Friday, 8/23

Okay...no big web change yet, so I'll actually write about something today, namely...

Do you realize just how amazing Marquette is?

I know; I've written about this a lot over the years. But it was once again brought home quite vividly Wednesday night when I was walking home from giving my pop-up "Walk on the Wild Side" tour (quite the success, by the way, with 40+ people showing up after we just announced it twice, including my dad, with whom I shared part of the walk). The tour finished at the History Center, and as I walked home I marveled a bit at how I was able to draw 40+ people, when you consider that as I strolled home I passed a jam-packed Wednesday night Farmer's Market and a jam-packed concert on the steps of the Peter White Public Library. All three of those events (plus sailboat races in Lower Harbor, a show at the Lake Superior Theatre, and more that I probably don't know about) were going on at the same time, and all of them had a crowd taking part and enjoying themselves.

That is so awesome.

I've often said that Marquette punches way above its weight in many different ways, and "things to do" certainly has to be near the top of the list. You can never says there's nothing to do in Marquette, as evidenced by everything that was occurring simultaneously Wednesday night. There are communities around the UP that put on events on a weekly or monthly basis; we do two or three or eight on a daily basis. And Wednesday was a perfect example of the sheer variety of what we do--a history walk, a market, an outdoor concert. If you're not interested in one, you're bound to be interested in another. And when you add to all that everything that you can do just by yourself--biking, kayaking, hiking, and just plain people watching...well, you can see what I mean when I say Marquette's an amazing place.

Because it really is.

So if you have the chance this weekend partake of any of the activities going on, from Harborfest to Books & Brews. And if you do so, realize that there aren't a lot of places of this size where you could partake in activities like that on a daily basis.

But Marquette not like a lot of other places. And that's just one of the reasons that it's such an amazing place.

(jim@wmqt.com)