Central UP Events

 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

Marquette -Silver Creek Church and Silver Creek Thrift are partnering with Feeding America West Michigan to host a Mobile Food Pantry. Taking place on Thursday, March 12. Food distribution will begin at 10:00am and continue while supplies last or until 11:30am. Food will be available for approximately 550 families. Due to changes with Feeding America West Michigan, proxy pickup will be limited. This will be a drive-thru event with directions given by parking lot attendants. Guests are asked to remain in their cars and have adequate space prepared in their trunk or back seat in advance to allow the distribution

Thursday, March 12, 2026.  12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.  Peter White Public Library Youth Services Room.  Kids of all ages are welcome to come and hang out at the library during this MAPS halfday! Come read, check out materials, play and drop-in for some special half-day activities! It’s going to be a LEGO all day with LEGO building challenges in the Great Room and LEGO Stamping in the Makerspace. Children under the age of 8 must have an adult in the program with them. No admission charge. For more information and to check the status of the program, call 906-226-4323

Join us for our Second Thursday Creativity Series at the Upper Peninsula Children’s Museum: “Magical Mindfulness and Me!”  Thursday, March 12, 2026, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.    Experience hands-on craft activities, music, and FREE Culver’s Frozen Custard.    FREE to participate.    

Thursday, March 12, 2026,  6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.  Peter White Public Library Heritage Room. Adults, Seniors, Family Friendly. Join local poets, writers, and poetry enthusiasts for an evening of poetry. Starting at 6:30 p.m., participants gather to workshop their current work, followed by an Open Mic at 7:15 p.m. New and experienced poets are welcome for either or both events. No admission charge. For more information, contact Marty at 226-4322, machatz@pwpl.info, or visit pwpl.info.  

I am excited to invite your participation in the 9th Annual Spread Goodness Day on Friday, March 13th, 2026.     Over the last eight years, this event has inspired millions of acts of goodness throughout Michigan & across the United States as individuals, schools, and organizations spread goodness in their communities.    For 2026, our mission is clear: Make the future so bright, we all need shades!    While every day is a good day to spread goodness, by celebrating together, our individual efforts, multiplied by hundreds, thousands, even millions, have the power to change the world. Think of it

The U.P. Hospice Foundation has been awarded a Community Pilot Grant to host an Upper Peninsula–wide Grief Support Conference designed to equip professionals with practical tools to better support grieving children and youth across the region. The U.P. Hospice Foundation serves as the fiduciary and project manager for the grant, with the conference developed through a collaborative partnership with U.P. Home Health & Hospice, Lake Superior Life Care & Hospice, and Dr. Yan Ciupak, co-founder of the Grief Support Specialist Program at Northern Michigan University. Grief Support Training: Bridging Theory and Practice in Supporting Children and Youth is a one-day,

Tuesdays & Fridays March (3, 6, 10, 13, 17, 20, 24, 27), 2026.  10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.  Peter White Public Library Great Room.  Preschool age children. Stories, songs, finger-plays, crafts and other school-readiness activities for preschool age children and a loving adult. Siblings welcome. No admission charge. For more information and to check the status of the program, call 906-226-4323 or visit pwpl.info.  

The Barnes-Hecker Mine Disaster occurred on November 3, 1926. Fifty-one men lost their lives; forty-one of them are still buried at the site of the cave in. To commemorate the 100th anniversary, the Marquette Regional History Center will host Digitization Days, where community members can receive free digital scans of their documents and photographs pertaining to the mine, employees, family members, and friends. These scans will be added to the Longyear Research Library’s digital collections for future generations to learn from.   Digitization Days will be held at the Marquette Regional History Center on Saturday, March 7 from 10-3, at

Fridays, March (6, 13, 20, 27) 2026.  Noon – 1:00 p.m.  Peter White Public Library, Heritage Room.  In partnership with several area organizations, this hour-long event offers a safe space to pause, reflect, and build meaningful connections with others who are committed to cultivating kindness in our world. Each week, a different organization takes the lead, with experienced educators and leaders facilitating. This rotating format ensures diverse perspectives and practices while maintaining a shared commitment to the Charter for Compassion and the Circle of Trust principles. For more information and to check on the status of the program, call 906-226-4303