Copper Harbor to celebrate 2015 Lake Superior Day with fun for all July 26

During the 2014 Lake Superior Day celebration in Copper Harbor, canoe racers round a buoy in the harbor before rowing back to the dock for the finish. (Keweenaw Now file photos)*

COPPER HARBOR -- Celebrate Lake Superior Day in Copper Harbor from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 26, 2015. Celebrate the beauty and bounty of Lake Superior! Copper Harbor community volunteers, along with the Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative, are organizing the 3rd annual Lake Superior Day Festival with lots of special activities at the 6th Street Dock along the Copper Harbor Boardwalk (near Isle Royale Queen boat dock).

Here are some activities planned for the whole family:

• Enjoy fish stew (Kalamojakka), homemade pies, rieska (Finnish flatbread), and more at a community picnic ($5 donation suggested).
• Canoe races and kayak demonstrations
• Interactive art (paint the model freighter!)

Meg (Vivian) North, former Grant Township Supervisor and now science and math teacher at Horizons Alternative High School in Mohawk, helps young Meg Ruhonen of Atlantic Mine put finishing touches on her contribution to the model freighter painting, a popular activity for kids and parents, at the 2014 Lake Superior Day celebration.

• ROV (Remotely-Operated-Vehicle) demonstrations by the MTU Great Lakes Research Center
• Learn about the health of Lake Superior from a presentation by Great Lakes scientist Dr. Marty Auer from Michigan Tech’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
• Live music, poetry, and more.

Scientific excursion on the Agassiz

Visitors to Copper Harbor's 2014 Lake Superior Day celebration board Michigan Tech's Research Vessel Agassiz for an educational tour of the harbor. Checking names of passengers (who reserved seats in advance) is Lloyd Wescoat, Copper Harbor resident and project advisor for Michigan Tech's Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative program. 

From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. a special highlight is the opportunity for festival attendees to find out how scientists study the Great Lakes by taking a 40-minute scientific excursion in the harbor aboard Michigan Tech’s Research Vessel Agassiz. These excursions are offered as part of the Ride the Waves Program funded by a grant from General Motors. The Agassiz will depart every 45 minutes from the Isle Royale Queen dock beginning at 1 p.m. Participants must be at least 7 years old, and children must be accompanied by an adult. All participants should wear closed-toe shoes. Space is limited. Interested participants may pre-register for a scientific excursion aboard the Agassiz by calling (906) 487-3341 or by emailng Lloyd Wescoat at lwescoat@mtu.edu.

For more information about the event, contact lead organizer, Don Kilpela, Captain of the Isle Royale Queen, at (906) 289-4735.

Learn about Lake Superior Day

Lake Superior Day is celebrated throughout the Lake Superior basin on or close to the 3rd Sunday in July in many communities around Lake Superior. The event, now in its 12th year, highlights the special connections people have to this unique world treasure. All residents who live, work, play, and worship around the lake are invited to organize events in their communities or take action in their homes, at their places of employment or in community groups to help protect Lake Superior.

To learn more about Lake Superior Day events around the lake, visit http://www.lakesuperior.com/the-lake/lake-superior/lake-superior-day-2015/. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality also provides information on Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes at www.michigan.gov/deqgreatlakes or visit EPA’s website at: http://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/lakesuperior/index.html.

*Editor's Note: See our Aug. 4, 2014, article with photos of the 2014 Lake Superior Day celebration in Copper Harbor.