St. Ignace News

Mackinac Island To Contract Transportation Study; Pricetag Not To Exceed $75,000

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:00:57 +0000

By Matt Mikus

The City of Mackinac Island has found an accounting firm to conduct a study of ferry transportation and audit the three ferryboat companies. The approval of the firm Plante Moran of Southfield at the council meeting Wednesday, May 2, will begin the study that many members of the Mackinac Island City Council believe will set the basis for discussions of ferry franchises for 2013.

Downtown Development Authority Rents Ice Cream Shop

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:00:59 +0000

By Mary Petrides

The Downtown Development Authority-owned building, which used to host Ginger’s Ice Cream, has been rented to house another ice cream shop, director Deb Evashevski reported to her board Friday, May 11.

County Commission Pay Reported For April

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:00:59 +0000

For April, pay for the five Mackinac County commissioners totaled $4,841.15.

Cyclists Heading To Straits Area

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:00:59 +0000

More than 3,000 visitors will come to Mackinaw City by bicycle Saturday, May 19, and Sunday, May 20, for the 23rd annual Zoo-de- Mackinac bike ride. They will take ferries from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island.

St. Ignace Historical Society Acquires Trove of Papers From Fred Litzner Estate

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:04 +0000

By Mary Petrides

A wedding dress and shoes, an old Brownie uniform, thank-you notes, placemats decorated by children, stereoscope slides, genealogy notes, Christmas cards, postcards, journals, drawings, and maps covered the floor, shelves, and tables of the meeting room at Fort de Buade Museum. They had belonged to Fred Litzner.

What Families Should Know About Saving Historical Artifacts

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:04 +0000

Len Coombs, acquisition archivist at Bentley Historical Museum in Ann Arbor, said if families have any inkling that a loved one may have left behind historically important documents or artifacts, they should call local museums, historical societies, libraries, or archives and talk through what they found to see if historians are interested.

Registration Underway For CCSS Sports Program

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:04 +0000

Registration is underway for sports programs through the Consolidated Community School Services in Cedarville.

Recreational T-ball for boys and girls who are entering kindergarten to age 6. Games will be played at the Cedarville schools, and the fee is $12.

Fiber Optic Work In St. Ignace To Be Complete In June

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:04 +0000

By Aebra Coe

High-speed wireless Internet availability will be expanded throughout the Upper Peninsula this spring and summer as a nonprofit company lays down new, fiber-optic infrastructure. Work in St. Ignace, which began in 2010, is projected to be complete by the end of June.

Pickford Farmers Market Hosts Canning Swap

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:05 +0000

The Pickford Farmers Market is hosting a Canning Equipment Swap Meet at the Pickford Arts and Learning Center, formerly Amish Heirlooms, on Main Street in Pickford, Saturday, May 19, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission fee at the door is a donation to Friends of Pickford Library.

Authentic B-17 ‘Yankee Lady’ To Visit Pellston Airport

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:05 +0000

The “Yankee Lady,” the Yankee Air Museum’s restored World War II B- 17, will visit Pellston Regional Airport during the grand opening for the airport’s new facility for rescue and snow removal equipment, which is Saturday, June 9. The “Yankee Lady” will be on site Friday, June 8, through Sunday, June 10.

Downtown Ice Cream Shop Changes Hands

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:08 +0000

Molly Moo’s Ice Cream will open Friday, June 15, at the former Ginger’s Ice Cream building in St. Ignace, near the Chamber of Commerce.

Light Crew Plans To Finish By Holiday

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:10 +0000

Six Will Be Honored in Hospital Ceremony

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:10 +0000

Prentiss M. Brown, Jr., Ron Mitchell, and Bruce Dodson, all of St. Ignace, the late Lawrence Rubin, the late P.J. Della-Moretta, and Senator Debbie Stabenow will be recognized for their contributions to the Mackinac Straits Health System with a brief ceremony Thursday, May 31, at 11 a.m. in the hospital lobby. The public is welcome to attend.

Court Reports

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:10 +0000

The following dispositions are from 92nd District Court in St. Ignace May 9, Judge Beth Gibson presiding. Arresting agencies are in parentheses. The court does not distinguish between jail time to be served immediately and jail sentences that are suspended.

Lions Club Raises $2,300 At Annual Auction

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:12 +0000

Linda Wilkins of St. Ignace won the sapphire ring at the Lions Club Auction Saturday, May 12. Craig Therrian was the winning bidder on the handmade gun cabinet, and Nona Fraleigh of St. Ignace won $122 in the 50-50 raffle. Charlie Fowler was the auctioneer, assisted by Russ Nixon.

Solution Nearing For Dock 3 Waste Odors, Therrian Says

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:13 +0000

Residents and Dock 3 park patrons who have experienced odors from Mackinac Island trash left on the dock should find relief soon, said St. Ignace City Manager Les Therrian. He called a meeting with representatives from Waste Management, Mackinac Island, and Arnold Transit Company, which carries the trash from the Island to the dock, last week.

Island City Council To Decide About Allowing Show Horses

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:13 +0000

Whether a group of worldrenowned show horses will be allowed to visit Mackinac Island to perform at the Festival of the Horse this August may come down to the Mackinac Island City Council decision, expected at the council meeting Tuesday, May 15.

The Mackinac Horsemen’s Association, which hosts the Festival of the Horse, planned to provide an arena for the Tempel Lipizzans,

Schnell Offers Social Media Seminar

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:13 +0000

Kelsey Schnell, public relations and marketing officer of the Mackinac State Historic Parks, will offer a free seminar about Internet marketing strategies Tuesday, May 22, at the Mackinaw Area Public Library in Mackinaw City. The seminar will start at 9:15 a.m. and last about an hour and 45 minutes.

Wind Whispers of Mackinac Kite Shop Blows Into Town

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:14 +0000

By Mary Petrides

The wind inspired Kathryn Mizzi, a counselor with almost no retail experience, to open a store in St. Ignace. Wind Whispers of Mackinac opened Friday, May 11, at 408 North State Street, where Ms. Mizzi sells “all things wind” – wind socks, wind chimes, sun catchers, butterfly wings, and kites. Much of her merchandise is locally made.

Cedarville Band To Debut ‘29 Bells’

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:15 +0000

The Cedarville High School band will partner with the Marquette Senior High School Band Monday, May 21, at 7 p.m. to debut a new composition entitled “Twenty-nine Bells.” The musical piece written by Eastern University School of Music professor Willard Zirk will be one among several played.

Commencement Dates Announced

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:17 +0000

School commencement ceremonies scheduled in the next two weeks are listed below:

DeTour Area Schools commencement will be Saturday, May 19, at 2 p.m.

Moran Township’s Gros Cap School eighth grade graduation will be Tuesday, May 22, at 2 p.m.

LaSalle High School commencement ceremony is Friday, May 25, at 8 p.m.

Forest Service Challenges Residents To Help Name New St. Ignace Trail

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:19 +0000

The St. Ignace Ranger District of the U.S. Forest Service is accepting suggestions for names for the new trail just west of St. Ignace. The trail system will include three loops for hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing. One of them will be handicap accessible and with interpretive signs.

DNR Seeking Information On Wolf Poaching

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:28 +0000

A wolf poaching case in Mackinac County is under investigation by the Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A dead wolf was found the last week of April near the west side of Engadine was found to have died from a gunshot wound.

St. Ignace Library Extends Hours For Summer

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:28 +0000

The St. Ignace Public Library has extended its hours for the summer, beginning the day after Memorial Day, Tuesday, May 29.

Summer hours will add 15 hours for the week. The library will open at 9 a.m. six days a week and close at 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday and at 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.

Sea Lamprey Control Planned For Local Streams

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:28 +0000

Lampricides will be applied to Black and Brevort rivers and Davenport creek in Mackinac County to kill sea lamprey larvae burrowed in the stream bottom, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, on or about Tuesday, May 22, through Thursday, May 31, in accordance with state permits. Application will be complete in about six days.

Dental Office Will Gather Information for Marrow Donors

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:29 +0000

The office of dentist Mark Mercer in St. Ignace will be among dental offices this month collecting bone marrow donor information through the end of May. The effort is part of a large bone marrow registration drive underway in the state.

ER Reopens

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:29 +0000

The emergency department at the former Cheboygan Memorial Hospital reopened Monday, May 14, at 7 a.m. Outpatient emergency medical services are now available at the facility, now a satellite campus of McLaren Northern Michigan.

Eclipse Program Planned Sunday at Dark Sky Park

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:37 +0000

The Headlands International Dark Sky Park in Mackinaw City will host a discussion of “Understanding Eclipses” Sunday, May 20, at 7 p.m. at the Beach House. It is free and open to the public.

Planisek’s Book Details History of McGulpin Point

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:39 +0000

By Aebra Coe

Mackinaw City resident Sandra Planisek’s newest book, “McGulpin Point Historic Site,” fills more than 50 pages with stories and photographs of the history of the buildings and people at the site at the end of West Central Avenue.

Opening Act: Arts and Learning Center Enters First Year

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:39 +0000

By Josh Perttunen

Successfully opening the Pickford Community Library more than a year and a half ago has inspired the Friends of the Pickford Community Library to create a new Pickford Arts and Learning Center. The center will serve as a community forum that can host art and music classes, theatrical productions, dance classes, community events, informational meetings, and other activities.

Garden Club To Host Plant Sale May 26

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:46 +0000

The Perennial Garden Club will host its annual plant sale Saturday, May 26, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Salvation Army parking lot in Cheboygan. Selections will include perennials, ground covers, wildflowers, house plants, stepping stones, and gardening books.

Mackinaw City Spring Band Concert Performs To Packed Gymnasium

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:02:17 +0000

The high school gymnasium bleachers were filled with spectators and when there was no more room, some stood to listen to the music when nearly all of the Mackinaw City Schools student body gathered to perform in the spring band concert Thursday, May 10.

“I thought most everything went really well. The kids did a great job,” said school Music Director Eric Klose.

Youngsters Show Off Photography Expertise at Concert Exhibition

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:02:21 +0000

The annual Mackinaw City schools band concert Thursday, May 10, featured instrumental and vocal performances by kindergarten through 12th grade students. A new addition to the show this year was an exhibit of photographs students in the third grade class took under the instruction of Greg Teysen.