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April 2005 Happenings -- June 2005 Happenings

May 2005 Happenings

Happenings: Keweenaw Krayons' Traditions Alive offers sewing classes 

Posted 05/24/2005 Updated 05/30/2005

MOHAWK -- Keweenaw Krayons' Traditions Alive is sponsoring, each Wednesday in June, a sewing class where participants can learn to make a 1900s era petticoat or men’s shirt. Instructors Becky Weeks and Dayna Carlson will teach basic sewing skills needed to complete one of these projects. The class meets from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays at the Mohawk School. Register now since class size is limited and pre-registration is required. Preceding the class, at 5 p.m. on June 8 and June 22, a Traditions Alive membership meeting will be held. The public is invited to attend and learn more about this interactive group of youth and adults who meet to learn and celebrate the history of the local area. New members are always welcome. For more information visit the Keweenaw Krayons Web site, call 337- 4706 or email staff@keweenawkrayons.com.
See some of Becky Weeks' creations at her new Web site, Olde Fashioned.

Volunteers still needed for Chain Drive bike races
Posted 05/13/2005  Updated 05/25/05 and 05/30/05

HANCOCK -- Volunteers are still needed for the 10th Annual Portage Health System Chain Drive mountain bike races Saturday and Sunday, June 18-19. "We need people who can ride bikes, people who can stand at an intersection and stop traffic for 15 minutes and groups/individuals to help with aid stations," said Dan Dalquist, volunteer coordinator. As of May 29, more than a dozen traffic control stations still need volunteers, and about a dozen people are needed for the aid stations. The most critical need is for the Saturday 16- and 32-mile distance events, from Houghton to Hancock. On Sunday the Technical Time Trial and the Kids' Cup Race will be held at the MTU trails. Please contact dand@chartermi.net or call 482-8198 (leave a message) if you can help. For more info, visit Keweenaw Trails. The races include events for the whole family. Participants who register for a Saturday event by Tuesday, May 31, will receive a free jersey. After May 31 the price goes up,  and a jersey is not included. Register at www.chaindrive.org.  
Photo: Participants in the June 2004 Keweenaw Chain Drive cross the Portage Lift Bridge to 16- and 32-mile races at the Maasto Hiihto/Churning Rapids trail system in Hancock. (Keweenaw Now file photo © 2004 Michele Anderson) See more photos of the 2004 Chain Drive races.

Houghton waterfront foot races planned for Spring Festival May 28

Posted 05/26/2005  Updated 05/26/2005

HOUGHTON -- Runners and walkers along the Houghton waterfront will be serenaded by musicians during events at the Fourth Annual Spring Art and Music Festival Saturday, May 28. Striding for Strings, with competitive running races for all ages and a fun walk/run, will raise money for the Copper Country Suzuki Association. The races begin and end at Mattila Square (west of the UPPCO building) and follow Houghton's flat, paved waterfront bike trail. Races include a competitive 8 km run, a 3 km walk/run/stroller push (for fun) and several youth races -- with prizes in each age/gender group. The Festival includes food, live music by local and regional bands, artists' booths, youth games and activities for the whole family from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Mattila Square. Update: See more photos and details on the Festival, including the music schedule. more
Photo: Elizabeth (Libby) Meyer, Copper Country Suzuki Association (CCSA) program director and instructor, leads a group of budding violinists in their performance at the Dec. 2004 Poor Artists' Sale in Calumet. Striding for Strings foot races at the May 28 Art and Music Festival will raise money for CCSA. (Keweenaw Now file photo © 2004 Michele Anderson) 

Oriental dance workshops available in June, July 

Posted 05/24/2005

HOUGHTON -- Instruction in Oriental dance, or Near-Eastern dance, is now available in the Copper Country for both adults and youth, through upcoming workshops. Anyone is welcome to learn “the ancient and enduring art” of Oriental dance at a workshop with Barbara McLean from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 4, at Trinity Episcopal Church, Montezuma Ave., Houghton. Cost: $25. McLean has been a performing member of the Near East Dance Theatre of Boston. Michigan Tech's 2005 Summer Youth Program (SYP) offers students entering grades 7-12 an opportunity to attend an Oriental Dance Workshop with Elena Lentini, New York City performing artist, choreographer and dance company director. The SYP workshop, to be held the week of July 17-23, 2005, has a registration deadline of June 3, 2005. more
Photo: Barbara McLean demonstrates Near-Eastern dance, also known as Oriental or "Belly Dance." (Photo © 2005 Joe Kirkish. Reprinted with permission.)

North Entry Stables to hold Natural Horsemanship Clinic May 20, 21, 22

Posted 05/19/2005

CHASSELL -- North Entry Stables, 41147 North Entry Road, Chassell, is sponsoring a Natural Horsemanship Clinic, featuring Dave Kluge from Glenwood Springs, Colo., May 20, 21 and 22. A "Round Pen Horse Starting Demonstration" will be offered from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, May 20. Saturday's events will be ""Starting Off Right in the Round Pen" from 9 a.m. to noon; "Balanced Riding -- Directional Control and Transitions" from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.; Equine Feed and Nutrition Seminar, 5 p.m. FREE admittance. On Sunday, May 22, "Balanced Riding -- Directional Control and Transitions" will be from 9 a.m. to noon, and "Teaching Softness and Lateral Movement" from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Private Lessons with Dave are available through May 23. Auditing is available for all sessions (a horse on location is not necessary). Call 906-523-2589 or 906-523-4532 for more information.

Volunteers needed for Chain Drive bike races
Posted 05/13/2005  Updated 05/25/05

HANCOCK -- Volunteers are needed for the 10th Annual Portage Health System Chain Drive mountain bike races Saturday and Sunday, June 18-19. "We need people who can ride bikes, people who can stand at an intersection and stop traffic for 15 minutes and groups/individuals to help with aid stations," said Dan Dalquist, volunteer coordinator. The most critical need is for the Saturday 16- and 32-mile distance events, from Houghton to Hancock. On Sunday the Technical Time Trial and the Kids' Cup Race will be held at the MTU trails. Please contact dand@chartermi.net or call 482-8198 (leave a message) if you can help. For more info, visit Keweenaw Trails. The races include events for the whole family. Participants who register for a Saturday event by Tuesday, May 31, will receive a free jersey. After May 31 the price goes up,  and a jersey is not included. Register at www.chaindrive.org.  
Photo: Participants in the June 2004 Keweenaw Chain Drive cross the Portage Lift Bridge to 16- and 32-mile races at the Maasto Hiihto/Churning Rapids trail system in Hancock. (Keweenaw Now file photo © 2004 Michele Anderson) See more photos of the 2004 Chain Drive races.

Oriental Dance Workshop to be held May 14

Posted 05/12/2005

HOUGHTON -- Increase your flexibility, strength and grace while learning “the ancient and enduring art” of oriental dance at a workshop with Barbara McLean from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 14, at Trinity Episcopal Church, Montezuma Ave., Houghton. Cost: $25. Oriental dance, or Near-Eastern dance, is sometimes described in the United States as Belly Dance. The instructor has performed professionally throughout New England, NYC, and Colorado in Arabic, Turkish, Greek, Moroccan and Armenian clubs and was a performing member of the Near East Dance Theatre of Boston. No prior dance experience is necessary. Wear comfortable clothing. For more information, call 906-523-4070 or email: 1maya@charter.net.

KNHP to offer Youth Conservation Corps program
Posted 05/12/2005 

CALUMET -- Area youth have an opportunity this summer to contribute to the conservation of our national parks, forests and wildlife refuges through the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) program, administered by Keweenaw National Historical Park (KNHP). Area schools will provide applications for students ages 15 and 18 interested in applying for the eight-week program (June 13-Aug. 5, 2005), which has no income restrictions and combines work and environmental education. The young people will work with National Park Service professionals on projects such as trail and roadside maintenance, vegetation removal, historic stone ruin stabilization and other facility repair and clean-up projects. The deadline for submitting applications is May 27, 2005. more
Photo: Youth Conservation Corps participants take a break after weeding a badly overgrown village flower bed at Agassiz Park next to 4th Street in Calumet during the summer 2003 program. (National Park Service Photo by T.M. Baker © 2003.)

"Better Development by Design" workshops to be held May 10, 17

Posted 05/05/2005  Updated 05/06/2005, 05/12/05 and 05/16/05

HOUGHTON -- "Better Development by Design" is the topic of two workshops to be conducted from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on successive Tuesdays, May 10 and 17, 2005. The workshops will take place on the second floor of the Memorial Union Building (Ballroom A) at Michigan Technological University. Through panel presentations and small-group discussions, community leaders will share their vision, progress and needs as they guide their community's growth. Business owners, township and city officials, planning commission members, developers, contractors and community residents are invited to attend the workshops to find out what Copper Country communities are doing to manage growth and how residents can participate. More than 18 local organizations and units of government are sponsoring these workshops. more
Photo: During her tour of Calumet's historic Fifth Street on Aug. 20, 2003, Gov. Jennifer Granholm chats with Frank Fiala, Keweenaw National Historical Park (KNHP) superintendent. Also accompanying the Governor are Sue Cone, left, Calumet Village comptroller and KNHP commissioner, and Tom Tikkanen, far right, director of Main Street Calumet! The Main Street program seeks economic development through historic preservation. (National Park Service Photo by T.M. Baker © 2003, from Keweenaw Now files.)

Landowners invited to Long-term Forest Management workshop May 21

Posted 05/09/2005

HOUGHTON -- The Houghton/Keweenaw Conservation District (HKCD) and the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science of Michigan Tech University (MTU) will conduct a workshop, "Long-term Forest Management for Private Landowners: An Open Forum," from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 21, at MTU's  Ford Forestry Center in Alberta. Foresters Jim Schmierer, MTU, and Jim Rivard, HKCD, will present topics such as wetlands and water resource protection, management and harvesting practices, wildlife and habitat improvement, reforestation and restoration, economics and taxation, forest roads and trails. Space is limited and advance registration and payment are required. more

Keweenaw County Planning/Zoning Board to meet with Mark Wyckoff May 11
Posted 05/09/2005 

EAGLE RIVER, MICH. -- The Keweenaw County Planning/Zoning (P/Z) Commission will have a work session with Mark Wyckoff of Planning and Zoning Center, Inc., of Lansing, beginning at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 11, in the Houghton Township Hall in Eagle River. Wyckoff is assisting the Commission in updating the County's 1975 Zoning Ordinance, thanks to a grant from the Coastal Zone Management Program of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). "We're getting quite far along in the zoning revision process, and we strongly encourage the public to attend this work session," said Janet Shea, P/Z commissioner. (Since this meeting begins two hours earlier than the Keweenaw County Board meeting, it is possible to attend both. The Houghton Township Hall is on the same street as the Courthouse.)
Photo: In early March 2005, Mark Wyckoff, standing, discusses possible zoning updates during a work session with Keweenaw County Planning/Zoning commissioners in the Courthouse, Eagle River. Commissioners pictured, from left, are Janet Shea, Jon Soper, Richard Probst, Kathy McEvers and John Parsons. (Photo © 2005 Michele Anderson)

CCGAP to hold Fundraiser for Guatemalan projects May 21
Posted 05/08/2005 

HOUGHTON -- The Copper Country Guatemalan Accompaniment Project (CCGAP) will hold its Annual Spring Fundraiser from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, May 21, at the Motherlode Coffee House. Dance to live music provided by Finn Street. Raffle tickets are $5 at the door for a chance to win Guatemalan crafts or the Grand Prize -- the lovely, handwoven Guatemalan blanket pictured here. The proceeds are used by CCGAP to support human rights accompaniment in Guatemala and to build a public school in a remote Guatemalan village. The public is invited.

Nominations for Heart and Hands Award due June 17, 2005
Posted 05/08/2005 

HANCOCK -- Nominations for the annual Heart and Hands Award are being accepted through June 17, 2005. The award is presented each July 4 at Churning Rapids, following the Horsetail Scramble Walk/Run. Anyone may nominate a local resident who has given of himself/herself in a caring, committed way in the areas of peace, justice, human needs or the environment. A new youth category this year will recognize outstanding students age 18 and under. Both adult and youth winners will receive public recognition, a certificate and a monetary donation to be given to the charity of their choice. Mail nominations to President of the Board, Heart and Hands Award, 53044 Hwy M203, Hancock, MI 49930. Call 482-6827 or email tkinzel@pasty.com for more information. Click here for a Nomination Form.

Health Department volunteers to sponsor household electronics waste collections May 7, 14, 21

Posted 05/05/2005

HANCOCK -- The Western U.P. District Health Department's RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program) is sponsoring a household electronics waste collection from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 14, at the Health Department, 540 Depot St., in Hancock. Other collections will be held at the same hours on May 7 at the Ontonagon Recreation Center and on May 21 at the Meadowbrook Arena in Baraga. Residents of Baraga, Gogebic, Houghton, Keweenaw or Ontonagon counties, who have generated electronic waste as a result of household use, may bring their items to any of these collections. Items accepted include: cell phones, computer monitors, computer towers (Central Processing Units), copiers, cordless telephones, fax machines, 4-ft. -- 8-ft. fluorescent light bulbs, keyboards, computer mice, laptop computers, microwave ovens, batteries (alkaline, nickel cadmium, lead acid, lithium, mercury), printers, scanners, stereo equipment, televisions, VCR and DVD players. For details on fees or approval for business participation call 482-7382 or visit the Health Department's Web site.

Public Notice: City of Hancock to hold 2005 Spring Cleanup May 6, 7

Posted 05/04/2005

HANCOCK -- The City of Hancock will hold its annual Spring Cleanup for General Debris from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, May 6, and Saturday, May 7, 2005, for City of Hancock residents only. Debris, such as old furniture, lumber, small metal items, etc., can be brought to the Public Works Garage, 1601 Tomasi Dr., Hancock, only during these hours. Any debris left at the gate area will be treated as a littering offense by the City. White Goods of any kind, paints, oils, batteries or tires will not be accepted. Proof of residency is required. Read the Public Notice.

Houghton Keweenaw Conservation District to hold 2005 Tree Sale May 6, 7
Posted 03/07/2005  Updated 05/04/2005
HOUGHTON -- The Houghton Keweenaw Conservation District (HKCD) will hold its annual Tree Sale -- offering a variety of native and non-native plants, seeds and merchandise -- from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, May 6, and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 7, at the Houghton County Arena, 1500 Birch Street, Hancock. more

Conservancy to hold second Keweenaw Botany Workshop June 4-5

Posted 04/28/2005

GRATIOT LAKE -- Gay-wings, pitcher plants, nodding trilliums, Rubus parviflorus, Sanguinaria canadensis, Iris versicolor... These are just a few of the 100+ plants observed by twelve participants in the Gratiot Lake Conservancy's Botany Workshop, taught by botanist Janet Marr last year in a variety of  Keweenaw wetland and upland habitats. The Gratiot Lake Conservancy is sponsoring their second Botany Workshop from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 4, and Sunday, June 5, 2005. The workshop is open to anyone interested in learning to identify local native plants. more
Photo: At Eagle Harbor’s Eliza Lake, botanist Janet Marr (right, foreground) points out a patch of fushia gay-wings, or Polygala paucifolia, to participants in the 2004 Botany Workshop, sponsored by the Gratiot Lake Conservancy. (Photo © 2004 and courtesy Bonnie Hay, Gratiot Lake Conservancy)

Memorial service for Jim Rooks to be held June 13 in Copper Harbor

Posted 04/27/2005

COPPER HARBOR -- A memorial service for Jim Rooks will take place at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 13, 2005, at Our Lady of the Pines Chapel in Copper Harbor. Following the service, Jim's friends will gather at the Community Center for his favorite Turkey Potluck and share their special memories of "ROOKS." Jim Rooks -- naturalist, nature guide and educator -- passed away March 10, 2005, at Zablocki Veterans Memorial Hospital in Milwaukee. Read our Keweenaw Now tribute, Keweenaw loss: Jim Rooks of Copper Harbor, 1935 - 2005.
Photo: Jim Rooks and one of the tall Estivant Pines he helped preserve. (Photo © 2004 and courtesy Jim Junttila)

Artist booths needed for Spring Art and Music Festival May 28

Posted 04/04/2005 

HOUGHTON -- Plans are under way for the fourth Annual Houghton Spring Art and Music Festival to be held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 28, on the Houghton waterfront. The event will feature a full slate of homegrown music along with artist booths, a bike parade and family art activities. Applications for artist booths are now available at the Community Arts Center, 126 Quincy Street in Hancock. This event is sponsored by the City of Houghton and the Copper Country Community Arts Council. Call the Community Arts Center at 482-2333 for more information.

MTU to host "Affirming diversity" Conference Oct. 5-8, 2005

Posted 03/28/2005  Updated 03/29/2005

HOUGHTON -- The Department of Humanities at Michigan Technological University will host the fifth Biennial Feminism(s) and Rhetoric(s) Conference, Oct. 5-8, 2005, sponsored by the Coalition of Women Scholars and Rhetoricians. This interdisciplinary conference affirms various aspects of diversity -- from language use to communication practices of women from different races, classes, cultures and historical eras. Proposals for papers, presentations or performances are due by April 1, 2005. more

April 2005 Happenings -- June 2005 Happenings