Ollie Boynton (second from right) received the Chamber of Commerce's 2009 St. Ignace Ambassador of the Year Award at the annual dinner and awards ceremony Wednesday, May 13, for his years of dedicated service to the community. Mr. Boynton is pictured with (from left) his son, Jim Boynton, daughter Theresa Chase, wife Patty, and city attorney and longtime colleague Prentiss "Moie" Brown Jr. His son and daughter came from Detroit and Grand Rapids, respectively, to surprise him for Wednesday's award presentation. John Oliver "Ollie" Boynton, a 77-year resident of St. Ignace, was awarded the 2009 St. Ignace Ambassador of the Year Award Wednesday, May 13, for his many years of government service, volunteerism, and historic preservation in the community.

The award was presented by his longtime friend, Prentiss "Moie" Brown, Jr. at the annual Chamber of Commerce dinner at Little Bear East Conference Center. Mr. Brown praised Mr. Boynton for his service and his family's contributions through four generations in St. Ignace. He spoke of the Boynton family history in St. Ignace, which began with the Ollie Boynton's great-grandfather, Captain Louis R. "Todd"Boynton, commodore of the Mackinac Transportation Company, which provided the first commercial link across the Straits of Mackinac between Mackinaw City and St. Ignace. Mr. Boynton's grandfather, Oliver Boynton, and his father, Oliver Boynton, Jr., served St. Ignace as pharmacists and optometrists, and Mr. Boynton and his father also served as the town's postmasters from 1933 to 1997.

Lewis Steiner, pictured with his parents, Dean and Laurie Steiner, received the Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Student Citizen Award for his volunteerism in the community for programs including 4-H Super Saturdays, Red Cross canned food drives, and Long Term Care at Mackinac Straits Hospital. A graduating senior, Mr. Steiner received the principal's award at LaSalle High School, among other scholarships and honors, and plans to study electronic engineering at Northern Michigan University in the fall. Ollie Boynton was the postmaster here from 1964 to 1997, served on the St. Ignace city council for about 24 years between 1970 and 2004, and chaired the city charter commission. He also served on the Mackinac County Board of Commissioners.

At right: Ivy Thurston, pictured with her parents, Dave and Marilyn Thurston, received the Chamber of Commerce Ambassador's Scholarship for her exemplary scholastic and extracurricular achievements as well as her volunteer service at the animal shelter, at her church, and elsewhere in the community. Miss Thurston is also LaSalle High School's valedictorian and plans to study medicine at Central Michigan University starting next fall. A member of St. Ignace Kiwanis Club and Michilimackinac Historical Society, Mr. Boynton also assisted with the production of the St. Ignace Public Library's photographic history book last year. He is a member of St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church.

Mr. Boynton said he was both humbled and surprised by the chamber's selection to honor him in this way.

"It's a good feeling to know the community appreciates everything you've done for all those years, though I don't feel like I've done that much," he said.

Crowds line up to "Sample St. Ignace" during the Chamber of Commerce's annual dinner and award ceremony Wednesday, May 13. Alyssa Rickley serves deep-fried whitefish and Caesar salad offered by Mackinac Grille & Varsity Catering. Other local restaurants providing food for the dinner were B.C. Pizza, Bentley's B-n-L Café, Bessie's Homemade Pasties, Driftwood Restaurant, Freshwater Foods, Gateway Lanes & Pub, Glen's Market, Griffin Beverage, Hillside House Restaurant, Horseshoe Bay Restaurant, Mackinac Straits Fish Market, St. Ignace Big Boy, The Galley Restaurant, The Pines Trading Post, and Timmy Lee's Pub. Mayor Paul Grondin, who served as a council member with the honoree, said Mr. Boynton was always a valuable resource to him and was and continues to be an asset to the community.

"He was always there for me," Mr. Grondin said. "He's well deserved of this award, without a doubt."

Mr. Boynton and his wife, Patty, have managed the museum and gift shop at Ste. Anne's Church on Mackinac Island for the past 12 years.

Jim and Eileen Evers pose at Little Bear East after Mrs. Evers won the Chamber of Commerce Community Spirit Award during the chamber's annual dinner Wednesday, May 13. She was presented the award by board member Shirley Sorrels for her dynamic attitude, enthusiasm for the city, and volunteerism. Mr. Brown summed up his presentation of the award by quoting the motto of St. Ignatius Loyola, who lent his name to St. Ignace: "To love and to serve." He said that Ollie Boynton has truly lived up to this motto.

The Boyntons have four grown children, Michael, Theresa, Mary, and Jim.

Eileen Evers Recognized with Community Spirit Award

Eileen Evers, the office manager at the St. Ignace Chamber of Commerce, was presented with the Chamber of Commerce Community Spirit Award Wednesday evening for the volunteer hours she gives and her positive attitude in serving the city.

Board member Shirley Sorrels presented Mrs. Evers with the award, saying her friendly nature, passionate spirit, and enthusiasm for the city of St. Ignace more than earned her the honor.

"She has volunteered countless hours to help those in her community," Mrs. Sorrels said. "Her smile is continuous. She is an absolutely awesome, dynamic person."

Board President Cheryl Schlehuber said Mrs. Evers exemplifies great front desk service with her work at the chamber.

"You are an example for all of our downtown businesses," Mrs. Schlehuber said. "We should all have someone like you at our front desks."

Mrs. Evers was accompanied at Wednesday's dinner by her husband, Jim. She has two sons, Luke and Ben, who are both living in Mount Pleasant.

Students Lewis Steiner,

Ivy Thurston Earn Awards

Two LaSalle High School seniors were recognized by the Chamber of Commerce. Lewis Steiner received the Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Student Citizen Award, and Ivy Thurston received the Chamber of Commerce Ambassador's Scholarship.

Dinner Features Samples

of St. Ignace

About 150 guests attended the "Sample St. Ignace" buffet-style banquet featuring dishes from 16 food and beverage establishments.

Everything from chicken hot wings to spinach lasagna to homemade upside-down cake was available while attendees enjoyed the comedic presentations of emcees Dave Ramsay and Tom Della-Moretta.

The chamber introduced several current projects at dinner, including a charity fundraiser featuring painted outdoor chairs, evening sidewalk sales this summer, and the Bayside Live entertainment series.

In a program called "Tourist in Our Town," introduced last year, businesses are encouraged to provide themselves and their employees with "Tourist in Our Town" cards, which have a checklist of a number of area attractions. Participants must visit all these attractions before June 22 and can then turn the card in to be entered into a drawing to win either an airplane tour or a Mackinac Bridge tower tour.

The idea behind this program is to familiarize residents with all of the surrounding attractions so they may recommend activities to inquiring guests from out of town. Sandy and Danny Zuko. They were supported by Casey Hakola, Emily Winberg, Kati Danaher, and Casey Sherlund, who played Rizzo, Frenchy, Marty, and Jan of "The Pink Ladies," respectively, as well as Eric Kozma, Rex Rohrer, Isaiah Murray, and Andrew Figures, who played Kenickie, Doody, Roger, and Sonny of the "T-Birds."

Other roles included Erin Winberg as Patty, Hope Wittmus as Cha-Cha, Paul Eberts as Eugene, Clayton Meyers as Vince Fontaine, Phil Quinn as Johnny Casino, Rob Preston as Teen Angel, Joanne Roosen as Miss Lynch, and Rick Eberts as Eugene Senior.

All proceeds from the performance were donated to the Fund the Future campaign to cover the school district's projected revenue shortfall of $99,000. Brianna Freel, chair of the campaign, said $1,000 was raised for the campaign at the two performances of "Grease" and at a sock-hop held in the school cafeteria following the opening night performance.

Many children and members of the cast attended the sock-hop following the show. Ice cream and refreshments were served while dancers danced to 1950s music provided by Jason Haske, who also played guitar in the houseband, "Johnny Casino and the Gamblers," in the play.

During opening night of the plan, Beth McConkey of Cedarville won a 2009 Arctic Cat 366 4x4 all terrain vehicle (ATV) in a raffle that also benefited Fund the Future. A second ATV was supposed to be raffled, but not enough tickets were sold to pay for it, Mrs. Freel said. Both ATVs were provided by Cedarville Marine.

More than $50,000 has been raised for the campaign since December, Mrs. Freel said.