Marquette Monthly, published by Model Town Publishing, LLC, located at PO Box 109, Gwinn, MI, 49841, is locally and independently owned. Entire contents Copyright 2025 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 $75 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 james@marquettemonthly.com or jane@marquettemonthly.com.
About the Cover Artist
Spending most of her adult life in Marquette, the many scenes of “home” are a constant source of inspiration for Kathleen Conover, including this month’s cover image, “Into the Woods.” Visit kathleenconover.com for originals, including “Into the Woods,” and giclée reproductions available for purchase.
HigHligHts of important Happenings in tHe area
& now Superior View st paul CatHoliC CHurCH in negaunee
new york tiMes Crossword Puzzle Just for fun (answers on page 49)
artiSt JameS finlan
Sawyer to offer non-stop flights to Minneapolis
Beginning Jan. 3, passengers can fly non-stop from Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport (MQT) to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP).
The return overnight (RON) flight will be outbound at 1:40 p.m. on Jan. 3. On Jan. 5, it will leave at 7:45 a.m. and continue that early morning flight throughout the month.
For details, visit sawyerairport. com.
MSU Extension offers online Matter of Balance program
The Michigan State University Extension will offer the Matter of Balance program to assist older adults with concerns about falling and balance online via Zoom. The program will take place on Tuesdays, beginning Jan. 7.
Matter of Balance is an award-winning program designed to reduce the fear of falling, manage falls and increase activity levels. The program is designed to help people view falls as controllable, set goals for increasing activity, make changes to reduce fall risks at home and exercise to increase strength and balance.
The program is free, but space is limited; to register, visit events.anr. msu.edu/mobjan2025. For details, email Anita at carte356@msu.edu or call 906-360-9732.
League of Women Voters to host meeting on Jan. 8
The League of Women Voters of Marquette County will hold its membership meeting on Jan. 8 at the Peter White Public Library in Marquette. All community members are welcome to attend.
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. For details, email lwvmqtco@ gmail.com.
Calumet’s Red Jacket Readers to discuss ‘Crow Mary’ The Red Jacket Readers book club will host a discussion of “Crow Mary” by Kathleen Grissom, sponsored by the Friends of the Calumet Public Library, on Jan. 8 in the library’s Community Room. It is open to the public.
In Montana in the summer of 1872,
city notes
‘Friends
of Finland’ winners announced
As part of the celebration of Finland’s independence on Dec. 5, the Finnish American Heritage Center presented awards for its inaugural “Friends of Finland” juried exhibit. The Juror’s Award went to Roddy MacInnes from Denver for his submitted photographic works. His “New Finnish Church, Brown County, South Dakota,” archival digital photograph is shown above. The 25 & Under and the Audience Choice awards were presented to Helen Belopavlovich of Hancock. “Friends of Finland” is on display through Jan. 28 at the Finlandia Gallery in the Finnish American Heritage Center in Hancock. For details, call 906-487-7309 or email gallery@finlandiafoundation.org.
Crow Mary marries Abe Farwell, a white fur trader, and accompanies him to his trading post in the Cypress Hills of Saskatchewan, Canada. In the spring of 1873, they witnessed the Cypress Hills Massacre, in which 40 innocent Nakoda were killed by a drunken gang.
Following the massacre, Crow Mary single-handedly rescues five Nakoda women setting off a whirlwind of colliding cultures that brings out the worst and best in the cast of characters and pushes the love between Farwell and Crow Mary to the breaking point.
Grissom’s novel is inspired by the life of the real Crow Mary and endorsed by her great-granddaughter, Crow elders and Crow scholars.
The library has multiple copies of the book to check out and it is also available for purchase in independent bookstores. For details, visit the library or call 906-337-0311, ext. 1107.
Whitefish Bird Alliance to discuss bird mural on Jan. 8
Marquette artist Matt Betts, who serves as vice president of the Laughing Whitefish Bird Alliance, will discuss his bird mural at Moosewood Nature Center as part of the LWBA meeting on Jan 8 in the Shiras Room at Peter White Public Library. With a small grant from the Audu-
members are welcome.
All singers are welcome and no audition is required. A registration fee of approximately $65 covers the cost of music and contributes toward concert expenses; full or partial scholarships may be available.
At concerts in April, the choir will feature Benjamin Britten’s “Rejoice in the Lamb,” Randall Thompson’s “Frostiana” based on the poetry of Robert Frost, and John Rutter’s “The Sprig of Thyme.”
Marquette Choral Society is a mixed-voice, adult choir of more than 100 singers from a four-county region in the U.P. The ensemble was founded in 1971 by Dr. William Dehning and is currently led by musical director Dr. Erin Colwitz.
For details, visit marquettechoralsociety.org, or email choralsociety906@gmail.com.
bon Society, Betts began work last year on a mural on an outer wall of the Moosewood Nature Center, which depicts some of the bird species that visit the feeders and habitat near the center. He will discuss what motivated the project, the process of painting the mural and share images of the work in progress.
For details, visit laughingwhite fishbirdalliance.com.
Kids Asian art adventure set for January at library
The Lake Superior Art Association will begin the new year with an Art Adventure for Kids that focuses on traditional Asian art. Children ages 8 to 12 are invited. Artist Jenny Cho will help participants create a Hanji-Korean traditional mulberry paper art project at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11 in Studio 1 of the Peter White Public Library. Admission to the workshop is free, and all supplies will be provided.
Pre-registration is not necessary. For details, email lsaainfo4u@gmail. com.
Marquette Choral Society seeks new members
Rehearsals for the Marquette Choral Society’s spring 2025 season will begin on Jan. 13 in the Thomas Fine Arts Building at NMU. New
Launch into winter action by attending the longest-running consecutive ski jumping tournament in the country. The Ishpeming Ski Club Ski Jumping Tournament will be held January 17-19 at the U.P. Nordic Ski Complex off of County Road in Negaunee.
On Friday, the weekend kicks off with the USA Nordic U.S. Cup event on famous Suicide Hill. Watch elite U.S. ski jumpers soar high through the air while standing by the bonfire and enjoying food trucks and concessions. Gates open at 4 p.m. and the first round of ski jumping begins at 7 p.m.
The Paul Bietila Memorial Ski Jumping Tournament will be held on Saturday. As evening rolls around, get ready for a second night of big-hill ski jumping as skiers compete, starting at 6 p.m. The evening’s competition will end with an exciting Target Jump where the athletes will compete for distance and accuracy. Don’t miss the fireworks on Saturday evening at the conclusion of the ski jumping competition.
On Sunday, the Central Division Junior Ski Jumping Tournament will showcase young skiers from throughout the division. This year’s junior tournament is a Junior National Qualifier (JNQ) and these young skiers will be flying far in order to see who will qualify to attend the USA Ski Jumping Junior Championships in Alaska this year. The junior tournament will begin at 11 a.m.
Purchase a Booster Button or on-
line ticket to gain entrance for the entire weekend tournament. Booster buttons are $15 in advance and $20 at the gate. Buttons are available at businesses in Ishpeming, Negaunee and Marquette. Kids age 12 and younger are admitted free.
Parking is limited and carpooling is encouraged. Parking passes are $10 per night, with a limited number of spaces available. Spectators can also take a shuttle to avoid the hassle and fee.
There is no parking allowed along County Road and Cliff’s Drive; illegally parked vehicles will be towed at the owner’s expense. For details, visit ishskiclub.com.
MRHC presents Legends & Lore II fundraiser
Jack Deo and Jim Koski will offer “Legends and Lore II: Even More Legendary,” telling more stories of amazing individuals and historical quirks from throughout Marquette County’s history.
From community-defining events and the people who built the U.P. to moments that may make you say “I remember that!,” the show will bring to light some forgotten aspects of local history with pictures, facts and a good deal of laughs.
This fundraiser will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 23 at Kaufman Auditorium in Marquette.
All tickets are general seating this year; cost is $20 per person if you buy tickets in advance at marquettehistory. org or in person at the history center. They increase by $5 at the door or by
New studio, gallery opens in Hancock
Acrylic and oil painter Lynn Mazzoleni has announced the opening of her new working studio and retail gallery space in downtown Hancock. The space at 116 Quincy St. will serve as Mazzoleni’s personal studio as well as a retail gallery showcasing her original work. The space will also house the Color Lab, a loft space designed for creativity, community and personal artistic exploration, that will offer classes, workshops and per-day or subscription studio sessions. For details, email info@lynnmazzoleni.com.
phone. Call 906-226-3571 for details.
Superior String Alliance to perform Jan. 25 in Marquette
TheSuperior String Alliance Chamber Players will host a Sa-
lon Concert on Jan. 25 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Marquette. The performance will feature Danielle Simandl (violin), Adam Hall (cello) and Dr. Theresa Camilli (piano).
The trio will perform classical
works from the late 18th and early 19th century. Admission is by donation. For details, visit superiorstringalliance.org.
New Grief Support Series to begin Feb. 6
Anew grief support series will explore feelings, support and tools to help guide attendees on their grief journey. The group will take place every other Thursday, Feb. 6 through April 17 at Lake Superior Life Care and Hospice in Marquette.
The series will offer a safe place to learn and share about the tender moments of grief and contain a combination of both structured and open grief sharing. Register by Jan. 31 by calling 906-225-7760.
Innovation conference set for Feb. 20-21
SISU:
The Innovation Institute at NMU and Innovate Marquette have announced the Peak25 conference will take place Feb. 20-21 at NMU.
Peak25 will provide a platform to celebrate research and scholarly activity, promote entrepreneurial ventures in outdoor innovation, creative technology and sustainable solutions, and encourage collaboration. Peak25 is free and open to the public.
The conference will include keynote presentations, interactive workshops, a sustainability design jam, outdoor innovation showcase, pitch competitions, Three Minute Thesis (3MT), a student scholarship summit and more.
The Ascent Series will offer events leading up to Peak25 to build momentum for the two-day conference. For details, visit peakconference.org.
L’Anse girls win prize in Future Flight Challenge
The third annual “Michigan Girls Future Flight Challenge,” a virtual, state-wide aerospace competition for girls in fourth through eighth grade, was hosted recently by Women of the Aerospace Industry Association of Michigan (WAIAM) to expose girls to STEM and foster mentor relationships between the girls and women in aerospace in Michigan.
Girls competed over four weeks to create a flight solution to one of three Challenge Statements dealing with problems on the earth, in the future or in space. Female professional mentors met with individual teams to answer questions, provide feedback and teach girls about their roles in the aerospace industry.
The teams presented their projects in front of a panel of aerospace industry judges. In January, the winning teams will travel to the University of Michigan Aerospace Engineering department in Ann Arbor to see and learn about the projects being developed by students.
Among the winners was Team Mindful Engineering from L’Anse, which created the HurriHelp, a drone that provides post-hurricane support. The team was awarded Most Creative Honorable Mention and earned a $200 prize.
Team Mindful Engineering rec-
LSAA to host grant reception, talk
The Lake Superior Art Association will host an Art Talk and Visual Art Grant reception on Jan. 21 at the Peter White Public Library. The Art Talk will feature metal sculptor Adam Mowafy of AYM Creations; his work is show above. The evening will include a reception for the 2024 LSAA Visual Arts Grant recipients. These grants, for amounts up to $5,000, are awarded annually to individuals, groups or organizations that need financial assistance to purchase art supplies. The purpose of the grant is to provide supplemental funding for art programs in public and private schools, community art classes and public art installations. The public is invited to this free Art Talk and reception. For details, email lsaainfo4u@gmail.com.
ognized the increase in frequency of hurricanes and created the HurriHelp to deliver supplies to stranded individuals. The drone also collects plastic waste, which are then turned into sunglasses as a part of their fundraising efforts. For details, visit aiamnow. com/women-of-aiam.
Nominations sought for local history awards
The Marquette Regional History Center is seeking nominations for the 2024 Helen Longyear Paul Award and Peter White Award.
Both awards recognize exceptional
effort in the enhancement, restoration, conservation or interpretation of local history. The Helen Longyear Paul Award recognizes individuals and the Peter White Award honors foundations, companies, organizations and institutions.
As a historical institution, the Marquette Regional History Center acknowledges its responsibility to recognize the efforts and promote the achievements of people and organizations making history today.
Nominations should reflect the nominee’s contribution to local history. Nominations can be dropped off at the museum during regular hours by 5 p.m. on Feb. 7. Winners will be announced during the MRHC Annual Meeting on Feb. 26.
For details, call 906-226-3571 or email mrhc@marquettehistory.org.
Art association announces logo contest, call for designs
The Lake Superior Art Association invites artists and designers to create an updated logo for LSAA, Inc.
The logo contest is open to all with a $500 prize to the artist who creates the logo selected to represent the organization. Additional awards will be presented for runners up.
LSAA is seeking a professional, creative, stylized logo that references the organization’s mission to promote Marquette county artists and visual arts, such as painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics and photography. The logo may be used for a variety of promotional materials such as letterhead, brochures, website banners, social
media, business cards, signage and branded merchandise.
The deadline for entry is midnight on Feb. 28. Contest results will be announced in March.
To review the guidelines, visit lakesuperiorartassociation.org/lsaa-logo-contest-announcement.
Artwork
contest open for annual Hiawatha Music Festival
Every year, the Hiawatha Traditional Music Festival invites artists to submit their work to its Publicity Artwork Contest. The winning image will be chosen through a jury process to represent the festival on posters, T-Shirts, the program cover, and in other publicity and advertising for the festival.
The creator of the chosen design will also win $100. Organizers are seeking an image that represents the Hiawatha experience and is colorful and graphically appealing. The design should relate to Hiawatha, music, dance and/or the surroundings, and should reflect a family-oriented, traditional music event. Image should also include the year, dates and location of the festival.
All artwork must be original and the selection committee will give special consideration to workable hand drawn artwork.
For full contest guidelines, visit hiawathamusic.org/logo-contest. For information, contact the Hiawatha office at 906-226-8575 or hiawathamc@ gmail.com.
Registration open for ‘Becoming an Outdoors Woman’
TheMichigan Department of Natural Resources has opened registration for the 24th annual “Becoming an Outdoors Woman” program, set for Feb. 21-23 in Marquette County.
This gathering is intended for women ages 18 and older who are seeking an opportunity to improve their outdoor skills in a relaxed, noncompetitive atmosphere.
The BOW program offers instruc-
tion in two dozen different types of indoor and outdoor activities, including cross-country skiing, archery, ice fishing, wilderness first aid, resource roadkill, photography and snowshoeing along with new features, such as wild game butchering, wild game cooking and sausage making. The weekend also includes special evening programs.
Participants will be housed in a dorm-style facility with amenities at Bay Cliff Health Camp near Big Bay.
The $300 registration fee includes all food and lodging, as well as most equipment and supplies. Scholarships are available on a limited basis.
For information, visit Michigan. gov/BOW or e-mail DNRBOW@ michigan.gov.
DNR to offer invasive species webinars
The Michigan DNR will present the NotMISpecies webinar series. Monthly, hour-long webinars will be designed to keep people informed about available programs, current research and emerging issues in the state and the Great Lakes region. Question and answer sessions and links to resources will help attendees get the most out of each presentation.
The series will include “Don’t Let it Loose! Protecting Michigan’s Waterways from Pesky Pets and Plants” on Jan. 14; “Road Trippin’: How MDOT Manages Michigan’s Highways” on Feb. 25; “Now You See Me, Now You Don’t! The Trick of Finding and Managing Invasive Lesser Celandine” on March 27; and “They’ll Need that Hug: How Climate Change is Increasing Native and Invasive Threats to Michigan’s Trees” on April 30.
The series is supported by Michigan’s Invasive Species Program, a collaborative effort of the departments of Natural Resources; Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy; and Agriculture and Rural Development.
For registration information and recorded versions of all previous webinars, visit michigan.gov/egle/out-
DID YOU KNOW ...
what role Ford Motor Company played in the U.P.?
In the 1920s, Henry Ford opened a plant in Kingsford, where he used timber from lands the company owned to produce wood for the Model T. Later, wood-sided station wagons were produced. During World War II, Ford produced gliders that were renowned during the war for their style, production technology and quality craftsmanship.
Submitted by Dr. Russell M. Magnaghi, history professor emeritus of NMU and author of several books, including “Upper Peninsula Beer: A History of Brewing Above the Bridge.”
Studio-gallery sets grand opening for Jan. 10
Taryn Okesson and Kurt Babcock have set the grand opening for their new studio-gallery, Second Story Studio. It is located at 118 B West Washington St., above Wattsson & Wattsson Jewelers in Marquette. The event will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 10. Okesson, a 2009 NMU graduate, is a visual artist and her husband is a nature photographer. Their first display will be photographs and Polaroid emulsion lifts from their travels through North America. For details, visit tarynokesson.com/second-story-studio.
reach/webinar-series/notmispecies.
Applicants sought for conservation, education grants
The Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition (UPEC) is accepting applications for the 2025 round of its Community Conservation Grant and Environmental Education Grant Programs.
UPEC’s Community Conservation Grant Program is designed to challenge U.P. communities to promote conservation values within their watershed or local area.
The grants, up to $10,000 each, are for planning or implementing local conservation projects that engage a variety of stakeholders within a community.
The deadline for Community Conservation Grant applications is Jan. 11. For information, visit upenvironment. org/community-conservation-grants.
Teachers with ideas for getting their students interested in the environment are invited to apply for UPEC’s Environmental Education Grant program. For more than 15 years, UPEC has approved grants of up to $500 to support educator-promoted environmental projects within schools or other educational organizations.
The deadline for Environmental Education Grant applications is Jan. 11. For details, visit upenvironment. org/environmental-education-grants.
Grant awarded for U.P. employee training
As part funding for the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunities (LEO) Going PRO Talent Fund, $1.6 million has been awarded to U.P. businesses to help with workforce
employment training.
LEO worked closely with Upper Peninsula Michigan Works! to secure 41 of the grants for businesses in industries such as health care, construction and hospitality. The funding will help with everything from on-the-job and classroom training and registered apprenticeships. The grants will fit the employment training needs of each business, including existing staff training or to bring in new employees.
Legislation extends Great Lakes protections
U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow, co-chairperson of the U.S. Senate Great Lakes Task Force, and Gary Peters applauded the Senate passage of their bipartisan Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Act of 2024. The legislation reauthorizes this program for another five years.
Stabenow first authored this public-private program in 2010. The initiative has focused federal and nonfederal efforts to stop the spread of carp and other invasive species, restore coastline and habitats connecting streams and rivers, clean up environmentally damaged areas of concern and prevent future contamination.
From the desk of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
• Gov. Whitmer has appointed Allen Beauchamp of Marquette, and Julie Shaw of Negaunee, to the Statewide Independent Living Council, which coordinates services with public and private entities to improve services provided to individuals with disabilities. Beauchamp is an environment, health, safety and shipping
manager at Argonics, Inc. Shaw is the executive director at the Superior Alliance for Independent Living (SAIL).
• Whitmer announced one U.P. appointment to the NMU Board of Trustees — Lisa Fittante of Kingsford, the owner of Fittante and Colenso, CPA, P.C. Fittante holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and is a certified public accountant. She serves as treasurer of the Dickinson County Industrial Development Corporation.
• Whitmer announced that 56,100 students across Michigan benefited from no- or reduced-cost tuition last fall through the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, which includes the Community College Guarantee and Michigan Achievement Skills Scholarship.
Local business news…in brief
• U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow nominated Brianna Anderson of Marquette to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. Students went through a highly competitive application process that included interviews by veteran, military and community leaders, and must await acceptance for admission by the academy.
• The Hiawatha Music Co-op has announced that Candice Blackstone-Larson will serve as its executive director. She has served as a board member for the past five years and served as co-director for the 2024 festival with Julie Foster-Lindquist.
• Slabz Bar & Grill, a relaxed bar and restaurant, has opened inside the Ramada of Marquette by Wyndham, which was recently acquired by Base
Finns invade Hancock for 25th annual festival
It
started as a day, then evolved to a weekend, eventually to a week. Now, a quarter-century later, there’s so much going on for Heikinpäivä that it takes most of a month to fit it all in.
Based on old Finnish folk sayings about winter and St. Henrik’s (Heikki’s) name day, the Finns of the Copper Country created a Finnish American festival – Heikinpäivä.
The annual midwinter celebration of Finnish-American and Finnish culture gets underway on Wednesday, Jan. 8 with a screening of “The Happiest Country in the World: Finland” at the Finnish American Heritage Center in Hancock, and concludes with an evening dance at the center on Saturday, Jan. 25.
In between, more than a dozen events fill the slate of cultural activity that’ll surely brighten what’s typically one of the gloomier months in the Copper Country.
Among the offerings for Heikin-
Hospitality. Slabz will serve a diverse range of dishes, blending ingredients from local purveyors with flavors from around the world. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week and features a late-night snack menu on Fridays and Saturdays.
• Bright Eyes & Lullabies, an inhome luxury newborn care services agency, was recently opened by Grace Anderson, certified newborn care
päivä 2025 are a quartet of classes through the Finnish American Folk School — beginning rag rug weaving, intro to five-string kantele, birch bark sheath making, and intro to the Finnish folk lyre — jouhikko. Families are encouraged to attend the Hobby Horse Hoedown, where folks of all ages can get a sampling of the hobby horse craze that swept Finland in recent years. There will be a Finnish film showing at the historic Calumet Theatre, as well as a meal before the movie.
This year’s festival will also focus on Sauna Week 2025, a creation of Finlandia Foundation National intended to spotlight that Finnish-rooted tradition which has crossed generational and cultural lines around the world.
Sauna Week will include a Sauna Forum at the Finnish American Heritage Center and a Sauna Expo of locally built saunas and sauna-related products. Also returning this
specialist and board-certified holistic healthcare practitioner; the agency offers specialized newborn care as well as in-person and virtual classes with a focus on empowering teenage parents with essential newborn care knowledge. For details, find Bright Eyes & Lullabies LLC on Facebook.
• Smith Holistic Care in L’Anse is now offering acupuncture as part of its holistic wellness services, which also includes health coaching, personalized wellness plans, detox therapies and more. For details, call 906-5244006 or visit smithholisticcare.com.
• UP Health System-Bell has earned a 2024 Performance Leadership Award for excellence in patient outcomes. Compiled by the Chartis Center for Rural Health, the Performance Leadership Awards recognize top quartile performance among rural hospitals in quality, outcomes and/or patient perspective.
• UP Health System-Marquette has welcomed Lize Loubser, M.D. to Family Medicine at 1414 W. Fair Ave., Suite 36. Loubser is a board-certified family medicine physician who specializes in preventative care, chronic disease management, prenatal care, obstetric care, pediatric care and women’s health. For details, call 906449-1010 or visit UPMedicalGroup. com/Family-Medicine.
• First Bank, Upper Michigan, has announced the hiring of Mitch Caron as trust and investment officer. He
year will be the popular Sauna tour, featuring area saunas, new and old.
For event details, email finnishtheme@gmail.com or call 906370-9101.
On Jan. 25, the primary festival day gets under way at 10 a.m. at the Heritage Center with the tori markets featuring vendors from the U.P. and beyond sharing their favorite Finnish products and services. There’s a second tori at the United Methodist Church on Quincy Street — just a short walk from the Heritage Center.
Between the two tori sites is Quincy Green, which is where festivalgoers will gather after the Heikinpäivä parade at 11 a.m. to enjoy the outdoor games including the wife-carrying contest or Nordic kicksled races. Both the parade and the games offer prizes for the participants.
For details, visit heikinpaiva.org. MM
will provide Investment Management Group customers with financial planning, investment management, trust and estate administration.
• The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International has selected Susan Estler as one of its Top 25 Extraordinary Minds for 2024. The honorees were judged by a panel of industry executives based on creativity and innovation, cutting edge sales or marketing campaigns, triumph in challenging situations, and/or efforts that resulted in dramatic gains. Estler is serving her second term for the Michigan Travel Commission.
• NMU biology alumna Niyomi House was part of the Limelight Rainforest team awarded the $5 million grand prize in the XPRIZE Rainforest competition, announced at the G20 Social Summit in Brazil. XPRIZE is “the world’s leader in designing and operating large-scale incentive competitions to solve humanity’s grand challenges.” House ran the genetics subteam for Limelight. The competition started with 300 teams. 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. Send your releases to editor@marquettemonthly.com.
Bradford Veley is a freelance cartoonist, illustrator and farmer in the U.P. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram and at bradveley.com.
then & now
St. Paul Catholic Parish in Negaunee was established in 1861, and the current building was completed in 1921 after a fire destroyed the old building in 1919. Mass was held in the Adelphi Roller Rink and the Negaunee Fire Hall while the current structure, shown here in the 1940s, was being built.
Photos provided by Superior View Studios, located in Art of Framing, 149 W. Washington Street Marquette viewsofthepast.com
Today the St. Paul congregation still gathers at 202 West Case Street in Negaunee and uses the former school building across the alley from the church for a variety of parish and community events.
ACROSS
1 Candy that resembles a tube of lipstick
8 Italian title for Puccini’s ‘‘Butterfly’’
14 Over the line
20 ‘‘Nothing weird about that’’
21 Figure of speech?
22 Tarot card group
23 ‘‘What a beautiful tackle box!’’ ‘‘Nice casting!’’ and such?
26 Youngest-ever World Cup winner
27 Desire
28 Hold ’em declaration
29 ‘‘I’ll handle that’’
30 Actor Steve of ‘‘The White Lotus’’
32 Month, in Monterrey
33 Snail-paced
34 Group formed from the 2023 W.W.E.-U.F.C. merger
35 Lasso?
41 Daytime TV staple
42 Firebirds and Fieros
43 ____ de toilette
44 Canonized king of Norway
46 Dump
47 Utmost degree
48 Fleece
50 Ryan with 12 Olympic swimming medals
53 Leaning forward and holding the reins?
57 Certain erogenous zone, familiarly
60 Ambulance destinations, for short
61 Focus of a House committee
62 Liable (to)
63 Dutch astronomer for whom an ice cloud is named
64 Singer Del Rey
66 Country between Ghana and Benin
67 Family ____
68 A in French class?
69 Commenced
71 Branded item at a bank, maybe
72 Instrument heard on the Rolling Stones’ ‘‘Paint It Black’’
73 Accidentally using salt instead of sugar, say?
78 Fills in for
79 Great Lakes people
80 Cuisine with sticky rice
81 Mascot of the Baltimore Ravens
84 One-up, militarily
87 ____ vez (once, in Spanish)
88 Toy-centered theme park
90 Tusked Warcraft race
92 Marathon fee or campaign donation?
95 Agcy. that determined fluoride prevents tooth decay
96 Cousins of magpies
97 Cause of a big bang
98 It’s bigger than a butte
99 Saxophonist Getz
101 Cowpoke’s compadre
102 Slacked, say
104 Wharton major, in brief
30 Hits with a ray gun
31 Over and over
32 Chewy Japanese dessert
33 Fluffy footstool
36 Merlot alternative
37 Top section of the food pyramid
38 ____ journey (story framework)
39 Common sound from a white noise machine
40 Totally lose it
41 Can
45 Dreaded hairstyle
48 Animal that fights by ‘‘necking’’
49 Sways
51 Far from laid-back
52 Fruity-smelling compound
53 ‘‘____, meet kettle’’
54 Bocelli, e.g.
55 Waterway through Lake Geneva
56 Little celebration
57 Cheese that’s often smoked
58 Like some waves
59 Wand-waving words
64 ‘‘Woo-hoo, that’s awesome!’’
65 Suffix with block or stock
67 Love all, say
69 Exam for aspiring attys.
70 Discussion sites
71 Song of praise
72 Bloodhound’s trail
74 Laptop brand
106 Not being allowed to lick the spatula clean?
112 Bested a birdie
113 Salt, say
114 Join in 115Completes, as a circuit
116 ____ Biggums, memorable character on ‘‘Chappelle’s Show’’
117 ‘‘The other thing is . .’’
DOWN
1 ____-Man
2 Troop grp.
3 One of over 100 for Haydn
4 ‘‘Fingers crossed that you’re wrong’’
5 Sway
6 Pooch in the funnies
7 When doubled, something seen atop a pyramid?
8 Philosophical believer in essential unity
9 Kennedy Center focus
10 Skedaddle
11 Anti-trafficking org.
12 Toddler’s term for a farm animal
13 Spice planet in the ‘‘Dune’’ universe
14 Shadow
15 Certain Boolean operators
16 Number of eyes for a tarántula
17 Squeamish
Larry ____, founder of
75 Acronymic epithet for one who’s not conservative enough
76 Chin feature
77 ‘‘Aladdin’’ character who hates crackers
81 PG-13 word
82 Burden
83 Mrs. Krabappel’s first name on ‘‘The Simpsons’’
85 Fix, as a printer
86 ‘‘Advance to the ____ Railroad’’ (Monopoly directive)
88 Carter who played Wonder Woman
89 ‘‘Raging Bull’’ boxer Jake
90 How freelancers work
91 Confirmation, e.g.
93 Capital of New South Wales
94 Everlasting, poetically
100 Lofgren of the E Street Band
101 Many think-tank hires, in brief
102 ‘‘Assuming that’s true . .’’
103 Word before jelly or Pie
104 Gusto
105 Morsel for Miss Muffet
107 ‘‘What did I tell you!’’
108 Salt
109 Résumé fig.
110 Gives the nod
111 Agent Smith’s nemesis
feature
Something’s brewing in Marquette County
Cooperation, not competition, helps local industry thrive
By Michael Murray
An F-150 slows to make a careful right turn, headlights sweeping an arc across the parking lot. The driver finds a space with ample room on either side — not a problem this early in the evening before the dinner rush. He kills the engine and turns off the lights. A few seconds later, the driver and his passenger hop down from the cab and hustle across the lot, treading on packed snow so cold that it squeaks under their boots.
The couple is seated at a four-top on the left, across from a well-stocked bar. They order burgers and fries off the menu, along with beer that was made on the premises just last month.
Thirty minutes later and about 16 miles down the highway to the east, another vehicle — a Subaru, no surprise — pulls into a parking space on a much busier street. Three young adults climb out of the car and make their way to a bustling taproom where four musicians on a low platform are setting up and tuning their instruments. The customers scan the board and pick out the perfect beers — created, they know, on site — to celebrate the completion of another semester.
It’s a typical Friday night in mid-December in Marquette County. Hundreds of people brave the cold and head out to enjoy a meal, some conversation, live music — and craft beer that was brewed right here.
This is not breaking news. It’s not headline material. Marquette loves its microbreweries, craft breweries and brewpubs, however they’re classified.
Marquette County features 10 establishments that are members of the Michigan Brewers Guild, a remarkable number for a county with a population around 66,000. In fact, the county has one of the highest numbers of breweries, per capita, in the state.
While none of this is shocking, it is noteworthy to consider that the scenes described above — beer lovers heading to craft breweries on a frigid Friday night — were not possible 30 years ago. Even 10 years back, some of the breweries we now consider mainstays in the Marquette community were niche businesses, new enter-
prises attempting to establish a foothold.
And while national numbers indicate the craft brewing movement has waned, the beer scene in Marquette is as strong as ever.
Early days
In the early to mid-1990s, Marquette County had its fair share of popular drinking establishments, but the beer on tap was largely identical to what was available anywhere else in the nation. The top sellers were global brands produced by multinational corporations with plants in St. Louis, Milwaukee and Detroit.
Around this time, however, home brewing hobbyists across the country began wading into the commerce of beer. A small but growing number of home brewers who once shared the fruits of their labor with friends and neighbors now started to open microbreweries. Other existing bars and restaurants got involved as well.
This was the genesis of Marquette’s craft brewing movement.
By 1995, owners Terry and Kristi Doyle had spent a decade building the
Historic Vierling Saloon & Sample Room on Front Street into a Marquette institution. They had meticulously restored the 1883 structure, complete with the original stained glass and a century-old oak bar.
In December 1995, the Vierling became one of Michigan’s first brewpubs with the addition of a five-barrel microbrewing system from Budapest. Derek “Chumly” Anderson, who started working at the Vierling as a chef in 1987, transitioned to the brewery in 1995 and has been there ever since.
Anderson and longtime executive chef Joey Gleason now own the Vierling Restaurant and Marquette Harbor Brewery, taking over from the Doyles, who retired in 2023.
Less than a year after the Vierling jumped into the microbrewing business, it was joined by a new establishment in Ishpeming’s Country Village development, Jasper Ridge Brewery.
Jasper Ridge is proud of its distinction as one of the first microbreweries in the area. It features a 10-barrel all-grain brewing system to produce a rotating mix of old favorites and sea-
sonal specialties.
Like many of Marquette County’s craft breweries, Jasper Ridge pays homage to local history when naming its beers. In the case of Ishpeming’s brewery, this means mining. Jasper Ridge’s Ropes Golden Wheat takes its name from the nearby Ropes Gold Mine, which operated off and on from the 1880s until 1991.
After the launch of Jasper Ridge Brewery in 1996, 14 years passed before another craft brewery opened in Marquette County. The next two to break into the market have become the largest in the area: Blackrocks Brewery in 2010 and Ore Dock Brewing Company in 2012.
Then, seemingly every couple of years, a new player arrived on the scene: Cognition Brewing Company in downtown Ishpeming in 2014 (now Kognisjon Bryggeri in Marquette); Barrel + Beam at the old Northwoods Supper Club in Marquette Township in 2016; Superior Culture in Marquette in 2018; Drifa Brewing Company, Michigan’s first cooperative brewer, in South Marquette in 2019; Lake Superior Smokehouse Brewpub
Six of the 10 breweries in Marquette County are located within a two-mile radius. (Photo by Michael Murray)
in Harvey, also in the fall of 2019; and Upper Peninsula Brewing Company in Negaunee in 2022.
It’s an eclectic mix of establishments. Some see themselves first and foremost as restaurants that also produce their own beer. Others have ambitions for regional distribution. Many seek to find their place in the local entertainment scene, with live music and other community-focused events. And all of them have become part of the county’s rich brewing history.
Before Prohibition
Brewing in the Marquette area goes back to the time of the city’s founding. Marquette was incorporated as a village in 1849, the same year that George Rublein, a native of Bavaria, arrived here via Milwaukee.
Rublein paid a dollar for 160 acres on what is now County Road 492 near Negaunee. He first established a farm on his land and then built the county’s first brewery on the site. His Franklin Brewery shipped beer to any station on the Marquette and Ontonagon
Railroad.
In 1872, according to a 2019 article in The Mining Journal, Rublein purchased five acres closer to Marquette, near a natural spring where the west end of Washington Street now meets U.S. 41.
Rublein built a new brewery on this property consisting of a series of frame structures as well as a beer garden featuring ponds, outdoor seating and an area for live entertainment. In the process, he changed the name of his business to Concordia Brewery.
Rublein closed the brewery in 1878, succumbing to economic conditions and pressure from larger brewers in Milwaukee. For a short period of time, Peter White held the controlling interest in the property, and he recruited an experienced brewer named Charles Meeske to reestablish the brewery.
Meeske and his business partner, Reiner Hoch, reopened the Concordia Brewery in 1879 and purchased the company from White in 1882. They changed the name in 1888 to Upper
The Vierling became one of Michigan’s first brewpubs with the addition of a five-barrel microbrewing system in 1995. (Photo by Michael Murray)
Peninsula Brewing Company and constructed an impressive castle-like sandstone facility with turrets, stained glass and a dance pavilion.
Meeske’s business thrived for years, until Michigan passed statewide prohibition in 1916, four years before the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution banned the production, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages across the nation.
The brewery closed in 1918, and the castle-like structure stood until 1975. One reminder of Marquette’s brewing history still occupies the site at Meeske Street and U.S. 41: a two-story Romanesque Revival building constructed of sandstone, which served as Meeske’s office and home. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Organic growth
Justas George Rublein and Charles Meeske expanded their facilities to meet increased demand in the 19th century, the brewers now serving Marquette County’s beer lovers are doing the same.
Blackrocks Brewery recently undertook a renovation that upgraded the production capabilities at its pub on Third Street from a three-barrel to
a seven-barrel system. This complements its existing 20-barrel facility on Washington Street.
“Our business plan has been organic growth,” co-owners David Manson and Andy Langlois said. “Prior to our current project, we expanded the inside venue for music and more seating for our customers.
“We love to offer craft products that you can’t get outside of the local market. Our previous brewing system was having a hard time keeping those offerings with the increase in customers. Not to mention it was not the best working environment for [brewer] Christopher ‘Chutte’ Hutte. He will now have a much better system to provide more pub-only offerings and a greater supply of them.”
The recent Blackrocks project also included expansion of its rooftop deck. “While only a benefit in the warmer months, we recognized the existing upper space was often full,” the owners said. “We hope this will add more space for customers to also enjoy the rooftop seating.”
Ore Dock Brewing Company is also nearing the end of its major expansion project, which includes the transformation of a vacant and condemned building immediately north
Kognisjon Bruggeri is the latest addition to the docket of breweries in Marquette, opening in 2023. (Photo by Michael Murray)
of the brewery’s present structure on Spring Street.
The three-story building will include a four-season beer garden, an indoor-outdoor event venue extending the existing Ore Dock Community Space, as well as residential units.
The lower level of the facility, with an entrance on Front Street, will house a craft cocktail lounge called The Trestle, a nod to the area’s railroad corridor that provided access to the Lower Harbor for decades.
“Community has always been extremely important to us,” Ore Dock co-owner Andi Pernsteiner said during a recent tour of the new space. “It’s always been part of our model as a business. … The idea of craft beer and community is not a new idea. It’s not something we invented, but it’s certainly something that we love and we really try to exemplify here.”
One brewer’s story
Kris Thompson remembers the first batch of beer he ever brewed. Not surprisingly, he said, “It didn’t turn out great.”
Thompson was a student at Michigan Technological University at the time, majoring in sound design. As college students sometimes do, he and a few friends started talking about beer — specifically, home brewing.
Their discussions evolved into a plan that eventually led to five of them splitting the cost of some cheap brewing equipment and a starter kit. Their first batch, as bad as it was, created a spark within Thompson. “From that moment on,” he said, “it’s just been,
‘What can I do with it?’”
Thompson began a self-guided course in brewing, reading every book he could find on the topic of beer and following his interests wherever they led.
When owner Jay Clancey opened Cognition Brewing Company in Ishpeming in 2014, Thompson was a part of the team. He has continued to refine his craft through the years and now serves as the head brewer of the
company’s latest iteration, Kognisjon Bryggeri at 1034 N. Third St. in Marquette.
Clancey closed Cognition after a years-long legal dispute with a landlord in Ishpeming — which was resolved in the brewery’s favor — and focused the business’s attention on the Marquette location, which opened in 2023.
Kognisjon refers to itself as “a distinctive brewery,” and a good deal of
this distinctiveness can be attributed to Thompson’s creative streak. Ultimately, he is responsible for the wide variety of beers produced by the company’s dual brewhouses and how they’re presented to the public.
The seven-barrel system is generally dedicated to the brewery’s larger batches, such as the Mexican lager and IPAs that are produced for local distribution as well as in-house sales.
Kognisjon’s three-and-a-half barrel
Blackrocks Brewery recently upgraded its production capabilities and rooftop deck. (Photo by Michael Murray)
system was installed with the move to Marquette, an upgrade over a one-barrel set-up the team used in Ishpeming. It gives Thompson a combination of flexibility and greater capacity: “This is our take on a pilot system,” he said. “That’s the one that I do smaller batches on, more experimental, more historic styles — or things I just want to try out.”
When Thompson develops a beer to the point of offering it to Kognisjon’s customers, his creative work has only just begun. The new brew needs a name, and the can that holds it requires a look that stands out while still fitting Kognisjon’s Nordic outdoors aesthetic, which Thompson designed.
He relishes the artistic freedom he has at every step of this process.
“Brew days are all the same,” he said. “Making a batch of beer, the day you make it, it’s the same process. The flavor differences come out later. That’s when you taste the result of that alchemy, taking four non-related things and throwing them all together and then getting this sublime product. Then I get to name them and do the artwork. It all connects. … Luckily, my ownership here lets me do it because they can tell I care. They trust me, and I trust them.”
Another factor in Thompson’s creative freedom is the number of taps behind Kognisjon’s bar. With 27 taps available — three are dedicated to root beer, cider and seltzer — he says there’s always something for every-
one.
“The 27 taps mean we can take some risks and try weird beers no one has ever heard of,” he said. “We can try different flavor combinations that some places with less tap space might not have the room to try. It’s distinctive. Every time you come in, there’s something for you — even if it might not be the same you had last time.”
Cooperation, not competition
Six of the 10 breweries in Marquette County are located in Marquette’s city limits — all within about 1.8 miles of each other.
Three are situated in a six-block stretch of North Third Street: Kognisjon (1034 N. Third St.), Superior Culture (717) and Blackrocks (424).
Two others — the Vierling at 119 S. Front St. and Ore Dock Brewing Company at 114 W. Spring St. — sit less than a block from one another. The outlier is Drifa Brewing Company at 501 S. Lake St. in South Marquette.
Rather than seeing this concentration of similar businesses as a source of competition, many involved in Marquette’s brewing scene view it as a positive.
In fact, Travel Marquette has worked for the past three years to promote these businesses as a group as part of its Marquette Brew Pass. Customers who sign up for the pass earn points, and prizes, by visiting the county’s 10 breweries (along with
Zephyr Wine Bar + Cafe and The Honorable Distillery).
Susan Estler, CEO of Travel Marquette, said there were 3,624 total check-ins during the 2024 Brew Pass season, with 1,068 downloads and 436 prize redemptions. She said participants included visitors to Marquette as well as locals.
“The thing I love about our breweries is they are all different and cater to different audiences,” Estler said. “There’s a different vibe in each one.”
Manson and Langlois of Blackrocks point out that the breweries benefit from each other: “If you have a high concentration of places to sample unique, truly craft beers, it continues to increase the voice of craft in our town. Plus, it provides options. Locally, our competition is not with one another, but rather the many large multinational companies that are not locally owned. The dollars spent on those products do not stay here.”
Kognisjon’s Thompson said, “In the beer world, the phrase we use is ‘A rising tide raises all ships.’ We get a lot of people who come through because they know Blackrocks is there. And they see that there’s another brewery. Or they find us, and we send them to other places we like. It’s a brotherhood. We’re all competitors, but we’re all in the same boat.” MM
Murray is one of Marquette Monthly’s managing editors.
Michael
Ore Dock Brewing Company in Marquette recently undertook a major expansion project, which includes adding a four-season beer garden and an indoor-outdoor event venue. (Photo by Michael Murray)
sporting life
Luge offers hidden winter fun Lucy Hill track in Negaunee opens for public sliding in January
By Brad Gischia
People who choose to live in the Upper Peninsula must find a way to spend the months once deep winter sets in. The opportunities for outdoor activity abound in a climate such as ours; for those people who want to get outside there is no shortage of events to help pass the dark months.
There is one that you may have overlooked.
Lucy Hill has been the center of Upper Peninsula luge since it was built in 1990 by Swedish Civil Engineer Per Vinburg. Since that time, the half-mile track was the host site of the World Cup in 1995 and has become a center for luge in the Upper Midwest.
Robb Cookman has been volunteering at Lucy Hill since 2015, when his son decided he wanted to try it. “After trying it out, he just wanted to do it all the time,” Robb said.
The luge season is short, opening when the weather turns cold enough to freeze the track and lasting until about mid-March. “At that point the sun is high enough and warm enough that it gets hard to keep ice on the track,” Robb said.
Because of that shortened season, Robb said his son wanted to spend most weekends at the hill.
“We spent a lot of time out there,” Robb said. “I was volunteering, either building the ice or shoveling or snowblowing — just whatever needed to be done.”
That willingness to help led to the offer of him being the president of the Upper Peninsula Luge Club. “I’ve been the president, treasurer and track manager,” Robb said. He is currently still managing the track. “It’s a year-round job,” Robb said. “We check the boards, work on the walls, mow the grass and do other general upkeep. Once December comes around and it’s cold enough to make a base, we really start looking to get some crews together.”
A lot of work goes into preparation for the track because the sliders need it built right. Lucy Hill is a Naturbahn hill, meaning natural ice. It is the only natural ice competition hill in the United States. The others, including the one at Lake Placid, are
artificial. A Naturbahn hill follows the natural lay of the land; the curves are not artificially elevated and there is no refrigerant to keep the ice at a steady temperature.
The result is that Lucy Hill is a technically difficult hill.
Katie Cookman is a 17-year-old Marquette native who is beginning her seventh year of “sliding,” what people in the know call the act of luge. She is also Robb’s daughter and has spent the past three winters traveling Italy and Austria on the European Luge circuit.
“European tracks can be pretty hard, but from a technical standpoint, I think Lucy Hill is in my top three of most advanced,” she said.
Katie spent many weekends sitting in the snowbank at Lucy Hill, watching her older brother race.
“I didn’t want to do it when I was younger because it seemed super scary,” Katie said. “A lot of people were encouraging me, but then an Austrian luge coach sat in the snowbank with me and encouraged me to give it a try.”
Katie hasn’t looked back since. Her trip to Europe for the 2024-25 season begins soon, and she’ll have to continue her schoolwork while competing.
“It’s pretty tough, but I do it online,” Katie said. “We typically move around once a week, with races every weekend in Italy and Austria.”
While Katie and the rest of the team is competing on the international circuit, Lucy Hill is gliding along under her father’s watchful eye and a group of stalwart volunteers.
“We have about 50 members in the club,” Robb said. “When the hill is operational, they can slide on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.”
The Lucy Hill luge track draws people from all over the world.
“Because it’s the only natural ice track in the U.S., we have sliders from all over the country that want to try it out,” Robb said. “I’ve spoken with sliders who have been in World Cup races, have slid on some of the toughest tracks in the world. They come and size up our track, check out the corners and the combinations, and say, ‘This is not an easy track.’”
Part of the training potential that is found at Lucy Hill comes from the corner and drop combinations that Vinburg designed into the hill — more than 280 feet of drop in the halfmile course. The average slope is 12 percent.
“There used to be a few luge runs in the area,” Robb said. “One out at Marquette Mountain and another on the ski hill on Division Street, but that was a long time ago.”
When Vinburg showed up, he began to look at the Negaunee area.
“They looked at a number of different hills and Vinburg chose the site because it had all of the natural combinations we needed for an official track,” Robb said.
A long-term lease with CCI was procured and grant money secured. At the time, it was one of five tracks in the world that was lit with artificial lights.
“We have a combination called The Sisters,” Robb said. “The Lillie, the Lucy and the Mary C — that is a tough combination. It’s basically about a 160-degree turn for the first
Lucy Hill, located in Negaunee, offers open sliding in January. (Photo courtesy of Jenn Best)
switchback, and then a 90-degree on a 24-percent grade.” For reference, when Robb is clearing that portion of the track with the tractor equipped with studded tires and fourwheel drive, they’ve resorted to a front-mounted winch to get them up the grade.
“When our sliders perfect that combination, they’re pretty ecstatic,” Robb said. “They don’t have much trouble with European tracks after that.”
Fortunately for the young sliders, some of the veterans that were sliding when the World Cup was there in the ’90s have returned to help teach the next generation of sliders.
During their short training season, the volunteers, both coaches and workers, are busy teaching the young sliders how to run the Lucy Hill track. At the same time, there is a second group that has the option to use the hill, the public.
There are reservation times available through their website, upluge. org, so that anyone in the area can come out and get a chance to slide on the lower portion of the track.
“We usually get between 400 to 600 public sliders for the season,” Robb said.
Public slide times are limited to
about 15 people per day, so that each person gets a chance to slide a few times. “If we get too many more people, they’re standing around waiting,” Robb said, “This way they stay warmer.”
Kirsten Matthews got involved with the club when they spent a day
at the hill during Christmas vacation, crossing off a bucket list item.
“My son was hooked,” Matthews said. She’s now in her third year of working the hill, and her son is the youngest member of the team going to Europe.
Matthews said her first experience
down the luge was memorable.
“I’m kind of afraid of heights. I wasn’t sure what to think, but they start you off pretty low on the hill,” Matthews said. “I remember thinking ‘I don’t know what I’m doing,’ but then I took off and it was like being a kid again. It was so much fun.”
Many sliders who train at Lucy Hill qualify for competition in Europe. (Photo courtesy of Robb Cookman)
When someone is ready to take to the hill, there should be no worry about experience or gear. The club will provide both.
“We provide cleats for the boots,” Robb said. This helps sliders to slow down at the end of their run. “We also have sleds and helmets. The fee for their reservation also covers training on how to steer the sled. We make it nice and easy.”
The volunteer requirements go up a little when the public is using the track. “We like to have six to eight volunteers here when the public is sliding,” Robb said. “If we have to clear or ice the track, the more people we have here, the easier it is.”
The public is the lifeblood of the track and the club.
“We depend on the public,” Robb said. “The fees that they pay to come and slide covers most of the electricity and water, the diesel for the tractor and other utilities.” Fees for sliding range from $20 for 15 and under and $30 for 16 and older — for a whole day of sliding.
“It’s a pretty affordable way to spend a weekend,” Matthews said.
That income from the public is important because the club has water and electric bills to pay.
“When we’re icing the track,”
Robb said, “if we can get six people running three hoses, for a three hour shift, a hose can do 1,200 to 1,500 gallons of water. We go through 45,000 to 65,000 gallons per year.”
The members pay dues as well, which helps to offset costs, and the club applies for grants.
“Through grant funding we’ve
been able to make some upgrades in the last few years,” said Robb. “We’ve been able to increase the quality of the walls and we recently bought a tractor, which speeds up a lot of the work. We were also able to buy cleats. Those strap on to your regular boots, which is nice for the public sliders because their footwear is often warmer
than what we have here.”
Some of the funding also goes to support those kids who are fortunate enough to travel to Europe to slide.
“The trips are mostly funded by the individuals and their families,” Katie said. “We get some small funding from the International Luge Federation and the club is very generous and lets us take some equipment belonging to the club, sleds and spikes and helmets.”
This year the club is sending six sliders to Europe. Some will stay the whole season, and some for a partial season.
“There are qualifying standards,” Robb said. “The kids have to be able to slide the whole track at Lucy Hill, and there’s also an evaluation process we have, and the USLA (United States Luge Association) has its own selection process. It starts in late summer and early fall and we pick who we think is most qualified.” Despite the time investment, Katie said there is no place she’d rather be.
“I would encourage people to try it because it’s an amazing opportunity,” Katie said. “It can lead to bigger and better experiences. The community is great, and you have so much fun.”
Robb estimates that he spends between 300 to 400 hours at the track
Volunteers put in countless hours to ensure the quality of the track for young sliders to train on. (Photo courtesy of Robb Cookman)
each year. He considers it time well spent, but would love to see the public come out more.
“We have people coming from all over the country — from Washington to Texas, from Spain, Dubai and Slovenia,” Robb said. “But I would love to see more people on the local level.”
The glut of winter sports in the area might shoulder some of the blame.
“One of the great things about living up here is that there are a lot of things to do, and this might seem intimidating,” Matthews said. “That’s why I didn’t try it earlier. But just dress for the weather and you can make it as easy or hard as you want it to be.”
There is a fire ring at the top of the hill where people can warm up, and the club is hoping to get some grant money soon to build a shelter for the tractor, and that will also provide a windbreak for people.
“When you think of winter and the fun you had when you were a kid, sledding, socializing, standing around a campfire, Lucy Hill is that environment,” Matthews said. “It’s more than just sledding downhill. There’s excitement and enthusiasm. I’ve never seen someone unhappy going down
the hill.”
If you don’t want to participate in sliding, there are scheduled races this winter that are free and the public is invited to attend. These races are posted on the club’s website and Facebook page.
“We have a couple of races during the winter,” Matthews said. “We hope to have some international sliders come for our last race of the season, so if you’re not sure about sliding, come out and watch a race and see what you think.”
Despite all of the tracks that Katie has raced on, Lucy Hill will always be at the top of her list.
“It’s always going to be my favorite,” Katie said. “I get to see it every season. It’s really magical.”
Matthews said that when people finally cave and try the hill out, they aren’t disappointed.
“It’s just like pure childhood,” Matthews said.
MM
Gischia is
and
native to Upper Michigan. He has published two children’s books and done illustrations for both comic books and novels.
Brad
a writer
artist
Max Larson, Thomas Matthews and Caleb Schwiderson have some friendly competition at the Lucy Hill luge track. (Photo by Jenn Best)
lookout point
The cadence of a culture
Teal Lake Drummers aim to preserve songs of their ancestors
By Brad Gischia
The drum isn’t as loud as you might think. Multiple sticks hitting the stretched hide across a wooden frame beat a cadence for the singers and dancers to follow. A crowd stands around them, some heads bobbing in time as people dance around the drummers, some with bells around their ankles or sewed into their dresses.
The singers begin, first the men and then the women standing behind them. It is not a callback to a forgotten time. It is not a forgotten art.
It is the heartbeat of a nation, the heartbeat of Mother Earth.
The Teal Lake Drummers are a group of local Natives whose mis-
sion is to preserve the songs of their culture. The drum is the heart of the group, and the specific drum used by the Teal Lake Drummers was crafted by a Negaunee man named Ron Gardner.
“He knew how to make a traditional Ojibwe drum,” said T.J. Derwin, drum keeper for the group. “Sometime in the early 2000s, he felt called to make a drum for the Negaunee schools. He wanted to teach kids who might not have the opportunity. It was built specifically to bring out into the community.”
Since that time, the drum has moved around. It has gone through a few different carriers.
“I’ve been the carrier for about 10 years now,” Derwin said. That posi-
tion comes with its own set of duties.
“As with everything, there are many different teachings about the drum, but broadly speaking, I keep the drum at my house and maintain it. The drum is to be considered a member of the family, particularly a grandfather, so everything I do with that drum, I do it with the intent that this is how I would treat a grandfather that I respect and love.”
That means keeping it clean, not doing anything around it that is disrespectful, not leaving it in the trunk of a car or in a closet.
As the drum keeper, Derwin is also on the lookout for the behavior of others around the drum.
“I have to step up and be an advocate for the drum,” Derwin said. “If
there’s something inappropriate happening around it, I have to say something.”
That also is the responsibility of all drummers and singers in the group.
Rose Larson is a singer with the Teal Lake Drummers and also on the elder board for Marquette Unit 5 of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians. She came to be a tribal citizen in the ’90s, after she traced her adoption and found her native family.
“A drum group is about balance,” Derwin said. “Rose provides that elder perspective on the world and how we should conduct ourselves around our grandfather. She keeps the focus on what it should be and helps to keep us present.”
“It’s very important,” Larson said.
In Native American culture, the drum is considered family and is treated with the respect given to a grandfather. (Photo courtesy of T.J. Derwin)
“The drum is the heartbeat of the people. It’s the heartbeat of Mother Earth. It’s healing, good medicine.” Larson noted that she’s still learning a lot about her culture, coming to it later in her life.
“I feel like whether you’re raised in the culture or not, you’re always in the learning stage,” she said.
Larson said the first time she heard the big drum was life-changing. “It’s just an amazing feeling. Maybe it’s inborn in us, but you feel that heartbeat — a connection to your ancestors.”
A group of people with a shared purpose and a willingness to contribute will create a community.
Derwin had been carrying the drum for some time and knew its history. “I knew it was supposed to be out in the community and I would get a sense that my grandfather was watching me, knowing that I wasn’t doing it.”
Derwin knew a few other male singers and drummers who wanted to get together. They lacked a place to do it. “It was a lot to bring a group of people to someone’s house,” Derwin said. “I had approached a few organizations about using their spaces, but got shot down. It may have been my inability to communicate the vision.”
Derwin happened to be speaking to Tyler LaPlaunt, Unit 5 Vice President of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, about the lack of tribal cultural events and opportunities in the area. “We’re off the reservation here, away from our traditional homelands,” Derwin said. LaPlaunt asked what the drummers needed.
“Within a week, we had a room in Lakeview Arena,” Derwin said.
“Ultimately my tribal citizens had been wanting a space to gather for a very long time,” LaPlaunt said. “They’d expressed to me that they wanted to be more connected with their culture, but didn’t know how to start.”
LaPlaunt said he wanted to make a space not only for the people who were learning the drum, but for other tribal and non-tribal members as well.
“I didn’t want any agenda,” Derwin said. “I just put it out there to the people I knew, an invite to get together and drum. I knew a few songs, and I knew that others knew ones that I didn’t.”
Around a dozen people showed up for the first meeting. Since then the group has grown and changed as things are wont to do within the life of
The Teal Lake Drummers raise awareness of the Indian Boarding School era and indigenous people’s efforts to raise awareness about how that trauma continues to impact their people. (Photo courtesy of T.J. Derwin)
the organization.
Now they have between 40 and 60 people showing up every few weeks.
“We’re not just a drum,” Larson said. “The culture night has developed into that family and community.”
The group now meets in Harvey, at a building owned by the Sault Tribe in the process of renovation into a tribal community center.
“It’s not just practice,” Derwin said. “The drum is there, but we have potluck food, people bring crafts, there’s fellowship. It’s a group of people that share culture and experience.”
It sounds like one of those toogood-to-be-true places, but it gets better. The community night is open to everyone, no matter their race or culture.
“One of the intentions of this particular drum was to destigmatize the
native culture,” Derwin said. “Of course there are some deep, specific, really ingrained spiritual Native American practices, and we’re not looking to step on anyone’s spirituality if it’s something that isn’t meant to be shared.”
Derwin said this drum is meant to bring people together.
“We’re sort of an ecumenical drum,” Larson said. “Not all of our drummers are from the Sault Tribe. There are some from Lac Vieux Desert, Navajo…We’re definitely multicultural.”
There’s no age limit to be around the drum.
“I’ve seen people bring their kids in, only a few weeks old, and they fall asleep as we’re drumming,” Derwin said. “That’s always cool.”
So for a few hours every few weeks, a group gets together and
Rose Larson is a singer with the Teal Lake Drummers; the first time she heard the drum was life-changing for her. (Photo courtesy of T.J. Derwin)
shares a community, captures a moment when they can forget their daily troubles and the big problems of the world that seem to be an assault on the senses of everyone. It seems like honest-to-goodness magic.
“All the negative aspects of the world can kind of melt away,” Derwin said. “It’s a place where you all know you’re welcome and accepted no matter what.”
“It’s so powerful, so spiritual, that it doesn’t matter if you’re having a bad day or a bad week, it might make you cry,” Larson said. “It’s a healing time.”
Derwin said the group has gone beyond anything he thought it could be.
“I think of it like access to food,” LaPlaunt said. “The more access there is to nutritious food, the more likely people are to eat that food and be healthier. That’s my philosophy behind culture as well. Make it accessible and inclusive to people around us who don’t understand it and it becomes the easier option for those who are questioning who they are and where they came from.”
Native drumming has always been connected to important moments, whether it’s the birth of a child or a death in the family. The drumming that happens at those pivotal moments is important in Native culture. “Every single one of our songs is a prayer,”
Derwin said. “We help to provide that for families, when they’re grieving or celebrating. It’s a way to remember we’re all part of Mother Earth.”
At the same time, it can often be hard to walk into an unfamiliar room filled with an unfamiliar group.
Derwin said not to worry about it.
“This drum is not meant to be exclusionary,” Derwin said. “We want to embrace the bravery it takes to walk into that room and provide a welcoming space for them to come in. Maybe they try it and they decide it’s not for them, that’s cool. The point is that they came.”
The chance to learn about the culture is what is at stake here, the furthering of knowledge that could literally be lost in a few generations.
“We’re all learning,” Derwin said. “That’s one thing I stress to the singers. I’ve been singing for 30 years, and there’s not a time when I don’t make a mistake. Everyone does. You have to be OK with that; there’s no shame in it.”
The continuation of this essential piece of the Native American culture demystifies it for the average person. Respectfully learning about other cultures is a way to combat racism.
“There is unintentional racism, where Natives are looked on as mystics and romanticized,” Derwin said. “I want to get rid of that stereotype,
Adeline Derwin, Rose Larson and Rose Larson’s daughters Anne Daugherty and Larissa Beun celebrate their heritage. (Photo by T.J. Derwin)
too. I truly think that the principles Native Americans live by are beneficial to everybody.”
Derwin worries about cultural theft when it comes to Native practices, but understands that it is inevitable. He mentioned the chaga movement. “We’ve been using that stuff forever in a lot of traditional medicines,” Derwin said. “Now, because it’s popular, there are professional chaga hunters picking it all and we can’t find it. Often we have to buy it for traditional use.”
Everyone involved is looking for greater understanding, for greater respect between cultures.
“If anyone sees us at an event, absolutely feel free to come up and talk and ask questions if you have them,” Derwin said. “We’re here to share and hopefully educate.”
Don’t be surprised if you don’t get the answer you want.
“People can learn the protocol of being around the drum,” Larson said. “But there are definitely rules to follow.”
Larson hopes the drum will open the door for people to ask questions and be open to learning.
“If you’re brave enough to come and talk to us and break down those barriers of understanding, we’re obligated to at least have a discussion and be honest,” Derwin said. “We’ll explain the answers we give.”
Derwin said the collective knowledge of the group may make up for any lack he might have.
“Take a risk and ask a question,” Derwin said. “There are parts of ev-
ery culture that can be shared and we share those parts of our culture that can be.”
Judging from the popularity of the community nights, some of the best parts of Native American culture can be shared a couple of nights a month in Harvey.
“People are looking for a sense of community,” LaPlaunt said. “They’re
looking at their genealogy and wondering where they come from. For us, that’s all right here. All of our teaching, all of our culture, all of our ceremony. It’s right here. The drum is the heartbeat of the community.”
Culture Night is held the second and fourth Thursday of each month from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at 204 Cherry Creek Road in Harvey. Youth are wel-
come, but need to be accompanied by an adult. For details, call Derwin at 906-236-3681.
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.
Pow wow attendees surround the drum circle at a recent event. (Photo by Brad Gischia)
Community rallies to resurrect arena in honor of hometown hero back then
By Jennifer Donovan
Hockey
player Kenneth “Kenner”
Ruohonen is a legend in the little community of Oskar Bay in Stanton Township near Houghton. He played hockey there, went on to play professional hockey and gave unstintingly to his community’s kids.
An old ice rink on Ruohonen family land in Oskar had fallen into disrepair. Ruohonen and his brother, Norman — who both had skated there since they were kids — donated the land to Stanton Township to rebuild and cover the rink.
Ken and Norman built it themselves, with the help of dozens of community residents. Nearby prison work camp crews even helped. It opened in 1991 and was named the Oskar Dome.
After Ruohonen died in 1996, Stanton Township renamed it the “Kenner Dome” to honor their local hockey hero.
But the dome fell on hard times. It was vandalized and wound up sadly in need of renovation and new amenities, including bathrooms, a locker room, an updated ventilation system and player benches. After it took another big hit in the 2018 Father’s Day flood, there was even some talk of tearing it down.
Oskar Bay and its close-knit nearby communities would have none of that. They banded together to save and renovate the Kenner Dome. And they succeeded.
Stanton Township pitched in, helping find funding. The Ruohonen family and community members made donations. Once again, the actual construction work was done by local residents.
Carpenters lent their skills. So did plumbers and electricians. Ordinary residents who had never hammered a nail before pitched in with the construction work.
Today the dome is open and thriving, hosting youth hockey teams and public ice skating. It stands as a landmark on a winding stretch of Canal Road near Houghton, a memorial to a community’s hometown hero.
“The No. 1 reason that Stanton Township values the Kenner Dome is
the recreation value it provides to the small community of Oskar Bay and surrounding areas of the township,” said Marty Rajala, Stanton Township supervisor. “It also has been attended to and maintained by a multitude of volunteers and members of the community, with minimal cost to the taxpayers.”
Shelley Farrey, one of Ruohonen’s daughters, said it’s an amazing place. “It’s an absolute privilege to have this incredible indoor ice rink available and open to the public.”
An Oskar resident most of her life, Farrey and all of her siblings played hockey at the old rink, too, and she still plays at Sunday Fun Day, a women’s hockey club in Houghton, open to women and girls of all ages.
“Hockey is a mainstay in our family,” Farrey said.
She and her sister played, her son and daughter played. Her brother played in high school and now plays for fun. Her brother-in-law played professionally for years in Germany, and her nephew now plays there, too.
“If Dad were here today, he would be so grateful that the dome is still there and used by the community,” she said. “He would still be there every day himself, teaching those kids to skate and teaching them morals and ethics, like scraping the rink after they play.
“He taught them to pick up after themselves and leave it better than they found it. That’s who he was.”
Don Juntenen grew up with Kenner Ruohonen. They went to school and played hockey together. He remembered working with Ruohonen to build the covered skating dome. “We did it all,” he recalled of the construction. “Kenny was a master of all trades. He was a driving force in the community.”
Juntenen, 85, played hockey for 62 years. He’s still involved as part-time caretaker of the Kenner Dome.
A Local Hockey Hero
According to Farrey, it’s almost as though kids in Oskar Bay are born with hockey sticks in their hands. Kenner Ruohonen was one of them. He played hockey from the time he was in elementary school, graduating
The Kenner Ruohonen Memorial Dome is home to many hockey games throughout the year. Ken Ruohonen, above, played professional hockey for the Green Bay Bobcats. (Photos courtesy of Visit Keweenaw)
to a local junior league team. By the time he was 16, he was playing with the Portage Lake Pioneers, a semi-pro hockey team.
In 1952, he entered the army and played on the Armed Forces hockey team in West Germany for two seasons. Then he spent a year in the Detroit City League, returning to the Copper Country to play with the Portage Lake Pioneers again in their
1955-56 season.
How did he get the nickname Kenner? “Every male in our community has a nickname,” his daughter said. “His name was Kenneth, so he became Kenner.”
In 1959, Ruohonen moved to Green Bay and played for one year in the Green Bay City League before joining the Green Bay Bobcats, a professional hockey team coached by Tony Bukov-
ich, another Copper Country hockey legend.
Ruohonen scored 251 goals in 11 years with the Bobcats. In 1965, the Bobcats won the National U.S. Senior Tournament in Boston, and Ruohonen was chosen MVP. He was then asked to join the U.S. Senior team and did a 10-day tour of Europe with them.
In July 1970, he returned to the Copper Country and played with the Calumet Wolverines, the Portage Lake Flyers and the Calumet-Houghton Chiefs. At the same time, he devoted countless hours to maintaining his beloved Oskar rink and mentoring the young people who skated there.
At his funeral in 1996, Ruohonen’s family, friends and community residents contributed memorials to help maintain the rink. And the township decided to dedicate it to the man who had invested so much time and effort there and brought international honor to his little home community. They renamed it the Kenner Dome.
After the Father’s Day Flood, the community pitched in again. They got a grant to help fix their beloved skating dome, and volunteers once again spent long, backbreaking hours cleaning and repairing it.
The football and hockey teams from Houghton High School even came out to help.
There’s still some vandalism going on. Juntenen recalled going over to the rink one night to find some teens shooting steel pucks against the walls.
“Some of them were going right through the wall,” he said.
But the dome continues to be used by young skaters and adults from nearby communities. They come from Houghton, Hancock, Calumet and even as far away as L’Anse.
“It’s an absolute privilege to have this incredible indoor ice rink available and open to the public,” said Ruohonen’s daughter Shelley. She recalled her father’s favorite saying: “It’s all about the kids.”
Kenner Ruohonen may be gone, but his legacy and the Kenner Dome is still just that, all about the kids and the community.
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 Tech.
At right, Ken Ruohonen, for whom the Kenner Dome is named, played hockey at many levels throughout his career. (Photo courtesy of Shelley Farrey) Below, rink draws hockey players and fans from afar. (Photo courtesy of Visit Keweenaw)
MSHS student wins youth catalyst award locals
By Jim LaJoie
Nolan Dixon, for all practical purposes, embodies a typical high school student.
He’s engrossed in his studies, loves to tool around on his bike and thoroughly enjoys hitting the ski slopes in the winter when Mother Nature cooperates.
Yet, the Marquette Senior High School senior exhibits a myriad of personal and professional passions
rarely seen in teenagers.
The youth recipient of the Community Foundation of Marquette County’s Catalyst Award, Dixon is actively engaged in a number of endeavors, ranging from political leadership roles to an array of musical interests.
Glancing at his accomplished resumé, one would wonder how the engaging and likeable young man has time to fit in so much in his schedule.
With a gift of giving and self-effacing approach to life, Dixon gets more
Nolan Dixon was the 2024 youth recipient of the Marquette County Community Foundation’s Catalyst Award. (Photo courtesy of Nolan Dixon)
back than he gives.
“I’ve always enjoyed helping people. I’m a lot more motivated when it’s something I am passionate about,” Dixon said. “I like getting people engaged in things they enjoy. It’s rewarding to help people, especially in a tight-knit community like we have. Small things make an impact on the community.”
That he has done and then some. To Dixon, community means everything.
“Community means a group of people working together to achieve a similar goal,” he said. “It’s about making people’s lives better.”
From parents Dr. Bryan Dixon and Megan to a plethora of teachers and friends, Dixon learned at an early age that community involvement lays the solid groundwork on a journey to a promising future, one founded by sound moral principles and engagement.
Dixon, the president of his senior class, was introduced to student government while a student in Mrs. Wales fifth-grade class at Cherry Creek Elementary School.
“I was in this group called Kids for Change (KFC),” said Dixon, who has been involved in student council since the sixth grade. “(Club adviser) Mrs. Russell organized it and thought I would be a good student for this. From there, I wanted to pursue that leadership role. The places we work and recreate are better for everyone when we’re helping people out.”
Russell, who retired as a teacher in 2019, fondly remembers Dixon and knew then a bright future was in store for him.
“When I met Nolan, I had already retired from classroom instruction, but had been approached by some older former KFC members (students at MSHS) who wanted me to mentor them to lead KFC in local elementary schools,” said Russell, adding the meetings were held every other Wednesday for an hour after school. “Nolan was one of about 25 fifth graders who met, so I really only knew him through his involvement in this program. However, he caught my attention because he was pretty laid back, always had a sincere positive attitude and demeanor, was always cooperative and seldom missed a meeting.”
Russell watched Dixon’s leadership skills blossom.
“When the large group broke into small groups, he always had a group that followed him, and he would ensure that the task assigned to the group would be completed,” Russell said. “He didn’t ask to be the leader of anything … he had a natural knack for leadership. He was respectful of
everyone, and I think that was part of the glue that held the whole group together. He enjoyed the MSHS students and would interact with them comfortably.”
The KFC’s purpose was to help young students learn how to look at their school and community and identify issues they’d like to see addressed, learn the democratic process and find solutions.
“The one feature students were adamant about was that there would be no president, vice president, secretary or treasurer,” Russell said. “Each meeting had a new leader, secretary and treasurer to carry out those duties. They learned about bringing an issue to the floor, making motions, voting their view and then doing the work to achieve their goal.
“(My husband) Doug and I were fortunate to share a conversation with him at a local event this past summer, and we found him to be so engaging … certainly a matured version of the fifth grader I met years ago.”
That foundation of reaching out to help others and impelling engagement spawned an interest in helping start an Outdoor Recreation Club (ORC) at MSHS during his sophomore year.
“My friends and I started this club to engage students in outdoor activities,” said Dixon, who holds a 3.9 grade point average. “We’ve done trail cleanups and other projects to get students out. We did a backpacking trip this past spring and covered three miles. We did a clinic beforehand to teach how to pack bags and (prepare) for food. Last winter, we did a trip to Mt. Bohemia, rented skis and were able to help others learn to ski. It was really a positive experience. It’s great seeing the people enjoy the spaces they can use.”
MSHS high school biology teacher Greg Thocker serves as the ORC advisor. He knew that Dixon was the idyllic student to lead the charge in launching and sustaining the program.
“I’ve had the pleasure to work with Nolan in multiple science classes and as the adviser to the Outdoor Recreation Club,” Thocker said. “In my opinion, it is Nolan’s jovial personality, motivation and communication skills that make him a great leader. Nolan’s success in the future will have a direct relationship with his light-hearted spirit and goal-driven behavior. I see Nolan being extremely successful through his networking abilities.”
Dixon’s adoration for helping others transcends also to those children with mental health and special needs. Last spring, he oversaw six fifthgrade students at Bay Cliff Health
Camp. And, when it was over, he was informed he had made a long-lasting, life-changing impact on a young camper.
“Some of the students were hesitant in the beginning, but as the days progressed, they were having fun. It was very meaningful for me,” he recalled. “When we were done, I was notified by a parent that one of the boys in my cabin did not want to go. I ended up making his experience a positive one. I found out he was planning to leave after the first night, but I made him comfortable enough to stay. We had a tight-knit cabin, which was awesome. It was so cool to see the effort we put in with those kids.”
Dixon has served as a representative on MARESA’s mental health outreach program for the county. He said it’s been incredibly rewarding to participate with other like-minded students from other Upper Peninsula schools who have a vested interest in
improving the emotional well-being of others.
“We talk about things that occur at our schools and how we can improve on them,” he said. “It has given me a perspective on this. The students came together with different high school principals to discuss. It was a really good experience.”
Dixon also played an integral role in restarting a dormant high school newspaper.
“It stopped publishing in the early 2000s and kind of died off. A friend recruited me my sophomore year to help get it going,” he said. “I thought having student input on stories would be really fun.”
With the newspaper, Dixon is tasked with publishing the “fun” section. Each month, Dixon concocts his own crossword puzzle, with each month having a different theme.
“I challenge myself to come up with these puzzles,” he said, a wry
In addition to his many extracurricular activities, Nolan Dixon also plays bass in the orchestra. (Photo courtesy of Nolan Dixon)
smile appearing on his boyish face.
And Dixon has a very fond interest in music.
Since sixth grade, he’s played the stand-up bass in the symphony orchestra.
“I was originally going to play the trombone in the band, but my sister was playing the bass and said I needed to be in orchestra,” he said.
And, in his “free time,” he plays bass guitar in a ’90s grunge rock band called the Aubergines. Eggplants are called aubergines in Europe because it’s the French word for this vegetable.
“We (he and his three fellow high school bandmates) took French together. We were throwing away our homework and looked at our vocab sheet,” he said, when asked how they came about the band’s name. “Aubergines was on there.”
The foursome plays a lot of early era Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, White Stripes and others.
“We like the fun, fast and loud stuff,” said Dixon, whose band has played at a handful of local venues, including Superior Culture on Third Street.
Playing music, he said, offers a much-welcomed respite from daily academic studies.
“Music has been a really cool way of breaking up my school day. It is nice to have that break in my day and think differently,” he said. “In playing with the symphony, there is a creative flow and looking for new ways to play music.”
With a vast array of experience in a number of different disciplines, Dixon now has his sights set on the future. After attending a two-week business camp last summer at Indiana Univer-
sity that focused on global business, Dixon aspires to a career in international business.
“We got a basic introduction into Arabic, Zulu, Portuguese, Korean and Russian … it was a kind of cool way to explore that,” he said. “Ideally, l’d like to focus on business and minor in sustainability, eyeing a career path in humanitarian and environmental rights.”
To date, he has applied to the University of Michigan, Utah State, Oregon State, Western Colorado State, Cornell, Michigan State and Northern Michigan University.
So how does Dixon manage to fit in all of his schoolwork and extra-curricular activities?
“I give a lot of credit to my family. They have helped me a lot with balancing,” said Dixon, who readily admits he’s really into fashion, particularly shoes and clothes. “A big part, though, is I really enjoy doing all of these things. It’s not super stressful.” Away from academia and music, Dixon loves being outside.
“You can find me outside a lot. I love alpine, tele, backcountry and cross-country skiing, along with mountain biking and hiking,” he said. His message to other young men and women aspiring to make a difference?
“Get involved any way you can and create your own activities,” he said. “Do things you’re passionate about. The impact is very rewarding.”
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. LaJoie lives with his family in Marquette.
Nolan Dixon plays in a grunge band named the Aubergines, which has gigs at several local establishments. (Photo courtesy of Nolan Dixon)
different the arts
A perspective
By Erin Elliott Bryan
Kim Tincknell has had a lifelong affinity for creative endeavors.
The Ishpeming native said she was “always drawn to the artistic side of things,” whether it was an art class, creative writing or being part of a band. But she was particularly inspired years ago at her first job at Joseph’s SuperValu when she witnessed her shift manager, Mary Morisette, do something pretty unexpected.
“I watched [Morisette] climb up on top of a display of dog food to paint the store’s windows for Christmas,” Tincknell said. “And I knew I wanted to do that, too.”
Now Tincknell is well known in Marquette County for painting the windows of local businesses with her own unique style and technique.
“It’s really a release for me,” Tinck-
nell said. “I have an overactive brain, so when I paint, I put on headphones and listen to music or a podcast. Then it’s just about getting lost in the process.”
Tincknell first painted Christmas windows at Ferrellgas, where she began working when she moved to Negaunee about 10 years ago.
Since then, she has painted windows for a number of establishments on Iron Street in Negaunee, including Smarty’s Saloon, Campfire Coffee and Midtown Bakery, as well as other businesses.
What makes Tincknell’s work special is the way in which she creates each individual painting. Not only does she paint everything freehand,
“I painted Santa holding the hose from a Ferrellgas delivery truck shooting out snowballs to all the elves who were having a snowball fight,” she said.
Artist Kim Tincknell trained her brain to draw everything backwards — even text
— to protect her window art from the elements. Here she works on a display at Ferrellgas in Negaunee. (Photo by Kristy Basolo)
she paints everything backwards — even the text.
“It took me a while to wrap my head around it, but now it’s almost easier to paint backwards,” she said.
Tincknell explained that artists who paint in warmer temperatures do so on the outside of the building and use a white base for the artwork.
“But then you can’t see it when you’re inside,” she said.
Tincknell said once she and the business owner decide on a theme, she looks online for pictures to inspire her design and picks her favorite parts.
“Then I cut and paste a scene in my head and throw it up there,” she said.
Tincknell said some clients request specific designs, but others give her
the freedom to pick the overall theme. There are often multiple windows included in the final design.
“If I know the client and know their vibe, I’ll pick the theme,” she said.
Tincknell uses readily available acrylic craft paint and said it takes her about four hours to complete a project, depending on the size of the windows. Her longest project took eight hours.
One of Tincknell’s regular clients is Smarty’s Saloon in Negaunee where she also works two days a week. She paints the windows there for every major holiday and season. She recently completed designs inspired by the 1983 movie “A Christmas Story.”
The windows Tincknell did for Smarty’s for the 2024 Heikki Lunta festival are her favorite recent designs. They depicted a snow god blowing freezing cold air into the shape of the U.P. She has also created designs that encouraged patrons to put their face into cutouts to capture a one-of-a-kind photo opportunity.
“People loved the interaction,” Tincknell said.
Owner Scott “Smarty” Soeltner said his favorite design was the portraits of the Rolling Stones Tincknell created last April to mark Goof Fest, an annual event to remember Alan “Goofus” Ammesmaki.
“She does something for us for just about every holiday,” Soeltner said. “I never really know what she’s going to do, but it’s always remarkable.”
Soeltner said he likes to be on site when Tincknell is painting, saying that it’s “mesmerizing” to watch her work.
“I can’t even count backwards, let alone paint backwards,” Soeltner
Kim Tincknell paints the windows at Smarty’s in Downtown Negaunee regularly; above, she poses in front of a Mardi Gras-themed window with bar owner Scott Soeltner. (Photo courtesy of Kim Tincknell)
Tincknell paints windows at a variety of businesses, including Stephanie
State Farm office in Marquette. (Courtesy of Kim Tincknell)
said. “Sometimes you find yourself tilting your head saying, ‘What is she doing?’ But then you say, ‘Ah, now I get it.’”
Soeltner said visitors are always stopping on the sidewalks outside to take photos in front of the windows. He said he trusts Tincknell “wholeheartedly” and embraces “whatever she comes up with.”
“Her glowing personality reflects in her paintings,” Soeltner said. “She is incredibly talented in so many ways. We just love her.”
Stephanie Robar, an insurance agent with State Farm in Marquette, also spoke highly of Tincknell, who is a customer and a friend.
“She’s just, like, amazing — such an artist,” Robar said. “There is no one better than Kim. She’s incredible.”
Tincknell has painted both holiday and summer designs for Robar’s office windows on Front Street. She created “Polar Express” windows last year, inspired by the 2004 animated film.
Robar suggested the film and Tincknell ran with the design, even incorporating State Farm’s tagline of “auto, home, life” into the painting of the train tickets.
“It’s such a fun, beautiful movie,” Robar said. “She took the suggestion and did something completely amazing. It contributes to the festive look of downtown in a really fun way and with something more than just a tree.”
In addition to the customers and passersby who express their love of the windows, Robar has also gotten positive feedback when she posts
photos online.
“It’s really awesome marketing, too,” Robar said. “I have State Farm peers across the U.S. and no one has anything close to what I have. And I get to give back to the community because [Tincknell] is in it.”
Robar has already decided that she will employ Tincknell to create designs for every season from now on.
“She’s just a lovely, kind, wonderful person, and she really puts her heart and soul into her art,” Robar said. “I’m grateful she is able to do it.”
In addition to the windows, Tincknell also creates jewelry, canvas paintings and other customized items. She is working to launch her own business, Good Vibes Designs.
But Tincknell’s windows are her most widely accessible and recognizable work, and she enjoys watching people take photos to share online.
She even experienced a full circle moment when she encountered a young girl who watched her paint. Tincknell said she shared the story of watching her manager paint the windows at Joseph’s SuperValu and encouraged the girl to pursue her own passion.
“I love spreading awareness of what you can do and lighting up people’s eyes,” Tincknell said. “In the end, seeing something out of nothing that you created is exciting.”
Tincknell can be reached by email at kim.tincknell@gmail.com.
MM
Erin Elliott Bryan grew up in Ishpeming. She is a freelance writer and an MM calendar editor.
Kim
Robar’s
the arts
Bonifas celebrates artist James Finlan
By Jennifer Champagne
The Bonifas Art Center in Escanaba has been a cornerstone of the community’s artistic and cultural life since its incorporation in 1974. Originally established as the William Bonifas Fine Arts Center, it has evolved into a dynamic hub for artistic expression, education and community engagement. Under the leadership of individuals like Kate Oman, the center has expanded its reach and programming, embodying its mission to inspire and enhance the cultural and creative lives of its community members.
The center offers a wide range of programs, from youth art classes to artist-level workshops, and hosts up to eight major exhibits annually in its Alice Powers Gallery. Additionally, the studio gallery provides a versatile space for supplemental exhibits and educational activities. Signature events like the Waterfront Art Festival and Music Mondays draw thousands of attendees, showcasing the vibrant artistic spirit of Escanaba and beyond. These events, along with innovative programs like the annual High Tea and Fashion Show, showcase the center’s commitment to inclusivity and
creativity.
Among the many artists who have contributed to the Bonifas Art Center’s legacy, James Finlan stands out. A native of Escanaba, Finlan’s journey as an artist has been marked by resilience, passion and a strong bond to his large family. Born in 1962, he grew up with an early love for drawing and art. Despite a challenging childhood — including the loss of his mother Donna Rose Timm Finlan in a car accident when he was just two — Finlan’s artistic spirit flourished. His father William, who taught journalism and English, and his stepmother, Mary Alice, nurtured his creative inclinations, alongside his six siblings, many of whom also possess artistic talents.
James Finlan pursued his passion for art through formal education, attending Pasadena City College and Mohave Community College, where he took a transformative mural class. This experience laid the groundwork for his career as a muralist, a medium he deeply loves for its ability to bring communities together. His murals, which grace the streets of Escanaba, Arizona and other locations, often carry environmental and spiritual themes. One early piece depict-
ed a bird with a backhoe reflected in its eye, symbolizing the desecration of natural habitats. His works raise awareness about political and environmental issues through art.
Finlan’s artistic journey, however, was not without practical challenges. For much of his life, he balanced his art with a career as a flagger for a road construction company. This steady job allowed him to continue creating while supporting himself financially. Upon retiring at 62, Finlan has devoted more time to his art, though he remains modest about his achievements.
“I’ve always been a wannabe artist,” he humbly stated, despite the significant impact of his work on the community.
One of Finlan’s most personal and celebrated pieces is “The Stranger,” the artwork that earned him the Bonifas Art Center’s prestigious Marquette Monthly
Media Award. This vibrant and symbolic painting invites viewers to interpret its layers of meaning. At its heart is a guitar, surrounded by a cascade of colors representing the energy of music and creativity. A monarch butterfly emerges from the sound hole, symbolizing transformation and journeys, both literal and artistic. The painting’s background features stars and galaxies, suggesting limitless possibilities, while cattails and grass in the foreground represent the shore of ideas waiting to be explored. “It’s not just about music,” Finlan said. “It’s about your life, your journey and the music you’re playing in your heart and soul.”
Kate Oman, the gallery director at the Bonifas Art Center, is excited about Finlan receiving this recognition. “Jim’s work is deeply rooted in the community. His murals are not just art; they’re landmarks,” she said. “When you walk down Ludington Street or visit the Escanaba Marketplace, you see his influence. Without his work, our main street would lose much of its vibrancy.” Oman also shared Finlan’s contributions to the center’s youth programs, where he has taught local students the unique techniques of mural painting. “He inspires not just through his art, but through his mentorship,” she said. The Bonifas Art Center has played
James Finlan receives his award from Bonifas gallery director Kate Oman. (Photo courtesy of the Bonifas Art Center)
James Finlan has done murals all over the Escanaba area on his own, in collaboration with others and also with student artists. (Photo courtesy of James Finlan)
a pivotal role in Finlan’s career, providing a platform for his work and a community that appreciates his talent. From hosting exhibits to connecting him with mural projects, the center has been instrumental in amplifying his voice as an artist.
Finlan himself acknowledges this support. “The Bonifas has been a launching point for me. They’ve helped bring my art to a wider audience.”
The center’s history is intertwined with its mission to uplift artists like Finlan. The building was originally constructed in 1938 as a gymnasium and auditorium for St. Joseph’s parish school, funded by Catherine Nolan Bonifas in memory of her husband, William Bonifas, a lumber baron.
When the school closed, this Romanesque structure of golden Kasota stone eventually became the home for the William Bonifas Fine Arts Center. Over time, it absorbed the Bay Area Arts Association and expanded its offerings, becoming a vibrant cultural institution. Now called the Bonifas Art Center, it carries on its tradition of honoring the region’s artistic heritage and cultivating the next generation of talent.
Winning the Marquette Monthly Media Award is a milestone for Fin-
James Finlan said the butterfly symbolizes an artist’s journey, and each color of the rainbow is in honor of a music genre. The cattails represent the shore of people’s ideas. (Photo courtesy of James Finlan)
lan, marking the first formal recognition of his work. “I don’t know how to process it,” he admitted. “It’s not about the award itself but about the opportunity it brings — the chance to inspire others and share my story.” Finlan hopes that his journey will encourage emerging artists to persevere.
“Keep working at it,” he said. “Push yourself, challenge yourself and learn everything you can. Art is about knowledge and passion.”
Finlan’s story is one of dedication, resilience and a profound love for his craft. Through his art, he has not only enriched his community, but also
left an indelible mark on its cultural landscape. The Bonifas Art Center’s support has been vital in this journey, embodying its mission to inspire and enhance lives through the power of art.
For Finlan, the journey continues, as he remains committed to creating, inspiring and contributing to the vibrant tapestry of Escanaba’s artistic community.
The Bonifas Art Center remains a hub of creativity and culture, offering opportunities for individuals of all ages to connect with the arts. From hosting dynamic exhibitions and classes to celebrating the achievements of local artists like James Finlan, the center continues to fulfill its mission of enriching the community. Located at 700 1st Avenue South in Escanaba, the Bonifas welcomes visitors to explore its galleries, attend events and participate in workshops. For details, visit bonifasarts.org or call 906-786-3833. MM
Jennifer Champagne is an accomplished entertainment and visual effects writer with a passion for storytelling. When she’s not crafting articles on industry giants, you’ll find her enjoying life with her family.
Eighth U.P. Reader offers best local works superior reads
The “U.P. Reader” project, initiated in 2017, remains the most comprehensive annual anthology of the area’s best fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Mikel B. Classen (Sault Ste. Marie), the founder of “U.P. Reader,” originally proposed the idea of the project to the board of the Upper Peninsula Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA).
He foresaw a huge gap in the literature of the U.P. for authors of shorter works to showcase their work in a high-quality book that could be distributed across the peninsula — from the Soo to Ironwood and from St. Ignace to Copper Harbor. Tyler R. Tichelaar, the then-president of UPPAA green lit the project, now in its eighth iteration. Classen, together with co-editor Deborah K. Frontiera (Lake Linden) have grown the project in the intervening years, from a slim 62-page book into a literary titan of triple the original size.
Beginning with the second volume, “U.P. Reader” increased its scope significantly by featuring the winners of the Dandelion Cottage Short Story Contest, which is the U.P.’s premier writing contest open exclusively to U.P. kids in Grades 5 to 12. The contest, as conceived by Larry Buege (Marquette), noted author of the middle-grade “Chogan” series, was to provide inspiration for young writers who will become the next generation of great U.P. authors.
As such, winners receive a cash prize, a commemorative medallion and a traveling trophy in addition to being featured in “U.P. Reader.” Coverage in the 8th Volume includes the top three finalists in both the high school and middle grade groups. These writers most often excel in their treatments of wild concepts, from science fiction to horror. Eve Noble (Chassell) of Copper Country Christian School provided a fantasy story from the point-of-view of an ordinary park bench. Her story “Despondent” traces both the insults the park bench must endure plus a courtship it witnesses over the years. The conclusion is as sweet as it is satisfying.
Modern History Press nominated three of the fiction stories from adult writers in the 8th Volume for the 50th annual Pushcart Prize. This prize celebrates “the Best of Small Presses in the USA.” This makes it somewhat easier for me to choose to write about
a handful of the more than 75 pieces included. Thomas Ford Conlan’s “Places Few Have Seen” is a fishing buddy story that unfolds in the wild Rapid River area. I enjoy how Conlan portrays the dangers that can rapidly unfold and turn a friendly canoe trip into a fight for survival in seconds:
“The moment we left shore, we were committed, as no other path leads out of the swamp. I wondered at the vision of San Pierre, a skillful hunter and canoeist, bringing a buck he had shot out of this place, by canoe in the icy cold of November. The Big Brook forgives no human error.”
Conlan is currently living in Charlevoix and is also a poet and novelist. His most recent book, “Gentle Spirits,” is a sprawling epic of American life from World War II through the turbulent 1960s.
Rick and Chris Kent, husband and wife in Iron River, have been frequent contributors to “U.P. Reader” for several years. Rick’s first published sto-
ry, “Two Rivers,” is an eloquently rendered story that flashes between present day and a memory of conflict in Vietnam along a river. As a former commissioned officer in the U.S. Army, serving in Vietnam in 196768, he provides a level of realism that keeps the reader on edge as he effortlessly glides between a morning fishing trip and a past tour of duty:
“Living full-time on the river in the woods. A little morning stiffness and wince of pain in his left leg. That pain had been part of his fishing now for most of his adult life. Almost like a friend. No, really more like a family member. You can choose your friends, not your family. He had no choice in this. Part of him, ever since that misty, gloomy dusk that had been broken apart by explosions. Sharp, cracking detonations that came without warning. The patrol had just come into the clearing near the crest of that grassy hill west of Dong Ha. More explosions. Crouching, running, making
sure everyone was down and then the sudden smash in the legs, like being kicked with a steel-toed boot.”
Alex Noel’s “Mozambique” is not a fishing story, but a fish-out-of-water story. In her memoir of an impulsive road trip at age 20 from South Africa to Mozambique, she is completely vulnerable — putting her life in the hands of strangers in her quest to swim offshore with whales. A friend hooks her up with a beachside hut, with a sand floor, on the Indian Ocean for a weeklong stay. She speaks no Portuguese, the lingua franca of Mozambique, or any of the native languages of the area.
Through hand signs and arm motions, she contracts with Fernando, the local scuba/snorkel purveyor to take her out in the ocean in a rubber dinghy. He easily spots a pod of whale sharks, and Alex swims with the amazing school-bus sized whale sharks. The real peril begins, however, when she is invited to have dinner with Fernando’s family and realizes that she is going to have to stay overnight — very far off-grid. I won’t spoil the ending, but her courage and spirit make it a wild ride.
I wish I had enough room to showcase all of the more than 75 stories included. The goal of the book is featured in the subtitle, “Bringing U.P. Literature to the World.” I would venture to say that “U.P. Reader” has achieved this goal in its first eight years, and I look forward to the next edition, slated for April 2025. Although the submission deadline for the next one has passed, writers and poets are invited to join the UPPAA to participate in future editions.
MM
Victor R. Volkman is a 1986 graduate of Michigan Tech and is the 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.
lookout point
It’s time to Raise the Woof Comedians help raise funds for local animal shelters
By Erin Elliott Bryan
Two nights of live stand-up comedy are on tap this month to benefit U.P. animal welfare organizations.
The annual Raise the Woof fundraisers will take place on Friday, Jan. 17 in Ishpeming to support Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare Shelter (UPAWS) and on Saturday, Jan. 18 in Houghton to support the Copper Country Humane Society (CCHS). Both events will feature opening comedian Aron Woldeslassie and headliner Mike Brody.
“They’re some really funny people,” said Nic Conroy, fundraising coordinator for UPAWS. “They’re using their talents to help us raise money.”
Raise the Woof is a national organization that partners with animal shelters and rescue groups throughout the United States and Canada. Its comedians travel to communities to host a wide range of fundraising events “to help people help animals,” according to the website.
Woldeslassie is based in St. Paul, Minn., and was named a finalist in the Sisyphus Brewing’s 2021 Funniest Person in Minneapolis Contest as well as the House of Comedy’s 2023 Funniest Person with a Day-Job Contest. His comedy blends observations on race, relationships and culture as well as personal stories, according to his website.
Headliner Mike Brody has been a touring comedian for more than 20
years. His passion for comedy draws audience members into his world as an “affable, clever guy whose life is often derailed by his own neurotic,
obsessive-compulsive and clumsy tendencies,” according to his website.
Brody hosts the “Only You Would Think That” podcast with fellow co-
median Jessi Campbell and has been featured on the nationally syndicated radio program “The Bob and Tom Show” as well as the “The Dan Patrick Show” podcast.
Brody’s website also features a page devoted to his own three shelter dogs: Daisy, a half golden retriever/ half dachshund; Frosty, a deaf miniature dachshund; and Moe who a DNA test revealed is part dachshund, part cocker spaniel, part corgi, part Shetland Sheepdog and part Jack Russell terrier.
The three dogs also have their own Instagram page where they are described as “weird and adorable.”
Conroy said UPAWS has partnered with Raise the Woof for the last 15 years and the event is its first big fundraiser of 2025.
The evening draws about 150 people each year, and all proceeds are used to offset the shelter’s costs for operations, including housing and medical care for the animals.
The shelter’s ongoing goal for the animals is “connecting them to people who will love them,” Conroy said. UPAWS can accommodate up to 40 cats and 15 dogs, as well as a few smaller animals. In 2023, the shelter took in nearly 1,300 animals.
“Being in that shelter, you fall in love with all of the animals,” Conroy said. “We want to give them the best care and treatment that we can and ensure a happy and healthy time while at the shelter.”
The Ishpeming event, which will
Animals at the Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare Shelter will benefit from the Jan. 17 Raise the Woof fundraiser. (Photo courtesy of UPAWS)
take place at River Rock Lanes and Banquet Center, will include drinks and light appetizers, a 50/50 raffle and a bucket raffle featuring items and gift cards from local businesses, handmade crafts and shelter swag for both humans and animals.
Conroy also acknowledged the support of local sponsors: Coleman-Baker Agency, Farm Bureau Insurance; Iron Range Agency Insurance, TRICOR Insurance; Mares-Z-Doats; and Andi Goriesky, Select Realty.
In advance, tickets are $25 each or two for $35. At the door, all tickets will be $25.
“It’s a really fun night out. We like to offer this event for the community,” Conroy said. “It really means a lot to the shelter, to animal lovers and to the animals.”
The next night, the comedy tour will move to the Rozsa Center at Michigan Tech.
CCHS board member and event coordinator Heather Sander said organizers expect about 500 people for this annual fundraiser.
“People are always coming out in spades when we have a need,” Sander said. “It’s amazing. We couldn’t operate without community support.”
Like UPAWS, Sander said the shelter’s biggest expense is medical care for the animals, which includes vaccines, spaying and neutering, dental work and addressing any outstanding health issues.
“Vet bills are astronomical,” Sander said. “But we want all our pets as healthy as they can be.”
Sander said CCHS has 21 kennels for dogs, though it is often at capacity, and can house nearly 40 cats. In limited circumstances, the shelter also partners with rescue organizations in other states to take in homeless animals.
More than 900 animals pass through the shelter each year. Sander herself has adopted one cat and two dogs from CCHS.
“They’re the first place I go to when I want an animal,” Sander said, adding that she’s currently waiting for a chihuahua to come into the shelter.
Sander emphasized that CCHS “can’t go without” the money that is received through the Raise the Woof event, which will also include a 50/50 raffle. She said that the shelter relies on donations and a few grants, and that the community support often surpasses the shelter’s expectations.
The shelter maintains an Amazon wish list and offers volunteer opportunities such as dog walking and cat cuddling. There is also a local Boy Scout who is working with CCHS to create a “catio” for his Eagle Scout service project.
“The community thinks about us for projects like that,” Sander said.
Sander also acknowledged the community support from its sponsors for the Jan. 18 event: Houghton Community Broadcasting, Portage Lake Construction, Dan’s Auto and Recreation, Matt’s Auto Pro and Glass, and Higher Love.
Tickets are $15 for students and $20 for adults.
“Make a night of it and have dinner beforehand,” Sander said. “It’s going to be a great night of comedy and a great night of fun.”
Raise the Woof fundraisers will take place at 8 p.m. on Jan. 17 at River Rock Lanes and Banquet Center in Ishpeming and at 8 p.m. on Jan. 18 at MTU’s Rozsa Center in Houghton. For details, visit upaws.org or cchumanesociety.com. MM
Erin Elliott Bryan grew up in Ishpeming. She is a freelance writer and an MM calendar editor.
A local Boy Scout is working on a “catio” for the feline residents at the Copper Country Humane Society for his Eagle Scout service project. (Photo courtesy of CCHS)
The Copper Country Humane Society animals will benefit from the Jan. 18 comedy fundraiser in Houghton. (Photo courtesy of CCHS)
spirit of water
Water Potpourri
Editor’s Note: This article is the fifth in a series by the Interfaith 2024-25 Water Stewards Initiative, a collaboration of area faith communities with local municipalities and Native American tribes to protect and preserve the quality of accessible drinking water. A part of this Initiative, alongside regional efforts, is assisting in establishing a village well in Tanzania and a community well in Cambodia. Visit cedartreeinstitute.org for details.
By Ken Kelley
This Interfaith Water Stewards program, now in the fifth and sixth years, has heightened and newly informed my understanding of the sustaining role water plays for all of life. I am sensitized to the availability, the quality, the absence, the poisoning and often the political turmoil affecting water issues.
I am a longtime devotee of the Cedar Tree Institute and the worthy projects promoting ecology, mental health and spirituality. That said, this project has inspired us to greater involvement on behalf of water. How might we be better water stewards, I ask?
I would like to be permitted the liberty of giving “cult” a friendlier meaning for the purpose of this article. Going back to ancient Greece or Rome, to participate in the cult was to offer care for the gods. Our cult of water reflects this original meaning, where we share in the outward practice of protecting and preserving our precious waters.
Personally, my support comes, also, from a different direction — I am old. This affords me a reservoir of memory regarding water that occurred during my almost 90 years. Here are snippets of that experience.
In the mid 1940s, as a boy of nine or 10, I was allowed to wander around town (Pontiac, Mich.) unescorted. My wandering often took me to a stretch of the Clinton River where I would while away hours. I would roam up and down the crystal-clear river collecting crawdads, frogs, turtles or skipping stones. My imagination was my only road map. What delight!
Directly across the street from my favorite spot on the river was an old-fashioned icehouse — a big old warehouse that used water to make 50-pound blocks for our ice boxes. That was our only refrigeration and it
The Spirit of Water Health, Hope & Healing
worked quite well. The ice was delivered right to our homes, and we kids would follow the ice truck and pick off icicles — the Popsicles of the day.
The next event that really attracted my attention occurred in the Australian outback. This was a post-retirement honeymoon of sorts, a trip that involved travel to New Zealand, Australia and the Cook Islands. The time spent in Australia was largely in the outback. We saw red clay, treeless landscape for mile after mile. It was what I had come to expect.
A special hiking opportunity was available early one morning. The hike took us to a special place in King Valley, a region with a mostly naked landscape, but with some sparse vegetation this time.
The hike leader was a young, petite Aboriginal woman, a certified park ranger. She led us eventually to what I regarded as a miracle — a genuine desert oasis. We came over a rise
and suddenly viewed a beautiful blue pond surrounded by lush vegetation. Bird life and small critters immediately came into view. No doubt all species of wildlife were frequent visitors to that location. It was as if we were viewing a Disney fantasy movie.
Equally surprising was an experience in my ’60s living on the shore of Lake Superior. The fascination with that pristine body of water had led me to believe we would have wonderful drinking water in unlimited supply. Wrong. We had a 100-foot-deep well that produced less than a gallon a minute, frequently ran dry and gave us undrinkable water the color of root beer.
We managed by pulling lake water for household use and buying drinking water. Again, go figure.
As a youngster growing up in Oakland County, Mich., I was surrounded by water — big and small lakes, big rivers fed by tributaries here and there, small streams seeming to go who-knows-where. Oakland County was literally a “Land of Lakes.” Every farm had its own pond on the back 40, and we kids had secret gravel pits for “skinny dipping.” As nice as this sounds and is, we took it for granted — no real appreciation for those gifts.
Later, as a retired, more responsible adult, I lived for years in the Sonoran Desert. Rather than abundance, there existed an eerie scarcity of water. Dry riverbeds — i.e. the Santa Cruz and Salt rivers that saw water only during monsoon season — often dangerously flooded. Such extremes as these exist worldwide and demand conscientious attention on a larger scale.
My remembrances make clear that we touch and are connected to water at many stages of our lives. The question is, how might you participate in this cult of water — protecting, preserving and caring for this fragile resource?
MM
Ken Kelley, originally from Pontiac, is a retired NMU social work faculty member. His career began in 1958 in Detroit’s inner city, which led to a faculty appointment with Wayne State’s graduate school. Joining the NMU faculty in 1975, he retired in 1997. Retirement was spent traveling and living part-time in Arizona. Ken enjoys the outdoors, wood-working projects and writing, as self-help measures.
The Interfaith Water Stewards Initiative works to celebrate and protect the joy of pure water. (Photo courtesy of Cedar Tree Institute)
in the outdoors
Birds of winter
“My
heart is like a singing bird.”
—Christina
Rossetti
By Scot Stewart
There is something special about winter. The tree leaves have ducked for cover under a blanket of sound-absorbent snow. On a still day, silence rules. The land itself is tamped down in a coat of white, trimmed in browns, tans and a few grays. How special is a moment when the silence is broken by gentle fluting calls and the landscape is interrupted with a generous splash of rosy-reds in that black and white world?
Upper Peninsula winters are sometimes blessed with an unexpected arrival from the north, and it’s not a jolly, bearded man, but a flock of birds from areas north of Lake Superior — pine grosbeaks. Largest of the finches, they descend southward in some win-
ters in search of food.
Spending most of their lives in remote parts of the boreal forest in North America and parts of Europe and Asia, they are slow moving and mostly unaccustomed to people. In Newfoundland, they obtained the nickname “mopes” because of their easy-going, slow behavior. They are also found in Alpine areas of the Rockies. Living in these remote forests and because of their unfamiliarity with humans, they are often remarkably tame, even landing in crab apple and mountain ash trees right overhead.
Because of the rosy color of the males and the mottled olive greens, browns, yellows and oranges of the young and females, they all blend in perfectly and prove to be an even bigger surprise when they leave, revealing there were 15 or 20 plump, robin-sized birds feeding in a tree when only a few seemed present.
Adult male pine grosbeaks gain reddish color from chemicals in the fruits and berries they make their meals. (Photo by Scot Stewart)
“Only the soft, rosy pink of the males plumage topped the sweet, fluty call of the grosbeaks as they fed above.”
—Anonymous
Males get their pink-red feather pigment from the wild viburnum, mountain ash and crab apple fruit they eat, and their genetic programming. These fruits have chemicals in them that can be synthesized to produce the reddish color in the feathers, but there is variability in the shades of red, especially in the west where orange-red males are frequently seen. If deprived of reddish fruits, the reddish shades disappear.
There are some differences in the size of pine grosbeaks, with birds generally increasing in size the farther west they are found in their range. There are exceptions involving pine grosbeaks in California and on Haida Gwaii, formerly Queen Charlotte Island in British Columbia, Canada, where the birds can be a half-inch smaller than those in the rest of the province.
Many Upper Peninsula towns like Marquette and Munising have good numbers of mountain ash trees and even larger numbers of crab apple trees. Marquette may have well over a thousand crab apple trees in the city limits, even in shopping center parking lots, and can provide a huge supply of food to visiting birds like European starlings, robins, house finches, cedar and bohemian waxwings and other winter visitors and even a few spring migrants like tanagers. Pine grosbeaks may be missed by the ca-
sual eye, but with a little patience, experience and persistence, they may reveal their presence during cold winter months, providing delightful music, color and some busy activity to break up a quiet season.
Pine grosbeaks are usually seen in flocks where juveniles outnumber adults and include just a couple of males. Those males have rosy-pink color on heads, backs, rumps and bellies, with black and white wings and black tails. Females and young are grayish with yellowish heads and rumps that may border on orange and wings of black and white. Calls by both sexes are described as a repeating, descending, fluty “tee-tee-tyou.”
In summer, pine grosbeaks eat a variety of mostly plant material, buds and young tips of spruce, pine, maple, birch and shrubs. As summer progresses, they eat fruits and seeds. Although they do eat some of the fruit of the crab apples while visiting, it appears they are more interested in the crab apple seeds, as evidenced by the parts of the fruit left behind on the branches and bits left on the ground. They will often bite into large crab apples and often leave parts attached to the branches and parts on the ground as they dig into them for the seeds. They also feed on viburnum and winterberry (ilex verticillata, Michigan holly). In summer, they do eat insects and feed them, with their higher protein content, to developing young. Young birds may be more challenged eating spruce and other conifers in summer, so the adults mix insects and spiders with leaves and needles and make them into a paste in their
cheek pouches they regurgitate for the young birds.
Once the grosbeaks reach the U.P., they may spend extended periods around specific trees with preferred fruits. There seem to be some trees in Marquette that are visited early on in the winter when they arrive, and they definitely prefer trees in areas with less vehicle traffic. Backyards, cemeteries and parks with fruit trees are top picks. Busier areas, especially those along roads with lots of traffic, may be hit during quiet times, but the birds may retreat to treetops nearby during times when heavy traffic passes by. Some trees may be visited daily until they are stripped clean.
In winters when there are larger numbers of grosbeaks in the area, they may stay until most trees are bare. That may come in late December or early January. In years when there are fewer birds, they may stay until April, as long as there is food, before heading back north. A prior knowledge of the locations of fruit trees in an area can prove valuable when watching for their arrival and for locating them once they arrive and begin moving from tree to tree.
Because of the lack of mountain ash fruit in some parts of Canada each winter, bohemian waxwings may also migrate into the area and can be found with the pine grosbeaks. Waxwings — mostly bohemian here in winters, but sometimes in mixed flocks with cedar waxwings — prefer mountain ash and crab apples with smaller fruits they can swallow whole. Occasionally though, they will be found in the same trees, making the birding expe-
This immature male rose-breasted grosbeak has the trademark large, triangular beak. (Photo by Scot Stewart)
rience doubly fun. Larger flocks of waxwings are definitely more visible than grosbeaks, usually perched atop larger trees overlooking smaller fruit trees and can point to the presence of other species.
“I hope you love birds too. It is economical. It saves going to heaven.”
—Emily Dickinson
Sometimes names can be deceiving.
The Upper Peninsula gets visits from four different grosbeaks — pine, evening, blue and rose-breasted. Cousins, right? Not exactly. They actually represent two different families — the finches and the cardinals. One pair, the finches, includes the pine and evening grosbeaks. They are definitely the tough ones in the U.P. in the winter.
But the rose-breasted grosbeak and the much rarer occasional summer visitor, the blue grosbeak, actually are relatives in the cardinal family. They make summer visits, but head south for the winter. Rose-breasted and blue grosbeaks winter in the Caribbean and Central and South America. All have large beaks, responsible for the French name gros bec, meaning “big beak.”
Evening grosbeaks are among the noisiest of North America’s songbirds when they gather in large flocks. They
come in rowdy and boisterous, a stark contrast to subdued, mellow pine grosbeaks. When the evening grosbeaks arrive, there is no doubt they are in the trees, at the feeders and flying in and out. It is so different from the pine grosbeaks, who often go unnoticed until they fly off.
Close relatives of the pine grosbeaks, the evening grosbeaks are just as hearty and even greater travelers. They are quite different in a number of other ways from their cousins. While both are quite social, flocks of evening grosbeaks can peak at more than 400 during winter months as they wander in search of food. They can frequently be located first by their noisy calls. Once found, especially at places like large black-oil sunflower feeding stations, they may stay for most of the winter. One birder north of Ishpeming in Marquette County had huge flocks return for several winters, spending entire days diving down to platforms full of sunflower seed piles. Being out in the woods with few disturbances — except for someone restocking the feeders — helped keep the birds close.
Evening grosbeak coloration is quite different from pine grosbeaks, as males have yellow eyebrows, flanks and breasts, with olive backs, black caps and wings, and white wing bars. Females are more subdued, mostly ol-
Male rose-breasted grosbeaks have an average lifespan of about seven years in the wild, and up to 24 years in captivity. (Photo by Scot Stewart)
ive-gray with yellow collars and black and white wings.
Unlike most songbirds, nearly all evening grosbeaks do not have a song. Their name comes from the belief of early settlers that they only sang at night. They do have a very loud social “cheep” to communicate and keep in contact with other evening grosbeaks. Three different dialects have been identified. While songs have not been officially identified, occasionally songs are heard. One singing bird was found near the Seney National Wildlife Refuge in the 1990s, but its song was not recorded, so no official record of its melodious fluty song exists.
Evening grosbeaks were formerly birds of the west. They nested at higher elevations. Two factors changed their distribution across the continent, landing them in the Upper Peninsula. The first was a natural event, the spread of spruce budworms across the continent. These insects include several species of moths, with one, the eastern spruce budworm, appearing in some parts of the Midwest in the 1950s. The other resulted from the planting of trees like the box elder, also known as the ash-leaf maple, across southern Canada and the Upper Midwest. The prolific production of
seeds from these trees helped lure the birds eastward, helping them make it to the east coast of the U.S. and Canada by the early 1900s.
The spruce budworm larvae, which pose serious threats to spruce and balsam forests, provide a significant source of food to evening grosbeaks in summer months. The maple seeds serve as food in fall and winter, helping the birds make their eastward expansion. Because they are such social birds, the foods encourage the movement of flocks, especially during winter, to areas where food is abundant. If flocks do encounter large feeding stations, like the one in western Marquette County, they may stay most of the winter as they have during several years in the past.
Because they do not have a courtship song, the interaction between males and females during the breeding season revolves around a type of dance males perform, with them elevating their heads and tails and fluttering their wings. If successful, pairs will exchange bows, and males will sometimes offer food to their mates. Some evening grosbeaks do nest in the Upper Peninsula and across the low tier of Canadian provinces and through the Rockies, but wandering
Adult male evening grosbeaks are large finches, often described as bulky or heavyset, with a large bill and short tail. (Photo by Scot Stewart)
birds can be found in spring and again in August, and of course during the winter months.
“Last week, when I went early into my garden, a rose-breasted grosbeak was sitting on the fence. Oh, he was beautiful as a flower. I hardly dared to breathe, I did not stir, and we gazed at each other fully five minutes before he concluded to move.”
—Celia Thaxter
Rose-breasted
grosbeaks are the odd ones in this trio of grosbeaks seen regularly in the U.P. Actually, related more closely to northern cardinals, they do have large beaks but spend their winters in the tropics from southern Mexico to northern South America and the Caribbean. Spending their summertime in cooler parts of North America, they are found from the Great Smoky Mountains, across the northeastern United States and through southeastern Canada to the Yukon.
According to the American Birding Conservancy, their biggest threats are on their winter range where clear-cutting forests reduce suitable habit more each year and trapping, as birds are caught to be kept as pets. Probably the biggest threat in the United States is the use of pesticides attempting to control spruce budworm outbreaks. The drop in larvae numbers can reduce the number of insects available as food. They also eat a large variety of spiders and other insects, especially beetles. Their diet contains less
plant material than the true grosbeaks and are important in insect control. In the Upper Peninsula, their summer territories are usually in mixed woods of deciduous trees and conifers, males boldly displaying those bright crimson V-shaped patterns on their chests to go with their black and white plumage. They provide loud, melodious songs through much of the early spring days, similar to those of robins, but seem a little fuller and
have a touch more bass in them. Unlike most songbirds, both males and females sing, even while they are both incubating eggs in the nest. The plumage of females is very plain, a mixture of stripes of tan and brown. Immature males resemble females but have a strong hint of orange in their striping. In fall, all use a sharp, loud “cheep” to keep track of each other.
Blue grosbeaks are the true oddballs, with only occasional visits to
the U.P. Despite their normal summer range including only the southern half of the United States, and some northern parts of the Great Plains, several have turned up in the southern part of the U.P. in Dickinson County. Far from their normal range, they have remained for a few days during summers before disappearing.
Blue grosbeaks are about the same size as rose-breasted grosbeaks. Males are nearly solid blue, similar to indigo
Pine grosbeaks, such as this male, are members of the true finch family. (Photo by Scot Stewart)
buntings in color, but with larger, bigger bills and buff-colored wing bars. Females are an orangey-brown with darker brown wings and very pale blue rumps.
Blue grosbeaks primarily feed on insects and live in fields, scrubby areas and along forest edges. They also migrate to Latin America in winter. Currently, they are not considered even occasional visitors to the U.P., but as climate changes continue, there may be a time in the future when more begin to move into the area, where there may be milder temperatures and more moisture and insects — their primary food.
“Migratory birds connect people, ecosystems, and nations. They are symbols of peace and of an interconnected planet.”
—Antonio Guterres
One similarity they share besides their heavy, large bills is their omnivorous diet. All are spectacular, beautifully colored birds with three totally different strategies for getting to the Upper Peninsula, or the northern United States for that matter.
The pine grosbeaks migrate south in winter when food supplies drop to low levels. Evening grosbeaks typically migrate east and west to find food during winter months. Rose-breasted and blue grosbeaks are typical north-south migrators — here
in the summer and off to the Caribbean, Central America and the northern parts of South America in winter. Few of these birds spend the entire year in the U.P., with the exception of a few evening grosbeaks. Fortunately, they arrive and depart at different times and offer splashes of color and forest songs at different times to help liven up the days of the other residents.
“Wherever there are birds, there is hope.”
―Mehmet Murat Ildan
Grosbeaksand their distant relatives are some of the most colorful of all the birds. Pine and evening grosbeaks are some of the brightest birds to grace the U.P. woods in winter. When they do make their way to feeders and trees close to settlements and homes, they truly provide one of the brightest, color-filled rays of beauty to the season. Their appearance, presence, behavior and voices are among the best counterparts to a season of silence and colorless landscapes; they bring hope that winter will wind down and eventually bring us more color and song in the spring.
MM
Scot Stewart is an educator, writer and photographer with an inherent love of the natural world. He is active with the MooseWood Nature Center at Presque Isle Park in Marquette.
Answers for the New York Times crossword puzzle, located on Page 12
Tech student thrives on Moosewatch on campus
No phone. No roads. No problem. When Jack Schafer graduated from Michigan Tech in December, he knew exactly where he was headed — back to Isle Royale to be part of the Tech-led 66-year-old study of wolves and moose.
Schafer, who majors in ecology and evolutionary biology, plans to spend seven weeks on Isle Royale as a member of the 2025 winter study team. He feels both fortunate and eager to be part of the expedition. “I’m getting a lot of island time — island time that not a lot of other people get to do. It’s a whole other aspect of the research.”
Isle Royale National Park is located in Lake Superior, 56 miles from Michigan’s mainland and 18 miles from the Minnesota shore. The park is closed to visitors during the winter, but it’s a crucial time for the long-running wolf-moose project.
“This winter Jack will be following moose tracks in the snow until he finds places where the tracks suggest that moose have bedded down for a rest or stopped to forage on trees,” said Sarah Hoy, wolf-moose project co-leader. She said Schafer will be collecting samples and data to help researchers understand what plants the moose are eating, the quality of the food they’re consuming and clues to how the health of the moose population is changing over time.
Navigating by skis and snowshoes will be new to Schafer, but the island itself is becoming a familiar environment. It will be Schafer’s third time conducting research on Isle Royale. In early summer of 2023, he was part of a team of Michigan Tech students who
collected data on balsam fir browsing. Balsam firs are the moose population’s favorite food. Researchers are studying how moose consumption of balsam fir and other environmental factors are affecting the tree species.
“The first time I went out there, I fell in love with the island,” he said. “It’s a sense of calm and deeper connection with nature.”
In summer 2024, Schafer returned to Isle Royale to lead citizen scientists from all walks of life on Moosewatch Expeditions. Moosewatch volunteers survey and catalog the moose bones that assist in the documentation of the island’s moose population.
During his first visit, Schafer discovered that he isn’t daunted by isolation from the mainland or lack of cell phone reception. “I really enjoy the disconnect,” he said. “I’m fine with not being online.”
Schafer said a broad mix of people take part in the eight-day Moosewatch trips. “Everything from experienced backpackers to more science-focused folks — there’s a great diversity,” he said. But whether a participant happens to be a psychologist or a department of natural resources official, he said most seem to share a common purpose. “You’re contributing to something more than just being on the island,” Schafer said.
Before he could lead, Schafer underwent training as a team member with an experienced Moosewatch leader. He was thoroughly briefed on the necessary safety and documentation requirements, as well as the anatomy of a moose.
That aspect of preparation came
easy. But there were other obstacles to surmount. Leading a group of people through a roadless wilderness is no game, Schafer said. “My first time on the island, I was an intern just going to GPS points and doing the work in our designated plot. But when you’re doing Moosewatch, you have to make decisions about how to navigate through your area. Your group is reliant on you for safety and for being able to get them where they need to go.”
Beyond the mechanics of safe navigation was a bigger test of Schafer’s own sense of inner confidence and security. “That was kind of a hard part, trusting myself,” he said. Before Moosewatch, Schafer’s most recent leadership experience was as captain of his high school football team in South Lyon, Michigan. He said that doesn’t compare to what was asked of him in his Moosewatch role.
During one expedition, Schafer left a field kit behind at camp that was needed for the day’s work. It was too far away to retrieve — they’d miss the day’s research. His first impulse, as he braced for critical comments, was to be tough on himself. But then his solution-focused mindset kicked in. With the help of the group, he improvised a kit with the supplies on hand so they could continue their work.
Schafer’s takeaway is that moments of imperfection build both confidence and character. “It’s not making a mistake that’s an issue, it’s how you handle it — that’s the thing,” he said.
Along with the tougher lessons in leadership came plenty of joy. Schafer said it was interesting to see how people related to each other. “Their
phones don’t work, so they have to talk to each other. It forces people to have more human interaction.”
Schafer’s group did spot snowshoe hares, eagles, moose and gray jays. He fears the latter are declining, as he didn’t see as many this trip compared to when he was on the island during the same time in 2023.
“It has really been a privilege to get to work with Jack these past few years, and he has become a really valuable part of the wolf-moose research team,” Hoy said.
Schafer’s Isle Royale experiences have expanded his awareness of career possibilities. “I’m feeling like there’s a lot I could do with my degree,” he said. “I’m finding so many opportunities that narrowing it down will have to come later.”
For now, the island is calling. MM
Schafer says his Isle Royale research adventures have connected him with potential professions, as well as nature. (Photo courtesy of Jack Schafer)
Setting up camp at Isle Royale National Park offers simplicity and solitude. (Photo courtesy of Jack Schafer)
NMU hosts MI Healthy Climate Corps member
Northern Michigan University successfully applied to host a member of the MI Healthy Climate Corps, a service program dedicated to developing an enduring, capable network of climate professionals committed to serving communities and building a more sustainable future for the state.
NMU 2015 alumna and Negaunee native Anna Solberg has returned to campus to serve as MHC Corps climate action coordinator through October 2025. She will work with Assistant Vice President for Sustainability Jes Thompson to keep NMU aligned with its “Our Compass” strategic plan and carbon neutrality plan action items, as well as broader Michigan climate targets.
“I was thrilled to be able to return home and work to protect this particular space because it’s so beautiful and one of a kind,” Solberg said.
She said she loves the energy of a campus environment, but wouldn’t necessarily want to teach, so this was a great fit. “I think the coolest part is that not only is there a carbon neutrality plan for Michigan, but that we’re doing similar work here at Northern.”
Solberg earned her bachelor’s in environmental studies and sustainability from NMU, followed by a master’s and doctorate in geography from Kent State University in Ohio. She had been trying to return to her hometown area and took advantage of the MHC Corps position available.
Thompson said she realized how much the Lake Superior Watershed
Partnership and Marquette County benefited from hosting members of the first MHC Corps cohort last year, and thought the timing was perfect for NMU to serve as a host site for the second year.
“We had a charge to come up with action items connected to carbon neutrality and sustainability as a grand challenge of ‘Our Compass,’” Thompson said. “We came up with 15 items ready to move. Several of them come out of the energy and emissions work Facilities is undertaking. But the other dozen or so intersect all over campus in different ways.”
The five action items they chose from the list are: coordinating a Feb. 18 Sustainability Summit to update campus and community members on progress and future directions; a new Woodland Park project near the apartments that will become a 20-acre food and forest learning area with a focus on Indigenous foods, medicines, foraging, and pollinator crops; identifying ways to reduce landfill waste during campus housing move-in and move-out activities; implementing the Green Fund, a fee students voted to pay in support of sustainable, student-led initiatives on campus; and collecting data on Scope 3 emissions.
“I’m so excited Anna’s here to help with these action projects,” Thompson said. “She literally doubles the capacity to get sustainability work done on campus.”
For details, visit nmu.edu/shine.
Assistant VP for Sustainability Jes Thompson and NMU alumna Anna Solberg will work together on the “Our Compass” plan. (NMU photo)
poetry Parking Lot Snow Piles: Upper Michigan
a fantasy
By Claudia Drosen
Farewell unbeautiful, man-shoved heaps, darkly peppered with polluted air gunk,
Hello and welcome improved feet-tall ice season’s leavings with not even one fleck of salt or sand mixed in.
Gone are the singed, canned heat, overcooked meringue peaks. These new hills, not truck-heaved but divinely conceived, wear baby bootie white, are rounded, cushiony, chaste.
Chunk- and crag-free, unclimbable, nowhere to wedge a booted foot, these towering piles no longer blemish the mall terrain.
Now they are Michelin Man mountains, soft as Marshmallow Fluff, with fresh folds carefully piped out of nature’s fanciest cake tips.
Musician and poet Claudia Drosen is a native of Brooklyn who has lived with her husband, two really cool grown kids and a weird collection of dogs in Marquette for many moons. She received a BFA in flute performance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and an MA in creative writing from NMU, where she was also a preliminary poetry reader for the journal Passages North. Her poetry has appeared in The Driftwood Review, Lips Literary Magazine, The Poetry Society of Michigan’s Peninsula Poets, Lit UP, Water Music: The Great Lakes State Poetry Anthology, Jewish Currents Magazine. Her poetry book Brooklyn Accent is forthcoming from Harvard Square Press.
This poem is from the 10-year anthology, Superior Voyage, which is available for purchase.
All proceeds benefit Peter White Public Library.
“Superior Voyage” was selected as a 2023 U.P. Notable Book by the Upper Peninsula Publishers & Authors Association.
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 February events by Friday, January 10 to: calendar@marquettemonthly.com.
WEDNESDAY
8:34 a.m.;
5:12 p.m.
New Year’s Day
• 2025 Resolution Run. Participants will take part in completing a 7-mile road run, or may choose to run or walk any desired distance. 10 a.m. Queen City Running Company, 130 W. Baraga Ave.
• Preschool Story Time. 10:15 a.m. Calumet Public Library, 57070 Mine St. 906-337-0311, ext. 1107. clklibrary. org.
• Knitting and Crochet Group. Participants can bring their portable handwork project and enjoy an informal social time. Open to everyone. 1 p.m. Calumet Public Library, 57070 Mine St. 906-337-0311, ext. 1107. clklibrary.org.
Photo
Ishpeming
• Open Book. This new program for tweens and teens, also known as “Fun Club,” will feature drop-in activities such as crafts, movies and more. 4 to 6 p.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906-486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary.info.
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.
Negaunee
• Music, Movement and More. Children of all ages and their caregivers are welcome to attend this parent-led storytime. 10:30 a.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906475-7700, ext. 18 or facebook.com/ NegauneePublicLibrary.
• Sensory Playtime. This one-hour, drop-in play session will feature activity stations and early reading and language activities. Parents and caregivers can also connect to share tips and experiences. This week’s theme will be “New Year Sparkle.” 11 a.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906-475-7700, ext. 18 or facebook. com/NegauneePublicLibrary.
03 FRIDAY
Marquette
• Cultivating Care, Compassion and Connection. This event will offer a safe space to pause, reflect and build connections with others who are committed to cultivating kindness. Each week, a different local organization will present educators and leaders who will facilitate a discussion while maintaining a shared commitment to the Charter for Compassion and the Circle of Trust principles. Noon. Heritage 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.
• Senior Ice Skating. Free for ages 50 and older. 7 p.m. Lakeview Arena, 401 E. Fair Ave. 906-228-0456.
04 SATURDAY sunrise 8:34 a.m.; sunset 5:15 p.m.
Escanaba
• Ink Society Local Writers’ Group. Intended for ages 16 and older. 10:30 a.m. Escanaba Public Library, 400 Ludington St. 906-789-7323 or escanabalibrary.org.
Gwinn
• Coffee and Conversation: New Year Vision Board and Goal Setting. Amanda Perry will lead a discussion on how to create sustainable goals to elevate New Year’s resolutions. Participants will create their own vision boards. Supplies as well as coffee and treats will be provided. 10 a.m. Forsyth Township Library, 180 W. Flint St. 906346-3433 or forsythtwplibrary.org.
• Ice Races. Presented by the Upper Michigan Ice Racing Association. $5 donation per car; day pit passes are available for $10 per person. Spectator gate opens at 10 a.m.; races begin by 11:30 a.m. Forsyth Township Ball Park. uppermichiganiceracing.com.
Marquette
• Superiorland Duplicate Bridge Club. Games open to all interested players. $5 for games. Lessons, 10 a.m. Games, 11:30 a.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.com.
05 SUNDAY
Ishpeming
• Bingo. Doors open at noon. Ishpeming VFW, 310 Bank St. 906-486-4856.
Little Lake
• Bingo. A concession stand will be available. Doors open, 11 a.m.; early bird games, 1:30 p.m. American Legion Auxiliary Post 349, 1835 E. M-35. 906-346-6000.
06
8:33 a.m.; sunset 5:17 p.m.
Ishpeming
• Connected at Home: Book Club. In collaboration with the Ishpeming Senior Center, this book club is for people who want to participate from the comfort of their home via phone. This month’s selection is “Jaws” by Peter Benchley. 11 a.m. To register, call 906-485-5527.
Marquette
Calumet
• CopperDog Free Kids Sled Rides. Enjoy free sled rides on actual dog teams around an oval track. Music and refreshments provided. Noon to 2 p.m. Agassiz Park, Fourth Street.
• Craft Magic Series: Punch Needle Magic with Lydia Taylor. Participants will learn basic punch needle skills and create their own handmade project. Starter kits will be provided. 6:30 p.m. Shiras Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. To register, pwpl.info.
• Superiorland Duplicate Bridge Club. Games open to all interested players. $5 for games. 6 p.m. Marquette
Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.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.
07 TUESDAY sunrise 8:33 a.m.; sunset 5:19 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.
Ishpeming
• Tot Tuesday Storytime. Stories, songs and movement activities followed by an optional craft and playtime will be offered for toddlers and preschoolers. 11 a.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary.info.
Marquette
• Tech Coaching for Seniors. Learn how to make your electronic devices work with the help of retired teacher and librarian Christine Ault. Ensure your device is charged and bring passwords with you. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Heritage Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. To register for a 30-minute session, 906-226-4311.
• 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 p.m. Marquette Arts and Culture Center, Lower level, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-225-8655.
• NCLL: Scenic and Costume Design for Theater: From Concept to Construction. Em Rossi and Lex van Blommestein, of NMU’s Theater and Design Department, will discuss how a designer approaches a script and the work that goes into developing a design before construction begins. Participants will tour the NMU scene shop and costume shop where selected pieces from past productions will be on display. NCLL members, $5; non-members, $10, 6 p.m. Room 106, McClintock Building, NMU. 906-2499975 or margrifs@gmail.com.
• Maritime History on Tap. Celtic music trio The Knockabouts, featuring Barb Rhyneer (fiddle, vocals), Tim DeMarte (Bodhran, vocals) and Daniel Truckey (guitar, bouzouki, vocals), will perform tunes from the maritime music tradition, including sea shanties from
the Great Lakes and the Seven Seas, instrumentals and originals. Presented by the Marquette Maritime Museum. Suggested donation, $5. 7 p.m. Ore Dock Brewing Brewing Company, 114 W. Spring St. 906-226-2006 or mqtmaritimemanager@gmail.com.
08 WEDNESDAY
sunrise 8:33 a.m.; sunset 5:20 p.m.
Calumet
• Red Jacket Readers. Members of the book club will discuss “Crow Mary” by Kathleen Grissom. Open to the public. 6:30 p.m. Community Room, Calumet Public Library, 57070 Mine St. 906337-0311, ext. 1107. clklibrary.org.
Ishpeming
• Aspen Ridge Playgroup. Children and their caregivers can enjoy free play, circle time, crafts and activities, and snacks. 10 a.m. Aspen Ridge School, 350 Aspen Ridge School Rd. 906-485-3178, ext. 1104 or 1105.
• Crochet for a Cause. Visitors are invited to stop in to make granny squares for blankets that will be donated. Patterns, yarn, hooks and guided instruction will be provided. 3 to 7 p.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906-486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary.info.
Little Lake
• Gwinn Quilters Meeting. Learn new skills and techniques, sew on individual projects or work collaborately creating quilts and other sewn items. Bring your own lunch. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Business meeting, 12:30 p.m. Showand-tell following. Little Lake Chapel, 1761 M-35. 906-346-6344.
Marquette
• Congregate Meals for Seniors–Dine in or Curbside Pickup. Meals available to those age 60 and older and their spouses. Call to reserve a meal. $3.50 suggested donation. Noon to 1 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. 906-228-0456.
• Senior Visual Art Classes: Souswere with Colleen Maki. Free for City of Marquette and neighboring township residents ages 50 and older. 1 p.m. City of Marquette Arts and Culture Center, lower level, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. To register, 906-225-8655.
• unTITLEd Teens. Teens in Grades six to 12 are invited to a program that will be different every month. 3 p.m. Teen Zone, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-2264321, apierce@pwpl.info or pwpl. info.
• Township Advisory Council. This is the regular quarterly meeting of the library’s Township Advisory Council. It is open to all. 5 p.m. Shiras Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St.
• Community Knit/Crochet Club.
5:30 p.m. Alley Kat’s Quilt Shop, 1010 W. Washington St. 906-315-0050.
• Marquette County Quilters Association Meeting. All skill levels are invited for socialization, program events and show and tell. Yearly membership fee, $20. 6 p.m. Lower level, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. marquettequilters.org.
• League of Women Voters of Marquette County Meeting. All interested community members are welcome. Social time, 6:30 p.m.; meeting, 6:45 p.m. Lower level, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. lwvmqtco@gmail.com.
• Laughing Whitefish Bird Alliance Meeting. LWBA board member and artist Matt Betts will discuss the bird mural he created at Moosewood Nature Center with a grant from the Audubon Society. 7 p.m. Shiras Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. laughingwhitefishbirdalliance.com.
Negaunee
• After-school Middle School Group. Snacks will be provided. 3 p.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906-475-7700, ext. 18.
09 THURSDAY
sunrise 8:32 a.m.; sunset 5:21 p.m.
Calumet
• Preschool Story Time. 10:15 a.m.
Calumet Public Library, 57070 Mine St. 906-337-0311, ext. 1107. clklibrary. org.
• Knitting and Crochet Group. Participants can bring their portable handwork project and enjoy an informal social time. Open to everyone. 1 p.m. Calumet Public Library, 57070 Mine St. 906-337-0311, ext. 1107. clklibrary.org.
• Getting Started with Libby. Volunteers will host this help session for library users new to the Libby (Overdrive) app, which provides access to audiobooks and ebooks through the Great Lakes Digital Library. 4:30 p.m. Calumet Public Library, 57070 Mine St. 906-337-0311, ext. 1107. clklibrary. org.
Escanaba
• Fiber Arts a la Carte. Intended for ages 16 and older. 5 p.m. Escanaba Public Library, 400 Ludington St. 906789-7323 or escanabalibrary.org.
Ishpeming
• Book Club. Hosted by the Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, this month’s selection is “Jaws” by Peter Benchley. 11 a.m. Ishpeming Senior Center, 121 Greenwood St. 906-486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary.info.
• Graphic Novel Book Club. Students in fourth through eighth grade can enjoy snacks and a book discussion of “Kodi” by Jared Cullum. New members are welcome. 4 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 with the help of retired teacher and librarian Christine Ault. Ensure your device is charged and bring passwords with you. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Heritage Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. To register for a 30-minute session, 906-226-4311.
• 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.
• Marquette Art Muses Meeting. Open to the public. 5:30 p.m. The Courtyards, 1110 Champion St. lbuckmar2@yahoo.com or 906-399-9824.
• Yarnwinders Fiber Guild of Marquette. 6 p.m. City of Marquette Arts and Culture Center, lower level, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St.
• Marquette Poets Circle. Local poets, writers and poetry enthusiasts are invited to workshop their current work, followed by an open mic. New and experienced poets are welcome for either or both events. 6:30 p.m. Shiras Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4322, machatz@ pwpl.info or pwpl.info.
• From Farm to Future: Using Technology to Transform Uganda’s Food Supply. AAUW Marquette will welcome Ugandan scientist Dr. Justine Nakintu to share how her jackfruit research at NMU’s Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences Department is creating sustainable agricultural opportunities in East Africa. 7 p.m. Women’s Federated Clubhouse, 104 W. Ridge St. ellkoski@ nmu.edu.
Negaunee
• Music, Movement and More. Children of all ages and their caregivers are welcome to attend this parent-led storytime. 10:30 a.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906475-7700, ext. 18 or facebook.com/ NegauneePublicLibrary.
• Sensory Playtime. This one-hour, drop-in play session will feature activity stations and early reading and language activities. Parents and caregivers can also connect to share tips and experiences. This week’s theme will be “Forest Friends.” 11 a.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906-475-7700, ext. 18 or facebook. com/NegauneePublicLibrary.
10
Gwinn
on the town
Gwinn
• Hideaway Bar.
- Mondays: The Hideaway All-Stars. 7 p.m. 741 M-35. 906-346-3178.
Ishpeming
• Shelly’s Rainbow Bar.
-Friday, Jan. 24: Anthony Lindsey. 5 to 8 p.m. 120 E. Canda St. 906-486-8998.
Marquette
• 906 Sports Bar and Grill.
- Wednesdays: Trivia. 6:30 p.m. 145 W. Washington St. 906-273-0706 or 906barandgrill.com.
• Blackrocks Brewery.
- Friday, Jan. 10: Vinyl Tap. 7 to 10 p.m.
- Mondays: 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.
- Mondays through Saturdays: Karaoke. 9:30 p.m. to 2 a.m.
- Tuesdays: Open Mic. 7 to 10 p.m.
429 W. Washington St. 906-228-8865.
• Kognisjon Bryggeri.
- Friday, Jan. 3: Generations Jazz. 5 to 8 p.m.
- Saturday, the 4th: Chris Valenti. 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, the 8th: 7 Foot Drift. 6 to 8 p.m.
- Friday, the 10th: Generations Jazz. 5 to 8 p.m.
- Saturday, the 11th: The Make-Believe Spurs. 7 to 10 p.m.
- Wednesday, the 15th: Planned Parenthood Trivia.
- Friday, the 17th: Union Suits. 7 to 10 p.m.
- Saturday, the 18th: Improv Night.
- Wednesday, the 22nd: 7 Foot Drift. 6 to 8 p.m.
- Friday, the 24th: Generations Jazz. 5 to 8 p.m.
- Saturday, the 25th: Groove Candy. 7 to 10 p.m.
- Wednesday, the 29th: 7 Foot Drift. 6 to 8 p.m.
- Friday, the 31st: Iron Daisy. 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
- Tuesdays: Trivia. 6:30 and 7:30 p.m.
- Thursdays: Live music with Bob Buchkoe and games with Iron Golem Games. 6 to 10 p.m. 1034 N. Third St. 906-273-2727.
• Ore Dock Brewing Company.
- Friday, Jan. 3: New Year Drag Show. All ages (parental guidance suggested for ages 16 and younger). 8 p.m.
- Tuesday, the 7th: Euchre. 7 p.m.
- Saturday, the 11th: Almost Elvis (details TBA).
- Tuesday, the 14th: Euchre. 7 p.m.
- Friday, the 18th: Noah Bauer. 8 p.m.
- Tuesday, the 21st: Euchre. 7 p.m.
- Friday, the 24th: Bumpus. Ages 21 and older. $10. 9 p.m.
- Saturday, the 25th: Them Coulee Boys. Ages 18 and older. In advance, $15. Day of show, $18. 8 p.m.
- Tuesday, the 28th: Euchre. 7 p.m. All shows are free unless noted.
114 W. Spring St. 906-228-8888 or oredockbrewing.com.
• Rippling River Resort.
- Friday, Jan. 3: Chris Valenti. 6 to 9 p.m.
- Saturday, the 25th: Chris Valenti. 6 to 9 p.m. 4321 M-553. 906-273-2259 or ripplingriverresort.com.
• Rose’s Dugout.
- Saturday, Jan. 11: Vinyl Tap. 8 p.m. to midnight.
900 Ontario St. 906-273-1177 or rosesdugout. com.
• Superior Culture.
- Tuesdays: Open Mic night. 8 to 10 p.m. 717 Third Street. 906-273-0927 or superiorculturemqt.com.
Negaunee
• Pasquali’s.
- Friday, Jan. 10: Comedy night with Mario Robinson and Katrina Brown. 8 p.m.
- Friday, the 24th: Comedy night with Raegan Niemela and John Egan. 8 p.m.
100 Cliff St. 906-475-4466 or pasqualispub. com.
• Upper Peninsula Brewing Company.
- Saturday, Jan. 18: Next Stop Comedy. $25. 8 p.m.
• 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. 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.
• My Story Gallery at Keweenaw Storytelling Center. Presented by Real People Media, the gallery shares stories of ordinary residents through multimedia exhibits. Contact for updated hours. 215 Fifth St. 906-9342346 or realpeoplemedia.org.
Curtis
• Erickson Center for the Arts–Waterfront Gallery.
- “The Art of the Record Sleeve: A Gallery Exhibit” by Arthur Mazzola and Ed Johnson, a personal collection of more than 200 record sleeves and picture discs dating back to the late 1950s, is on display through the 17th.
- “Collectables as Art,” featuring collections of antique painted tin trays, fishing rods and lures, and Middle Eastern woven storage bags on loan from Scott Barr of Blaney Park Antiques, is on display through the 17th.
The gallery features unique work from local artists, including photography, pottery, jewelry, woodworking, paintings and more. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. N9224 Saw-Wa-Quato St. 906-586-9974 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. Days and hours vary. Bay College, 2001 N. Lincoln Rd. baycollege.edu.
• East Ludington Gallery. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 1000 Ludington St. (across the street from the gallery’s previous location). 906786-0300 or eastludingtongallery. com.
• Hartwig Gallery. Featuring works by local, regional and national artists. Days and hours vary. Bay College,
2001 N. Lincoln Rd. baycollege.edu.
• William Bonifas Fine Arts Gallery. Works by local and regional artists. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 700 First Avenue South. 906786-3833 or bonifasarts.org.
Hancock
• Finlandia Art Gallery.
- “Friends of Finland,” featuring contemporary, folk and traditional arts and crafts by Finnish and Finnish-American artists as well as Finnish-loving friends, is on display through the 28th. Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Located in the Finnish American Heritage Center, 435 Quincy St. 906-487-7309 or gallery@finlandiafoundation.org.
• Kerredge Gallery.
- “ Animal Life: Art From the Kalevala” will be on display with an opening reception from 2 to 4 p.m. on the 25th. 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. 906-4822333 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.
• Lynn Mazzoleni Studio and Gallery. This is the new working studio and retail gallery space of acrylic and oil painter Lynn Mazzoleni, showcasing her original artwork and high-quality reproductions, as well as home décor pieces and unique goods. Tuesday and Thursday, 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, 10 to 6 p.m. Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. 116 Quincy St. info@lynnmazzoleni.com.
Houghton
• The Rozsa Galleries. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 to 8 p.m. Rozsa Center,
Taryn Okesson | markmakers | Second Story Studio, Marquette
art galleries
1400 Townsend Dr. mtu.edu/rozsa.
Manistique
• Lake Effect Community Arts Center. Monday through Saturday through the 31st, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 244 Cedar St. info@lakeeffectarts. org.
Marquette
• Art—U.P. Style. Art by Carol Papaleo, works by local artists, gifts, classes and more. Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 130 W. Washington St. 906-225-1993.
• DeVos Art Museum. The NMU School of Art and Design’s 2025 Faculty Biennial will be on display Jan. 17 through March 29 with an opening reception from 6 to 8 on the 17th. 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.
• The Gallery Marquette. 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 5 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. thegallerymqt.com.
• Huron Mountain Club Gallery. Winter Wonderland Walk Tree Display is exhibited through the 31st. 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.
- “Winter Work” by Pier Wright is on display through the 31st. 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. 906-228-0472.
• Marquette Commons.
- “Oscillation,” an interactive public art installation by The Urban Conga and powered by Creos, is on display through the 5th. Inspired by the theremin, an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact, this installation engages audiences through light, sound and movement. It is presented by the City
of Marquette Public Art Commission with support from the Marquette Downtown Development Authority and Travel Marquette. Daily. 112 S. Third St. travelmarquette.com.
• Niik Creative Co. Handcrafted and local artisan goods. Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. 2905 Island Beach Rd.
• 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.
• Second Story Studio. This new gallery will celebrate with an open house from 5 to 8 p.m. on the 10th. Thursday through Saturday, 2 to 6 p.m., and by appointment. Inside the Wattsson and Wattsson Marketplace, 118 B W. Washington St. tarynokesson.com/second-story-studio.
• Wintergreen Hill Gallery and Gifts. Digital illustrations by Jess Davis will be on display through the 31st with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on the 10th. Wintergreen Hill Gallery strives to create an immersive art experience for visitors who are looking to buy or just looking for inspiration. Local art by local artists. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 810 N. Third St. 906-273-1374 or wintergreenhill.com.
• Zero Degrees Gallery. The gallery features works in oils, watercolors, mixed media, jewelry, photography, metals, woods, recycled and fiber arts, and 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.
Munising
• UP-Scale Art. Featuring works by local and regional artists. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment. 109 W. Superior Ave. 906-387-3300 or upscaleart. org.
Rapid River
• Ritch Branstrom’s adhocWORKshop. Specializing in award-winning found object sculpture. By appointment or chance. 10495 S. Main St. 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. 906-343-6592.
MM
• Story Time. Children and families can enjoy stories, crafts and light snacks. 10:30 a.m. Forsyth Township Library, 180 W. Flint St. 906-346-3433 or forsythtwplibrary.org.
Ishpeming
• Homeschool Hangout. Homeschooling families can visit with fellow homeschooling friends, network with library staff and learn about the library’s resources. 10 a.m. to noon. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906-486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary.info.
Marquette
• Docu Cinema: “In Remembrance of Martin.” This film celebrates the life and legacy of Dr, Martin Luther King, Jr. It features interviews with King’s family, friends, colleagues and admirers and follows his career and leadership in the civil rights movement. Not rated. Noon. Community Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4322, machatz@ pwpl.info or pwpl.info.
• Cultivating Care, Compassion and Connection. This event will offer a safe space to pause, reflect and build connections with others who are committed to cultivating kindness. Each week, a different local organization will present educators and leaders who will facilitate a discussion while maintaining a shared commitment to the Charter for Compassion and the Circle of Trust principles. Noon. Heritage 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.
• Senior Ice Skating. Free for ages 50 and older. 7 p.m. Lakeview Arena, 401 E. Fair Ave. 906-228-0456.
11 SATURDAY sunrise 8:32 a.m.; sunset 5:23 p.m.
Escanaba
• LEGO Club. This month’s theme is “Ice and Snow.” 1 p.m. Escanaba Public Library, 400 Ludington St. 906789-7323 or escanabalibrary.org.
Gwinn
• Ice Races. Presented by the Upper Michigan Ice Racing Association. $5 donation per car; day pit passes are available for $10 per person. Spectator gate opens at 10 a.m.; races begin by 11:30 a.m. Forsyth Township Ball Park. uppermichiganiceracing.com.
Marquette
• Winter Reading Rocks! Masquerade Family Dance Party. Families with youth of all ages are invited to the first ever Masquerade
Family Dance to kick off Winter Reading Rocks! 2025. There will be mask making and dancing with DJ Mark Shevy, and kids can choose their first rock. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Community Room and Youth Services 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. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.com.
• NSDAR Meeting. This is the monthly meeting of the Onagomingkway Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR). Attendees should bring their own lunch. Noon. Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-7836.
• Kids Art Adventure. Artist Jenny Cho will lead children ages eight to 12 in creating their own collage using traditional Korean art materials. Materials will be provided by the Lake Superior Art Association. 1 p.m. Studio 1, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. lsaainfo4u@gmail.com.
Negaunee
• Writing Workshop. Writing instructor Artemis Savory will discuss what makes a story and how to get words down. There will be time for writing exercises, sharing and questions. All writers, experienced and new, are welcome. 10 a.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906475-7700, ext. 18 or facebook.com/ NegauneePublicLibrary.
12
Calumet
• Art Play. This open studio time for adults encourages artists to create and share their work. 2 to 4 p.m. Calumet Art Center, 57055 Fifth St. 906-9342228 or info@calumetartcenter.com.
Ishpeming
• Bingo. Doors open at noon. Ishpeming VFW, 310 Bank St. 906-486-4856.
Little Lake
• Bingo. A concession stand will be available. Doors open, 11 a.m.; early bird games, 1:30 p.m. American Legion Auxiliary Post 349, 1835 E. M-35. 906-346-6000.
Marquette
• Story Time at MooseWood. “Does A Bear Poo in the Woods?” by Jonny Leighton will be read and guests can enjoy a visit in the nature center. Suggested donation, $5 per child or $10 per family. 11 a.m. MooseWood Nature Center, Shiras Pool Building at Presque Isle Park. Registration is appreciated, but not required;email moosewoodnc@gmail.com.
Rock
• Senior Dance. Music will be performed by Crossfire. The dance will raise money for the Rock Senior Corporation. 1 to 4 p m. Rock Senior Center, 3892 W. Mapleridge 37 Rd.
13 MONDAY
sunrise 8:31 a.m.; sunset 5:26 p.m.
Marquette
• Ukulele Class. Free for ages 50 and older. Instruments will be provided. 3 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. To register, 906-228-0456.
• Senior Theatre Experience: Monthly Theatre Workshop and Discussion. Free for City of Marquette and neighboring township residents ages 50 and older. 4 p.m. Room B, Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. To register, 906-225-8655.
• Plus Size Clothing Swap. 4 to 8 p.m. Ore Dock Brewing Company, 114 W. Spring St. 906-228-8888 or oredockbrewing.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.
14 TUESDAY
sunrise 8:30 a.m.; sunset 5:27 p.m.
Calumet
• Friends of the Library Meeting.
New members are welcome to learn about programming ideas, volunteer opportunities, the Red Jacket Readers book club and more. 5:30 p.m. Community Room, Calumet Public Library, 57070 Mine St. 906-337-0311, ext. 1107. clklibrary.org.
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.
Gwinn
• NCLL: UP North Lodge Sleigh Ride. Jesie Melchiori will host a twohorse open sleigh ride through the woods. Register for the 5 or 7 p.m. ride. NCLL members, $20; non-members, $25. Up North Lodge, 215 S. County Rd. 557. 906-241-9800 or whitebirch07@icloud.com.
• Literature at the Lodge. This month’s selection will be “Little Fires Everywhere” by Celeste Ng. 6 p.m. Up North Lodge, 215 S. Co. Rd. 557. 906346-3433 or forsythtwplibrary.org.
Ishpeming
• Tot Tuesday Storytime. Stories, songs and movement activities followed by an optional craft and playtime will be offered for toddlers and preschoolers. This week’s storytime will include a visit from Santa Claus. 11 a.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 with the help of retired teacher
NCLL Sleigh Ride | Jan. 14 | Gwinn
Photo by Jesie Melchori
and librarian Christine Ault. Ensure your device is charged and bring passwords with you. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Heritage Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. To register for a 30-minute session, 906-226-4311.
• Tasty Reads Book Group. The group welcomes readers who love to cook. This month’s selection will be “Recipes for Love and Murder” by Sally Andrew. 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. Learn how to knit, solve problems in reading patterns and expand your knitting skills. The group includes a variety of ages and levels of experiences. Bring a skein of lighter color yarn and a size 7, 24-inch circular needle to make a hat or cowl. Suggested donation, $1 to $5 to the MRHC for the study and preservation of the fiber arts. 1 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 p.m. Marquette Arts and Culture Center, Lower level, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-225-8655.
• Write On. Each week, a different local writer will engage with attendees to enhance and inspire creative expression. At the end of the six-week session, participants will publish a chapbook of their writing free of charge thanks to the estate of poet Helen Haskell Remien. 3:30 p.m. Heritage Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. Registration is required; visit
pwpl.info.
• Senior Dance Classes. Free for City of Marquette and neighboring township residents ages 50 and older. 4 p.m. Baraga Gym, Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. To register, 906-225-8655.
• Stuffie Sleepover Storytime. This family stuffie sleepover storytime will be camping themed and PJs are encouraged. Kids can bring a stuffie friend who will camp overnight at the library and photos will be provided of the fun things their stuffie friend does. 6 p.m. Community Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4323 or pwpl.info.
15 WEDNESDAY
Escanaba
• Family Fun Night: Youth Empowering Services You Can Be a Mentor Too. Kids will learn to lift others up and to be a great friend and role model. Kids will enjoy a story, craft, snack and free book. 4:40 p.m. Escanaba Public Library, 400 Ludington Ave.
Ishpeming
• Aspen Ridge Playgroup. Children and their caregivers can enjoy free play, circle time, crafts and activities, and snacks. 10 a.m. Aspen Ridge School, 350 Aspen Ridge School Rd. 906-485-3178, ext. 1104 or 1105.
• Popcorn and a Movie for Adults. Adults are invited to a screening of the 2024 film “Twisters” (rated PG-13). Popcorn will be provided. 4:30 p.m. Community Room, Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary.info.
Marquette
Ski Jumping | Jan. 17, 18 and 19 | Negaunee
Photo by Danny Jacob / depositphotos.com
• Congregate Meals for Seniors–Dine in or Curbside Pickup. Meals available to those age 60 and older and their spouses. Call to reserve a meal. $3.50 suggested donation. Noon to 1 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. 906-228-0456.
• Hiawatha on Tap. All ages are welcome. Hiawatha Music Co-op members, $5; general admission, $10. 6 p.m. Ore Dock Brewing Company, 114 W. Spring St. 906-228-8888 or oredockbrewing.com.
• Marquette County Genealogical Society Meeting. Members, visitors and guests welcome to attend. 6 p.m. Family Search Center, 350 Cherry Creek Rd.
• Derrell Syria Project Concert. Local band the Derrell Syria Project will perform music to lift spirits and encourage dancing. 6:30 p.m. Community Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4322.
Negaunee
• After-school Middle School Group. Snacks will be provided. 3 p.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906-475-7700, ext. 18. 16
Calumet
• Preschool Story Time. 10:15 a.m. Calumet Public Library, 57070 Mine St. 906-337-0311, ext. 1107. clklibrary. org.
• Knitting and Crochet Group. Participants can bring their portable handwork project and enjoy an informal social time. Open to everyone. 1 p.m. Calumet Public Library, 57070 Mine St. 906-337-0311, ext. 1107. clklibrary.org.
Ishpeming
• Open Book. This new program for tweens and teens, also known as “Fun Club,” will feature drop-in activities such as crafts, movies and more. 4 to 6 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 with the help of retired teacher and librarian Christine Ault. Ensure your device is charged and bring passwords with you. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Heritage Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. To register for a 30-minute session, 906-226-4311.
• 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.
Negaunee
• Music, Movement and More.
Children of all ages and their caregivers are welcome to attend this parent-led storytime. 10:30 a.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906475-7700, ext. 18 or facebook.com/ NegauneePublicLibrary.
• Sensory Playtime. This one-hour, drop-in play session will feature activity stations and early reading and language activities. Parents and caregivers can also connect to share tips and experiences. This week’s theme will be “Big Top Circus.” 11 a.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906-475-7700, ext. 18 or facebook. com/NegauneePublicLibrary.
17 FRIDAY
sunrise 8:28 a.m.; sunset 5:31 p.m.
Gwinn
• Story Time. Children and families can enjoy stories, crafts and light snacks. 10:30 a.m. Forsyth Township Library, 180 W. Flint St. 906-346-3433 or forsythtwplibrary.org.
Hancock
• Family Fun Night and Hobby Horse Hoedown. This festive evening will include music from Kay Seppälä and Ginger Alberti, Finnish dances and Hobby Horse indoor games and obstacle arena. Hobby horses will be available to borrow or you can bring your own. Part of the annual Heikinpäivä festival. 6 to 8 p.m. Finnish American Heritage Center, 435 Quincy St. visitkeweenaw.com.
Ishpeming
• Raise the Woof Fundraiser. This evening of stand up comedy, featuring Aron Woldeslassie and Mike Brody, will raise money for Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare Shelter (UPAWS). In advance, $25 or two for $35; at the door, $25. 8 p.m. River Rock Lanes and Banquet Center, 1011 North Road. upaws.org.
Marquette
• Global Cinema: Eric Guirado’s “The Grocer’s Son.” This film tells the coming-of-age story of a man rediscovering life and love in the French countryside. Not rated. Noon. Community Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-2264322,or pwpl.info.
• Cultivating Care, Compassion and Connection. This event will offer a safe space to pause, reflect and build connections with others who are committed to cultivating kindness. Each week, a different local organization will present educators and leaders who will facilitate a discussion while maintaining a shared commitment to the Charter for Compassion and the Circle of Trust principles. Noon. Heritage 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.
• Laurel Premo. Musician Laurel Premo will perform as part of the Northwoods Music Collaborative. Hiawatha Music Co-op members, $10; non-members, $15. 6:30 p.m. The Hiawatha Fold, Village Mall, 1015 N. Third St. 906-226-8575 or hiawathamc@gmail.com.
Negaunee
• U.S. Cup Ski Jumping. Hosted by the Ishpeming Ski Club, the event will feature ski jumpers from across the country. Tailgating, bonfires, food trucks and a beer tent will be on site. Booster buttons for children 12 and younger, free; in advance, $15; at the gate, $20. Limited parking is available for $10 per car; a free shuttle is available. Opening ceremony begins at 6 p.m.; tournament begins at 7 p.m. U.P. Nordic Ski Complex. ishskiclub.com.
18 SATURDAY
Gwinn
• Ice Races. Presented by the Upper Michigan Ice Racing Association. $5 donation per car; day pit passes are available for $10 per person. Spectator
gate opens at 10 a.m.; races begin by 11:30 a.m. Forsyth Township Ball Park. uppermichiganiceracing.com.
Hancock
• Buellwood Weavers and Fiber Arts Guild Meeting. Participants will start a group project that will be used for a display next summer. All fiber artists are welcome. 1 p.m. Fiber Arts Studio (Room 105), Finnish American Folk School, lower level, Skyline Commons, 200 Michigan St. jegale@att.net or 906-221-5306.
Houghton
• Raise the Woof Fundraiser. This evening of stand up comedy, featuring Aron Woldeslassie and Mike Brody, will raise money for the Copper Country Humane Society (CCHS). Students, $15; adults, $20. 8 p.m. Rozsa Center, 1400 Townsend Ave. cchumanesociety.com.
Ishpeming
• Junk Journals with Hope-Dreams Art. Attendees will be guided to create their own journals. All supplies will be provided. 11 a.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. To register, call 906-486-4381.
Marquette
• Superiorland Duplicate Bridge Club. Games open to all interested players. $5 for games. Lessons, 10 a.m. Games, 11:30 a.m. Marquette Senior
Center, 300 W. Spring St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.com.
• Marquette Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra will present “Symphonic Broadway” with guest vocalists Kristen Beth William and James Ludwig. Tickets prices vary. 4 p.m. Kaufman Auditorium, 611 N. Front St. nmu.universitytickets.com.
Negaunee
• Paul Bietila Memorial Ski Jumping Tournament. Hosted by the Ishpeming Ski Club, the day will include the U.S. Cup Nordic Combined 5km ski race and the U.S. Cup awards ceremony. Fireworks will follow the competition. Tailgating, bonfires, food trucks and a beer tent will be on site. Booster buttons for children 12 and younger, free; in advance, $15; at the gate, $20. Limited parking is available for $10 per car; a free shuttle is available. Opening ceremony begins at 6 p.m.; tournament begins at 7 p.m. U.P. Nordic Ski Complex. ishskiclub.com.
19 SUNDAY sunrise 8:27 a.m.; sunset 5:34 p.m.
Ishpeming
• Bingo. Doors open at noon. Ishpeming VFW, 310 Bank St. 906-486-4856.
Little Lake
• Bingo. A concession stand will be
available. Doors open, 11 a.m.; early bird games, 1:30 p.m. American Legion Auxiliary Post 349, 1835 E. M-35. 906-346-6000.
Negaunee
• Junior National Qualifier Ski Jumping Tournament. Hosted by the Ishpeming Ski Club, the day will include young ski jumpers and Nordic combined skiers from Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois. Booster buttons for children 12 and younger, free; in advance, $15; at the gate, $20. Limited parking is available for $10 per car; a free shuttle is available. 11 a.m. U.P. Nordic Ski Complex. ishskiclub.com.
20 MONDAY
sunrise 8:26 a.m.; sunset 5:35 p.m.
Luther King Jr. Day
Houghton
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration. This annual celebration includes a brunch, interfaith prayer service and a peace march. Brunch, 10 a.m. MUB Ballroom; Interfaith prayer service, noon; Van Pelt and Opie Library; Peace march, 1 p.m. Husky statue. mtu.edu.
Marquette
• Empowering Community Through
Martin
Action: Radical Togetherness — Crafting Kindness. Participants will make blankets, inspirational cards and friendship blacelets. 1 to 4 p.m. Hedgcock Atrium, NMU. nmu.edu.
• Superiorland Duplicate Bridge Club. Games open to all interested players. $5 for games. 6 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.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.
21 TUESDAY
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.
Ishpeming
• Tot Tuesday Storytime. Stories, songs and movement activities followed by an optional craft and playtime will be offered for toddlers and preschoolers. 11 a.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary.info.
• Adult Book Club. This month’s selection is “The Frozen River” by Ariel Lawhon. 2 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 with the help of retired teacher and librarian Christine Ault. Ensure your device is charged and bring passwords with you. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Heritage Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. To register for a 30-minute session, 906-226-4311.
• 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.
• Empowering Community Through Action: Advocacy in Actions — Writing for Change. Participants will receive materials and guidance for writing letters to state legislators advocating for equitable policies and systemic change. 1 to 3 p.m. Hedgcock Atrium, NMU. nmu.edu.
• Oil Painting, Pastels and Drawing Classes with Marlene Wood. Bring your own supplies. $20. 1 p.m. Marquette Arts and Culture Center, Lower level, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-225-8655.
• NCLL: Sister City Delegation
Visit to Kajaani, Finland. Sister City Delegates Maureen and Randy Jensen will speak on their visit to Kajaani, Finland, in September 2024 to restart the visitor exchange between the two cities and what they learned about the city’s education, health and elder services, and more. NCLL members, $5; non-members, $10. 1:30 p.m. Community Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-458-5408 or csteinha@nmu.edu.
• Write On. Each week, a different local writer will engage with attendees to enhance and inspire creative expression. At the end of the six-week session, participants will publish a chapbook of their writing free of charge thanks to the estate of poet Helen Haskell Remien. 3:30 p.m. Heritage Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. Registration is required; visit pwpl.info.
• Dungeons and Dragons. Jordan from Iron Golem Games and local dungeon masters will lead groups of teens in Grades six to 12 on a quest with this role-playing game. Registration required. 4 p.m. Community Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906226-4321 or pwpl.info.
• Senior Dance Classes. Free for City of Marquette and neighboring township residents ages 50 and older. 4 p.m. Baraga Gym, Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. To register, 906-225-8655.
• Art Talk and LSAA Visual Art Grant Reception. The Lake Superior Art Association will host metal sculptor Adam Mowafy of AYM Creations who will share his journey as an artist who creates one-of-a-kind metal sculptures out of repurposed materials. The evening will also include a reception for the 2024 LSAA Visual Arts Grant recipients. 6:30 p.m. Studio 1, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. lsaainfo4u@gmail.com.
• Words and Music for Hope. Local poets and musicians will present an evening of poems and songs to inspire hope and joy. Scheduled readers and performers include Brian Wallen, Dylan Trost, Troy Graham, Beverly Matherne, Marty Achatz, Cloverland, Josh Brindle and more. 6:30 p.m. Community Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4322 or pwpl.info.
Negaunee
• Frozen Flow. This relaxing and rejuvenating outdoor stretch class in the snow will encourage participants to stretch, unwind and connect with nature in a peaceful winter setting. Open to all skill levels. Registration requested. 4 p.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906-475-7700, ext. 18.
22 WEDNESDAY
sunrise 8:24 a.m.; sunset 5:38 p.m.
museums
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.
Escanaba
• Upper Peninsula Military Museum and Honor Flight Legacy 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. Learn the history of the honor flight trips. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Inside the Delta County Chamber of Commerce, 1001 N. Lincoln Rd.
• Webster Marble Inventing the Outdoors Museum. Webster Marble came to the U.P. in the late 1880s to be a timber cruiser and surveyor, but later became an inventor. He held 60 patents and invented a long list of gear for camping, hiking, hunting and fishing, including a safety ax with an attached blade guard that folded into the handle. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 1001 N. Lincoln Road. 906-786-2192 or deltami.org/ webster-marble-inventing-the-outdoors-museum.
Hancock
• Quincy Mine Hoist and Underground Mine. There are two options for touring the site. On both the surface tour and the full tour, visitors will see the museum, inside the No. 2 Shaft House and the Nordberg Steam Hoist and ride the cog rail tram car to the mine entrance. On the full tour, visitors will take a tractor-pulled wagon into the mine, seven levels underground. Prices vary. Tours can be scheduled year-round. 49750 US-41. 906-482-3101 or quincymine. com.
Houghton
• A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum. View an 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 Jan. 1 to Jan. 6. 1404 E. Sharon Ave. museum.mtu.edu or 906-487-2572.
• Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw. Exhibits include, “Message in a Bottle,” featuring artifacts long buried beneath Houghton’s streets that were found
during excavations in 2021; and “Celebrate the Lift Bridge,” which includes building activities and the 1960s-era video about building the Lift Bridge. Tuesday and Thursday, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. 105 Huron St. 906-482-7140 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.
Iron Mountain
• Cornish Pumping Engine and Mining Museum. The 725-ton Cornish Pumping Engine, the largest steam-driven pumping engine ever built in the United States, is famous for dewatering Iron Mountain’s Chapin Mine, one of the wettest mines ever worked and the largest producer of iron ore on the Menominee Iron Range. The museum also displays underground mining equipment. Children five and younger, free; students, $5; seniors and veterans, $7; adults, $8. Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT. 300 Kent St. 906-774-1086 or menomineemuseum.com.
• World War II Glider and Military Museum. During World War II, the Ford Motor Company’s Kingsford plant built the CG-4A gliders for the U.S. Army. View one of seven fully restored CG-4A G World War II gliders, military uniforms from the Civil War through the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, memorabilia, restored military vehicles and more. Prices vary. Children five and younger, free; students, $5; seniors and veterans, $7; adults, $8. Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT. 302 Kent St. 906-774-1086 or menomineemuseum.com.
Ishpeming
• 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, 8 a.m. to 2 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, including photographs, flags,
medals and more. Wednesday through Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. or by appointment. 402 Third St. 906-236-3502 or kisawyerheritageairmuseum.org.
Marquette
• Baraga Educational Center and Museum. View artifacts and tools used by Venerable Bishop Baraga. Thursday and Friday, noon to 5 p.m. and by appointment. 615 S. Fourth St. 906-227-9117.
• Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center. “Northern Tapestry: 125 Years of Stories” is on display through Feb. 1. The museum promotes and preserves the history and culture of the U.P. and collects and preserves artifacts related to the history of NMU. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, 11 to 4 p.m. Corner of Seventh and Tracy streets. NMU. 906-227-1219 or nmu.edu/beaumier.
• Marquette Regional History Center. “School Days: Educating Marquette County,” which explores the educational history of Marquette County, is on display through February 28. The museum also includes interactive displays as well as regional history exhibits. Youth 12 and under, $3; students, $4; seniors and military, $8; adults, $10. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 145 W. Spring St. 906-226-3571 or marquettehistory.org.
• Upper Peninsula Children’s Museum. A variety of interactive exhibits offer learning through investigation and creativity. Prices vary. Tuesday through Sunday, 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. 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 large-scale capital and human investment that made Michigan an industrial leader. Michigan Recreation Passport required for parking. Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 73 Forge Rd. 906-475-7857. MM
Ishpeming
• Aspen Ridge Playgroup. Children and their caregivers can enjoy free play, circle time, crafts and activities, and snacks. 10 a.m. Aspen Ridge School, 350 Aspen Ridge School Rd. 906-485-3178, ext. 1104 or 1105.
• Adult Book Club. This month’s selection is “The Frozen River” by Ariel Lawhon. 6 p.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906-486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary. info.
Marquette
• Empowering Community Through Action: Nourishing Our Neighbors —Feeding America. Help members of Feeding America to unload and distribute food to the Marquette community. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Berry Events Center, NMU. nmu.edu.
• Congregate Meals for Seniors–Dine in or Curbside Pickup. Meals available to those age 60 and older and their spouses. Call to reserve a meal. $3.50 suggested donation. Noon to 1 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. 906-228-0456.
• Senior Visual Art Classes: Souswere with Colleen Maki. Free for City of Marquette and neighboring township residents ages 50 and older. 1 p.m. City of Marquette Arts and Culture Center, lower level, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. To register, 906-225-8655.
• Adult Nonfiction Book Group. The group is for people who enjoy reading narrative nonfiction that tell stories of the past, present and future. This month’s selection will be “The Other Significant Others” by Rhaina Cohen. 2 p.m. Conference Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906226-4311 or refdesk@pwpl.info.
• Teens Cook! Teens in sixth through
12th grades will learn easy-to-prepare recipes. 4 p.m. Marquette Food Co-Op, 502 W. Washington St. To register online, pwpl.info.
• Mind and Body with the Marquette Alzheimer’s Association. In this monthly series, a representative of the Alzheimer’s Association will present programs on aging, dementia and health. This month’s topic will be new advancements in Alzheimer’s research. 6:30 p.m. Shiras Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906226-4322 or pwpl.info.
Negaunee
• After-school Middle School Group. Snacks will be provided. 3 p.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906-475-7700, ext. 18.
23 THURSDAY
Calumet
• Preschool Story Time. 10:15 a.m. Calumet Public Library, 57070 Mine St. 906-337-0311, ext. 1107. clklibrary. org.
• Knitting and Crochet Group. Participants can bring their portable handwork project and enjoy an informal social time. Open to everyone. 1 p.m. Calumet Public Library, 57070 Mine St. 906-337-0311, ext. 1107. clklibrary.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. 2 p.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906-486-4381 or
• Graphic Novel Book Club. Students in fourth through eighth grade can enjoy snacks and a book discussion of “Unhappy Camper” by Ann Xu and Sunmi. New members are welcome.
4 p.m. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906-4864381 or ishpeminglibrary.info.
• Bookworms. This tween book club will read children’s and middle-grade books published for fourth through eighth grades. This month’s selection will be “The Mystery of Locked Rooms” by Lindsay Currie. 5 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 with the help of retired teacher and librarian Christine Ault. Ensure your device is charged and bring passwords with you. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Heritage Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. To register for a 30-minute session, 906-226-4311.
• Empowering Community Through Action: Pathways to Belonging — Diversity Resource Fair. Discover opportunities to get involved with organizations that champion change. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hedgcock Atrium, NMU. nmu.edu.
• 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.
• NCLL: Space Debris. Adam Kall, director of science, and Liza Fust, director of operations, for KMI, Kall Morris Inc., in Marquette, will share how debris gets into space, what is causing the problem to expand and its potential impact, as well as what is being done about it. NCLL members, $5; non-members, $10. 4 p.m. Shiras Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-458-5408 or csteinha@nmu.edu.
• Death Cafe. Jennifer Aldrich-Boyle, Nancy Irish and Ann Russ will facilitate a group-directed discussion on all topics of death. Tea and cake will be provided. 6 p.m. Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-448-2010.
• Legends and Lore: Even More Legendary. At this annual fundraiser for the Marquette Regional History Center, Jack Deo and Jim Koski will share new stories of individuals and quirks from Marquette County’s more than 170-year history. Online or at the MRHC, $20; over the phone or at the door, $25. 7 p.m. Kaufman Auditorium, 611 N. Front St. 906-226-3571 or marquettehistory.org.
Negaunee
• Music, Movement and More. Children of all ages and their
caregivers are welcome to attend this parent-led storytime. 10:30 a.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906-475-7700, ext. 18 or facebook. com/NegauneePublicLibrary.
• Sensory Playtime. This one-hour, drop-in play session will feature activity stations and early reading and language activities. Parents and caregivers can also connect to share tips and experiences. This week’s theme will be “Construction Zone.” 11 a.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906-475-7700, ext. 18 or facebook. com/NegauneePublicLibrary.
24 FRIDAY
sunrise 8:22 a.m.; sunset 5:41 p.m.
Gwinn
• Story Time. Children and families can enjoy stories, crafts and light snacks. 10:30 a.m. Forsyth Township Library, 180 W. Flint St. 906-346-3433 or forsythtwplibrary.org.
Houghton
• Backstage Jazz. MTU’s four jazz groups will present classic and modern jazz, funk and fusion. The student-led group Brass Quintech will also perform. Pay as you are able. 7:30 p.m. Rozsa Center, MTU. 906-487-1906 or mtu.myuniversitytickets.com.
Ishpeming
• Homeschool Hangout. Homeschooling families can visit with fellow homeschooling friends, network with library staff and learn about the library’s resources. 10 a.m. to noon. Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906-4864381 or ishpeminglibrary.info.
• Noquemanon Ski Marathon. Events will include the 1K and 3K Adaptive Ski and Junior Noque 5K, 3K and 1K Classics. 3 p.m. Al Quaal Recreation Area. noquemanon.com.
Marquette
• Block Busting Cinema: Steven Spielberg’s “The Post.” This Oscarnominated drama tells the story of a cover-up that pushes the country’s first female newspaper publisher and her editor to join a battle between press and government. Rated PG-13. Noon. Community Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-2264322 or pwpl.info.
• Cultivating Care, Compassion and Connection. This event will offer a safe space to pause, reflect and build connections with others who are committed to cultivating kindness. Each week, a different local organization will present educators and leaders who will facilitate a discussion while maintaining a shared commitment to the Charter for Compassion and the Circle of Trust principles. Noon. Heritage Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4303.
• 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.
• Empowering Community Through Action: Compassion in Action —Kit Assembly and Delivery. Assemble and deliver winter care kits to Room at the Inn. 1 to 4 p.m. Hedgcock Atrium, NMU. nmu.edu.
• Noquemanon Packet Pickup and Ski Expo. 5 to 10 p.m. Superior Dome, NMU. noquemanon.com.
• Senior Ice Skating. Free for ages 50 and older. 7 p.m. Lakeview Arena, 401 E. Fair Ave. 906-228-0456.
25 SATURDAY sunrise 8:21 a.m.; sunset 5:42
• Gwinn
• Ice Races. Presented by the Upper Michigan Ice Racing Association. $5 donation per car; day pit passes are available for $10 per person. Night race; times TBA. Forsyth Township Ball Park. uppermichiganiceracing. com.
Hancock
• Heikinpäivä. This mid-winter Finnish-American celebration will include tori markets from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Finnish American Heritage Center and United Methodist Church, a parade at 11 a.m. along Quincy Street and games and outdoor activities— Wife Carrying Contest, traditional Spiral Bear Dance and vipukelkka (kick sled races)—following the parade at Quincy Green. visitkeweenaw.com.
• Heikinpäivä Polar Plunge. This cold water Finnish tradition is said to rejuvenate the mind and body as well as provide muscle relief and reduce inflammation. There will be hot saunas to warm up. $5. 1 p.m. Quincy Green. visitkeweenaw.com.
• Iltamat. This event will feature traditional Finnish dance, music by the Back Room Boys and a Finnish treats. Open to the public. $15. 7 to 10 p.m. Finnish American Heritage Center, 435 Quincy St. visitkeweenaw.com.
Houghton
• Backstage Jazz. MTU’s four jazz groups will present classic and modern jazz, funk and fusion. The student-led group Brass Quintech will also perform. Pay as you are able. 7:30 p.m. Rozsa Center, MTU. 906-487-1906 or mtu.myuniversitytickets.com.
Ishpeming
• Noquemanon Ski Marathon: 50k. Participants will race through the Marquette County wilderness in a 50K point-to-point race. Advanced registration required. Wave start times vary beginning at 8 a.m. Al Quaal Recreation Area, 501 Poplar St. noquemanon.com.
• Silent Book Club. Hosted by the Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, attendees can bring their own book and read silently for one hour, followed by time to socialize and talk about books. Noon. Velodrome Coffee, 105 S. Main St. 906-486-4381 or ishpeminglibrary. info.
Marquette
• Noquemanon 12K. Skiers can choose between classic or freestyle race. This race starts and ends at the Forestville Trailhead. Advanced registration required. Start times vary beginning at 9:50 a.m. Forestville Trailhead, Forestville Rd. noquemanon.com.
• Superiorland Duplicate Bridge Club. Games open to all interested players. $5 for games. Lessons, 10 a.m. Games, 11:30 a.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. superiorland_bridge.tripod.com.
• Noquemanon 24K. Skiers can choose between classic or freestyle for this point-to-point race. Advanced registration required. Start times vary beginning at 11:45 a.m. 510 Trailhead, CR-510. noquemanon.com.
• Noquemanon 15 Mile Snowshoe. Snowshoers will begin their race following the skiers. Advanced registration required. 1:10 p.m. 510 Trailhead, CR-510. noquemanon.com.
• Superior String Alliance Chamber Players Salon Concert. Danielle Simandl (violin) Adam Hall (cello) and Dr. Theresa Camilli (piano) will perform classical works from the late 18th and early 19th century. Donations appreciated. 7 p.m. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 201 E. Ridge St. superiorstringalliance.org.
Calumet
• Art Play. This open studio time for adults encourages artists to create and share their work. 2 to 4 p.m. Calumet Art Center, 57055 Fifth St. 906-9342228 or info@calumetartcenter.com.
Little Lake
• Bingo. A concession stand will be available. Doors open, 11 a.m.; early bird games, 1:30 p.m. American Legion Auxiliary Post 349, 1835 E. M-35. 906-346-6000.
Marquette
• Story Time at MooseWood. “A Warm Winter Tail” by Carrie Pearson will be read followed by an activity or craft. Guests can also enjoy a visit in the nature center. Suggested donation, $5 per child or $10 per family. 11 a.m. MooseWood Nature Center, Shiras Pool Building at Presque Isle Park. Registration is appreciated, but not required;email moosewoodnc@ gmail.com.
27 MONDAY
Marquette
• Ukulele Class. Free for ages 50 and older. Instruments will be provided. 3 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. To register, 906-228-0456.
• Senior Theatre Experience: Monthly Theatre Workshop and Discussion. Free for City of Marquette and neighboring township residents ages 50 and older. 4 p.m. Room B, Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. To register, 906-225-8655.
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.
28 TUESDAY
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.
Ishpeming
• Tot Tuesday Storytime. Stories, songs and movement activities followed by an optional craft and playtime will be offered for toddlers and preschoolers. This week’s storytime will include a visit from Santa Claus. 11 a.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 with the help of retired teacher and librarian Christine Ault. Ensure your device is charged and bring passwords with you. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Heritage Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. To register for a 30-minute session, 906-226-4311.
• All Booked Up: Can We Talk? Library staff will host an in-person discussion of “Upper Michigan Today’s” All Booked Up book of the month, “Happy-Go-Lucky” by David Sedaris. Noon. Shiras Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4322,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.
• Lake Superior Knitters. Learn how to knit, solve problems in reading patterns and expand your knitting skills.
The group includes a variety of ages and levels of experiences. Bring a skein of lighter color yarn and a size 7, 24-inch circular needle to make a hat or cowl. Suggested donation, $1 to $5 to the MRHC for the study and preservation of the fiber arts. 1 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 p.m. Marquette Arts and Culture Center, Lower level, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-225-8655.
• Write On. Each week, a different local writer will engage with attendees to enhance and inspire creative expression. At the end of the six-week session, participants will publish a chapbook of their writing free of charge thanks to the estate of poet Helen Haskell Remien. 3:30 p.m. Heritage Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. Registration is required; visit pwpl.info.
• Senior Dance Classes. Free for City of Marquette and neighboring township residents ages 50 and older. 4 p.m. Baraga Gym, Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. To register, 906-225-8655.
29 WEDNESDAY
sunrise 8:17 a.m.; sunset 5:48 p.m.
levels of speakers and listeners. 7 p.m. Room 2603, C.B. Hedgcock Building, NMU. 906-227-2648 or nkupper@ nmu.edu.
Negaunee
• All Booked Up: On Air. Join “Upper Michigan Today’s” Elizabeth Peterson and Tia Trudgeon, along with PWPL staff, for an on-air, in-person book discussion of “Happy-Go-Lucky” by David Sedaris. 9 a.m. WLUC TV-6 Studios, 177 U.S. Hwy. 41 E. 906-2264322, machatz@pwpl.info or pwpl. info.
• After-school Middle School Group. Snacks will be provided. 3 p.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906-475-7700, ext. 18.
30 THURSDAY sunrise 8:16 a.m.; sunset 5:50 p.m.
Calumet
• Preschool Story Time. 10:15 a.m. Calumet Public Library, 57070 Mine St. 906-337-0311, ext. 1107. clklibrary. org.
• Aspen Ridge Playgroup. Children and their caregivers can enjoy free play, circle time, crafts and activities, and snacks. 10 a.m. Aspen Ridge School, 350 Aspen Ridge School Rd. 906-485-3178, ext. 1104 or 1105.
Marquette
• National Puzzle Day Celebration. Visitors can drop in anytime to enjoy free puzzles, coffee and hot tea. The library will note how many puzzles are completed in a single day. 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4303 or aing@pwpl.info.
• NCLL: Lunch at Applebee’s. NCLL members and friends can enjoy casual conversation over lunch. Cost is on your own. 11 a.m. Applebee’s, 2902 U.S. Hwy. 41. 906-458-5408 or csteinha@nmu.edu.
• Congregate Meals for Seniors–Dine in or Curbside Pickup. Meals available to those age 60 and older and their spouses. Call to reserve a meal. $3.50 suggested donation. Noon to 1 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. 906-228-0456.
• Family Game Night. Families with youth of all ages can drop in for a game night. Board games and puzzles will be available and participation prizes will be awarded. 4:30 to 7 p.m. Community Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-226-4323 or pwpl. info.
• La Table Française. This informal conversation group will discuss various topics in French. This is intended for all
• Knitting and Crochet Group. Participants can bring their portable handwork project and enjoy an informal social time. Open to everyone. 1 p.m. Calumet Public Library, 57070 Mine St. 906-337-0311, ext. 1107. clklibrary.org.
Ishpeming
• Open Book. This new program for tweens and teens, also known as “Fun Club,” will feature drop-in activities such as crafts, movies and more. 4 to 6 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 with the help of retired teacher and librarian Christine Ault. Ensure your device is charged and bring passwords with you. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Heritage Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. To register for a 30-minute session, 906-226-4311.
• 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.
• “Alice in Wonderland: An Immersive Experience.” This performance transcends the stage, weaving through the audience with the audience becoming an integral part of the performance. Prices vary between $5 and $25. 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Masonic Center, 145 W. Washington St. nmu. edu.theatreanddance.com.
Negaunee
• Music, Movement and More.
Heikinpäivä Spiral Dance | Jan. 25 | Hancock
Photo by Jim Kurtti
Children of all ages and their caregivers are welcome to attend this parent-led storytime. 10:30 a.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906475-7700, ext. 18 or facebook.com/ NegauneePublicLibrary.
• Sensory Playtime. This one-hour, drop-in play session will feature activity stations and early reading and language activities. Parents and caregivers can also connect to share tips and experiences. This week’s theme will be “Garden Explorers.” 11 a.m. Negaunee Public Library, 319 W. Case St. 906-475-7700, ext. 18 or facebook. com/NegauneePublicLibrary.
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/Alateen Family Groups. A fellowship offering strength and hope for friends and families of problem drinkers. al-alon.org or 888-425-2666.
• Al-Anon—Ishpeming. Friends and family who have loved ones dealing with alcohol issues are invited. Mondays, 6 p.m. Wesley United Methodist Church, 801 Hemlock St. 906-361-9524.
• Alcoholics Anonymous. Daily meetings throughout Marquette County at many locations and times. Twenty-four-hour answering service. aa-marquettecounty.org or 800-605-5043.
• Open AA Meeting—Gwinn. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. Basement, Gwinn Community Building, 165 N. Maple St.
• Open AA Meeting—K.I. Sawyer. Fridays, 8 p.m. 906 Community Church, 315 Explorer St.
• Men’s AA Meeting—Gwinn. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Saint Anthony’s Catholic Church, 280 Boulder St. (entrance to the right of main entrance).
• 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
31 FRIDAY
sunrise 8:15 a.m.; sunset 5:51 p.m.
Gwinn
• Story Time. Children and families can enjoy stories, crafts and light snacks. 10:30 a.m. Forsyth Township Library, 180 W. Flint St. 906-346-3433 or forsythtwplibrary.org.
Houghton
• Blizzard’s 28th Birthday Party. Celebrate MTU’s mascot Blizzard’s 28th birthday with cake and a craft. Bring items to give to the dog donation
drive for the humane society. 3 to 4:30 p.m. MUB Commons, MTU. events. mtu.edu.
Marquette
• Cultivating Care, Compassion and Connection. This event will offer a safe space to pause, reflect and build connections with others who are committed to cultivating kindness. Each week, a different local organization will present educators and leaders who will facilitate a discussion while maintaining a shared commitment to the Charter for Compassion and the Circle of Trust principles. Noon. Heritage Room, Peter White Public Library, 217
N. Front St. 906-226-4303.
• 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.
• “Alice in Wonderland: An Immersive Experience.” This performance transcends the stage, weaving through the audience with the audience becoming an integral part of the performance. Prices vary between $5 and $25. 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Masonic Center, 145 W. Washington St. nmu. edu.theatreanddance.com. MM
County schedule. 906-225-4545.
• Caregiver Support Group (Phonebased). Caregivers can share their feelings, develop friendships and learn about available community resources from their own home via phone. Jan. 21. 2 p.m. To register, call 906-485-5527.
• Caregiver Support Group— Marquette. Family, friends and others who are caring for a person with a chronic illness or disability can share their feelings, develop friendships and learn about available community resources. Jan. 18. 2 p.m. Lake Superior Life Care and Hospice, 914 W. Baraga Ave. 906-225-7760 or lakesuperiorhospice.org.
• Celebrate Recovery—Gwinn. Wednesdays. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. First Baptist Church of Gwinn, 195 N. Billings St.
• Gamblers Anonymous. This group is for those who have or think they have a problem with gambling. Thursdays, 7 p.m. Library Room, First Presbyterian Church, 120 N. Front St., Marquette.
• Grief Support Group—Ishpeming. U.P. Home Health and Hospice offers support for those caring for a loved one with a life-limiting diagnosis or who recently experienced the loss of a loved one. Second and fourth Thursdays. 2 p.m. Ray Leverton Room, Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library, 317 N. Main St. 906-225-4545.
• Grief Support Group—Ishpeming. Anyone dealing with grief and loss is invited to attend. Third Wednesday of each month. 7 p.m. St. Joseph Catholic Church, 1889 Prairie Ave. 906-376-8475.
• Grief Support Group—Gwinn. People dealing with grief and loss are encouraged to attend. Individual grief counseling is available. Jan. 8. 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. Jan. 15. 5:30 p.m. Lake Superior Life Care and Hospice, 914 W. Baraga Ave. 906225-7760 or lakesuperiorhospice.org.
• Grief Support Group—Marquette. 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. First and third Thursdays. 3 p.m. Dandelion Cottage Room, Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St. 906-225-4545.
• 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.
• Michigan Tobacco Quit Line. This free quit smoking coaching hotline provides callers with a personal health coach. 800-784-8669.
• 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 p.m. Closed meeting on Fridays, 7:30 p.m. Downstairs Social Room, Marquette Hope First Campus, 111 E. Ridge St. (use Ridge Street entrance).
• 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. Jan. 13 and 16 (email ckbertucci58@charter.net to confirm meeting). 7 p.m. 1025 W. Washington St., Suite C, Marquette. 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. Jan. 9 (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 nicotine-anonymous.org.
• Parkinson’s Support Group. Open to people living with Parkinson’s and their caregivers. Jan. 15. 2 p.m. Marquette Senior Center, 300 W. Spring St. 906-228-0456.
• 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 System–Portage Hospital, 500 Campus Dr. smartrecovery.org.
• SMART Recovery—Marquette (Zoom). Mondays. Noon. Via Zoom. smartrecovery.org.
• 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 necessary. Advanced registration required. Second Tuesday of each month. 2 p.m. 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
