Central UP Events

The fifth annual YooperCON event at Northern Michigan University will be held on Wednesday, March 11, at the Northern Center. Hundreds of high school students from across the Upper Peninsula will converge on NMU’s campus for a day of cybersecurity education and career exploration.  Students will have the opportunity to connect with industry professionals and learn about internet safety, scam detection and the role of artificial intelligence in the digital landscape.  YooperCON 2026 will feature 10 unique cybersecurity education sessions: Ask AI Right; Career Q&A; Cyber Bingo; Metadata Mayhem; Gamer’s Challenge; Network Topo; Digital Vapor Trails; Teachable Machines; Hack A

Wednesdays, March (4, 11, 18, 25), 2026.  10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.  Peter White Public Library Great Room.  Songs, rhymes, stories and finger-plays for newborns to 17 months with a loving adult. Older siblings are welcome. No admission charge. For more information and to check the status of the program, call 906-226-4323 or visit pwpl.info.  

Wednesday, March 11, 2026.  3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.  Peter White Public Library Teen Zone. Teens in grades 6-12 join in on the fun with unTITLEd Teens, a monthly program that will be a different activity each month. This month local felting artist Jody Trost will be here to teach teens how to needle felt. No admission charge. For more information and to check the status of this program, call 906-226-4321, email Amanda at apierce@pwpl.info, and visit pwpl.info.  

The League of Women Voters of Marquette County will hold its next general membership meeting on Wednesday, March 11th at 6:45 p.m. Social time begins at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Shiras Room on the 2nd floor of Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St., Marquette. Come learn about the League’s Observer Corps. Volunteer observers will describe the local governmental groups they opted to observe and share what they’ve recently learned.    The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of

 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