HANCOCK -- Red Tail Ring from Kalamazoo will be playing the Orpheum Theater at the Studio Pizza in Hancock Thursday evening, July 7. Doors open at 7 p.m.
They play great mountain folk music and will be joined by the Copper Country folk music duo Gratiot Lake Road, who play beautiful, harmonic folk music.
"There is a $5 cover, and everything we serve can be eaten during the show!" said Studio Pizza owner Mike Shupe.
For information call 482-5100.
Thursday, July 07, 2011
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Updated: July 9 Marquette Rally to kick off Campaign to Defend Our Water, Stop Eagle Mine
MARQUETTE -- Save the Wild UP (SWUP) and its partner, Water Action Vital Earth (WAVE), are organizing a new campaign to halt development of Rio Tinto / Kennecott's Eagle Mine on the Yellow Dog Plains: the UP Grassroots Campaign to Defend Our Water and Stop the Eagle Mine. They invite all concerned citizens to join them at a kick-off Rally at 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 9, at the County Courthouse in Marquette.
Protesters held a peaceful rally against the Kennecott Eagle Project and sulfide mining on May 6, 2010, at the Marquette County Courthouse. Two groups, Save the Wild UP (SWUP) and Water Action Vital Earth (WAVE), are planning another rally to kick off their new UP Grassroots Campaign to Defend Our Water and Stop the Eagle Mine at 1 p.m. on July 9, 2011, at the Courthouse. (Keweenaw Now file photo)
The Marquette County Courthouse is at 234 West Baraga Ave., Marquette.
Featured speaker will be Laura (Furtman) Gauger of Wisconsin, author of the book, The Buzzards have Landed. Other speakers include Dr. Alan Olson, addressing the importance of water, Jon Magnuson of the Cedar Tree Institute, and longtime activist Scott Rutherford of Hancock.
The purpose of the campaign is to arouse, inspire, and mobilize citizens to make a renewed effort to block the mine. Its specific objective is to convince Governor Snyder to issue an executive order to halt work on the mine and call for a complete third-party impact study (EIS) on every aspect of the Eagle Mine project.
The group requested the Governor in March to take just such action. He refused, diverting their request to the MDEQ (Michigan Department of Environmental Quality), the agency responsible for permitting Kennecott's inadequate mining application.
Gov. Snyder's refusal precipitated this campaign.
Kennecott has publicly stated its intent to blast the mine portal into Eagle Rock, a sacred site of the Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) people, in mid-September.
This photo shows the camp at Eagle Rock, an Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) sacred site, May 25, 2010, just before campers were ordered to leave and Kennecott fenced off access to Eagle Rock. (Keweenaw Now file photo)
The open-ended campaign will begin July 9. While it has a political objective, the campaign will have a spiritual, nonviolent foundation. Members of the group will have an encampment at the mine site near Eagle Rock. They will fast, vigil, do walks and consider other nonviolent means of expressing their distress at the continued development of the mine.
Scott Rutherford, 77, of Hancock, a veteran and member of WAVE, is planning an extended, open-ended fast, beginning July 9.
Scott Rutherford of Hancock, a member of WAVE, announces the July 9 Rally during the July 4, 2011, Horsetail Scramble event at Churning Rapids in Hancock. Rutherford also mentioned his intention to fast as part of the UP Grassroots Campaign to Defend Our Water and Stop the Eagle Mine and passed out brochures about the campaign during this event, which was attended by about 200 people. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)
"The fast is, in part, an appeal to Governor Snyder to reflect on the moral implications of his refusal to call a halt to work on the mine," Rutherford says.
Here are other ways citizens can participate in the Campaign: Call and write Governor Snyder. Visit the SWUP Web site to get information about how and when to contact the Governor and what to say to him.
Everyone of good heart is welcome to participate in all events of the campaign, say the members of WAVE and SWUP. The SWUP site will also be publishing updates on the campaign.
SWUP and WAVE also invite concerned citizens to visit the encampment and vigil and fast with them, help out at the SWUP office in Marquette or donate to the campaign. (See the SWUP Web site for information on donations.)
For more details, click on this letter from SWUP and WAVE.
More mines on the way
The western region of the Upper Peninsula lies in a band of sulfide ore that extends from Ontario across the UP and Wisconsin into Minnesota. It reportedly contains the richest deposits of nickel and copper in North America. They are encased in five billion tons of low-grade rock.
Baraga and southern Houghton County have been extensively explored for nickel and copper ore deposits. Recently Kennecott received a permit to begin exploration in the Ottawa National Forest. Bitterroot Resources also has explored for uranium near Jacobsville.*
*Editor's Notes: Click here for a January 2010 article on Bitterroot's uranium exploration. Bitterroot claims to own 363 square miles of mineral rights in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, mainly in Ontonagon, Houghton, Baraga, and Iron Counties. Read about their interest in copper and nickel in these areas.
Protesters held a peaceful rally against the Kennecott Eagle Project and sulfide mining on May 6, 2010, at the Marquette County Courthouse. Two groups, Save the Wild UP (SWUP) and Water Action Vital Earth (WAVE), are planning another rally to kick off their new UP Grassroots Campaign to Defend Our Water and Stop the Eagle Mine at 1 p.m. on July 9, 2011, at the Courthouse. (Keweenaw Now file photo)The Marquette County Courthouse is at 234 West Baraga Ave., Marquette.
Featured speaker will be Laura (Furtman) Gauger of Wisconsin, author of the book, The Buzzards have Landed. Other speakers include Dr. Alan Olson, addressing the importance of water, Jon Magnuson of the Cedar Tree Institute, and longtime activist Scott Rutherford of Hancock.
Speakers will make the case that the mine poses a clear and present danger to our watersheds of Lake Superior, and to the health of local citizens for generations to come.
WAVE holds that this mine is only the beginning of exploitation, and will lead to water contamination on a scale hitherto unknown in this area.
The purpose of the campaign is to arouse, inspire, and mobilize citizens to make a renewed effort to block the mine. Its specific objective is to convince Governor Snyder to issue an executive order to halt work on the mine and call for a complete third-party impact study (EIS) on every aspect of the Eagle Mine project.
The group requested the Governor in March to take just such action. He refused, diverting their request to the MDEQ (Michigan Department of Environmental Quality), the agency responsible for permitting Kennecott's inadequate mining application.
Gov. Snyder's refusal precipitated this campaign.
Kennecott has publicly stated its intent to blast the mine portal into Eagle Rock, a sacred site of the Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) people, in mid-September.
This photo shows the camp at Eagle Rock, an Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) sacred site, May 25, 2010, just before campers were ordered to leave and Kennecott fenced off access to Eagle Rock. (Keweenaw Now file photo)The open-ended campaign will begin July 9. While it has a political objective, the campaign will have a spiritual, nonviolent foundation. Members of the group will have an encampment at the mine site near Eagle Rock. They will fast, vigil, do walks and consider other nonviolent means of expressing their distress at the continued development of the mine.
Scott Rutherford, 77, of Hancock, a veteran and member of WAVE, is planning an extended, open-ended fast, beginning July 9.
Scott Rutherford of Hancock, a member of WAVE, announces the July 9 Rally during the July 4, 2011, Horsetail Scramble event at Churning Rapids in Hancock. Rutherford also mentioned his intention to fast as part of the UP Grassroots Campaign to Defend Our Water and Stop the Eagle Mine and passed out brochures about the campaign during this event, which was attended by about 200 people. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)"The fast is, in part, an appeal to Governor Snyder to reflect on the moral implications of his refusal to call a halt to work on the mine," Rutherford says.
Here are other ways citizens can participate in the Campaign: Call and write Governor Snyder. Visit the SWUP Web site to get information about how and when to contact the Governor and what to say to him.
Everyone of good heart is welcome to participate in all events of the campaign, say the members of WAVE and SWUP. The SWUP site will also be publishing updates on the campaign.
SWUP and WAVE also invite concerned citizens to visit the encampment and vigil and fast with them, help out at the SWUP office in Marquette or donate to the campaign. (See the SWUP Web site for information on donations.)
For more details, click on this letter from SWUP and WAVE.
More mines on the way
The western region of the Upper Peninsula lies in a band of sulfide ore that extends from Ontario across the UP and Wisconsin into Minnesota. It reportedly contains the richest deposits of nickel and copper in North America. They are encased in five billion tons of low-grade rock.
Baraga and southern Houghton County have been extensively explored for nickel and copper ore deposits. Recently Kennecott received a permit to begin exploration in the Ottawa National Forest. Bitterroot Resources also has explored for uranium near Jacobsville.*
*Editor's Notes: Click here for a January 2010 article on Bitterroot's uranium exploration. Bitterroot claims to own 363 square miles of mineral rights in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, mainly in Ontonagon, Houghton, Baraga, and Iron Counties. Read about their interest in copper and nickel in these areas.
Update: Volunteers still needed for final stages of "Story Line" Installation
Community artist Mary Wright explains her Story Line project, now being displayed inside and around the Rozsa Center, to Michigan Tech students, from left, Faith Lambert, who is working with Michigan Tech's Summer Sports Program, and Summer Youth Program student leaders Karmen Vrooman and Danielle Poma, who stopped to read the story panels on campus last week. Volunteers are needed this week to complete the display. (Keweenaw Now file photo)HOUGHTON -- The final push is on: Community Artist Mary Wright is in the final stages of installing her Story Line project, in preparation for the Pine Mountain Music Festival opera Rockland, which will have its New World Premiere July 15 and 17 at the Rozsa Center in Houghton. The project, the single largest art installation in the history of the State of Michigan, is already taking shape in the Rosza lobby and around the Rosza building and the neighboring Walker Building on the Michigan Tech campus.
Volunteers are needed tomorrow, Wednesday, July 6, to thread panels onto wires (think clothes lines) as part of the Story Line Installation at the Rosza Center. Volunteers are needed for one hour or two hour threading sessions on Wednesday, July 6:
Session 1: 10 a.m. - noon
Session 2: 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Session 3: 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Editor's update: Mary says thanks to those who helped on Wednesday. More volunteers are needed for Thursday and Friday, July 7 and 8. Same schedule as above.
Come to the Rosza Lobby to be put to work. Please indicate how may people are coming by clicking on this link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Storyline
Houghton High School student Tyler Paakola (foreground), originally of Green Bay, Wis., and now living in Tapiola, Mich., and Michigan Tech student Zach Eckert of Battle Creek, Mich., string story panels on lines being hung on the windows of the Rozsa Center lobby for the Story Line project. Both volunteered for several hours last week. (Keweenaw Now file photo)If you are available other times or only for an hour tomorrow, please do come, there will be someone to put you to work. Community art is about the community. Grab two friends and come on over to the Story Line to be a part of it.
Contact Mary Wright for more information at 906-361-5548
Editor's Note: See our July 3 article, "Volunteers needed to help display 'Story Line' project" for more information and photos of the display.
Pine Mountain Music Festival String Octet to perform July 8 in Houghton
HANCOCK -- Pine Mountain Music Festival announces that the PMMF String Octet will give a concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 8, at Grace United Methodist Church in Houghton. Other performances will be in Kingsford on July 6, Ironwood on July 7, and Marquette on July 11. Tickets are $20, or $10 for students and children.
The Pine Mountain Music Festival String Octet musicians are pictured here, top row to bottom row: John Madison, Molly Hughes, Karen Jenks, Caroline Coade, Judith Teasdle, Daniel Thomas, Carrie Pierce, Paul Lundin. Click on photo for larger version. (Photo courtesy Pine Mountain Music Festival)
The octet members are also members of the orchestra for the new opera Rockland, which will premiere Friday, July 15, and Sunday, July 17, at the Rozsa Center in Houghton. The violinists include Karen Jenks of the Ann Arbor, Flint and Saginaw orchestras; Molly Hughes, who plays with Michigan Opera Theatre and the Flint Symphony; Paul Lundin, an Escanaba native who directs the "Strings on the Bay Series" there; and Judith Teasdle, a freelance chamber musician and teacher in Oakland University’s Preparatory Division. Violists are Caroline Coade, who is a member of Detroit Symphony Orchestra and teaches at the University of Michigan and Wayne State University, and John Madison, who is principal violist with Michigan Opera Theatre and substitutes with the Detroit Symphony. Cellists are Carrie Pierce, who is principal cellist with Lansing Symphony Orchestra, and Daniel Thomas, who plays with Detroit Symphony Orchestra and other southeast Michigan orchestras.
Their program includes works by Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky and Mendelssohn. Since the players usually appear as members of full orchestras, they are looking forward to playing as part of a smaller ensemble and performing these chamber works "on their own."
Joshua Major, the Festival’s artistic director, says, "This will be a very dynamic concert; the pieces are masterworks, and the players are superlative musicians."
The Pine Mountain Music Festival String Octet concerts are sponsored by Champion, Inc.
Still to come in the PMMF 2011 season are appearances in Ironwood (July 12) and Calumet (July 14) by Ameriikan Poijat, a Finnish-American brass septet from Minneapolis; and the New World Premiere of Rockland, an opera based on local history, at the Rozsa Center in Houghton on July 15 and 17.
Pine Mountain Music Festival presents a season of opera and classical music each June-July in the Dickinson County area, the Marquette area, the Keweenaw Peninsula, and other towns in the Upper Peninsula. Visit their Web site at www.pmmf.org or call 888-309-7861 for more information. Tickets are also available through the Rozsa Center Box Office (which is operating out of the Student Development Complex on MacInnes Drive), telephone 487-3200.
The Pine Mountain Music Festival String Octet musicians are pictured here, top row to bottom row: John Madison, Molly Hughes, Karen Jenks, Caroline Coade, Judith Teasdle, Daniel Thomas, Carrie Pierce, Paul Lundin. Click on photo for larger version. (Photo courtesy Pine Mountain Music Festival)The octet members are also members of the orchestra for the new opera Rockland, which will premiere Friday, July 15, and Sunday, July 17, at the Rozsa Center in Houghton. The violinists include Karen Jenks of the Ann Arbor, Flint and Saginaw orchestras; Molly Hughes, who plays with Michigan Opera Theatre and the Flint Symphony; Paul Lundin, an Escanaba native who directs the "Strings on the Bay Series" there; and Judith Teasdle, a freelance chamber musician and teacher in Oakland University’s Preparatory Division. Violists are Caroline Coade, who is a member of Detroit Symphony Orchestra and teaches at the University of Michigan and Wayne State University, and John Madison, who is principal violist with Michigan Opera Theatre and substitutes with the Detroit Symphony. Cellists are Carrie Pierce, who is principal cellist with Lansing Symphony Orchestra, and Daniel Thomas, who plays with Detroit Symphony Orchestra and other southeast Michigan orchestras.
Their program includes works by Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky and Mendelssohn. Since the players usually appear as members of full orchestras, they are looking forward to playing as part of a smaller ensemble and performing these chamber works "on their own."
Joshua Major, the Festival’s artistic director, says, "This will be a very dynamic concert; the pieces are masterworks, and the players are superlative musicians."
The Pine Mountain Music Festival String Octet concerts are sponsored by Champion, Inc.
Still to come in the PMMF 2011 season are appearances in Ironwood (July 12) and Calumet (July 14) by Ameriikan Poijat, a Finnish-American brass septet from Minneapolis; and the New World Premiere of Rockland, an opera based on local history, at the Rozsa Center in Houghton on July 15 and 17.
Pine Mountain Music Festival presents a season of opera and classical music each June-July in the Dickinson County area, the Marquette area, the Keweenaw Peninsula, and other towns in the Upper Peninsula. Visit their Web site at www.pmmf.org or call 888-309-7861 for more information. Tickets are also available through the Rozsa Center Box Office (which is operating out of the Student Development Complex on MacInnes Drive), telephone 487-3200.
Register now for Gratiot Lake Conservancy's Dragonfly, Aquatic Plant workshops
GRATIOT LAKE -- A few spots are still available in two August workshops sponsored by the Gratiot Lake Conservancy (GLC): the Aug. 13, 2011, Dragonfly / Damselfly Workshop and the Aug. 20-21 Aquatic Plant Workshop. Advance registration and payment are required to reserve a place.
Dragonfly / Damselfly Workshop
Click on photos for larger versions. (Photo © and courtesy Jim Hay of Gratiot Lake Conservancy. Reprinted with permission.)
A Beginners' Workshop on Dragonflies and Damselflies will be led by amateur odonotist Bob Marr from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 13, at GLC's Noblet Field Station and nature sanctuary, Gratiot Lake.
Learn identification, safe capture and release, and observation of these "winged dragons" and "neon toothpicks."
The class will be held mostly outside. The workshop is suitable for adults and children 11 and older accompanied by an adult.
Advance registration and payment are required to reserve a place. Click here to fill out the Enrollment Form and please send with a check for the $20 fee ($15 GLC members) made out to "Gratiot Lake Conservancy" to Gratiot Lake Conservancy, P.O. Box 310, Mohawk, MI 49950.
Aquatic Plant Workshop
Are you a fisheries biologist, botanist, environmental consultant, biological technician, aquatic biologist, extension agent, college student, etc., who would like to improve your knowledge of aquatic plant identification? If so, be sure to sign up for GLC's two-day Aquatic Plant Workshop to be led by botanist Janet Marr from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 20, and Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011, near Eagle Harbor, Mich.
Botanist Janet Marr (foreground) leads an Aquatic Plant Workshop in 2007. (Photo © and courtesy Gratiot Lake Conservancy. Reprinted with permission.)
This class will also be useful to volunteer monitors or lake association members interested in learning how to identify aquatic plants and invasive species in order to protect healthy ecosystems in inland lakes.
Space is limited and advance enrollment is required. The fee for this two-day workshop is $70 ($55 for Gratiot Lake Conservancy members). To enroll, complete the enrollment form and send with a check made out to "Gratiot Lake Conservancy" to Gratiot Lake Conservancy, PO Box 310, Mohawk MI 49950.
Click here for more details on the Aquatic Plant Workshop.
A Janet Avery Scholarship is available for each of these workshops To apply, email Bonnie Hay at belh@verizon.net. Please put the name of the workshop in the subject line. In the body of the message include your name, contact information, affiliation, why you would like to attend the workshop, and how you intend to use what you learn in your work, studies, or teaching.
Eaglet at Gratiot Lake
2011 Gratiot Lake Eaglet in early June. (Photo © 2011 and courtesy Jim Hay of Gratiot Lake Conservancy. Reprinted with permission.)
Eagles have returned to the nest on Gratiot Lake once again, and an eaglet now resides there. Photos and videos are now available on the GLC Web site.
In early June, there always seemed to be an adult in the nest or on a tree limb next to the nest. Now, although one of the adults can usually be heard nearby, the eaglet spends hours on its own watching, sleeping, preening its fancy new feathers, flapping its quickly developing wings, or crying to be fed. Early in June the eaglet seemed to spend much time sleeping, and it could be seen napping in various locations in the nest.
Click here for Jim Hay's great photos and videos of the eaglet (You can even watch the eagle feeding the baby!) and more info ...
Dragonfly / Damselfly Workshop
Click on photos for larger versions. (Photo © and courtesy Jim Hay of Gratiot Lake Conservancy. Reprinted with permission.)A Beginners' Workshop on Dragonflies and Damselflies will be led by amateur odonotist Bob Marr from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 13, at GLC's Noblet Field Station and nature sanctuary, Gratiot Lake.
Learn identification, safe capture and release, and observation of these "winged dragons" and "neon toothpicks."
The class will be held mostly outside. The workshop is suitable for adults and children 11 and older accompanied by an adult.
Advance registration and payment are required to reserve a place. Click here to fill out the Enrollment Form and please send with a check for the $20 fee ($15 GLC members) made out to "Gratiot Lake Conservancy" to Gratiot Lake Conservancy, P.O. Box 310, Mohawk, MI 49950.
Aquatic Plant Workshop
Are you a fisheries biologist, botanist, environmental consultant, biological technician, aquatic biologist, extension agent, college student, etc., who would like to improve your knowledge of aquatic plant identification? If so, be sure to sign up for GLC's two-day Aquatic Plant Workshop to be led by botanist Janet Marr from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 20, and Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011, near Eagle Harbor, Mich.
Botanist Janet Marr (foreground) leads an Aquatic Plant Workshop in 2007. (Photo © and courtesy Gratiot Lake Conservancy. Reprinted with permission.)This class will also be useful to volunteer monitors or lake association members interested in learning how to identify aquatic plants and invasive species in order to protect healthy ecosystems in inland lakes.
Space is limited and advance enrollment is required. The fee for this two-day workshop is $70 ($55 for Gratiot Lake Conservancy members). To enroll, complete the enrollment form and send with a check made out to "Gratiot Lake Conservancy" to Gratiot Lake Conservancy, PO Box 310, Mohawk MI 49950.
Click here for more details on the Aquatic Plant Workshop.
A Janet Avery Scholarship is available for each of these workshops To apply, email Bonnie Hay at belh@verizon.net. Please put the name of the workshop in the subject line. In the body of the message include your name, contact information, affiliation, why you would like to attend the workshop, and how you intend to use what you learn in your work, studies, or teaching.
Eaglet at Gratiot Lake
2011 Gratiot Lake Eaglet in early June. (Photo © 2011 and courtesy Jim Hay of Gratiot Lake Conservancy. Reprinted with permission.) Eagles have returned to the nest on Gratiot Lake once again, and an eaglet now resides there. Photos and videos are now available on the GLC Web site.
In early June, there always seemed to be an adult in the nest or on a tree limb next to the nest. Now, although one of the adults can usually be heard nearby, the eaglet spends hours on its own watching, sleeping, preening its fancy new feathers, flapping its quickly developing wings, or crying to be fed. Early in June the eaglet seemed to spend much time sleeping, and it could be seen napping in various locations in the nest.
Click here for Jim Hay's great photos and videos of the eaglet (You can even watch the eagle feeding the baby!) and more info ...
Monday, July 04, 2011
Club Indigo to feature Miscowaubik Club buffet with film July 8
CALUMET -- The Miscowaubik Club in Calumet has announced this menu for the Club Indigo buffet on Friday, July 8, at the Calumet Theatre:
Herb roasted pork loin with mushroom marsala sauce
Grilled Atlantic orange teriyaki salmon (The chef may go with a different sauce.)
Fresh vegetable medley
Roasted garlic Yukon Gold potatoes
New York cheese cake
If you're familiar with the club, you already know this will be a banner buffet. It begins at 6 p.m., with the film 12 ANGRY MEN following at 7:15 p.m. With Henry Fonda in the lead of 11 other Hollywood classic actors, this suspenseful jury film is the dark horse of the year, absolutely stunning in its cast, direction, and creation of a dozen believably fleshed-out characters. See the movie and you'll never forget it!
Cost for buffet and film, $18. Film alone, $5. Special reduction for kids, who find this movie fascinating. Call the Calumet Theatre at least a day in advance for the buffet: 337-2610.
The Mariner North, Copper Harbor, and the Magnuson Hotel, Houghton, sponsor the film.
Herb roasted pork loin with mushroom marsala sauce
Grilled Atlantic orange teriyaki salmon (The chef may go with a different sauce.)
Fresh vegetable medley
Roasted garlic Yukon Gold potatoes
New York cheese cake
If you're familiar with the club, you already know this will be a banner buffet. It begins at 6 p.m., with the film 12 ANGRY MEN following at 7:15 p.m. With Henry Fonda in the lead of 11 other Hollywood classic actors, this suspenseful jury film is the dark horse of the year, absolutely stunning in its cast, direction, and creation of a dozen believably fleshed-out characters. See the movie and you'll never forget it!
Cost for buffet and film, $18. Film alone, $5. Special reduction for kids, who find this movie fascinating. Call the Calumet Theatre at least a day in advance for the buffet: 337-2610.
The Mariner North, Copper Harbor, and the Magnuson Hotel, Houghton, sponsor the film.
Seaman Mineral Museum to open in new facility July 5
HOUGHTON -- The A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum is opening in its new facility at 1404 E. Sharon Avenue (just east of Garnet Street on Sharon across from the ATDC) at 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 5.
The Beauty of Minerals gallery and the gift shop are open, and the complete Copper Country gallery will open by about mid-July. These two galleries will provide a glimpse of the new museum, as they represent only about 20 percent of the total exhibit space.
In October additional galleries will be open to the public; the exhibit space will be completely open by May 2012. The museum will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, from July 5 to mid-October. Visit now for a glimpse inside the new facility and again as more exhibits open up.
The Beauty of Minerals gallery and the gift shop are open, and the complete Copper Country gallery will open by about mid-July. These two galleries will provide a glimpse of the new museum, as they represent only about 20 percent of the total exhibit space.
In October additional galleries will be open to the public; the exhibit space will be completely open by May 2012. The museum will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, from July 5 to mid-October. Visit now for a glimpse inside the new facility and again as more exhibits open up.
Sunday, July 03, 2011
Portage Library to host two programs July 7
HOUGHTON -- The Portage Lake District Library will host two events on Thursday, July 7.
The first -- just for kids -- is part of a series of summer programs about Isle Royale at the library.
From 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Isle Royale National Park rangers Lori Honrath and Katie Donovan will present "Sounds of Isle Royale National Park." Children will listen to the sounds of Isle Royale where animals and humans are communicating in their own special ways. They will learn to identify some of the common "voices" from the forests and lakes of Isle Royale and play "sound" bingo. There will be skulls, skins, and silhouettes of animals whose "voices" they will learn.
At 6:30 p.m. the Portage Lake District Library and the Keweenaw Co-op will co-host a screening of the documentary The Dark Side of Chocolate in the community room at the library.
The Dark Side of Chocolate reveals shocking evidence that child and forced labor continue in the cocoa fields for millions of children, nearly a decade after major players in the cocoa industry promised to resolve the problem. This 2010 documentary exposes the ongoing use of child labor, forced labor, and trafficking in the cocoa industry in West Africa. Screenings of the film are taking place nationwide to send one clear message to the chocolate industry: abusive child labor and trafficking in the cocoa industry will not be tolerated.
A discussion will follow the film, and visitors will have a chance to eat samples of Fair Trade chocolates made by small companies that show it is possible to eliminate forced labor and child labor from the production of chocolate.
All library programs are free and everyone is welcome. For more information, please call the library at 482-4570 or visit www.pldl.org.
The first -- just for kids -- is part of a series of summer programs about Isle Royale at the library.
From 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Isle Royale National Park rangers Lori Honrath and Katie Donovan will present "Sounds of Isle Royale National Park." Children will listen to the sounds of Isle Royale where animals and humans are communicating in their own special ways. They will learn to identify some of the common "voices" from the forests and lakes of Isle Royale and play "sound" bingo. There will be skulls, skins, and silhouettes of animals whose "voices" they will learn.
At 6:30 p.m. the Portage Lake District Library and the Keweenaw Co-op will co-host a screening of the documentary The Dark Side of Chocolate in the community room at the library.
The Dark Side of Chocolate reveals shocking evidence that child and forced labor continue in the cocoa fields for millions of children, nearly a decade after major players in the cocoa industry promised to resolve the problem. This 2010 documentary exposes the ongoing use of child labor, forced labor, and trafficking in the cocoa industry in West Africa. Screenings of the film are taking place nationwide to send one clear message to the chocolate industry: abusive child labor and trafficking in the cocoa industry will not be tolerated.
A discussion will follow the film, and visitors will have a chance to eat samples of Fair Trade chocolates made by small companies that show it is possible to eliminate forced labor and child labor from the production of chocolate.
All library programs are free and everyone is welcome. For more information, please call the library at 482-4570 or visit www.pldl.org.
Volunteers needed to help display "Story Line" project
By Michele Bourdieu
Artist Mary Wright's Story Line community art project is now being displayed in and around the Rozsa Center. Michigan Tech students Karmen Vrooman, left, of Lansing and Danielle Poma of Durand, Mich., walking near the Rozsa, stop to read stories on the cloth panels. Both are working at Michigan Tech's Summer Youth Program. (Photos by Keweenaw Now)
HOUGHTON -- Michigan Tech students Karmen Vrooman of Lansing and Danielle Poma of Durand, Mich., both involved with the Michigan Tech Summer Youth Program, happened to be walking near the Rozsa Center on campus one sunny afternoon last week when the Story Line Project cloth panels hanging outside the Rozsa caught their attention. As they stopped to read some of the stories, community artist Mary Wright, who directs the project, just happened to come along, saw they were curious and explained to them the purpose of the Story Line, an art and history project related to the coming Pine Mountain Music Festival opera Rockland.
One of the story panels, written by a student from Washington Middle School in Calumet, tells the story of Edmond Koskiniemi of Allouez, born in 1909, who worked as a miner for Calumet and Hecla. (Click on photos for larger versions.)
With the help of volunteers, Wright had been working all day -- for several days -- to accomplish the daunting task of hanging more than 7,000 of these cloth panels created from stories that Upper Peninsula residents -- men, women and children -- have written about ancestors who faced adversity in the past. Many of the panels have historic photos or images related to their stories.
Soon Michigan Tech student Faith Lambert of Dryden, Mich., joined the group to hear Wright recite her favorite story -- about Anna Podnar, the Croatian immigrant grandmother of Kendra Turpeinen of Chassell, who wrote the story.
Artist Mary Wright, holding her hat in the wind, explains her Story Line project, now being displayed inside and around the Rozsa Center, to Michigan Tech students, from left, Faith Lambert, who is working with Michigan Tech's Summer Sports Program, and Summer Youth Program student leaders Karmen Vrooman and Danielle Poma.
"I like this kind of stuff," Lambert said of the community art project. "It's nice to see this on campus."
Mary invited the students to volunteer in the coming week or to spread the word about her need for volunteers to help hang the panels in and around the Rozsa Center in preparation for the Pine Mountain Music Festival's New World Premiere of the opera Rockland, by Finnish composer Jukka Linkola. The opera, which will be performed at the Rozsa Center July 15 and 17, tells the story of a 1906 Upper Peninsula copper miners' strike, during which two miners were killed.
The project is being funded by the Michigan Humanities Council, but many volunteers are needed now to help with stringing the stories on clotheslines, clipping the stories to the lines, cutting the lines and hanging them from a ladder or tying them to trees on campus.
"It's a labor-intensive process," Wright noted. "Many hands make light work."
In fact, Wright said anyone is welcome to volunteer for any amount of time they can give -- even 15 minutes.
Inside the Rozsa lobby volunteers were busy organizing, taking inventory and stringing the cloth panels to plastic clotheslines for hanging both inside and outside the building.
Mary Wright gives her "thumbs-up" gesture for the progress being made on the Story Line project -- more than 7,000 cloth panels with stories of ancestors -- now being hung for the display in and around the Rozsa Center in preparation for the opera Rockland. Pictured with her are volunteers Jo Lorichon of Hancock, left, and Alice Jarvi of Atlantic Mine.
Alice Jarvi of Atlantic Mine, who calls herself Mary Wright's "associate," said she had already put in 300 hours just in the month of June helping with the project.
"Whatever Mary says, I don't say anything -- I just do it," Jarvi said.
Jarvi noted seeing the final results in the Rozsa -- story panels covering the windows -- helped her understand all the work was rewarding and all the cloth panels would be used.
Jo Lorichon of Hancock had also put in many hours as a volunteer.
"When people experience this, it isn't just a single experience," Lorichon said. "It involves memories, inspiration, emotion -- and it ties everybody together because they all feel the same way."
Volunteers Anne Patrick of Hancock and Michigan Tech student Zach Eckert of Battle Creek, Mich., string story panels on plastic lines for hanging in the Rozsa Center lobby.
Anne Patrick of Hancock, who was stringing panels on the very long lines for hanging, said she started volunteering for the project by sewing the panels.
"They were all hemmed on three sides to get a solid border and so we can string them on the lines. It's a lot sturdier than using clothespins," Patrick explained. "On and off, whenever I can, I'll come over and help."
Patrick said one challenge is to keep working without being distracted by the stories themselves.
"You've really got to stop yourself from reading the stories while we're putting them on or we'd never get anything done," Patrick said. "The stories are so fascinating."
Michigan Tech student Zach Eckert of Battle Creek, who is studying chemical engineering, worked with a steady rhythm stringing panels on one of the lines.
Asked why he volunteered, Eckert said, "I was walking by, and they asked for some help."
Houghton High School student Tyler Paakola, originally of Green Bay and now living in Tapiola, was learning about the local history through a real "hands-on" experience.
Houghton High School student Tyler Paakola, originally of Green Bay, Wis., and now living in Tapiola, Mich., strings story panels on lines to be hung on the windows of the Rozsa Center lobby for the Story Line project. Doing the same, in the background, is Michigan Tech student Zach Eckert of Battle Creek, Mich. Both volunteered for several hours last week.
"My Mom volunteered me," Paakola said.
He had already been helping Wright for six hours that day.
Along with the story panels, the following inspirational sayings are spelled out across the Rozsa lobby windows: "There are heroes everywhere and stories to be told and passed on," and "You are alive as long as your stories are told."
Story panels are interspersed with historic photos of the period, like this one depicting striking workers.
Anyone with a few minutes, an hour or more to volunteer is invited to drop at the Rozsa to help today or any day this week except Monday, July 4. It's best to call Mary Wright first at (906) 361-5548.
Read more about the Story Line project, including some examples of individual stories, on the Story Line Web site.
Note: See also our previous story and video of artist Mary Wright, speaking about the project at Portage Lake District Library, "'Story Line' community art, history project exhibited in conjunction with 'Rockland' opera," posted June 21, 2011.
To order tickets for the opera Rockland, click here.
Artist Mary Wright's Story Line community art project is now being displayed in and around the Rozsa Center. Michigan Tech students Karmen Vrooman, left, of Lansing and Danielle Poma of Durand, Mich., walking near the Rozsa, stop to read stories on the cloth panels. Both are working at Michigan Tech's Summer Youth Program. (Photos by Keweenaw Now)HOUGHTON -- Michigan Tech students Karmen Vrooman of Lansing and Danielle Poma of Durand, Mich., both involved with the Michigan Tech Summer Youth Program, happened to be walking near the Rozsa Center on campus one sunny afternoon last week when the Story Line Project cloth panels hanging outside the Rozsa caught their attention. As they stopped to read some of the stories, community artist Mary Wright, who directs the project, just happened to come along, saw they were curious and explained to them the purpose of the Story Line, an art and history project related to the coming Pine Mountain Music Festival opera Rockland.
One of the story panels, written by a student from Washington Middle School in Calumet, tells the story of Edmond Koskiniemi of Allouez, born in 1909, who worked as a miner for Calumet and Hecla. (Click on photos for larger versions.)With the help of volunteers, Wright had been working all day -- for several days -- to accomplish the daunting task of hanging more than 7,000 of these cloth panels created from stories that Upper Peninsula residents -- men, women and children -- have written about ancestors who faced adversity in the past. Many of the panels have historic photos or images related to their stories.
Soon Michigan Tech student Faith Lambert of Dryden, Mich., joined the group to hear Wright recite her favorite story -- about Anna Podnar, the Croatian immigrant grandmother of Kendra Turpeinen of Chassell, who wrote the story.
Artist Mary Wright, holding her hat in the wind, explains her Story Line project, now being displayed inside and around the Rozsa Center, to Michigan Tech students, from left, Faith Lambert, who is working with Michigan Tech's Summer Sports Program, and Summer Youth Program student leaders Karmen Vrooman and Danielle Poma."I like this kind of stuff," Lambert said of the community art project. "It's nice to see this on campus."
Mary invited the students to volunteer in the coming week or to spread the word about her need for volunteers to help hang the panels in and around the Rozsa Center in preparation for the Pine Mountain Music Festival's New World Premiere of the opera Rockland, by Finnish composer Jukka Linkola. The opera, which will be performed at the Rozsa Center July 15 and 17, tells the story of a 1906 Upper Peninsula copper miners' strike, during which two miners were killed.
The project is being funded by the Michigan Humanities Council, but many volunteers are needed now to help with stringing the stories on clotheslines, clipping the stories to the lines, cutting the lines and hanging them from a ladder or tying them to trees on campus.
"It's a labor-intensive process," Wright noted. "Many hands make light work."
In fact, Wright said anyone is welcome to volunteer for any amount of time they can give -- even 15 minutes.
Inside the Rozsa lobby volunteers were busy organizing, taking inventory and stringing the cloth panels to plastic clotheslines for hanging both inside and outside the building.
Mary Wright gives her "thumbs-up" gesture for the progress being made on the Story Line project -- more than 7,000 cloth panels with stories of ancestors -- now being hung for the display in and around the Rozsa Center in preparation for the opera Rockland. Pictured with her are volunteers Jo Lorichon of Hancock, left, and Alice Jarvi of Atlantic Mine.Alice Jarvi of Atlantic Mine, who calls herself Mary Wright's "associate," said she had already put in 300 hours just in the month of June helping with the project.
"Whatever Mary says, I don't say anything -- I just do it," Jarvi said.
Jarvi noted seeing the final results in the Rozsa -- story panels covering the windows -- helped her understand all the work was rewarding and all the cloth panels would be used.
Jo Lorichon of Hancock had also put in many hours as a volunteer.
"When people experience this, it isn't just a single experience," Lorichon said. "It involves memories, inspiration, emotion -- and it ties everybody together because they all feel the same way."
Volunteers Anne Patrick of Hancock and Michigan Tech student Zach Eckert of Battle Creek, Mich., string story panels on plastic lines for hanging in the Rozsa Center lobby. Anne Patrick of Hancock, who was stringing panels on the very long lines for hanging, said she started volunteering for the project by sewing the panels.
"They were all hemmed on three sides to get a solid border and so we can string them on the lines. It's a lot sturdier than using clothespins," Patrick explained. "On and off, whenever I can, I'll come over and help."
Patrick said one challenge is to keep working without being distracted by the stories themselves.
"You've really got to stop yourself from reading the stories while we're putting them on or we'd never get anything done," Patrick said. "The stories are so fascinating."
Michigan Tech student Zach Eckert of Battle Creek, who is studying chemical engineering, worked with a steady rhythm stringing panels on one of the lines.
Asked why he volunteered, Eckert said, "I was walking by, and they asked for some help."
Houghton High School student Tyler Paakola, originally of Green Bay and now living in Tapiola, was learning about the local history through a real "hands-on" experience.
Houghton High School student Tyler Paakola, originally of Green Bay, Wis., and now living in Tapiola, Mich., strings story panels on lines to be hung on the windows of the Rozsa Center lobby for the Story Line project. Doing the same, in the background, is Michigan Tech student Zach Eckert of Battle Creek, Mich. Both volunteered for several hours last week. "My Mom volunteered me," Paakola said.
He had already been helping Wright for six hours that day.
Along with the story panels, the following inspirational sayings are spelled out across the Rozsa lobby windows: "There are heroes everywhere and stories to be told and passed on," and "You are alive as long as your stories are told."
Story panels are interspersed with historic photos of the period, like this one depicting striking workers. Anyone with a few minutes, an hour or more to volunteer is invited to drop at the Rozsa to help today or any day this week except Monday, July 4. It's best to call Mary Wright first at (906) 361-5548.
Read more about the Story Line project, including some examples of individual stories, on the Story Line Web site.
Note: See also our previous story and video of artist Mary Wright, speaking about the project at Portage Lake District Library, "'Story Line' community art, history project exhibited in conjunction with 'Rockland' opera," posted June 21, 2011.
To order tickets for the opera Rockland, click here.
Saturday, July 02, 2011
Friends of Calumet Library holding Used Book Sale July 2
CALUMET -- Friends of the Calumet Public Library are holding a Used Book Sale from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 2, in the CLK Multi-Purpose Room, located down the hall from the library. The sale is open to the public. Proceeds of this annual fundraiser go to support efforts of the Friends of the Calumet Public Library. When entering the building from the library parking lot, turn left and the multi-purpose room will be a few feet down the hall on your left.
Proceeds from this fundraiser go to sponsor library services and programs not provided for by the general library budget. In 2010-2011, funds were used to purchase large print books, a cart to assist in delivering books to elders in the community, many new titles for the children’s collection including board and picture books, novels for middle readers, as well as non-fiction titles for middle school, high school, and adult patrons. Funding also supports multiple titles for the Red Jacket Readers book club, and helps bring evening programs to the library throughout the year. This event is scheduled during Calumet’s PastyFest celebration -- family fun for everyone -- another reason to enjoy the day’s festivities!
For more information, visit the library or call 337-0311 ext. 1107.
Proceeds from this fundraiser go to sponsor library services and programs not provided for by the general library budget. In 2010-2011, funds were used to purchase large print books, a cart to assist in delivering books to elders in the community, many new titles for the children’s collection including board and picture books, novels for middle readers, as well as non-fiction titles for middle school, high school, and adult patrons. Funding also supports multiple titles for the Red Jacket Readers book club, and helps bring evening programs to the library throughout the year. This event is scheduled during Calumet’s PastyFest celebration -- family fun for everyone -- another reason to enjoy the day’s festivities!
For more information, visit the library or call 337-0311 ext. 1107.
Friday, July 01, 2011
Recall Rick Snyder petition signing to be available in Calumet July 1-2, Houghton July 9
HANCOCK -- Petition signing for the campaign to recall Governor Rick Snyder will be available in Calumet Friday, July 1, and Saturday, July 2, during PastyFest, and Saturday, July 9, in Houghton.
During the June 26 petition signing at the Orpheum Theater in Hancock, Krissy Sundstrom, right, BHK (Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw) County captain with the Committee to Recall Rick Snyder, explains petition gathering procedures to new volunteers Nancy Barbour, left, of Hubbell and Davison, Mich., and Mary Kay Du Temple of Bootjack. (Photos by Keweenaw Now)
Volunteers will be walking near the Farmers and Artisans Market that opens at 4 p.m. today, Friday, July 1. Watch for their sign and official lapel tags beginning around 5 p.m. They may also be circulating on Fifth Street during the First Friday art exhibit openings this evening.
On Saturday, July 2, the petition volunteers will be on the sidewalk near the restroom building in Agassiz Park from noon to 1 p.m. during PastyFest.*
Another petition signing event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 9, at Veterans' Park in Houghton. In case of rain it will be held at the UAW (United Auto Workers) Office at 509 Shelden Ave. in Houghton.
Krissy Sundstrom, BHK (Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw) County captain with the Committee to Recall Rick Snyder, said on June 26 that the committee had collected about 600 signatures in the Copper Country so far.
Volunteer Sean Clancey said he collected more than 100 signatures last weekend at the Firemen's Tournament in South Range.
"I went up and down Trimountain Avenue from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.," Clancy said.
Sundstrom, who joined Clancey for a short time in South Range and collected about 40 more signatures there, said the Adams Township people have been especially supportive of the recall effort.
Volunteer Stephanie Kajpust of Dollar Bay joined Sundstrom and Clancey at the Orpheum Theater in Hancock, on June 26 to help with the petition signing.
"I feel pretty strongly about this," Kajpust said. "I work in the school system so it's a pretty big issue for me."
Benjamin Bandt-Horn of Ripley, riding his bike through Hancock, stopped at the Orpheum Theater to sign the petition. He noted his support for unions as one reason he was signing the petition against the Michigan governor, whose policies are opposed by many union members in the state.
Benjamin Bandt-Horn of Ripley signs the petition to recall Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder during the petition signing event at the Orpheum Theater in Hancock last Sunday, June 26. At left is volunteer Sean Clancey, who collected more than 100 signatures in South Range last weekend. Krissy Sundstrom, right, BHK (Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw) County captain with the Committee to Recall Rick Snyder, has been organizing the Copper Country petition signing effort. In the background, volunteer Stephanie Kajpust of Dollar Bay welcomes people arriving at the theater for the event.
"I would say that public workers aren't necessarily the best example of the need to organize," Bandt-Horn noted, "but when you consider something like mining the need is obvious and essential. I think unions are the only way workers can be on an equal footing with government and corporations."
Ariel of Houghton, who also signed the petition at the Orpheum event, gave another reason for supporting the Recall Rick Snyder effort.
"He's greedy. He's selfish. He's a dictator," she said.
Any Michigan registered voter can sign the petition at the local signing events. It is not necessary to be a resident of a local county.
*Editor's Note: The Recall Rick Snyder petition signing events are not officially related to the PastyFest, the Farmers and Artisans Market or the Orpheum Theater. Sundstrom has confirmed that the local petition signing effort has received solicitation approval from the Keweenaw Chamber of Commerce. This covers the Houghton, Hancock, and Calumet areas.
During the June 26 petition signing at the Orpheum Theater in Hancock, Krissy Sundstrom, right, BHK (Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw) County captain with the Committee to Recall Rick Snyder, explains petition gathering procedures to new volunteers Nancy Barbour, left, of Hubbell and Davison, Mich., and Mary Kay Du Temple of Bootjack. (Photos by Keweenaw Now)Volunteers will be walking near the Farmers and Artisans Market that opens at 4 p.m. today, Friday, July 1. Watch for their sign and official lapel tags beginning around 5 p.m. They may also be circulating on Fifth Street during the First Friday art exhibit openings this evening.
On Saturday, July 2, the petition volunteers will be on the sidewalk near the restroom building in Agassiz Park from noon to 1 p.m. during PastyFest.*
Another petition signing event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 9, at Veterans' Park in Houghton. In case of rain it will be held at the UAW (United Auto Workers) Office at 509 Shelden Ave. in Houghton.
Krissy Sundstrom, BHK (Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw) County captain with the Committee to Recall Rick Snyder, said on June 26 that the committee had collected about 600 signatures in the Copper Country so far.
Volunteer Sean Clancey said he collected more than 100 signatures last weekend at the Firemen's Tournament in South Range.
"I went up and down Trimountain Avenue from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.," Clancy said.
Sundstrom, who joined Clancey for a short time in South Range and collected about 40 more signatures there, said the Adams Township people have been especially supportive of the recall effort.
Volunteer Stephanie Kajpust of Dollar Bay joined Sundstrom and Clancey at the Orpheum Theater in Hancock, on June 26 to help with the petition signing.
"I feel pretty strongly about this," Kajpust said. "I work in the school system so it's a pretty big issue for me."
Benjamin Bandt-Horn of Ripley, riding his bike through Hancock, stopped at the Orpheum Theater to sign the petition. He noted his support for unions as one reason he was signing the petition against the Michigan governor, whose policies are opposed by many union members in the state.
Benjamin Bandt-Horn of Ripley signs the petition to recall Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder during the petition signing event at the Orpheum Theater in Hancock last Sunday, June 26. At left is volunteer Sean Clancey, who collected more than 100 signatures in South Range last weekend. Krissy Sundstrom, right, BHK (Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw) County captain with the Committee to Recall Rick Snyder, has been organizing the Copper Country petition signing effort. In the background, volunteer Stephanie Kajpust of Dollar Bay welcomes people arriving at the theater for the event. "I would say that public workers aren't necessarily the best example of the need to organize," Bandt-Horn noted, "but when you consider something like mining the need is obvious and essential. I think unions are the only way workers can be on an equal footing with government and corporations."
Ariel of Houghton, who also signed the petition at the Orpheum event, gave another reason for supporting the Recall Rick Snyder effort.
"He's greedy. He's selfish. He's a dictator," she said.
Any Michigan registered voter can sign the petition at the local signing events. It is not necessary to be a resident of a local county.
*Editor's Note: The Recall Rick Snyder petition signing events are not officially related to the PastyFest, the Farmers and Artisans Market or the Orpheum Theater. Sundstrom has confirmed that the local petition signing effort has received solicitation approval from the Keweenaw Chamber of Commerce. This covers the Houghton, Hancock, and Calumet areas.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
