Punching out

IRONWOOD - After eight weeks of events throughout the region, the closing ceremony for the Smithsonian's "The Way We Worked" exhibit was held Sunday at the historic Ironwood Theatre.

The event began with a musical prelude on the theatre's historic Barton organ followed by a brief welcome from Ironwood Mayor Kim Corcoran and master of ceremonies Mark Silver, a past president of the theatre board.

The primary focus of the ceremony was The Gogebic Range Chamber Singers' spring concert, which began with a musical arrangement of Walt Whitman's poem "Oh Captain! My Captain!' as well as a number of other work-related or traditional Americana songs.

The music was followed by a brief intermission and then a speech by Rick Semo, one of the co-directors of the exhibit, who began by thanking all those in the community who made the event possible as well as his takeaway from the experience.

"I personally came away with an appreciation of the way we work in America and here on the Range," Semo said. "I was struck by the pride in so many of the photographs, the pride people take in the work that they do. I wouldn't say that is just an American characteristic, but it is definitely an American characteristic."

Semo provided the audience with an update as to the number of people who took in the two primary portions of "The Way We Worked" exhibit.

According to Seimo 2,320 visitors came to the main exhibit at the Downtown Art Place and 1,500 visitors toured the displays at the Ironwood Memorial Building. Semo said it took 49 volunteers, and 679 volunteer hours, to staff these exhibits.

That didn't include visitors or volunteers for any of the many other events in the region, which Semo also thanked.

Over 500 area students also toured the exhibits during numerous class field trips, Semo said.

While the official Smithsonian exhibit is ending, Semo said a number of related exhibits will remain open, including the "Experience the Way We Worked" in the basement of the DAP and the 3-D display in the Memorial Building.

There will also be a discussion at 10 a.m. on Saturday in the Iron County Courthouse about how the community can continue to promote historical tourism following the end of the exhibition.

Following Semo's speech, the chamber singers returned to the stage and sang several additional songs including the "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and a trio of Gershwin pieces.

The audience was invited to a dessert reception on the second floor of the theatre following the performance.