July 7, 2008

We've all heard it said before: you are what you eat. For Upper Peninsula residents this means a tasty mix of pasties, cudighi, potato sausage, thimbleberries, povatica, Trenary toast, fish, game, and many more regional delicacies.

Yvonne R. Lockwood, of Michigan State University, and William G. Lockwood, of the University of Michigan, will dig into the history of northern Michigan fare in their presentation, "U.P. Eats: Regional Culture Through Food" at 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, at the Michigan Iron Industry Museum in Negaunee Township.

The Lockwoods' presentation, the second in the museum's seven-part weekday program series, will tour the U.P.'s culinary landscape, reflecting on some of its food traditions and what the food says about the region's history and culture.

"Upper Peninsula cuisine includes the foods of many communities and nationalities that dot the region," said Dr. Yvonne Lockwood. "However, there is nothing that all Yoopers and only Yoopers eat. Regional boundaries do not dictate cultural boundaries."

Yvonne Lockwood is curator of folklife in the Michigan Traditional Arts Program at MSU, where she specializes in foodways, East European cultural traditions, ethnic folklife and folklore, and workers culture.

Dr. William Lockwood, professor of anthropology at U of M, specializes in ethnicity and interethnic relations as well as the anthropology of food and foodways.

Upcoming programs in the museum's Tuesday lecture series include:

• July 22 - "From Rocks to Grass: CCI Mine Reclamation on the Marquette Range," with Allan E. Koski, Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc.



• July 29 - "The Railroad That Never Ran," with Robert Dobson.



• Aug. 5 - "Company Rule and Community Life: Industrial Fayette, 1867-1891," with Brenda J. Laakso, Michigan Historical Center.



• Aug. 12 - "Labor and Conflict: Mining Strikes on the Marquette Range," with Marcus Robyns, Northern Michigan University.



• Aug. 19 - "The Making of 'The U.P. Recalls the War,'" with Sonya Chrisman, WNMU-TV 13.

All programs begin at 2 p.m. Admission is free. Donations are encouraged and proceeds will go to support museum education programs.

The Michigan Iron Industry Museum is one of 11 nationally accredited museums administered by the Michigan Historical Center, a public, non-profit facility of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries. It is located at 73 Forge Road, Negaunee Township, overlooking the site of the Carp River Forge, a pioneer industrial site listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The recently expanded museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information call (906) 475-7857 or visit online at www.michigan.gov/ironindustrymuseum.

The Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL) is dedicated to enriching quality of life and strengthening the economy by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan's heritage and fostering cultural creativity. In addition to the Michigan Historical Center, HAL includes the Library of Michigan, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. To learn more, visit www.michigan.gov/hal.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).