This year the Beaver Island Historical Society is presenting Museum Week for the 25th straight year, with an expanded schedule that starts a week before and runs a week after the main events. The proud directors of the Lighthouse School have obtained additional funding to continue their restoration of the Beaver Head Light, and will have staff on hand to give tours, starting on July 4th. The BIHS will provide transportation to Beaver Head from the Print Shop the following week. Museum Week traditionally begins with Music on the Porch on Monday evening, and the good news is that after a year's sabbatical, Doris Larsen will again be at its helm. So to make arrangements to perform, contact her on the Island this summer. Antje Price will open the Protar Home at one o'clock on both Tuesday and Saturday. This year her discussion of this important man will have a different flavor–because she has found new information about him through her ongoing research. Later that afternoon a group of GLLKA volunteers will talk about the restoration program for the Whiskey Point Light, covering everything from the fine points to the big picture. They'll ask for help to form a work party the following afternoon to meet at the Light and get a first-hand look at the concrete side of their ideas. (In late April the Secretary of the Interior recommended to the GSA that the deed to this Lighthouse be given to St. James Township.) The founders of the Emerald Isle Repertory Theatre were in the Cherryland Playhouse audience for one of the showings of Anne-Marie Oomen's play, Wives of an American King, and were so impressed that they offered to stage it for us in the Parish Hall. They have hired professional actors to mix in with the local group, and are working closely with Anne-Marie to implement the fine-tuning she thought was needed after its Cherryland run. Seeing this play is like reaching over the edge of the boat and sticking a Ball jar into murky water: suddenly, and deftly, some clarity comes to the image of a man who we usually have difficulty in understanding because the various aspects of his personality can seem so incompatible. The Strang we see here is revealing; the play depicts him as a complex modern man with a full arsenal of the very human tricks used to bridge the gaps he has created in fabricating his personality. Seeing Anne-Marie's play, which paints Strang by focusing on his five, all-too-human wives, frees us from the cliches with which America's only King is usually regarded. As we approach the 150th anniversary of his death at the hands of two disgruntled followers, we are delighted that the EIRT will stage this play five times. The CMU Biological Stations Nature Walks start on Wednesday with Nature Walk for Adults, followed on Thursday and Friday with two Nature Walk for Kids. These highly-regarded expeditions start at the Bio Station at 9:00 a.m. and run until noon, taking participants to a variety of environments from those selected for intense exploration in the other, summer-long series of expeditions. Each Walk is limited to 25, so get your ticket at the Print Shop beforehand (or call 448-2254.) Laura Pratt is organizing the Art Show again, which will start on Wednesday afternoon. We expect more artists than before, and are gearing up for the best Art Show yet: expanded display areas (48' more feet of mounting boards), longer hours (starting at 10:00 a.m. And staying open late on Friday), and open more days. To show your work or to help put on the show, contact her at laurapratt32@earthlink.net On Thursday afternoon Jim Gillingham and his staff will once again present the most popular Museum Week event: Amazing Reptiles and Amphibians. This is the show in which Jim's staff come down the aisles with large snakes, toads, turtles, and lizards, a murmur of excitement from the appreciative kids begins to pick up momentum, and the parents head for the door–to get a breath of fresh air, or check on their car. On Friday evening the notorious Barbershoppers, renowned for years as the Beaver Buddies Harmony Club, including the champion Genius Blend, will perform. These dedicated pros include three Barbershop Quartets, who will take turns on the stage and join together to lead the audience in song. Other Quartets have been invited to join in, but it's too early to tell if they'll be able to make their travel arrangements. If your group wants to get involved, contact Fred Schutmaat at FSchutmaat@JasperSeating.com The Ric Roane-sponsored Pet Show bill be held at noon on Saturday on the Print Shop Museum's porch. Every entrant usually receives an award. On the following weekend, on July 23rd, kilted strongmen from across Michigan will converge for the first Beaver Island Celtic Games. These powerful men will compete in seven traditional Irish and Scottish strength events designed to test their skills. In addition to trying to throw large, heavy objects farther than each other, they will entertain the crowd with their on-the-field antics, and provide valuable history lessons. "It's a lot of fun to watch the athletes of the Celtic Games compete, not just to see their skill at throwing weights and large trees that look like telephone poles, but because of the history you can learn in the process," said athlete and Scottish bagpiper Jeremy McBain of Charlevoix, co-organizer of this event. For distance they throw 28# and 56# weights with one arm, 22# hammers and large rocks. For height, they hurl another 56# weight straight up in the air with one arm, as well as use a three-pronged pitchfork to toss a 20-25# burlap bag filled with twine in the air. These strongmen will also be tossing the caber–one of the best known Celtic heavy events. The caber is an 18' to 20', 150#+ tree whose branches have been removed, which is hoisted straight up in the air and balanced on the shoulder. After a brief run, it's thrown straight up in an attempt to get the pole to flip end-over-end. The goal is to get the end that was in their hands to land directly away from them. The closer they get to this goal, the more points they receive. The athletes and judge will provide commentary about the events and their history. Each athlete will be wearing the traditional Scottish kilt of their individual clans. National rules for Celtic Games dictate that athletes must wear kilts in competition. The results of the games will be used in the athletes' national rankings with the North American Scottish Games Athletics Association. In addition to watching the action on the field, the audience will have a chance to show off their strength along with the athletes in the Beaver Island Stone of Strength. The Stone of Strength is a 90#+ boulder that must be picked up, lifted, and, after a short run, thrown for distance. The winner will have his name written on the stone, which will be on perpetual display. There is no fee to watch the games. T-shirts will be sold and donations are being accepted to help pay for the games, which could become a weekend event in the fall with more competitors, more Celtic-type events, and more music, food, and dancing.
The Games will begin at 9 a.m., Saturday, July 23 at the Bud McDonough Ball Diamond near the Whiskey Point Light. They will run until around 5 p.m. In addition to the games, visitors to the Island the weekend of July 23 can also enjoy the annual Beaver Island Music Festival, presented by Danny and Carol Burton, or the traditional music at the Gatliff Reunion. In addition to the games, visitors to the Island the weekend of July 23 can also enjoy the annual Beaver Island Music Festival, presented by Danny and Carol Burton, or the traditional music at the Gatliff Reunion. | 
