Calumet, Michigan (December 6, 2011) ­ The CLK (Calumet-Laurium-Keweenaw) Rotary Club, in cooperation with the Village of Calumet, is announcing that their fourth annual lighting of the Italian Hall Luminaries will take place on the evening of December 24th, 2011 at the Italian Hall Park at 7th and Elm Streets in Calumet. One luminary for each of the 73 lives lost on Christmas Eve 1913 will be lit and placed on the path leading to the entry arch signifying the “stairway to tragedy.”

During the 1980’s and into the 90’s, paper bag luminaries or the display of a wreath were ways of remembering this important part of Copper Country history. For many years thereafter, the Italian Hall Park was left dark on Christmas Eve. In 2007, 73 handmade ice luminaries were placed on the site in an effort to resurrect the idea of remembering those who died on Christmas Eve. However, the undertaking of creating 73 handmade ice luminaries was a daunting task. In the fall of 2008, the CLK Rotary took over the project as a way to contribute to the community.

At a cost of $40.00 each, the CLK Rotary funded the $3,000.00 project. The wood-glass combination luminaries, which are lit from within, have four arch-shaped glass inserts, reminiscent of the arch that currently stands on the Italian Hall Park grounds. A commemorative plaque engraved with the names of the 73 victims, along with a wreath, will also be placed.

CLK Rotarians will remove the luminaries from storage on Christmas Eve and transport them to the Italian Hall Park where they will be assembled and lit on the afternoon of Christmas Eve by 4:00PM. The luminaries will remain on display until Christmas morning, at which time CLK Rotarians will remove them to be placed back into storage. Everyone is invited to visit the Italian Hall Park on Christmas Eve to take a moment to remember the 1913 tragedy that took 73 lives in Calumet. For more information and photos of this CLK Rotary project, please visit CLKRotary.org.

In addition to the Luminaries Project, the CLK Rotary Club contributes to the community by donating thousands of dollars to non-profit organizations, annual scholarships to CLK and Lake Linden students, a 70+ year tradition of bringing the Tamburitzans to the Copper Country, highway trash pickup and other local projects. They also contribute thousands of dollars annually to the Rotary International Foundation for the eradication of polio and other international efforts.

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