Home    Happenings March 2006

February 2006 Happenings  -- April 2006 Happenings

March 2006 Happenings

MTU International Club to present "Night of All Nations" Apr. 1

Posted 03/28/2006 

HOUGHTON -- Michigan Tech University's International Club will present "The Night of All Nations" -- music, dances and fashions from around the world -- at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Apr. 1, at the Rosza Center. Showcasing the global cultural diversity that Michigan Tech offers to Upper Peninsula communities, the event will feature performances from Turkey, Mexico, China, India, Japan, Africa, Bolivia and United States -- followed by an international fashion show. The evening will begin with an international dinner featuring a “Global Platter” prepared by international students and served from 4:45 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. at the Memorial Union Building (MUB) commons. It will include samplings of African Efo Vegetable soup, Japanese sushi, Latin American Fajitas (beef and vegetarian), Turkish Kisir (bulgar Salad), Vietnamese egg rolls (chicken) and Turkish Delight dessert. MTU hosts over 600 international students from 82 countries. International and U.S. students from Houghton elementary and high schools will also participate. Tickets including both dinner and show are $10 for students and $15 for the general public. “Performance only” tickets are $3. Tickets are available at the MUB, Rosza Center and the Office of International Programs and Services.

Public meeting on plan for Huron Creek Watershed to be held Mar. 21

Posted 03/17/2006 

HOUGHTON -- The public is invited to learn about a potential watershed management plan for Huron Creek. A public meeting on the plan will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Mar. 21, at the Baraga-Houghton-Keweenaw Early Childhood Development (BHK) facility, 700 Park Ave., Houghton. This meeting will be the first step in forming a community Watershed Advisory Council to guide the sponsoring organization, Michigan Tech’s Center for Water and Society, in crafting the watershed plan. Huron Creek begins in Portage Township and flows behind Wal-Mart and along the M-26 corridor before entering the Portage at the Houghton City Beach. In addition to assessing the current state of the creek and guiding how the community uses the creek and the watershed, the management plan could also qualify for stream improvement grants. The Center for Water and Society will be applying to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for a grant to develop the plan. For more information, contact Alex Mayer (asmayer@mtu.edu) or Hugh Gorman (hsgorman@mtu.edu), MTU professors.

MTU Earth Week (Mar. 27-31) events begin with film Mar. 16

Posted 03/16/2006  

HOUGHTON -- Michigan Tech's Students for Environmental Sustainability (SfES) will present Earth Week 2006 during the week of March 27-31 in conjunction with international Earth Day, which is celebrated March 20. Earth Week is a series of events held annually to raise awareness of environmental sustainability issues. In preparation for the Earth Week events SfES will be showing three films, free and open to the public, on Thursdays, beginning Mar. 16. This year’s Earth Week theme at Michigan Tech is "Green Building Design." Green building is a process that focuses on increasing the efficiency with which buildings and their sites use and harvest energy, water and materials; it also practices reducing building impacts on human health and the environment. more
Photo: SfES members Marcus Lundberg and Rachael Sturtevant mix plaster to make the first floor of the Green Home Model to be displayed in the Michigan Tech library for Earth Week 2006. (Photo © 2006 and courtesy MTU Students for Environmental Sustainability. Reprinted with permission.)

International scholar to speak on Finnish-American Cooperatives Mar. 20, 27*

Posted 03/09/2006  Updated 03/16/06

HANCOCK -- What is a co-op? Dr. Hannu Heinilä, who heads the Tourism Program at Häme Polytechnic University of Applied Sciences in Finland, will be answering that question and more in two free public talks at 6 p.m. on Monday, Mar. 20, and at 6 p.m. on Monday, Mar. 27, at the Finnish American Heritage Center in Hancock. On Mar. 20, Heinilä will speak about "Early Efforts of the Co-op Movement," the educational activities integral to the success of local co-ops in the early- and mid-20th century. His Mar. 27 talk will be "Education, Activities and the Co-op Movement," including the importance of Central Cooperative wholesale activities, such as management training, women’s guilds and summer camps nationally. Keweenaw Now's Wade Wainio interviewed Dr. Heinilä at Finlandia University and offers a preview of this visiting scholar's presentations. *These lectures have been re-scheduled because of inclement weather. more

Swedetown Trails offer great conditions for Great Bear Chase Mar. 12

Posted 03/10/2006 

CALUMET -- Local and visiting cross-country skiers report very good conditions on Calumet's Swedetown Trails for the River Valley State Bank Great Bear Chase, scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 12. The 26-km Classic begins at 8:40 a.m., the  50 km Freestyle race begins at 9 a.m., and the 26-km Freestyle race starts at 9:10 a.m. Rick Oikarinen, owner of Cross Country Sports, reports 300 registrations for the race and adds that 500-550 skiers are expected, with three feet of snow offering great conditions, despite warm temperatures. Mark Jindrich of Calumet, a Copper Island Cross-Country Ski Club member who also volunteers at Swedetown Chalet, said parents of skiers in the Junior Olympics (J.O) races held this week at the Michigan Tech Trails in Houghton, came to ski at Swedetown on Tuesday and Thursday during some off-time at the J.O. competition and were excited about conditions at Swedetown Trails. more

Houghton Keweenaw Conservation District to hold 2006 Tree Sale; new District Forester named 

Posted 03/09/2006 

HOUGHTON -- The Houghton Keweenaw Conservation District (HKCD) Annual Tree Sale, the District's annual fund raiser, is underway. Tree Sale brochures and order forms are available at the Conservation Office located on the second floor of the UPPCO Building at 600 East Lakeshore Drive, Houghton (482-0214) or on the HKCD Web site: www.hkconserve.com. This year's sale includes conifers for reforestation; trees and shrubs for wildlife; blackberry, blueberry, raspberry and strawberry bushes; apple, cherry (sweet and tart), peach, pear and plum fruit trees; native wildflowers in 3” pots; wildflower seeds and conservation merchandise. Order early. Orders are due by April 1. Pick up time will be on May 5 and 6 at the Houghton County Arena, Hancock. HKCD also announces their new Forester, Mark Salo, is available for free site visits, public presentations on forest management topics and answering questions on forestry topics. Phone him at (906) 482-0214. more

Finlandia's Nordic Film Series to present Fire and Ice March 9

Posted 03/07/2006 

HANCOCK -- The Finlandia University Finnish American Heritage Center’s Nordic Film Series will present two special showings of the documentary film, Fire and Ice: The Winter War of Finland and Russia at 3 p.m. and at 6 p.m. Thursday, Mar. 9. The award-winning writer, director and producer of the film, Ben Strout, will be on hand before and after each showing to discuss the film and answer questions. This 78-minute English-language documentary chronicles the Soviet Union’s invasion of Finland in November 1939. It shows how Finland’s spirited 105-day defense in a “frozen hell” helped change the course of what would soon become World War II. This film replaces the showing of the previously scheduled film, Land of Love. The series will conclude Thursday, Apr.13 with Hayflower and Quiltshoe (Heinahattu Ja Vilttitossu) (2002), an award-winning Finnish family film about two siblings and a quirky family. The  Finnish American Heritage Center is located at 435 Quincy St., Hancock. For additional information, please contact Heritage Center Director James Kurtti at 906-487-7302.

Near-eastern Dance Workshop to be held March 11

Posted 02/22/2006  Updated 03/07/06

HOUGHTON -- Ahlam will offer instruction in Danse Orientale, the Art of Near-eastern Dance, at the second of two "Belly Dance" workshops to be held from noon to 2 p.m., on Saturday, March 11, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 205 E. Montezuma, Houghton. Cost is $20 for one workshop or two (for those who attended the Feb. 25 workshop) for $30. Increase your flexibility, strength and grace. No prior dance experience is required and everyone is welcome. Participants should wear comfortable clothing. Ahlam has more than 30 years of dance studies, including oriental dance and folkloric dance with the leading dance teachers from the United States, Egypt, Turkey and Spain. For information contact Ahlam at 1maya@charter.net.

February 2006 Happenings -- April 2006 Happenings