Great Lakes, Great Stories: Michigan's Maritime Heritage

Macomb Cultural Center Explores the History, Legacy and Romance of the Lakes from Oct. 6 - Dec. 2
Release Date:
September 10, 2007

The Macomb Cultural Center sails into a three-month-long series of events focusing on one of Michigan's greatest attributes - the Great Lakes. Great Lakes, Great Stories: Michigan's Maritime Heritage opens on Saturday, Oct. 6, featuring a performance at 2 p.m. by Song of the Lakes, an acoustic five-member band that performs an original "new folk" style of music with a Great Lakes maritime flair.

Nearly all events in the series are free to attend and include exhibits, video showings, presentations, activities and performances that highlight five major topical areas: Formation of North America's interior coast; Great Lakes as maritime superhighway; Lighthouses: caution lights of the superhighway; Shipwrecks: the challenge of the lakes' great gales; and Great Lakes ecology and preservation.

Exhibits also open on Oct. 6, run through Dec. 2 and include Great Lakes, Great Stories, artifacts and multimedia that highlight the lakes' formation, their role as a superhighway and preservation; Era of Elegance, artifacts and photos from early 20th century steamship travel; Great Lakes China, a "tour" of Michigan's port cities through pictorial souvenir china; Michigan's Great Lights, a look at lighthouses through photos, artifacts, diaries and a cutaway of a lighthouse; Exotic Aquatics of the Great Lakes Region, an interactive display about invasive species; and Life on the Lakes, showcasing the lakes' ecosystem. Exhibits are open Wednesday through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.

Highlights of some of the more than 50 events scheduled for Great Lakes, Great Stories: Michigan's Maritime Heritage include:

  • Oct. 10 (2 p.m.): Tim Eder, executive director of the Great Lakes Commission, provides updates on their work related to Lake St. Clair.

  • Oct. 11 (12 p.m.): Traverse City-based author Jerry Dennis brings to life his acclaimed book, The Living Great Lakes: Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas.

  • Oct. 11 (7 p.m.): Luke Clyburn, president, Noble Odyssey Foundation, and commander, Great Lakes Division, National Sea Cadet Corps, presents Great Lakes, Ancient Shores…Sinkholes

  • Oct. 13 (2 p.m.): In Sand Dunes, Sawdust and Shipwrecks, bestselling author Larry Massie presents strange-but-true accounts of people and events along Michigan's Sunset Shore (Lake Michigan).

  • Oct. 19 (10:30 a.m., 1 p.m.); Oct. 21 (2 p.m.): Singer and instrumentalist Lee Murdock chronicles the stories of the brave pioneering spirit of the people in Songs of the Great Lakes.

  • Oct. 24 (10:30 a.m.): Rector Richard W. Ingalls, Jr., traces the history of the Mariner's Church of Detroit.

  • Oct. 24 (2 p.m.): Executive secretary of the Mackinac Bridge Authority Bob Sweeney reflects on the bridge's history and future challenges as Mighty Mac turns 50.

  • Oct. 27 (10 a.m. to 12 p.m.): Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum brings a fast-past lineup of 10 hands-on activities for family discovery of geology.

  • Oct. 31 (1 p.m.): Writer/speaker Dianna Stampfler tells the stories of 12 Michigan lighthouses thought to be haunted in Michigan's Ghostly Lights.

  • Nov. 1 (2 p.m.): Wayne State University history professor and author Charles Hyde weaves together the histories of Michigan lighthouses and their role in opening the region to settlement.

  • Nov. 2 (10:30 a.m.); Nov. 3 (2 p.m.): Dennis Hale, sole survivor of the Daniel J. Morrell shipwreck, provides a personal account of the 1966 disaster.

  • Nov. 3 (1 p.m.): Cranbrook Institute of Science geologist John Zawiskie presents Submarine Science in Lake Huron: From Prehistoric Tropic Reefs to the Ice Age.

  • Nov. 4 (2 p.m.): Historical re-enactor Michael Deren brings to life an 1875 schooner captain sailing the Great Lakes.

  • Nov. 9 (10:30 a.m.); Nov. 10 (2 p.m.): Shipwreck explorer and PBS producer Ric Mixter shares his insight on the great gales that have ravaged Great Lakes mariners since 1905.

  • Nov. 14 (10:30 a.m., 1 p.m.): - Divers and producers of more than 54 programs on shipwrecks, Pat and Jim Stayer present details of Edmund Fitzgerald's history, sinking, daring rescue attempts and exploration of the wreckage site.

  • Nov. 16 (10:30 a.m., 1 p.m.): Author of more than 30 books on maritime history, Frederick Stonehouse presents Women on the Lakes, revealing the remarkable stories of the women who have filled virtually every job of the Great Lakes maritime trades.

Pre-registration is required for all events, excluding exhibits and video showings. For a full schedule of events, more information or to register, call 586.445.7348 or visit www.macombculturalcenter.com.

The Macomb Cultural Center, Macomb County's place for discovery, explores the influences and experiences that shape our community's heritage, examining topics from a variety of perspectives and creating interactive opportunities for learning, celebration and entertainment. Located on Macomb Community College's Center Campus, Hall and Garfield roads in Clinton Township, the Macomb Cultural Center is adjacent to the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts.

Media Contact: Karen M. LeDuc
Phone: 586.445.7271