Steve Gorsuch is the first place winner in the DeTour Salmon Festival. Mr. Gorsuch is holding his winning 20.6-pound king salmon. He is pictured with his fishing buddy, Budzee, who goes fishing with him on every trip. There are 103 fishermen, women, and youngsters out there who have some great stories to tell, if not about the one they caught, then perhaps about the one that got away, at the 23rd Annual Salmon Fest. Winner of the first place $1,200 prize was Steve Gorsuch from Dafter, who along with his dog, Budzee, caught a 20.6-pound king salmon at noon on the last day of the derby. Steve also won another $300 for the third place 17.50- pound fish, while second place and the $600 prize went to Dave Dowell from Battle Creek for his 17.55- pound king. Both men also took $50 prizes per fish for biggest fish of the day.

Another multiple winner this year was Justin Haikka from Kalamazoo, who won in the youth division, took fourth place overall, and had the biggest fish of the day with his 16.70-pound fish. Other youth division winners included Jason Whithorn from Houghton Lake, who took second place and 14th overall with his 12-pound fish, and eight-year-old Leo Dudeck, who boated a 10.30-pound fish to take third and 15th overall. All youth division winners took home a trophy, their choice from an assortment of lures, and a $50 savings bond.

First place winner of the $150 prize in the women’s division was Lynn Bilodeau from Marathon, Ontario, who landed a 13.75-pound fish that was 12th overall. Other winners included Phil Winkle of Drummond Island, fifth and 13th; Terry Breiller of DeTour, sixth place; Dave Horeska of DeTour, seventh place; Gary Dudeck of DeTour, eighth place; Steve Williams of LaGrange, Kentucky, ninth place; Steve Grogh of Drummond Island, 10th place, and Tim Albon of Dafter, 11th place.

According to Gary Dudeck, DeTour Area Chamber of Commerce treasurer and one of the event coordinators, the 103 registrants were higher than expected and only one less than last year. In all, a total of 60 fish were weighed in during the week of the festival, sponsored by the DeTour Area Chamber of Commerce.

Each year the DeTour Boy Scout troop sponsors an all-you-can-eat fish fry as part of the Salmon Fest awards ceremony. This year the fish was wonderful, and the boys in uniform cleared tables, brought more fish around for anyone who needed a refill, and assisted their parents in the kitchen. These young men were out there working for the funds that keep their program going.

Saturday evening, August 15, ended with another concert at the marina. The last one will be Saturday, August 22, at 7 p.m., when the DeTour band will entertain the community and its visitors.

“Chicago” opens Thursday, August 20, to what looks like it may be a nearly sold-out house. There are still a few Thursday tickets available and seats left for the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday performances. Joanne and Al Fountain have modernized the ticket sales procedure for the Council. There is now reserved seating and tickets can be purchased by phone using a credit card. Just call 297-2787, leave a message, and Joanne will call you to take your order. You can also buy tickets in person at the Timberdoodle, and any tickets that are left will be sold at the door Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoon. I’ve been lucky enough to see bits and pieces of the rehearsals for “Chicago,” and it looks great. It’s an adult performance and definitely not suited for elementary school students.

I learned this week that Julie Rucker has stepped down as chairperson for the Friends of the Library Book Fair, which will be October 7 through October 15. Taking her place as chair is Debbie Fountain. Julie is hard at work with Verna Fountain organizing the first Habitat For Humanity Flea Market Fun Day fundraiser Saturday, September 5. Debbie will be squeezing one more event into her busy schedule as she plans the children’s activities and scarecrow building for Happy Apple Days Saturday, September 19. At Happy Apple Day Scarecrow Festival, the DeTour Area Chamber of Commerce voted last Wednesday to sponsor a scarecrow contest. There will be a traveling trophy for the best business entry and a $25 first place, $15 second place, and $10 third place prizes in the individual contest. There will be more information on registering in a week or two as plans are finalized at the DeTour Museum meeting this week.

The museum will host its annual open house Thursday, August 27, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Stop by and enjoy some homemade treats, meet the board members, and learn a little more about the history of our area.