Discover Presque Isle Cooperative
The DPIC will offer 2 weeks of programming during the summer of 2009. The programs for these weeks will include the following activities. Information about the two weeks is below. The August week is posted first with the June week after it. The June week includes pictures from the events during June 2009. Please use the navigation to the left to access the registration form. Registrations give us some idea of how many people to expect for an event. In the case of the "Welcome", the actual reservation needs to be made with the Presque Isle Historical Museum as noted on the registration form.Program Information
Week 2: "Presque Isle Maritime Discovery Week"
August 2 - 9, 2009Guided Visit to the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
See what it's like to be a Great Lakes sailor in a storm or a SCUBA diver on a shipwreck site as you work with underwater archeologists to learn about underwater exploration of shipwrecks as a way to preserve the past and bring our maritime history to life at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center. This special time is scheduled for Tuesday from 10 - 12. For recent news, check out the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary on Facebook. You may even want to bring a lunch or purchase a sandwich at a nearby shop and enjoy the riverside tables for lunch before returning to PI for the afternoon snorkeling event.
Dive Into History - Explore our History
Join us for Dive Into History - Explore our history on the Great Lakes through underwater remnants of the past &ndash shipwrecks on Tuesday and/or Thursday afternoon from 2 - 5 PM!These events use archaeological documentation activities and guided snorkeling tours with Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary archaeologists at easily accessible shipwreck sites in the Presque Isle area for those who want to discover area shipwrecks firsthand. Potential sites (depending on weather) include the Cuyahoga in North Bay, the Portland at Besser Bell, the Joseph S. Fay at 40 Mile Point, or the American Union at Thompson's Harbor.
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary will provide a limited supply of snorkeling gear, so please bring any personal gear you have available. We welcome snorkelers under the age of 12, provided they are accompanied by an adult.
Kayaking with Anne Ballanger and others
Join in the fun kayaking the waters of Lake Huron, and learn more about kayaking, tentatively planned for Tuesday August 5. We are working on plans to launch at Presque Isle and visit the one of the wrecks in the harbor area (the choice will depend on the wind) in the morning. Our plans include stopping for lunch at the lighthouse and then spending time with a special visit to the lighthouse, before kayaking back to the launch area.Ships and Sailors of the Great Lakes
Join us for "Ships and Sailors of the Great Lakes", a talk by Mark Thompson, on Tuesday evening 8PM, North Bay Beach. Author and historian Mark Thompson provides an insider's look at the ships and sailors of the Great Lakes shipping industry, with special emphasis on those that serve the northeastern Michigan area.Mark will explain the unique types of ships that operate on the inland seas of North America, particularly those that call at ports near Presque Isle. A former Great Lakes sailor, he will also provide interesting insights into the daily lives of crewmembers on the big freighters. If you have any questions about the ships or sailors on the lakes, this is your chance to get them answered. Mark is curator of the Presque Isle County Historical Museum in Rogers City and the author of four highly regarded books about the Great Lakes shipping industry. His presentations during last year's inaugural season of the Presque Isle Discovery Center drew rave reviews from those who attended.
Singer Carl Behrend Returns to Presque Isle
Songwriter Carl Behrend, author of many songs of the great lakes legends will return to PI for a Wednesday evening talk at 8PM at the Old Presque Isle Lighthouse Park. You can find out more about this singer at his website, http://www.greatlakeslegends.com/home.htm and especially the news release he has provided there.Singing on the Beach
Singing on the beach, Thursday nights, 8 pm, at the North Bay Beach House. Weather permitting we will meet on the beach.If not, we will move indoor at the beach house. Feel free to bring your instrument and ideas, and of course your voice!!
Guided tour of the 1840 and 1870 Presque Isle lighthouses
Thursday August 6, 2 pm, at the new lighthouse. After the tour of the new lighthouse and 1905 lighthouse keepers house, we will go to the old lighthouse for another visit.Evening Sailing Cruise on the "Welcome"
Thursday evening August 6 from 5:30 - 8:30 we will have our cruise on the historic armed sailing vessel "Welcome". The cruise will leave the marina in Rogers City, visit the harbor at Calcite and sail along the Lake Huron shore toward Adams Point.The cost will be $40. Tickets will go on sale at the museum's Gift Shop & Bookstore beginning Tuesday, July 14. They may also be ordered beginning July 14 by calling the museum, 989 - 734 - 4121, or by going to the new Online Gift Shop and Bookstore on the museum's popular website: www.thebradleyhouse.org. Phone and online orders can be paid for by credit card.
The Armed Sloop Welcome, by the way, is a replica of a ship built in 1774 by Fort Michilimackinac (Mackinaw City) trader John Askins for use in his operations throughout the Great Lakes region. In 1778, the "Welcome" was purchased by the British military and converted to an armed vessel. In 1780, the ship was used to move the fort from Michilimackinac to Mackinac Island. Late in 1781 the ship was lost in a storm. The replica "Welcome" was built by the Mackinac Island State Park Commission at Fort Michilimackinac for the U.S. Bicentennial observance in 1976. In 1992, the ship was donated to the Maritime Heritage Alliance in Traverse City and they have just completed rebuilding it. The "Welcome" is 87 feet long, her masts are 73 feet tall, and she carries more than 3,000 square feet of sails when fully rigged.
Fossil Dig with "Paleo Joe"
Friday, August 7, 2009, 4:00pm - 7:00pm.The rich fossil deposits of this area bear witness to life on earth 350 million years ago. These ancient coral reefs today provide the raw materials for our society.
Explore several mounds of blue clay down at the Little League ball fields in downtown Rogers City. Paleo Joe will provide instruction and show individuals what to look for nearly guaranteeing everyone to take home a memorable fossil of this natural area. The ball field is close to downtown Rogers City off of Lake Street at the Little League ballfield. Call the Presque Isle District Library Rogers City branch at 989-734-2477 for more information.Visit to the Rogers City Maritime Museum
Join us for a visit to the Rogers City Maritime Museum in downtown Rogers City, Friday afternoon at 2pm. We will meet at the Museum in Rogers City.
Week 1: "Discovering Wind Water and Earth" (with pictures from the 2009 activities)
June 20 - June 28, 2009Saturday June 20, 4:00PM; Hike around New Lighthouse nature trail.
We will meet at the new lighthouse neat the Crapo Lifeboat exhibit for our walk. If you have a GPS bring it with you. There is a geocache near our hiking path.Summer Sailing Camp for kids and teens
Movie of 2009 sailors.The summer sailing camp for kids and teens, ages 8 - 17 will take place M - F 10 - 12:45 PM. Cost: $75 and is offered by the Alpena Youth Sailing Club. Check out their website for information about instructors, what to bring and other information. There is even information about a $10 reduced fee for each individual who takes a second lesson this summer. If enough people register we may be able to offer an additional session 2 - 4:45. Registration is required, see the registration form or email Lucian Leone at leoneluc@msu.edu.
Sailing lessons for individuals and families
Sailing lessons for individuals and families will be available from M - F 2 hours: $60 for single, $100 for couple, $135 for familiesNarrated Tour of Metz Fire Sites
Monday June 22, 7 - 9PM, we will have a tour of many of the Metz fire sites. During last year the 100th anniversary of the fire was observed on November 15, 2008. One of the worst forest fires in Michigan history, it burned from Millersburg all the way to Lake Huron, including the Grand Lake and Presque Isle areas. We will visit all the major sites in the Metz area, including the railroad siding where 16 persons burned to death on the "relief train" that had been sent to evacuate them. A total of 37 persons died in the fire, including many children. Of 104 families living in Metz Township at the time, 84 of the families lost their homes. Historian Mark Thompson will lead us on our tour. We are asking for a donation to cover the cost of the bus.
We will meet in the Presque Isle Harbor Clubhouse Parking lot on Kaufman Road at 6:50 pm.Geocacheing to the Sinkholes near Besser Bell
We will meet at the Range Light parking lot at 2 pm Thursday for the ride down to the entrance to the sinkhole hike which is off Grand Lake Rd near the State Police tower.Guided Visit to the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
See what it's like to be a Great Lakes sailor in a storm or a SCUBA diver on a shipwreck site as you work with underwater archeologists to learn about underwater exploration of shipwrecks as a way to preserve the past and bring our maritime history to life at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center. This special time is scheduled for Tuesday from 2:30 - 5PM. We will meet in the Sanctuary parking lot at 2:20.-
Explore our History &ndash The 40 Mile Point Wreck, Wednesday 2:30 - 5PM
Join us for an archaeological documentation activity on the grounds of the 40 mile point lighthouse where our Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary archaeologists will explore the easily accessible shipwreck site of the Joseph S. Fay on the beach at 40 Mile Point. For those hardy enough it is possible to use snorkeling gear, to see some of this wreck. Those interested in snorkeling will likely be in the minority due to the water temperature in June.
We welcome all snorkelers, even those under the age of 12, provided they are accompanied by an adult. We will meet at the 40 Mile Point Lighthouse at 2:30. If you wish to cooperate on a ride, please so indicate on the registration form, in the note at the bottom. Presque Isle's "Blue Highway"
Come hear "Presque's Blue Highway" an history talk by Mark Thompson, Curator of the Presque Isle Historical Museum, Wednesday evening 8PM.The history of the Presque Isle area has always been inexorably linked to Lake Huron. For hundreds of years, the "blue highway" was the preferred means of transportation for Native Americans who inhabited the region. Even more importantly, the lakes were arguably their most dependable source of sustenance. Today, the lakes make possible the Great Lakes shipping industry, the world's most efficient system for shipping bulk products that are essential to the economic well beings of both the United States and Canada.
In between, the lakes spawned the dynamic lumber era that brought a flood of settlers into the region in the middle of the 1800s. As lumbering waned, the lakes made possible the development of the mining industry that extracted the regions mineral resources to feed the great industrial machines that emerged in America's heartland-the iron and steel industries, the auto industry, and the cement and concrete industries, among others. Marine historian Mark Thompson, curator of the Presque Isle County Historical Museum in Rogers City, will look at the many linkages between the Great Lakes and development in the region. To find out more about the history of the area, Mark has written 4 books.The talk will be held at the Presque Isle Old Lighthouse, in the same location as the Wednesday night programs throughout the summer which will begin the Wednesday after the 4th, and run through the first week of August.
Singing on the Beach
Thursday nights, 8pm at the North Bay Beach House. Weather permitting we will meet on the beach. If not, we will move indoor at the beach house. Feel free to bring your instrument and ideas, and of course your voice!!
The North Bay Beach is located just before the marina. Turn left into the Presque Isle Harbor North Bay parking lot and walk to the beach.
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