Friday Night Lights – OUT!
After fits and starts, the Michigan High School football season is about to… start. Most area teams will be in action with the exception of the Westwood Patriots who have to put off the start of their season while some players recover from injuries. Also, Marquette will not play Gladstone for similar reasons but has replaced them with Menominee for the game to be played tonight in Marquette.
But the story here is the fate of the Ishpeming Hematites. As the title suggests, the lights won’t be on in Ishpeming tonight, or any Friday night this season. The Hematites are not fielding a varsity team for 2020. That’s right. The team that won three state championships in four years, with the last coming as recently as 2015, won’t be blocking and tackling this year.
The question is, why? Speculating here, but as with most things, it’s probably a combination of circumstances. There may be injuries to a few of the players and the with pandemic some parents are possibly hesitant to let their kids play a contact sport.
But there’s more to it, and it’s not just happening in Ishpeming. High school football is struggling in many areas of the country, with the exceptions being in the football hotbeds of states like Texas, Florida, and Ohio. In fact, the number of participants in 11-man football are down to levels not seen since the early 90’s.
Football is not necessarily a “dangerous” sport, but injuries are a part of the game. And now that we know more about head injuries and concussions, the concern is more about long-term damage rather that broken bones that can heal.
And there’s the fact that there are so many other options, including other sports. There are as many as 70 other school sports programs available nationwide rather than just the handful of sports that used to be offered. And then there’s screen time and for many high school kids… work.
Is the Hematites lost season a harbinger of things to come or just a one-off anomaly? Keep your eye on school sports programs in the next few years. The landscape is going to be different. Not worse, not better. Just different.
Ch-Ch-Ch Changes Downtown
Revisions and REVIVAL, two downtown Marquette specialty shops are changing hands. Owner Michelle Dupras has sold the properties and is moving on to further her work in real estate as team leader at Argall Group.
Dupras opened Revisions at 219 W. Washington in 2016 and followed that in 2019 with REVIVAL at 104 W. Washington.
New owner Holly DeGroot plans to continue the vibe Revisions has established with their offerings, carrying all that is quirky, handmade and the antithesis to a big box store. She plans to greatly expand on the offerings at REVIVAL, adding many more clothing options that hit a variety of price points.
Holly DeGroot with Michelle Dupras
DeGroot, a biomedical engineer in a previous life, found a love for the creative side of life in her own hobbies of painting and quilting. “I’ve always dreamt of opening a clothing store.” DeGroot explained. “Marquette is the perfect market in which to carry out my vision.” “Michele has created a beautiful atmosphere with REVIVAL. I’m excited to expand and build upon what is already here.”
It would have been nice for DeGroot to take over prior to the influx of summer visitors. Winters can be long and hard for businesses in the central U.P. But it’s good to see a new, energetic entrepreneur believing and investing in our community.
Virtually Possible
If you’re running a non-profit, how do you reclaim those donation dollars that you got at your big annual event, when we can’t have big events? Enter virtual, the online party that enables you to access your patrons without human contact. Sure, there’s less glitz and glamour and any dancing will take place in your living room, but some agencies are figuring out how to do it, profitably.
One such event was the annual Gala put on by the Superior Health Foundation. This local non-profit agency is charged with soliciting donations and returning them to the community in the form of support for all things related to healthcare.
The virtual event took place last Saturday night at the… at your home! Jim LaJoie, Executive Director of the foundation believes they made the best of a challenging situation. “There is no substitute for a live, in-person event” LaJoie told us. But with intensive pre-planning and the help of a team of area audio-visual professionals, the foundation was able to hold their event, raise money, and connect with their base of supporters.
Using a virtual venue meant a change in the economics. There were cost savings with the absence of site rental, meals, decorations and other event expenses, but without a captive audience to sponsor tables and bid on gala goodies, the take was bound to be less.
However, LaJoie indicated that some creative ideas, like the extended time period for the silent auction, enabled them to come out almost on par with previous years. And it didn’t hurt to have ‘The Voice’ Finalist Joshua Davis as the headline entertainment.
But what about next year? LaJoie believes virtual may be the way it will be done, at least for the near future. “When we do this again, we will act on a number of good suggestions to improve and enhance the overall product.”
Like all things pandemic, we don’t always know what the future holds, but virtual events may be with us for a while. So let’s do like the Superior Health Foundation and make the virtual best of them.
In Case You Missed It
You’re probably already aware that this post was not written by Brian Cabell. Brian decided, after six years of covering the Marquette beat, to step away and spend his time doing the things he’s found difficult to do while attending to a regular blog. Good for him. He’s earned it.
So to make sure Word on the Street can continue to cover and uncover the stories important to you, I’ve stepped up and in. I’m both excited and intimidated. Following a world-class reporter/writer is never a good idea, unless you happen to be one too, which I’m not. At least not yet.
But the good news is that Word on the Street isn’t about me… it’s about you and this amazing community. I’m so looking forward to the next few years in Marquette County as we become a destination for both visitors and new residents. Change is a way of life around here and we’ll be doing our best to keep you up to speed on those changes… good, bad, and indifferent.
I had a doctor’s appointment recently for a minor issue which was ably attended to by a young physician and his experienced mentor. As I was leaving the office the young doctor leaned in to me and said, “You’re my first patient”. I don’t remember his name and I doubt that he remembers mine, but I was his first patient and I thought that was pretty cool. Well you’re my first patient. I hope the results are just as satisfying.