HOUGHTON, Mich. (WZMQ) – This week, media outlets from around the Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin were invited to join Visit Keweenaw for ‘Keweenaw Opening Day,’ inspired by Mackinac Island’s annual press trip.
On Thursday and Friday, several tours and events were planned to showcase just how much the region has to offer this summer. Thursday morning began with opening remarks from Visit Keweenaw, Houghton and Hancock city staff, as well as a local art business owner and state park official.
As summertime brings a boom to the festival season, plenty of excitement this year will come from around the world to be a part of Hancock’s Finno-Ulgric Capital of Culture celebration from June 17-21.
“We are going to be celebrating full-on with our Juhannus Summer Solstice Celebration,” said Todd Gast of the Hancock DDA. “We’re going to be hosting perhaps three foreign ambassadors from Finland, Estonia, and Hungary to the Copper Country, which has probably never happened in the history of the area.”
The Keweenaw’s historical landmarks may still be recovering from its 360 inches of snow this year, but state park officials say they still plan to open almost all of its 22 Keweenaw Heritage Sites on time. Houghton-Douglass Falls has also received a number of upgrades by the DNR this year, including a safer pathway and plans to add more guardrails.
Management from the City of Houghton says new infrastructure plans are also expected to come to its downtown area, following a more than 3.8 million dollar investment from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
More details about this summer in the Keweenaw can be found at visitkeweenaw.com.
