CALUMET, Mich. (WLUC) – A project nearly four years in the making has finally set the date for its completion.
The Big Annie Statue project has announced that it has reached its goal of $150,000. The project has aimed to create and erect a statue of ‘Big Annie’ Clemenc, a labor activist and leader in the 1913 Copper Strike. This has been a collaborative effort between the project committee and the Keweenaw Community Foundation.
“My team has been unwavering on fundraising for this, and that’s how we got it done in three and a half years,” Big Annie Statue Project Committee Chair Vada Riederich said. “We still have people who want to donate money, but we can’t. We’re done fundraising… I’m very grateful to all the people who have donated to this and have dedicated their time and talent.”
Riederich says that not only has the statue arrived in the area, but Aug. 22 has also been set as its unveiling date. A celebration is planned from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. to coincide with the statue’s unveiling and dedication at Calumet’s Greenspace Park, right next to the Calumet Theatre. A parade, free ice cream and live music are some of the event’s features.
“We have quite an event planned,” Riederich continued. “We have two authors… Lyndon Comstock, author of Annie Clemenc and the Great Keweenaw Copper Strike, is coming from California. And we also have Mary Doria Russell, who wrote The Women of the Copper Country. She will also be there. They’ll be doing a book signing in the morning at Copper World. We just learned that.”
Riederich says that you can also join in on the celebrations’ parade.
“If they want to dress in costumes, mining outfits or themes or anything like that… [you] should contact Terra West,” Riederich added. “She’s with our committee. Contact anyone on the committee, and they’ll put you in touch with her.”
You can reach out to the committee through its homepage or Facebook page.
Riederich notes that a donor reception will also be held in the Calumet Theatre’s ballroom after the unveiling. She encourages all donors of the project to attend but says that they will need to RSVP ahead of time due to limited space. She also says they can do this by reaching out to the Keweenaw Community Foundation.
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