by CURT LAINE
Staff Reporter/Timberjay News
TOWER — You only turn 90 once, and Mary Batinich took the opportunity to raise money for the Lake Vermilion Cultural Center, whose renovation is nearing completion. Batinich has been the guiding force behind the historic St. Mary’s Church’s preservation and metamorphosis into an area cultural center.
The goal was to raise nearly $20,000 through donations from partygoers and matching grants earmarked for upcoming plumbing and heating upgrades.
So, on Oct. 31, the cultural center hosted a Roaring ’20s party, with musical guests Irene Hartfield, Debbie Prutsman, and The Roadkill Boys bluegrass band.
Since its inception in 2015, the LVCC has become a vibrant arts organization enriching lives by celebrating the diverse cultures of the Iron Range. It is a center of focus for local and regional educational and entertainment events.
Throughout the summer of 2026, LVCC hosted more than 30 events, including birthday parties, piano concerts, storytelling and readings by authors and poets, charity auctions, folk, jazz, and rock performances, presentations by architects, Finnish folk artists, and Emmy Award-winning culinary artists, community fun days for kids and adults, community potluck dinners, a dog agility show, and even an opera specifically written for ’da Iron Range (ya sure). It’s an impressive list that proves the vitality of the LVCC in the Tower-Soudan community.
If you are interested in booking your event at LVCC or would like to join a hearty group of volunteers helping bring the Lake Vermilion Cultural Center vision to completion, please contact the center at vermilionculturalcenter@gmail.com or 218-753-4100.
