15th Annual Sibelius Academy Music Festival to feature accordionist, jazz/folk ensemble Sept. 22-27

HANCOCK --  Finlandia University will present the 15th annual Sibelius Academy Music Festival from Sunday, Sept. 22, to Friday, Sept. 27, 2013, in metropolitan Chicago and the western Upper Peninsula.

This year’s festival features classical/contemporary accordionist Ari Lehtonen, a doctoral student at the Sibelius Academy. Ari’s performance program includes the keyboard music of J.S. Bach, works by contemporary Finnish composers, and compositions by Argentine nuevo tango composer Ástor Piazzolla (1921-1992).

Ari Lehtonen, accordionist, will perform classical and contemporary music at this year's Sibelius Academy Music Festival. (Photos courtesy Finlandia University)

Lehtonen has performed as a soloist with the Tapiola Sinfonietta, the Finnish RSO, and the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra. He has held recitals in Finland, Russia, Spain, Serbia, and Venezuela. In 2007, in Spain, he was awarded first prize in the prestigious Arrasate Hiria accordion competition. He has premiered works by contemporary Finnish composers Tiina Myllärinen and Mikko Nisula.

"I come from a family of non-musicians, but where music was always appreciated, supported, and many kinds of it listened to," Lehtonen says. "My grandfather played the accordion in a dance band and he was my very first inspiration to start playing. When I was a kid, it was of course very nice to play together with him."

The focus of Lehtonen’s doctoral studies is Bach’s keyboard music.

"As an institution, Sibelius Academy is of course full of history and prestige, and it was one of the first university level schools where classical accordion could be studied," Lehtonen notes. "The school has some of the best teachers in the world, so it is really a privilege to be able to study there."

The festival also features the ensemble "August Saarinen and Vuolas Virta," a jazz/folk quintet that pays tribute to the "king of Finnish tango" Olavi Virta (1915-1972). The musicians are Joonas Mikkilä, Juho Vanamo, Matias Mäntyranta, Miiko Renfors, and Joonas Tuhkanen.

The ensemble "August Saarinen and Vuolas Virta" will perform jazz and folk music at the Sibelius Academy Music Festival.

Juho Vanamo, aka August Saarinen, was born in Turku, Finland, in 1988. He started playing piano at age eight.

"My older brother was my inspiration to take up singing, and my parents gently forced me to take up piano lessons when I was younger," Vanamo says. "Nowadays, I feel really grateful for that. It’s wonderful to have an opportunity to do what you do best, and make a living out of it, too."

Vanamo graduated from Turku Conservatory in 2009, majoring in classical piano with a minor in classical singing. In 2010, he began studying music education at the Sibelius Academy, where he met most of his fellow players in August Saarinen and Vuolas Virta.

The members of the folk/jazz quintet, August Saarinen and Vuolus Virta, all agree that the Sibelius Academy is a "status symbol" for a good musician in Finland. "When you introduce yourself as a Sibelius student, it’s 'guaranteed' that you really can play," they collectively note.

The festival’s series of concerts and events begins Sunday, Sept. 22, with an afternoon performance of both acts at the Estonian House of Chicago, Riverwoods, Ill.

On Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 1:15 p.m., the students at Negaunee (Michigan) High School will enjoy a special Sibelius Festival performance in the high school’s auditorium. The concert is open to the public; tickets are $5.

At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24, a free Meet the Musicians event will be presented at the Finnish American Heritage Center, Hancock. The musicians will discuss their lives as musicians and present informal performances.

On Thursday, Sept. 26, at 2 p.m., accordionist Ari Lehtonen will present a concert at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Hancock. A freewill offering at the concert will benefit Finlandia University music programs.

Also on Thursday, Sept. 26, the first-ever Sibelius Festival folk dance starts at 7 p.m. at the Finnish American Heritage Center. The dance features live music by the festival musicians. Tickets are $10; Finlandia students attend free.

The final concert is at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27, at the Calumet Theatre. Both the accordionist and the jazz/folk quintet will present performances. Tickets are $15; $5 for students; Finlandia students attend free.

Concert and event tickets are available at North Wind Books, Hancock; online at http://finlandia-university.ticketleap.com; and at the door prior to the performances.

For more information, call 906-487-7250 or visit www.finlandia.edu/sibelius.

WUPPDR to hold Annual Meeting Sept. 30 in Ironwood

HOUGHTON -- The Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region (WUPPDR) will hold its 45th Annual Meeting at Tacconelli's, 215 S. Suffolk St., Ironwood, on Monday, Sept. 30. 

WUPPDR's regular business meeting will take place at 4:30 pm (CST). A buffet dinner ($15 charge) will begin at 5:30 p.m. (CST) and will include presentations by two keynote speakers: J.R. Richardson, Chair of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission (NRC), will present on recent business to come before the Commission; and Don Helsel, President of MI-TRALE, will present on the Western Upper Peninsula's ATV trail network. The program will conclude with a presentation of WUPPDR's Oreste "Chip" Chiantello Public Service Award to an individual demonstrating a long-time commitment serving the public.

A slate of local, regional, State and Federal officials, also including private sector individuals, will attend; and the general public is welcome. Persons planning to attend must RSVP by Monday, Sept. 23, 2013. An invitation to do so is available at the www.wuppdr.org homepage. For a printed invitation or more information, contact WUPPDR at (800) 562-7614 ext. 311.

Carnegie Museum to hold Third Annual Night at the Museum Sept. 21

HOUGHTON -- The Carnegie Museum will hold its Third Annual Night at the Museum from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. TOMORROW, Saturday, Sept. 21.

Take a Red Jacket Trolley ride and trace the ruins of Houghton's Isle Royale Mine. Enjoy gourmet sweets and savories, local beer, wine and a silent auction at the museum.

Tickets are $25. Choose your trolley tour time -- 4 p.m., 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. -- when you purchase your tickets. Tickets are available at Carnegie Museum, Houghton City Center, or at the Door. (Tickets sold at the door are not guaranteed a trolley tour.)

All proceeds from Night at the Museum benefit museum restoration, exhibits, and programs.

While you're there, check out three current exhibits:

"Last Days of Italian Hall: Photographs of Calumet's Italian Hall 1981-1988" by local photographer Eric Munch

Photographer Eric Munch speaks at the Aug. 13, 2013, opening of his exhibit, "Last Days of Italian Hall," at the Carnegie Museum. The exhibit is a series of 21 photographs Munch took of Italian Hall before, during, and after its 1984 demolition. (Photos by Keweenaw Now)
  
Family Ties: Memorials to Those Lost in the 1913 Italian Hall Tragedy, by the Houghton Keweenaw County Genealogical Society

Forty-nine families lost loved ones in the Dec. 24, 1913, Italian Hall Tragedy. The Houghton Keweenaw County Genealogical Society wondered what became of those families and decided to trace the history, before and after the tragedy, of each family. Here are some samples of their memorials:

Memorial for Katarina Gregorich of Centennial Heights, who was 10 years old when she perished in the Italian Hall disaster.

Photos of the Heikkinen family, who lost three sons in the Italian Hall tragedy on Dec. 24, 1913. The youngest of the three, Edwin, was born on Dec. 24 and was about to celebrate his seventh birthday.

An excerpt from the story of the Heikkinen family.

Historic photo, "The Italian Hall in Mourning, the Next Day After Disaster," by J.W. Nara, part of the Michigan Tech Archives and Copper Country Historical collections.

Finnish American Buildings and Landscapes in Michigan's Copper Country. Photographs by Ryan Holt, with Historical Narrative by Arnold R. Alanen.

Sauna of the Erkkila family at Big Traverse Bay fishing settlement. This sauna, with a fish smokehouse on the right and a net reel in the background, was part of the fishing enterprise established by Ernest Erkkila in the 1920s and continued by his sons Reino and Edwin into the 1980s.

The Maronen Log School, now in Alston, made of unusually large, hand-hewn logs. From the Laird Township Historical Society Museum, which is currently not open to the public. 

These are just a few examples from the Carnegie Museum's current exhibits. See all at the Carnegie's Night at the Museum tomorrow, Sept. 21!

Painesdale Mine and Shaft, Inc., to hold ceremony commemorating 1913-1914 Copper Range Miners Strike Sept. 21

PAINESDALE -- Painesdale Mine and Shaft, Inc., will commemorate the 1913-1914 Copper Range Miners Strike with a Memorial Ceremony at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013, in the Albert Paine Memorial United Methodist Church, 54385 Iroquois Street, Painesdale.

The event is free and open to the public.

Several violent incidents occurred in the Painesdale area during the 1913-14 Strike, including the Seeberville murders, the Dally-Jane murders and clashes between the Citizens Alliance and the Western Federation of Miners (WFM) union.

This is a photo of the Putrich Boarding House, site of the Seeberville murders that occurred on Aug. 14, 2013. A group of Waddell strikebreakers, hired by the Copper Range mining company, had followed two striking Croatian mine workers to the house and ended up shooting at the unarmed residents. Steve Putrich (brother of Joseph Putrich, the Croatian landlord) and 18-year-old Alois Tijan (also referred to as Louis) were killed; several residents of the boarding house were wounded. (Photo courtesy Michigan Tech Archives)

Another violent incident in this area -- the Dally-Jane murders -- happened in the early morning hours of Sunday, Dec. 7, 1913, at the Dally Boarding House in Painesdale, whose residents were Cornish. Shots fired into the house killed brothers Arthur and Harry Jane and Thomas Dally (non-union miners) and seriously wounded Mary Nicholson.

The Dally Boarding House in Painesdale, site of the Dally-Jane murders on Dec. 7, 1913. (Photo courtesy Michigan Tech Archives)

The tentative schedule of events for the Commemoration Ceremony is as follows:
Albert Paine Memorial United Methodist Church:
Doors Open - 10:30 a. m.
Ceremony Begins - 11 a. m.
Invocation - Minister Mary Laub
Presentation of the Colors - VFW Ranger Post #6165
Pledge of Allegiance - All
Star Spangled Banner - All
Introductory Remarks
Speaker - Scott Dianda, State Representative 110th District
Speaker - Gary Kaunonen, Author and Historian
Public Testimonials
Benediction - Minister Mary Laub
Taps
Tribute to Our Heritage
Refreshments and cake in the basement

Free tours of Champion No. 4 Shafthouse, Captain’s Office, and Hoist Building  available one-half hour after the Ceremony

Maps of Historical Painesdale available.

"Singing Weaver" Nadine Sanders to present concert, weaving workshop at Calumet Art Center

CALUMET -- The Calumet Art Center will present Nadine Sanders, the singing weaver, in a concert titled "Spinning Straw into Gold: Woven Harmonies" at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, in the Art Center's Performance Hall. Tickets are $7.

Nadine Sanders, the singing weaver, will present a concert Sept. 21 and a weaving workshop Sept. 20, 21 and 22 at the Calumet Art Center. (Photo courtesy Calumet Art Center)

Midwestern artist Nadine Sanders enjoys blending her love of Celtic music with her joy of weaving. She sings about all aspects of her rural roots. A talented performer and teacher, Sanders has presented workshops and concerts across the U.S. and Scotland.

In addition to Saturday's concert, Sanders will offer a "Weaving that Sings" workshop from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 20, 21 and 22. This workshop will be open to the public. All levels of weavers are welcome. You will learn the inlay technique for wall-hanging, fabric or rug weaving -- as well as how to add design. Nadine will need to know what type of warp the student wants to work with: wall-hanging, rug, or fabric sample.

The class fee is $210. Materials fee is $25.

To obtain more information and to sign up for this workshop contact the Calumet Art Center at (906) 934-2228 or (906) 281-3494 or email info@calumetartcenter.com.

This fall the Calumet Art Center is offering a variety of classes including fiber, clay, voice, violin, piano and more. Click here to learn about the classes or visit http://calumetartcenter.com/. The Calumet Art Center is located at 57055 Fifth Street.

Reception for Kickstarter fundraiser to support dance drama about 1913 Copper Miners' Strike is Sept. 21

On Aug. 17, 2013, members of the cast of For They Are Women's Children, an original dance drama depicting scenes from the 1913 Copper Miners' Strike, participate in the Copper Country Heritage Parade in Calumet. Pictured here in the role of "Big Annie" carrying the flag is Anna Daavettila, a senior at Houghton High School, who will be the lead dancer in the performance, which will be presented Oct. 25 and 27 in the Calumet Theatre. Carrying the banner announcing the show are Cynthia and Joseph Daavettila, Anna's parents, followed by young dancers in the cast. In addition to Director and Choreographer Donna Armistead's Superior School of Dance students, young dancers from Bonnie Hafeman's Girl Scout troop and the Kivajat Dancers will participate in the performance. The Keweenaw Heritage Center at St. Anne's is in the background of the photo. (Photo © and courtesy Joanne Thomas)

HANCOCK -- The Copper Island Beach Club in Hancock will host a Kickstarter reception in support of the fundraiser for the original dance drama For They Are Women's Children from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21. Meet the producers, cast and crew and learn about this project. A cash bar and hors d'oeuvres will be provided.

For They Are Women’s Children, a contemporary dance-drama featuring original choreography by Donna Armistead and an original musical score by composer Robin Oye, will receive its world premiere at the Calumet Theater Oct. 25, 2013.  Featuring musicians and dancers from the local community, it depicts episodes in the daily lives of miners and their families during the 1913 Copper Miners' Strike, culminating in the Italian Hall tragedy on Christmas Eve when seventy-three people -- including fifty-nine children -- lost their lives.

The ballet’s aim is to personalize the struggles of working people in prewar Calumet and its environs through the medium of original music and dance. Theatregoers will have the opportunity to see and hear the premiere of a unique theatrical work evoking the will and determination characteristic of Copper Country residents who persevered despite ethnic strife, enmity and bitterness in the face of hardship and tragedy.

Director Donna Armistead is an independent choreographer and stage director who makes her home in Jacobsville, Mich. Formerly a soloist/principal dancer with several regional ballet companies, she was for eleven years artistic director of the Superior School of Dance, Houghton/Hancock, where she is still a member of the faculty. Her choreographic work has been featured locally in productions of the Michigan Tech Theatre, Pine Mountain Music Festival and Calumet Players as well as her former company, Lake Superior Dance Theatre.

A resident of Keweenaw County, Robin Oye is a flutist, composer and music educator whose work has been featured in stage productions at Finlandia University and Michigan Tech's McArdle Theatre. He will conduct a four-piece orchestra for the current production.

The cast will feature some of Armistead’s students in principal roles, supported by local youth and adult community members. Performance times are 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 25, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27. For ticket information call the Calumet Theatre box office at (906) 337-2610.

Although the Calumet Theatre is kindly providing some in-kind technical support, they were unable to obtain a performance grant for the project. Therefore, all funds raised by this project will support musician stipends, simple sets and costuming, and rental of rehearsal space.

The Kickstarter fundraiser has a goal of $4000 to be raised between now and Oct. 16, 2013. To see a video clip about the project and learn how you can pledge support online, click here.

Michigan Tech's Khana Khazana to offer South Korean cuisine Sept. 20

HOUGHTON -- South Korean delicacies cooked by Young Bin Na are on the Khana Khazana menu this Friday at Michigan Tech. They include mixed noodles with vegetables, Korean fried chicken coated with a sweet and spicy sauce and Korean cucumber, a spicy kimchi made with cucumber instead of cabbage.

The food will be served in the Memorial Union Food Court on campus from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20. A full meal costs $6.95 and includes a fountain drink. Individual items are $2.50 each. Vegetarian alternatives are available.

Khana Khazana is a weekly international lunch cooked and served by international students. It is a collaborative effort of international students and Michigan Tech Dining Services.

Local citizens to join National Day of Action against Keystone XL tar sands pipeline with Sept. 21 protest in Marquette

More than 40,000 people march on Feb. 17, 2013, in Washington D.C. during "Forward on Climate," the largest climate protest in history. On Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013, the protest will be nationwide -- a National Day of Action to demand that President Obama  deny the permit for Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. (File photos by Allan Baker for Keweenaw Now)*

MARQUETTE -- Upper Peninsula residents will have an opportunity to participate in the Sept. 21, 2013, National Day of Action -- part of the national campaign to demand that President Obama deny the permit for Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.

Concerned citizens will gather at noon on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 307 S. Front Street, Marquette (in front of U.S. Congressman Dan Benishek's office), to "Draw the Line to Protect the Great Lakes" in opposition to the pipeline.

The National Call to Action, called "Draw the Line," features scores of creative events, with large rallies planned in areas already affected by climate change and places at risk from climate chaos if strong action, such as limiting tar sands development, is not taken. A full list of events and photos, as well as a short video about the movement against Keystone and the reason for the Call to Action, are available at http://350.org/DrawTheLine.

Bill McKibben, climate activist and founder of 350.org, addresses the crowd at the July 14, 2013, rally in Bridge View Park near St. Ignace, Mich., and the Mackinac Bridge. The rally was organized by the Traverse City chapter of 350.org to call attention to Enbridge's aging pipelines under the Straits of Mackinac.**

Heidi Gould, a Marquette city resident, states she was compelled to respond when she read in the Mining Journal, "[Congressman] Benishek said he doesn't see why the U.P. can't have the Keystone pipeline come down from Canada, which he says would provide many area jobs and might lower gas prices, as well."*** She was informed by another activist about the 350.org invitation to host a Day of Action to "Draw the Line" to show opposition to the proposed pipeline.

In his Aug. 19, 2013, presentation at a town hall meeting in Hancock, Michigan First District U.S. Congressman Dan Benishek speaks about the need for job creation. After his talk, Keweenaw Now attempted to ask him about his views on climate change (since he has been heard to deny it), but he said he didn't have time to answer since he had to leave immediately for another meeting in Negaunee. A few minutes later he was being interviewed by a T.V. reporter.***

"The timing was intriguing! Not only do we need to let the President know that we don’t want the pipeline but our congressional representative needs to understand the vitality of the Great Lakes and we need to do everything we can to protect them," Gould says.

While President Obama considers Keystone XL’s fate, opposition to the pipeline and the tar sands oil it would carry has continued to grow. Over 1,500 people have already been arrested to stop Keystone XL, and on February 17 over 40,000 people came to Washington to tell the President that Keystone XL is not in the national interest. Credo Mobile, Other 98 Percent and Rainforest Action Network have collected pledges from over 75,000 people who are willing to risk arrest to stop the pipeline. A diverse coalition of environmentalists, inner-city residents living near refineries, and rural landowners have come together to oppose the pipeline’s southern leg in Texas as well.

During the Nov. 6, 2011, protest against the Keystone XL Pipeline in Washington, D. C., protesters march with a long mock pipeline around the White House, chanting "Soil not oil" and "Yes, we will -- stop the Pipeline." (Video by Allan Baker for Keweenaw Now)****

Pipeline opponents were heartened by President Obama’s comments about Keystone XL at his June 25 Georgetown climate speech, when he said he would oppose the pipeline if it would "significantly" increase greenhouse gas emission.

Independent analysts, environmentalists, and the tar sands industry all agree that Keystone XL will increase emissions. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers has estimated increasing production from their 3.2 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2012 to 6.7 million bpd by 2030.*****

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), over the project’s 50-year timeline, Keystone XL would add between 935 million and 1.2 billion metric tons of carbon pollution to our atmosphere, significantly increasing carbon pollution. ******

For more information about the Sept. 21 protest in Marquette email Heidi Gould at heidigould2003@yahoo.com or call (906)226-0102.

Notes:

* Click here to read the Feb. 25, 2013, article, "Keystone Pipeline protest: over 40,000 people in freezing cold," by Shirley Galbraith, with photos by Allan Baker. Click here for the videos.

** See our July 22, 2013, article, "Videos, photos: 'Oil and Water Don't Mix' rally draws hundreds concerned about Great Lakes .

*** See the Aug. 20, 2013, Mining Journal article, "Benishek town hall focuses on jobs, health insurance," about his town hall meeting in Negaunee on Aug. 19, which followed the meeting in Hancock. To both audiences he expressed his opposition to federal government regulation and especially the EPA.

**** See our Nov. 11, 2011, article, "Houghton couple report on DC protest against Keystone XL Pipeline, Tar Sands oil."

***** See Reuters: "UPDATE 2-Canadian oil output to more than double by 2030 -study."

****** See NRDC's July 2013 "White Paper: Climate Impacts from the Proposed Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline."

Levin floor statement on agreement to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons

[Editor's Note: U.S. Senator Carl Levin (D-Michigan), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, gave this speech on the floor of the Senate today, Sept. 17, 2013]

WASHINGTON, D. C. -- Mr. President, I want to say a brief word about yesterday’s tragic and senseless violence at the Washington Navy Yard. The men and women who help protect our nation, those in uniform and the thousands of civilians who serve the Department of Defense, make enormous sacrifices for us. Facing a workplace gunman should not have to be one of them. Those who have died or been wounded and their families and loved ones are in our thoughts and our hearts today.

I come to the floor this morning to discuss another act of senseless violence, and our nation’s response. In the early morning hours of August 21, the Syrian military began firing artillery rockets into the suburbs east of Damascus, hitting neighborhoods held by the opposition forces that have been fighting to end the brutal dictatorship of Bashar al Assad. We know from the accounts of independent observers such as Human Rights Watch, and the work of our intelligence services and those of our allies, that many of these rockets were armed with warheads carrying sarin, a deadly nerve gas. We know that these rockets were launched from areas under the control of Assad’s regime, using munitions known to be part of Assad’s arsenal, and into areas held by opposition forces. We know from the report of UN weapons inspectors released yesterday that the weapons used -- both the rockets and the chemical itself -- were of professional manufacture, including weapons known to be in Syria’s government arsenal. There is no other source of this deadly gas except the Syrian government. Nothing else makes any sense whatsoever.

President Obama declared that the United States would act in response to this threat to global security. He determined it was necessary to use American military force to degrade Assad’s chemical capability and deter future use of such weapons by Assad or others. He did so because a failure to act would weaken the international prohibition on chemical weapons use. He did so because the failure to act could lead to greater proliferation of these weapons of mass destruction, including the potential that they could fall into the hands of terrorists and be used against our people. He did so because if the use of chemical weapons becomes routine, our troops could pay a huge price in future conflicts. On September 4, a bipartisan majority of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the president’s request for an authorization of the limited use of military force.

Faced with this credible threat of the use of force and in response to a diplomatic probe by Secretary Kerry, Russia -- which had for more than two years blocked every diplomatic initiative to hold Assad accountable for the violent repression of his people -- announced that Assad’s chemical arsenal should be eliminated.

The agreement that followed requires Syria to give up its chemical arsenal on a historically rapid timetable. ...

Click here to read the rest of Sen. Levin's speech.

Workshop on Mini Grants Program for art projects to be Sept. 18 in Ontonagon

ONTONAGON -- An informational workshop on the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) Mini Grants Program will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18, at the Ontonagon Theater of Performing Arts in Ontonagon. The workshop is free and open to the public.

The Copper Country Community Arts Council (CCCAC) is the region thirteen administrator for the Regional Re-granting program of the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA). The CCCAC facilitates funding opportunities for arts projects in the six counties of the Western Upper Peninsula: Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga, Ontonagon, Gogebic and Iron.

Mini grants provide up to $4,000 for locally developed, high quality arts projects, which provide special opportunities to address local arts needs and increase public access to the arts. Mini grants support a broad range of artistic expression from all cultures through projects which preserve, produce or present traditional and contemporary arts.

Mini-grant dollars, matched 1:1 in cash/in-kind can be used for many types of arts activities such as exhibits, readings, performances, workshops, broadcasts, artist residencies, consultancies, commissions, restorations, festivals, pow wows, conferences, seminars, video and film productions and screenings, publications, and arts activities for students.

A new grant program for Professional and Organizational Development makes funding available for training courses, consultants, conference fees and related travel. Organizations or individual artists may apply for up to $1500. A 25 percent cash/in-kind match is required.

The deadline for application is 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 15, 2013. All applications must be submitted online using the e-grant system (mcaca.egrant.net). Funding is for projects taking place January 1 through September 30, 2014. Application guidelines are available on line at http://www.michiganadvantage.org/Arts/Grant-Programs/. For more information or technical assistance contact Cynthia Coté, regranting coordinator, at (906) 482-2333 or e-mail cynthia@coppercountryarts.com.

Portage Library to host two healthy eating events

HOUGHTON -- Portage Lake District Library will be hosting two events related to healthy eating this week: the Gluten-Free Recipe Exchange on Monday, Sept. 16, and the Summer's Bounty Social on Tuesday, Sept. 17.

Gluten-Free Recipe Exchange to meet Sept. 16 at Portage Library

A meeting of the Gluten-Free Recipe Exchange will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 16, at the Portage Lake District Library.

Participants are invited to bring their favorite gluten-free dish or snack in any category for sampling, and they are encouraged to share their recipes. Copies of the recipes will be made at the library. Please list all ingredients used in making foods and identify the brand names of the gluten-free ingredients. Bringing food is not a requirement for attendance. The main focus of the meeting will be to join the conversation about eating a healthy gluten-free diet.

The Gluten-Free Recipe Exchange is organized by and for those who are interested in or required to follow a gluten-free diet. Gluten-free eating requires the avoidance of all wheat, rye, barley, and oats. Most people find it challenging at first, but are excited to find recipes and foods that are fun and easy to make and tasty to eat. The Gluten-Free Recipe Exchange is an opportunity to share those great recipes and learn from others. Everyone who is interested in learning more about gluten-free eating is encouraged to attend.

This program is free and everyone is welcome. For more information, please call the library at 482-4570 or visit www.pldl.org.

Friends of Portage Library to host Summer's Bounty Social Sept. 17

The Friends of the Portage Lake District Library invite everyone to bring their appetites and favorite summer dishes to share for an evening of good eating among good friends.

The Summer’s Bounty Social will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, at the library. For this potluck event, people are asked to bring their favorite dish made from locally available fruits or vegetables. Foods can be fresh or frozen, sweet or savory, and hot or cold. If participants want to share their recipe, copies for all can be made at the library.

Community garden members and local producers who want to participate may set up a display with information about their project or business.

Please contact Chris at the library for more details.

Door prizes featuring local food products will be given away throughout the evening. Guests will enjoy an arrangement of summertime music, and table service and beverages will be provided by the Friends of the Library.

Everyone is invited to this free event. For more information, please call the library at 482-4570 or visit www.pldl.org.