Lilacs are blooming on Mackinac in September! There is a bush in Marquette Park, near the Indian Dormitory, that has flowers of light lavender in bloom, out of season. It is truly the talk of Mackinac.

The glorious warm, sunny days of summer greeted the many visitors who came to enjoy our beautiful Island over the holiday weekend. Sidewalks and streets were crowded and the aroma of delicious fudge filled the air. The weather was perfect for bicycle riding, taking a carriage ride, or walking in the woods. Sailboats lined the waters of the harbor for the annual Labor Day race around the Island. Owing to the calm winds, only Sam Kovalak finished the race. A cookout followed for the happy sailors behind the Mackinac Island Yacht Club.

The annual Labor Day Mackinac Bridge Walk was Monday, September 7. Folks from as far away as California enjoyed this great event. Thousands of people took advantage of the thrill of walking high above the Straits of Mackinac. It was a beautiful day, much to the delight of the participants.

The weather was perfect for the Labor Day Weekend Jazz Concert in the Tea Garden at Grand Hotel. Guests enjoyed the weather, great food, and wonderful music.

Howard and Jane Burdett, residents of Hubbard’s Annex, enjoyed a trip in Minnesota.

Ann Hart has been visiting her family on Mackinac.

A very happy 9th birthday to Nicholas Davis September 12. His grandparents, Joanne and Tom Davis of Springfield, Illinois, and Ike and Elaine Bunker of Mackinac, joined in the festivities.

Sheldon Smith, former chairman of the State Park Commission, and his wife, Sue, of Washington, D.C., enjoyed the Jazz Concert weekend at Grand Hotel.

Happy birthday to Mary K. McIntire September 20. Best wishes from Island friends.

Happy birthday to Blake Ruddle September 14. Hope you had a great day.

Riding around the Island, people see the beautiful garden in Mike Bradley’s yard. He has great pumpkins and lots of tomatoes.

Ted and Linda Haapala of Sault Ste. Marie enjoyed spending Wednesday, September 2, on Mackinac. They sailed to the Island on their yacht. Ted is the president of Soo Motors in Sault Ste. Marie. It was nice to see them on the Island.

Happy anniversary to Tony and Tammy Frazier September 20. Happy birthday to Tammy September 16. Enjoy your day.

The annual picnic at the Mackinac Island cemeteries, with Candy Smith as the hostess, was Monday, September 7. It was a beautiful Mackinac afternoon and a great time was enjoyed by all. Mary Rogers with her granddaughter, Mary, of St. Ignace, Leo Krzeminski and his daughter, Stella, and Jane Simmons and her son, Charlie Gamble, joined their friends from Mackinac for this event.

Dan and Virginia Riordan will celebrate their wedding anniversary September 17. Have a wonderful day.

Paul Wandrie, post commander of the Chapman-St. Onge-Dankowski Post 299 and all the volunteers, especially his two brothers, James Wandrie and William Wandrie, have worked so hard cleaning headstones and the wall around the cemeteries. Since 2008, almost 400 stones have been completed. They’ve done a tremendous job and will continue their work in 2010. Anyone wishing to make a donation to this cause may send it to: Chapman-St. Onge- Dankowski Post 299, Mackinac Island, MI 49757.

There will be a lasagna dinner Tuesday, September 22, at 5 p.m. at Ste. Anne’s Hall. The meal will be prepared by chef Tim Leeper. Come and enjoy a good home-cooked dinner.

Guests of Judy Bynoe over the holiday weekend were the Randy McKay family from Chassell and Peggy Bynoe from Grand Rapids.

The Mackinac Island Public School opened Tuesday, September 8, for the new school year. The school has a marvelous location overlooking the blue waters of the Straits of Mackinac. A great picnic welcomed all the students, which was well attended by many members of the community. The children had a great time playing with new items from Ben Nye’s toy store, swinging on the swings, and playing on the playground equipment.

The Glen Young family, who have spent the summer at their cottage on Benjamin Lane, returned to their home in Petoskey Tuesday, September 8. Glen and Jane are both teachers.

Welcome home to Geraldine Wellington, who has been a patient at Mackinac Straits Hospital Long Term Care facility in St. Ignace. Best wishes to Geraldine from Island friends.

Dr. Robert Spitzer and his wife, Dr. Ann Silverman, have been vacationing with family members at their cottage in Woodbluff.

Bart Huthwaite continues to make a great recovery from his recent bicycle accident. Island friends send best wishes.

Larry LaPine, a patient at the Mackinac Straits Hospital Long Term Care facility in St. Ignace, visited Mackinac Monday, September 7, with his sister, Patty Satterlee, and her husband. Larry worked for many years at the Windermere Hotel, so he came to visit the crew. It was great to see you back on the Island, Larry.

Alice Martin was honored at a delightful luncheon Wednesday, September 2, at the Jockey Club in celebration of her 87th birthday. It was a beautiful afternoon and everyone had a lovely time.

Happy birthday to Veronica Gough September 16. Have a great day.

The Reverend Betsy Mauro and her husband were guests of Ann and Tim Timmons over Labor Day. Betsy was the recipient of a Claxton Scholarship several years ago. At the service at Little Stone Church Sunday, September 6, she explained to the congregation about the scholarship. Friday evening, September 4, at a dinner party, the Benjamins, the Timmons, Alice Myron, and Kitty Hannabass helped the Mauros learn about the late Dr. John Claxton, who was the minister at Little Stone Church for 25 years.

Happy birthday to our good neighbor, Ann Bronfman, September 18. Have a wonderful day.

The weather has been spectacular. The sunrises and sunsets have been unbelievable. The other night, some folks rode around the Island and reported a magnificent sunset to the west, visible behind St. Ignace. It was a large red ball descending in the west. Riding farther around the shore at dusk, they looked up and saw the full moon right over Grand Hotel. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Happy birthday to Mike Doud of St. Ignace September 18. Enjoy your day.

Kitty Schadel and her son, Raymond, left Monday, September 7, for Buffalo, New York. Kitty spent two weeks at her home on Bourisaw Lane.

We have some wildlife sightings to report. Many large owls have been seen, a large egret was spotted on the shore by Mike Bradley’s house, many large snowshoe rabbits are hopping about, and the white swans are swimming gracefully in the Straits of Mackinac.

Happy birthday to Sam Barnwell September 19. Have a great day.

Dick Ruilson spent several days at his home in Pelkie.

Dr. Chris Straus of Chicago spent the holiday weekend with his family on Mackinac.

Dr. Richard Hodgman and family from Kalkaska spent the Labor Day weekend on Mackinac, where Dr. Hodgman was the doctor in residence at the Mackinac Island Medical Center.

What a great surprise to see Jack and Sharon Shaffer of Gwinn, parents of Jeff, who spent the holiday weekend on the Island. It’s wonderful to see them looking so well.

Val and Phil Porter entertained their son, Will, and family over the Labor Day weekend.

Saturday evening, September 5, Commodore Dave Rowe entertained family and friends at the Commodore’s Dinner at the Mackinac Island Yacht Club. A delightful evening was enjoyed by all.

Saturday, September 5, I received a wonderful visit from John Purvis and his family from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. They were spending the holiday weekend on one of their Purvis marine tugs tied up at the coal dock. John has many friends on Mackinac, and is the owner of the former Chief Wawatam. He also restored the old Mackinac Island fire pumper, which is on display at Surrey Hills. He and John Wellington work together on many marine projects. John was also a great friend of my late brother, Patrick W. Chambers, so we had a wonderful visit.

All of us who were students at the Thomas W. Ferry School are pleased to see that the historic old building is being restored. Richard and Jane Manoogian made this restoration possible.

Charlie Puttkammer of Hubbard’s Annex hosted a reunion of his Princeton class at the Windermere Hotel. Folks have traveled from far and near to join in the festivities. The weather was perfect and they all seemed to love Mackinac.

The 25th Annual Antique and Design Fall Festival will be Friday, September 18, through Sunday, September 20, at Grand Hotel. Come and enjoy a great weekend and support the Mackinac Island Public Library Fund at the Mackinac Island Community Foundation.

Enjoy the wonderful weather!