Celebrate Lake Superior Day on Sunday, July 21, at the Lake Superior Estuarium on Barker’s Island in Superior. The event will include free family fun, live music, boat tours, kids’ activities, stand-up paddleboarding, informational booths, and food vendors from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., all focused on celebrating and appreciating our Great Lake.
Prior to the main event, North Shore Stand Up Paddleboarding hosts the second-annual Paddle for the People recreational paddle race around Barker’s Island. The race is free and begins at 10 a.m. with mandatory check in from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Participants may register for the race on the day of the event. Free stand-up paddleboarding demonstrations are available from noon to 3 p.m.
At 11 a.m., the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and City of Superior celebrate the completed Barker’s Island Beach Restoration project with Mayor Jim Paine and representatives from the DNR and St. Louis River Alliance. Additional project information and guided tours of the site will be offered at 12:30, 1:30, and 2:30 p.m.
Music performances start at 11:15 a.m. with a show for kids with Dan the Monkeyman.
Musician John Sonofmel will perform at 12:45 p.m. Sonofmel plays music with working man sensibilities in song and spoken word.
Reserve staff and the Friends of the Lake Superior Reserve will take passengers on restoration-focused boat tours at 1 and 2 p.m.
Earth Rider Brewery will be pouring samples of their Lake Superior inspired beer from 1 to 3 p.m.
Micro-Science Talks related to the lake will be held in the Estuarium from 2 to 3 p.m.
Additionally, organizations from throughout the region will help visitors dive into Lake Superior learning. A children’s fun tent will feature decorate-your-own kites. The Duluth Folks School will be providing demonstrations on how to portage and load a canoe. A free raffle features prizes donated by Northwest Outlet, the Cedar Lounge, Epicurean, Trailfitters, Whole Foods Co-op and Waters of Superior.
Lake Superior is the cleanest, coldest, and clearest of the Great Lakes. The largest lake by surface area in the world, it fuels our local shipping, commercial fishing, and recreational industries while providing clean drinking water. Every day, each of the 600,000 human residents of the Lake Superior basin use water from the lake for drinking, home use, industrial use, or recreation. The lake is essential for countless fish, birds, animals, and plants.
Lake Superior Day was started in the early 1990s to highlight the importance of this great water body to the basin’s environment and economy. This year’s event is coordinated by the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve operated by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Division of Extension in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Reserve encompasses over 16,000 acres along the St. Louis River freshwater estuary. The Lake Superior Estuarium is located at 3 Marina Drive, on Barker’s Island in Superior. Event link:
https://lakesuperiorreserve.org/event/lake-superior-day-2019/
