CAMPUS

News for NMU Employees

 

Beaumier Center Explores U.P. Historic Preservation and Written Works

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at NMU will open an exhibit on the importance of historic preservation in the region and host an evening of stories and songs inspired by the Upper Peninsula. Both events are scheduled for April.

 

“Lost and Found: Historic Structures of the U.P.” will feature 40 buildings that have either been lost or restored for continued use. NMU’s Kaye Hall, razed in the 1970s, is among the former. Marquette City Hall and Ishpeming’s Carnegie Library are some of the renovation success stories. An opening reception will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 20, in 105 Cohodas Hall. Refreshments and snacks will be served.  The exhibition will be on display in the Beaumier Center’s gallery through September. Admission is free and the center’s hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

 

The Upper Peninsula has inspired songwriters, storytellers and authors ranging from Ernest Hemingway to Jim Harrison to Robert Traver (John Voelker). “The U.P. in Story,” an event dedicated to this written material, will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 26, at Forest Roberts Theatre. Performers from the community and university will read or sing works by the famous and not so famous. NMU employees scheduled  to participate include Leigh Barry, April Lindala, Dan Truckey, Nicole Walton and David Wood.

The Beaumier Center will also use this event to present the 2013 Upper Peninsula Folklife Award to the late storyteller and historian Fred Rydholm. A highly regarded bearer of the U.P.’s oral traditions, Rydholm's work as an educator, author and guide in the Huron Mountain wilderness cemented his importance in preserving the traditions of the region. His service work for Bay Cliff Health Camp, the Yellow Dog Watershed and as the mayor of the City of Marquette rounded out a life dedicated to community and the land. In his April 6, 2009 obituary, the Mining Journal wrote, “Known and beloved as a storyteller, mentor and friend to countless numbers of followers and fans both regionally and internationally through his books, travels and speaking tours, Rydholm inspired and influenced the way many think and relate to their personal life story, their cultural identity and their relationship to the Upper Peninsula's wilderness heritage.”