Blue Collar Festival kicks off the summer in Mio

from Up North Voice - July 2023

by Up North Voice

Summer is finally here

By Alicia Noragon

bungee jumping, bounce houses, and facepainting.

The adults were not forgotten while they enjoyed the cornhole tournament, car show, lumberjack contest, and the live music in the evening.

Kirtland Garden Club’s Garden Tour set for July 22

ROSCOMMON COUNTY- Rain or shine, this year’s annual event is a self-guided tour of 8 gardens that will span from a home on the Ausable River in Roscommon, to locations near Higgins and Houghton Lakes. The event will be held Sat. July 22 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Each year, homeowners with beautiful, interesting, unique gardens are invited by the Kirtland Garden Club selection team to be showcased on the tour. The Tour includes a lot of variety to provide everyone with something to inspire and enjoy.

Homeowners spend countless hours, and presumably years, establishing their gardens. All hope their gardens will survive the challenges of the brief Northern Michigan growing season, sandy soil, and hungry wildlife. Every garden is a personal expression of creativity, and it is a privilege to be invited to walk the properties and speak with the gardeners themselves in many cases.

Proceeds from this tour go back to the community in the form of local scholarships and various garden and wildlife related projects. Learn more at www.kirtlandgardenclub.org.

Tickets will be available for $10 per person beginning July 1, at the following locations:

Clare:

Clarabella Flowers

Grayling: Tip’n the Mitten, White Pine & Petals

Houghton Lake: Bart’s Fruit Market, R & J’s Best Choice Marketplace

Roscommon: Roscommon Floral/ Growing up Greenhouse, White Pine & Petals, and the Roscommon Art Festival at the Kirtland Garden Club Tent on July 8.

Dad's Sharp Outfitters celebrates grand opening

HIGGINS LAKE – Dad’s Sharp Outfitters held its grand opening June 17.

A full-service bicycle repair shop, Dad’s Sharp Outfitters carries Jamis Bicycles, Higgins Lake Memorabilia, Oboz Shoes, Scott Running Shoes, Darn Tuff Socks, Grand Trunk Hammocks and Gecko Backpacks, among many other items. Outfitters is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Sunday and is closed on Tuesday.

What do you call a snow man on the Fourth of July? A puddle.

I won't let my kids turn on the stove but swinging a flaming hot fire-stick sparkler over their head on the Fourth of July, that's fine.

Before you marry someone, find out if their family drinks mimosas or runs 5ks on holiday mornings.

For information call 989-8210280 or visit dadsharpsoutfitters.com. They can also be found on Facebook and Instagram.

July 4th public service announcement: On one hand fireworks are a lot of fun. On the other hand, I only have 2 fingers.

The 4th of July is the day that Americans celebrate their freedom by sitting trapped in traffic jams for hours.

What did one flag say to another flag?

Nothing- he just waved!

I just asked my dad what his favorite part about being a teacher is. He responded with June, July, and August.

The Fourth of July weekend was approaching, and Miss Pelham, the nursery schoolteacher, took the opportunity to tell her class about patriotism. 'We live in a great country,' she announced. 'One of the things we should be happy is that, in this country, we are all free.'

Trevor, who was a little boy in her class, came walking up to her from the back of the room. He stood with his hands on his hips and said loudly, 'I'm not free. I'm four.'