Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By TOM LAVENTURE
Ironwood — The band that started the monthly First Friday live-stream performances nearly a year ago will be the first to welcome back live music from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 2 at the Ironwood Downtown City Square.
The Kalamazoo-based Myron Elkins and the Dying Breed came to Ironwood in September 2020, intending to perform their first Upper Peninsula appearance before a First Friday audience. Revised COVID-19 rules on gatherings made the band the first live-stream First Friday performance without an audience from the Historic Ironwood Theatre.
First Friday events start at 4 p.m. including a farmers market at Depot Park, and more vendors at Downtown City Square where staff of the Downtown Art Place will host a patriotic community art painting. Many downtown businesses will be open later for First Friday.
The brass ensemble Superior Horns and Blue Ice is scheduled to perform for the August First Friday, according to Tim Erickson, city community development specialist and First Friday committee member. The August and September First Friday events will occur during the Emberlight Festival and there will be some overlap of events, he said.
The First Friday committee is working to ensure that events are a “fun complement” to the Emberlight Festival, according to Amy Nosal, committee member and chair of the Downtown Ironwood Development Authority.
Discussion on the city square included reminding vendors not to stake tents on the grass with irrigation pipes below the surface. The contract will be revised to recommend weights to hold tents in place.
Nancy Korpela, DIDA member, said the lack of public restrooms for park users has invited questions. For now the park users are invited to use the public restrooms at Ironwood Public Safety Department across McLeod Avenue, said Tom Bergman, city community development director.
DIDA members also discussed the need for a volunteer weekend trash pickup crew to follow up on First Friday events as department of public works staff are not scheduled to work Saturdays. The members said that more trash cans should be placed throughout the park.
Michael Meyer, director of the Ironwood Area Chamber of Commerce, said the First Friday events are announced via Facebook and felivelife.org, which are essential tools, but there needs to be a permanent space with more complete information. The chamber can offer a First Friday profile box that would include information on entertainment, monthly themes, long term arts and music booking information, vendor forms, and information about the city square.
“It can be the central source for information,” Meyer said.
Bruce Greenhill, DIDA member and manager of the Historical Ironwood Theatre, said that more work needs to be done to coordinate with the First Friday as a rainy day venue substitute for the city square. Some kind of deadline needs to be set in order for people to move all the sound equipment in time to set up for a show.
The theatre also has a potential conflict with an indoor show at the same time as its First Friday movie night which would not be canceled, he said. Other members talked about the potential use of the Memorial Building auditorium for a rainy day venue.
“We can discuss other alternatives,” Bergman said.
