Gould City
By Marilyn McNeil 477-6925 donmar@lighthouse.net

Summer has finally arrived, and flowers and trees are blooming everywhere.

Summer events are in the planning stages.

Children may be enrolled now for this year's MSU Extension Exploration 4-H Camp. Camp plans include field trips, global education, outdoor recreation, and arts and crafts. For registration, call (906) 341-3688, or stop by the Family Resource Center at 207 South Cedar Street in Manistique, or the MSU Extension office in Room 218 in the Mackinac County Courthouse in St. Ignace.

Applications must be received by Thursday, May 31. Camp size is limited to 15 children per week. Camp times are 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily at a fee of $25 per session. Lunch and a snack will be provided.

There will be a spaghetti dinner Sunday, June 10, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Manistique Moose Lodge 1972. Kids Fishing Day is Saturday, June 9, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Camp 7 Lake Campground. Registration is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the picnic area. This is Michigan's free fishing weekend, a time when all fishing license fees are waived for residents and out-of-state visitors alike.

This fun-filled day is designed for children 16 years of age and younger, who are accompanied by a parent or guardian. The day's events will include a casting contest, raffle, prizes, free food, and two trout ponds for kids ages 12 and younger. Smokey the Bear will be there as well.

All children who register will receive a bag full of fishing goodies donated by fishing tackle manufacturers, and they also will be eligible for a raffle which includes all types of fishing equipment donated by local businesses and civic organizations. The food will be donated by local merchants from Escanaba, Gladstone, and Rapid River. Camp 7 Lake Campground is located eight miles east of Forest Highway 13 on County Road 42. For more information, call Brenda Madden at the Forest Service Office in Manistique at (906) 341-5666, extension 17, or Gary Olson at the Rapid River Forest Service Office at (906) 474- 6442.

There will be an auction at St. Francis de Sales School Saturday, June 9, which will include wine and cheese tasting, hot dogs, and brats, followed by a golf outing at Indian Lake Golf and Country Club. The golf outing will be a four-person scramble (18 holes of golf) Sunday, June 10, with a 2 p.m. shotgun start. Registration is at the club. Cost is $75 per person and includes 18 holes of golf with cart, and coffee and rolls in the morning. A lunch will be available on the course. If unable to make a four-person team, you may register as an individual.

Bay Cliff Health Camp offers a seven-week therapy program for children ages 3 through 17 with physical disabilities and speech and language impairments. If you know of children who may qualify for the camp, contact Karen Schlicher at (906) 345-9314.

The Marquette Scandinavian Midsummer Committee is soliciting contestants for the third annual wife-carrying contest at the Midsummer Festival Saturday, June 23, at Presque Isle Park in Marquette.

This contest is a sport of men carrying women across an obstacle course. It originated in Finland, and is said to be reminiscent of past courting traditions. The course consists of two dry obstacles and one water obstacle. The wife to be carried may be your own, but must be a woman at least 17 years of age. Advance registration is required. Call Ron Hill at (906) 226-7085 by Friday, June 1, to sign up or for more information. Festival events will start with the ceremonial raising of the decorated midsummer pole at 10 a.m. and continue with onstage music and dance programs. The celebration ends with a public dance and the traditional bonfire at dusk.

Schoolcraft County Law Enforcement Day will be at the Schoolcraft County Fair Friday, August 3, from noon to 6 p.m. Segments of the program will highlight safety for children, including stranger danger awareness, fingerprinting, and police equipment demonstrations and exhibits. Monetary donations are needed. Donations will be acknowledged, and businesses recognized as supporters. For more information, contact Kiwanis Club members Darrell Dixson at (906) 573-2644 or Pam Weber at (906) 841-1109.

Happy birthday to Justin Germain and Andrew Reed June 1, and Jeremiah Clark, the band director at Engadine Consolidated Schools, June 2.

Stay safe and stay well. See you next week. Hope you all had a safe and happy Memorial Day this year.