By Lois Movalson 292-5581

One would think with all this heat, the mosquitoes and black flies would dry up and leave us alone, but it must be the humidity that keeps them coming. So I continue to spray with the bug stuff. Thank goodness it smells better than in years past.

Bob Flora is finally home after knee surgery and rehabilitation in Ann Arbor. Bob has been staying with his daughter, Ann, and her husband, John Ryan, of Tecumseh. Bob’s twin grandsons, Nick and Dustin McGranahan of Iowa, drove Bob’s car and their own car up last week. Bob and the boys went to Sault Ste. Marie to eat at Bob’s favorite Italian restaurant. Dustin and Nick left Sunday after making sure the cupboards and refrigerator were stocked with provisions. Bob is still using his walker, but gets out the trusty old cane and walks around the house and deck. Bob likes a little bit of company once in awhile, but maybe you should give him a call before going over to see him.

Dave and I, along with many others, drove to Rexton to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of Buster and Pauline Peters. Their daughters and sons-in-law, Helen and Theron King, Peggy and Harold Benoit, and Kathy and Brent Nygard, were the hosts of this momentous event in the lives of Buster and Pauline. A buffet of many various and delicious foods was served, all homemade by the daughters. Theron had gone out the morning of the party and raised the net and prepared the whitefish for the party. You knew it was fresh, because the fish curled while it cooked. Theron deep-fried the fish in a deep-fry turkey cooker and it was excellent. I understand there was entertainment later in the day and early evening. It was a great time. Dave and I saw many people we had not seen in ages such as Jim Carriage, Marge Wegar, and Meade and Joyce Hart. Congratulations to a fine couple, “Bus” and Pauline.

Visitors to the VanSickle family cabin on Ozark Road are Loyd VanSickle and Laverle Nixon.

The biggest excitement that Pega Kennedy had to share was the fact that the Trading Places van went through on US-2 Wednesday. Trading Places is one of Pega’s favorite television shows and can be seen on TV 7 & 4.

Happy anniversary to Larry and Sharron Lasley June 13.

Happy birthday to Sharron Lasley June 18.

There was a Sunday get-together at the home of Eric and Maralee Barthelemy on Church Road. The occasion was to honor Robbie Gustafson, his wife, Jennifer, and children, Kayley, Ryan, and Gavin. Robbie is on leave for 10 days before he ships out to Iraq. We pray for Robbie’s safe return. Mike, Lara, Morgan, and Kristi Gustafson stopped by during the day to see Robbie and his family. Jimmy Gustafson was there and, of course, mom and dad, Jody and Mike Gustafson. Dogs present were DooDoo and PeeWee Barthelemy and Jade, Robbie’s chocolate lab. Mike and Jody’s English mastiff, Sarge, a.k.a. Poopy, wasn’t there. He would probably knock poor, tiny PeeWee for a loop. A friendly tap, naturally. A campfire was roaring and a tent was erected for the guests’ pleasure. Eric treated the kids to a ride in the woods.

Happy 40th anniversary to Mike and Jody Gustafson this week.

Jim Dyer participated in the American Legion parade in Sault Ste. Marie Saturday, June 11.

Paula and Ernie Gustafson were in residence at their cottage, north of Brevort this past weekend. Tom and Joyce Gustafson, along with Ernie and Paula, dined at the Rock Bottom in Moran Saturday evening and enjoyed breakfast at the Whitetail in Brevort Sunday morning.

Joyce and Tom Gustafson spent three weeks at their vacation home in Virginia and then traveled to Saratoga Springs, New York, to visit their daughter and son-in-law, April Lynn and Steve Campbell and their daughters, Sarah, Ashley, and Danielle. Sarah is the captain of the hockey team, a national champion team. She attended hockey camp this summer and came home feelin ill. She is on the mend now. Ashley told Grandma she has no time for boyfriends, as she is so involved in track. She is the captain of her team. Danielle is attending the university in Albany, majoring in education. The girls are growing up fast. Sarah will be 13 in June; Ashley will be 17 in July and has been running track since the 7th grade; and Danielle will be 21 in February and she does have a boyfriend.

Mike, Melanie, and Matt Jorgensen spent the weekend with Mike’s parents, Owen and Barb Jorgensen. Mark and Melissa stayed home to take care of the recent family member, the horse.

Lee Quigley had a very busy weekend in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. She attended ceremonies honoring the branches of military service, Army, Navy, and Air Corp, especially the Young Cadets. They practice every week with marching, drills, and rifle demonstrations. Among the bands, all excellent, was the Canadian Legion Band, which was exceptionally good. The Church of Canada celebrated its 80th anniversary. The event was hosted by St. Andrews Church and all area churches had representation at the ceremony.

Kathy Reid and Bob Jarzynska, a.k.a. Polock Bob, as he is known by everyone, were shoppers in Sault Ste. Marie Monday. Bob was out planting the last of his garden, when a small black bear wandered over from behind the First Edition Book Store. He went on his way into the woods and hasn’t been heard of since.

Dave observed moose tracks on the beach this week. They were not fresh tracks, but were easily identified as moose tracks. There have been other sightings of moose throughout the area. What a great photograph in The St. Ignace News last week.

Gary Revord and Jimica Diamond have planted their garden and by the last report, the tomatoes are looking very good. Jimica hopes for a bumper crop and assured me that Dave and I would be recipients of the garden’s bounty. Can’t wait.

Denny and Jackie Rippett have been busy this month attending graduation ceremonies of their grandchildren. Every weekend they make a trip downstate. It will be soon be over and they can relax at their Lake Michigan condominium and watch the lakes and the birds.

Pat Lebutzki is visiting her cousin in Toledo, Ohio, this week. Pat is a seasoned traveler, having been in the antique business for many years and traveling throughout the country, searching for that great and unusual antique.

Folks we met at the “Bottom” in Moran were Mary Carney, Warren Cunningham, and Jim Bartlett and Steve Bartlett of North Carolina. Jim and Steve are antique dealers traveling countrywide in search of antiques. They will be selling their cabin on Worth Road, next to Mary Carney’s home, as they aren’t going to be as active in the business anymore. We will miss them around here.

Lee Foster has been camping at Craig Lake, west of Marquette. David Welch and Betty Browing were also part of the group. This is a “hike in-cabin site” on a nice lake and hiking trails. On Friday, Lee is in Bliss helping a friend relocate beehives. Tom Reed is a beekeeper, but Lee dressed up in the protective coverings as he was a stranger to the bees and they may get uneasy.

Tucker Shepard has mastered riding the two-wheeler without the aid of training wheels. Way to go, Tucker. He’s four years old, you know.

Jack and Thora Shepard flew out to Las Vegas to visit Paul and Tammy Shepard. They did a little gambling, saw the show “Legends,” and toured the area outside the strip. They met up with John Stearns and his fiancée, Michelle, for dinner one night. They drove to California for a couple of days to visit Tammy’s family. They toured the cherry orchards of San Bernardino, went to Laguna Beach, and did some high-end shopping at Palm Springs. They observed thousands of windmills in the valleys as they traveled. The group traveled secondary roads most of the way as they’re the most sonic. They went through ghost towns, saw the Joshua Trees, and crossed the alkali flats. It was a great road trip and Paul and Tammy get an A-plus as tour guides. Since they’ve been home, they’ve been busy planting the garden, etc. They did attend the 50th anniversary party for Buster and Pauline Peters Saturday, June 11, as did Mike, Helena, Tucker, Tessa, and Tabitha Shepard.

The summer event of the year is coming up Sunday, June 19, in Brevort at Trinity Lutheran Church. Please gather in the church yard at 3 p.m. to tie leaves and help decorate the pole. We will raise the pole after a short program and then participate in the always hearty potluck supper at about 5 p.m. or thereabouts. You know how we are. Everyone is invited. The congregation strives to keep this tradition alive, but we need participation and please, you don’t need to be an Aolander or a Swede. Just come and mingle, converse, and enjoy.

See you Sunday.

DeTour Area By Barbara Buschbacher

297-8075 bbann@sault.com

All of the rain we have been experiencing of late makes the grass grow inches every day, which means the lawnmower is in use more often than usual. The flowers are looking beautiful and healthy, and thanks to the rains, we do not have to water so often.

The performance of last weekend, “The Cemetery Club” under the very professional direction of David Rhinard, was one of the best shows here in the Village. The actors did a superb job with their parts. Compliments to Dawn Hamelink, a newcomer to DeTour performances; to Olive Warner, who has acted in various roles on stage in the DeTour productions; to Sandy Wytiaz, who has been a part in different aspects of DeTour productions; to Murray Fountain, who has been active in DeTour’s local theater for the last several years; and to Susie Rhinard, who has appeared in various civic theater groups in the area and downstate as well.

Those involved include the E.U.P. Fine Arts Council members, Sandra Kraai, producer, businesses and individuals for advertising in the playbill, and also all the volunteers that put much effort, creative talents, and enthusiasm into this production. The stage setting and costumes were nothing less than perfect. If you were unable to attend any of the three performances, you missed a great show. All who attended said it was definitely a “four star.”

Father’s Day is this Sunday, June 19. The weather forecast for the weekend is sunny and pleasant. A great time to go on a cruise up the St. Marys River and through the Soo Locks, which includes lunch, snacks, tour narration, cash bar, and prizes. This is the eighth annual cruise sponsored by the DeTour Reef Light Preservation Society. The trip will be aboard a 65-foot double decker cruise boat. The boat will leave the DeTour Village Dock at 10:25 a.m. and return will be made via chartered bus from Sault Ste. Marie at 6:30 p.m. For tickets, call (906) 297-6051 or (906) 493-6609. The cost is $90 per person (children age 5 and under are free).

The following Sunday, June 26, the DeTour Area Community Choir will perform “Variety Fair,” pop and patriotic songs at 3 p.m. at DeTour Sacred Heart Catholic Church. This performance is directed by Jean Bloom, accompanied by Pat Kemp.

A performance will also be at Drummond Island Lutheran Church Tuesday, June 21, at 7:30 p.m. Both performances are sponsored by the E.U.P. Fine Arts Council. As we all know, the choir does a fine job in bringing us great entertainment.

The Raber Senior Citizens will hold their annual card party and potluck Saturday, June 18, at the Raber Township Hall on M-48. Registration will be at 1:45 p.m. Cribbage, poker, euchre and rummy games start at 2:30 p.m. The games will be played until 5 p.m., at which time everyone will turn in their cards, win or lose. The potluck dinner will start at 5 p.m. Prizes will be awarded after dinner. The cost is $1 for club members and $2 for non-members. What a fun way to spend an evening.

It was a sad time for the Village upon hearing of the death of long time resident Janice Woods, who passed away June 9, 2005. Janice is survived by husband Ray; three sons, Wayne, Lewis, and Allen; a daughter, Cindy; their respective families; and her brothers and sisters.

A memorial service, officiated by Pastor Judith L. Arnold, was held at the DeTour Union Presbyterian Church Saturday, June 11. Janice will definitely be missed by all who knew her. Deepest sympathy to the Woods family.

A thought: Thoughtfulness is to friendship what sunshine is to garden.