Michigan's Upper Peninsula Calendar of Events

Visual presentations, guided bird walks, children's activities and more each weekend in May.

Sponsored bythe Lake Gogebic Chamber of Commerce

Join Fort Wilkins Historic State Park on Memorial Day to commemorate U.S. Soldiers who have died while in Military Service. The event will occur on the parade grounds and will include a memorial day address, musical tribute, program from the Copper harbor School children and the presentation of colors by the Marine Corps League.

Baraga County has been named the Lake Trout Capital of the Great Lakes and the free (no admission charge) festival will combine the Keweenaw Classic Fishing Tournament with family-oriented events such as kids’ carnival, we have six "Little Miss Superior" girls entered into the contest, kids’ fishing pond, pie-eating contest, beach volleyball tournament with teams entered, Pequaming Run and 1/2 marathon, junk art contest, cribbage tournament, and the firemen’s street dance on Saturday night. Plus we will have three bicycle races, sponsored by the Fitness Center of Baraga County Memorial Hospital. Food will include a pancake breakfast, food and drink booths, coffee and baked goods and festival fish dinner. And watching the "Ducky River Race", shopping at the art and crafts fair and the perennial flower sale, people can enjoy music by area talent.

Come to Bewabic State Park on Saturday, June 8th to celebrate Free Fishing Weekend. The park is hosting a youth Fishing Derby. Prizes will be awarded for the largest fish and as part of the casting competition. Meet in the Day Use area. Youth 15 and under may participate in the Derby.

Meet at the campground host site to register and for information.
Kid's fishing tournament along the shores of beautiful Lake Gogebic. Prizes will be awarded for the biggest walleye, perch, bass, northern pike, bluegill and crappie. Pop and hot dogs will be provided at the campground host site following the tournament. Make sure to save room for tasty S'mores! The bounce house will also be onsite. Participants may be up to 16 years of age.

On June 13 the stage of the Rozsa theatre will be filled with tables set for dinner and drinks. This unique set up will allow diners an intimate look at the theatre from the performers’ perspective. Throughout the evening our Resident Opera Artists will introduce themselves by presenting highlights from opera and the American musical theatre repertoire. Please join us for this unique and exciting evening!

Come and sample your favorite seafood delights, listen to music and join in the fun.

The annual Keweenaw Chain Drive Festival Mountain Bike race includes 16- and 32-mile point-to-point cross-country distance races and the Junior Chain Drive youth races. All participants for the 16- and 32-mile races receive a free jersey. The cross-country races traverse the Maasto Hiihto/Churning Rapids trail system in Hancock and include miles of singletrack and lots of elevation change. The Junior Chain Drive starts and ends at the Portage Health campus, using a single-track trail in a wooded area east of the hospital.

Father's Day weekend Flea Market and "Sale Trail" citywide rummage sales.

The Longest Fishing Tournament is held on the waters of Lac La Belle, Copper Harbor, Eagle Harbor and Lake Medora. No boat is permitted more than 5 miles from the Lake Superior Shoreline. Tournament tentatively begins at 6 am on Saturday, June 15, and ends at 3:30 pm with the Awards Ceremony at 8 pm at the Mariner North in Copper Harbor. Check in and weighing of fish will be done at the Gaslite General Store. A pre-tournament meeting will be held on Friday at the Copper Harbor Community Building and will include refreshments, live music and a fish boil.

On Midsummer's Eve 1865, some thirty Finns landed on the shores of the Portage Canal in present day Hancock, and trudged the steep hill to Swedetown where they immediately began to work in the copper mines. Thus began the Finnish presence in the Copper Country - one of the nation's most significant Finnish-American communities. Celebrating & honoring Finnish-American culture, including its inextricable connections to the 1913 unrest, the Copper Country will host FinnFest USA - a national gathering of Finns - a midsummer eve’s dream.
For five days, June 19 through June 23, the Copper Country will host FinnFest USA 2013 – a festival spread across the region, with a variety of programming sure to interest everyone!
FinnFest 2013 in true Copper Country style with copper over gold, sauna over spa and pasty over paté.

Help celebrate the "birthday" of the Portage Lake Lift Bridge with a parade, arts & crafts show, live entertainment, dances, fireworks and more.

Come and celebrate the 4th of July in Bessemer, MI. Events begin June 27th and continue on into the 4th of July. Check out the website for a complete list of activities.

UP Muzzle Loaders Association Event

Celebrate the pasty! Events at Agassiz Park in Calumet include music, games, the pasty parade and the annual pasty baking contest.

Celebrate Michigan's log cabin heritage at Old Victoria. Taste homemade cinnamon rolls, fresh baked in Victoria's historic wood cookstoves. Hear stories of the past, try your hand at old-time skills, play old-fashioned games for kids of all ages. Coffee Clutch and Storytelling 10am-1pm. Games for Kids of all ages 1pm-3pm; Ruins Walk 3pm-5pm. For more info call 906-886-2617.

The nearly year-long strike by members of the Western Federation of Miners in 1913-14 is one of the most significant events in Copper Country history and also figures critically in national labor struggles of the era. A year long series of events throughout the Keweenaw Peninsula will commemorate the Michigan Copper Miners' Strike 1913-1914 Centennial.

Participate in the Lake Gogebic State Park's Kids Bike Parade. Bicycle decorating will be at the campground host site before the parade.
Parade begins at 2 PM CST. Parade participants can return to the host site at the conclusion for a cool treat! The bounce house will also be onsite.The event will be held rain or shine

The Strawberry Festival, held in the downtown Chassell area, is two days of family fun. Events include an Arts & Crafts show, the Chassell Heritage Center Open House, horse-drawn wagon rides, a fish boil, live music and entertainment, a children's parade, awards and auction, queen crowning and dance, a French Toast Breakfast, the parade, a chicken BBQ, the Friends of Fashion Vintage Fashion Show, children's games and a quilt raffle. Strawberry shortcake, brats, hot dogs, ice cream and more will also be available.

Super fireworks starting around 10 p.m. Best viewing will be near the Transfer Station area. Come and enjoy!

The weekend includes the Nylund Boxing Invitations on Friday. The Bass Festival Parade is on Saturday at 10 am followed by canoe races on the Paint River, a community picnic Saturday at Runkle Lake Park with games and music and the Wop-Swede Softball Challenge Saturday night. The Run Your Bass Off 10K Race is Sunday morning, followed by the community picnic with games and music.

The world's best teams compete in Guts Frisbee, hurling the disc at 80+ MPH. World's fastest throw last year at 87.5 MPH. Two days of action, live music Saturday, concessions, drawings, admission is two canned goods for the local food pantry. International Frisbee and USA Guts Hall of Fame inductions Saturday night. Got Guts?

Make your own cardboard boat and join the fun for adults and kids of all ages! Music and prizes.

Rum Rebellion Days commemorate the federal government's attempt to enforce Prohibition in Iron River in 1920 through the use of force, sending federal agents from Chicago to destroy the wine made by some local residents.

Listen to a variety of free music in the Park and Lake Superior at the backdrop!

Come join us for an exciting weekend on the beautiful and rugged trails of the Keweenaw for the 3rd annual Run the Keweenaw, A Festival of Trails in Copper Harbor. Saturday's activities include: the 6k hill climb at Mt. Baldy in Eagle Harbor, a kids 2k/5k run, the 12k Vasque Trails Challenge and the 12k Copper Harbor Trails Non-Competitive Run/Hike. The 25k Carl Olson Memorial Adventure Trail Run and the awards ceremony will take place on Sunday.

Join the staff of Bewabic State Park for Christmas in July. Santa will lead the bike parade and be available for pictures. Site decorating, stocking decorating and Reindeer games add to the events festive atmosphere.

The Annual End of the Road Keweenaw Tour & Car Show will be held in Copper Harbor on Saturday, July 20. The Cruise leaves at 12:30 pm from the Pat's IGA Parking lot on Sixth Street in Calumet. The Car Show is held in Copper Harbor with awards, live entertainment, food and refreshments. The event is a benefit for the Copper Harbor school.

The Canal Run features 4 events for all ages and fitness levels: 10-mile run, 10-mile walk, 5-mile run, 5-mile walk. The course takes participants along scenic Portage Canal on M-203 from McLain State Park to downtown Hancock.

Get in the holiday spirit on this festive park weekend!   Activities
include a bike parade, games and prizes, craft activities, campsite
decorating and photos with Santa.

History comes alive at Fort Wilkins! Battery D, the 1st Michigan Light Artillery, and a Civil War era living history group, returns to Fort Wilkins Historic State Park on US-41 in Copper Harbor. The event is open to park visitors from 8 am to 8 pm on Friday & Saturday and 8 am to 4 pm on Sunday, Battery D will interpret army life of the period, demonstrating artillery and small arms drills, period cooking and soldiers' pastimes. A Michigan Recreation Passport is required for park entry.

This is a family-friendly Christian Music Festival with the spectacular view of the famous Copper Peak International Ski Flying Hill!

Get ready for the 3rd annual Copper Peak Christian Music Festival! ONE DAY! Saturday, July 27th from Noon-9pm! Nine hours of great Christian music and family fun!! Bring the whole family. $3 per adult, and kids 12 and under are free! (all ticket proceeds will go to Copper Peak). Come support your favorite regional and local Christian artists and help Copper Peak International Ski Flying Hill at the same time!
There will be great food at an extremely reasonable price with D & J Tasty Treats, and Professional sound and stage by BOC Productions (941.518.8442). We'll also have a watermelon eating contest, the 'great American Drum-Off," & More! So, go ahead and mark your calendar for the Copper Peak Christian music festival, Saturday, July 27th, 2013 from Noon-9pm! See ya there!

Kid's activities and games will occur on Saturday and Sunday. Campsite judging will begin at 9 PM CST on Saturday. The winners will be announced Sunday morning and posted on the campground host activity board. Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places. The bounce house will also be onsite. The event is held rain or shine.

The Copperman Triathlon comes to Ft. Wilkins State Park on US-41 in Copper Harbor tentatively on Saturday, August 4. Swim tranquil Lake Fanny Hooe, bike the rocky shores of Lake Superior & run through the wilderness on shaded roads. Sponsored by the Keweenaw Memorial Medical Center.

Country, old time country, blue grass, old rock and roll, etc. Just no rap or heavy metal music. Sound system and mics. provided. Electric instruments ok and plugs in available. Musicians come play and sing. Concession stand will be opened the two days. Bring your lawn chairs along. Sign up sheets available both days starting at 10 A.M. Camping is limited but plenty of parking. Signs will be posted in Toivola. Come and enjoy yourselves both days.

The A.E.Seaman Mineral Museum at Michigan Tech University in Houghton invites you to the Copper Country Mineral Retreat set for August 6 to August 10. This is a week of mineral collecting and more including prepared surface collecting, underground collecting, datolite collecting, photography workshop, a mineral banquet and auctions, invited speakers and more.

A celebration of the 38-acre underground mushroom located south of Crystal Falls. There will a cribbage tournament, rummage & sidewalk sales, mushroom pizza, entertainment, Great Ball Race, Parade (Aug 6-10 am), street dance, and softball game. {All times Central.}

Bring your binoculars for this unique nighttime program!  View the Perseids meteor shower, do some stargazing and roast some S’mores over the campfire.  Learn about our night sky and the meteor shower with our Explorer Guide!

Learn the basics of kayaking on Keweenaw Bay! Kayaks and life jackets will be provided for free. There will be beginner level/open paddling in our Kayaking 101 session (9:00am to 12:00pm) and our Kayaking 202 session (1:00pm to 3:00pm) for intermediate paddlers will feature a wetlands program in the sloughs near the park! Children 10 and under must be accompanied by an adult. PFD's must be worn at all times. No pre-registration necessary for Kayaking 101. Kayaking 202 will be limited to 10 participants.

St. Peters by the Sea on M-26 in Eagle Harbor hosts the annual Eagle Harbor Art Fair Saturday, August 10 and Sunday, August 11 with stunning art from local and regional artists. It has been over 50 years that the CCAA is hosting the fair, and it will continue to be as spectacular as ever. There will be over 60 artist vendors, selling their wares; photography, pottery, jewelry, painting, woodworking…just about anything you can think of. Goodies to eat are provided by the Eagle Harbor Township to raise money for various projects.

The annual Heritage Celebration takes place August 12-17 in Calumet. Activities include a breakfast featuring ethnic food followed, a horseshoe tournament, a parade, Coppertown USA Museum open house, live music, guided trolley and horse-drawn wagon tours, old-fashioned children's games, traditional artists/crafter​s, food vendors and the Great Deer Chase Mountain Bike Race.

In late August, local talk turns to the dwindling days of summer, the daily hunting season countdown, predictions about the upcoming winter and the Iron County Fair. This four-day event invites Iron County residents and visitors alike to explore a wide variety of activities at the county fairgrounds in Iron River. At night, you can take the entire family to the 4x4 truck pull or the always fun, demolition derby.

The 8th Annual Great Deer Chase mountain bike race will be held on August 17 at the Swedetown Trail system off Swedetown Road in Calumet. The event, held in conjunction with Calumet's Heritage Days, will feature 15 and 28 mile cross country races as well as 3 and 4.25 mile youth races. There will also be a 40-yard Fawn Chase untimed youth race.
Races start at 10 am (Eastern) at the Calumet Colosseum. An awards ceremony will be held at 4 pm. Registration forms will be available online and registration will be open at Cross Country Sports in downtown Calumet.

A two-day craft fair featuring local and regional artists, including food and entertainment. Sponsored by the Copper Harbor Improvement Association.

Handmade arts and crafts displayed on the lawn of historic Old Victoria. Have one of those famous baked-in-the-woodstove cinnamon rolls. Enjoy a lunch of mojakka (beef stew) and reiska (Finnish bread). Bring the kids to play old-fashioned outdoor games in the afternoon.

11 & 22 mile mountain bike courses on the Michigan Tech trail system in Houghton on 95% singletrack trails on challenging but safe terrain entirely on trails with hills.

The Houghton County Fair will be held Thursday, August 22 through Sunday, August 25 at the Houghton County Fairgrounds off Birch Street in Hancock. Exhibits, carnival, demolition derby, moto-cross, logging show, draft horse pull and much, much more.

The Iron County Chamber of Commerce proudly presents the annual “End of Summer Blues fest” on August 24th in the Village of Alpha, Michigan. The Events start at 11am with Veterans Freedom Memorial Ride/Poker Run for motorcycles & cars. Everyone is encouraged to take a tour of Iron County Veterans Memorial. Gates to the Pavilion will open at noon. Entertainment will start at 1pm and food & merchandise vendors will be available

17 & 29 mile cross country mountain bike races on the famous Copper Harbor trails, the Junior Fat Tire races, Enduro races, awards, food & beverages and live music following the races.

5K, 10K

Annual Walleye Fishing Tournament on beautiful Lake Gogebic in the Western U.P. Tournament ends with free fish fry for contestants at Gogebic Lodge at 2pm on Sunday.
1st place prize $1000, 2nd-$500, 3rd-$200 w/prizes thru 10th place. Prizes for largest Northern, Smallmouth & Perch also.
Entry fee: $50. Send entry w/name, address,phone# to LGACC, P.O. Box 114, Bergland, MI 49910. Details on www.lakegogebicarea.com or will be sent when entry fee is sent.

Meet Smokey the Bear at the park for some fire safety education and pictures. Local fire departments will also be on hand with their fire equipment. Contact the park at (906)875-3324 with any questions or for more information.
Important: There will be two different sessions for this event. The sessions will run from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and again from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Smokey and the participating agencies will not be available between 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Trick-or-Treat!  Activities include Face Painting, Kids Craft Activities and Games, Campsite Decorating, Trick-or-treating, Bobbing for Apples, Costume Contests, prizes and more.  

$1000 Hole In One Contest, Hole Prizes, Awards Dinner, Team Prizes, Skill Challenges, Open to all Teams (men's, women's, mixed) $140 per team. Contact Dick at 906-842-3344 or Mike at 906-842-3563

Celebrate your Celtic heritage at the Celtic Festival 2013 that features the annual Copper Hammer Highland Games.

Celebrate the multicultural make-up of Michigan Tech University and the community with the Parade of Nations through Hancock and Houghton and the Multicultural Festival at the Dee Stadium on Lakeshore Drive in Houghton. Ethnic dress, food, and entertainment.

Come to Bewabic State Parks Harvest Fest for a great weekend of campsite decorating, pumpkin carving and Trick-Or-Treating. Their is also a costume contest.

The annual Finlandia University Sibelius Academy Music Festival presents concerts by world-class student-musicians from the Sibelius Academy of Helsinki, Finland.

Come and enjoy the Scheer's Lumberjack Show in Ewen, MI.

Explore the rugged, rocky shorelines of Lake Superior, wild waterfalls, (some don’t even appear on a map!), scenic mountain vistas and magnificent northern forests adorned with autumn color. This spectacular eco-photo tour offers photographers sweeping scenery, intimate landscapes and wonderful close-ups. All photographer levels are welcome. Take advantage of over 50 years of combined nature photography experience with naturalist photographer, Mark S. Carlson and digital photography expert, Bob Grzesiak.
• Learn fundamental photography skills
• Learn camera features and operation...with your own camera 
• Experience unique habitats and delicate eco-systems
• Enjoy expert instruction in a small group while photographing outdoors
• All photographers (and camera types) welcome regardless of skill or experience. 
Four-day driving and moderate hiking tour, day 6 ends at noon. $795 per person. Lodging/meals not included.

The event is sponsored by Great Lakes Endurance and Patagonia Footwear. In addition to the trail marathon, the day includes a half-marathon, a 5K and a kids’ 2K race.

One of the meanest, toughest performance rallys in North America.

Two days of cyclocross racing in beautiful Copper Harbor with dinner, music, awards and more.

Come and enjoy a night out for the Jack Frost "Festival of Lights Parade in Ironwood, MI.

Parade, Mule drawn wagon rides, community tree trimming, light tours, dance, & crafts.

Features the famous snow statues, sporting events, a torch light parade, fireworks, the Snow-Ball and more. Sponsored by Blue Key National Honor Fraternity.