Central UP Events

Northern Michigan University’s Platform Personalities will host “An Evening with Rachel Dratch.” The multifaceted comedian, actress and writer is perhaps best known for her seven-year run on “Saturday Night Live,” where she created many memorable characters, including Debbie Downer. She will participate in a conversation at 7 p.m. Monday, March 31, in the Northern Center Grand Ballroom. Admission is free for NMU students with ID and $5 for the general public. Dratch appeared on “Saturday Night Live” from 1999-2006. She has had an extensive career spanning television, film and theater. Born and raised in Lexington, Mass., Dratch’s comedic roots were nurtured during

Great Lakes Poetry Festival:  Kathleen M. Heideman Book Launch Reading  Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.  Peter White Public Library Community Room.  Adults, Seniors, Teens.  Poet Kathleen M. Heideman reads from her recently released collection of poems, The Caving Grounds, from Modern History Press.  No admission charge.  For more information, contact Marty at 226-4322, machatz@pwpl.info, or visit pwpl.info.

Marquette Maritime Museum’s final Maritime History on Tap features paranormal stories from the Marquette Harbor Lighthouse. Susan Hill and Trish Kautz of Yooper Paranormal share their spooky experiences from paranormal tours and investigations of the lighthouse during the summers of 2021 through 2024. Join us on April 1, 2025, at 7:00 pm at the Ore Dock Brewing Company. $5 at the door. Maritime History on Tap is sponsored by the Ore Dock Brewing Company and in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Michigan Arts and Culture Council.

Director Chat  Wednesday, April 2, 2025. 11:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. & 5:00-6:00 p.m. Peter White Public Library Circulation Lobby. Stop by the Library to chat with Library Director Andrea Ingmire. For more information and to check the status of the program, call 906-226-4303 or visit www.pwpl.info.

 The League of Women Voters of Marquette County will hold its next general membership meeting on Wednesday, April 2nd at 6:45 p.m. Social time begins at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in Studio 1 on the Lower Level of the Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St., Marquette. The meeting will feature a presentation about immigration by the NMU student group, the Latinx Student Union. The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major policy issues, and influences public policy through education and

    MSU Extension and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) will offer Pesticide Applicator Training and Exams in the Upper Peninsula at Bay College in Escanaba on April 3rd, 2025 8:00am – 4:00pm ET. The program includes a core manual review (RUP credits), lunch and MDARD exams (Full training & exam participation required).  Core exams (private and commercial) will be offered by MDARD, while Commercial Category exams will be available onsite through Bay College Testing Services.  MDARD pesticide applicator recertification credits are available to those attending the Core Manual review.

  As part of Northern Michigan University’s 125th Anniversary Celebration, a special public event is planned to recognize the 30th anniversary of “Haywire,” the Forest Roberts Theatre musical about an 1880s logging camp that was one of five productions selected from more than 900 national submissions to perform at the Kennedy Center’s American College Theatre Festival. The program is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 4, in 1100 Jamrich Hall. It will highlight the creators, including playwright and theater professor emeritus Shelley Russell and music professor emeritus Robert Engelhart, who wrote the original score. Some of the alumni who performed in the

Great Lakes Poetry Festival: Wild Words in the Wild U.P.  Saturday, April 5, 2025, 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m.  Peter White Public Library Shiras Room.  Adults, Seniors, Teens.  In partnership with the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition, PWPL presents a poetry reading on the environment from some of the U.P.’s wildest poets, including Kathleen M. Heideman, Beverly Matherne, Gala Mahlerbe, Lisa Fosmo, Lynn Domina, Christine Saari, and Marty Achatz.   No admission charge.  For more information, contact Marty at 226-4322, machatz@pwpl.info, or visit pwpl.info.

The Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare Shelter (UPAWS) is proud to announce the upcoming 2025 Cause for Paws Gala, celebrating our 50th Anniversary on Saturday, April 5th at the Marquette Holiday Inn. This milestone event will be a night to remember, filled with music, auctions, raffle prizes, hors d’oeuvres, an awards ceremony, and more in honor of our beloved animals and the rich history of our shelter organization. “For the past 50 years, our organization has been committed to providing homeless animals with a safe haven and finding them loving forever homes,” said Nic Conroy, Fundraising Coordinator at UPAWS. “We are

4/3/2025 Northern Michigan University’s Music Department will present three upcoming performances featuring its percussion ensemble, a senior trombone recital, and the Open Mind experimental music ensemble. The NMU Percussion Ensemble, directed by Professor James A. Strain, will perform its winter semester concert at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 5, in Reynolds Recital Hall. The program will showcase a variety of percussion instruments and styles. Senior music student Erik Meilstrup, a trombone player, will perform a senior recital at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 6, in Reynolds Recital Hall. This performance marks the culmination of his studies at NMU. Under the direction of