Live Historical Tour in the Works at St. Ignace
Volunteers Needed for Boardwalk Strolls
By Ryan Schlehuber

The St. Ignace Visitors Bureau's special events committee is hoping to use two of the community's best qualities - its shoreline boardwalk and its history - to entice tourists to spend more time in St. Ignace this summer by creating an interactive walking tour.

A history booklet walking tour that uses the boardwalk was established last year by the Michilimackinac Historical Society, however, Mark Sposito, chairman of the committee, envisions a program where visitors of all ages can not only read about St. Ignace's history as they walk, but listen and be entertained by a storyteller speaking about the folklore, hauntings, and interesting historical characters of St. Ignace.

Enticing the younger generation to experience the tour is a goal of the committee.

"Kids don't usually want to go on a historical tour unless it has some mystery to it, like ghost stories," said Mr. Sposito, who is trying to gather St. Ignace stories that involve such mystery.

Mr. Sposito has the plans of how the tour will work, when it will be available, and has started collecting local stories.

What the program still needs is one to three storytellers who are interested in walking and talking with a group. They would be requested to learn a brief script, however, storytellers can add their own knowledge and flair to the tour.

"We're looking for people who can spend about an hour and a half to talk with groups about our history and have fun doing it," Mr. Sposito said. "Guides can be dressed up as an historic character, whether it is a captain of the Chief Wawatam or a depiction of a Native American."

Tour guides would be paid and the Visitors Bureau is gathering costumes for the tour. The tour guide position would be great for retirees or for someone looking for a part-time job, Mr. Sposito said.

The $5 per person tour charge will defray costs of the costumes.

Tours would begin at the St. Ignace Museum of Ojibwe Culture, where the boardwalk begins on the north side of downtown St. Ignace, follow the boardwalk through town to its end at Chief Wawatam Park, and wind back around to the museum. Tours will be offered at 7:30 p.m.

While the committee plans to hold eight tours this summer, it is hoped that the program will eventually attract enough people to offer a tour each day of the week.

The special events committee will begin offering tours in July.

To become a tour guide, or for more information, call Mr. Sposito at 643-7482 or Janet Peterson of the St. Ignace Chamber of Commerce at 643-8717.

The committee meets at 4 p.m. every first Thursday of the month at Mackinac Grille Restaurant.