Sponsored by: Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries & Wildlife Divisions; and The Hal & Jean Glassen Memorial Foundation.
Emcee: Bill O’Neil, Deputy Director, Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Highlights of the event include the honorable Rosalyn Bliss, Mayor of Grand Rapids; Austen Brauker, Traditional Drum*; historic 1928 Spillman Carousel; fun discovery games, and exciting prize drawings. Entries for the prize drawings can be earned by attending the Museum event, participating in the evening’s games, and by participating in the earlier Student/Professional Mixer. The Van Dort Print Shop will be printing souvenir conference bookmarks on the antique press. Food and beverages will be served throughout the evening.
Museum Special Sturgeon Exhibit: Grand River, Grand Fish explores how the Great Lakes region’s largest and oldest fish, the Lake Sturgeon, once found in great abundance, is now a threatened species in our watersheds. The exhibit takes visitors through the connections to Native Americans, fishing history in the region and current science.
* Austen Brauker is a member of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians. He is an artist, painting murals, and creates many different traditional native crafts and various other forms of visual art. Austen is a long time musician and has performed regularly since he started playing music over thirty years ago. Austen plays many different styles of music on acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, banjo, bass guitar, lap steel and slide blues. He plays the Native American flute and sings with a traditional Odawa drum group in Manistee, Michigan. He recently scored the soundtrack for an educational sturgeon documentary that was filmed locally, spotlighting the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians sturgeon rearing program.
The Museum is approximately 3-minutes walking distance from the hotel. If preferred or needed, shuttle service will be provided to and from the Museum, making continuous loops for the duration of the Reception. Shuttle departs from Lyon Street entrance of the Amway Grand Hotel.
www.grpm.org
