The Michigan Iron Industry Museum will host a full schedule of family fun and learning activities for visitors of all ages this summer. Whether tastes run from music to classic cars and storytelling, or from costumed interpretation to 19th-century children's games, visitors to the Negaunee Township museum are in for a "pure Michigan" experience.

In addition, a July/August weekday lecture series will cover Upper Peninsula ethnic foods, miners' strikes and memories of "The War," as well as stories about immigrants, life in a company town and a railroad that never ran.

Located in forested ravines eight miles west of Marquette, the Michigan Iron Industry Museum tells the story of Michigan's three iron ranges and the hard-working immigrants who helped build modern America.

Overlooking the Carp River and the site of the region's first iron forge, exhibits and outdoor paths interpret the large-scale capital and human investment that made Michigan an industrial leader. An 18-minute program, shown seven times daily, presents the colorful story of immigrant and community life in the Upper Peninsula.

Michigan's ore supplies fueled America's war production during the darkest hours of World War II. New this year is an exhibit of recent acquisitions that symbolize the reputation Michigan earned as the "Arsenal of Democracy" - from the buckles on Sig Fandrick's 10th Mountain Division combat boots to the cold steel of Corporal Jerry LeBoeuf's Army Air Corps bayonet.

Visitors will also find a wide selection of unique books, games, jewelry, apparel and other Michigan-related specialty items at the Museum Store.

Museum events are funded in part by visitor donations and the Michigan Iron Industry Museum Advisory Board's Frank G. Matthews, Sr. Memorial Fund.

Scheduled activities for 2008 include:

• May 18 - Museum Open House, featuring a concert of traditional music from Michigan's past by White Water and light refreshments. Concert tickets are $7 for adults, $3 for children ages 5-12, and free for children under 5.
   
• June 1 - Miners Memorial Day Observance, remembering workers who lost their lives in the mines, will include speakers, a video called "Barnes-Hecker: Memories of a Misfortune" and light refreshments.
   
• June 19 - "Iron, Steel and the Automobile: 19th Annual Antique Auto Exhibit," featuring more than 50 vintage automobiles and light trucks from the 1910s to 1969, live jazz and swing performances by the Bluffs Orchestra, and a presentation called "Henry Ford and the U.P." by Robert Kreipke, corporate historian for Ford Motor Company.
   
• July 8 - Lecture Series: "Getting from Europe to Upper Michigan: The Immigrant Experience," presented by Barry James of the Michigan Historical Center.
   
• July 13 - "Shields of Steel: A Salute to Iron Range Veterans" will pay tribute to iron range workers from the Civil War to the present. The program will include speakers, music by the Ishpeming Blue Notes" and a video called "The U.P. Recalls 'The War.'"
   
• July 15 - Lecture Series: "U.P. Eats: Regional Culture Through Food," presented by Yvonne and William Lockwood of Michigan State University.
   
• July 22 - Lecture Series: "From Rocks to Grass: CCI Mine Reclamation on the Marquette Range," presented by Alan Koski of Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc.
   
• July 29 - Lecture Series: "The Railroad That Never Ran," presented by Robert Dobson of Ishpeming.
   
• Aug. 5 - Lecture Series: "Company Rule and Community Life: Industrial Fayette, 1867-1891," presented by Brenda Laakso of the Michigan Historical Center.
   
• Aug. 12 - Lecture Series: "Labor and Conflict: Mining Strikes on the Marquette Range," presented by Marcus Robyns of Northern Michigan University.
   
• Aug. 19 - Lecture Series: "The Making of 'The U.P. Recalls the War'," presented by Sonya Chrisman of Northern Michigan University.
   
• Sept. 20-21 - Autumn Harvest Festival, a weekend of family fun, featuring music, storytelling, pumpkin painting, paper mask making, children's games, craft demonstrations and light refreshments.

The Michigan Iron Industry Museum is one of 11 nationally accredited museums and historic sites administered by the Michigan Historical Center, an agency within the Department of History, Arts and Libraries. It is located at 73 Forge Road, 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. April 28 through Oct. 31. Admission is free; donations are encouraged. For more information about museum programs, call (906) 475-7857 or visit 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, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Michigan Film Office. To learn more, visit www.michigan.gov/hal.

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