Provided photo Lake Superior Day is returning to the Copper Country this Sunday. Events include log rolling, live music and street chalking in Copper Harbor.

COPPER HARBOR — The Lake Superior Day Festival will return to Copper Harbor for its 8th annual celebration on Sunday, July 18, from 1-4 p.m., after having to be cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lloyd Wescoat, K-12 Education Programming, Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative for the Center for Science and Environmental Outreach,Great Lakes Research Center – Michigan Technological University, invites to the public join in the celebration of the beauty and bounty of Lake Superior.

“The good people of Copper Harbor are sponsoring Lake Superior Day,” said Wescoat, adding that it is not any specific group or organization.

It is all volunteers in the Copper Harbor community, she added. There are many volunteers who are working behind the scenes with extra outreach components, and talks, handling the food portion of it, although Rich Jampson has always overseen the cooking of the fish stew, she said.

Don Kilpela, who spearheaded Lake Superior Day in the past will greatly missed this year, said Wescoat.

“Donny was the front man,” said wescoat. “He was really very good at speaking, and he would do the radio shows, he’d go out and get people to make contributions of food and whatever.”

The community volunteers, along with the Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative, are all set with the 8th annual Lake Superior Day Festival, including lots of special activities at the 6th Street Dock along the Copper Harbor Boardwalk (near Isle Royale Queen boat dock).

– Enjoy fish stew (Kalamojakka), rieska (Finnish flatbread), cake, and other treats at a community picnic ($5 donation suggested).

– Log rolling demonstration.

– Interactive art – paint the model freighter and decorate the street with chalk drawings.

– Take a walk along the boardwalk to learn about Lake Superior’ s geoheritage with Erika Vye from Michigan Tech’s Great Lakes Research Center.

– Learn about fishing with Michigan Sea Grant Extension educator Lauren Jescovitch.

– And more!

– From 1-4 p.m., a special highlight is the opportunity for festival attendees to find out how scientists study the Great Lakes by taking a 40-minute scientific excursion in the harbor aboard Michigan Tech’s research vessel the Agassiz. These excursions will be led by chief scientist John Lenters, Research Scientist, MTU Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering, who will talk about the newly installed weather buoy in Copper Harbor. The excursions are offered as part of the Ride the Waves Program funded by a grant from General Motors.

The Agassiz will depart every 45 minutes from the Isle Royale Queen dock beginning at 1 p.m. Participants must be at least 7 years old, and children must be accompanied by an adult. All participants should wear closed-toe shoes. Space is limited and interested participants can pre-register online.

For questions about the Agassiz registration, contact Wescoat at lwescoat@mtu.edu.

– 1-4 p.m., Sunday, July 18 — Celebrate Lake Superior Day in Copper Harbor. Celebrate Copper Harbor community volunteers, along with the Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative, are organizing the 8th annual Lake Superior Day Festival with lots of special activities at the 6th Street Dock along the Copper Harbor Boardwalk (near Isle Royale Queen boat dock) on Sunday, July 18, from 1-4 p.m.

A community picnic will include fish stew, Finnish flatbread, cake, and other treats at a suggested $5 donation. There will be a log rolling demonstration, interactive art installations, and a geo heritage display. There is also a chance for a ride on Michigan Tech’s research vessel, The Agassiz. The excursions will be led by Lenters, who will talk about the newly installed weather buoy in Copper Harbor.

Lake Superior Day is celebrated throughout the Lake Superior basin on or close to the third Sunday in July in many communities around Lake Superior. The event highlights the special connections people have to this unique world treasure. All residents who live, work, play, and worship around the lake are invited to organize events in their communities or take action in their homes, at their places of employment or in community groups to help protect Lake Superior.

To learn more about Lake Superior, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) provides information on Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes here or visit EPA’ s website at: https://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/lake-superior. For more Information, please contact Wescoat.