The Plunge

We saw the birthing of a new event in the U.P. this last weekend--the Suicide Hill Mud Plunge in Ishpeming. The Plunge, which involved running a 5K in the woods through a course of obstacles, culminating with about 20 yards of crawling through a pit of mud, seems classically Yooperish.

How have we not had one of these until now?

It was the idea of Elizabeth Peterson, the director of the Ishpeming-Negaunee Chamber of Commerce. Elizabeth, of course, is the former anchor at TV6 and Fox UP who finally decided the TV lifestyle (a rigid daily schedule and little time off during the holidays) was not for her. Fortunately, the merchants and citizens of western Marquette County saw in her exactly the kind of person they needed to get the new Chamber off the ground.

And that she's done: the Chamber, against all odds, now boasts more than 150 members, and this Mud Plunge, which was little more than a hope and plan just a few months ago, was ridiculously successful.

Elizabeth had been hoping for 200 entrants in the first year Plunge. That, she thought, would represent something to build on. The final total of entrants? More than 700. The morning of the event, cars were lined up along the side of the highway, a half mile away. Some of the cars carried Wisconsin license plates.

Scores of volunteers--friends of Elizabeth and others who just wanted to be part of something new and exciting--helped out everwhere from the parking area to the obstacles, to the turns in the course, to the refreshment shack, to the start and finish. Her husband Landon spent countless hours out there building and prepping the course and the obstacles.

Long lines, some waiting, a little frustration? Yeah, there was some, but it the was the first time they'd ever put this on! And it was a fricking mud plunge!

Again, this seems like a classic Yooper event, and it seems like it'll only get bigger in the years
ahead.

As for the Plunge's birth mother, Elizabeth Peterson, she's a transplant from downstate. She came up to the U.P. to work in TV, fell in love with the place, but then reluctantly returned downstate when another opportunity came up. The story goes--as she, Landon and her daughter were driving back on US 28 and passing Deer Lake, she suddenly said, "Stop! Stop!" They got out of the car and she started crying. "I can't leave here! This is where I belong!"

Landon, likewise, was sick about leaving. This was a place--in the great outdoors--where he felt at home, more than at any other time in his life.

But they did leave, for only about six months, and came back. It was inevitable.

Now, with a second child, they've put down roots in the U.P. Permanent ones.

They say you have to be born here to be considered a true "Yooper." Seems to me, in the case of Eliabeth, Landon and their family, there might have to be an exception.

(Full disclosure: I happen to be a friend and admirer of both Elizabeth and Landon)

David versus Goliath

It hasn't gotten a lot of attention yet, but there's an interesting dynamic building within the business communities of Marquette County.

And although both sides in this dynamic are trying to play down any possible conflict, the potential for conflict is certainly there.

I'm talking about the re-emergence of the Greater Ishpeming-Negaunee Chamber of Commerce. A decade ago, the westside business community decided to throw in its lot with Marquette and joined the Lake Superior Community Partnership, a well-financed group that represented and lobbied for all businesses in Marquette County.

The Partnership has certainly done some good and is a very professional outfit, but there are critics, even in Marquette and on the City Commission, who have questioned its effectiveness. Specifically, critics have asked, What new businesses has the Partnership brought to Marquette County? The fact is, not many.

In defense of the Partnership, they have encouraged existing businesses to expand, they've extensively promoted the area, and they've represented the county in Lansing.

But still, that criticism persists.

And for businesses on the west side of the county, the criticism was even more pointed. They thought they weren't being well-represented at all, they felt that Marquette got the lion's share of the Partnership's attention and resources, they felt a need to strike out on their own again.

Thus, we have the brand new Greater Ishpeming-Negaunee Chamber of Commerce, operating, for now, out of the Ski Hall of Fame. There is still a relationship, however tenuous, between the new Chamber and the Partnership, but it's strained.

First,there was a dispute over the actual name of the Chamber, another over the Partnership's phone message that led to ambiguity about who actually represented businesses on the westside. There's also been resistance by some larger businesses on the westside to join the new Chamber.

And there have allegedly been some snide remarks made by some members of the Partnership about the viabilty and the future of the new Chamber. Most recently, at a comedy revue performed at a Partnership function, a comedy routine mocked the new Chamber. I didn't see it but I heard that some of the attendees thought it was not in the best of taste.

Still, the new Chamber is growing. Elizabeth Peterson (formerly of Fox UP and TV6) reports that they now have more than 60 members, up from just a handful a month ago, and in the last week or so, they picked up more than a dozen more. Westside businesses are excited to have an organization of their own, one that is explicitly devoted to promoting them.

No, they don't have much money, certainly nothing close to the Partnership's funding and salaries. Peterson's the only paid employee.

But they do have enthusiasm, newness, and sense that they can get things done if they use their limited funds wisely and channel their energies properly.

Here's hoping they succeed, along with the Partnership. Marquette County needs them both, and it certainly doesn't need mockery or snide remarks.