DETROIT – State Representative Gabe Leland (D-Detroit) will accompany a youth theater group made up of Detroit public school students on a trip that he arranged to Escanaba from Aug. 3-5. During the trip, the group will showcase its anti-drug performance for the community and learn more about the Upper Peninsula.
"I'm excited about being able to give young people from my community the opportunity to share their talent with an audience outside Metro Detroit," Leland said. "The trip will show the diversity of our great state both to these Detroit youngsters as well as to people who live in the U.P. My hope is that we can have more exchanges like this to bring Michigan residents together in spirit just as the Mackinac Bridge bridged the gap between the two peninsulas 50 years ago."
Members of the United Generation Council Theatrical Troupe will leave Detroit early Friday to travel by bus to Escanaba. The group is made up of 20 girls ages 8-14 who attend Detroit public schools. Leland and the group's leaders and chaperones will accompany them. Leland arranged for Plum Creek Timber Co., which owns forestland in 13 counties in the Upper Peninsula, to sponsor the trip as part of its community outreach.
On Saturday, Aug. 4, the group will give its unique theatrical-dance performance warning children about the dangers of using drugs, alcohol and tobacco. The performance will take place at the William Bonifas Fine Arts Center in Escanaba at 3 p.m. It is free and open to the public.
The students will stay in the Upper Peninsula through the weekend and will tour the woods, see an active logging operation, kayak on the Escanaba River and go mountain biking.
"I hope these young people will return to Detroit with more confidence, broader horizons and an enhanced appreciation for Michigan's natural wonders," Leland said. "The trip is a great way to expand the students' educational, artistic and recreational experiences all at the same time."