INSPIRING--one another to create art is one of the objectives of Wednesday ‘Play Days’ at Gallery 325. Karen Runvik displays two of her pieces of flower art, including a photo of a flower that appears to have a fairy’s face (see its pointed nose, at center?) at its heart.

   Gallery 325 on McGillian St. in Baraga is sparking creativity this summer by hosting Play Days on Wednesdays from noon to 4 p.m.
   The unstructured gatherings are an opportunity to create or complete artworks amongst others for inspiration’s sake, and maybe pick up a few pointers along the way. Participants may bring along a project they’ve already begun or pick up a brand new idea at the Gallery.
   The two Karens, Karen Milszeski and Karen Runvik, are the driving force behind Wednesday Play Days. Board members and artists both, they are all-too-familiar with the mysterious forces that can block artists’ creativity. Wednesdays are a way to bring it back.

   Central Michigan University’s spring semester honors list includes students who earned a 3.5 and higher grade point averages. Amanda Lynn Harju of L’Anse was placed on the honor list. She is a sophomore at CMU.

   The annual week of camp meeting services of the Zeba Indian Mission United Methodist Church will be held Sunday, Aug. 1 through Friday, Aug. 6, 2010, at the campgrounds on Marksman Road at 7 p.m. each evening.
   Local musicians will provide special music or there will be hymns. Rev. Judy Mattson from Skanee, Rev. Mark Ryan from Michigamme, and Rev. John R. Henry will do the preaching this year.

   Known throughout the years as lumberjacks, shanty boys, loggers and shackers, the timbermen of the Upper Peninsula are found at the center of many larger-than-life stories depicting their romanticized livelihood.
   Historian Troy Henderson will compare those stories to the reality of life as a timberman during his illustrated presentation “Life in the Big Woods: Upper Peninsula Lumber Camps,” at the Michigan Iron Industry Museum in Negaunee Township, at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2010.
   Henderson’s talk traces everyday life in the Upper Peninsula logging camps between 1850 and 1950, a time when timbermen lived and worked in the forests on a seasonal basis.

   The Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) today celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and announced a new initiative to further provide access to Michigan’s great outdoors.
   The 20th anniversary event, held on the Capitol lawn, was a joint celebration with other state agencies, associations and advocacy groups. The celebration kicked off with a picnic, included speeches and entertainment and finished with a parade around the capitol.

   The third annual “Protect the Earth Great Lakes Community Gathering” and annual walk to Eagle Rock will take place on July 30, 31 and Aug. 1, 2010.
   Featured guest speakers will include Winona LaDuke. Also scheduled are the annual walk to Eagle Rock, workshops and film showings.
   Entertainment will include Joanne Shenandoah. The event is organized by Oshkinawe-Ogichidaag Akiing “New Warriors for the Earth” (NWE).