Take the Once-a-Year Lock Walk & Bridge Stroll
Next weekend will be a busy one around the Sault Ste. Marie waterfront.
On Friday, June 28, Engineers Day at the Soo Locks means a once-a-year chance to get onto the locks (as seen here as the Edwin H. Gott floats by in a past Engineers Day). Visitors will be allowed to cross over the MacArthur Lock until 3:30 p.m. Entry onto the lock area is free, but visitors will not be allowed bags or purses. Only clear tote bags no larger than 12x6x12 inches will be allowed or Ziplock style bags no larger than 1 gallon.
Beginning at 9 a.m., a section of West Portage Avenue between Ferris Street and Gov. Osbourne Boulevard in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., will be closed to traffic until 4 p.m. Soo Locks Park and observation deck will both be open 9 a.m.-10 p.m. But that's not the only action on that Friday.
The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Northern Great Lakes station holds open house from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. with cutter tours and Lake Superior State University's Center for Freshwater Research and Education will be open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. An Arts, Crafts and Family Fun Fair hosted by Hospice of the Eastern Upper Peninsula and Superior Health Systems will be on the City Hall grounds from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. The second annual “Honoring Our Veterans” Golf Scramble at Tanglewood starts at 5:30 p.m. and the Kokosing Alberici Traylor Engineers Day 5K starts at 6 p.m. LSSU will show the movie "Jaws" in the Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. with $5 admission. This special event is made possible by the sponsorship of Kevin and Pam Cooper.
Then on Saturday, June 29, the once-a-year International Bridge Walk starts at 9 a.m. (and seen from earlier years in this
photo by Brian Wellwood). The bridge spanning Sault Michigan and Ontario is usually closed to all pedestrian traffic. "The annual International Bridge Walk takes an easy pace and provides spectacular views of the twin Saults, the St. Marys River rapids, and the Soo Locks," says the Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., Convention & Visitors Bureau. "Young and old, physically fit and fitness challenged, all enjoy the fantastic views and the resulting pictures that will last a lifetime." Participants must have their passports or other valid ID (with special requirements for children younger than 15) and although the walk is free, bus transportation is $10 per person or $20 per family from either the Marconi Club on the Ontario side or the Norris Center on the Michigan side. The walk crosses one way, from the United States into Canada.. The walk is sponsored by the International Bridge Authority and the Chambers of Commerce from the twinned cities.
Maritime Update
The wounded freighter Michipicoten, which suffered a crack in its hull, will be escorted from Thunder Bay to Superior today, where it will be put in dry dock for repairs. The tug Glenada will aid it in Ontario waters and the tug Helen H. will take over in U.S. waters, according to Facebook reports from Michael Hull and David Schauer. Watch the Facebook group page Shipping of the Lake Superior Region for updates. The hull issue raised questions about aging lakers, and TV6 interviewed Lake Carriers' Association Vice President Eric Peace about annual vessel inspections by the U.S. Coast Guard and American Bureau of Shipping. See the story here.
Aiding Wisconsin Mermaids in Their International Dream
If you're going to swim the English Channel as a relay team from the U.S. Midwest, you need to have some optimism. Luckily, Michele DeYoung, a small business owner and restaurateur from Barnes, Wis., Pamela Stubbe Toshner, a lake biologist from Barnes, Lisa Weispfenning, an X-ray technologist from Washburn, and Jennifer Titus, a salon owner from Hayward, have all of that, writes Tom Stankard for the Ashland Daily Press. Plus they have an "official" boat named Optimist waiting for them across the big pond, far from the Big Lake.
"As the daughter of a mother born and raised in England, I always thought it would be amazing to swim the English Channel," Michele writes on a GoFundMe page to help the cause. "Fate led me to Pamela and Jennifer, and the next thing I knew, we were swimming from Bayfield to Madeline Island for the Point to LaPointe Race. Some people called us ladies, all from Barnes or Hayward in Northwest Wisconsin, crazy. Little did they know what was up next!
"Not long after we began swimming together, it was a quick decision for us to become the first all-Wisconsin relay team to
swim the English Channel. Not only that, but our team would be all female and bold enough to master the task of the treacherous swim from England to France. We are the WisconSWIM Mermaids, and you can help us cross the Channel!"
The GoFund Me page, found here, has raised a mere $1,950 raised of their $19,000 goal, but nonetheless, they have hired a pilot and support boat for their Aug. 18-26 attempt. They've also did fundraisers in Hayward last year, netting – yes, pun intended – more than $5,000 and in Barnes with more than $2,300 raised.
The team had a practice ocean swim at San Francisco in May, which you can read about and see the video on their WisconSWIM Mermaids Facebook page here.
Tom writes that the team, besides the 2-mile Point to La Pointe swim on Lake Superior, have also completed a 4.5-hour, 8.2-mile swim around Mackinaw Island in Lake Huron. The English Channel journey will be 21 miles, divided by the mermaids for more than 5 miles each.
Tom's full Ashland Daily Press story about the local folk headed to England is here, but payment may be required to read it.
Sleeping with the Fishes
Nashville comedian Dusty Slay set his funny-bone sights on a visit to the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth awhile back on his podcast show. During a visit to GLA in Duluth, he notice some of the fish looked, well, deceased perhaps. Then, more generously, he wondered, "Do fish sleep?" Luckily, "Fish Expert" Hanna was walking nearby in her GLA T-shirt with that fish expert name tag. So Dusty asked Hanna … and you'll want to hear her witty response, which you can see on the wee video here.
Now is a good time to visit the aquarium. It's new exhibit, Ocean's Alive, debuted last Friday (June 14), replacing the long-running shipwrecks exhibit.
And about those "expired" fish … a true story from our editor Kon, who one year sponsored the aquarium's eelpouts (aka burbot, lawyer, loche, ling, ling cod, cusk … or in Ojibwe, Mizay.) Scientifically they are lota lota, so what's not to love? Anyway, shortly have sending in her sponsorship, Kon visited the lot of Lota Lotas in the tank only to discover the bulk of them lying on their side on the bottom. "Oh no, my adopted eelpouts are dead!" Kon thought, frantically looking for a Hanna-type fish expert nearby, but finding none. As she decided to march right up to the administration office with her tragic discovery, she noticed a hand-written sign on the tank: "The eelpouts are not dead. This is how they sleep."
Rain Will Be a Likely Addition to Grandma’s Marathon
“Warm and waterproof” are the key words that Grandma’s Marathon organizers sent out for participants, spectators and volunteers for the 48th edition of the marathon and related events, today-Saturday. The National Weather Service in Duluth forecasts “Rain and thunderstorms chances (60-90%) will ramp up late week into at least Saturday.” (Parts of the Minnesota shore and inland experienced road-blocking flooding this week, as reported by MPR.)
Weather willing (and rain alone will not stop them), the marathon launches runners near Two Harbors along Scenic North Shore Drive to Canal Park in Duluth. Related events include a Health & Fitness Expo at the DECC (starting today) and on Friday, the traditional night-before Michelina’s All-You-Can-Eat Spaghetti Dinner and speakers throughout the day. Also on Friday, there’s a free Whipper Snapper Race for kids (14 and younger) after the Mascot Race. The 31st annual William A. Irvin 5K starts 6 p.m. Friday. Both Friday and Saturday end with Rock the Bayfront Entertainment, free, in Bayfront Festival Park.
Saturday’s main events – the 34th annual Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon and the 48th annual full Grandma’s Marathon. Find an online program to the weekend here.
Want to see what a start looks like? Check out a video of a past marathon starting gate here.
Celebrating a Feisty Fish
Hayward is primed and ready for its annual celebration of the feisty musky, Friday-Sunday (June 21-23). The 74th annual Musky Festival features downtown events and activities, a parade … plus the chance to meet the human fish-finder himself (a title we just made up for the sport fishing TV host) Babe Winkelman. He is inducted into the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame, right there in Hayward.
During this, the town's largest summer celebration, enjoy the crowning of our Musky Festival Queen, sidewalk sales, large handmade arts & crafts show, live music, children’s games, great food booths, Musky Run, fishing contest and a carnival and concluding with a parade on Sunday. Who could ask for more for a summer get together? Find the full details here.
Make Plans: Here are a few events coming up soon to put on a fun-do list:
Michigan
Tonight, June 20: The recurring Music on Third Street in Marquette features the soulful tunes of local musicians from 6-8 p.m. Sidewalk concerts continue every third Thursday of the month through September.
Friday-Sunday, June 21-23: The Upper Peninsula History Conference for 2024 gets underway Friday in Sault Ste. Marie. It offers three keynote addresses, 15 breakout sessions and workshops, exhibitors and vendors and historical tour opportunities. Plus the Upper Peninsula History Awards will be presented on Saturday. Online registration is closed, but you can register on Friday or Saturday at Lake Superior State University, where many of the sessions are located.
Friday, Sunday, Monday, June 21, 23, 24: Pine Mountain Music Festival's Upstarts perform at Ontonagon Theater on Friday, at Portage Lake United Church in Houghton on Sunday and at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Marquette on Monday. All concerts are 7:30 p.m. Check out the full Pine Mountain Music Festival continuing summer season schedule, including performances of the "The History of Opera in the U.P." and by the Bergonzi Piano Trio here.
Saturday, June 22: Enjoy a traditional gardening workshop and story time at Lake Superior State University's Center for Freshwater Research and Education. The Three Sisters Gardening Workshop has two free sessions, 10:30-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-2:30 p.m. All materials are provided, plus there is a take-home garden starter kit. Learn about the legend of the three sisters – squash, beans, corn – through story, pictures and craft. Planting activity is aimed for grades 4 and up.
Saturday, June 22: Gwinn Fun Daze by the Lions Club in Peter Nordeen Park a 5K race, parade, crafts and food, kids games, live music, youth soccer camp, cornhole tournament, duck race and car show. All proceeds from this event go back to supporting the local community and organizations including Leader Dogs for the Blind, Childhood Cancer, and Project Kidsight. See the full schedule online.
Minnesota
Summer thru Aug. 14: Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center near Grand Marais launches its summer activities of guide hikes, U.S. Forest Service presentations and lots of hands-on things for kids to do. Coming up are a Guided Nature Hike with Emma Adams on Friday (June 21) at 2 p.m. and a talk on the Future of the Boreal Forest with Lee E. Frelich, director of the University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology, at 2 p.m. Sunday (June 22). Tuesdays are Kids Day with plenty of action all summer. Check out the schedule of upcoming events here.
Now-June 30: Experience the soul-stirring beauty of nature in the exhibit "Past and Present: A Journey Through Time Along the North Shore of Lake Superior" that features the paintings of James Ellis at Ely's Historic State Theater, sponsored by the Northern Lakes Arts Association. James captures the essence of serene landscapes and majestic vistas, inspired by his adventures in national and state parks, forests, and mountain ranges, say organizers. The
Friday, June 21: Drury Lane Books' Full Moon Reading this month features Twin Cities poet Danny Klecko and his book A Bakeable Feast. The reading will be followed by an open mic reading and book signing.
Friday, June 21: Tour the R/V Blue Heron and learn about microplastics in Lake Superior with host Dr. Elizabeth Minor during the Large Lakes Observatory's Science on Deck event at Pier B Resort in Duluth from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sunday, June 23: Author Bob Allen will be at the Bookstore at Fitger's from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. signing copies of his books, including one of the store's best sellers, Walter the Wily Walleye.
Wisconsin
Today, June 20: Idle Rose comes to Otis Park in Ashland at 7 p.m. for a free concert that is part of the city's summer concert series. Bring a chair or picnic blanket.
Today & Tuesday, June 20 & 25: Bayfield's Concerts by the Lake features singer/songwriter Sasha Mercedes at Memorial Park, starting a 7 p.m. On Tuesday, Andy Noyes will be the guest at the park.
Now-July 6: The Sherman & Ruth Weiss Community Library launched a scavenger hunt in downtown Hayward this week, inviting participants to name the business or building associated with each photo on the backside of an online hunt sheet found here. Submit completed forms to the library by noon on July 6 for a chance to win 4 Hayward Cinema Movie Passes.
Saturday, June 22: The Wisconsin DNR hosts events around the state for Invasive Species Awareness Day, including guided hikes, education programs and volunteer fieldwork to remove invasive species. Check what's happening at a nearby state park here.
Thursday, June 27: Mentor North's 4th annual Summer Fest, an outdoor evening of live music, food, prizes and fun to benefit its Superior- and Duluth-based youth mentoring programs, will be 5-8 p.m. at the Earth Rider Festival Grounds in Superior.
Ontario
Friday, June 21: National Indigenous Peoples Day will be celebrated in Thunder Bay's Marine Park, starting with a Sunrise Ceremony with Elder John Gagnon at 5:30 a.m. Free events occur throughout the day, including a pow wow and feast. All are welcome.
Friday-Thursday, June 21-27: The Two Spirit Organising Committee of Bawating presents a Pride Week filled with activities around the Algoma area. See the full list of events, times and places here.
Friday, June 21: Make Music Day Superior, a live, free musical celebration with concerts scattered around town on streets, sidewalks, storefronts and parks. There are 28 musical artists at 17 venues, like indie-rocker Inga Entheos on Fairlawn Mansion's front lawn, performing from 4-6 p.m.
Saturday, June 22: Habitat for Humanity Sault Ste. Marie & Area hosts its Touch-a-Truck 2024 fundraiser at Cambrian Mall. Children of all ages can get up close and personal with vehicles of all shapes and sizes such as firetrucks, police cars, construction equipment and such. Register in advance or donate here.
Saturday, June 22: Shop Local TBay and PRO Kids hosts a Summer Party at Boulevard Lake, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. There will be an artisan market, food vendors, a free bounce castle plus games and other children's entertainment.
Photo & graphic credits in order of appearance: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Brian Wellwood/International Bridge Walk; WisconSWIM Mermaids; Great Lakes Aquarium; Grandma's Marathon; Musky Festival; Spotlight, from left, Upper Peninsula History Conference/Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center/Idle Rose for Ashland Summer Concerts/Pride Week at Bawating
Around the Circle This Week editor: Konnie LeMay