Calendar

Republic – A Memorial Day Parade will be held on Monday, May 27 at 9:30 a.m. in Republic. The parade will end at the Republic Cemetery with a program at 10 a.m.

A social gathering will be held in the Republic Township Hall following the activities. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held in the Republic-Michigamme High School gym.

Michigamme – A Memorial Day service will be held on Monday, May 27 at 10 a.m. at Lakeview Cemetery in Michigamme.

The program will include a salute to the veterans, special music and Marquette County Sheriff Mike Lovelace will be the guest speaker. Refreshments will be served after the program in the Michigamme Community Building.

In case of inclement weather, the service will be held in the Community Building.

Ishpeming – The Ishpeming Area Veterans will hold a Memorial Day service on Monday, May 27 at 10 a.m. at the Ishpeming Cemetery. In case of inclement weather, services will be held at the Ishpeming VFW on Bank Street.

Humboldt – A Memorial Day service will be held on Monday, May 27 at 10 a.m. at the Humboldt Township Cemetery.

A coffee social will be held following the service at the Humboldt Town Hall. In the event of inclement weather, activities will take place at the Town Hall.

Chatham – The Marquette Food Co-op will host farm tours on Sunday, May 26 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Rock River Farm, Rock River Perennial Garden and Greenhouse, and at Reh-Morr Farm in the Chatham area.

The event is organized so that participants are free to visit the farms at their leisure during the designated hours and learn how a sustainable farm works.

Stop by Marquette Food Co-op, 109 W. Baraga Avenue in Marquette to pick up a Farm Tour Guide with driving directions and detailed information or go to www.marquettefood.coop.

Marquette – The American Veterans Cook Out and Sock Hop will be held on Saturday, May 25 from 4 to 10 p.m. at the American Legion Post #44, 700 Bluff Street, Marquette.

Come dressed in your best poodle skirt and saddle shoes. Prizes for the best 50′s apparel. There will be lots of food, music and fun.

Tickets will be available at the door. All proceeds will be donated to the activity fund, to buy equipment at D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans.

Marquette – An open dance featuring music by “Blue Champagne” will be held on Saturday, May 25 from 7 to 10 p.m. at Dance Zone, 1113 Lincoln Avenue, Marquette.

Admission is $10 per person. Dancers should bring a clean pair of dance shoes to protect the floor.

For more information, call 236-1457.

Champion – Champion Township will host a Memorial Observance on Saturday, May 25 at noon in Berle LaPin Veteran’s Memorial Park in Champion.

The Champion-Humboldt Fire Department standing as Color Guard. Refreshments will be provided by the Champion Lions Club.

Press Releases

A new playground – complete with swings, two climbing rock walls, three slides, and nature interpretive panels – will be unveiled at a grand opening on Saturday, May 25, at 11 a.m. at Van Riper State Park, the Department of Natural Resources announced today.

The playground was made possible by donations secured by the Friends of Van Riper and Craig Lake State Parks. The group has been at work on improving the play area for three years, and this new playground is a $26,000 first step in an ongoing upgrade of playground facilities at the park.

“The staff at Van Riper would like to thank our Friends group for their tireless work on behalf of this park,” said Van Riper State Park Manager Douglas Barry. “State parks are places where people can get outdoors, enjoy nature and reconnect with each other. We’re proud to offer more quality recreation resources that are inviting to visitors of all ages.”

Barry and The Friends Group specifically highlighted the contributions and efforts of:

• A. Lindberg & Sons;
• Ishpeming Concrete;
• Auto Value of West Ishpeming;
• Empire Steel Workers Union 4950
• Les & Ada Ruohomaki; and
• All of the campers who, over the past three years, have donated, whether by purchasing fundraising items or donating cans and bottles.

Barry said the Friends group is still raising funds and looking into grant opportunities for future playground enhancements at Van Riper State Park. High on their list is funding for a $300,000 playscape that would include multiple slides, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant swings, nature-themed interpretive panels, rock walls and monkey bars.

Van Riper State Park, which features a half-mile of frontage with a sand beach on Lake Michigamme, is located just west of Champion on US-41 in Marquette County. For more information on Van Riper and other Michigan state parks visit the DNR website at www.michigan.gov/stateparks.

Governor’s Decision Room Welcomes First Classes

The Governor’s Decision Room program is under way at the Michigan Historical Center, with more than 100 Michigan high school students since April learning new skills to make decisions, think critically and understand how past events in Michigan effect themselves and their community. The center is located at 702 W. Kalamazoo St. in Lansing.

Students from Jackson Western High School and Swan Valley High School in Saginaw County participated in the Governor’s Decision Room program on April 23 and 24. Frankenmuth High School and Lansing Everett have scheduled May visits.

Decision Room students complete three classroom modules that cover decision-making, the roles of the governor and his or her cabinet, and how to read primary resource documents. The capstone of the program is an onsite visit to the David and Betty Morris Learning Center, which is designed for the program.

Once at the center, students are immersed in a fast-paced, three-hour program that places them in the roles of the governor and his or her staff. In their roles, students react to events in real time as they are given copies of original time-specific documents. The first program centers on the events of Detroit in 1967.

“The Governor’s Decision Room gets students thinking not just about the facts and issues of the particular event and time period, it also gets them thinking about thinking,” said Erika Sponsler,ateacher at Jackson Western High School. “Students get to discuss, debate and decide – demonstrating in a natural way their skills in higher-level thinking. One of the best things I heard from my students after their experience was their greater respect for their elected officials after working through the decision-making process. They understood how hard the task is of serving all the people. That’s no easy feat for a group of sophomores!”

The program is supported by generous gifts to the Michigan History Foundation, which provide waived-fee scholarships and support for transportation. As it grows, additional topics will be developed by center staff working with high school teachers. State Archivist Mark Harvey, who leads the program, said, “We are excited by the students’ response to the program, and we hope to see a full schedule in the coming school year.”

For information on participating in the program, contact Rachel Clark at clarkr@michigan.gov or 517-335-3192.

For more information on the Michigan Historical Center, go to www.michigan.gov/michiganhistory or call 517-373-3559.

Admission fees for the Michigan Historical Museum are $6 for adults 18-64; children through age 5 are free; youth ages 6-17 may pay an optional $2; and seniors 65 and up are $4. Annual passes are available, and there is no admission charge on Sundays.

The center and visitor parking are on the north side of Kalamazoo Street, two blocks east of M. L. King Jr. Boulevard. Weekend parking is free.

The Department of Natural Resources reminds everyone the annual Summer Free Fishing Weekend is scheduled for Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9. On that weekend, everyone – residents and non-residents alike – can fish without a license, though all other fishing regulations still apply.

Michigan has been celebrating the Summer Free Fishing Weekend annually since 1986 as a way to promote awareness of the state’s vast water resources. With more than 3,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline, 36,000 miles of rivers and 11,000 inland lakes, fishing and Michigan go hand-in-hand.

“This summer’s Free Fishing Weekend is a great way to get outdoors and experience some of the best freshwater fishing in the world,” said DNR Director Keith Creagh. “There’s an opportunity for everyone to get involved, as it’s an inexpensive activity and readily accessible – so get out this June and try it yourself, for free!”

To encourage involvement in Free Fishing Weekends, organized activities are being scheduled in communities across the state. These activities are coordinated by a variety of individuals, organizations, constituent groups, schools, local and state parks, businesses and others.

There’s still plenty of time to plan your own local Free Fishing Weekend event, or to find an activity occurring in your community. Visit www.michigan.gov/freefishing for all things related to this weekend, including help with event planning and promotion, a registration form for official events, and a chart identifying activities in areas throughout the state.

On Wednesday, May 22, the Laughing Whitefish Audubon Society will present a program called “Birds and Lemurs of Madagascar.” The program will take place at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room of Peter White Library. For information, call 226-6749.