EDITOR’S NOTE: Superiorland Yesterdays is prepared by the reference staff at the Peter White Public Library in Marquette.

30 years ago

MARQUETTE — Marquette businesses are singing a happy tune this weekend, as performers prepare for tonight’s International Big Sing. Some 1,000 male singers from throughout North America began checking into area motels Friday with their families. And the money they bring with them will be lighting up cash registers that might have otherwise been relatively quiet. “It makes a dramatic impact in a month that is typically slower,” said Gregory Hokans, executive director of the Marquette Country Convention and Visitors Bureau. The combined concert, held every five years and sponsored by the Associated Male Choruses of America, will begin at 7 tonight in Lakeview Arena in Marquette. The event is typically held in a larger city, so its economic impact here is expected to be striking.

60 years ago

NEGAUNEE — Mayor Dorste Roos today proclaimed Thursday, Friday and Saturday Poppy Days in Negaunee and urged residents of the community to support the sale of memorial flowers that will be conducted during the three day period. “Poppy Days enable every American citizen to personally wear a memorial to our nation’s war dead,” Mayor Roos said. “At the same time, wearing the red poppy is recognized as a tribute to our disabled veterans of three wars.” Poppy Days, which originated shortly after World War I, have been observed in Negaunee for more than 40 years.