The Beaumier News Beaumier U.P.

Heritage Center

147D Gries Hall

1401 Presque Isle Ave.

Marquette, MI 49855

906-227-1219

heritage@nmu.edu

Director/Curator:

Daniel Truckey

Student Assistants:

Riley Crawford

Elizabeth Fust

Molly Snow

Volunteer:

Karen Kasper

Interns:

Ryan Dubay

Emily Irish

Advisory Board:

Diane Darlington

Amy Hubinger

Jim Jajich

Jon G. LaSalle

Dr. Russell Magnaghi

Michael Prusi

Dr. Jon Saari

Dr. Leslie Warren,

Ex-Officio

The Beaumier Upper

Peninsula Heritage Center

celebrates the history and

culture of the Upper

Peninsula of Michigan. It

serves the university by

providing opportunities for

greater knowledge,

scholarship and exposure to

the unique culture of the

Upper Peninsula for

students, faculty, staff and

the general public. The

center maintains an active

schedule of public programs

and exhibitions to engage

the public and develop a

greater appreciation for the

region’s great social and

cultural diversity.

Please join the NMU Foundation at the Ribbon-Cutting

and Grand Opening Ceremony to celebrate the

completion of the Beaumier Alumni Welcome and U.P.

Heritage Center, made possible by a generous gift from

Dr. John Beaumier, '53.

The event is free and open to the public. On display will

be the "Made in the U.P." exhibit (see page 2) and also

displays of artifacts and photos from the history of

NMU.

Spring 2016

Beaumier Alumni Welcome

and U.P. Heritage Center

Grand Opening

Thursday, April 28

4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

A ribbon-cutting will take place at 5 p.m.

Page 2

Many people see the hey-day of the Upper

Peninsula’s history as the years of the great

mining and logging booms at the end of the 19th

century and beginning of the 20th. However,

since that time, the Upper Peninsula has

developed a more diversified economy,

creating a wide variety of products. The

exhibit, “Made in Da U.P., Eh!” will feature

companies, both past and present, that create

products for export outside of the U.P. The

exhibit will be on display April 28 through

September 10 in the Center’s new gallery in

Gries Hall. Admission is free and open to the

public.

The exhibit will be broken into several

different parts based on the types of products

created. There will be sections on food, wood

products, recreation, industrial products,

clothing, and more. Companies from

throughout the Upper Peninsula are donating

examples of their products for the display and

there will be panels on the history of their

companies and the types of products they

create.

One of the largest areas will be the food and

beverage section. It seems that the hungry and

thirsty people of the U.P. have created a need

for high quality products made right at home.

Some have become so successful that we are

now exporting them around the Midwest and

beyond. These include sausage companies such

as Vollwerth’s, confectioners such as Sayklly’s

and Donckers, Pasty makers like Lawry’s and

Jean Kay’s, Italian food products by Mama

Russo’s and Dina Mia, dairy products by

Jilbert’s, and many more.

Besides food, wood products are one of the

most common exports from the U.P. These

can be items as utilitarian as the paper items

made by New Page, Neenah, and Verso to

specialty items, such as the basketball floors

made by Conner Sport in Amasa. Of course,

the U.P. has a long history of wood products,

including items made by the Munising Wooden

Ware, commercial charcoal from Cliffs Dow

Chemical Co. in Marquette, and the Ford Plant

in Kingsford, which created not only the

popular “Woody” automobiles but also made

commercial charcoal briquettes.

Surprising to some people, the U.P. has an

active industrial base creating specialized

products and services for many different uses.

These include aerospace, railroad, surgical,

automobile, and sustainable energy products. In

addition, the U.P. has companies making

clothing, plastics, furniture, boats, snowplows,

firearm sights, and many more products that

will be on display in the exhibit.

Much of the research and writing for the

exhibit was done by two interns from NMU’s

Public History program, Ryan Dubay and Emily

Irish. The Beaumier Center thanks them for

their hard work over the course of the

semester compiling information on the

companies and identifying resources for the

exhibit.

Made in Da U.P., Eh!

Stormy Kromer production

The Floyd Loom Products Factory

Page 3

A Scandinavian Dinner

For the second year in a row, the Beaumier U.P.

Heritage Center and the Upper Michigan Chapter

of the American Culinary Federation are joining

forces to put on an ethnic dinner benefit. This

year’s theme will be Scandinavian cuisine and the

dinner will take place on Tuesday, May 10 in the

Great Lakes Rooms of the Don H. Bottum

University Center. Tickets will cost $75 and

proceeds will fund scholarships for culinary arts

students at NMU and the Beaumier Center’s

programming activities. The dinner will include

several courses, wines, and ethnic entertainment.

The evening will begin with a reception at 6 p.m., followed by the first course at 6:30 p.m. In

addition, the 2016 Upper Peninsula Folklife

Awards will be presented at the dinner.

Last year’s dinner was a smashing success,

featuring innovative takes on traditional French-

Canadian cuisine prepared by some of the Upper

Peninsula’s most noted chefs.

The food was delicious and delightfully presented, and

it was a real pleasure to hear from the awesome chefs

about how they conceived of and prepared their

particular menu item. - Pauline Kiltinen

We loved the food and atmosphere of the whole

event. It was FABULOUS! - Diane Kordich

"The food at last year's dinner was amazing, and having the chefs come out and describe their course and its UP heritage really enhanced the experience." - Mike Prusi

Mary and I had such a good time at last year’s French-Canadian event. The top chefs across the U.P. prepared a meal to remember and the entertainment was a lot of fun - looking forward to this year’s event." - Harvey and Mary Wallace

To register, please go to

connect.nmu.edu/2016uphd

Or call 906-227-2627

A Scandinavian Dinner

Presented by the Beaumier Heritage Foundation and the

Upper Peninsula Chapter of the

American Culinary Federation

May 10, 2016

Appetizer Course

Juniper Cured Menominee Herring

Coriander-Spent Grain Blini, Maple Crème Fraiche

Smoked Artic Char Caviar

Chef Jeremy Pomeroy, CEC: Palette Bistro

Soup Course

Spring Pea Bisque

Mustard Crema, Fried Bread

Chef Nichole Durley: Lagniappe Cajun Creole Eatery

Bread

Lefse Traditional Soft Norwegian Flatbread

Tony Tollefson: Culinary Enthusiast in Marquette

Salad Course

“Skagen” Seafood Salad of Crab, Shrimp,

and Smoked Salmon

Mixed Greens, Fingerling Potatoes, Lime Aioli

Chef Chris Kibit, CCE, CHE: NMU Hospitality

Program

Entrée Course

“Sjoman’s Beef” Filet Medallion

Celery Root, Roasted Carrot,

Spring Onion Anise Broth

Chef Robin Holmes, CEC: Pacinos Food and Spirits

Dessert Course

Kladdkaka – “Sticky Chocolate Cake”

Lingonberry Cardamom Ice Cream

Funnel Cake Crisp

Chef Nathan Mileski, CEC: NMU Simply Superior

A dish from last year’s French-Canadian Dinner.

Page 4

2016 Upper Peninsula Folklife Award Recipients

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center is proud to announce the 2016 recipients of the Upper Peninsula

Folklife Award. This year, the Center will be awarding one individual and one organization who have

done so much to help preserve and promote the folk traditions of the region. The awardees are folk

dancer, instructor, and musician Kay Seppala and the Hiawatha Music Co-op. The awards will be presented at the Beaumier Center’s benefit, “A Scandinavian Dinner,” on May 10. For more

information and to register for the event, please go to connect.nmu.edu/2016uphd.

Kay Seppala, a native of Ontonagon and resident of Chassell, has offered

instruction in Finnish/Scandinavian/American folk dance and in kantele

performance (Finnish traditional harp) since returning to the Copper

Country in the late 1990s. Beginning in the early 1980s, Kay developed as a

kantele player and folk dancer with the Koivun Kaiku kantele ensemble and

the Kisarit Finnish American Folk Dancers in Minnesota's Twin Cities. She

also performed extensively in Finnish American communities, as well as

serving as director of the children's folk dance ensemble, Pikku Kisarit, for

three years. Upon her husband's retirement, she returned to the Copper Country, and eventually began to offer workshops in children's folk dance

and kantele through the Finnish American Heritage Center. In 2004, leading

up to FinnGrandFest 2005 in Marquette, Kay and a group of Copper Country

children founded the Kivajat Finnish American Dancers ensemble, which

performed at FinnGrandFest as part of its debut season. In 2011, Kay

founded the Ilon Kaiku Kantele Ensemble, which has performed at numerous events in the Copper

Country. Kay is a central figure in the continued development of folk dance and kantele performance

in Upper Michigan, and her role in sharing these traditions with children is of particular importance.

The mission of Hiawatha Music Co-op is to provide

and promote traditional music and dance, educate

and inform society on traditional American music,

and encourage the appreciation of such music

through the facility of an annual traditional music

festival. This three-day traditional-music festival in

Marquette County began in 1979 in the small

community of Champion, MI. Now, approximately

3,500 people from throughout the upper Midwest

and from as far away as the coasts attend, and even

international guests come. Since 1984, the Festival

has been held locally at the Marquette Tourist Park.

The Hiawatha festival is the only event of its size

and scope in the Upper Peninsula. Without Hiawatha, local performers and fans would have to travel

between four to six hours to the nearest festivals of its type. The Festival boasts an amazing array of

family activities with a Children’s Area for crafts and performers, a Teen Scene area with activities and

a special dance just for Teens on Saturday night, workshops for all ages and an exceptional Main Stage

line up each year. In addition to the annual Festival, the Hiawatha Music Co-op strives to offer

traditional-music concerts and workshops in the Marquette area throughout the year. Its ventures in

that area have included a song-writing workshop, a Celtic fiddle workshop, an annual Ukelele Week, a

monthly concert series for adults and children featuring local and regional performers, and

sponsorship of numerous local traditional jam sessions each month. In May 2006, Hiawatha received the Community Arts Impact Award from the Marquette Arts and Culture Center.

The Beaumier News Page 5

Ghost Towns of the Upper Peninsula

What is a Ghost Town? In his book, “Ghost Towns of Michigan,” Larry

Wakefield wrote, “They range from lonesome sites where almost

nothing is left to mark their former existence, to others where only a

few crumbling houses and buildings remain. And there are others too,

where a few people still live, out of love, habit or necessity (and may

resent someone calling their village a ghost town).”

In September, the Heritage Center will be delving into the realm of ghost towns with an exhibit that

will feature communities fitting Wakefield’s description. In each county of the U.P., there are several

communities that could be considered ghost towns, but the exhibit will be selecting only one

community for each county of the U.P.

Some of these ghost towns are very well known, such as Fayette, which is one of the most intact sites

of its kind in the State of Michigan. Now a State Park, Fayette is an incredible site interpreting the early

iron mining/processing history of Michigan and the boom and bust natures of these communities. Some

communities, however, have long passed from the public memory. One would be the village of Fiborn,

just north of Rexton in Mackinac County, which was built to serve the nearby Fiborn Quarry. This

limestone quarry is no longer in operation but is now a nature preserve. The village has long been

taken over by nature and there are very few remnants that exist. These and several more communities

will be part of this fascinating exhibit that will be on display from September 24 through January 7 in

the new gallery in the Beaumier Alumni Welcome and U.P. Heritage Center. Admission, as always, is

free and open to the public.

The First World War in the Upper Peninsula

In 2017, the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center is partnering with

Marquette Regional History Center and several other organizations in

the Marquette County to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of

America’s entry into the First World War. On April 6, 1917, President

Woodrow Wilson formally declared war on the Axis powers, entering

the United States into a conflict that had already been fought for three

years. The war had a huge impact on communities across the country

and the Upper Peninsula. Thousands of young men from across the region enlisted and many were sent to Europe and Russia to fight.

To commemorate the war, the Marquette Regional History Center and the Beaumier U.P. Heritage

Center are creating separate exhibits to tell the story of the war’s impact on the region. The MRHC’s

exhibit will be telling the history of the war and its connections to Marquette. The Beaumier Center’s

exhibit will focus on stories of individual soldiers from communities throughout the U.P.

The Center is putting a call out to people who might have materials related to a person’s service during

WWI. We are looking for photographs, uniforms, souvenirs, letters and other correspondence to help

tell their unique and fascinating stories of going off to war. If you have any information that you’d like

to share with us, please give us a call at 906-227-3212 or e-mail heritage@nmu.edu. In addition to the

exhibitions, there will a whole slate of programs commemorating the war, including cemetery walks,

memorial services, concerts of period music, a film series at the Peter White Public Library, and

lectures. Events will begin in January of 2017 and conclude in June.

Upcoming Exhibits

Fayette State Park

Business Tagline or Motto

Which two of these

were never nicknames

for Northern Michigan

University students?

1. Kawbawgams

2. Normalites

3. Northerners

4. Northernites

5. Peninsulans

6. Teachers

7. Upstaters

8. Wildcats

Send your answer to the

Beaumier U.P. Heritage

Center for a chance to

win two tickets to the

Helsinki Chamber Choir

performance in

September. The first

correct response wins!

Email: heritage@nmu.edu

Names from A Sense of

Time: The Encyclopedia of

Northern Michigan

University

Compiled by

Russell M. Magnaghi

Volunteer Docent Program

Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center

1401 Presque Isle Ave.

Marquette, MI 49855

Be part of the Heritage Center Team as a Volunteer Docent! With the

opening of the new gallery in the Beaumier Alumni Welcome and U.P.

Heritage Center, the Center is looking to improve its engagement with

visitors and expand its interpretation program. To do this, the Heritage

Center is creating a new volunteer docent program starting in the

summer of 2016. These docents would greet visitors to the gallery,

answer questions about current exhibits, and connect visitors with the

Heritage Center’s staff.

The new museum gallery will be open for more hours than the former

gallery in Cohodas Hall. Hours during the academic year will be 8a.m.

to 5p.m. Monday – Wednesday and Fridays. On Thursday, the gallery

will be open from 8a.m. – 8p.m. On Saturdays, it will be open from

10a.m. to 3p.m. In the summer, the Monday and Friday hours will

change to 7:30am. to 4p.m.

Volunteer Docents will be asked to have at least one 3 hour shift each

week, though they could request to have more than one shift a week.

During their shift they will be stationed in the Heritage Center gallery

and help visitors when they arrive to see the exhibits. Volunteers will

assist with tracking visitation numbers and occasional visitor surveys.

Docents will be trained by the Heritage Center director, Daniel

Truckey. He will give them background information on the current

exhibits in the museum and center, information about the Beaumier

Center’s activities, and how they can assist visitors to the museum. A

knowledge of U.P. History is not necessary, but a love of meeting

people and talking with the public is a must.