'Seeds of Change' demo set for First Friday 

IRONWOOD — The First Friday Committee is planning one more virtual event for the pandemic with a seeding demonstration from master gardeners to help residents with planting in their gardens.

“Seeds of Change” will be a Facebook Live First Friday event from 6 to 7 p.m. Friday, April 2, at facebook.com/events/

239335811206992. Members of Range Master Gardeners will live stream a demonstration on seed starting from Northwind Natural Foods Co-op.

In his report to the Downtown Ironwood Development Authority on March 25, Tim Erickson, city community development specialist, said the committee started formulating First Friday ideas for the rest of the year. The goal is to make April the final virtual event and to host public First Friday events thereafter.

“After April we will transition back to in-person events as we start to kick off into the MCACA grant performances,” Erickson said, noting that the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs has provided mini-grant funds to help bring in regional performers for First Friday events.

The themed First Friday events have been successful and the goal is to expand them while opening back up to public events, Nosal said. The committee is networking to form a variety of partnerships that can bring in expertise on issues of social awareness along with featured artists and activities of interest for the community.

“We are locking in the details and trying to get sponsors,” said Amy Nosal, DIDA chair. “This just keeps getting a little more interesting as we have more folks participating in these events.”

Bruce Greenhill, a DIDA member and the operations director for the Historic Ironwood Theatre, said the First Friday movies will hopefully restart with the opening up of public events. He said there will be an effort to find films that are associated with the First Friday themes and activities.

“We are looking at starting again in July,” Greenhill said. “We can’t do it in June with the dance extravaganza (two-night recital) going on.”

Ivan Hellen, DIDA member, encouraged the committee to use the city’s large outdoor projection screen for viewing films at the Downtown City Square or the side of a building somewhere. He said it makes sense for kids and also as an outdoor activity for summer and while the pandemic is still lingering.

Mayor Annette Burchell, who is also a DIDA member, said she would like to see the First Friday Committee work with the city of Ironwood in coordinating a city cleanup that coincides with First Friday weekends. It’s a way for residents to coordinate yard, neighborhood and park cleanup events in conjunction with an event, she said.

These events would be especially helpful in the spring months, she said. It may be possible to arrange for master gardeners to coordinate weeding, planting or other activities where their expertise will be of great service for volunteers, she said.

“A couple hours with many hands makes for lighter work,” Burchell said. “Amazing things can happen within a short period of time.”

Tom Bergman, director of community development for the city of Ironwood, said he would coordinate with Darrin Kimbler, a DIDA member who was not present Thursday, but who is also the agricultural educator for the University of Wisconsin Extension at Iron County and coordinator of a local master gardener volunteer program.

For links to the April First Friday event, visit felivelife.org or travel

ironwood.com.