June
22, 2006
Families will find a wide array of activities focused on nature and
history this summer at Ludington State Park in Mason County. The park is
located eight miles north of Ludington on Lakeshore Drive at M-116.
The activities are free; however a 2006 Motor Vehicle Permit is
required to enter the park. Permits are $6 for a daily and $24 for an
annual permit for Michigan residents. Nonresident permits are $8 for a
daily and $29 for an annual. Regular weekly programs this summer
include:
 | "Skins and Skulls" - every Monday at 10 a.m. at the amphitheater.
Volunteer interpreter Paul Jaleski presents a program on the wildlife
in the park, how to identify the animals, where they live and what
they eat. Children under 12 need to be accompanied by an adult or
older sibling. In case of inclement weather, the program will be
presented at the park's visitor center. |
| "Brown Bag Lunch and Lighthouse Walk" - every Tuesday at 10 a.m.
Talk a walk through the forest and along the shore to the Big Sable
Lighthouse with Paul Jaleski. Sights include wildlife, a 150 year-old
shipwreck and sand dunes. At the lighthouse, participants will climb
to the top with a guide. Participants should meet at the warming
shelter located near the park's fish cleaning station, and they should
bring their own lunch and beverage. Children under 12 must be
accompanied by an adult. The walk is not recommended for children
under age 7. |
| "Monsters of Lake Michigan" - every Tuesday at 1:30. Barry
Matthews, a retired fisheries specialist from the Lamprey Control
division of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will present a program
on the sea lamprey. Participants will discover how the lamprey got
into the Great Lake and how they damage fish. Live specimens will be
on display. This program is in the lower level of the Lake Michigan
Beach House. |
| "Lost Lake Canoe Tour" - every Wednesday in June and July at 7
p.m. and at 6 p.m. in August. Join one of the park guides for a canoe
tour of Lost Lake and Hamlin Lake. Catch a glimpse of swans, deer,
turtles and the submerged old growth white pine tree stumps that date
back more than 150 years. This is a guided tour that last two hours
and does not require canoeing experience. No reservations are needed,
but if participants need to rent a canoe they should reserve one at
the Cedar Campground Store. An adult must accompany all children ages
16 and younger. The program begins at the Hamlin Lake Beach House.
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| "Walking History Tour of Ludington State Park" - every Thursday at
10 a.m. The tour starts at the Big Sable River Footbridge across from
the Cedar Campground. The tour will visit historic sites within the
park, including the ghost town of Hamlin, the 150 year-old ruins of
the first dam and mill built on the river, the location of the 1930s
Great Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp, the old
cemetery, remnants of homes washed out to Lake Michigan in 1888, the
Port of Hamlin piers, the National Historic-registered Lake Michigan
Beach House, a 150 year old shipwreck, the first Life Saving Station
built on Lake Michigan and a long lost river. |
| "The S.S. Badger Sunset Watch" - every Friday at 8 p.m. at the
Lake Michigan Beach House. As the 50 year-plus car ferry/cruise ship
the S.S. Badger leaves Port Ludington, gather at the shore to learn
more about the last of the old, large car ferries. Participants should
bring a chair or blanket. As the sun sets, another program on
astronomy called "A Trip Through the Night Sky" begins. |
In addition to the weekly programs, the park also offers a number of
special programs throughout the summer. They include:
| "The Storytelling Tales" - 7 p.m. Saturdays, June 24 and Aug. 26.
Professional storyteller Kris Larsen returns for her 10th season of
campground storytelling. The program, appropriate for all family
members, takes place at the amphitheater. |
| "Dulcimers Evening Concert" - at 7 p.m. Saturdays, July 1; Aug. 12
and Sept. 2. Local teacher and dulcimer builder Jim Key will present a
concert of familiar American tunes at the amphitheater. He will be
accompanied by his students. |
| "The Long Lost Ludington Life-Saving Station" - at 7 p.m.
Thursdays, July 6; July 27 and Aug. 3. Bill Baker, volunteer historian
for Ludington State Park, will present a program on the Ludington
Life-Saving Station, one of the first on Lake Michigan. The program
takes place at the Visitor Center. |
| "Train Wreck in Lake Michigan" - at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 8. In
October 1929, a large car ferry named the S.S. Milwaukee disappeared
in a violent early winter storm on Lake Michigan. The presentation
includes underwater video and a reenactment of the ship and crew?s
last minutes. The presentation is by Paul Jaleski in the Visitor
Center. |
| "Kite Making for Children" - 7 p.m. Mondays, July 10 and 31. The
Air Kite Store from Pentwater will help children make a kite from
common every-day materials. Once children have made kites, they will
take them for a test drive on the beach. The program is for children
ages 16 and younger, and they must be accompanied by an adult. This
program will be at the Lake Michigan Beach House. |
| "Abraham Lincoln in Song" - 7 p.m. Thursday, July 13. Returning
for his sixth season, award-winning folksinger Chris Vallillo will
present a lively musical program for all ages using historic
narratives, contemporary folk music and period folksongs to bring
President Abraham Lincoln's time to life. The program will be held at
the amphitheater. |
| "Flintknappers Demonstration Day" - 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, July
16. Craftsmen from around the Midwest will demonstrate the ancient art
of making stone tools. From arrowheads, axes, bows to jewelry, they
invite visitors to observe how they make these pieces from stone. The
program will be at the park's Visitor Center. |
| "Folk Songs of the Great Lakes Region" - 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11.
Singer-songwriter Lee Murdock will present an evening of music and
Great Lakes maritime history in the amphitheater. |
| "The 1930s and Building a State Park" - 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 15.
Renowned reenactment performer, historian and retired park interpreter
from Hartwick Pines State Park and North Higgins CCC Museum, Wendell
Hoover, will be sharing what life was like in the 1930s in the CCC
camps. Ludington State Park housed a CCC camp in the 1930s that
provided young men to make the roads, campgrounds, trails and
buildings in the park. The program will be in the Visitor Center
auditorium. |
More programs are held daily at the park, and visitors should consult
display boards at the park for more information. For information about
these programs, call Interpreter Allen Wernette at Ludington State Park
at 231-843-9261.
The DNR is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use
and enjoyment of the state's natural resources
for current and future generations.
Great Lakes, Great Times, Great Outdoors
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