Museums Opening for Season at Les Cheneaux
By Amy Polk

Les Cheneaux Historical Museum staff (from left) Mary Hill and Annegret Goehring are joined this year by Kathy Hollowell, who is working at the museum as an intern. The women are holding the 2007 Ohio Star pattern raffle quilt.

Wild birds feeding their young are among a collection of photographs by Helen and Harry Harris of Cedarville now featured at the Les Cheneaux Historical Museum on Meridian Street in Cedarville. The museum's 2007 feature includes several examples of the bird houses the Harrises produced and companion exhibit of bird carvings by various artists.

Mr. Harris, a naturalist and photographer, passed away last August

"Last year, we lost one of our special citizens," said curator Annegret Goehring. "Harry cared for animals, and was known for that."

The Harrises learned some photographic tips from Al McGrew, a former Hessel resident and ornithologist, but they mostly were self-taught. Mr. Harris would follow birds returning to their nests, then erect blinds nearby so he could capture on film their daily routines. His works have been published by state and national organizations, including the Audubon Society and The Nature Conservancy.

Avideo about their images, narrated by Mr. Harris, is also on view at the museum.

The Harrises may be best known for the swallow boxes that Mr. Harris built and Mrs. Harris painted each year. Placed along the marshes, the colorful boxes have sheltered thousands of nesting tree swallows.

Lois Theis, a former DeTour summer resident, donated 11 carved birds to the museum before she moved to Ann Arbor, and other birds are on loan for the exhibit, including a sandhill crane and duck carved by John Duncan and a chickadee carved by Jeff Meyers, both of Cedarville, a loon by Bill Taylor, a gull by the late Bud White of Pine River in St. Ignace Township, and two wrens identified by the name "Hawkins," Mrs. Goehring said.

Regular exhibits at the museum include antique wedding gowns, housekeeping antiques, geologic formations, American Indian items, and the Les Cheneaux Islands centennial quilt.

The 2007 Les Cheneaux Historical Association raffle quilt features the Ohio Star pattern and was quilted by volunteers last winter. It is made of pale yellow, blue, green, and white fabric. Tickets, $2, can be purchased at the Historical and Maritime museums and Clark Township businesses. Tickets for the canoe raffle are $5.

The Historical Museum is open and the Les Cheneaux Maritime Museum on M-134 in Cedarville opens this Saturday, June 16. Public admission is Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Museum admission is $2 per person or $5 per family. Historical Association membership includes free admission to museums and programs.

The first special event will be the Michigan Log Cabin Day open house Sunday, June 24, when the museums will offer free admission, as will log cabin museums around the state.

The first event at Les Cheneaux Maritime Museum will be a free concert by North Country Band Tuesday evening, June 26, at 7 p.m.

The band specializes in traditional and Southern rock n' roll music.

This year's regular museum staff will be joined by Kathy Hollowell of Cedarville, who is completing an internship at the Historical Museum and will archive and file historical documents.

Mrs. Hollowell is studying history and public administration at Lake Superior State University. She and her husband, Richard, moved permanently to Cedarville May 2005.

Her mother, Bernice Anderson Tolan, was born and reared in Cedarville.