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

30 years ago

ISHPEMING — Stroll through the parking lot of Saturday’s 108th Annual Ishpeming Ski Jumping Tournament and you’d swear you were attending a Carhart clothing convention. “You have to stay warm,” said Bob Longo of downstate Lakeview, who was clad in two pairs of overalls, a vest, coat, pants and socks, all with the Carhart logo. They were joined by hundreds of other spectators who seemed to enjoy the festive nature of the event. Although spectators had to squint into falling snow to watch the 90-meter competition, they quickly developed their own system of judging jumpers. Fair attempts were rewarded with mild applause, car horns blared and shouts echoed for those who flew to the base of the hill. For years, the tournament has attracted some of the hardiest tailgaters south of the Yukon, and Saturday’s single-digit temperatures did little to dissuade revelers from enjoying such delights as grilled venison and homemade beer. At the base of Suicide Hill, former ski jumper Don Liljequist of Ishpeming predicted the distances of jumps with uncanny accuracy, rarely missing by more than a foot. “I know every rock all the way up,” said Liljequist, who is in charge of preparing the hill for competitions. Today’s Paul Bietila Memorial Tournament gets underway at 1 p.m. Opening ceremonies start at 12:45.

60 years ago

MARQUETTE — Six Marquette area citizens will judge the snow sculpturing on Northern Michigan University’s campus tomorrow beginning at 8 a.m. Judging the ice statue competition, one of the highlights of NMU’s eighth annual all-events week, will be Col. And Mrs. J.A. Carroll, K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base; Lincoln B. Frazier, a member of NMU’s board of control; Thomas Moore, Marquette city manager; George G. Johnson, Marquette chief of police; and Edward L. Downey Jr., Marquette city commissioner. Trophies will be awarded to first and second place winners in each division. The public is invited to tour the campus to view the 13 snow statues.