As the semester is nearing its end, many students are starting to pack up and go home for the summer. For students staying in Marquette, there are ways to get out of the house and be active in the community, while still being socially distanced.
Marquette is known for its active community, whether there are people biking, running or just walking the many paths and trails. Walking the town is a favorite for many students, including NMU freshman Dayna Johnson, a nursing student from Houghton who is staying in Marquette for the summer.
“It was so fun this school year,” Johnson said. “There’s so much to do and I want to keep doing it during the summer.”
Marquette offers many ways to get out of the house and stay involved in the community over the summer. Many organizations have adapted to COVID-19 restrictions and have gone virtual in an effort to allow everyone to enjoy the events from the comfort of their home.
The Hiawatha Music Festival will be held virtually this year, July 16-18. The weekend-long event will have music featured through the festival’s Facebook and Youtube channels. The festival honors traditional music that has been passed down from generation to generation. From the blues to country to Irish Celtic music, there is a variety of genres to enjoy, Susan Divine, the executive director of the festival, said.
“It’s our mission statement of the co-op is to continue to keep that kind of music alive in our country,” Divine said.
The event will be a cutdown version of what the festival normally does. There will be four hours of music on Friday and Saturday night and a children’s activity during the day on Saturday. Sunday morning will stream their Gospel Hour, Divine said.
“We do have a lot of faithful followers that are planning on having their own little Hiawatha in their backyard,” Divine said. “I look forward to seeing the pictures and videos of everybody having their own little Hiawatha weekend with their family and friends wherever they are.”
Hiawatha has booked several artists to stream their performances. The Eagle Spirit Dancers, a Native American group, will be dancing. They will also show Zoe Speaks, a musical group from Kentucky and local musician Troy Graham, among many other groups. There will also be a virtual children’s parade taking place, said Divine.
“We hope everybody can create their own mini Hiawatha festival and do their best to enjoy the community of the music that we’re going to put out,” Divine said. “Hopefully we’ll be back together next year.”
For its 22 annual season, the Downtown Marquette Farmers Market will be starting on Saturday, May 22 and will run through October 30. They will be open Saturday mornings, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. The market will be outdoors at The Marquette Commons, Sara Johnson, the market manager said.
“We are really excited because [the vendors] are working really hard to bring some exciting additional programming to the staging market,” Johnson said. “But we’re still in the planning phases.”
The market has three types of vendors: producers, artisans, farmers and growers. There is a variety of products to choose from, including fruits, vegetables, greens and baked goods made from scratch. There are breads, coffees and ciders, as well as handcrafted items that are original, which make the perfect wedding gifts, Johnson said.
“It’s really unique and it’s a great touch. It’s a little piece of home that you can pass along to somebody which is always special,” Johnson said.
One of this year’s new additions to the market is the community table. The table and tent are provided by the market as a spot for local businesses, organizations, student groups or entities to promote their business, product or mission. The group can apply for a specific date to present their business or organization for a small fee, Johnson said.
“[We are] really excited about it because it allows people who otherwise would not be eligible to participate with the market, the opportunity to have a table at the market and engage directly with the market community,” Johnson said.
There will also be a Wednesday evening market, opening June 16 until September 15, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
“We piloted that market during our 2019 season and it seemed to go over well,” Johnson said. “We had to suspend it last year because of COVID-19, unfortunately, but we’re bringing it back because the communities and our vendors still want to do it.”
Johnson assures the market will be operating at a limited capacity and have up to 40 vendors, when typically, they would host 65-70. Masks will be required on the street and vendors will be six feet apart. For more information on each event, visit Downtown Marquette Farmers Market and the Hiawatha Music Festival.
