Central UP Events

Northern Michigan University’s Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center will unveil two exhibits in its new gallery space in 223 Harden Hall: “The Conservationists: George Shiras III, Theodore Roosevelt and the Migratory Bird Act”; and a permanent display of artifacts, photographs and stories about NMU. The opening reception begins at noon Saturday, Jan. 31. “The Conservationists” focuses on the relationship between Shiras and Roosevelt and how the two helped shape conservation and environmental policy in the United States during the early 1900s. The exhibit will feature actual correspondence between the two figures from the collection of the Central Upper Peninsula and NMU

February 23, 2026-January 2, 2027 This exhibit showcases two hundred and fifty artifacts, photographs, and documents from our permanent collections. These objects connect local history to the national story while commemorating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has often seemed remote from the rest of the country. However, the themes and movements of U.S. history can be seen here as well, especially since the War of 1812. When the country braced for the Civil War, U.P. iron miners raced to uncover iron for the Union army’s railroads and ammunitions. When labor movements exploded following

 America Beckons by Aura Jylhä-Vuorio Finlandia Art Gallery  presents  ME SIIRTOLAISET | WE IMMIGRANTS  Selections from our art + archival collections March 12 – April 16, 2026 Opening Reception: Thursday, March 12, 7-8:30pm  HANCOCK, Mich. – Art, artifacts, and oral histories come together to tell stories of Finnish migration to the United States in the new exhibit “Me Siirtolaiset | We Immigrants,” which opens March 12 at Finlandia Art Gallery. The artwork in the exhibit is from the gallery’s permanent collection and includes the work of nine Finnish-American and Finnish artists – Ariadna Donner, Gerald Immonen, Aura Jylha-Vuorio, Gladys Koski Holmes, Desiree

The “big bear” of Upper Peninsula festivals returns for its twelfth year after an extended hibernation due to the Ore Dock Brewing Company’s expansion kicking off in 2025. Ore Dock Brewing Company’s Festival of the Angry Bear is a spirited street festival that has become an annual spring tradition in downtown Marquette. Since its founding in 2014, the annual festival has grown into a weekend long celebration as thousands of enthusiastic (and often fur-clad) celebrators gather to “wake the bear” and shed their winter fur in downtown Marquette.   “We’re so excited to be waking the Bear this year,” says

Festival of the Angry Bear Saturday, April 11, 3 pm

Marquette Symphony Orchestra   Kaufman Auditorium   BEETHOVEN’S 5TH SYMPHONY April 11, 2026, 7:30 PM   Revel in one of the greatest works ever composed: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 by Ludwig van Beethoven.  

Monday, April 13 11 a.m.  Storytime at 11 a.m. Monday, April 13, at the Negaunee Public Library will feature a special guest and focus on music and movement. Children of all ages and their caregivers are welcome to attend this free event. For more information, visit the library’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NegauneePublicLibrary/ or call 906-475-7700 ext.18. The Negaunee Public Library is hosting local poets Troy Graham and Soph at 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 13. The public is invited to attend this free poetry reading. For more information, visit the library’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NegauneePublicLibrary/ or call 906-475-7700 ext.18.  

Monday, April 13 11 a.m.  Storytime at 11 a.m. Monday, April 13, at the Negaunee Public Library will be a special Financial Literacy Month program. Children of all ages and their caregivers are welcome to attend this free event. Every family in attendance will receive a free book to keep. For more information, visit the library’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NegauneePublicLibrary/ or call 906-475-7700 ext.18.