Staff from The First National Bank, Les Cheneaux branch, went all out for Halloween with a hospital theme. Pictured are (back row, from left) Shelly Otto, Sue Smith (with a plastic model), and Missy DeWick; (bottom row) Joanne Waybrandt (with a dressed up doll), and Pat O'Brien. (Photograph courtesy of Rachael Molino) Deer hunters are arriving with their rifles and other hunting equipment. Traffic going north on the freeways was heavy over the weekend, maybe the last time this year there will be a big run on the grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and bars. We wish them all a good time.

Thanksgiving is also on the horizon and plans are being made for that big day. In our family, we try to divide the cooking so that one person does not have the complete dinner to prepare, but what fun it is to get together on that special day.

Coming too on Thanksgiving weekend, November 25, will be the annual preschool craft show. This is always an interesting and enjoyable occasion with lots of interesting crafts and artwork.

The Les Cheneaux Historical Association's Christmas Open House is on the same day. The Historical Association will again have many Christmas trees on display that will be for sale. These trees will be decorated by individuals and local organizations, and the proceeds to go to the local museums.

Many are excited for the local four-man rock band, Oddfellow, for their showing during the Bodog Battle of the Bands competition a couple of weeks ago. We wish them well for their next performance on Sunday, November 19, at the State Theater in Detroit. They must be very excited, along with everyone in Cedarville and Hessel.

There will be a new art studio with an open house welcome in Hessel Wednesday, November 15. The interesting name of the studio is "Woolderness, An Art Studio all About Ewe." Roxanne Eberts will operate the store, assisted by Moira Wilson. Short workshops will be given on weaving, spinning, tapestry, rug hooking, needle punching, felting, dying, and other fiber arts.

On Wednesday, and also on Saturday, November 18, demonstrations will be conducted in spinning and weaving, along with hands-on activities. This will all take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. This new enterprise will be in the loft at Pickle Point at 138 Pickford Avenue (rear entrance) in Hessel. Russell and Susan Sherlund were the lucky $500 Lions Club lottery winners November 1.

Bruce Patrick's story this week is about the boats of the Arnold Line that came through from Mackinac Island to Les Cheneaux many years ago:

"This is about the Arnold steamer passenger boat. She drew nine feet of water and could not get through the club cut, area channels, and at Hossack's mill docks. So Arnold got a steam dredge to come and deepen the club cut and channel at Hossack's mill. Thus the Mackinac could get through the entire Les Cheneaux channels.

"She dragged bottom coming into the club cut and all of the Les Cheneaux Islands channels. They did not get the big, flat rocks all out of the club cut. Those rocks that were left made an excellent place for small mouth bass to hang around. When the Mackinac would go through, they riled up the water and the fishing guides would go right out, and many of the big pike and muskellunge were caught in this riled water. "The Mackinac made two trips

through the Les Cheneaux Islands per day, landing at the different hotel docks. A person could get on at any dock, go to Mackinac Island, and return the same day. There was not much time to get off at Mackinac, but tourists could ride completely through Les Cheneaux and back the same day.

"The first passenger steamer to be used for this trip was the Mary. She was a side-wheeler and drew less water. The Mary was the steamer that William A. Patrick got his hotel guests who came to stay and fish.

"There were other steamers, the Perry and Elva. All freight and mail came on the Arnold Line boats. That is while the water was open. In winter, no heavy freight got to Les Cheneaux; mail and small packages came by dog sled twice a month in the winter. Sometimes no dog sled got through for days after a big snowstorm!

"Years later, Arnold got a big dredge to deepen all the channels, including the club cut and at Hossack's mill, the channels, and on through to Government Bay."