[Michiganweek-l] Celebrate MIchigan Week! May 21-27, 2005

[Cindy Krueger]

Great Lakes, Great Traditions: Michigan on the Move

Whether you're a lifelong resident or a newcomer to the Great Lakes State, welcome!   We invite you to take part in the grand tradition of Michigan Week, an annual salute to the best Michigan has to offer in culture, tourism, natural resources, educational opportunities, manufacturing ... the list is truly endless.

For one week in May each year, Michigan residents are invited to celebrate all that makes our communities, our businesses, our schools and our collective heritage so very unique and worth sharing.  Michigan has long been a place of innovation and ingenuity, of never resting on our laurels.  We are a state of optimists, creative thinkers and learners.  This year during Michigan Week, we aim to shine a spotlight on the people, places and things that exemplify that spirit, under the theme "Michigan on the Move."

The Michigan Department of Transportation marks its 100th anniversary this year, celebrating the achievements and progress that have kept Michigan residents on the move from Algonac to Zeeland.

The dictionary defines the word "move," in part:  to go forward, to progress, to be put in motion, to stir the emotions, to exhibit great activity or energy, to act.  All around us are phenomenal examples of people, ideas and industry "moving forward" to make Michigan better * a better place to live, to work and to raise our families.  What in your community moves you?  What stories do you want to share with the rest of the state?  Following are just a few ideas we at the Department of History, Arts and Libraries are offering as part of Michigan Week:

· Movers and Seekers: Michigan Immigrants and Migrants
· Michigan Notable Books: On the Move with Michigan Notables
· Move to the Music: Michigan Week Great Traditions Culture Tour
· Who Keeps Michigan Moving? By Land, Air and Sea
  
"Movers and Seekers: Michigan Immigrants and Migrants"
Visit the Michigan Historical Museum for this special exhibit about 20th-century Michigan immigrants and migrants.  Experience the stories about people, young and old, who left their distant homelands for the promise of a better life in Michigan.  The exhibit examines the reasons people left their homes to move to Michigan and then explores the differences and similarities of their experiences.  By understanding others' stories, we will come to better understand our own.

"Michigan Notable Books: On the Move with Michigan Notables"
Proving that you don't have to go to New York or L.A. to find writers that can really move you, the 2005 Michigan Notable Books list offers up 20 of the year's best, most compelling works of fiction and non-fiction either written by a Michigan author or set in Michigan.  This year, through a Michigan Humanities Council grant, the Library of Michigan is pleased to introduce a new initiative called "On the Move with Michigan Notables," a tour that will bring selected Michigan Notable Book authors to libraries across the state for audiences everywhere to meet, learn from and enjoy.  Thirty-six libraries representing all geographic areas in Michigan have been selected as the sites for these visits. 

"Move to the Music: Michigan Week Great Traditions Culture Tour"
Michigan has a history steeped in the arts, perhaps none more so than the music industry.  Thanks to a Michigan Humanities Council grant, we are proud to offer for the first time the Michigan Week Great Traditions Culture Tour, a pilot program that takes talented singers, musicians and storytellers on the road to perform in cities that have invested time and energy into their Michigan Week celebrations.

"Who Keeps Michigan Moving? By Land, Air and Sea"
Not only are we the state that put the world on wheels, Michigan has been home to some remarkable modes of transportation as well as hundreds of landmarks that help us find our way.  Michigan Week is great opportunity to learn more about the historic bridges, waterways, lighthouses, railroads, airfields and car ferries that have kept Michigan moving for decades.  Learn more about the historic sites in your community.

For more information visit the Michigan Week Web site: www.michigan.gov/michiganweek

Please write back to this list and let us know how YOU celebrate Michigan Week 2005.
To post a message to all the list members, send email to michiganweek-l at lists.dhal.org.