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April 2007 Happenings

Rep. Mike Lahti to hold office hours in Houghton, Keweenaw counties Apr. 27 

Posted 04/26/2007 

LANSING -- State Representative Mike Lahti (D-Hancock)  will hold local office hours in Houghton and Keweenaw counties on Friday, April 27, in order to meet with his constituents. From 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Rep. Lahti will be at the 5th floor conference room of the Houghton County Courthouse at 401 E. Houghton Ave. in Houghton. He will be at the Keweenaw County Courthouse, located at 5095 4th St. in Eagle River, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. "I encourage people to come and discuss issues with me that are important to them," said Lahti. "Hearing directly from my constituents about their concerns enables me to better represent the interests of the western U.P. in the legislature and use the resources of my office to help make dealing with any of our state departments quicker and easier." No appointment is necessary, but questions may be directed to Rep. Lahti’s Lansing office, toll-free, at: 1.888.663.4031.

Second Town Hall Forum on renewable energy to be Apr. 17

Posted 04/17/2007 

HANCOCK -- "Renewable Energy: Reducing Home Energy Costs, Part 2," a Town Hall Forum, will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Apr. 17, at Lakeview Manor, 1401 W. Quincy St., Hancock. Plenty of parking across the street at the Antila Funeral Home. The Forum follows up on the successful February forum where community members shared practical information based on personal experiences with renewable energy and reducing energy costs. During this forum, participants will break into working groups after presentations by Terry Kinzel, Mike Benda and Dave Bach on solar and wind power and on retrofitting older homes. Community members with homes powered with a wide range of alternative and sustainable energy sources will also be on hand to provide examples and experience. Mike Schira of the Michigan State University Extension Service will be the moderator. The Keweenaw Sustainability Project is sponsoring the forum, which is free and open to the public. For more information contact Michael Moore at 370-0206 or mmoore@mtu.edu.

Local sustainability rally, "Pinwheel Parade" to focus on energy needs Apr. 14

Posted 04/13/2007 

HOUGHTON -- "The Power Is In Our Hands" rally, followed by a "Pinwheel Parade" to Hancock and back, will begin at noon this Saturday, Apr. 14, at the Good Shepherd Church in Houghton. The rally will include a presentation on current energy consumption, realistic scenarios, policy change and developable technology. The rally and parade are a local civic action for our Sustainable -- carbon neutral -- Future Energy Needs. This family-friendly informative event, co-sponsored by Michigan Inter-Faith Power and Light, is coordinated with over 1,000 other civic faith-in-action events around the country. For more information, call 483-0704.

Ukrainian Dance Workshop to be held Apr. 20-22

Posted 04/11/2007 

HANCOCK -- A Ukrainian Dance Workshop weekend will be held  Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Apr. 20-22, in Hancock and Laurium. Cathy Paroschy Harris, artistic director of the Chaban Dance Company of Thunder Bay, Ontario, will teach the dances, which will be for adult dancers. While the pace will be medium to fast, the dances will be adapted to all levels of capability. Partners are not required. The cost is $40 ($25 for college students). A free presentation on Ukrainian dance regions; variations in costumes, music and steps; similarities to neighboring countries; and the state of Ukrainian dance today will kick off the workshop from  6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. on Friday, Apr. 20, at the Community Arts Center (upstairs) in Hancock. Folk dancing will follow. On Saturday and Sunday, Apr. 21 and 22, dance instruction will be held at the Laurium Ballroom. Read the complete schedule with registration form.
Photo: Folk dancers from the Chaban Dance Company of Thunder Bay, Ontario, model traditional Ukrainian dance costumes. (Photo © 2007 and courtesy Chaban Dance Company Web site and Cathy Paroschy Harris, artistic director. Reprinted with permission.)

Author Alan Weisman to speak on Gaviotas, sustainable rainforest community, Apr. 12

Posted 04/10/2007 

HANCOCK, HOUGHTON -- Journalist Alan Weisman, author of  Gaviotas: A Village to Reinvent the World, will speak to student groups and give public presentations at both Finlandia University and Michigan Tech University on Thursday, April 12. Gaviotas, a village in Colombia, South America, was named a model of sustainable development by the United Nations. Weisman will conduct a discussion about his book at 2 p.m. in the Finlandia Campus Ministry Center in the lower level of Finlandia’s Chapel of St. Matthew. There is no charge and all are welcome. At 7 p.m. Weisman will give a presentation in Room G002 of the Noblet Forestry Building on the Michigan Tech campus. This talk is also free and open to the public. During the day Weisman will meet with MTU students from various departments and will be interviewed for a new "Noticing Nature" sustainability radio show to be broadcast from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, Apr. 15, on WMTU. Weisman's visit is sponsored by the Finlandia Campus Enrichment Committee and Michigan Technological University. For more information contact Angela Book at 906-487-7265.
Photo: Alan Weisman, author of Gaviotas: A  Village to Reinvent the World, will visit Finlandia and Michigan Tech on Thursday, April 12. Click on photo for larger version. (Photo © and courtesy Alan Weisman and Michigan Tech University. Reprinted with permission.)

Nordic Film Series to present adventure story for children Apr. 12, 14

Posted 04/09/2007 

HANCOCK -- The Finlandia University Finnish American Heritage Center (FAHC) continues its Nordic Film Series with Unna and Nuuk at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Apr. 12, 2007. A repeat showing of the film will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday, Apr. 14, 2007. Unna and Nuuk is an adventure story for children. When 11-year-old Unna feels a stab of pain in her chest, she senses that her beloved Granddad is in danger. Unna calls her grandfather and discovers he has fallen gravely ill. Her grandfather reveals that Unna has shaman blood in her veins and that the gift to heal has been passed on to her. She is the only person Granddad can turn to for help. The film is in Finnish with English subtitles. There is no admission charge, but donations are gratefully accepted. The FAHC is located at 435 Quincy Street in downtown Hancock. For additional information, please contact 906-487-7505.

Valentino Achak Deng to speak at Rozsa Apr. 3

Posted 04/02/2007 

HOUGHTON -- Valentino Achak Deng, real-life hero of Dave Eggers’ What is the What, will present a free lecture at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Apr. 3, in the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts on the Michigan Tech University campus. Deng was a refugee from the Sudanese civil war of the 1980s and 90s. Separated from his family when Arab militia destroy his village, Deng becomes a "Lost Boy," beset by starvation, thirst and man-eating lions on a march to squalid refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya. He eventually reaches America, but finds his quest for safety, community and fulfillment in many ways even more difficult here than in the camps. more
Photo: Valentino Achak Deng, real-life hero of Dave Eggers’ What is the What. (Photo © 2007 and courtesy The Valentino Achak Deng Foundation.)

Houghton Keweenaw Conservation District Tree Sale deadline extended to Apr. 2; letters of support needed 

Posted 03/29/2007 

HOUGHTON -- April 2 is the extended deadline for ordering items from the Houghton Keweenaw Conservation District (HKCD) Tree Sale, the District's major fundraiser. State budget cuts mean the Conservation District needs support in this annual fundraiser more than ever. The District's budget was recently reduced by 50 percent for the remainder of 2007 and is in danger of being cut 100 percent for 2008. To order items from the Tree Sale call Sue Haralson at 906-482-0214 or download the flyer and Order Form at www.hkconserve.com. This year HKCD is offering several new items including Basswood, Paper Birch, three varieties of Lilacs and the Rugosa Rose, plus some larger sizes of trees and shrubs. Orders can be picked up from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, May 4, or from 9 a.m. to Noon Saturday, May 5, at the Houghton County Arena, 1500 Birch St., Hancock. During this time surplus stock will also be sold. Residents can help HKCD by writing letters to Governor Granholm and state officials. more
Photo: Bluebird House: a new item at the Houghton Keweenaw Conservation District 2007 Tree Sale. (Photo courtesy HKCD)

Keweenaw Krayons to offer Oriental Dance beginning Mar. 13 in Mohawk

Posted 03/12/2007 

MOHAWK -- Keweenaw Krayons' new program; "A Cultural Experience," is a six-week class in Oriental Dance, the dance of the Near East, sometimes referred to in this country as "belly dancing." The class, which  still has room for registrants, will meet from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, from  Mar. 13 through Apr. 17, at the Mohawk School. Everyone is welcome; no prior dance experience necessary. Instructor Ahlam has taught beginner and experienced dancers and also has experience with people in wheelchairs and walkers. This is a class designed to increase your flexibility, grace and strength while learning the "ancient and enduring art" of danse orientale.  Learn to appreciate the beauty of your own body... just as it is! Music used in the class will include Arabic, Turkish, Persian and Armenian. This program is sponsored in part by the Michigan Women’s Foundation, which has granted more than $3 million to more than 400 non-profit organizations serving women and girls throughout Michigan. The cost is $15 a session or $65 for all six weeks. Full and partial scholarships as well as bartering opportunities are available, with no financial questions asked. Taxi fare is also available for those lacking transportation. Pre-registration is required. Call 337-4706 or email staff@keweenawkrayons.com.  

March 2007 Happenings -- May 2007 Happenings