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Marquette Maritime Museum a great community asset

The Marquette Maritime Museum is a jewel in our community. As it plans a number of events to mark Maritime Month, we hope community members attend one or more of these events to support the museum which has as its stated mission “to preserve and protect the maritime history of Marquette, Lake Superior and the Great Lakes and remember the exploits of our submarine veterans.”

It includes the Marquette Harbor Lighthouse and the McClintock Annex which focuses on the extraordinary story of the submarines USS Darter and USS Dace and their role in the Battle of Leyte Gulf during World War II.

This month’s events kicked off on Coast Guard Day, Aug. 4, with a demonstration of the museum’s Lyle Gun line-throwing technology. Next came Monday’s Sunrise and Coffee Lighthouse Tour. Remaining events on the month’s schedule include:

– Saturday: Children’s Day, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Children are admitted free (accompanied by guardian) and the day will include maritime crafts and activities

– Tuesday: Senior Day, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. with $5 museum admission for seniors and refreshments and scavenger hunt with prizes planned.

– Thursday: Evening Lighthouse Tour, 8 p.m., lead by Greg Sundell for a re-enactment lighthouse tour, with registration required. The tour is free for members and $10 for non-members.

– Aug. 19: Lenses & Lunch at noon. This will include a Lens Presentation by Vice President and Lampist Kurt Fosburg. Registration is required and the cost is $5 for members and $10 for non-members.

– Aug. 23: Great Duck Island, 6:30 p.m. Brenna Womer presents Great Duck Island Lighthouse.

– Aug. 25-26: Coast Guard Cutter will be here during Harbor Fest, which is taking place in Mattson Lower Harbor Park.

– Aug. 31: Evening Lighthouse Tour, 7:45 p.m., lead by Greg Sundell. This is another re-enactment Lighthouse Tour, with advance registration required. It’s free for members and $10 for non-members.

For those who have yet to visit, the Marquette Maritime Museum is located at 300 North Lakeshore Boulevard. The museum’s website explains it was opened in the old City Waterworks building in the summer of 1984 and it’s “a one-story, stone, hipped-roof Richardsonian Romanesque style structure with a parapeted front gable and rounded arch windows. It was designed by architect Demetrius Frederick Charlton.”

The museum’s website reports that last year there were approximately 12,000 visitors to the museum including 19 different school classes and more than 1,000 kids, who had the chance to learn their local maritime history.

And in 2016, the museum had visitors from every state but Rhode Island and from 11 countries around the world.

During the summer months, the museum is staffed with one full-time worker and a variety of part-time tour guides and relies on volunteers to help with day-to-day operations and general maintenance.

The museum and lighthouse are open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. We urge anyone who hasn’t visited before to get to this wonderful local treasure.

For more information, visit mqtmaritimemuseum.com.

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