Doris Bradley and Otto Suggitt are the new owners of the Clyde’s restaurant in Kinross.

When I asked how they came up with the name, Doris replied, “because Clyde Van Dusen makes the best burgers.” Clyde Van Dusen, formerly of St. Ignace, opened his first Clyde’s restaurant in Sault Ste. Marie with only $50 in 1949. The next month, he paid $75, he said, and then $150 the next month, and the place was his. That opportunity led him to open five Clyde’s restaurants in the area. They are in St. Ignace, Rudyard, Kinross, Manistique, and Sault Ste. Marie.

Clyde comes in to the restaurant once and a while to make sure that every restaurant is making the burgers exactly the same way, and that is how Doris and Otto like it. The new Clyde’s in Kinross opened July 13.

“The community has opened their arms up to us, and we are greatly appreciative,” says Otto. “Clyde gave us a chance, and a chance is all we wanted to show that we want to be here to serve the community.”

Pictured (from left) are Otto Suggitt, Doris Bradley, and Clyde Van Dusen at the new Clyde’s Restaurant in Kinross. The Kinross restaurant is the only Clyde’s that has delivery, and the only one that will be open year around, they report. The Clyde’s restaurant in Rudyard, which Doris opened in 2000, will be closing at the end of the month.

Kathy Gaylor, Rudyard Township trustee, said once again that wind power was a topic of a recent Planning Commission meeting in our town. Two representatives from Half Moon were here to answer concerned citizens’ questions about the possibility of having windmills in our area. A few of the questions that were answered were as follows: the test results are better than they had expected, they are looking at a corridor on both sides of I-75, possibly with 60 to 80 windmills. The project will bring in hundreds of jobs and money into the community during construction and an estimated 10 jobs will be created full time. Approximately $330,000 annually will be paid into the community between personal property taxes and rent payments to the land owners.

Just 30 miles south, in Mackinaw City, two large windmills are operating. Kathy encourages anyone who wants to engage in an open debate, to visit the site themselves. Sharon Thompson, our township supervisor, and Kathy talked with City Manager Jeff Lawson, drove to the site and walked to the base of the windmills. A planning commission meeting was August 25 to discuss further options about wind power.

I have learned our community was originally named "Pine River," however, because there was already another town in Michigan with that name, it was changed in 1890 to Rudyard. The name was suggested by Fred Underwood, an executive with the Soo Line Railroad, because of his great admiration for Rudyard Kipling.

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