Lake Superior Day on Barker's Island

Lake Superior Day at the Lake Superior Estuarium on Barker’s Island in Superior features live music, kids’ activities, stand-up paddle boarding, informational booths and food vendors all focused on celebrating and appreciating the Great Lake.

Prior to the main event, North Shore Stand Up Paddleboarding will host the 5th annual Paddle for the People 4K recreational paddle race around Barker’s Island. The race is free and begins at 10 a.m. with mandatory check-in from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Participants may register online at duluthsup.com. Registration is limited. Free SUP demonstrations are available from noon to 3 p.m. An online waiver must be submitted prior to paddling.

Music performances start at 11 a.m. with Hodag and Hooch, a local band sharing harmonies from the back seat of a car rolling down the fast lane of the 1970s with plenty of detours to the sweet songs before and beyond. Woodblind, an acoustic ska duo, will perform at 1 p.m.

Additionally, organizations from throughout the region will help visitors dive into Lake Superior learning. A children’s activity tent will feature a Lake Superior-themed obstacle course. The SS Meteor will offer half-price admission for tours of the last above-water Whaleback ship in the world. The Lake Superior Estuarium, the free natural history museum on Barker’s Island, will be open. A free raffle features prizes donated from local businesses, including Northwest Outlet, Bluetick Design, Twisted Pastries, Sweeden Sweets and more.

Lake Superior is the cleanest, coldest and clearest of the Great Lakes. The largest lake by surface area in the world, it fuels local shipping, commercial fishing and recreational industries while providing clean drinking water. Every day, each of the 600,000 human residents of the Lake Superior basin use water from the lake for drinking, home use, industrial use or recreation. The lake is essential for countless fish, birds, animals and plants.

Lake Superior Day was started in the early 1990s to highlight the importance of this great water body to the basin’s environment and economy. It is now held every third Sunday in July. This year’s event in Superior is coordinated by the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve operated by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Division of Extension in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the following partners: the City of Superior, University of Wisconsin-Superior, the Friends of the Lake Superior Reserve, North Shore SUP and Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. The event is sponsored by the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program.