‘Learning to Walk Together’ pow wow

MARQUETTE — The Native American Student Association at Northern Michigan University will present the“Learning to Walk Together” traditional pow wow.

The event will be held on Saturday in the Marquette National Guard Armory. General admission is $5; NMU students are admitted free with ID. Elders and children under 10 are free.

Doors open at 11 a.m. EST, with grand entries at noon and 6 p.m. The pow wow feast will take place from 4-6 p.m. at the NMU Jacobetti Complex.

The pow wow will begin with the grand entry and the flag song, followed by the veterans’ honor song. All veterans-male and female and Native and non-Native-are honored this way.

The emcee will provide information on the following dances: male and female traditional dances; jingle dress and grass dance; and male and female fancy dance. Social dances such as inter-tribal, round dance and two-step will also be featured and the audience is invited to participate. Artisan and vendor booths will provide a variety of craft items, reference materials and food.

More information is available on the NMU Center for Native American Studies website at nmu.edu/cnas.

Community Conversation event

MARQUETTE — A Community Conversation on Tourism will take place in Grand Marais on Thursday.

This event is sponsored by the Michigan Humanities Council and the Sustainable Ecotourism Organization of Northern Michigan University.

People are invited to voice views on tourism in Alger County. Organizers would like to hear all perspectives from area citizens. Does local tourism help you or harm you? What can be done to help all county citizens benefit from tourism?

If you cannot attend this meeting please fill out the online survey about Alger County Tourism by visiting this link: https://nmu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2aYwhYymSmrVwYl

This “Community Conversation” will take place in the Grand Marais Community Center from 7-8 p.m. Thursday. Coffee and snacks will be provided. For more information call David Kronk at 906- 630-5477 or email dkronk@nmu.edu.

Celebrate the UP! event set

MARQUETTE — The Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition will be hosting the 11th annual Celebrate the UP! in Marquette on Friday and Saturday.

The event will kick off Friday night at the Ore Dock Brewing Co. on Spring Street. On Saturday the event will be held at The Landmark Inn, Peter White Public Library, and the Marquette Federation of Women’s Clubhouse all located on the corners of Ridge and Front streets in Marquette.

The event will begin Friday at 6:30 p.m. with a viewing of short films that will highlight the environment of the U.P. These films will represent the top films that had been submitted to the video contest. At 8 p.m. Derrell Syria and Conga Se Menne will perform. A suggested donation of $10 for the concert will help support UPEC.

Saturday’s activities will begin at 9 a.m. at the Marquette Federation of Women’s Clubhouse with Dave Dempsey as the keynote speaker. The keynote address is titled “The Sixth Great Lake” and will focus on groundwater. Dempsey is a well known author and environmental policy specialist based in Lansing.

Beginning at 10:15 a.m., there will be a variety of presentations by local and regional experts. Speakers include Joe Kaplan (ornithologist), Phil Watts (rock climber), Michael Loukinen (film maker), Rolf and Candy Peterson (canoeing Isle Royale), Karina Schmidt (lichens), Michelle Tuccini (open air landscape painting), Mark Doremus (film maker), Brandon Gerig (manoomin – wild rice). New this year will be two “Activate the U.P.” panels that will take place during the day. The topics that will be covered are the industrial wind plant proposal in L’Anse and UPX mineral lease proposal. The panels will provide updates and information about the topics.

At 3:30 p.m. at the Peter White Public Library community room there will be a plenary panel entitled “Catch a Moment in Time.” Ten well-known community panelists will each share one iconic photo of the U.P. and describe what their chosen photo means to them and what makes it iconic. At 5:00 there will be a reception at the Marquette Federation of Women’s Clubhouse.

All portions of this event are free and open to the public. For more information and a schedule of speakers visit the website at www.upenvironment.org