The ice on Moran Bay, where St. Ignace will host the U.P. Pond Hockey Tournament next weekend, will be bustling with activity during the coming week as community volunteers put St. Ignace's premier winter activity together. About 100 people pitch in to prepare for hundreds of hockey teams that will compete here.

The ice will be the scene for the U.P. Pond Hockey tournament Friday, February 19, through Sunday, February 21, and Mark Sposito, an organizer of the fouryear old event, said the event depends heavily on local volunteers.

"They are out there shoveling snow, running the Zamboni, flooding the ice, building the tented area, and hauling snow in," Mr. Sposito said of the volunteers. "It just wouldn't get done without them."

This effort has grown from a handful of people in 2007, the tournament's first year, to more than 100, he said. Workers from the City of St. Ignace, the city's fire department, and local businesses like Huskey Excavating and Belonga Plumbing and Excavating are a big part of the effort, Mr. Sposito said, as are individual volunteers like Ralph Colegrove and Merlin Doran, who have worked on the tournament each year.

"It is not something that just a couple of individuals put together," he said. "It's gotten to be a lot bigger than just one group, and it's turned into a great event."

Mr. Colegrove, who walked out on the ice with Mr. Sposito Friday morning, February 5, to test the thickness, also helps set up the rinks, works on the warming tent, and dismantles the set-up after the tournament is over.

He was asked to help the first year and has been donating his time to the tournament since.

"I have a keen interest in hockey and in doing things for the community," Mr. Colegrove said. "It benefits our community big-time. Just look at how many teams and people it brings into our town. Each year it gets bigger and bigger."

Mr. Colegrove also plays in the tournament each year.

"I was supposed to retire last year, but I got roped into it again this year," he said of taking part in the games. "I enjoy the competition, and being involved in the atmosphere of the whole thing. It's just fun to get together with friends and go out there and skate."

Mr. Doran helps to set up the tent, haul hay bales, make the rinks, and do whatever else is needed for the tournament.

"There are a lot of people who do it. There are a lot of hours spent," he said. "They do it because they want to do it, not because they get paid."

The hockey tournament, he said, is one of many ideas being tested in the community to help business and tourism, the city's biggest economic interest, survive during the winter months.

"It's a community event," Mr. Doran said. "It's a different atmosphere than the other events in town."

As well as giving their time and physical labor, he said volunteers should contribute ideas to improve events like pond hockey.

It's the little things, Mr. Doran said, that keep volunteers coming back by making them feel appreciated. For instance, volunteers have been treated by organizers to soups and sandwiches after a long day of working out on the ice.

"Stuff like that goes a long way to making people feel good about helping out," he said.

Giving back to the community, Mr. Doran said, is something that needs to be encouraged and passed down to the next generation.

"I grew up with my mother and father volunteering," he said. "It's just part of giving back, and it makes you feel good. My kids are already noticing that. It's something I look forward to every year."

Mr. Sposito said anyone interested in volunteering could do a number of different jobs, some as simple as walking out on the ice and picking up any litter they find.

"We like to keep that area completely litter-free," he said. "That's a job that doesn't need to be organized. In fact, we encourage people to walk out there and do that."

Thursday, February 18, through Monday, February 22, he said are the big days they will need extra help flooding the ice, shoveling, and doing various other jobs.

Those interested in helping may call the Mackinac Grille restaurant at 643-7482, the Chamber of Commerce at 643-8717, or the Visitors Bureau at 643-6950.