Fish Feast, Bridge Celebration Will Honor Town's Heritage
All Class, Community Reunion Also Planned at St. Ignace This Weekend
By Karen Gould

Recognizing the importance of the lakes to the community's residents and economy, and marking the 51st year of the Mackinac Bridge, the Second Annual St. Ignace Fish Feast and Mackinac Bridge Celebration is set for Saturday, July 26, at the St. Ignace Marina. Family events are planned, including children's activities, pond fishing, music, exhibits, a dunk tank, a book signing, and food.

"Our community history is connected to the water, from early voyageurs to the Mackinac Bridge" said Janet Peterson, Chamber of Commerce director, "and that is what this celebration is all about."

Mrs. Peterson also is member of the St. Ignace Special Events Committee, which is organizing the event.

A blessing will be offered at the Fishermen's Memorial near the St. Ignace Marina at 4 p.m., and will signal the beginning of activities. A printed program will be available outlining the events, indicating which are free, and listing prices of paid activities.

Last year, the Fishermen's Memorial was dedicated to those who have lost their lives in the local commercial fishing industry, and now organizers plan to start a new tradition of offering an annual blessing. This year, the blessing will be offered by Darryl Brown, a local Native American pipe carrier and sundancer, who will represent the Native American community. Dressed in ceremonial regalia, Mr. Brown will offer prayers and goodwill. Participants will be invited join in. Tobacco will be handled out and participants can offer silent prayers before placing their tobacco in a container. The tobacco will be burned, said Mr. Brown, and the smoke will release the prayers.

The blessing will be offered by a different religious denomination each year.

Exhibits highlighting the construction of the Mackinac Bridge and the history of local commercial fishing will be displayed inside a ferry. The boat will be docked on the north side of the main marina pier. Touring the exhibits is free. Commercial fishing items will be exhibited and a video about the fishing industry will be shown.

Mackinac Bridge Authority staff will give a demonstration, answer questions, and provide information about the bridge's construction. Maintenance staff will talk about work they perform, sometimes at heights of 250 feet above the Straits. A video about the bridge, "50 Fabulous Years," will be shown and a collection of bridge photographs will be displayed.

Larry Rubin of St. Ignace, the first executive secretary of the Mackinac Bridge Authority, will autograph copies of his bridge book, "Mighty Mac, The Official Picture History of the Mackinac Bridge."

A ceremonial cutting of a birthday cake is set for 6:30 p.m.

Also at the Fish Feast, an underwater archeologist, Captain Luke Clyburn, will talk about the ancient waterfall he and his crew discovered last summer near Mackinac Island. Before the existence of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, a 10,000-year-old waterfall and nowsubmerged river, called the Mackinac Channel, flowed through the Straits. The discovery was made from the training and research vessel The Pride of Michigan.

The tall ship Pride of Baltimore II will be moored at the marina and will offer free deck tours beginning at 11 a.m. Ticketed cruises will be available through the weekend. The 157-foot-long vessel was commissioned in 1988 and is a reproduction of an 1812-era topsail schooner. The ship has visited more than 200 ports in 40 countries in North, South, and Central America, Europe, and Asia. The vessel serves as a Goodwill Ambassador for the State of Maryland and the Port of Baltimore.

Activities for children at the Fish Feast will include a trout fishing pond, where youngsters can practice catch and release or take their fish home. A dunk tank and a bounce house will be set up.

People can make ink impressions of real fish on T-shirts, using the Japanese art form of gyotaku (pronounced geeoh tah-ku). The process dates to the mid-1800s and was used by fishermen to record the size of fish they caught on paper.

A sampling of food specialties from local restaurants, including favorite fish dishes, will be for sale. A beer and wine tent will be set up with DJ music, and the Pub Runners will present a blend of Irish and American music from 6:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m.

The festival will conclude with fireworks shot over Moran Bay at dusk. The display will be visible all along the downtown shoreline and is presented by Kewadin Casinos.

Taking place Sunday, July 27, is the Isabelle Hagen Memorial 5K Walk. Mrs. Hagen was an on-site nurse during the construction of the Mackinac Bridge. Registration is at 7:30 a.m. Sunday at Kiwanis Beach.

Community Reunion Planned

for Friday

Also taking place this weekend is the second St. Ignace reunion, sponsored by the St. Ignace Community Foundation Friday, July 25, with main events to be at Little Bear East Conference Center. The reunion is for all graduating classes of LaSalle High School, including Ursuline Academy, and all present and past community members. The activities will begin with a tour of LaSalle High School on Portage Road beginning at 5:30 p.m., followed by the main gathering at 7 p.m.

The inaugural reunion in 2003 drew more than 900 participants. More than 400 registrations have been taken to date for this year's event. Subsequent reunions are planned every five years.

This year's registration cost is $30 per person and it includes catered light foods and soft drinks. A cash bar is being provided by the St. Ignace Ambassadors. A silent auction will feature local photography and art work, as well as items of local interest, such as sections of the old LaSalle gym floor. All proceeds will be directed to the alumni fund of the St. Ignace Area Community Foundation.