Ironwood based singer/songwriter, Bill Jamerson will perform an hour-long tribute to the early ski-jumpers of the Upper Peninsula at the UP Veterans Memorial Park, located on Kramer Drive in Iron Mountain, on Monday, July 29 at 6:00 PM for teens and adults.
Jamerson tells stories and performs original songs he wrote based on interviews with many ski jumping legends he interviewed 25 years ago in Marquette County. Most of the stories take place in the 1930s and 1940s and describe the ski jumping culture at its height when teenage boys traveled across the Midwest to compete at tournaments.
Ski jumping was a popular youth sport in the mining towns of the Upper Peninsula. Long winters, heavy snowfalls, and steep hills created excellent training conditions which produced many Olympians. Originally brought to America by the Norwegians, the sport was soon accepted by other nationalities. By the 1880s ski jumping competitions were held in many towns across the Upper Peninsula.
“The Pine Mountain Ski Jump and athletes that have taken part in the tournaments are such an interesting and unique part of our area’s history,” said Emily Cummings. “The library is incredibly grateful to the Kiwanis Ski Club for allowing us to hold the program at the Jump and for providing a short tour afterwards.”
Iron Mountain produced its share of champion skiers including Willie Erickson, Paul Jacobs, and Walt Bietila, who originally came from Ishpeming. Iron Mountain’s Pine Mountain Ski Jump, originally built in the 1930s, is the highest man-made ski jump in the U.S. and one of the highest in the world. Top jumpers from around the world compete in its annual FIS Continental Cup.
Following Jamerson’s performance, there will be a brief tour of the Pine Mountain Ski Jump by members of the Kiwanis Ski Club. There is no registration for this program and it is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.
The Dickinson County Library helps the community find its story. Founded in 1967, the library has three branches located in Dickinson County, the Main Branch in Iron Mountain, the Solomonson Branch in Norway, and the North Dickinson Branch located in the North Dickinson School building. For more information on upcoming programs, please visit the library’s website at www.dcl-lib.org or call the Main Branch at 906-774-1218.
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