Insider Guide: Elizabeth Peterson

Elizabeth Peterson is the Executive Director of the Greater Ishpeming-Negaunee Area Chamber of Commerce. She is originally from Grand Rapids and went to Michigan State University for a degree in broadcast and journalism. She moved up to Ishpeming to be a reporter (later an anchor) at a local TV station, but when the Chamber was formed in late 2010 she took on the position of Executive Director.
 
One of the most famous restaurants and bars in town is Congress Pizza. It has been there since 1934 and is located right downtown. “For people who live here it’s a staple,” she says. “People move away and when they come home to visit they always go there.” It’s a tourism hot spot and also serves as a kind of sports memorabilia-cum-historical museum, with pictures adorning the walls of athletes from the area.
 
Elizabeth says another cool place is Midtown Bakery and Café in Negaunee, a bright blue building in the middle of downtown and home of the “almost world-famous cheesecake.” They serve all homemade food in a “cute little quirky spot” – including a very popular if not yet world-famous cheesecake!
 
A new event in Ishpeming is the 5k adventure run called the Suicide Mud Plunge, which includes an obstacle course and mud pit with lots of vendors. The inaugural event in 2011 brought in 750 – almost four times what was expected – and this will now be an annual event. “It was just a really good feeling for the community,” Elizabeth says. It is also a fundraiser for the Ishpeming Ski Club, another highlight of the area. Ishpeming is home to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum and is the place where organized ski jumping originated. Every winter the city of Ishpeming hosts a ski jumping competition on the Suicide Hill Ski Jump, bringing in athletes from all over the country to compete. “It is the longest-running tournament like that in the country,” Elizabeth notes. There are also fireworks, bon fires and other activities to coincide with this event. The Museum also has a wealth of unique local history.
 
Another popular winter event is the Negaunee Heikki Lunta, a wintertime festival honoring the Finnish snow god (the Ishpeming-Negaunee area has a large population of Finnish settlers, which is the origin of the “U.P. accent”). There are fireworks and even a softball tournament in the snow.