and to Rope, as the suspense unfolds. These are complex characters, and Smolens unveils them in a way that makes us root for their well-being and keep turning the pages. Because of the era in which the story takes place, A Cold, Hard Prayer can be classified as historical fiction, but that label does not seem sufficient. Perhaps historical suspense or historical mystery come closer to capturing this full, rich tale. Through his characters, and the situations in which he places them, Smolens reveals the best and worst values of American life in the mid1920s. Not surprisingly, these virtues and vices are still at the center of our national consciousness a century later. The questions our predecessors asked then remain relevant to us: What does it mean to be an American? What does it mean to be the land of the free? How much freedom do we extend to those who look, believe and act in ways that are different from us? Students of history remember that the Ku Klux Klan was ascendant in the Midwest a century ago, and A Cold, Hard Prayer shines a light on the group’s bigotry and ideology. One of the book’s many vivid descriptions focuses on a Klan leader: “He leaned over and picked up the bottle, removed the cork with his teeth, and poured more whiskey into his glass. There was something methodical about his movements, as though he had to think everything through carefully. He placed the bot-

tle on the floor, being particular about how it was positioned next to his worn leather shoe. Then he drank the whiskey. First, two deep draughts, and then he tipped his head back and drained the glass. When he gazed at her again, there was a sense of accomplishment, of pride, even, as though he expected recognition that he had just performed an astounding magic trick.” Historical fiction at its best helps us to grow in our knowledge of a previous era and at the same time better understand our present moment. A Cold, Hard Prayer succeeds on both fronts. But even more, it’s a compelling story with vivid characters and a satisfying resolution — in other words, a great option for the readers on your Christmas gift list. MM Michael Murray is a managing editor of Marquette Monthly. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Northern Michigan University.

How to submit a book

Send Upper Peninsula-related book review suggestions to victor@LHPress.com. Books submitted for review can be sent to: MM Book Reviews, 5145 Pontiac Trail, Ann Arbor, MI 48105.

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

superior reads

Classen’s latest book weaves stories and images Review by Victor R. Volkman

hildren and adults both will often blanch when they hear about “history,” as they associate it with rote memorization of dates, names, places and minutiae. In order for a contemporary historian to engage a modern audience where generations have now been brought up as visual thinkers, the historian must meet them where they’re at. Mikel B. Classen does exactly this in Faces, Places, and Days Gone By, Volume 1: A Pictorial History of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, his new book from Modern History Press. A skilled photographer and journalist, Classen weaves together stories and images to create a coherent and comprehensible narrative better than either alone could achieve. His conversational style of writing is far from a dusty tome, and you feel like there’s a friendly docent over your shoulder pointing out things you would otherwise miss on a walk through the museum of history. A winner of the Historical Society of Michigan’s Charles Follo Award in 2020 (Upper Peninsula History Awards), Classen has spent decades perfecting his technique for building a story through text and images. For example, his True Tales: The Forgotten History of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (2022) provides an in-depth examination of historical topics from the controversial to the whimsical. In Faces, Places, and Days Gone By, Classen mines his own treasure trove of thousands of images he has gathered by scouring the peninsula from St. Ignace to Copper Harbor and from the Soo to Ironwood. Specifically, Classen draws from a diverse collection of historical artifacts including cabinet cards, engravings, lithographs, postcards, photo prints, press release photos and stereoscope prints. Together these pictures span the period primarily between the 1850s and 1940. As anyone who has tried to work with old photos knows, there’s more to it than throwing a piece of paper in the scanner. Each image has been digitally restored to the best-quality version of itself with noise reduction, contrast enhancement, fade correction and ev-

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

Mikel Classen

ery other tool possible to make it pop. While not every image is perfect, each one tells an unforgettable story to go with its memorable visual. To build a story, pictures must be presented in a context that creates a narrative. Otherwise, it would be snooze-inducing, like watching slides from Uncle Bob’s trip to the Bahamas. Classen creates a story by building out nine chapters that address some of the most popular areas of photographic documentation: City and Settlement Life, Homesteading, Lighthouses and Lifesaving, Logging, Mining, Native Americans, Recreation, Ships and Shipping, and an intriguing collection of the Miscellaneous. Classen makes the subject accessible to anyone, whether they’ve been to Michigan or not — and he doesn’t sugarcoat anything. An example is part of the caption to a lonely homestead outside Marquette: “Much of the Upper Peninsula soil was poor for growing, so establishing a garden was difficult at best. Hunting was good, as was foraging for berries. Fish abounded in the lakes and streams. Chores to get through tomorrow took all day. It was wet, muddy and buggy. There are hardly any windows in the cabin, making it dark, and escape would be difficult if it caught on fire. These people came to carve out a life, and they succeeded no matter what it took.” Similarly, in the Sand Point Light-

house outside of Escanaba, Classen provides a valuable context to an otherwise generic-looking lighthouse, similar to any of a dozen you might have seen in person or on a travel calendar: “The Sand Point Lighthouse has shown since 1868, and it was lit by a woman. It warned mariners of a sandbar that was at the entrance to Escanaba Harbor. Construction began on Sand Point in 1864, and the first lightkeeper was named John Terry. He oversaw the construction and prepared the lighthouse for occupation along with his wife, Mary. Just before the light was supposed to be lit, John Terry died. Sand Point was scheduled to begin its beacon on May 13, 1868. Mary Terry made sure that happened and took over from her husband. She was officially appointed lightkeeper, making her one of the very first women lightkeepers on the Great Lakes.” In aspiring to reach all audiences, the text is available in paperback, hardcover, ebook and even audiobook editions. You might wonder how an audiobook can serve as a picture book. The audiobook edition includes a PDF copy with all the illustrations so you can zoom or pan across them as you listen to the friendly baritone of Canadian narrator Rory Young. The result is something like the old narrated filmstrips those of us who grew up in the 1970s were exposed to.

Faces, Places, and Days Gone By, Volume 1: A Pictorial History of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula by Mikel Classen makes history accessible to a new generation of readers. The short vignette format literally provides snapshots of history that match the condensed format that people growing up in the social media environment have become accustomed to in getting their facts and insights. Whether you were born in the U.P. or just moved here, I guarantee there are images and stories in Faces, Places, and Days Gone By, Volume 1 that will delight you and give you a new perspective on this land that has shaped its people just as hard as its people have tried to tame the land. MM Victor R. Volkman is a graduate of Michigan Tech (Class of ’86) and is current president of the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association. He is senior editor at Modern History Press and publisher of the U.P. Reader.

How to submit a book

Send Upper Peninsula-related book review suggestions to victor@LHPress.com. Books submitted for review can be sent to: MM Book Reviews, 5145 Pontiac Trail, Ann Arbor, MI 48105.

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

poetry Blessing By Roslyn Elena McGrath Bless the light that silvers the sliver of moon, dapples through woods, breaks waves into diamonds. Bless the waters that move the shine in this light, go deeper than darkness, flow through earth, tree, armpits, urine, are exhaled up to cloud swirls, rain down on thirsty lands, cold concrete, withered souls, hungry hands. Bless the wind that moves the waters, hustles bright leaves to far corners, carries cold, warm, and wet to new territory, reminds us to change. Bless the soil that shines with loam, minerals, ant hill, deer pee, worm glow, breathes its treasures into veins of briar root, bird’s tree, squirrel’s home. Bless the fire that boils deep within the earth, creates magma, blow holes, burns in our hearts, blazes through hearths, homes, and pits. Bless the sounds that wake us from slumber, clap us to attention, breathe song through lips, hands, ear drums. Bless the musicians who corral sound into poetry, poetry into visions, visions into movement, movement into silence that slips through souls. Bless all.

Marquette resident Roslyn Elena McGrath looks for the rhythm, rhyme and magic in her life and written, visual and healing work. She is the publisher of Health & Happiness U.P. Magazine, a supporter of self-actualization at Empowering Lightworks and the author/illustrator of three card decks and six books, the most recent being her first book of poetry, Sizzle, Soar, Glow, Roar: Earth Pulse Arias. Visit empoweringlightworks.com to learn more.

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

out & about Out & About is a free listing of Upper Peninsula events. Events included must cost $25 or less (except fundraisers). All events are free and in Eastern time unless noted. We print information sent to us by a wide variety of people and organizations. It pays to double check the date, time, place and cost before heading out.

E-mail your January events by Monday, December 4 to: calendar@marquettemonthly.com. Index on the town …………………………………………………………… 80-81 art galleries …………………………………………………………… 84-85 museums ………………………………………………………………….. 88 support groups…………………………………………………………….90

Gingerbread House Workshop | December 2 | Escanaba

end of november events 29 WEDNESDAY

sunrise 8:10 a.m.; sunset 5:06 p.m.

Escanaba

• Toddler Time. Intended for ages two to four. 10:30 a.m. Escanaba Public Library, 400 Ludington St. To register, 906-789-7328. escanabalibrary.org.

Ishpeming

• Crochet Club. This is a time to gather with fellow crafters to socialize. Supplies and instruction will be

provided for those who are interested in learning how to crochet. 5:30 p.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906-486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary.info.

Marquette

• Toddler Storytime. Stories, songs and sensory play activities will be offered for children ages 18 to 36 months. Siblings are welcome. 10:45 a.m. Great Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4323 or pwpl.info. • Congregate Meals for Seniors–Dine in or Curbside Pickup. Meals available to those age 60 and older. Call to reserve a meal. $3.50 suggested donation. Noon to 1 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. 906-

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

228-0456. • Teens Cook! Teens in grades six to 12 will learn easy-to-prepare recipes. Registration required. 4:30 p.m. Marquette Food Co-Op, 502 W. Washington St. 906-226-4321 or pwpl.info. • NMU Jazz Combos Concert. 7:30 p.m. Reynolds Recital Hall. nmu.edu/ music.

Negaunee

• Knitting Group. Those interested in crocheting, knitting and other fiber arts are welcome to bring their projects and share with others. Coffee provided. 1:30 p.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906-475-7700, ext. 18. • Wings of Fire Interest Group. Youth ages eight and older are invited to discuss the series, write fanfiction, make crafts and other activities. 3 p.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906-475-7700, ext. 18. • “Come Write In.” The Negaunee Public Library is a meeting location for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in November. Aspiring authors are invited for snacks, goodies, and writing assistance. 4 to 7 p.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906-475-7700, ext. 18, facebook.com/NegauneePublicLibrary, or nanowrimo.org.

30 THURSDAY

sunrise 8:11 a.m.; sunset 5:05 p.m.

Calumet

• Preschool Story Time. 10:15 a.m. Calumet Public Library. 906-3370311.

Escanaba

• School-Age Art. Students ages five to 12 will learn a variety of painting techniques, upcycling tricks, holiday-themed crafts, fiber art styles, and more. $10 per child. 4:15 p.m. Studio, Bonifas Arts Center, 700 First Ave. S. 906-786-3833 or bonifasarts.org.

Ishpeming

• Grief Support Group. U.P. Home Health and Hospice will offer support for those caring for a loved one with a life-limiting diagnosis or who recently experienced the loss of a loved one. This is the final session. 2 p.m. Ray Leverton Room, Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906225-4545. • Friends of the Library Used Book Sale. In addition to a selection of books, there will be calendars, T-shirts, tote bags, and more. Proceeds support library programming. 5 to 7 p.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906-486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary.info. • Food as Medicine. This event is limited to 15 participants. $25. 5:30 p.m. Partridge Creek Farm Office, 112 S. Main St. To register, 906-376-4171, camden@partridgecreekfarm.org, or partridgecreekfarm.org.

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

Marquette

• Book Babies. Songs, rhymes, stories and finger-plays are offered for children up to 17 months old. Older siblings are welcome. 9:45 a.m. Great Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4323 or pwpl.info. • Toddler Storytime. Stories, songs and sensory play activities will be offered for children ages 18 to 36 months. Siblings are welcome. 10:45 a.m. Great Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4323 or pwpl.info. • Tech Coaching for Seniors. Learn how to make your electronic devices work the way you want with the help of retired teacher and librarian Christine Ault. Ensure your device is charged and bring passwords with you. Sessions will be offered in 30-minute time slots between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Heritage Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4311. • Dementia Caregiving Workshop (via Zoom). This is the first of a three-part Dementia Caregiving Series. Participants will learn basic information, such as recognizing the stages of dementia, how to communicate more effectively with someone who has dementia, strategies of self-care, and how to build a support network. 11 a.m. To register, upcap.org or call 2-1-1. • Superiorland Duplicate Bridge Club. Games open to all interested players. $5 for games. 12:30 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.com. • Fandom Fun: Pokemon. This afterschool event is for youth of all ages who love Pokemon. 4:30 p.m. Community Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4323 or pwpl. info. • “Ask The Doctor.” This educational event will be an opportunity to have questions answered. 6 p.m. U.P. Holistic Medicine, 6044 U.S. 41 S., Suite 3. 906-249-3600 or upholisticmedicine. com. • Holiday Lasers on the Ore Dock. View fun and festive laser displays from holiday, winter and Marquettethemes. 6 to 9 p.m. Marquette Ore Dock, end of East Spring Street. travelmarquette.com. • NMU Orchestra and Jazz Band Concert. 7:30 p.m. Reynolds Recital Hall. nmu.edu/music.

Negaunee

• Music, Movement and More. This parent-led storytime is for children of all ages and their caregivers. 10:30 a.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906-475-7700, ext. 18. • Building Club. Youth ages five and older will discuss a topic that will be the focus of their creations and then have time to build with blocks such as LEGO bricks. Participants can have their creations displayed in the library until the following meeting. 4:30 p.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906-475-7700, ext. 18.

december events 01 FRIDAY

sunrise 8:12 a.m.; sunset 5:05 p.m.

books, there will be calendars, T-shirts, tote bags, and more. Proceeds support library programming. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906-486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary.info.

Marquette

Gwinn

• Story Time. Preschool age children with a caregiver are invited for stories, crafts and light snacks. 10:30 a.m. Forsyth Township Public Library, 180 W. Flint St. 906-346-3433.

Escanaba

• Christmas in the Village. The Antique Village will be decorated with holiday lights and greenery. Enjoy carols, bonfires, a visit with Santa, food and more. Bring a non-perishable food item to donate. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Antique Village, 2401 12th Ave. N. visitescanaba.com. • Christmas Parade. This annual parade will travel from Escanaba City Hall to the Escanaba Civic Center. Ludington Street. 6 p.m. Ludington St. 906-789-8696 or escanabadowntown. com

Houghton

• Orchestral Music with the Superior Wind Symphony. Presented by Michigan Tech Music, this concert will feature band arrangements of orchestral music. Pay As You’re Able ticketing. 7:30 p.m. McArdle Theatre, MTU. rozsa@mtu.edu or 906-4871906.

Ishpeming

• Friends of the Library Used Book Sale. In addition to a selection of

• Preschool Storytime. Stories, songs, finger-plays, crafts and other school-readiness activities are offered for preschool-age children. Siblings are welcome. 10:45 a.m. Great Room, PeterWhite Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4323 or pwpl.info. • Capote Christmas Docu Cinema: Truman Capote Tells All. In this classic interview, author Truman Capote discusses his history, work, and public persona. Noon. Shiras Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4322 or pwpl.info. • School’s Out, Library’s In: Holiday Celebration. Youth of all ages can drop by the library for a holiday-themed day and to make ornaments and gift bookmarks. The Grinch (2018) will be screened in the Community Room at 12:45 p.m. Noon to 5 p.m. Great Room and Maker Space, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4323 or pwpl.info. • Superiorland Duplicate Bridge Club. Games open to all interested players. $5 for games. 12:30 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.com. • TV6 Christmas Craft Show. Each crafter is juried to ensure that all items are handmade. Kids 12 and younger, free; adults, $3. 5 to 9 p.m. Superior Dome, NMU. • Holiday Lasers on the Ore Dock. View fun and festive laser displays from holiday, winter and Marquette-themes.

Tim Mossholder via unsplash

Visit with Santa | December 7 | Ishpeming

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

on the town Champion

• Jerzi’s 41 Sports Bar and Grill. - Sundays: Open mic. - Saturday, Dec. 9: Comedy with Hayden Fredricksen featuring Jack Hassly. - Sunday, the 10th: Meet and Greet Sing-along with Santa. - Friday, the 15th: Chris Valenti. - Saturday, the 16th: Princess My Party Snow Ball (advance tickets required). - Sunday, the 31st: New Year’s Eve Party. 9965 U.S. Hwy. 41. 906-486-4141 or eatat41.com.

Gwinn

• Hideaway Bar. - Mondays: The Hideaway All-Stars. 7 p.m. 741 M-35. 906-346-3178.

Marquette

• 906 Sports Bar and Grill. - Wednesdays: Trivia. 6:30 p.m. 145 W. Washington St. 906-2730706 or 906barandgrill.com. • Blackrocks Brewery. - Thursday, Dec. 7: Jim and Ray. 6 to 9 p.m. - Thursday, the 21st: Jim and Ray. 6 to 9 p.m. - Mondays: Open Mic. 6 to 9 p.m. - Tuesdays: Trivia. 7 to 9 p.m. - Wednesdays: Open mic. 6 to 9 p.m. 424 N. Third St. 906-273-1333 or blackrocksbrewery.com. • Drifa Brewing Company. - Mondays: Musicians’ Open Mic. 6 to 8 p.m. - Thursdays: Trivia. 7 p.m. 501 S. Lake St. 906-273-1300. • Flanigan’s. - Tuesday through Thursday: Karaoke. 9:30 p.m. Cover charge on weekends only. 429 W. Washington St. 906-2288865. • Kognisjon Bryggeri. - Saturday, Dec. 2: Grandpa and the

Marquette Monthly

Ghosts and Sycamore Smith. 7 to 10 p.m. - Saturday, the 9th: Yuletide Jazz Showcase with Noah Bauer (3:30 to 5:30 p.m.) and Blue Champagne (6 to 9 p.m.). - Saturday, the 16th: Julemarked with live music by Fáilte. 6 to 9 p.m. - Saturday, the 30th: Ethan Bott. 6 to 9 p.m. - Mondays, Study Hall. 2 to 7 p.m. - Tuesdays: Trivia. 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. - Wednesdays: Brewery Bazaar. 6 to 8 p.m. - Thursdays: Game Night with Iron Golem Games. 6 to 11 p.m. 1034 N. Third St. 906-273-2727. • Lake Superior Smokehouse. - Friday, Dec. 8: Chris Valenti. 6 to 9 p.m. - Saturday, the 9th: Make-Believe Spurs. 6 to 9 p.m. - Friday, the 15th: Delta Duo. 6 to 9 p.m. - Saturday, the 16th: Jim and Ray. 6 to 9 p.m. - Friday, Dec. 22: Make-Believe Spurs. 6 to 9 p.m. 200 W. Main St. 906-273-0952. • Ojibwa Casino—Marquette. - Friday, Dec. 1: Chicken Stanley.8 p.m. to midnight. - Friday, the 8th and Saturday, the 9th: Reveal. 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. - Friday, the 15th and Saturday, the 16th: DayDreamers.8 p.m. to midnight. - Friday, the 22nd: Chad Borgen and the Collective. 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. - Saturday, the 30th and Sunday, the 31st: Bear Creek Band. 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. 105 Acre Trail. 906-249-4200. • Ore Dock Brewing Company. - Friday, Dec. 1: The Marsupials. $5. 9 p.m. - Saturday, the 2nd: Jakey Thomas. 8 p.m. - Thursday, the 7th: Tricky Dicky and The Spoonmen. 7 p.m. - Friday, the 8th and Saturday, the

December 2023

Tricky Dicky and the Spoonmen | December 7 | Ore Dock Brewing Company, Marquette

9th: The Go Rounds. In advance, $12; day of show, $16; both nights, $20. 9 p.m. Ages 21 and older. - Friday, the 15th: Jim and Ray. 7 p.m. - Saturday, the 16th: Not Quite Canada. $5. 9 p.m. Ages 21 and older. - Saturday, the 23rd: Make Believe Spurs Holiday Special. 6 p.m. - Friday, the 29th: Outlaw’d. 9 p.m. - Saturday, the 30th: Ramble Tamble. 9 p.m. Ages 21 and older. - Sunday, the 31st: Big Trouble’s NYE Show. $5. 9 p.m. Ages 21 and older. All shows are free unless noted.

114 W. Spring St. 906-228-8888. • Rippling River Resort. - Friday, Dec. 1: The Remenants. 6 to 9 p.m. - Saturday, the 2nd: Jan Arnold. 6 to 9 p.m. - Sunday, the 3rd: Beechgrove and Blacksmith. 5 to 8 p.m. - Thursday, the 7th: Adam Carpenter. 6 to 9 p.m. - Friday, the 8th: Troy Graham. 6 to 9 p.m. - Saturday, the 9th: Jan Arnold. 6 to 9 p.m. - Sunday, the 10th: Beechgrove and Blacksmith. 5 to 8 p.m. - Thursday, the 14th: Adam Carpen(continued on page 81)

on the town

(continued from page 80)

ter. 6 to 9 p.m. - Friday, the 15th: Keith Janofski. 6 to 9 p.m. - Saturday, the 16th: Jan Arnold. 6 to 9 p.m. - Sunday, the 17th: Beechgrove and Blacksmith. 5 to 8 p.m. - Thursday, the 21st: Troy Graham. 6 to 9 p.m. - Saturday, the 23rd: Jan Arnold. 6 to 9 p.m. - Sunday, the 24th: Beechgrove and Blacksmith. 5 to 8 p.m. - Saturday, the 30th: Keith Janofski. 6 to 9 p.m. - Sunday, the 31st: Beechgrove and Blacksmith. 5 to 8 p.m.

4321 M-553. 906-273-2259 or ripplingriverresort.com. • Superior Culture. - Tuesdays: Open Mic night. 8 to 10 p.m. 717 Third Street. 906-273-0927 or superiorculturemqt.com.

6 to 9 p.m. Marquette Ore Dock, end of East Spring Street. travelmarquette. com. • Bones of Crows film screening. The NMU Center for Native American Studies will present this film, which weaves together underrepresented moments in Canadian and Indigenous history. 6:30 p.m. Whitman Hall Commons, NMU, 1400 Norway St. 906-227-1397.

Got Talent. Pay As You’re Able ticketing. 7:30 p.m. Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, 1400 Townsend Dr. rozsa@mtu.edu or 906-487-1906.

02 SATURDAY

sunrise 8:13 a.m.; sunset 5:04 p.m.

Curtis

• Family Movie Night. The film will be White Christmas starring Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney. In advance, $5; at the door, $7. The Pine Performance Center, 9224 Saw-WaQuato St. MyNorthTickets.com.

Escanaba

• Gingerbread House Workshop. Kate Oman will lead this traditional family holiday workshop to create your own gingerbread house. $12 per kit. 10:30 a.m. Bonifas Arts Center, 700 First Ave. S. 906-786-3833 or bonifasarts.org. • Christmas in the Village. The Antique Village will be decorated with holiday lights and greenery. Enjoy carols, bonfires, a visit with Santa, food and more. Bring a non-perishable food item to donate. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Antique Village, 2401 12th Ave. N. visitescanaba.com • Ink Society Local Writers’ Group. Free for ages 16 and older. 10:30 a.m. Escanaba Public Library, 400 Ludington St. 906-789-7323 or escanabalibrary.org.

Houghton

• Jingle Bell Pop with the Detroit Youth Choir. This concert is appropriate for all ages and includes holiday music and dancing with the Detroit Youth Choir, a finalist on America’s

Republic

• Pine Grove Bar. - Friday, Dec. 1: Matt Byce. 8 to 11 p.m. - Saturday, the 2nd: The Exploders. 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. - Friday, the 8th: Danny and Ian. 7 to 10 p.m. - Saturday, the 9th: Toni Saari. 3 to

Ishpeming

• Friends of the Library Used Book Sale. In addition to a selection of books, there will be calendars, T-shirts, tote bags, and more. Proceeds support library programming. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906-486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary.info. • Negaunee Male Chorus Concert. The Negaunee Male Chorus will present “Christmas Wonder.” Ages 17 and younger, free; adults, $12. 7 p.m. W.C. Peterson Auditorium, Ishpeming High School, 319 E. Division St.

Marquette

• Indoor Farmers Market. The holiday market will feature a variety of delicacies and unique gifts. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Marquette Commons, 112 S. Third St. mqtfarmersmarket.com. • Holiday Café and Gift Shop. Guests can enjoy a treat at the Christmas Café and find unique gifts in the Silent Auction Gift Shoppe and Unique Boutique, featuring items for children, teens and ladies. This event is a fundraiser for repairs of the church’s historic sanctuary pipe organ. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. First Presbyterian Church, 120 N. Front St. • Winter Wonderland Walk Celebration. Local piano teachers and students will present holiday recital concerts every hour, starting at 11 a.m. in the Community Room. There will also be Christmas carols sung by Big Lake Acoustic in the Huron Mountain Gallery with hot chocolate and homemade cookies. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 909226-4322 or pwpl.info. • TV6 Christmas Craft Show. Each crafter is juried to ensure that all items are handmade. Kids 12 and younger, free; adults, $3. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Superior Dome, NMU. • Superiorland Duplicate Bridge

6 p.m. - Friday, the 15th: Ethan Bott. 8 to 11 p.m. - Saturday, the 16th: SPUN. 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. - Friday, the 22nd: Brad Perala. 8 to 11 p.m. - Saturday, the 23rd: Lost Cause. 8 p.m. to midnight. - Friday, the 29th: Derrell Syria Project. 8 to 11 p.m. - Saturday, the 30th: Diversion. 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. - Sunday, the 31st: Diversion. 9 p.m. 286 Front St. 906-376-2234. MM Club. Games open to all interested players. $5 for games. Lessons, 10 a.m. Games, 11:30 a.m. Citizens Forum, Lakeview Arena, 401 E. Fair St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.com. • Learning to Walk Together Pow Wow. Hosted by the Sault Ste. Marie band of Chippewa Indians and NMU’s Native American Student Association. Grand entries will take place at 1 and 7 p.m., with a feast at 5 p.m. Everyone is welcome. NMU’s Northern Center, 1401 Presque Isle Ave. nasa@nmu. edu. • Nutcracker Ballet. Presented by Kaufman Auditorium and Second Skin Shop. In advance, youth, $9; NMU students and seniors, $10; adults, $15 (additional $2 at the door). 1 and 7 p.m. Kaufman Auditorium, 611 N. Front St. 906-227-1032 or nmu.universitytickets.com. • Holiday Lasers on the Ore Dock. View fun and festive laser displays from holiday, winter and Marquettethemes. 6 to 9 p.m. Marquette Ore Dock, end of East Spring Street. travelmarquette.com. • Swing Dance Lesson. A free onehour swing dance lesson will be followed by social dancing. 7 to 9 p.m. Dance Zone, 1113 Lincoln Ave. 602358-6839, events@yooperswing.com or yooperswing.com/dance.

03 SUNDAY

sunrise 8:14 a.m.; sunset 5:04 p.m.

Calumet

• Art Junkies. An arts and craft social group. 1 to 3 p.m. Calumet Art Center, 57055 Fifth St. 906-231-0448.

Escanaba

• The Bay de Noc Choral Society Advent Concert: Glory. Donations appreciated. 1:30 p.m. Bethany Lutheran Church, 202 S. 11th Street.

Hancock

• Noteworthy Chorus Concert. Note-

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

worthy, the only women’s barbershop chorus in the region, together with the Yooperleles, a lighthearted, allukelele community band, will present “A Very Merry Noteworthy Holiday.” Donations will be accepted to benefit Community Action. 2 p.m. Church of the Resurrection, 900 Quincy St. noteworthychorus@gmail.com.

Houghton

• TubaChristmas. Tubists gather yearly around the world to play songs of the season in honor of the first tuba virtuoso, William “Bill” Bell, who was born on Christmas Day. 7:00 p.m. Lobby, Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, 1400 Townsend Ave. rozsa@ mtu.edu or 906-487-1906.

Ishpeming

• Bingo. 1 p.m. Ishpeming VFW, 310 Bank St. 906-486-4856.

Marquette

• Story Time at MooseWood. Children can enjoy a reading of Stick Man by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler followed by a craft or activity. Guests can also explore the nature center. Suggested donation of $5 per child or $10 per family. 11 a.m. MooseWood Nature Center, Shiras Pool Building at Presque Isle Park. To register, email moosewoodnc@gmail.com. • TV6 Christmas Craft Show. Each crafter is juried to ensure that all items are handmade. Kids 12 and younger, free; adults, $3. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Superior Dome, NMU. • TubaChristmas Concert. This annual event features tuba and euphonium players from the Upper Peninsula and beyond playing familiar Christmas carols. It will also be live-streamed by Peter White Public Library on its YouTube channel. 1:30 p.m. Marquette Regional History Center, 145 Spring St.

04 MONDAY

sunrise 8:16 a.m.; sunset 5:03 p.m.

Marquette

• NCLL: Blackrocks Brewery Tour. Led by Andrew Reeves, lead production brewer, this guided walking tour of the Blackrocks Brewery production facility will include the processes and equipment used to make local craft beers. $5 for NCLL members, $10 for non-members. 9 to 10:30 a.m. 950 W. Washington St. 248-303-3543 or stilessds@aol.com. • Unemployment Insurance Agency Pop-Up Hours. Nicole Grim will be available to answer questions about how unemployment insurance functions. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Michigan Legal Self-Help Computer Area, second floor, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4311 or refdesk@ pwpl.info. • Craft Magic Series: Felt Magic with Jody Trost. Fiber artist Jody Trost will

Marquette Monthly

host this beginner needle felted workshop and participants will leave with their own handmade felted Christmas tree. Felting starter kits and wool will be provided; bring a small pair of scissors. 6:30 p.m. Shiras Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. To register, 906-226-4322 or pwpl.info. • The Joy of Sound Meditation. This evening of sound meditation will feature bronze singing bowls and metal gongs. 7 p.m. Chapel, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 201 E. Ridge St. 906-362- 9934 or ckitchenmqt@gmail. com.

Negaunee

• All-Ages Online Storytime. Miss Jessica will lead stories, songs and rhymes on Facebook Live. 11 a.m. facebook.com/NegauneePublicLibrary. 906-475-7700, ext. 18.

05 TUESDAY

sunrise 8:17 a.m.; sunset 5:03 p.m.

Escanaba

Ishpeming

Marquette

December 2023

Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4323 or pwpl. info. • Maritime History on Tap. Tim DeMarte and Dan Truckey (two-thirds of the Celtic music trio The Knockabouts) will perform a program of sea shanties, shipwreck ballads and instrumental compositions reflecting the lives of sailors on the Great Lakes and beyond. The program will begin with a brief annual membership meeting for the Marquette Maritime Museum. $5 suggested donation. 7 p.m. Ore Dock Brewing Company, 114 W. Spring St. 906-226-2006. • What’s Up? (via Zoom). Scott Stobbelaar of the Marquette Astronomical Society will provide a virtual guide to what can be seen in the skies of the Upper Peninsula. 7 p.m. Via Zoom. 906-226-4322 or pwpl.info. • La Table Française. The French Program at NMU offers this informal conversation and discussion group. The topic is selected prior to the meeting and presented by advanced students of French. Community members are welcome. 7 p.m. Room 311, Lydia M. Olson Library, NMU. 906-227-2940 or llis@nmu.edu. • NMU Choral Concert. This is NMU Choirs’ final concert of the semester. 7:30 p.m. Reynolds Recital Hall, NMU. nmu.edu/music.

Negaunee

• NCLL: Negaunee History Museum Christmas Social. Virginia Paulson, Negaunee Historical Society board member, will host a Christmas social with punch and Christmas cookies. $5 for NCLL members, $10 for non-members, plus a $5 (or more) donation to the historical society is requested. 2 p.m. Negaunee Historical Society, 303 E. Main St. 906-475-4252 or bbraden@consultant.com. • Women’s Healing and Meditation Circle. Drop-in, bring something to sit on, layers, a journal and water. $5 to $15 on a sliding scale. 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Dead River Coffee Roastery, 338 Rail St.

06 WEDNESDAY

sunrise 8:18 a.m.; sunset 5:03 p.m.

Calumet

• Kathy Groth Author Talk. Author Kathy Groth will discuss her books, Sunken: Shipwrecks of Lake Superior and Sunken: Shipwrecks of Lake Michigan. Both books are a mixture of true stories and fantasy, touching on Great Lakes maritime history and legend to inspire young readers to explore the mysteries behind the shipwrecks. She will also sign copies. 6:30 p.m. Calumet Public Library. 906-337-0311.

Houghton

• Seeing as Creative Act: An Artist Talk. Anne Beffel, Professor of Art, will project recent works of art and

explore how “seeing” is a creative act. Light refreshments will be provided. 6 p.m. Studio G04W, Wadsworth Hall, MTU. rozsa@mtu.edu or 906-4872481.

Marquette

• Congregate Meals for Seniors–Dine in or Curbside Pickup. Meals available to those age 60 and older. Call to reserve a meal. $3.50 suggested donation. Noon to 1 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. 906228-0456. • Senior Visual Art Classes. Gene Bertram will provide instructions to make a hand-painted holiday cards for those ages 55 and older. Supplies will be provided. City of Marquette and neighboring township residents, free; non-residents, $5 suggested donation. 1 p.m. City of Marquette Arts and Culture Center, lower level, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906 225-8655. • Teens Game On! Youth in Grades six to 12 can drop in for a selection of video games, board games and more. 3 to 6 p.m. Teen Zone, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4321 or pwpl.info. • Read-Aloud Book Club. Beginning readers in kindergarten through second grade will explore the easy reader section, read aloud a book, and participate in an activity. 4:30 p.m. Great Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4323 or pwpl.info. • Filmmaker Q&A. In connection with the 2023 NMU School of Art and Design Senior Exhibition, there will be a screening of Two Hearted Tale: The Story of Ladislav Hanka and the Art of Bell’s Beer followed by a Q&A with the directors, Rory K. McHarg and Bret Miller. 5 p.m. NMU’s DeVos Art Museum, Corner of Tracy and Seventh streets. nmu.edu/devos. • Holiday Open House - Sauna Traditions. This open house will include music, refreshments and a holiday takehome craft. Ron Hill will discuss the history of saunas in our region and their origins in Finland. Marquette Regional History Center, 145 W. Spring St. 906 226-3571 or marquettehistory.org. • Marquette County Quilters Association Monthly Meeting. All skill levels are invited for socialization, program events and show and tell. Yearly membership fee, $20. 6:30 p.m. Lower level, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. marquettequilters.org. • League of Women Voters of Marquette County Meeting. There will be a discussion titled “Why the U.S. has an Electoral System that No Country on Earth has Copied.” All interested community members are welcome. Social time at 6:30 p.m., meeting begins at 6:45 p.m. Lower level, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. lwvmqt.org. • MacKenzie Arquette Jazz Duo Cool Yule Concert. 7 p.m. Community Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4322.

Negaunee

• Knitting Group. Those interested in crocheting, knitting and other fiber arts are welcome to bring their projects and share with others. Coffee provided. 1:30 p.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906-475-7700, ext. 18. • Wings of Fire Interest Group. Youth ages eight and older are invited to discuss the series, write fanfiction, make crafts and other activities. 3 p.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906-475-7700, ext. 18. • Caregiver-Child Book Club. This month’s selection will be Bo’s Magical New Friend (Book 1 of Unicorn Diaries) by Rebecca Elliott. Snacks and a craft will be provided. 5:30 p.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906-475-7700, ext. 18.

07 THURSDAY

sunrise 8:19 a.m.; sunset 5:03 p.m.

Calumet

• Preschool Story Time. 10:15 a.m. Calumet Public Library. 906-3370311.

Escanaba

• MSU Extension Class. The topic will be food gifts. 5:30 p.m. Escanaba Public Library, 400 Ludington St. 906789-7323 or escanabalibrary.org.

Ishpeming

• Feeding America Food Distribution Drive-Thru Site. 9 to 10:15 a.m. North Iron Church, 910 Palms Ave. feedwm.org. • Book Club. This month’s selection will be We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange. 11 a.m. Ishpeming Senior Center, 121 Greenwood St. 906-4864381 or ishpeminglibrary.info. • Crochet Club. This is a time to gather with fellow crafters to socialize. Supplies and instruction will be provided for those who are interested in learning how to crochet. 2 p.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906-486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary.info. • Visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Stop by to visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus. 5 to 6 p.m. Old Ish Park, 100 Main St. • Cardboard Mask Making Workshop. Local artist Amber Dohrenwend will provide instructions to build a favorite animal or imagined creature that can be worn as a mask or headpiece. Registration is required. 5:30 p.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906-486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary.info/calendar. • Tea and Salve Making Workshop. $25. 5:30 p.m. Partridge Creek Farm Office, 112 Main St. To register online, partridgecreekfarm.org/events. 906-376-4171 or camden@partridgecreekfarm.org.

Marquette

• Tech Coaching for Seniors. Learn how to make your electronic devices work the way you want with the help of retired teacher and librarian Christine Ault. Ensure your device is charged and bring passwords with you. Sessions will be offered in 30-minute time slots between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Heritage Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4311. • Dementia Caregiving Workshop (via Zoom). This is the second of a three-part Dementia Caregiving Series. Participants will learn basic information, such as recognizing the stages of dementia, how to communicate more effectively with someone who has dementia, strategies of self-care, and how to build a support network. 11 a.m. To register, upcap.org or call 2-1-1. • Superiorland Duplicate Bridge Club. Games open to all interested players. $5 for games. 12:30 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.com. • Grief Support Group. U.P. Home Health and Hospice will offer support for those caring for a loved one with a life-limiting diagnosis or who recently experienced the loss of a loved one. 3 p.m. Dandelion Cottage Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-225-4545. • LEGO Club. Participants can meet other LEGO enthusiasts and build projects with the library’s LEGO blocks. 4 p.m. Great Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4323 or pwpl.info. • 20th Annual Celebrity Art Auction. This non-traditional art auction fundraiser features original works by some of the community’s most unexpected artists. Open to ages 21 and older. Viewing begins at 5:30 p.m., auction begins at 7 p.m. Upper Peninsula Children’s Museum, 123 W. Baraga Ave. 906-226-3911 or upchildrensmuseum. org. • MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Meeting. Discussion includes the ups and downs of motherhood and everything in between. Open to moms of children of any age. Childcare typically provided. 5:30 p.m. Messiah Lutheran Church, 305 W. Magnetic St. renee.n. jewett@gmail.com. • “Ask The Doctor.” This educational event will be an opportunity to have questions answered. 6 p.m. U.P. Holistic Medicine, 6044 U.S. 41 S., Suite 3. 906-249-3600 or upholisticmedicine. com. • Grief and The Holidays. Presented by Lake Superior Life Care and Hospice. 6 p.m. Heritage Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-225-7760. • Holiday Lasers on the Ore Dock. View fun and festive laser displays from holiday, winter and Marquettethemes. 6 to 9 p.m. Marquette Ore Dock, end of East Spring Street. travelmarquette.com. • A Christmas Carol. This performance is a faithful rendition of Charles Dickens’ classic. NMU students, $5;

students, $12; NMU faculty/staff, seniors, and military, $15; and general public, $20. 7:30 p.m. Forest Roberts Theatre, NMU. nmu.universitytickets. com.

Negaunee

08 FRIDAY

sunrise 8:20 a.m.; sunset 5:02 p.m.

Gwinn

• Story Time. Preschool age children with a caregiver are invited for stories, crafts and light snacks. 10:30 a.m. Forsyth Township Public Library, 180 W. Flint St. 906-346-3433.

Houghton

• Bon Voyage, New Zealand. Michigan Tech Music will present a concert of music in preparation for a tour to New Zealand in May 2024. Pay As You’re Able ticketing. 7:30 p.m. Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, 1400 Townsend Ave. rozsa@mtu.edu or 906487-1906.

Ishpeming

Commons, 112 S. Third St. downtownmarquette.org • A Christmas Carol. This performance is a faithful rendition of Charles Dickens’ classic. NMU students, $5; students, $12; NMU faculty/staff, seniors, and military, $15; and general public, $20. 7:30 p.m. Forest Roberts Theatre, NMU. nmu.universitytickets. com.

09 SATURDAY

sunrise 8:21 a.m.; sunset 5:02 p.m.

Calumet

• Second Saturday Market. Featuring local handcrafted items. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Calumet Art Center, 57055 Fifth St. 906-934-2228 or calumetartcenter. com.

Chatham

• Storytime. In addition to storytime, there will be songs and crafts. 10 a.m. Rock River Township Library, E3667 State Hwy. M-94. 906-439-5360 or rrtlibrary@gmail.com.

Curtis

• Christmas Ornament “Make and Take” Family Night. All ages are welcome and all supplies will be included. A soup dinner will be provided. 5 p.m. Erickson Center for the Arts, 9224 Saw-Wa-Quato St. ericksoncenter.org.

Escanaba

• LEGO Club. This month’s theme is “Santa’s LEGO Workshop.” 1 p.m. Escanaba Public Library, 400 Ludington St. 906-789-7323 or escanabalibrary.org.

• Homeschool Hangout. Homeschooling families are invited to hang out with other homeschooling friends, network with library staff, and learn about library resources. 10 a.m. to noon. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906-486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary.info

Gwinn

Little Lake

Houghton

• Living Nativity. 6:30 and 7:15 p.m. Little Lake Chapel, M-35.

Marquette

• Superiorland Duplicate Bridge Club. Games open to all interested players. $5 for games. 12:30 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.com. • Holiday Lasers on the Ore Dock. View fun and festive laser displays from holiday, winter and Marquettethemes. 6 to 9 p.m. Marquette Ore Dock, end of East Spring Street. travelmarquette.com. • Winter Snow Fun Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting. The annual parade will travel south down Third Street and end at the Marquette Commons. Visit with Santa and listen to holiday songs following the parade. Parade, 6 p.m. Tree lighting, 7 p.m. Marquette

December 2023

• Christmas Craft Show. There will be crafts, baked goods and concessions. The St. Anthony’s Youth Group is hosting this event as a fundraiser for community service projects. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. St. Anthony’s Church, 280 Boulder St. • Enigma Variations with the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra. British composer Edward Elgar wrote his Enigma Variations as a tribute to 14 friends, including his bulldog, Dan. Presented by Michigan Tech Music. Pay As You’re Able ticketing. 7:30 p.m. Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, 1400 Townsend Ave. rozsa@mtu.edu or 906-487-1906.

Ishpeming

• 10th Annual Cookie Walk. This event will include a variety of Christmas cookies for sale at $9 per pound as well as breads, bars and other sweet treats. Refreshments will be served. 9:30 to noon. Bethel Lutheran Church, 333 E. Ridge St. 989-280-8191. • Graphic Novel Book Club. Students in fourth through eighth grades will discuss a yet-to-be determined

Marquette Monthly

art galleries Calumet

• Calumet Art Center. Works by local and regional artists. Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 57055 Fifth St. 906-934-2228 or calumetartcenter.com. • Copper Country Associated Artist. Works by members and workshop participants in watercolor and oil, drawings, photography, sculpture, quilting, wood, textile, clay, glass and other media. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 205 Fifth St. 906-337-1252 or ccaartists.org. • Gallery on 5th. Featuring works by local and regional artists. Call or visit Facebook for up-to-date store hours. 906-299-0118 or galleryon5th.com.

Curtis

• Erickson Center for the Arts– Waterfront Gallery. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 9224 Saw-Wa-Quato St. 906-5869974 or ericksoncenter.org.

Copper Harbor

• EarthWorks Gallery. Featuring Lake Superior-inspired photography by Steve Brimm. Daily, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. 216 First St. 906-231-6318.

Escanaba

• Besse Gallery. - The Fall 2023 Celebration of Student Success will be on display Dec. 5 through January 10, 2024, with a reception and award celebration at 2 p.m. on Dec. 7th. Days and hours vary. Bay College, 2001 N. Lincoln Rd. baycollege.edu. • East Ludington Art Gallery. Works by local artists. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 1007 Ludington St. 906-786-0300 or eastludingtongallery.com. • Hartwig Gallery. Featuring works by local, regional and national artists. Days and hours vary. 2001 N. Lincoln Rd. baycollege.edu. • William Bonifas Fine Arts Gallery. - Northern Exposure XXX, the annual competition to encourage U.P. artists to create new works and to showcase the contemporary artwork being created in the U.P., is on display through Dec. 28 in the Powers Gallery. - The 100dayproject: New Beginnings, showing artworks made by participating artists during the 100dayproject that launched in January 2023, is on display through Dec. 28 in the Studio Gallery. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3p.m. 700 First Avenue South. 906-7863833 or bonifasarts.org.

Marquette Monthly

December 2023

Carol Papaleo | Christmas Corridor | Art-U.P. Style, Marquette

Hancock

• The Finandia Gallery. - Marjo Levlin: Heading West, Coming Back, an exhibit by Finnish artist Marjo Levlin, is on display through Jan. 31, 2024. The installation of mixed media tells the story of late 19th-century migration from Finland to the United States. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Located in the Finnish American Heritage Center, 435 Quincy St. 906-487-7500 or gallery@finlandia.edu. • Kerredge Gallery. Featuring works by local and regional artists. Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Copper Country Community Arts Center, 126 Quincy St. 906-482-2333 or coppercountryarts.com. • Youth Gallery. Featuring works by local students. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Community Arts Center, 126 Quincy St. 906-482-2333 or coppercountryarts.com.

Houghton

• The Rozsa Galleries. - Art-O-Rama Showcase will be on display Dec. 1 through 5 with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on the 1st. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays, 1 to 8 p.m. Rozsa Center, 1400 Townsend Dr. mtu.edu/ rozsa.

Marquette

• Art—U.P. Style. Art by Carol Papaleo, works by local artists, gifts, classes and more. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. 130 W. Washington St. 906-225-1993. • DeVos Art Museum. - The 2023 NMU School of Art and Design Senior Exhibition is on display through Dec. 15 with a reception and awards from 7 to 9 p.m. on the 15th. The participating artists are Brooke Ashworth, Ray Bonney, Josh Brehm, Kaitlynn Park, Destiny Smejkal, Olivia Vera, Ilah Wilson and Elina Zhang. (continued on page 85)

art galleries

(continued from page 84)

Olivia Vera, Ilah Wilson and Elina Zhang. - Fred Brian: Lake Gogebic Memories and Myths, which translates Brian’s childhood observations into narrative artwork, is on display through March 1, 2024. - By Design: Looking at Living, an exhibition that considers our relationship to design using objects from the gallery’s permanent collection, is on display through June 1, 2024. Monday through Wednesday and Friday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.; Thursday, noon to 8 p.m. Corner of Seventh and Tracy streets. NMU. 906-227-1481 or nmu.edu/devos. • Graci Gallery. - 7 x 7 Show, featuring work across all materials and media, will be on on display through January 1, 2024, with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 1st. A percentage of the proceeds will be donated to the Marquette Women’s Center. Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, by appointment or chance. 110 N. Third St. gracigallery.com. • Huron Mountain Club Gallery. - Winter Wonderland Walk is on display through Jan. 31, 2024. Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.,

and Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-228-0472. • Lake Superior Photo and Gallery. The studio features landscape photographic art by Shawn Malone, including naturescapes of the Lake Superior region. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 211 S. Front St. 906-228-3686 or lakesuperiorphoto.com. • Marquette Arts and Culture Center Deo Gallery. - Color Memories by Ginnie Cappaert is on display through Jan. 31, 2024. Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Lower level, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-2280472. • Peter White Public Library. - Winter Wonderland Walk is on display through Jan. 31, 2024. Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Lower Level Reception Gallery, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-228-0472. • Presque Isle Station. This working pottery studio features pottery by Michael Horton and Terry Gilfoy, along with works by local artists. Days and times vary. 2901 Lakeshore

Blvd. 906-225-1695. • The Gallery: A Marquette Artist Collective Project. Works by local and regional artists. Monday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 to 4 p.m. Suite U7, 130 W. Washington St. mqtartistcollective. com. • The Studio Gallery at Presque Isle. Works by local and internationally acclaimed artists. Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. 2905 Lakeshore Blvd. 906-3604453. • Wintergreen Hill Gallery and Gifts. - The 2023 Alumni Show will feature artwork from the year’s featured artists: Amy Stephens, Sarah Still, Linda Vernier, Conway Thoreau, and Chelsea Monaghan. Works will be available for purchase. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 810 N. Third St. 906-273-1374 or wintergreenhill.com. • Zero Degrees Gallery. - An art sale continues through the end of the year. - Holiday Open House and Member Reception will take place 1 to 4 p.m. on the 16th with a holiday sale table

and refreshments. The gallery features works in oils, watercolors, mixed media, jewelry, photography, metals, woods, recycled and fiber arts and much more. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 525 N. Third St. 906-228-3058 or zerodegreesgallery.org.

selection. 11 a.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary.info. • Adult Fantasy Book Club. This month’s selection is The Book that Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence. 2 p.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906-486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary.info.

Dickens’ classic. NMU students, $5; students, $12; NMU faculty/staff, seniors, and military, $15; and general public, $20. 1 p.m. (Theatre for All matinee) and 7:30 p.m. Forest Roberts Theatre, NMU. nmu.universitytickets. com. • Holiday Lasers on the Ore Dock. View fun and festive laser displays from holiday, winter and Marquettethemes. 6 to 9 p.m. Marquette Ore Dock, end of East Spring Street. travelmarquette.com. • NCLL: Christmas Lights Tour. MarqTran will provide a tour of the Christmas displays in Marquette and attendees can submit their vote in the BLP Christmas Lights Contest. Registration is required. $5 for NCLL members, $10 for non-members. 7 p.m. Meet in the parking lot of the YMCA, 1420 Pine St. 906-249-1273 or camfixer@pasty.net. • Marquette Symphony Orchestra Concert. Titled “Sounds of the Holidays,” this concert will be led by guest conductors Steve Grugin and Janis Peterson. Ticket prices vary. 7:30 p.m. Kaufman Auditorium, 611 N. Front St. marquettesymphony.org.

show, hay rides and mini horse rides, a tunnel of lights, cookie decorating, live music, wine tasting, the parade and Christmas Tree lighting, and visits with Santa. 3:30 to 8:30 p.m. Downtown. 906-475-7700.

• Living Nativity. 6:30 and 7:15 p.m. Little Lake Chapel, M-35.

Negaunee

• Bingo. 1 p.m. Ishpeming VFW, 310 Bank St. 906-486-4856.

Little Lake

• Living Nativity. 6:30 and 7:15 p.m. Little Lake Chapel, M-35.

Marquette

• Downtown Farmers Market. The holiday market will feature a variety of delicacies and unique gifts. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Marquette Commons, 112 S. Third St. mqtfarmersmarket.com. • Christmas Bazaar. Features crafts, baked goods, food items, white elephant, and more. Proceeds benefit the Women’s Ministry and preschool programs. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Redeemer Lutheran Church, 1700 Fair Ave. 906228-9883. • Superiorland Duplicate Bridge Club. Games open to all interested players. $5 for games. Lessons, 10 a.m. Games, 11:30 a.m. Citizens Forum, Lakeview Arena, 401 E. Fair St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.com. • A Christmas Carol. This performance is a faithful rendition of Charles

• Tinseltown. Presented by the Negaunee Downtown Development Authority, the event will include a craft

10 SUNDAY

sunrise 8:22 a.m.; sunset 5:02 p.m.

Calumet

• Art Junkies. An arts and craft social group. 1 to 3 p.m. Calumet Art Center, 57055 Fifth St. 906-231-0448.

Caspian

• Christmas Tree Galleria. The Iron County Museum’s 34th annual Christmas Tree Galleria, titled “An Old-Fashioned Christmas,” will conclude with a Community Volunteer Recognition Ceremony and raffle drawing for more than 50 unique gift baskets. 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bernhardt Cultural Center, Iron County Museum, 100 Brady Ave. 906-265-2617 or ironcountymuseum.org/galleria.

Ishpeming

Little Lake December 2023

Munising

• UP-Scale Art. Featuring works by local and regional artists. Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 109 W. Superior Ave. 906-387-3300 or upscaleart.org.

Rapid River

• The adhocWORKshop. Owner Ritch Branstrom creates sculptures with found objects inspired by the land in which the objects were found. By appointment or chance. 10495 South Main Street. 906-399-1572 or adhocworkshop.com.

Sand River

• Aurelia Studio Pottery. Featuring high fire stoneware, along with functional and sculptural pieces inspired by nature, created by potter and owner Paula Neville. Open by appointment or chance. 3050 E. M-28. 906-3436592. MM

Marquette

• Creature Feature: Snake Appreciation Day. Guests will have a unique up-close experience with different snake species while learning about them and their habitat. Suggested donation of $5 per child or $10 per family. 3 p.m. MooseWood Nature Center, Shiras Pool Building at Presque Isle Park. To register, email moosewoodnc@gmail. com. • Holiday Brass Choir Concert. This informal event features 10 brass players from the local area playing familiar carols. 4 p.m. Marquette Regional History Center, 145 Spring St.

11 MONDAY

sunrise 8:23 a.m.; sunset 5:02 p.m.

Marquette

• Senior Theatre Experience: Monthly Theatre Workshop and Discussion. Intended for ages 55 and older. Free for City of Marquette and neighboring township residents. 4 p.m. City of Marquette Arts and Culture Center, lower level, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-225-8655.

Marquette Monthly

• Comic Creators. Youth in second through sixth grades can get together with other graphic novel and comic book fans, talk about favorite books, and do graphic novel crafts. 4:30 p.m. Great Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4323 or pwpl.info. • Merry Movie Mayhem. The evening will include Christmas treats, yuletide trivia and a screening of the Merry Movie Mayhem champion. 5 to 8 p.m. Community Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4322 or pwpl.info.

Negaunee

• All-Ages Online Storytime. Miss Jessica will lead stories, songs and rhymes on Facebook Live. 11 a.m. facebook.com/NegauneePublicLibrary. 906-475-7700, ext. 18.

12 TUESDAY

sunrise 8:24 a.m.; sunset 5:02 p.m.

Calumet

• Friends of the Library Meeting. 5:30 p.m. Community Room, Calumet Public Library. 906-337-0311.

Escanaba

• Toddler Art. Experience arts and crafts at a variety of stations followed by time to dance, sing, play instruments, and learn movement stories. $5 per student. 9:30 a.m. Studio, Bonifas Arts Center, 700 First Ave. S. 906-7863833 or bonifasarts.org. • Tech Tuesday. Appointments or walk-ins are welcome. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Escanaba Public Library, 400 Ludington St. 906-789-7323 or escanabalibrary.org. • Wrap Up the Holidays. Donations are requested for this gift wrap station. 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Escanaba Public Library, 400 Ludington St. 906-7897323 or escanabalibrary.org.

Gwinn

• Sleigh Ride and Dinner. There will be two options for a sleigh ride, at 5 or 7 p.m., as well as dinner. NCLL will cover the cost of the sleigh ride; attendees are responsible for their dinner. $5 for NCLL members, $10 for non-members. 5 to 8 p.m. UP North Lodge, 215 S. Co. Rd. 557. 906-361-5370 or jhigbie@nmu.edu.

Ishpeming

• Tot Tuesday Storytime. Stories, songs, and movement activities will be followed by an optional craft and playtime for toddlers and preschoolers. 11 a.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906-486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary.info. • Adult Book Club. This month’s selection is The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan. 2 p.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906-486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary. info.

Marquette Monthly

Marquette

• Tech Coaching for Seniors. Learn how to make your electronic devices work the way you want with the help of retired teacher and librarian Christine Ault. Ensure your device is charged and bring passwords with you. Sessions will be offered in 30-minute time slots between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Heritage Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4311. • Tasty Reads Book Group. This month’s selection will be Aran: Recipes and Stories from a Bakery in the Heart of Scotland by Flora Shedden. Noon. Shiras Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4303 or pwpl.info. • Superiorland Duplicate Bridge Club. Games open to all interested players. $5 for games. 12:30 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.com. • Lake Superior Knitters. Open to all ages skill levels to mentor and share knowledge. If new to knitting, bring a skein of a worsted weight yarn (avoid dark yarn) and a Size 7 circular needle that is 24-inches long to make a cowl. The basic pattern will be provided. Suggested donation of $1 to $5 to the MRHC for the study and preservation of the fiber arts. 1 to 2:30 p.m. Marquette Regional History Center, 145 W. Spring St. beedhive47@yahoo.com. • Oil Painting, Pastels and Drawing Classes with Marlene Wood. Bring your own supplies. $20. 1 to 3 p.m. Marquette Arts and Culture Center, Lower level, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-225-8655. • Senior Dance Class. Intended for ages 55 and older. Free for City of Marquette and neighboring township residents. 4 p.m. City of Marquette Arts and Culture Center, lower level, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-225-8655. • Junior Explorers. This month, curious kids in kindergarten through third grade will explore unique animal habitats. 4:30 p.m. Great Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4323 or pwpl.info.

13 WEDNESDAY

sunrise 8:25 a.m.; sunset 5:02 p.m.

Escanaba

• Esky Baroque in Concert. 5:30 p.m. Escanaba Public Library, 400 Ludington St. 906-789-7323 or escanabalibrary.org.

Ishpeming

• Adult Book Club. This month’s selection is The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan. 6 p.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906-486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary. info.

Marquette

• Congregate Meals for Seniors–Dine in or Curbside Pickup. Meals avail-

December 2023

able to those age 60 and older. Call to reserve a meal. $3.50 suggested donation. Noon to 1 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. 906228-0456. • Home School Chapter Book Discussion. Home school teens ages 11 and older can join Amanda for monthly book discussions. 1 p.m. Teen Zone, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4321, apierce@ pwpl.info or pwpl.info. • Senior Visual Art Classes. Gene Bertram will provide instructions to make a hand-painted holiday cards for those ages 55 and older. Supplies will be provided. City of Marquette and neighboring township residents, free; non-residents, $5 suggested donation. 1 p.m. City of Marquette Arts and Culture Center, lower level, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-225-8655. • un“TITLE”d Teens. Students in Grades six to 12 will deconstruct books and create different pieces of art from them. 3 p.m. Great Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906226-4321 or pwpl.info. • Community Knit/Crochet Club. 5:30 p.m. Alley Kat’s Quilt Shop, 1010 W. Washington St. 906-315-0050. • Big Lake Band Holiday Concert. The Big Lake Band will present an evening of holiday standards. 7 p.m. Community Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4322 or pwpl.info.

Negaunee

14 THURSDAY

sunrise 8:25 a.m.; sunset 5:02 p.m.

Calumet

• Preschool Story Time. 10:15 a.m. Calumet Public Library. 906-3370311.

Curtis

• “Christmas by Candlelight.” This event will feature harpist and soprano Karen Beacom accompanied by cellist Maggie Twining. Prices vary. 7 p.m. The Pine Performance Center, 9224 Saw-Wa-Quato St. MyNorthTickets. com.

Escanaba

• School-Age Art. Students ages five to 12 will learn a variety of painting techniques, upcycling tricks, holiday-themed crafts, fiber art styles, and

more. $10 per child. 4:15 p.m. Studio, Bonifas Arts Center, 700 First Ave. S. 906-786-3833 or bonifasarts.org.

Ishpeming

• Holiday Potluck and Bingo. 1 p.m. Ishpeming VFW, 310 Bank St. 906-4864856. • VFW Auxiliary Meeting. 1:30 p.m. Ishpeming VFW, 310 Bank St. 906-4864856. • Visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Stop by to visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus. 5 to 6 p.m. Old Ish Park, 100 Main St. • Friends of the Library Meeting. New members are welcome. 7 p.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906-486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary.info.

Marquette

• Tech Coaching for Seniors. Learn how to make your electronic devices work the way you want with the help of retired teacher and librarian Christine Ault. Ensure your device is charged and bring passwords with you. Sessions will be offered in 30-minute time slots between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Heritage Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4311. • Dementia Caregiving Workshop (via Zoom). This is the last of a threepart Dementia Caregiving Series. Participants will learn basic information, such as recognizing the stages of dementia, how to communicate more effectively with someone who has dementia, strategies of self-care, and how to build a support network. 11 a.m. To register, upcap.org or call 2-1-1. • Superiorland Duplicate Bridge Club. Games open to all interested players. $5 for games. 12:30 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.com. • Second Thursday Creativity Series. This month’s theme will be “The Gift of Giving” featuring hands-on craft activities and free Culver’s frozen custard. 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Upper Peninsula Children’s Museum, 123 W. Baraga Ave. 906-226-3911 or upchildrensmuseum.org. • Holiday Lasers on the Ore Dock. View fun and festive laser displays from holiday, winter and Marquettethemes. 6 to 9 p.m. Marquette Ore Dock, end of East Spring Street. travelmarquette.com. • Marquette Poets Circle. Local poets, writers, and poetry enthusiasts will gather for holiday snacks, poetry and goodwill. Fellowship will begin at 6 p.m., by an open mic at 7 p.m. New and experienced poets are welcome. Shiras Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4322 or pwpl.info. • “Ask The Doctor.” This educational event will be an opportunity to have questions answered. 6 p.m. U.P. Holistic Medicine, 6044 U.S. 41 S., Suite 3. 906-249-3600 or upholisticmedicine. com. • A Christmas Carol. This perfor-

mance is a faithful rendition of Charles Dickens’ classic. NMU students, $5; students, $12; NMU faculty/staff, seniors, and military, $15; and general public, $20. 7:30 p.m. Forest Roberts Theatre, NMU. nmu.universitytickets. com.

Christmas Carol Sing-a-long | December 22 | Marquette

items, the annual homemade quilt and handcrafted items raffle, and a basket raffle of themed items. Proceeds will support the construction of an indoor access ramp to the sanctuary. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Emanuel Lutheran Church, 9812 U.S. Hwy. 41. 906-942-7245.

Negaunee

15 FRIDAY

sunrise 8:26 a.m.; sunset 5:02 p.m.

Gwinn

• Story Time. Preschool age children with a caregiver are invited for stories, crafts and light snacks. 10:30 a.m. Forsyth Township Public Library, 180 W. Flint St. 906-346-3433.

Marquette

• Global Cinema: Christian Carion’s Joyeux Noel. Winner of the Oscar for Best International Feature Film, this French selection tells the story of the Christmas truce of 1914 on the frontlines of World War I. Rated PG-13. Noon. Community Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906226-4322 or pwpl.info. • Superiorland Duplicate Bridge Club. Games open to all interested players. $5 for games. 12:30 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.com. • LEGO Club. Participants can meet other LEGO enthusiasts and build projects with the library’s LEGO blocks. 4 p.m. Great Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4323 or pwpl.info. • Jingle Bell Run/Walk. Runners will meet then head north towards Picnic Rocks for a 5K run or run/walk. A postrun holiday party with refreshments will be held upstairs at Ore Dock Brewing Company. Reflective gear is highly encouraged. Free with toy donation. 6 p.m. Queen City Running Company, 130 W. Baraga Ave. 906-273-1781 or shopqcrc.com. • Holiday Lasers on the Ore Dock. View fun and festive laser displays from holiday, winter and Marquettethemes. 6 to 9 p.m. Marquette Ore Dock, end of East Spring Street. travelmarquette.com. • Yule Ball. Students in Grades six to eight are invited to put on their best semi-formal attire and dance to their favorite songs in a winter wonderland.

17 SUNDAY

sunrise 8:28 a.m.; sunset 5:03 p.m.

Calumet

• Art Junkies. An arts and craft social group. 1 to 3 p.m. Calumet Art Center, 57055 Fifth St. 906-231-0448.

David Beale courtesy of unsplash

Curtis

Online registration is required. $5. 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Community Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4321 or pwpl.info. • A Christmas Carol. This performance is a faithful rendition of Charles Dickens’ classic. NMU students, $5; students, $12; NMU faculty/staff, seniors, and military, $15; and general public, $20. 7:30 p.m. Forest Roberts Theatre, NMU. nmu.universitytickets. com.

• Kelsey Gross Author Visit and Winter Solstice Event. Local children’s author Kelsey Gross will share her new book Winter, which features forest animals celebrating the Winter Solstice. 11 a.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary.info. • Young Adult Book Club. This month’s selection is The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand. 3 p.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906-486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary.info.

of delicacies and unique gifts. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Marquette Commons, 112 S. Third St. mqtfarmersmarket.com. • Harry Potter Double Feature. Students in second through sixth grade can enjoy screenings of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Both films are Rated PG. Crafts and activities will be available along with light snacks. Guests can bring their own snacks and lunch. 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Community Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4323 or pwpl. info. • Superiorland Duplicate Bridge Club. Games open to all interested players. $5 for games. Lessons, 10 a.m. Games, 11:30 a.m. Citizens Forum, Lakeview Arena, 401 E. Fair St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.com. • Holiday Lasers on the Ore Dock. View fun and festive laser displays from holiday, winter and Marquettethemes. 6 to 9 p.m. Marquette Ore Dock, end of East Spring Street. travelmarquette.com. • Marquette Choral Society Concerts. The Marquette Choral Society will present “Transcendence: Celebrating the Transcendence of Life over Death and Peace Over Strife,” featuring Tarik O’Regan’s “Martyr,” written in 2008; and Joseph Haydn’s “Paukenmesse,” or “Mass in the Time of War,” written in 1796. Students, $5; adults, $15. 7:30 p.m. Kaufman Auditorium, 611 N. Front St. nmu.edu/tickets or marquettechoralsociety.org. • A Christmas Carol. This performance is a faithful rendition of Charles Dickens’ classic. NMU students, $5; students, $12; NMU faculty/staff, seniors, and military, $15; and general public, $20. 7:30 p.m. Forest Roberts Theatre, NMU. nmu.universitytickets. com.

Marquette

Skandia

16 SATURDAY

sunrise 8:27 a.m.; sunset 5:03 p.m.

Escanaba

• Story Time with Santa. 1 p.m. City Council Chambers, 410 Ludington St. 906-789-7323 or escanabalibrary.org.

Hancock

• Buellwood Weavers and Fiber Arts Guild. All fiber artists are welcome to this monthly meeting. 1 p.m. Fiber Arts Studio (Room 105), Finnish American Folk School, lower level, Jutila Center, 200 Michigan St. jegale@att.net or 906-221-5306.

Ishpeming

• Downtown Farmers Market. The holiday market will feature a variety

• Holiday Bake Sale and Raffle. The event will include homemade baked

December 2023

• Cookies and Carols Concert. Holiday carols will be performed by the local choir of all ages. Cookies and punch will be served during intermission. 3 p.m. The Pine Performance Center, 9224 Saw-Wa-Quato St. ericksoncenter.org.

Marquette

• Violin Art Auction. Beyond-repair instruments have been reconstructed for this event by a diverse group of artists from Detroit and Marquette and proceeds will benefit Youth Volume’s scholarship fund for violin and cello lessons in both cities. Additionally, some of Clara Hardie’s violin and cello students, ages four to 15, will play alongside guest musicians. Pieces will be on display beginning Dec. 1. 1 to 4 p.m. Barrel + Beam, 260 Northwoods Rd. 906-201-0915 or youthvolume.org/ donate.html. • Paper Bag Reindeer Puppet Craft. All materials will be supplied. Suggested donation of $5 per child or $10 per family. 3 p.m. MooseWood Nature Center, Shiras Pool Building at Presque Isle Park. moosewoodnc@ gmail.com. • Christmas Movie Trivia. 6 p.m. Ore Dock Brewing Company, 114 W. Spring St. 906-228-8888. • Marquette Choral Society Concerts. The Marquette Choral Society will present “Transcendence: Celebrating the Transcendence of Life over Death and Peace Over Strife,” featuring Tarik O’Regan’s “Martyr,” written in 2008; and Joseph Haydn’s “Paukenmesse,” or “Mass in the Time of War,” written in 1796. Students, $5; adults, $15. 3 p.m. Kaufman Auditorium, 611 N. Front St. nmu.edu/tickets or marquettechoralsociety.org.

18 MONDAY

sunrise 8:28 a.m.; sunset 5:03 p.m.

Marquette

Marquette Monthly

Big Bay

• Big Bay Lighthouse. The grounds of the 1896 lighthouse are open year-round. 3 Lighthouse Rd. 906345-9957.

Calumet

• International Frisbee/USA Guts Hall of Fame and Museum. Learn about the history of Guts Frisbee. Days and hours vary. Open when events are held. Second floor ballroom, Calumet Colosseum, 110 Red Jacket Rd. 906-281-7625.

Caspian

• Iron County Historical Museum. As part of the 34th annual Christmas Tree Galleria, titled “An Old-Fashioned Christmas,” a cocoa and coffee station, sweets and Christmas music are provided daily through Dec. 10. Raffle tickets can also be purchased to win one of 50 unique gift baskets. Weekdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; weekends, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Dec. 10. Off M-189 or two miles off US-2 at Iron River. 906-265-2617.

Escanaba

• Upper Peninsula Honor Flight Legacy Museum. The museum chronicles the history of the U.P. Honor Flights with the history of the trips. Donations appreciated. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and by request. Inside the Delta County Chamber of Commerce, 1001 N. Lincoln Rd. • Upper Peninsula Military Museum. The museum honors Upper Peninsula veterans, and features exhibits and dioramas portraying the Upper Peninsula’s contribution to U.S. war efforts from the Civil War through the Afghanistan wars. Donations appreciated. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and by request. Inside the Delta County Chamber of Commerce, 1001 N. Lincoln Rd.

Houghton

• A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum. New exhibit on Yooperlites, sodalite-bearing syenites that possess fluorescent properties. View the largest collection of minerals from the

Great Lakes region and the world’s finest collection of Michigan minerals. Prices vary. Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Dec. 22 through Jan. 7, 2024). 1404 E. Sharon Ave. 906-487-2572. • Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw. The new exhibit is Mary Biekkola Wright in the Keweenaw, which features community art projects on loan from the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center in Marquette, as well as a few projects unique to the Keweenaw. Other exhibits include Written in Stone: Jacobsville Sandstone, Wish You Were Here: Postcards from the Copper Country, Ray Lahikainen: Houghton Waterfront Paintings, and Beer UP: History of Brewing on the Keweenaw (1844-2014). Tuesday and Thursday, noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. 105 Huron St. 906482-7140 or carnegiekeweenaw.org. • MTU Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections. Features a variety of historical memorabilia, highlighting life in the Copper Country. Open by appointment. Lower level of the J.R. Van Pelt Library, MTU. 906-487-3209.

Ishpeming

• Ishpeming Area Historical Society Museum. Displays include a military exhibit and artifacts from the Elson Estate. Donations appreciated. Open by appointment. See website for updates. Gossard Building, Suite 303, 308 Cleveland Ave. ishpeminghistory. org. • U.S. National Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum. The museum features more than 300 Hall of Fame inductees, presented in photographs and biographies, and displays and exhibits of skiing history and equipment, an extensive library, video show, gift shop, special events and more. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. US-41 and Third Street. 906-485-6323 or skihall.com.

K.I. Sawyer

• K.I. Sawyer Heritage Air Museum. The museum promotes and preserves the aviation history the air base brought to the area. Air Force-related materials are on display,

Culture Center, lower level, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-225-8655. • Quick Fics Book Group. This month’s selection is The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin. 6 p.m. Dandelion Cottage Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906226-4323 or pwpl.info.

Jessica will lead stories, songs and rhymes on Facebook Live. 11 a.m. facebook.com/NegauneePublicLibrary. 906-475-7700, ext. 18.

Negaunee

Escanaba

December 2023

• All-Ages Online Storytime. Miss

Marquette Monthly

19 TUESDAY

sunrise 8:29 a.m.; sunset 5:03 p.m.

• Tech Tuesday. Appointments or

Courtesy of NMU

museums

Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center, Marquette

including photographs, flags, medals and more. Donations appreciated. Wednesday through Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. 402 Third St. 906-236-3502 or kisawyerheritageairmuseum.org.

Marquette

• Baraga Educational Center and Museum. View artifacts and tools used by Venerable Bishop Baraga. Donations appreciated. Thursday and Friday, noon to 5 p.m.; or by appointment. 615 S. Fourth St. 906-227-9117. • Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center. Claiming Michigan: The 1820 Expedition of Lewis Cass, featuring images, journal excerpts, detailed narrative information and large-format maps, explores the long-term impact of the expedition on the region. The exhibit is on display through Jan. 27, 2024. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, 12 to 4 p.m. Corner of Seventh and Tracy streets. NMU. 906-227-1219 or nmu.edu/beaumier. • Marquette Regional History Center. Exposing Photography: Anything but a Small Business, featuring the works of U.P. photographers, their studios and equipment, will be on display through January 13, 2024. The museum also includes interactive displays as well as regional history exhibits. Youth 12 and younger, $2; students, $3; seniors, $6; adults, $7. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 145 W. Spring St. 906-226walk-ins are welcome. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Escanaba Public Library, 400 Ludington St. 906-789-7323 or escanabalibrary.org. • Wrap Up the Holidays. Donations are requested for this gift wrap station. 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Escanaba Public Library, 400 Ludington St. 906-7897323 or escanabalibrary.org.

Ishpeming

• Tot Tuesday Storytime. Stories,

3571 or marquettehistory.org. • Upper Peninsula Children’s Museum. A variety of interactive exhibits offer learning through investigation and creativity. Prices vary. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 123 W. Baraga Ave. 906-2263911 or upchildrensmuseum.org.

Munising

• Alger County Historical Society Heritage Center. Exhibits include the Grand Island Recreation Area, Munising Woodenware Company, barn building, homemaking, sauna and more. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 1496 Washington St. 906-387-4308.

Negaunee

• Michigan Iron Industry Museum. In the forested ravines of the Marquette Iron Range, the museum overlooks the Carp River and the site of the first iron forge in the Lake Superior region. Museum exhibits, audio-visual programs and outdoor interpretive paths depict the largescale capital and human investment that made Michigan an industrial leader. The museum is one of 10 museums and historic sites administered by the Michigan Historical Center. Michigan Recreation Passport required for parking. Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 73 Forge Rd. 906-475-7857. MM songs, and movement activities will be followed by an optional craft and playtime for toddlers and preschoolers. 11 a.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906-486-4381.

Marquette

• Superiorland Duplicate Bridge Club. Games open to all interested players. $5 for games. 12:30 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.com.

• Oil Painting, Pastels and Drawing Classes with Marlene Wood. Bring your own supplies. $20. 1 to 3 p.m. Marquette Arts and Culture Center, Lower level, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-225-8655. • Dungeons and Dragons at PWPL. Jordan from Iron Golem Games, will lead teens in Grades six to 12 on a quest with this role-playing game. Registration is required. 4 p.m. Teen Zone, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4321 or pwpl.info. • Senior Dance Class. Intended for ages 55 and older. Free for City of Marquette and neighboring township residents. 4 p.m. City of Marquette Arts and Culture Center, lower level, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-225-8655. • Dungeons and Dragons Junior at PWPL. PWPL staff member Cat will guide youth in fourth and fifth grades on a quest with this role-playing game. Registration is required. 4:30 p.m. Conference Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4323 or pwpl.info. • Winter Holiday Family Storytime. Families with children of all ages are invited to this winter holiday storytime with interactive stories and songs. PJs or holiday-themed apparel is encouraged. 6 p.m. Community Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4323 or pwpl.info. • Artists and Their Art: Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes–The Diversity of Genius (via Zoom). As part of a virtual series on famous artists, artistic movements, and art, art historian Ellen Longsworth will discuss the work of famed Spanish artist Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828). 7 p.m. 906-226-4322 or pwpl.info.

Negaunee

• Women’s Pelvic Floor and Hormonal Health Support Group. Drop-in, bring something to sit on, layers, a journal and water. $5 to $15 on a sliding scale. 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Dead River Coffee Roastery, 338 Rail St.

20 WEDNESDAY

sunrise 8:30 a.m.; sunset 5:04 p.m.

Ishpeming

• Adult Horror Book Club. This month’s selection is Krampus by Brom. 6 p.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906-486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary.info.

Marquette

• All Booked Up: Capote Christmas (Online). Join Upper Michigan Today’s Elizabeth Peterson and Tia Trudgeon, along with Peter White Public Library staff, virtually via the TV6 Facebook page for a discussion of A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote. 9 a.m. 906-226-4322 or pwpl.info. • Congregate Meals for Seniors–Dine

in or Curbside Pickup. Meals available to those age 60 and older. Call to reserve a meal. $3.50 suggested donation. Noon to 1 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. 906228-0456. • Adult Nonfiction Book Group. This month’s book is Endurance: Shackelton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing. 1 p.m. Conference Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4311 or refdesk@ pwpl.info. • Outword. Intended for LGBTQIA youth and ally students in Grades seven to 12. 4 p.m. Great Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906226-4321 or pwpl.info.

Negaunee

21 THURSDAY

sunrise 8:30 a.m.; sunset 5:04 p.m.

Calumet

• Preschool Story Time. 10:15 a.m. Calumet Public Library. 906-3370311.

Marquette

• Superiorland Duplicate Bridge Club. Games open to all interested players. $5 for games. 12:30 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.com. • Live and Learn. Christine Harkness, licensed speech pathologist, will lead the second of a two-part series on the benefits of positive attitudes toward aging. Participants can also sign up for optional cognitive screenings. Dec. 21. 2 p.m. Mill Creek Clubhouse, 1728 Windstone Dr. 906-225-7760 or lakesuperiorhospice.org. • “Ask The Doctor.” This educational event will be an opportunity to have questions answered. 6 p.m. U.P. Holistic Medicine, 6044 U.S. 41 S., Suite 3. 906-249-3600 or upholisticmedicine. com. • Holiday Lasers on the Ore Dock. View fun and festive laser displays from holiday, winter and Marquettethemes. 6 to 9 p.m. Marquette Ore Dock, end of East Spring Street. travelmarquette.com. • A Celebration of Winter Solstice. This will be an evening of celebration and relaxation on the solstice with bronze and crystal singing bowls. Participants will also honor the many ways of recognizing this date. 6:30 p.m. Chapel, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church,

201 E. Ridge St. 906-362-9934 or ckitchenmqt@gmail.com.

Negaunee

22 FRIDAY

sunrise 8:31 a.m.; sunset 5:05 p.m.

Marquette

• Capote Christmas Blockbusting Cinema: A Christmas Memory. This adaptation of Truman Capote’s perennial classic holiday novella stars Patty Duke, Piper Laurie and Eric Lloyd. The film is not rated. Noon. Community Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4322 . • Superiorland Duplicate Bridge Club. Games open to all interested players. $5 for games. 12:30 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.com. • Christmas Carol Sing-Along. All are welcome to join in singing songs of the holiday season along with members of the Marquette Choral Society, Marquette Male Chorus, Superior Handbells, Messiah Choirs and Marquette Hope First Choir. 5 p.m. Messiah Lutheran Church, 300 W. Magnetic St. • Holiday Lasers on the Ore Dock. View fun and festive laser displays from holiday, winter and Marquettethemes. 6 to 9 p.m. Marquette Ore Dock, end of East Spring Street. travelmarquette.com.

23 SATURDAY

sunrise 8:31 a.m.; sunset 5:05 p.m.

Marquette

• Superiorland Duplicate Bridge Club. Games open to all interested players. $5 for games. Lessons, 10 a.m. Games, 11:30 a.m. Citizens Forum, Lakeview Arena, 401 E. Fair St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.com. • Holiday Lasers on the Ore Dock. View fun and festive laser displays from holiday, winter and Marquettethemes. 6 to 9 p.m. Marquette Ore Dock, end of East Spring Street. travelmarquette.com.

Christmas Eve

25 MONDAY

sunrise 8:32 a.m.; sunset 5:06 p.m.

Christmas

Gwinn

• Free Community Dinner. All are welcome to join this free dinner. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Up North Lodge Event Center, 215 S. CR-557.

26 TUESDAY

sunrise 8:32 a.m.; sunset 5:07 p.m.

Escanaba

• Tech Tuesday. Appointments or walk-ins are welcome. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Escanaba Public Library, 400 Ludington St. 906-789-7323 or escanabalibrary.org.

Marquette

• Superiorland Duplicate Bridge Club. Games open to all interested players. $5 for games. 12:30 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.com. • Oil Painting, Pastels and Drawing Classes with Marlene Wood. Bring your own supplies. $20. 1 to 3 p.m. Marquette Arts and Culture Center, Lower level, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-225-8655.

27 WEDNESDAY

sunrise 8:33 a.m.; sunset 5:08 p.m.

Marquette

Negaunee

28 THURSDAY

sunrise 8:33 a.m.; sunset 5:08 p.m.

24 SUNDAY

Calumet

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

sunrise 8:32 a.m.; sunset 5:06 p.m.

• Preschool Story Time. 10:15 a.m. Calumet Public Library. 906-3370311.

Marquette

• Superiorland Duplicate Bridge Club. Games open to all interested players. $5 for games. 12:30 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.com. • Holiday Lasers on the Ore Dock. View fun and festive laser displays from holiday, winter and Marquettethemes. 6 to 9 p.m. Marquette Ore Dock, end of East Spring Street.

Negaunee

Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906-475-7700, ext. 18.

29 FRIDAY

sunrise 8:33 a.m.; sunset 5:09 p.m.

Marquette

• Superiorland Duplicate Bridge Club. Games open to all interested players. $5 for games. 12:30 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.com. • Holiday Lasers on the Ore Dock. View fun and festive laser displays from holiday, winter and Marquettethemes. 6 to 9 p.m. Marquette Ore Dock, end of East Spring Street.

30 SATURDAY

sunrise 8:33 a.m.; sunset 5:10 p.m.

Marquette

• Superiorland Duplicate Bridge Club. Games open to all interested players. $5 for games. Lessons, 10 a.m. Games, 11:30 a.m. Citizens Forum, Lakeview Arena, 401 E. Fair St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.com. • Readthrough of ‘A Child’s Requiem.’ An explorative readthrough of “A Child’s Requiem” will mark the 10th anniversary of the piece, which was commissioned in 2013 by the Marquette Symphony Orchestra and composed by Marquette native Thomas LaVoy (with a libretto by local poet Esther Margaret Ayers) to mark the 100th anniversary of the Italian Hall disaster. 2 to 5 p.m. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 201 E. Ridge St. 267-438-3119. • Holiday Lasers on the Ore Dock. View fun and festive laser displays from holiday, winter and Marquette-themes. 6 to 9 p.m. Marquette Ore Dock, end of East Spring Street. travelmarquette.

com.

31 SUNDAY

sunrise 8:34 a.m.; sunset 5:11 p.m.

New Year’s Eve

Marquette

• The Elementary Ball. This is a New Year celebration for the preschool and elementary revelers and their caregivers. There will be party hats, cookies, a DJ, and a ball drop at 7:30 p.m. $5 per child. 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Upper Peninsula Children’s Museum, 123 W. Baraga Ave. 906-226-3911 or upchildrensmuseum.org. • New Years Eve Ball Drop. Celebrate the new year with the annual ball drop. 10 p.m. to midnight. Washington St. downtownmarquette.org. MM

support groups • Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families— Marquette. Sundays, 7 p.m., Use the parking lot entrance. Downstairs meeting room, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 201 E. Ridge St. adultchildren.org/meeting. • Alano Club—Marquette. Twelvestep recovery meetings daily. Monday through Saturday, noon and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. 3000 US-41 (back side of mall). • Al-Anon Family Groups. A fellowship offering strength and hope for friends and families of problem drinkers. al-alon.org or 888-425-2666. • Alcoholics Anonymous. Meetings throughout Marquette County, open daily, at many locations and times. Twenty-four-hour answering service, aa-marquettecounty.org or 800-605-5043. • ALZConnected. This is a free, online community for everyone affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other memory loss diseases. alzconnected.org. • American Legacy Foundation. Smoking quit line for expectant mothers and cessation information for women. 800-668-8278. • Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar and Cholesterol Checks. Cholesterol checks are $5. Call for Marquette County schedule. 906-225-4545. • Caregiver Support Group— Gwinn. Dec. 12. 1:30 p.m. Forsyth Senior Center, 165 Maple St. 906225-7760 or lakesuperiorhospice.org. • Caregiver Support Group— Ishpeming. Dec. 19. 2 p.m. Ishpeming Multi-Purpose Senior Center, 121 Greenwood St. 906-225-7760 or lakesuperiorhospice.org. • Caregiver Support Group

Marquette Monthly

—Marquette. Dec. 20. 2 p.m. Lake Superior Life Care & Hospice, 914 W. Baraga Ave. 906-225-7760 or lakesuperiorhospice.org. • Divorce Care—Ishpeming. This non-denominational group is for people who are separated or divorced. New members are welcome. Tuesdays, 6 p.m. Northiron Church, 910 Palms Ave. 906-475-6032 or northiron.church. • Grief Share—Ishpeming. This non-denominational group is for people dealing with grief and loss. Mondays, 2:30 p.m. Northiron Church, 910 Palms Ave. northiron. church or 906-475-6032. • iCanQuit. Smokers are invited to learn more about quitting with the help of a quitting coach. 800-480-7848. • Internet and Technology Addicts Anonymous. Tuesdays, 12:05 p.m. Upstairs, The Crib Coffee House, 401 N. Third St., Marquette. ITAAMQT@ zohomail.com. • Grief Support Group—Gwinn. People dealing with grief and loss are encouraged to attend. Individual grief counseling is available. Dec. 13. 2 p.m. Forsyth Senior Center, 165 Maple St. 906-225-7760 or lakesuperiorhospice.org. • Grief Support Group—Marquette. People dealing with grief and loss are encouraged to attend. Individual grief counseling is available. Dec. 20. 5:30 p.m. Lake Superior Life Care & Hospice, 914 W. Baraga Ave. 906225-7760 or lakesuperiorhospice.org. • Marquette Codependents Anonymous Meeting. Mondays, 7 p.m. LoveMarq Church, 728 W. Kaye Ave. coda.org. • Michigan Tobacco Quit Line. This free quit smoking coaching hotline

December 2023

provides callers with a personal health coach. 800-784-8669. • Motherhood Support Group— Marquette. This free group meets the second Thursday of each month. 6 p.m. Suunta Integrative Health, 1209 N. Third St. 906-273-0964. • Nar-Anon Meetings—Ishpeming. Family and friends who have addicted loved ones are invited. Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. Mission Covenant Church, 1001 N. Second St. 906-361-9524. • Narcotics Anonymous Meetings— Marquette. Family and friends who have addicted loved ones are invited. Open meetings on Wednesdays and Sundays, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Closed meeting on Fridays, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Use the Ridge Street entrance. Downstairs Social Room, Marquette Hope First Campus, 111 E. Ridge St. • National Alliance on Mental Illness—In-Person Support Group. Individuals living with mental illness and friends or families living with an individual with mental illness are welcome. Dec. 11 and 21 (tentative; email ckbertucci58@charter.net to confirm meeting and location). 7 p.m. 906-360-7107 or namimqt.com. • National Alliance on Mental Illness—Zoom Support Group. Individuals living with mental illness and friends or families living with an individual with mental illness are welcome. Dec. 7 (Zoom date may be subject to change). 7 p.m. Email ckbertucci58@charter.net or call or text 906-360-7107 before 6:45 p.m. the day of the meeting to receive the Zoom invitation. namimqt.com. • Nicotine Anonymous. 415-7500328 or www.nicotine-anonymous. org. • Parkinson’s Support Group. Open

to people living with Parkinson’s and their caregivers. Dec. 20. 2 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. 906-228-0456. • Sexual Health and Addiction Therapy Group. Call Great Lakes Recovery Centers for more details. Dates, times and locations vary. 906-228-9696. • SMART Recovery—Calumet. A self-help group for alcohol and substance abuse and other addictive behaviors. Mondays, 7 p.m. Copper Country Mental Health, 56938 Calumet Ave. smartrecovery.org. • SMART Recovery—Hancock. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7 p.m. Conference Room No. 5, U.P. Health Systems–Portage Hospital, 500 Campus Dr. • SMART Recovery—Marquette. Mondays, noon. Zoom meeting. Visit smartrecovery.com for Zoom link. • Take Off Pounds Sensibly. This is a non-commercial weight-control support group. Various places and times throughout the U.P. 800-932-8677 or TOPS.org. • Virtual Caregiver Support Group. U.P. family caregivers are welcome to join. A device with an internet connection, webcam, microphone and an email address are required. Advanced registration required. 2 p.m. Second Tuesday of the month. 906-217-3019 or caregivers@upcap.org. • Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Supplemental Food Program. Clinics include nutritional counseling and coupon pick-up. Appointments required. Call for Marquette County schedule. mqthealth.org or 906- 475-7846. MM

December 2023

Marquette Monthly

December 2023