The Guide - December 2013/January 2014 by The Guide

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Four page, 13 county calendar of events

2014 Thunder Bay Film Festival GUIDEFEATURES 7 8 10 12

Snow Box Derby Cheboygan Shock Revitalizing Grayling Sharing the warmth

16 18 20 22 24 26

Leaders in conservation The Christmas Ship Is your school green? Hilltop Bar & Grill Old skool refurbished Sweet scent of Sanctuary

covering the counties of Alcona, Alpena, Arenac, Cheboygan, Crawford, Gladwin, Iosco, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle, Roscommon and now including St. Ignace Dec. 2013/Jan. 2014 Volume IV, Issue 8 Published by: Info Northeast Jerry Nunn, editor (989) 780-0900 jnunn@infonortheast.com Contributing writers: Jessica Crawford, Marianne Kuzimski, Dennis Mansfield, Daniel Moffatt, Jerry Nunn Contributing photographers: Mike Fornes, Marianne Kuzimski, Dennis Mansfield, Kathy Neff, Jerry Nunn, Scott Nunn, Ken Wright Advertising manager and design: Scott Nunn (989) 245-7140 snunn@infonortheast.com

By STEPHANIE GANDULLA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary media and outreach coordinator For one weekend in January, residents and travelers to Northeast Michigan will be treated to an impressive collection of ocean and Great Lakes-inspired films from around the world. Film topics include Great Lakes surfing, Arctic exploration, and plastic pollution – multiple showings of the films will be complemented by social events and opportunities to meet filmmakers. Features of the Alpena event include films from the San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival, an acclaimed festival of oceanthemed films that are largely

The Thunder Bay Marine Sanctuary Film Festival combines movie screenings and social events, with showings, receptions, discussions and more. The festival begins January 24, 2014. unavailable to the general public. Also featured will be a number of Great Lakes films, presented by the filmmakers themselves including “Unsalted: A Great Lakes Experience” by Vince Deur, a film described at “one part obsession, one part addiction, and an unending quest for adventure” that introduces surfing in the Great Lakes. The festival also includes the Emmy Award-winning “A Century in Stone” by bother-sister film-making team Anne and Brian Belanger of Bon Ami Filmworks, a movie that explores the story of the limestone quarry Calcite in Rogers City, Michigan. The festival gets underway on the

evening of Friday, January 24 with an opening reception and continues Saturday and Sunday with additional movie screenings, filmmaker panels, educational events and social affairs. For more information, or to purchase tickets for any of the film screenings or special events, call 989-356-8805 ext. 38. Or email steph. gandulla@noaa.gov

This issues cover photograph was taken by Kathy Neff of K. Neff Photographics in Fairview. A former teacher of COOR ISD and former designer of The Guide, Kathy specializes in portraiture, weddings and graduation photography. You can contact Kathy at kneff@infonortheast.com The Guide • December 2013/January 2014

November

While all attempts at accuracy have been made, mistakes happen, schedules change and events are sometimes cancelled. It is always best to call ahead and confirm before making a three hour drive north.

27:

Gaylord Thanksgiving Farmer’s Market, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Under the Pavilion in downtown Gaylord, final market of the season with fall fruits and vegetables, turkeys, beef and ham, baked goods, wreaths and other holiday decorations. Info: (989) 7324060 or www.ShopDowntownGaylord.com

28:

11th Annual Turkey Trot, 8:30 a.m. at the APlex in Alpena, a 5k run/walk to support local food pantries and the homeless shelter. Info: (989) 354-7314 or www.ThunderBayTrails.org

28:

Gaylord Turkey Trot, 5k run and 1k walk, starts at 9 a.m. at Gaylord Regional Airport, with registration the day prior and again at 7:30 a.m. on race day; cost is $30 includes long sleeve T-shirt. Info: (989) 732-4218 or www.GaylordTurkeyTrot.org

33nd Annual Christmas Craft Show, 10 The Sounds of Christmas, 2 p.m. at Our Savior 29: a.m. to 4 p.m. at Inland Lakes Schools, with 1: Lutheran Church in Gladwin, with handbells, one of the largest craft shows in Northern Michigan; cost is handchimes, vocalists, choirs and musicians from area $2, 10-and-younger free. Info: (231) 238-9325 or www. IRChamber.com

29:

Christmas in Indian River, with Santa Claus, stories with Mrs. Claus, parade, free soup and hot dogs, pictures with Santa, and merchant specials. Info: (231) 238-9325 or www.IRChamber.com

Christmas Arts & Crafts Show, 29-30: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Cheboygan Eagles Hall in Cheboygan, with hand-crafted gift items and more. Info: (231) 537-0015

churches; refreshments to follow. Info: (989) 426-4884

Season of Light Exhibit, runs through January 1: 2 at the Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan, with a display of Christmas trees, Macy window exhibit an d a holiday village collection; museum admission costs $56 adult, $3 under-18, seniors and students, while college students are free. Info: (989) 356-2202 or www. BesserMuseum.org

Healing Together, 10-11 a.m. at Ogemaw 4: County Commission on Aging, a grief support group based on the Healthy Grieving model. Info: (989) 343-2470

Irish Christmas in America, presented by 5: CMU Public Radio’s My Front Porch, 7:30 p.m. at Cheboygan Opera House, presented by. Info: (231) 6275841 or www.TheOperaHouse.org

Cheboygan’s Downtown Hospitality 5: Night, with in-store specials, refreshments, live music and the appearance of the Downtown Mystery Elf. Info: (989) 627-9931

Lewiston Library Holiday Gala, 6 p.m. at 5: Redwood Steak House, with a silent auction, raffles and more, tickets available at the Lewiston Public Library. Info: (989) 786-2985

Arenac Choraleers, 7 p.m. at Ogemaw Hills The Founders Society Book Club, 11:30 1: Free Methodist Church in West Branch with their 5: a.m. every first Thursday at the Nineteenth Hole holiday program “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year;” Restaurant in Alpena, with book discussion on a different

Dinner, Luzerne American 28: Thanksgiving Legion 1:00 – 6:00 p.m. Info: (989) 826-5950 Thanksgiving Craft Show, 9 a.m. at tickets cost $4 adults, $3 senior citizens and students, $2 selection every month, December’s feature is Beloved by 30: Knights of Columbus Hall in Cheboygan. Info: children. Info: (989) 846-9331 Toni Morrison. Info: (989) 356-2202 Thanksgiving Dinner, 1 to 6 p.m. at (231) 420-5350 28: Luzerne American Legion, with turkey and all All You Can Eat Breakfast, 8 a.m. to noon Lincoln Festival of Lights and Historical the trimmings. Info: (989) 826-5950 Merry Marketplace & Craft Show, 1: at The Cross in the Woods Family Center in Indian 6: Society Quilt Raffles, at the Lincoln Fire 30: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the former Hometown River, featuring pancakes, sausage, ham, hash browns, Station with hot dogs, beverages, bonfire and quilt raffle Moonlight Madness, starts Furniture Store, on the I-75 Business Loop in Grayling, eggs, toast, fruit and beverage, cost is $7 adults, $2 to support Alcona County Historical Society. Info: (989) 28-29: at 10 p.m. at Tanger Outlet Center with vendors and crafters in a Crawford County United under-12. Info: (231) 238-8973 or www.IRChamber.com 727-4080 in West Branch, an all night shopping opportunity with Way fundraiser; admission costs $1, booths available. Info: savings passes, in-store specials, Text to Win Sweepstakes (989) 745-6328 or (989) 619-0473 Project Bluelight, 7 p.m. at the APlex in Extreevaganza, 6 p.m. at Treetops Convention and more, runs through Black Friday. Info: (989) 345-2594 4: Alpena, to honor fallen law enforcement and 6: Center in Gaylord, an Otsego County Community AuGres Christmas Celebration, with firemen, and serve tribute to those who protect us every Foundation fundraiser, with hors d’oeuvres, cash bar, silent Santa at the Depot, 7 p.m. at the Standish 30: caroling, a tree lighting, Santa Claus and hot day, refreshments served after the ceremony. Info: (989) and live auctions of decorated Christmas trees and more; 29: Depot, share hot cocoa and cookies with cocoa. Info: (989) 876-8811 464-0646 cost is $65 per person, black tie optional, coat and tie Santa, with wishes heard in the historic caboose. Info: required. Info: (989) 731-0597 or www.OtsegoFoundation. (989) 718-3021 or (989) 718-3022 Holiday Festival of Song, 7:30-9 p.m. at the org 4: First United Methodist Church in Alpena, featuring Snowshoe Lacing Workshop, registration December the Besser Male Choir with sacred and secular songs and Spaghetti Dinner and Live Auction, 4:30 29: deadline for December 7-8 class, 9 a.m. to a little bit of comedy,and the Besser Quartet with guest 6: p.m. dinner and 5:30 p.m. auction at St. John 4 p.m. at Hartwick Pines State Park, featuring green Headlight Night Ski, through March soloist Jessica Pearson, admission by free will offering. Info: Lutheran School in Rogers City, with hand-crafted items mountain bearpaw snowshoe; cost is $175. Info: (989) 1: 16, weather permitting at Cross Country Ski (989) 471-9182 and local business donations, dinner includes spaghetti, 348-2537 Headquarters in Roscommon, with headlamps to rent for bread, salad, dessert and beverage, with door prizes and

$5. Info: (800) 832-2663 or www.Cross-Country-Ski.com

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live music; cost is $8 adults, $5 for youngsters and 5-andunder free. Info: (989) 734-3580

Rogers City Chamber of Commerce 6: Holiday Afterhours, 5 p.m. at the Bradley House Museum in Rogers City. Info: (989) 734-2535

Wax Clinic and Team Dinner, 4 p.m. at Cross 7: Country Ski Headquarters, and informative clinic for Snowshoe Lacing Workshop, 9 a.m. racers and recreational skiers, followed by the team potluck 7-8: to 4 p.m. at Hartwick Pines State Park, dinner. Info: (800) 832-2663 or www.Cross-Country-Ski. featuring the bear paw style snowshoe; cost is $175 for com

two day workshop. Info: (989) 348-2537

Christmas in the Village, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 Mackinac Island Christmas Bazaar, at 7: p.m. at Maria Hall, behind St. Anne Catholic Church 7-9: the Mackinac Island Community Hall, with in Harrisville, with a holiday bazaar, art sale, and more. arts, crafts, meals and more to benefit Mackinac Island

Christmas at the Light, at Tawas Point Sunrise Ringers Christmas Concert, 3 p.m. 7: Lighthouse, with holiday fun inside and out, state 8: at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Info: (989) park recreation passport required for entry. Info: 736-3025

Open Mic Night, 6-8 p.m. every first Friday at Thanks A Latté and Flowers by Jose in Grayling, bring your instrument or just come to enjoy. Info: (989) 348-4006 Bridge Brawl Tournaments, runs through February, youth hockey at the Little Bear Arena in St. Ignace, with four game guarantee and trophies through fourth place, skill competitions, bridge medals and custom pucks to all players, no gate fee for spectators. Info: (906) 643-8676 or www.LittleBearArena.com

6-8:

Christmas in Mackinaw, with caroling, Tacky Tinsel Town Car Parade, horse drawn sleigh rides at Headlands Dark Sky Park, McGullpin Point Lighthouse Christmas celebration, Community Cantata Choir and more. Info: (231) 436-5574

The Twelve Days of Christmas, in 6-23: Rogers City, a holiday inspired raffle with boxes placed in local business offering a chance to win $100 from each business. Info: (989) 734-2535

Santa Arrives in St. Ignace, 5:30 p.m. at The 6: Pavilion in St. Ignace, with Santa, the St. Ignace Children’s Choir, family portraits, a tree lighting and more. Info: (906) 643-8717 or www.SaintIgnace.org

Info: (989) 724-5107

Medical Center and island churches. Info: (231) 392-9579

Alzheimer’s Discussion & Information 12: Group, 2-3 p.m. at the Cheboygan Senior Center in Cheboygan. Info: (231) 238-5165 or www.3COA. com

Good Morning Cheboygan, 7:30 to 9 a.m. 13: at Citizens National Bank in Cheboygan, with breakfast door prizes, raffles and more; public is welcome, $5 chamber members, $7 non-members. Info: (231) 627-7183

8th Annual Northern Lights Christmas Topinabee Holiday Home Tour, 1 to 4 p.m. Open Mic, 7 p.m. every second Friday at 7: Parade, starts at dusk in downtown Oscoda. Info: 8: in Topinabee, with gorgeous homes decked out 13: Comins Community Center, with a potluck (989) 739-7322 or www.OscodaChamber.com for Christmas; tickets cost $15 available at the Mullett followed by music. Info: (989) 848-2756 Township Hall on Straits Highway. Info: (231) 238-8808 or www.MullettGov-Clerk.org

Gaylord’s Live Nativity, 7-9 p.m. 7: 13-14: at Grace baptist Church in Gaylord, Arenac Choraleers, 7 p.m. at Standish-Sterling with a walk through Bethlehem, re-enactments of the first Christmas Bazaar, to support the West Branch- 8: Central High School auditorium, presenting their Christmas, refreshments and more. Info: (989) 614-1010 7: Rose City music boosters, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at holiday program “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year;” or www.GraceBaptistMinistries.com Ogemaw Heights High School, with more than 75 crafters tickets cost $4 adults, $3 senior citizens and students, $2 and musical performances by the high school band and children. Info: (989) 846-9331 Christmas Arts & Crafts Show, choir, lunch concessions, bake sale, pictures with Santa, 13-14: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Cheboygan bake sale and more; admission is free, booths available. Brush Creek Writers, 2 p.m. every second Eagles Hall in Cheboygan, with hand-crafted gift items and Info: (989) 329-4848 10: and fourth Tuesday at Brush Creek Mill in more. Info: (231) 537-0015 Hillman, with writing discussion for high schoolers and Celebrating Sinatra, 7 p.m. at the Kirtland adults. Info: (989) 742-2527 Farm by Lantern Light, at 7: Center for Performing Arts, with Broadway’s “Our 13-14: Wellington Farm Park in Grayling, Sinatra” celebrating the classic master, starring Bryan Foster Care Orientation, 6-9 p.m. every where you experience life on a Depression-era working Anthony and the Nelson Riddle Orchestra; tickets cost $32 10: second Tuesday, hosted by Lutheran Child and farm, with a sleigh ride, a theatrical performance, and or $37. Info: (989) 275-6777 or www.KirtlandCenter.com Family Services of Michigan in Gaylord, a no-obligation lantern-lit trails; admissions cost $7.50 adults, $5.50 Bazaar and Craft Show, at Whittemore Prescott High School. Info: (989) 873-3806

Holiday Shop & Stroll, in downtown Gaylord, 7: with in store specials, special events and more. Children’s Christmas Party, at Brush Info: (989) 732-4060 or www.ShopDowntownGaylord. 7: Creek Mill in Hillman, with kid’s games, cookie com decorating, pictures with Santa, crafts and more. Info:

orientation for those wanting to or wondering about fostering a child. Info: (989) 732-1040

students, seniors and military, or $27.50 maximum per family. Info: (989) 348-5187 or www.WellingtonFarmPark. org

(989) 742-2527

Johannesburg-Lewiston All 11: Bands Christmas Concert, 7 p.m. at Free Ski Weekend, at Treetops Johannesburg-Lewiston High School gymnasium. Info: 13-15: Resort, earn free lift or skiing with a 989-731-4420 stay at a participating area lodge. Info: (989) 345-8621 or

and hors d’oeuvres. Info: (989) 345-5226

Annual Buy a Bag for Kid’s Sake, Learn to Ski for Free, 4 p.m. every 12: 10th formerly known as the Old Bag Sale, at Fletcher 14: Saturday at Cross Country Ski Headquarters in

Gladwin County Festival of Lights 7: Christmas Parade, 6 p.m. in downtown Holiday Art & Wine Walk, 5-9 p.m. in Gladwin, to the theme of Fire Up the Night, with cookies, 7: downtown West Branch, with businesses hosting hot cocoa and fireworks. Info: (989) 429-6565 artists and their work, while serving complimentary wine

Street Brewery in Alpena, a Boys & Girls Club event, with great items for sale by local businesses, hors d’oeuvres and beer; tickets cost $12. Info: (989) 356-0214

The Guide • December 2013/January 2014

Roscommon, a beginner class for kids and adults, arrive early to rent skis. Info: (800) 832-2663 or www.CrossCountry-Ski.com

14:

Cookies on Parade, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 4th Street Art Gallery in West Branch, homemade cookies for $4 a dozen with proceeds to support scholarships for the arts, free hot cider and cookie samples. Info: (989) 343-0778

14:

Almost Full Moon Night Ski, 6-8 p.m. at Cross Country Ski Headquarters, ski rental ends at 7 p.m., with torch-lit trails, a bonfire and hot chocolate. Info: (800) 832-2663 or www.Cross-Country-Ski.com

14:

Jingle All The Way, 5 p.m. at the APlex in Alpena, a Dork Brothers 4k run/walk. Info: (989) 354-7314 or www.ThunderBayTrails.org

by Tawas Bay Players. Info: (989) 362-8373 or www. TawasBayPlayers.com

maximum per family. Info: (989) 348-5187 or www. WellingtonFarmPark.org

Headquarters in Roscommon, with headlamps to rent for $5. Info: (800) 832-2663 or www.Cross-Country-Ski.com

Leadership Roundtable, 7:30 to 10:30 Christmas Eve Depression-era Church Guided Snowshoe Hike in the Old Growth 17: a.m. at Fairview Coffee Shop & Bakery, an open 22: Service, 7 p.m. at Wellington Farm Park’s 4: Forest, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Hartwick Pines discussion on Oscoda County’s positive efforts and their Stitsville Church in Grayling, a non-denominational State Park, limited number of snowshoes for loan; event is execution. Info: (989) 826-5777

Ogemaw Heights High School Choral 17: Concert, 7-8:30 p.m. at the Ogemaw Heights High School auditorium, with music by the Concert Choir and Chamber Singers; admission costs $3 each or $10 per family. Info: (989) 343-2020

Music Gig, open mic, 6-9 p.m. every 19: third Thursday at Corwith Township Hall in Vanderbilt, bring an instrument to join the fun or sit back and enjoy, with music and dancing; event is free, refreshments by donation. Info: (989) 939-4185

Christian service reminiscent of the Great Depression; admissions cost $7.50 adults, $5.50 students, seniors and military, or $27.50 maximum per family. Info: (989) 3485187 or www.WellingtonFarmPark.org

Classic and Skate Ski Clinics, 10 a.m. 22: to 3 p.m. at Cross Country Ski Headquarters, improve your form with the skate clinic in morning and a classic clinic in the afternoon; cost is $25 each or $40 for both. Info: (800) 832-2663 or www.Cross-Country-Ski. com

free, PRIOR REGISTRATION REQUIRED, recreational passport required for entry, available on site. Info: (989) 348-2537

Things My Mother Taught Me, at 9-19: Alpena Civic Theatre, Olivia and Gabe relocate half way across country to escape their parents but will the move go smoothly when their parents show up on moving day? Show times are Thurs.-Sat 7:30 with 2 p.m. Sunday matinees; tickets cost $12 adults and $8 students. Info: (989) 354-3624 or www.AlpenaCivicTheatre.com

Cross Country Skiing by Lantern Light, 11: 6-9 p.m. at Hartwick Pines State Park, event is free, recreational passport required for entry, available on

Kid’s Day in Standish, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in 25: 14: downtown Standish, make and take crafts at a ARMC Used Book Sale, in the lobby at site. Info: (989) 348-2537 variety of local businesses, with refreshments. Info: (989) 20: Alpena Regional Medical Center, normally 718-3021 or (989) 718-3022 held every fourth Friday, except Dec. and May. Info: (989) Pure Michigan Winter Trail Days, 354-4605 New Year’s Eve Anchor Drop, 11 p.m. 11: free skiing and snowshoeing for beginners, Claws and Paws Rescue Adoption 31: at Festival Square in Cheboygan, with party 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Cross Country Ski Headquarters 14: Event, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Tractor Supply in Music at the Mill, 7 p.m. every third Friday favors, kids games, music, and an anchor drop at midnight. in Roscommon, with hot dogs and hot cocoa at the West Branch. Info: (989) 345-1231 20: at Brush Creek Mill in Hillman, an open mic Info: (231) 627-9931 backwoods Trapper’s Cabin, PRIOR REGISTRATION event, sign up to play, with concessions, free admission. REQUIRED. Info: (800) 832-2663 or www.Cross-CountryChristmas with the East Shore Wind Info: (989) 742-2527 New Year’s Ball Drop, in downtown West Ski.com 15: Symphony, 3 p.m. at Standish-Sterling 31: Branch with a count down, ball drop and other Central High School auditorium; tickets cost $10 adults, $5 Women in the Stars, 6-8 p.m. at the festivities. Info: (989) 345-5226 Ray Kamalay & the Red Hot Chili students. Info: (989) 846-9331 20: guesthouse in Headlands Dark Sky Park, 12: Peppers, 2 p.m. at the Northeast Michigan a look at women in the world of stars, including the New Year’s Eve Rocks, 6 to 10:30 p.m. at Arts Council, Standish, small-band jazz of the 1930s; Mercy Hospital Stroke Support Group, mythological, celestial and the historical, with discussions 31: Otsego County Sportsplex, with swim, skate, tickets cost &4 adults, $6 seniors, $4 students and $3 16: 3-4:30 every third Wednesday at Mercy on Venus, the Ursid Meteor Showers which peak this night food, inflatables and music; $5 each or $20 per family. Info: under-12. Info: (989) 846-9331 Hospital in Grayling, an opportunity for stroke survivors and more. Info: (231) 348-1704 or www.EmmetCounty. (989) 731-3546 or www.OCSportsplex.com and their care givers to share experience, under the org Romeo and Juliet, 7:30 at the Cheboygan guidance of therapists and health care providers, with 13: Opera House, Cheboygan, a Moscow Festival presentations, demonstrations, speakers and discussion Farm by Lantern Light, at Ballet performance of the classic story; reserved seating January groups; all are welcome, event is free. Info: (989) 34820-21: Wellington Farm Park in Grayling, costs $38 adults, $12.50 students. Info: (231) 627-5432 or 0314 where you experience life on a Depression-era working www.TheOperaHouse.org farm, with a sleigh ride, a theatrical performance, and Headlight Night Ski, through March Songs & Stories, 7 p.m. at lantern-lit trails, and more; admissions cost $7.50 Moon Snowshoe Hike, 7 p.m. at 1: 16, weather permitting at Cross Country Ski 16: Full 17: Christmas Tawas Bay Playhouse, a free concert presented adults, $5.50 students, seniors and military, or $27.50 Hartwick Pines State Park contact station just

Merry Christmas from Cross Country Ski Headquarters in Roscommon, parking lot and trails are open and on the house. Info: (989) 821-6661

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inside the front gate, event is free, recreational passport required for entry, available on site. Info: (989) 348-2537

16-18:

21st Annual Mackinaw City Winterfest, held snow or no snow with events all around Mackinaw City, including a poker walk, chili cook-off, Art exhibit and reception, entertainment, sleigh rides, snow sculpting, outdoor games for kids and adults, The International Outhouse Race, The Audie’s Scholarship Black Tie Ball, and more; admission to most events by $3 festival button. Info: (231) 436-5574 or www.MackinawChamber.com

18:

Audie’s Polar Nights Scholarship Ball, 8 p.m. to midnight at Audie’s Restaurant in Mackinaw City, black tie fundraiser for education, with music, a cocktail reception gourmet hors d’oeuvres and a silent auction. Info: (231) 436-5744

18:

2nd Northern Michigan Wedding Expo, noon to 4 p.m. at Knights of Columbus Hall in West Branch, with a runway bridal show, vendors and wedding professionals to help plan your wedding. Info: (989) 701-0083

event featuring games, races, music and more. Info: (231) 238-9325

Cross Country Skiing by Candle Light, Huron Pines Annual Meeting, 9 a.m. 25: 6-9 p.m. at Hartwick Pines State Park, event is 1: to 1 p.m. at Treetops Resort in Gaylord, with free, recreational passport required for entry, available on conservation presentations, organizational updates, lunch site. Info: (989) 348-2537

exhibitors welcome. Info: (989) 846-9331

17:

24-25:

17:

Snow*Drift Rally, a Rally 30: 24-25: America series road rally through Montmorency County, with real cars, real fast, on real

Winter Picnic, 4-6 p.m. at Crawford County Senior Center, a Community Dinner event, open to the public, no reservations required, $2.50 for 60-yearsand-older, $5 all others. Info: (9989) 348-7123

17-19:

64th Annual Tip Up Town USA, one of Michigan’s premiere ice festivals, repeats on January 24-26, with parade, carnival, games, family and beverage tent, ice slide, snowmobile drags, polar bear dip, ice fishing contests and more. Info: (989) 366-5644 or www.VisitHoughtonLake.com

18:

Cote Dame Marie Ski Loppet, at Hanson Hills Recreation Area in Grayling, with a variety of races ranging from 8k juniors and beginners races, to 15k and the 30k Michigan Cup Race, an event for racers and nonracers, with an awards ceremony to follow at Ramada Inn in Grayling, Info: (989) 348-9266 or www. GraylingNordic.com

roads, lots of viewing opportunities, with events in Atlanta, Lewiston and Hillman, including the Sno Attack, a twowheel drive race through the snow. Info: (810) 278-1708 or www.Sno-Drift.org

24-26:

Little Bear Invitational Men’s Hockey Tournament, with three to four team divisions, three games each, with first and second place teams in a six team single elimination on Sunday, participants receive preferred consideration into the U.P. Pond Hockey Championship . Info: (906) 643-6970

24-26:

64th Annual Tip Up Town USA, one of Michigan’s premiere ice festivals, with parade, carnival, games, family and beverage tent, ice slide, snowmobile drags, ice fishing contests and more. Info: (989) 366-5644 or www. VisitHoughtonLake.com

24-26:

Indian River WinterFest, at the Burt Lake State Park, a family

and more; $15 advance registration required. Info: (989) 448-2293 ext. 21 or www.HuronPines.org

24th Annual Quilt Show, 10 25-26: a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Northeast Alpenfrost 2014, in downtown Gaylord, Michigan Arts Council in Standish, featuring traditional, 7-8: a family festival with ice skating, ice putting, antique, youth-made, wall hangings, tied quilts and more, a chili cook-off, polar plunge, snowman building contest,

Full Moon Night Skiing, 6-8 p.m. at Cross Country Ski Headquarters in Roscommon, with a torch lit trail to the backwoods Trapper’s Cabin for hot cocoa, rental ends at 7 p.m. Info: (800) 832-2663 or www. Cross-Country-Ski.com

Pink Ribbon Riders, at Gaylord Eagles Club, with a snowmobile run, lunch and dinner banquets, music, activities for non-riders, fundraisers, raffles, auctions, door prizes, contests and give-aways; cost is $200 in pledges or $110 per person. Info: (989) 348 -5287 or www.PinkRibbonRiders.com

Market; adults cost $10, $5 for youth. Info: (989) 426-7651 or www.GladwinOnline.com

frosty 5k, hot cocoa and cookies Under the Pavilion, and more. Info: (989) 732-7990 or www.Alpenfrost.com

Snowshoe Lacing Workshop, 25-26: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Hartwick Pines Cross Country Skiing by Candle Light, 6-9 State Park, featuring the bear paw style snowshoe; cost is 8: p.m. at Hartwick Pines State Park, event is free, $175 for two day workshop. Info: (989) 348-2537 recreational passport required for entry, available on site. 64th Annual Perchville USA, runs through February 2 at Harbor Park in East Tawas, with ice fishing contests, chili cook-off, family and beverage tents, polar bear dip and more. Info: (989) 3628643 or www.Tawas.com

Winter Fun Days, runs through February 31: 2 at Hanson Hills Recreation Area in Grayling, with Nordic and downhill skiing, tubing, live

entertainment, free lift tickets and trail passes, big air competition, chili cook-off, sled box race, and a paintball biathlon. Info: (989) 348-9266 or www.HansonHills.org

February

Info: (989) 348-2537

Thunder Bay Classic Sled Dog Race, 8-9: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Alpena Sportsmen’s Club, with three, five and seven dog races, and one and two dog ski-joring, wight pull and 100 yard dash, with concessions on site and karaoke to follow. Info: (989) 9166538 or www.MidUnionSledHaulers.com

24th Annual Snow Box Derby, 10 a.m. to 9: 3 p.m. at The Hill in Old Orchard Park, Oscoda, featuring sleds made of cardboard and papier mâché to

this year’s Up North theme, with trophies for speed and creativity, with youth, family and business categories, kid’s games, toboggan and inner tube races, bonfire and more. Info: (989) 739-7322 or www.OscodaChamber.com

Labatt Blue U.P. Pond Hockey 13-15: Championship, Moran Bay in St. Igance, with more than 150 teams on 30 rinks, with

Roscommon Winterfest, at 14-15: multiple venues around Roscommon and Higgins Lake, with a chili cook-off, the Cardboard

Guided Snowshoe Hike in the Old Growth Forest, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Hartwick Pines State Park, preregistration required, event is free, limited number of snowshoes for loan, recreational passport required for entry, available on site. Info: (989) 348-2537 Super Fishing Derby, at a variety of Gladwin County Lakes, ice or no ice, win big money before the Big Game, weigh in between 4 and 5 p.m. at Vasher’s

heated concessions and more. Info: (800) 338-6660 or www.StIgnace.com

Classic cardboard sled race, a snowmobile radar run, vintage snowmobile show, kid’s carnival, broomball competition and more; buttons for admission cost $5. Info: (989) 275-8760 or www.hlrcc.com

Full Moon Night Skiing, 6-8 p.m. at Cross 15: Country Ski Headquarters in Roscommon, with a torch lit trail to the backwoods Trapper’s Cabin for hot

cocoa, rental ends at 7 p.m. Info: (800) 832-2663 or www. Cross-Country-Ski.com

Great Turtle Chili Cook-off, noon to 4 15: p.m. at Cawthorne’s Village Inn on Mackinac Island, featuring local chefs and visiting gourmets. Info: (906) 847-3542

The Guide • December 2013/January 2014

2014 Snow Box

Derby By JERRY NUNN editor

OSCODA Want to create a ruckus? Try building a snowbox derby sled 5 foot wide by 13 foot long smack in the middle of your kitchen/dining room. As an added disruption, construct a dozen or so highly-detailed characters out of papier mache, to embellish the sled. Please be aware: A project of this magnitude is suggested only for those who live alone or who have the most understanding roommates. Precautions call for a large tarp and for goodness’ sake, leave the Elmer’s Glue-all and all that paint elsewhere until it is needed. Now mind you, even with those safeguards in place there is bound to be trouble. And I speak from experience here, as my alltoo-tolerant wife Vicki will attest. But also know the downhill art project is going to be a whole lot of fun. For starters, it takes a passel of grandkids to help build the darn thing. And of course you’ll want to enlist some volunteers to navigate the cardboard contraption down the hill. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t claim to be an expert. But we

Spectators and sled-champion-hopefuls mingle at the hill in Old Orchard Park, waiting for the 2012 event to get underway. This year’s Snow Box Derby features the theme of “Up North,” a focus that will be exemplified by the sled that wins Best of Theme category

have built a winning sled or two. To give you some pointers in your own attempt, let’s share some secrets. The Guide’s sled will be made from the double-thickness cardboard that protects a La-ZBoy chair during shipment. The cardboard used to protect the largest models of chairs unfolds to the whopping 60 inch by 13 foot size noted above. Some folks build their contraptions on a frame of carpet tubes. Not us. We use the carpet tubes as stiffeners, glued to the top of the cardboard with DAP brand Weldwood contact cement. A couple hundred pounds of newsprint, rolls of masking tape in various widths and a couple of gallons of Elmer’s Glue-All cut 50/50 with water, will round out the supplies you’ll need to decorate your sled.

I’ll admit up front, the sleds we build ain’t cheap and our last one nipped our purse for right around $200. It takes the devotion of time as well. If plans aren’t drawn up by mid-December we figure we’re running behind. In our case, too, we call on friends. When the sled approaches the size of the entry door we haul the entire project over to a warehouse in Tawas for final completion and painting. Of course your sled doesn’t need to be an over-the-top downhill monstrosity. You’ll find plenty of award winning sleds that are built in a weekend and usually, for the fastest ones at least, the more sleek and trim the better. Even the simplest of sleds, the ones built by the hands of youngsters, often garner the most attention, especially when

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manned by a solo sleddist or piled high with children and flying pell-mell down the hill at Old Orchard Park. That’s where the majority of fun takes place, on February 9 at the 2014 Snow Box Derby, hosted by the Oscoda-AuSable Chamber of Commerce. Playing this year to the theme of “Up North,” the event attracts several hundred cold-hearty spectators and a whole slew of would-be sledding champions. Come join the fun. You’ll find vendors, music, kid’s games, toboggan races and a roaring bonfire. The Guide’s downhill sledding team will be there. Plans for our sled were drawn up last spring. For more information on the 2014 Snow Box Derby visit www.OscodaChamber.com or find the Snow Box Derby on Facebook at www.Facebook. com/SnowBoxDerby 7

SHOCK By JERRY NUNN editor

CHEBOYGAN – Members of the Cheboygan Shock competitive cheer teams are no strangers to the spirited struggle of opposition. For the past five years they have competed in the regional U.S. National Cheer and Dance Competition and brought home four first place awards. Those excursions have taken the Xtreme, Xplosion, Xcel and High Voltage teams, whose 44 members

range in age from 4 through 18 years old, from the Tip of the Mitt to such far away locales as Virginia Beach and Chicago, Cincinnati, Ohio and Sheboygan Wisconsin. And for each of the past three years at least one Cheboygan team has garnered a first place trophy and the hip-hop team High Voltage ranks second in the nation through the U.S. All Star Federation competitive cheer and dance organization. That a competitive cheer team from Northeast Michigan with no facility, choreographer or tumbling coach of its own, can compete and win in such high-

level competition is simply astounding, according to Judy Drielts, the organization’s founder

and manager. And don’t expect that winning attitude to end anytime soon. When the Sparklers, the Shock’s newest team of special needs cheerleaders took to the gymnasium at Cheboygan’s West Elementary for an exuberant, first-ever practice last month, they learned their routine on the first attempt. “These kids are nothing short of amazing,” Drielts said. “For a team to learn a routine so fast, on their first try really, shows a huge amount of drive.” Drielts credits that enthusiasm to the program’s over arching philosophy. “We focus on the personal positives,” Drielts said. “It’s not about what you can’t do, it’s what you can do that counts. “This is something they can do and they can do it very well,” she said, of the special needs Sparklers. “They want to experience the same things that other kids experience.” For Abby Johnson, 13, a seventh grader at Cheboygan Middle School, the Sparklers provide an outlet for talent that is often hard to find, according to

The Guide • December 2013/January 2014

D 7 m o X h J w her father Jeff Johnson. An enthusiastic fan of the arts, c music and dance, Abby travels from i Tuscarora Township in Indian River to o belong to the Cheboygan Shock. t “If I had to drive further to get her s here, I’d do it,” says Jeff Johnson. “This m is a great way for her to stay active.” s Teams are made up of both boys f and girls from as far away as Mackinaw m City, Onaway and Gaylord, according to m Drielts. r Support for the Cheboygan Shock a comes from all quarters. While all members of the team participate in c fundraisers and mentor younger team f members, the local business community K steps up to assist with benefits and 1 in kind assistance, to help supply m scholarships towards membership, X which can cost as much as $750 per o year. b “The w community wrapsd their arms around these kids,” w Drielts said. “We C get all kinds of t support.” f Perhaps the c biggest supporter m is Judy Drielts. S For five days a week she is at the gym coaching teams. t “Judy is not just a coach,” said s Jessica Baker, Drielts’ daughter and t assistant coach. “When they have t problems at school or home they t know they can talk to her. She gives l them guidance. Sometimes she gives a

them hope when they can’t find it somewhere else.” Drielts says members become like family, a fact reflected in the Cheboygan Shock’s roster. While Abby Johnson’s brother, Dane, 7, is a member of Xplosion, her mom, Jennifer, works as a coach and in Drielts’ own family three offspring serve as members or staff. Close friends and multiple family members are the rule rather than an exception. “We get close and build friendships,” says Kylie Bushman, 16, a four-year member of the Xtreme. “It’s part of the aspect of being a team. We wouldn’t win if we didn’t work so well together.” To emphasis the limits the team works under, the Birch Run Expo Center, 200 miles away, is considered their home venue – the place where friends and family can come watch them compete, said Misty Enos, Bushman’s mother and a member of Cheboygan Shock’s board of directors. Competitions are rigorous, with teams judged on the number of jumps, stunts, pyramids, structures and technical execution. To gain proficiency teams practice as often as three times each week, with the advanced level Xtreme holding tryouts in June and practices year round and many

members work on their routines every day after school, says Xtreme member Anna Rodriguez, 17. Rodriguez and others says there is good reason to polish technique. “There are a lot more opportunities for cheerleaders than there are for other sports,” said Drielts’ son Jeremiah Falkenberg, 18, a past member

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of the Cheboygan Shock who serves as a coach after a shoulder injury. “Competitive cheer is big business. You can get offers from universities. You can get full ride scholarships. “If you stand out from the competition, they are going to come look at you.” And standing out from the competition is one thing the Cheboygan Shock has become quite good at.

Visit the Historic Cheboygan Opera House “Commiied to excellence in entertainment and the arts.”

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Grayling seeks to revitalize downtown with help from Main Street program By DENNIS MANSFIELD Buckland News Service

Local residents and business owners packed the American Legion Hall in Grayling in early October to learn about GRAYLING – Life is full of deadlines, the Main Street program. of make or break moments. Business “I’m blown away by this response,” leaders and local officials in this said Terry Dickinson, president of the Crawford County community may be AuSable Artisan Village and a member facing both. of the committee seeking Main Street Grayling’s application to become status. “It tells me Grayling wants to a “Main Street” community is due in become the jewel of the North, which is early December and officials here our goal.” believe that by joining Main Street, they The October meeting included can spur their downtown economy, presentations by Laura Krizov, manager increase investment, boost business of the Michigan Main Street Center retention, provide Downtown and services tailored Community to Grayling, and Services more. Main Street Division, and is a downtown Patrick Reagan revitalization of Portland, assistance Michigan, Doug Baum, Grayling city manager, answers questions at program director of the the public forum, with Laura Krizov, of the state’s Main Street developed that city’s DDA program, and Patrick Reagan, director of the City of Portland, by state and manager of Michigan’s DDA and manager of their Main Street program. agencies and their Main Street private organizations, operated through program. the Michigan State Housing and The Main Street program has three Development Authority, and designed to levels, including associate, select and create vibrant communities master’s. Grayling is currently in its one-

The Guide • December 2013/January 2014

photo by Dennis Mansfield year associate status, allowing city officials and committee members to learn about the program and how to apply. Communities in the select level must agree to a five-year commitment to work through the process. Master’s Grayling businessman Terry Dickinson, a member of the committee level communities seeking Main Street status, helps rally support for the City of Grayling’s have completed application for the state’s Main Street program at a public forum. their five-year According to Reagan, the program commitment but can helped Portland retain business and still receive some technical guidance, as well as serve as mentors to other lower store front vacancies from 10 communities in the program. percent to about 5 percent. While the Krizov said that state-wide there are program focuses on downtown districts, 23 communities with associate level Reagan said entire communities benefit status, including Grayling, and just six from more vital downtown business at the select level. Another 10 have sectors. completed the program and moved into “This is for the whole community,” he the master’s level. said. “The downtown gets better; your Once approved for the select whole community gets better.” level, Krizov said communities must To obtain Main Street select status, meet various requirements, including communities must submit a letter of employing a full-time Main Street interest by early December. State director, have an active board and officials then pay a visit, with the committee structure, fully fund the communities making a presentation in program for five years through private Lansing. and public partnerships, submit Grayling officials will learn if monthly and annual reports, maintain they were selected sometime in late membership in the National Main Street February 2014. Center and meet state accreditation While the AuSable Artisan Village, standards for the program. an organization that Dickinson founded “You guys are doing something and still heads, serves as the applicant, cool,” said Reagan. “And, it starts right Dickinson says others have stepped now.” forward to support the effort. Reagan, who was also a Main “We have an excellent group of Street director in Iron Mountain, people,” Dickinson said. “You wouldn’t located in Michigan’s U.P., says that be here tonight if it wasn’t for that the manager helps serve as the excellent group of people.” program administrator, facilitator, voice, He said that work on the application cheerleader and a point of contact. is on track to meet the deadline. But he said committee members and “We’re working on our application,” volunteers must also participate to Dickinson told the crowd. “We have to make any Main Street program a have that in by the first Friday in success. December, and we will. We will move it “This is about you guys,” he said. forward.” “It’s much like an Amish barn-raising.”

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Sharing the

b P

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here’s nothing fishy about Iosco County’s Coats for Kids. By selling fish-themed scarves and hats the organization purchased many of the 1,000 coats they’ll give to kids this year.

By JERRY NUNN editor EAST TAWAS – When supplies of good used coats fell into short supply, organizers from Iosco County Coats for Kids started selling home-knit, fishthemed scarves and hats to fund the purchase of brand new coats for area youngsters. While the group will give out around 1,000 new and gently-used coats this year, the market for the one-of-akind knit apparel has grown beyond expectations. “The whole thing has taken on a life of its own,” says Tacy Ramaley, Coats for Kids volunteer in charge of distribution. “People love the hats. Kids love to wear them to school. Dads and grandpas wear them ice fishing. They’ve become very popular.” So popular that Tawas area retailers have a hard time keeping the hats and scarves in stock.

“We sell quite a few of them,” said John O’Connor, a partner in the popular family-owned O’Connor’s in downtown East Tawas. When inventory runs low, Coats for Kids volunteers are quick to restock according to O’Connor. “People actually call us, looking for them. They’re each one unique. No two are the same,” he said. Sales of the hats and scarves snowballed since 2008, when they were introduced to the crowds who attend Perchville USA. That mid-winter festival proved the perfect place to roll out the fish-themed hats. “I couldn’t believe how many we sold,” says June Pursey, president of Coats for Kids who leads a weekly knitting group that concentrates in part of making the hats. And Pursey can’t say how many

The Guide • December 2013/January 2014

6 p c

p P n 7 a t g a S S w f e f w y n g

d she’s made, either. s “I’ve made a lot of those hats,” Pursey admits. “I could knit these hats inO my sleep. a “It’s very worthwhile whether you’re C making the hats or giving away coats. d That’s why I keep knitting them,” Pursey t said. a Hats sell for $20 and scarves for o $15; since the money making program p C

r b w c p d s h

s K d w t

began sales total $9,000, Pursey said. “That pays for at least 600 coats since we rarely pay more than $15 for the coats,” Pursey said. During the week prior to Thanksgiving, Pursey purchased 360 new coats. With around 700 coats distributed already this year and the season’s biggest give-away still a week away, according to Jean Schultz, vice president. Schultz figures the group will provide 1,000 coats for kids before winter ends. Though the group’s focus is to provide warm winter coats for youngsters, a limited number of used coats are given to adults. Most coats are distributed through schools in Hale, Oscoda, Tawas and Whittemore, as well as through Grace Lutheran Church in East Tawas, but others are distributed through organizations in those communities. Considering the assistance provided by other community organizations, countless volunteers pitch in on the effort to keep Iosco County’s kids warm for winter. “It’s amazing, the support we receive,” said Tacy Ramaley. “People buy mittens at the end of the season when they’re on sale. We get contributions of new shoes. We have people in Florida who knit hats. We don’t even know who they are and they send us these beautiful handmade hats.” With so much community need – and so many coats to give away – Coats for Kids volunteers work extra long hours during late autumn and early winter, with meetings, buying and other efforts taking place year-round. “Someone told me years ago, ‘That

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looks like a lot of work.’ And it is a whole lot of work, collecting coats, sorting used ones, buying new ones and distributing coats,” said Jean Schultz. “But when you give these coats to kids and you get smiles and hugs, you get kisses and embraces. And that’s your pay for doing all that work. It’s very rewarding.”

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ith amateur snow carving, outhouse races, sleigh rides, poker walk, chili cook-off, indoor ice skating, euchre tournament, 3-on-3 hockey tournament, ice fishing, games for kdis and adults, Mackinaw City art exhibit, the Audieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restaurant Polar Nights Scholarship Ball, restaurant specials all around town, live entertainment, and more. Cost for most activities is included in the $3 Mackinaw City Winterfest button. Events are spread all around Mackinaw City. Mackinaw City Winterfest will be held snow or no-snow â&#x20AC;&#x201C; some events may be cancelled due to weather.

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Nature Needs Your Help “In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous.”

Developing in conservation

~Aristotle

Make a positive difference for our lands today. Your membership or donation to our stewardship program will help preserve and protect Northeast Michigan’s forests and fields. Visit our website at www.huronpines.org to see how you can contribute. Donations are tax-deductible and are used to help us protect those “Up North” places you love, like  The Au Sable River,  The Lake Huron Coastline,  Pigeon River Country,  Saginaw Bay, and  all the places in between!

4241 Old US 27 South, Suite 2, Gaylord, MI 49735 (989) 448-2293 info@huronpines.org

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development trainings from grant writing to project management, in order to develop the necessary technical, communication and leadership skills to succeed in the field they love. In turn, the AmeriCorps program provides members the opportunity to gain experience in volunteer engagement, habitat restoration, environmental stewardship and development of new conservation services. Members coordinate with partners, recruit

NORTHEAST MICHIGAN – Since its inception in 2007, the Huron Pines AmeriCorps program has placed 75 highly qualified individuals for a term of service with conservation organizations around northern Michigan. The program strengthens our conservation partners and provides new conservation opportunities. We are proud AmeriCorps members Josh Leisen and Claire to offer Michigan’s Wood (pictured left to right) install native only environmental plantings along the Rifle River conservation AmeriCorps program and to have earned recognition as one volunteers and team up with fellow of the most innovative programs in the AmeriCorps members to work on a nation. variety of projects. Huron Pines AmeriCorps members Members gain these experiences with hands-on projects like trail building, attend a variety of professional anchoring trees along streambanks for erosion control and planting rain gardens to better manage stormwater runoff. Our AmeriCorps members have completed numerous natural resource

Conservation Corner

The Guide • December 2013/January 2014

inventories including habitat mapping, invasive species, road/stream crossings and macroinvertebrate sampling. Their results help conservation organizations evaluate how structures like dams and road/ stream crossings impact the health of our waterways and are used in the selection of future restoration projects. Members also coordinate outreach and place-based education projects to connect youth to nature. Members can be found working Huron Pines AmeriCorps members attend watershed restoration training on the Au Sable River. with students in community youth. gardens, teaching their young charges program dedicated to the fields of Several of these AmeriCorps about serving their local community. education, public safety, health care and members were recognized for their Members develop education and environmental protection. The Huron outstanding efforts: Helen-Ann Prince, outreach materials for workshops Pines AmeriCorps program is supported serving at Northeast Michigan Great and conservation expos, as well as in part by the Corporation for National Lakes Stewardship Initiative, was voted presentations in the classroom. They and Community Service, Michigan Michigan’s AmeriCorps Member of lead tours, organize day camps, Community Service Commission, Huron the Month and Joy Leisen, serving at beach and river clean-ups, and assist Pines and contributions from host sites. Huron Pines, took on the lead role in landowners in meeting their ecological For more information contact Huron organizing a September 11 Service and conservation needs. Pines AmeriCorps Coordinator Jennie In 2013, the Huron Project at Patriot Place in Jandron at (989) 448-2293 ext. 30. Gaylord.

AmeriCorps members Brian Lindsay, Mark Janeczko, Justin Burchett and Paul Kogelschatz (pictured left to right) build bird houses for the 9/11 day of service at Patriot Place in Gaylord.

Pines AmeriCorps program placed 15 members from Midland to Manistee and Harbor Springs to Gaylord and Alpena. Together these members served over 20,700 hours, engaged nearly 400 volunteers, restored 60 miles of streambank, treated over 130 acres of invasive species and reached 3,000

AmeriCorps members Sarah Adcock and HelenAnn Prince (pictured left to right)lend a hand in the Alcona Community Garden.

Recently awarded grant funding for another three years, Huron Pines AmeriCorps is excited to continue a legacy of developing leaders in conservation and 2014 will be our biggest year yet! AmeriCorps is a national service

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uron Pines is a nonprofit conservation organization committed to conserving the forests, lakes and streams of Northeast Michigan. To learn more about Huron Pine’s watershed projects, and to find volunteer opportunities where you can help make Northeast Michigan a better place to live, work and enjoy, visit the website at www.HuronPines.org

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Rouse Simmons

Alternate name: The Christmas Ship Type: schooner Rigging: three masts Built: 1868 by Allen, McCelland & Company, Milwaukee Length: 123 feet Lost: November 23, 1912 Cargo: 5,000 Christmas trees Crew: all hands including 7 sailors and 10 lumberjacks Cause: foundered in a gale Location: off Two Rivers, Wisconsin Depth: 172 feet

The Christmas Ship Christmas trees for all

By STEPHANIE GANDULLA special to The Guide When seamen merchants August and Herman Schuenemann sought their fortunes in 1885 Chicago, the city’s harbor was one of the busiest in the world, with 20,000 ships arriving annually. While the brothers found success along the waterway, most of their income came from the Christmas trees they delivered here by ship each December. By 1895 August had established himself well as a Christmas tree merchant. Thus it was with great misfortune that August and his crew of three were lost in November 1898 when their small 75-foot schooner, the S. Thal, loaded with 3,500 Christmas trees, foundered on lower Lake Michigan between Sturgeon Bay and Chicago. Herman continued the family

business sailing further and further north each year seeking better and more affordable trees. In 1910 he acquired land in northern Michigan where he could harvest trees more efficiently, transport them to Chicago, and then sell them directly from the ship’s deck while his daughters worked below making wreaths out of cut greens.

Back then, trees sold for between 50 cents and $1, but Herman, affectionately known as “Captain Santa,” also gave

The Guide • December 2013/January 2014

away many trees to needy families. By 1911, with business booming, Herman invested in the 3-mast schooner Rouse Simmons. Built at Milwaukee in 1868 by Allen, McClelland and Co., the Rouse I Simmons was 123 feet in length and could carry 5,500 Christmas trees. During the Christmas season of 1912, H Herman sailed the Rouse Simmons to S Manistique, Michigan and loaded the o w ship to its maximum capacity. h Bad weather and lots of snow created a shortage of trees in Chicago t and Herman hoped that this late season voyage would be most profitable. With i trees crammed into every possible t corner of the ship, Rouse Simmons headed towards Chicago. Not long into the voyage a terrible storm arose washing two crew members overboard. As the storm worsened, ice began to form on the ship’s rigging and deck load of trees, adding weight to already fully-laden ship. On November 23, 1912, the crew of the Kewaunee Life Saving Station spotted the Rouse Simmons, low in the water with tattered sails, flying its flag at half-mast to signal that it was in distress. While a boat was launched from the life saving station, the devastating storm forced would-be rescuers to turn back and the Christmas Tree Ship, Herman Schuenemann, and his crew of 16 men were all lost. Soon afterwards a message in a bottle from the Rouse Simmons washed ashore near Sheboygan. It read “Friday, everybody goodbye. I guess we are all through. During the night the small boat washed overboard. Leaking bad.

photos courtesy of NOAA, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the Thunder Bay Research Collection

Invald and Steve lost too. God help us.” Following the loss of her husband Herman and the Rouse Simmons, Mrs. Schuenemann continued the tradition of providing the people of Chicago with Christmas trees. In later years, however, she chose to transport the trees by train rather than by ship. The family’s legacy continues today in the form of musicals, operas, and theatrical performances based on the

Schuenemann family story and the loss of a once proud ship. The wreck of the Rouse Simmons was discovered by divers in 1971 in 172 feet of water off Two Rivers, Wisconsin. Many of the Christmas trees are still packed in the ship’s cargo hold. The shipwreck is a popular dive site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

ar from a footnote in history, the legend of The Christmas Ship comes alive each December when the US Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw arrives at Chicago’s Navy Pier, evergreens tied to her rigging and decks laden with Christmas trees for needy families. — Stephanie Gandulla is media and While the Christmas The retired USCGC Mackinaw served as The Christmas outreach coordinator for the Thunder Ship of yesteryear was Ship until it’s replacement by the new Icebreaker Bay National Marine Sanctuary. She can a commercial endeavor, Mackinaw in 2006. The tradition carries on through today. be reached at steph.gandulla@noaa. these days the Christmas Photo courtesy of author Mike Fornes. gov. To learn more about the Thunder Ship is a charitable affair, Bay National Marine Sanctuary go arrival is shrouded in holiday festivity, made possible by individuals and including a fireworks cruise, educational online to www.ThunderBay.NOAA.gov organizations. programs aimed at youth and offJust it was in history, the vessel’s loading of the Christmas trees by youth volunteers. Visit Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary: To learn more about Chicago’s www.Facebook.com/thunderbayshipwrecks Christmas Ship and the legend’s rich history vist online at www.Twitter.com/thunderbaywreck www.ChristmasShip.org

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Is your school a “Green School?” By DANIEL MOFFATT

Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative

NORTHEAST MICHIGAN – Whatever your school’s colors may be, one color that many schools in Northeast Michigan desire to be is “Green.” Michigan Green Schools, a non-profit organization created in 2006, is helping to define what it takes to be a Green School. Officials there have developed a 20-point checklist to encourage school campuses around the state to make a conscious effort towards sustainability in energy and environmental education. Nearly all of us have some connection to a local school. Those within the NE MI GLSI network know that schools in Northeast Michigan are leading the way when it comes to thinking Green, by fostering a growing culture of environmental stewardship among the organization’s many participating schools and their respective communities. Does your school recycle paper, batteries or printer cartridges? Has your school adopted an endangered animal or a local beach? Or maybe your school has instituted an energy savings program where students 20

Students and teachers from Thunder Bay, Inland Lakes and Onaway schools receive Michigan Green School flags after being certified as official Michigan Green Schools.

participate in planned energy savings? Has your school invited an ecological spokesperson or representative from a natural resource agency to speak on local issues? All of these activities earn points that can lead to official certification through Michigan Green Schools. Many schools have already done so – 780 to be precise. The red and white of Onaway Area Community Schools was excited to turn Green in 2011

when it became the first school in Presque Isle County to be awarded Green certification. Because of that school’s solar panels, wind turbine and light bulb exchange program, their newly built greenhouse and a student-led recycling program, the Cardinals earned Evergreen status, the

highest level bestowed only on schools that earn at least 20 points – with at least two points coming from the categories of recycling, energy and environmental protection. For a school to be recognized at Green status takes 10 points and a score of 15 points earns Emerald status. is a wonderfully symbiotic Cheboygan County program to the NE MI GLSI. Both promote sustainability and welcomed the addition resourceful, student-driven approaches for school and community of the color Green to learning across Michigan. the blue and white of –Maureen Stine, Cheboygan-Otsego-Presque Isle Counties MGS Inland Lakes Schools as Coordinator that county’s first school for MGS certification in

Michigan Green Schools

The Guide • December 2013/January 2014

2012. A school nature trail and Many of the vernal pond, an active industrial place-based arts class involved in community education building projects, and studentstewardship built solar ovens allowed the projects that Bulldogs to raise the Green students adopt Schools flag. through NE MI GLSI network – Alpena County was next as both in school Thunder Bay Junior High stayed and in their true to their colors and became community – an official Michigan Green factor into the School. Through partnership certification with the NE MI GLSI, Thunder success of Bay began a project Onaway students working in the school greenhouse. making their (featured in the last schools Green. issue of The Guide) But NE MI GLSI wants the Green that includes a butterfly garden on One reason for the continued School momentum to continue. the school grounds and a largegrowth of official Green School By supporting educators with scale project focusing on managing certifications in Northern Michigan professional development invasive Phragmites and Glossy is the robust network of the Great opportunities and resources in green Buckthorn at their school and in Lakes Stewardship Initiative. GLSI projects, GLSI hopes to facilitate that the community. The junior high encourages teachers to share momentum. And with GLSI’s long list earned the 10-point Green status ideas and inspire each other, while of community and natural resource and students aim to expand those integrating green school practices partners, there can be little doubt we projects and eventually climb the in a way that stimulates student will see Northeast Michigan’s ladder to Evergreen status. learning.

network of Green Schools grow. School officials are invited and encouraged to visit the MGS website at www.MichiganGreenSchools.us to learn more about the qualifications for certification.

roups such as Huron Pines, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and The Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative strive to conserve, preserve and educate. Those are three concepts The Guide proudly supports. If you want to learn more on how to get involved or if your group is interested exploring a beneficial partnership with The Guide please contact Scott at (989) 245-7140.

www.NEMIGLSI.org

Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative The Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative is a regional partnership of schools and community partners working to promote place-based, community-based learning experiences. This network serves to engage youth as partners in protecting our Great Lakes and natural resources of Northeast Michigan through hands-on, feet-wet learning in (and with) the community.

Visit NEMIGLSI online to see projects in action & learn how you can participate www.NEMIGLSI.org

The NE MI GLSI supports: • Place-based education programs with youth: Hands-on, place-based education is a proven method for developing knowledgeable and active stewards of the environment. • Educators and school improvement: Through training and professional development for teachers, NEMI GLSI supports the use of best practices that maximize the effectiveness of PBE. • Strong school-community partnerships: Schools and communities working together producing powerful partnerships that are beneficial to all. Funding in support of the NE MI GLSI provided by Great Lakes Fishery Trust, Community Foundation for NE MI, NOAA B-WET, and Toyota 4-H20, among many other local contributing partners. www.facebook.com/michigan.guide

Help NE MI GLSI support youth development and environmental stewardship in our communities! To donate contact: Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan (877) 354-6881 or

www.cfnem.org

History Repeated Hilltop Bar & Grill

Photos & story

By MARIANNE KUZIMSKI

special to The Guide

M arianne’s hamburger challenge

A burger lover’s search for the best burger in Northeast Michigan

OSCODA – Whisper the name The Mess Burger in this Iosco County town and eyes bug in remembrance, lips smack in anticipation and hands rub eagerly together at the prospect of holding a legend. Thanks to Adam Hume and his history-minded crew at Hilltop Bar and Grill, we can all enjoy Tony Decker’s Mess Burger once again. The Mess Burger, a delectable but hard to eat pile of onions, ham, Swiss and American cheese, balanced precariously on a half-pound burger, topped with Thousand Island dressing and served on a kaiser roll, started decades ago at Tony Deckers Lake View Tavern, a local bar that once stood where county road F-41 cuts off from U.S. 23. Tony Decker’s closed back in the 1980s, but stories of the legendary hamburger’s greatness carry on long after the place shut its doors. In order to fully understand the affection local residents felt for The Mess, it was imperative that I find someone who had personally The Guide • December 2013/January 2014

enjoyed the original burger. Since my aunt, Pat Davis, once lived in Oscoda, I gave her a call. At first, her moan over the phone had me concerned for her health. Finally she replied. “Yes… I have,” Aunt Pat said, her voice rising just above a whisper as she described the experience. “It was very hard to eat,” she recalled, “and you had to be very careful and lean over the table because it was dripping all over the place.” “But it was so good,” she said. I pictured her with eyes closed in ecstasy as she relived every bite. That memories of a hamburger still produce such delight told me that The Mess Burger was indeed something special. Aunt Pat, who now lives in Minnesota, enjoyed her very first Mess Burger as a young newlywed around 1960, and the Hilltop Bar & Grill sat just across the river from the Iosco County home that she still owns. While Tony Decker’s built a

was amazed at how the golden Kaiser roll could stay atop this leaning tower of history. Would it taste every bit as wonderful as Aunt Pat expressed? As promised, it was indeed hard to eat, and once you latched onto it, you wouldn’t want to set it back down legendary burger, Hilltop Bar & Grill for fear of it becoming something of an boasts its own colorful history. abstract across the tabletop. Luckily it According to Hilltop owner, Adam was delivered with a stack of napkins Hume, the tavern was first established that were quickly used to mop up the in 1884 and holds the oldest liquor drips and I am happy to report that license in Northeast Michigan. It was The Mess was indeed worth the trip to considered a trading post during Oscoda for a taste, even if I couldn’t eat Prohibition when, like many Northeast the whole thing. Michigan taverns, the establishment The Hilltop Bar & Grill is located at played frequent host to the rum431 W. Mill Street in Oscoda. From U.S. running Purple 23 turn west on Gang. More River Road at the From the earliest account recently the downtown traffic of hamburgers sold in the Hilltop survived light; from the River U.S. in 1885, to more than 200 Road Scenic numerous arson billion hamburgers consumed Byway, the Hilltop is attempts. annually today, it is no surprise located just east of With a newly that a legendary local burger remodeled the railroad tracks has been resurrected by interior, the bar and before the river. Oscoda’s Hilltop Bar & Grill. reopened in For more May of 2012 information visit with Hume at Hilltop Bar & Grill the helm, and in historic, bootlegging on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ tradition the Hilltop Bar & Grill went to HilltopBarAndGrill or give them a call at great lengths to bring a legend back (989) 739-0344. to Oscoda by remaking Tony Decker’s — Marianne Kuzimski lives in Houghton Mess Burger. According to patrons who Lake with her husband Kurt. Besides have tried this modern day Mess, the a passion for photography, Marianne is Hilltop seems to have hit the jackpot both in hamburger scrumptiousness, as a self-proclaimed foodie who enjoys a well as tugging on the fond memories of good glass of wine and great food of all kinds, not just hamburgers. days gone by. As my own Mess burger was placed before me, I wondered right away how it could stand upright in the basket. The ingredients were piled high, both on top and underneath of a freshly ground beef burger that was grilled to perfection. I

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Old skool

REFURBISHED A group of friends from Rogers City were driven to inspiration and traveled by inspiration to Burning Man festival in Black Rock, Nevada.

more than prepared to begin production. “I always wanted to make a recreational vehicle,” says Pritchard. “Then Jesse said he always wanted to build an RV. “We said, ‘Well, let’s do it then.’” At first the idea to convert a used bus into a luxury motor home was a secondary consideration – a way to save money when the pair and family members undertook the pilgrimage to Burning Man, the increasingly well-known art festival held each year on Black Rock dry lake bed outside Gerlach, Nevada. After searching far and wide, they found a bus they considered convertible to their needs – an 84-passenger flatnosed International diesel from the 2000 model year. “It was pretty solid, but inside it was rustic as you could get,” said Chappa. “We

By JERRY NUNN editor ROGERS CITY – Some artists are driven to inspiration. Others have their own way of doing things. So it is with Jesse Chappa, owner of Chappa Construction, and Tim Pritchard, owner of the Domaci Gallery. The long time friends drove themselves to that artistic state of mind, first by rebuilding a retired school bus, then trekking cross county to the Nevada desert to attend the annual Burning Man art festival. So inspired were they by the bus renovation and the ensuing 2,400 mile sojourn that they’ve formed Old School Custom Bus Works in this Presque Isle County Town. Now, with exactly one bus in an open air show room, they says they’re 24

Rogers City area building contractor Jesse Chappa and Mary and Tim Pritchard, owners of Domaci Gallery, traveled to the Nevada desert to attend Burning Man art festival. They took the trip aboard a refurbished flat-nosed International school bus.

The Guide • December 2013/January 2014

just started gutting it. We had to start somewhere. We approached it just like we were building a house.” Chappa is a builder and Pritchard has experience in small-space construction, so design and interior layout came from Pritchard’s wife, artist Mary Pritchard. “It was a perfect design,” Tim Pritchard says. “I don’t what we could have done different.” Painted silver, with a custom luggage rack on top, the humongous bus is a sight to behold rolling down the road. It’s the inside of the vehicle that offers all the comforts of home – hard wood floors, heat and air, a full kitchen with concrete countertops and a bathroom complete with shower. Construction of the massive house on wheels wrapped up the day the group departed bound for Burning Man. “We drove out there with basically an untested house,” says Chappa. “The plumber literally got done the day we left. And it worked perfectly.” Well, almost. While the living quarters radiate luxury the vehicle’s

drive train was slightly taxed by travel through the mountains and desert. Overheating was a constant worry and a line for the air-brakes did give out. “We were crawling under the bus in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night,” Pritchard said, noting the fix proved easy. “We weren’t on the side of the road for more than an hour.” The trip to Nevada was not the first long haul the bus had gone on. Once used to transport sports teams for Roger City Area Schools, the bus was more recently owned by Lee Gabczynski, who used it twice a year to take a group of friends and NASCAR fans to Michigan

person there,” Chappa said. “But the feeling of being welcome is unmatched. I never saw one angry person. You’re there with thousands of people, all in a good mood, every time you see them they’re happy. That’s pretty amazing.”

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Jesse Chappa with the refurbished school bus that he and his group took to the Burning Man festival in September. Pictured above is the bus as it was when they got it.

International Speedway. Terms of purchase leave the use of the now remodeled bus available to Gabczynski and his crew for their twice-a-year road trip. As for Chappa and Pritchard, the bus more than served it purpose to take them, along with Tim’s wife, Mary Pritchard, and Chappa’s father, Walter Chappa, to Burning Man. And Burning Man – alternately billed as a temporary, self-sustained community and one of the nation’s largest gatherings of artists – is where the Rogers City artists really fed their inspiration. “It was an amazing experience,” says Pritchard, who was attending the

festival for his first time. “It is impossible for me to describe all we saw.” Chappa, who had attended with his father three times in the past, still finds it difficult to readily describe the experience of Burning Man. For starters, those who attend Burning Man

do so as part of a camp, a sort of subculture within the temporary Rock City Community. And everyone who attends must contribute in some way to the self reliant aspect of the festival. In this case, Chappa and his travel mates served as members of the Siberian Electric Company Camp and hosted an overnight vodka party. “You go to appreciate the culture and the climate,” Chappa said. “There is something about the oneness of the community, for lack of a better way to put it. “People are under the influence of everything imaginable. You’re never the weirdest, never the nakedest www.facebook.com/michigan.guide

Sweet scent of Sanctuary • Custom Framing • Custom Maaing • Art Gallery more!

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ALPENA – If you notice the sweet scent of success wafting over downtown Alpena, look no further than Soaps and Such, the place with the unmistakable red and white awning. A newly installed fragrance bar encourages customers to concoct

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perfume, body spray and nail polish that are uniquely their own, then choose their bottle, name the Kelly Bruning, owner of Soaps and Such in Alpena stands at her fragrance bar where customers can develop their own unique potion and design a custom perfume and nail polish. label that identifies the and fragrance as one of a kind. Recipes are developed under the Portugal. “I hold all the copyrights and direction of Kelly Bruning, owner of some of the formulas are patented. Soaps and Such. What began as a hobby became a “The fragrance bar makes it nice,” business for Bruning a year and a half ago, when she opened Soaps and Such Bruning said. “I can interact with my in downtown Alpena’s Center Building. customers and they can develop a In March she moved one block down fragrance that is truly their own.” the street to 210 North 2nd Street, one You won’t look far to find proof of and a half blocks off Chisholm Street. Bruning’s skill at coming up with unique “It started as a hobby and I got more fragrances and products. Racks and and more into it,” shelves are well stocked with all sorts said Bruning. “All of soaps, lotions, my products are body made with natural sprays and ingredients other health and without and beauty chemicals. It’s aids that healthier for Bruning hand people and crafts herself. healthy for their “You skin.” won’t find it With anywhere else wrought iron because I don’t racks, a sell it anywhere chandelier else,” says and baker’s Bruning, noting racks, the she has served The selection of handcrafted, locally made products available at atmosphere customers from Soaps and Such ranges from soap and body lotion to bath salts and other health and beauty aides. and ambiance as far away as of Soaps and China, Poland

The Guide • December 2013/January 2014

Such is fitting to Bruning’s product line, and other functions. That room is which includes body lotions, bubble available to rent for birthdays, showers, bath, revitalizing creams, foot cream girl’s nights, pamper parties and other and more. celebrations, and Bruning does all Products boast such ingredients the work, from sending invitations to as honey, goat’s milk, vitamin E, shea providing refreshments and final cleanbutter, essential oils and more. Even up. her line of nail polish contains natural To learn more about Soaps and materials, with colors derived from Such visit Bruning online at www. natural occurring minerals. Soaps-and-Such.com or call (989) 351Her exclusive Michigan-brand 8856. products carry names like Mackinac Bridge, Mackinac Island and various lighthouses and are appropriately labeled. A portion of the sale of those items goes to the Northern Michigan Woman’s Shoppers at Soaps and Such will enjoy the ambiance in which to shop. In addition Giving Club. to women’s health and beauty aides Soaps and Such carries a growing line of “It is handcrafted products for pets. Also popular are products for men and hunter’s soap. important for me to share my love of Michigan,” says Bruning, a Boston native who moved to Alpena to escape the high cost of big city life. And Bruning also serves her local community with a fragrance line called Sanctuary, an early instance of a local Soaps and Such branding initiative headed by the Alpena 210 N. 2nd Street, Alpena Chamber of Commerce. The branding Community Open House initiative is designed to build on the December 8 from 1 to 4 p.m. identity of the increasingly popular and well known Thunder Bay National A free event featuring product Marine Sanctuary. demonstrations, refreshments, Not all of Bruning’s products are a make-and-take Christmas aimed at women. card project for youngsters and Soaps and Such also carries natural a visit from Santa. products for pets and Bruning, a For info call (989) 351-8856 member of Soap Makers and Cosmetic Guild, recently developed a line of hunter’s soap that masks human scent while attracting deer. Located in the historic former Alpena National Bank building, Bruning maintains space to host private parties

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