Neguanee, Michigan – The Michigan Iron Industry Museum in Negaunee will host a public open house on Sunday, May 20, featuring two performances by White Water, one of northern Michigan’s most popular folk music groups. The open house will run from noon to 4 p.m., with performances at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
The museum’s open house kicks off a summer-long series of programs and events celebrating the museum’s 25th anniversary. The event is free and light refreshments will be served. Donations are encouraged to support the museum’s education programming.
“We are excited to bring these high-energy performances to the
museum as we kick off our 25th year,” said museum educator Barry James. “White Water shows are very popular here in the Upper Peninsula, and although we’ve added new seating to the museum, I encourage visitors to arrive early since the house should be packed.”
White Water, with founding members Dean and Bette Premo, has been performing traditional folk museum for Michigan audiences since 1985. The group will be joined by Houghton-based fiddlers Emma and Carrie Dlutkowski, accompanied by their mother Susan Dlutkowski, at the Iron
Industry Museum shows, along with at least one dozen additional instruments, including hammer dulcimers, fiddles, mandolins, guitars, piano and more.
White Water will perform both old and new original tunes, along with the music of Konsta Jylhä (1910-1984), a folk virtuoso known for making traditional pelimanni-style folk music a hallmark of Finnish culture. The Dlutkowski sisters will also entertain the crowd with some French-Canadian style fiddling and foot percussion.
For more information about the open house event or the Iron Industry Museum, contact Barry James at 906-475-7857.
The Michigan Iron Industry Museum is one of 11 nationally accredited museums administered by the Michigan Historical Center, an agency within the Department of Natural Resources. Located on US-41E, 9-miles west of Marquette, it overlooks the site of the Carp River Forge, a pioneer industrial site listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information call 906-475-7857 or visit: www.michigan.gov/ironindustrymuseum.
