2018 Lake Superior Day Celebrations

Held this year on July 15 – it's always the third Sunday in July – Lake Superior Day was started in the early 1990s by a group of Thunder Bay residents who sought to celebrate the body of water that dominates and defines our region. Other organizations and communities followed with festivities of their own, some of which span the entire weekend, and created Lake Superior Day/s – which might be appropriate for such a large Lake.

Minnesota

Duluth – Friday-Saturday, July 13 & 14: Friday and Saturday at the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center in Duluth’s Canal Park, various science, environmental and business organizations will set up informational tables about water use and water issues. This year the programs will focus on celebrating the Big Lake.

You can see the creepy invasive species bottled and on display by Minnesota Sea Grant (along with information about how to keep them from our lakes and streams). Or learn about managing the Superior National Forest from the U.S. Forest Service. The Sappi staff shows how the paper company works to reduce water use and keep water clean at its Cloquet operation. Plus you can chat with folks from Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Program and the Save Lake Superior Alliance (they may bring agates). Or just drop in and say hi to the editor of Lake Superior Magazine and pick up a map for a self-guided tour of Park Point or find out about Saturday activities there.

On Friday, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m, check out the Lake Superior Trivia Challenge by The Duluth Experience. Just how much do you REALLY know about Lake Superior.

Organizers of the Rock of Ages Lighthouse Preservation Society will be on hand to recruit volunteers to save the 110-year-old lighthouse off the coast of Isle Royale.

Inside the maritime center, there are the usual free maritime displays, plus special showings of films about the Great Lakes and the maritime heritage.

During the weekend, The Duluth Experience tours will include information about Lake Superior Day and the Big Lake. The Brewery Tour focuses on how this Great Lake’s water influences our great craft beers.

Then, Saturday on Park Point, check out these great activities:

U.S. Guard Duluth Station, 12th St. on the bayside Tour of base, arrive & call at the gate at 1 pm, bring ID, group limited to 20

St. Andrew’s by-the-lake Episcopal Church, 28th St., Lakeside Building tours from noon to 2 pm

Visit Lafayette Square Community Center, 30th St Block Lakeside, and tour the Lafayette Community Edible Garden, Hosted by members, from 10 am to 4 pm

Tag along with the YMCA Bike Fleet, at Lafayette Square with free usage of bikes for adults and children for the 60 to 90 minute bike tours of Minnesota Point, 11 am and 2 pm. Space is limited, arrive half an hour early to register for a bike and safety equipment.

Take a look at the Duluth Rowing Club, 39th St., Bayside, and watch the 60th Duluth International Rowing Regatta from 8:30 am to 5 pm.

Enjoy the Park Point Recreation Center, 48th – 50th St., Lake and Bayside, and the nearby Duluth Superior Sailing School, meet the staff and learn about classes at the bayside dock, from 10 am-6 pm.

Kayaks and canoes may be launched on the bayside at 8th, 19th, 32nd, 40th, and 50th streets.

Superior – Sunday, July 15: Come to Barker's Island Festival Park for free live music from Sarah Krueger and folk-country band Feeding Leroy, awesome booths from a host of Great Lakes organizations, plus games, food vendors and plenty of activities for the kids. The day there kicks off with a Paddle for the People recreational race by the North Shore SUP (Standup Paddleboarders). The annual Lake Superior Day! celebration is hosted by the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Lake Superior Day Ideas

What will you do for Lake Superior Day? Here's a list with some suggestions for what you or your group might do to support and celebrate Lake Superior.

  • Clean a beach or shoreline
  • Show a film
  • Have families paint a Lake Superior mural
  • Lake Superior photo or art show/contest
  • Music concert for the Lake
  • Film showing
  • Invite an educational speaker to your group/church/school
  • Clean up a boat landing
  • Share information with your group on invasive species
  • Sign up people as Lake Superior stewards
  • Post a message on Facebook about the importance of protecting the lake
  • Donate funds to a local organization like Water Legacy, SkyBlue Waters, etc.
  • Pick up garbage and bring to WLSSD
  • Clean a storm sewer
  • Teach a small group about responsible boating
  • Create a water garden
  • Reduce your use of water
  • Carry a metal water bottle
  • Collect rain water and use in your garden
  • Create a water proclamation for your community
  • Participate or donate to a women’s water walk
  • Raise money and awareness for a fish restoration project, wild rice area
  • A guided hike
  • Kayak demos
  • Charter fishing open house
  • Remote controlled boat races
  • Rock painting for kids
  • An evening of water poetry
  • Lighthouse open house
  • Talk on climate change effects on Lake Superior
  • Lake Superior bike tour
  • State Parks visit/tour along the lake
  • Wastewater treatment plant tour
  • Paddleboard demo/lesson
  • Sailing regatta
  • Rowing club demo
  • Blessing of the Lake
  • Coast Guard tour
  • Household hints on saving water
  • Community picnic on the beach
  • Learn about shipwrecks