DeTour Area
By Barbara Buschbacher 297-8075 bbann@sault.com

Rene Norton of DeTour (right) coordinates the frozen whitefish toss for DeTour's E.L.F. festival as participants and parents watch the event March 1. (Photograph by Claire Schultz)

Now that our clocks have moved ahead one hour, can spring be far behind? At times we wonder about spring arriving, especially with the zero temperatures we've been experiencing.

It is very doubtful that we will be donning our Easter outfits this year; we will continue to wear our winter apparel.

This weekend will be another busy time as the production of "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," directed by David Rhinard, will be performed by the De- Tour school children.

Performances will be Friday, March 14, and Saturday, March 15, both at 7:30 p.m. The matinee Sunday, March 16, will be at 3 p.m. The cost is $8 for adults and $5 for children.

The children have been working very hard with rehearsals every afternoon. Let us give them our support by attending one, or more, of the performances.

There is nothing like a hearty applause to make the youngsters feel proud of their accomplishments. See you there.

A group of DeTour ladies, including (from left) Sandy Strakis, Sharon Quigley, and Yoshi VanVoorhies, strap on snowshoes to participate in a sunny winter hike through the Birge Preserve in Hessel February 23. The hike was led by Little Traverse Conservancy staff Doug Fuller and Charles Dawley.

Clare Schultz and Diane Karsh did a great job with their photograph coverage of the E.L.F. Festival in DeTour, and some of their photographs were published in The St. Ignace News last week. It was a beautiful day and a great time for young and old.

To bring us up to date on the DeTour Village Council meetings held in January and February, here are excerpts from the January meeting:

The recreation board has set up regular meeting dates for the fourth Monday of each month at 3:30 p.m. in the Village Hall.

With the approval of two new appointments, the Parks and Recreation board will now consist of seven members. Angie Leonard, from the village, and Carol Hiney, from the township, will now join the board.

The Planning Commission, at its regular meeting, comprised a letter to be sent to certain property owners whose property is lacking in maintenance and appearance, to the extent that it detracts from the visual appeal for the Village, as stated in the Master Plan and the Zoning Ordinance.

The Planning Commission recommends that this letter be used, and it should originate from the Village Board or the Zoning Administrator.

After discussion, it was decided that the Zoning Administrator would approach the property owners that are in violation first with his concerns, then it will be brought to the Village Council.

The DeTour Village Council met Tuesday, February 26. Following are excerpts from that meeting:

A new propane furnace for the Village Memorial Hall has been considered for the new budget, with bids having been submitted from two companies in the amounts of $4,200 and $5,543.

The Council approved the bid in the amount of $4,200, with the hope the new system can be installed immediately.

A joint work session of the Village Council and Planning Commission will be held Thursday, March 20, at 7 p.m. in the Village Hall.

The purpose of this session will be to go through the proposal submitted by Mike Pond for the streetscape recommendation, and to set up guidelines for prices of lots and discounts to be offered to first lot purchases in the Business Park. The streetscape recommendation will be placed on the March agenda.

The Village Council meeting will be Monday, March 24, instead of Monday, March 17, as regularly scheduled.

The above excerpts are as recorded by Linda Fisher, Village Clerk. For a complete copy of the minutes, please stop by the Village office.

A thought: Hitting the ceiling isn't the best way to get up in the world.