Pewabic Street Community Garden to hold Benefit Plant Sale June 7; plant donations needed

HOUGHTON -- The Pewabic Street Community Garden in Houghton will hold a Benefit Plant Sale from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. TOMORROW, Saturday, June 7, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 205 E. Montezuma Ave., Houghton.

Plant donations can be dropped off between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. TODAY, Friday, June 6, at Trinity Episcopal Church or at at Elena Busova's house at 201 W Douglass Ave., Houghton.

Plant donations of any kind are needed: divisions from your home gardens or extra seedlings if you started too many; e.g., vegetables, herbs, ground cover, sun and shade perennials, annual flowers, berries and house plants.

Questions? Call Elena Busova at 483-2028.

The Pewabic Street gardeners thank you very much for helping them raise money and continue growing the garden!

Remembering D-Day: new slide show -- Normandy photos

By Michele and Gustavo Bourdieu

More than 9,000 soldiers -- many of whom lost their lives during the D-Day landings and ensuing battles -- are buried in this American Cemetery near Omaha Beach on the coast of Normandy. (Photos by Keweenaw Now)

HANCOCK -- During a recent trip to Europe, Keweenaw Now had the opportunity, in April 2014, to visit four sites in France that commemorate the sacrifices of thousands of soldiers who lost their lives 70 years ago in the D-Day invasion (June 6, 1944) and battles following it that brought an end to World War II in Western Europe.

Tomorrow, June 6, 2014, marks the 70th anniversary of D-Day. We are posting a slide show of our photos to honor those who sacrificed their lives to help end a terrible war.

Remains of the artificial port at Arromanches, which facilitated the D-Day landings.

Our photos include Omaha Beach and the American cemetery near it; Arromanches, where Allies built an artificial port to facilitate the invasion: Pointe du Hoc, where American soldiers scaled cliffs to destroy a German stronghold on the Normandy coast; and Mortain, where American troops and resistance fighters fought an important battle in August 1944.

Click here to access the slide show, Remembering D-Day, or go to the top right corner of this page and click on one of the photos.

First Friday in Calumet, June 6, to offer variety of art exhibits, art workshop, poetry and more ...

CALUMET -- First Friday in Calumet, June 6, will offer a variety of art activity, June exhibit openings and more. Check out historic Fifth Street and Oak Street in Calumet for the following:

Paige Wiard Gallery

Moth. Drawing by Jason Limberg. (Photo courtesy Paige Wiard Gallery)

The Paige Wiard Gallery is excited to be showing the work of Jason Limberg for the month of June. Jason uses ball point pen and calligraphy pens to create hauntingly beautiful drawings of animals, flowers, human forms and other natural objects

Frog. Drawing by Jason Limberg. (Photo courtesy Paige Wiard Gallery)

Don't miss this first-time showing of Jason’s work in the Keweenaw. An opening reception will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on June 6.

The Paige Wiard Gallery is at 109 Fifth Street. For more information please contact the gallery at 906-337-5066 or email paigewiardgallery@gmail.com.

Copper Country Associated Artists

The Copper Country Associated Artists (CCAA) Gallery, at 205 Fifth Street, will be offering a watercolor class for its June 6 First Friday activity. From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., watercolor artist Ellen Torola will teach one of her famous step-by-step classes in which participants learn the basics of watercolor technique while creating a small masterpiece of their own.

"Copper Harbor Demo Piece," watercolor by Ellen Torola. (File photo courtesy Copper Country Associated Artists)

While the workshop is limited to the first fifteen people, more visitors are welcome to observe the activity and to check out the many new items in the Gallery. All materials will be provided for the beginner, but advanced participants may want to bring their own paints and brushes.

For more information, please call 906-337-1252. This class is available only on a first-come basis and CCAA cannot take reservations.

Calumet Art Center

Stop in at the Calumet Art Center during First Friday, June 6. The Center will hold an Open Studio where you can find the space you need as well as inspiration to start, continue or finish your own personal art project.

Enjoy the camaraderie of like-minded individuals! Find your inspiration while touring the center and open studios featuring looms of all types, lamp work bead station, library and writing studio and the clay studio where there are several works in progress. Learn about the Center's recent classes, projects and upcoming events.

The Calumet Art Center is at 57055 Fifth Street. For more information call (906) 934-2228. Check out the Calumet Art Center Website for info on classes and projects.*

Galerie Bohème

Detail: "Winter Boats," acrylic on canvas, by Georgi Tsenov. (Photo courtesy Galerie Bohème)

Galerie Boheme, 423 5th Street in Calumet, presents new works from Georgi Tsenov. The public is invited to an opening reception from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, June 6. This exhibition of unique and exciting paintings will continue through July 3, 2014.

Regular gallery hours are Tuesday thru Saturday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information or a viewing appointment please call Tom Rudd at 369-4087 or email galerieboheme@gmail.com.

Hahn Hammered Copper

Stop in on First Friday at Hahn Hammered Copper, 203 Fifth Street in Calumet, to see the artworks of Susan Stefanowski. Susan lives and works year-round in her Lake Medora studio near Copper Harbor. She paints in the impressionist style and loves bold, contrasting colors. Her inspiration comes from "The Group of Seven Artists" and the abundant natural beauty of the Keweenaw.

"Life in the Keweenaw is truly a gift," Stefanowski says.

She is honored to be a member of the U.P. artist community, and Pete and Shelley Hahn welcome the public to view her work.*

Café Rosetta

Cafe Rosetta will be hosting a Community Poetry Reading at 6 p.m. on Friday June 6. They will also be featuring colorful paintings by local artist Mariana Nakashima.

Café Rosetta is at 104 Fifth St. Regular hours are Monday - Sunday 7 a. m. - 7 p.m.

Cross Country Sports

For the month of June, Cross Country Sports, 507 Oak Street, will feature photography by Joe Kirkish. A retrospective of architectural photographs taken over the years, these black and white images capture buildings and landscapes with Joe’s eloquent sense of artistic composition. Even in stages of decomposition and abandonment, buildings serve as a cultural expression of place and time -- a remembrance of human activity. Many of these "ghosts of place" exist now only in photographs or in the collective memory of the community.

An open house featuring a talk with the artist and refreshments will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, June 6. For more information, call 337-4520.

* Click here for the Calumet Art Center's list of participants in the newly formed Calumet Art District.

Bill Rose creates Keweenaw geological website

Keweenaw rocks. (Photo © and courtesy Bill Rose)

HOUGHTON -- Retired Professor Bill Rose has unveiled a new website, which is aimed at educating residents of and visitors to the Keweenaw about its geological heritage.

"I taught at MTU for 43 years, from 1970 to 2012," says Rose. "During that time I took hundreds of students outside and found many special educational places that teach about how the Earth works. This led to a lot of knowledge of outdoor places, and the Keweenaw and Isle Royale are very rich in geoheritage, a word we use to describe places that communicate between the Earth and people, places where the planet shapes our lives. The website collects information about local places that communicate and teach. And it shows you how to get there."

The new website, Keweenaw Geoheritage, communicates a digital library of Keweenaw and Isle Royale Earth Science for a broad public. In the last six years Rose worked closely with teachers and students in a $4 million National Science Foundation Earth Science educational research project called MiTEP (Michigan Teacher Excellence Program).

"A lack of public understanding of the Earth is a widespread problem -- maybe worse in the US than in many places," Rose said. "Issues like global warming, natural hazards, natural resources, and energy needs are widely misunderstood by the public and politicians. This creates unnecessary friction and destructive arguments."

Rose explains this from the perspective of a geoscientist: "It is our fault not to have more broadly explained these things. But we do live with them around us, and if we go outside and look more, understanding will grow. I see my grandchildren spending lots of time with their cellphones and TV, but I want them to go out and look at the world -- especially here, where it is so beautiful and illustrative."

The website has photographic, video, and written information on more than 200 specific locations and five main themes in its exploration of Keweenaw and Isle Royale outdoors: Lavas and the Continental Rift, Red Sediments and Filling of the Hole, The Keweenaw Thrust Fault, Massive Ice Sheets, and The Feel and Look of the Lake.

Rose has located and listed field places under each theme. The web pages have GPS locations, maps, aerial photos and lots of information for visitors. He has also designed guided field trips using both boats and ground transportation that will be debuted this summer, through MTU’s Western UP Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education.*

Rose states in his vision for the Web information he created: "I am hoping that guided field trips to these sites can continue to happen; but, if not, people can find their way alone using the website. It will work using cellphones and links to QR codes and GPS."

John Gierke, Interim Chair of Michigan Tech’s Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences, is grateful for this new resource: "Public outreach about our disciplines is vital and online resources are the most accessible and flexible approaches for sharing information about the local landscape. Bill Rose created a comprehensive factual resource that is readily accessible with today’s smartphone technology, and our department will host the Web information for students and the public to access in perpetuity."

Jackie Huntoon, Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School at Michigan Tech, also expressed enthusiasm for the website.

"Many people know very little about the geosciences," Huntoon notes. "Having resources like this website that are available to the public can really go a long way in helping people to learn more about the natural and human history of their local area. One of my personal goals for the upcoming years is to visit all of the sites and I encourage others to do the same."

Click here to access the Keweenaw Geoheritage website or google Keweenaw Geoheritage.

* Click here to learn about the July 2014 Geotours (field trips).

Inset photo: Bill Rose speaks about geoparks and Keweenaw geology during a 2012 presentation in Hancock. (Photo by Allan Baker for Keweenaw Now)

Summer Science Camps for children in grades 1-6 to be held June 17-19, 24-26 at Great Lakes Research Center and Nara Nature Park

HOUGHTON -- Michigan Technological University's Center for Science and the Environment at the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC) will hold two summer science camps for elementary school students this month. The three-day camps will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., June 17-19 and June 24-26, at the GLRC on the Michigan Tech campus and at Nara Nature Park.

For students entering grades 1 through 3, Science Explorers will be offered during Session 1 (June 17-19) at the GLRC; and Critter Camp will be offered during Session 2 (June 24-26) at the Nara Nature Center.

For students entering grades 4 through 6, Session 1 will be Nature Skills at the Nara Nature Center; and Session 2 will focus on Rockets and Roller Coasters at the GLRC.

The camps will be staffed by the staff of the Western UP Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education, Michigan Tech students and certified teachers. Class size will be limited to 20 students. Each session costs $120 and includes all supplies. Students are expected to bring their own lunches.

The deadline for registration is Tuesday, June 10.

Click here for registration forms and more detailed information or call the Center for Science and Environmental Outreach at Michigan Tech, 906-487-3341.

KUUF to host presentation on solar photovoltaic technology by Joshua Pearce June 8

HOUGHTON -- The Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (KUUF) will host Michigan Tech Prof. Joshua Pearce for a presentation on "Solar Photovoltaic Technology: Overview and Status" from 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 8. The public is invited. The talk will be in the BHK Center conference room, 700 Park Ave., one block off M-26 in Houghton (behind Auto Zone).

Pearce is Associate Professor in both the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He is interested in exploring the way solar energy can be used to provide clean, sustainable electricity through photovoltaic devices and how the sharing of open source hardware and software can create sustainable and equitable means of production. Additionally, his research interests include green engineering and sustainable development. Pearce was noted most recently for creating the first 3D printer for metal.*

The forum will be followed by a tour of the solar panels above Shopko and the Michigan Tech Solar Research Lab near the airport. The tour starts at 1 p.m. at 1401 Sugar Maple Lane in Houghton. RSVP for the tour by emailing Carol Ekstrom at cekstrom3@gmail.com or call her at at 523-5338.

* Visit Joshua Pearce's website for more  information about his research.

Friends of Calumet Library to host "Geoheritage of the Calumet Area" by Bill Rose June 4

CALUMET --Friends of the Calumet Public Library will present by Bill Rose, PhD, retired Michigan Tech geology professor, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, June 4, in the CLK Commons (use the regular library entrance and follow signs to the Commons).

This event is open to the public -- all ages invited. Refreshments will be served at a reception following the presentation.

This is a presentation for all who are interested in the Earth, geology, or the Keweenaw!  Learn about Bill Rose’s recent efforts at interpreting the geological setting of the Keweenaw, with an emphasis on Calumet. Dr. Rose is a retired geology professor and advocate for outdoor education and geoheritage (geology with links to social science and history). He has developed an extensive website to support his passion for outdoor exploration and education about the Earth and how it works.* This presentation will inform and inspire participants to engage in discovering the rich geological heritage of the Keweenaw.

For more information, visit the library or call 337-0311 ext. 1107. (In case of bad weather, when school is cancelled, all library programs are cancelled.)

* Editor's Note: Watch for an article on the Web site, coming soon.

Openings still available in Michigan Tech Summer Institutes for Teachers; deadline to register is TODAY, June 2

HOUGHTON -- TODAY, Monday, June 2, is the deadline for registration and payment for Michigan Tech's 2014 Summer Institutes and Courses for Teachers. Institute openings are still available.

During the 2013 Global Change Teacher Institute at Michigan Tech, Evan Kane, Michigan Tech assistant professor in forestry (center), talks about part of his research experiment on peatlands and the effects of climate change on their ability to hold carbon. Click here to read our story on this institute. (Keweenaw Now file photo)

UPDATE: "While today is the registration deadline, late registrants will be accepted, space permitting," says Joan Chadde, K-12 Education and Outreach Program Coordinator.

The following institutes are scheduled. Click on links for information brochures, which contain further links for online registration:

June 23-27, 2014 Forest Ecology Teacher Institute on Belle Isle in Detroit, MI.

July 7-11, 2014 Global Change Teacher Institute at Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI

July 14-18, 2014  Great Lakes Watershed Investigations Teacher Institute at Michigan Tech University

July 21-25, 2014  Geology and Mineral Resources of Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Click here for a description of all four teacher institutes, which include Michigan Tech graduate credits.

For more information contact Joan Chadde, K-12 Education and Outreach Program Coordinator at jchadde@mtu.edu. or call (906) 487-3341.

Hancock Tori to open June 4

By Michele Bourdieu

Tori vendor Gustavo Bourdieu displays his hand-decorated stones. He also sells his honey at the Tori in season. (Photos by Keweenaw Now)

HANCOCK -- The Hancock Tori open air market will open Wednesday, June 4, 2014, on the Quincy Green next to the Finnish American Heritage Center in downtown Hancock.

John Lennington sells plants and fresh vegetables in the Tori.

The Tori will be open every Wednesday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. from June through September, rain or shine.

Sandy Soring, Tori manager, conducts an informational meeting of vendors on May 21, 2014, in the Orpheum Theater in Hancock. Seated at right (foreground) is Hancock City Manager Glenn Anderson. The City of Hancock provides awnings and garbage collection for the Tori, while Finlandia University provides space and restroom facilities. Anderson announced at the May 21 City Council meeting that he was glad to see 19 vendors at the meeting.

Tori vendors offer locally grown vegetables, berries, plants and flowers for sale. Some vendors sell locally made jams, jellies, honey and baked goods. In addition, artisan vendors offer locally crafted baskets, wool yarn, towels, jewelry, and more. Some also demonstrate their craft skills during market hours.

Mina, left, who sells Middle Eastern baked goods and tabouli, and Jeanne, a weaver, pause for a photo during the Tori last year in June.

Come to the Tori and buy fresh food and locally produced crafts. Help contribute to our local economy!

Seamstress Carol Bird displays her creative use of ties, which she incorporates into a variety of hand-crafted items -- from scarves to purses.

For information email Sandy Soring, Tori manager, at sandysoring@charter.net or call her at 337-1391.

Keweenaw Now Editor's Note: We are now updating the Tori blog site and will try to announce Tori events on torimarket.blogspot.com as well as on Keweenaw Now. See also the Tori Facebook page.