Residents enjoy a horse and wagon ride during the Village Christmas festivities Saturday, December 5, in DeTour. Village Christmas was a huge success this year. The weather could have been better, but the snow made the perfect background for this old-fashioned setting. Many people got into the spirit of the day by dressing in period attire, and everyone enjoyed the atmosphere. Breakfast with Santa had a recordbreaking 40 children who took turns sitting on Santa’s knee. The horse trolley was busy all day transporting participants to all locations. George Leonard cooked his delicious pancakes and sausage for the benefit of the museum Sunday, December 6.

Saturday, December 5, was a busy day for all. In addition to the Village Christmas activities, many people had the opportunity to attend the annual Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Children’s Christmas Party at the Village Hall in the afternoon.

George Leonard flips pancakes for more than 100 people at the pancake breakfast for the DeTour Passage Historical Museum Sunday, December 7. Winners in the DeTour Passage Historical Museum Quilt Raffle were Dorothy Puedelko, first-place winner of the quilt by the DeTour quilt group. Nelda Vaught was the second-place winner of the table runner by Verna Fountain, and Janet Barbeaux was the third-place winner of the memorabilia basket from the museum. Bridget Heuer won the cookie jar from the Pilot House, and Carol Davis won the dinner in a basket from the Timberdoodle in the Field Trip Café’s drawing at the school. Debbie Fountain won the 50/50 drawing at the pancake breakfast Sunday, December 6.

The second annual village cookie exchange and potluck, hosted by Cindy Dudeck and Tacy Koivisto, will be Saturday, December 12, at 11:30 a.m. at the Village Hall. Everyone is invited to bring their favorite cookies (the suggested amount is six dozen), and then take home an equal amount. The potluck following the exchange is sure to provide good food and lots of fun. For more information, call (906) 297-3015.

Grant Fountain enjoys the annual DeTour Museum Breakfast with Santa Saturday, December 5, at Fisher’s Restaurant. The annual elementary school holiday program has been changed to Wednesday, December 9, at 6:30 p.m. The schedule for the Drummond Island School program remains Wednesday, December 16, at 6:30 p.m.

The DeTour elementary student council is sponsoring a toy drive and a hat and mitten collection. If you would like to donate and help the students make Christmas brighter for some of our local children, you can bring your donation to the Christmas program.

A few weeks ago in this column the proposed purchase of new computers for the DeTour elementary building was reported. At that time the parents’ group had set aside money for 10 new computers, but funds to purchase seven more were needed. With donations, grants, and the efforts of Carole Hiney and Rose Firack, all 17 computers are now in place and the New Directions Learning Lab is now open. This new program will have invitation-only sessions for nine students Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The low number per session will ensure one-on-one time for each student with a support person. Parents are also invited to visit the lab during their child’s session. Computers will be available for use by parents so they may work with their child. Students will receive assistance with homework, corrections, or enrichment. They may also access the Compass Learning program, which offers self-guided tutorials on a variety of academic topics.

The Raider Varsity Club also has a new fundraising project. They will sell Raider logo cards for $1 at businesses on Drummond Island and DeTour Village. The logo cards have a space to write your name and you may display them in your automobile or home, or leave them to show your support at the business.

The DeTour Area Schools Board of Education will meet Monday, December 14, at 6 p.m. at Drummond Island Elementary School.