NEWS ABOUT PEOPLE ON MACKINAC ISLAND
BY JEANNETTE DOUD

The sunny days continue to be bright and beautiful as we approach the lilac parade Sunday, June 18, where our visitors will see the trees laden with a magnificent crop of lilacs ranging in colors from white to the deepest purple. The small shrubs planted several years ago by Tim Leeper and members of the International Lilac Society are all in full bloom looking gorgeous. It's a beautiful time of the year on Mackinac.

A parade! A parade! Everyone looks forward to this big day in June, when the famous Lilac Festival drums, bugles, and wonderful colorful floats march from the east end of town at Mission Point Resort to west beyond Windermere Point. It's a tradition started 57 years ago by the late Stella King, registered nurse and dedicated member of our community. She will long be remembered.

Small lilac and apple trees were sold by Miss King to raise money for our medical center and the care and health of our Island folks and visitors. Today, these trees stand tall and stalwart bearing lovely lilacs and apples in her memory. Come and join in the fun as the famous clown band of Scottville entertains the crowd.

The near-full moon has been casting its beams on the Island and Straits of Mackinac each evening, which is truly a spectacular sight. The lake was very calm Monday evening, and many could be seen taking advantage of an evening stroll on the boardwalk.

Larry and Kay Berke of Mackinac Island and De Kalb, Illinois, traveled to Chicago this past weekend for the graduation of their son-in-law, Matthew Thornton, with his master's degree from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. Leading the graduates into the Harper Quadrangle for the graduation ceremony was Dr. Lorna Straus, who is a professor at the university and serves as university marshall. Matt and his wife, Kendra Berke Thornton, just recently welcomed their first child, Declan Berke Thornton, born April 14, 2006. Declan will be baptized on Mackinac Island in July at Ste. Anne's, where his mother and father were married four years ago.

Clara Chambers will celebrate her second birthday June 18. Happy birthday to her big brother, Richard, June 19. I'm sure that there will be lots of festivities at the Gatehouse at Stonecliffe.

We send special greetings to our friend, Jack Purvis, of Purvis Marine of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, who had the misfortune of slipping and breaking his hip. Jack is a frequent visitor to the Island and over the years has made many friends. Hope that this finds you feeling much better.

Doug and Sandy Hackbarth of Fort Wayne, Indiana, will be making their annual trip to Mackinac Island on Father's Day. Doug and Sandy own a florist, greenhouse, and nursery operation, where the peak of their season is winding down and they look forward to relaxing on the Island, as they've done for more than 30 years. They're guests of the Windermere Hotel.

Monday, June 12, Captain Bob Gallagher, master of one of the most beautiful ships on the Great Lakes, the American Spirit, was westbound. He blew me a salute as he passed by Windermere Point. Captain Gallagher has many friends in St. Ignace, including Mike Doud and Louie Leveille. Special thanks to Captain Gallagher and his crew, and we will wave our white towel when we see you coming. We love to watch the ship pass through the Straits of Mackinac.

We have the extreme pleasure of welcoming dear friends Max, Carol, and Cindy Clifton of Muncie, Indiana, to the Windermere. They're thoroughly enjoying Mackinac at lilac time.

Wednesday, June 14, was Flag Day, and Old Glory was flying proudly all over the Island.

Monday, June 12, Jane, Trisha, Kathleen, and Maureen Bacon of Petoskey flew to China to join their friend, Mrs. Bob Gale, for a week.

This past week I had the pleasure of enjoying a great carriage ride with Willie and Charlie, the beautiful hackney team of Mike and Wendy Young, with my longtime friend, Buck Sharrow, who is the driver. I've known Buck since he first came to the Island in 1957. Buck is an excellent horseman, and Willie and Charlie listen to his commands. He took me in front of Grand Hotel and all the beautiful gardens. It's a breathtaking sight and a wonderful view. We continued on in front of the West Bluff cottages with their lush green lawns and gardens which are so picturesque as were the home in Hubbard's Annex. Next we drove through the wooded areas, where the clumps of lady slippers and an abundance of wildflowers were covering the ground. On our way to Fort Mackinac and the East Bluff, I marveled at the magnificent view. Down Mission Hill to Mission Point Resort, where flowers in a rainbow of colors have been planted for the summer season. We ended at the Windermere Hotel. Buck continued on to the boat dock to meet his wife, Alice, who was arriving for a visit. A special thanks to Buck and Wendy and Mike Young for a wonderful afternoon.

Captain John Wellington and his two daughters visited the Island Sunday, June 11 to help his brother, George, celebrate his 70th birthday.

We have some very sad news to report. The 19-yearold son of Sherry and Keith Howie of Ann Arbor died in a tragic accident Sunday, June 11. Sherry is a nurse at the University of Michigan Hospital and is the daughter of Kay Francis Barnes of Mackinac. Deepest sympathy to the family from Island friends.

Don't forget to attend the reception Saturday, June 17, at the Mackinac Island Public School multipurpose room, honoring retiring superintendent of schools, Jack Dehring. The reception will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. All are invited. Best wishes to Jack for a wonderful retirement.

Brother Jim Boynton arrived on Mackinac Wednesday, June 14, to spend several weeks helping Father Rey Garcia at Ste. Anne's.

On a cold winter day, it's always a great pleasure to glance out our window, only to see the great red cutter Mackinaw winding its way through the ice-shrouded Straits of Mackinac. Saturday, June 10, at her mooring in Cheboygan, the wonderful ship was decommissioned as more than 2,500 friends stood sadly remembering better days. The Mackinaw will be greatly missed, but we shall still be able to see her as she will be relocated to Mackinaw City.

Happy wedding anniversary June 21 to Mel and Gene Hagenbaugh. Enjoy your day.

We just learned that Nancy Keogh had the misfortune of breaking her ankle behind Fort Mackinac Tuesday evening. We send best wishes for a very speedy recovery.

Very special birthday greetings June 28 to our dear friend, Mary Jane Neuman, who visits the Island every year and has made many friends on Mackinac. Mary Jane and her husband, Bob, will not be able to come at their usual time this year, but we hope to see them later in the summer. Have a great day, Mary Jane. We miss you.

Frank and Agnes Wood of De Pere, Wisconsin, hosted family and friends at Grand Hotel this past weekend. The parents of a large family, they were surrounded by grandchildren. The McGraths, longtime friends from Minnesota, joined the festivities. Frank is a native of St. Ignace, who was employed with his good friend, the late Otto Lang, as a ticket seller during his college years. Many trips to Alford's ice cream parlor soon started a summer romance. It was here that he met his future wife, Agnes. Following their marriage, Frank became a very successful businessman in Green Bay and other Wisconsin cities, owning several newspapers. Frank and Agnes visit the Island often.

Candi Dunnigan of Grass Lake brought her son, James, to Mackinac Monday, June 12. James will spend a week at Bogan Lane Inn with Trish and Alice Martin.

Chris Bloswick of St. Ignace is visiting family members on Mackinac. Nice to see you, Chris. Chris was born and reared on Mackinac.

The four baby robins in their nest on the Windermere Hotel fire escape wait patiently each day for mama and papa robin to bring their daily food. Mother Nature is great.

Suzanne Munger of West Carrollton, Ohio, is the guest of Rosie Charnes for two weeks. It's wonderful to have Rosie back at the Windermere on the front desk.

Our deepest sympathy to the David Bergsma and George Lombard families of Brighton and Traverse City over the death of their beloved husband, father, and brother. David Bergsma, a retired sergeant of the Michigan State Police, recently passed away at his home in Brighton. David and his sister, Lorma Jean Lombard, were both born at Fort Mackinac, where their father was a teamster for the governor when my husband, Robert, was superintendent of the state park. He and his sister were frequent visitors to the Island and had many friends here.

My nephew, Pat Chambers, of Muskegon, a professional photographer, visited his brother and sister-in-law, Ed and Nona, over the weekend. He took many pictures of the Island at lilac time.

Around midnight Monday, June 12, the Mackinac Island Fire Department was called to the Inn on Mackinac for a fire alarm. The dedicated members of our volunteer fire department responded immediately. Fortunately, there was no fire and the problem was quickly brought under control.

Welcome home to her lovely West Bluff cottage with its beautiful view of the Straits of Mackinac summer cottager, Dottie Sharer, from Bloomfield Hills. Now you can enjoy your bridge games and dinners at the Yacht Club.

Lois Largo is comfortably settled in her cottage in Hubbard's Annex, coming from her winter home in Ann Arbor. Nice to see you again.

Warmest and best wishes to Marsha Kleber of Woodbluff, who is making a good recovery after surgery at Northern Michigan Hospital in Petoskey. Her husband, Chuk, was hospitalized on Monday for a heart problem. We understand that they will be returning to Mackinac this week. Island friends send special greetings.

We recently had a visit from Marta Peterson Olson, who was returning from a visit with her mother, Marian, who is a patient at Boulder Park Rehabilitation Facility in Charlevoix. She continues to make good steady progress. Island friends send special greetings.

Richard Bolander of Mackinac is the person taking care of the hanging baskets this year. The baskets are so colorful and are just beautiful. Visitors stop and admire them each day. We're missing Joe Porcaro from Sault Ste. Marie, father of Jay, who is the owner of Weber's Floral, who gave dedicated care to the baskets for many years and is now retired. We see Richard every other day watering all the baskets and giving them tender care.

Greetings to Pat Leveille of St. Ignace, who is recuperating well at her home following a badly broken wrist while she was on a trip in Europe. Pat is the mother of Kevin, who makes the gardens at the Windermere so beautiful.

Lois Griffin, mother of Jennifer Karhoff of Findlay, Ohio, will celebrate her birthday June 23. Special greetings from your many friends on Mackinac.

Welcome home to summer cottagers of Woodbluff, Joan Barch of Lansing and Lorraine and Bob O'Keefe of Oak Brook, Illinois. Nice to see you back on Mackinac.

Dennis Bradley Jr. of New York will celebrate his birthday June 20. We look forward to seeing you on Mackinac this summer.

Dianne Neyer of Metivier Inn is busy getting her gardens all planted in various shades of pink.

Happy birthday to Robert McGreevy June 21. Have a great day.

Dr. Kathy Rellinger of Bon Secour Hospital in Grosse Pointe has been the doctor in residence over the past weekend at the Mackinac Island Medical Center in the absence of Dr. Don Weersing.

Happy birthday to Miranda McMahon June 18. Have a great day. Will Porter, son of Val and Phil, who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, will celebrate his birthday June 19. Special birthday greetings from Mackinac.

Mary Kate McGreevy would love to hear from her many friends on Mackinac. She has a new address: Manistee Medical Care Medical Facility, Room 110, 1505 East Parkdale, Manistee, MI 49660. Please drop her a card. Mary Kate was organist and vocalist at Ste. Anne's for years.

Julye McGreevy visited the Island Wednesday, June 7. She brought a Japanese exchange student from Frankenmuth to see Mackinac. She enjoyed lunch at Astor Street Cafe, where she was joined by Tyler Finkel, who spent a year in Japan. Her daughter, Jeannine, will be returning from a year in Japan Sunday, July 2. It's always nice to hear from Julye.

Mona Carley, mother of Mike, will celebrate her birthday June 19. Have a wonderful day.

Happy to have Janey Hart, mother of Mike, back home on Mackinac. Janey loves sailing and is bringing her boat to dock at the Island this summer. Great to see you, Janey.

Jim and Michele Reitman of Stonecliffe Manor 3 and Shelby Township have some extremely happy news. Their daughter, Laura, will marry Mr. Aaron Bobinsky Friday, June 23. The ceremony will be at Little Stone Church, with the reception at Mission Point. Aaron is the son of Rhea Davis of Evanston, Illinois, and Tim and Marcella Bobinsky of Washington, New Hampshire. Laura and Aaron met on the Island when they were children, as Aaron and his family would visit his aunt and uncle, Marc and Camille Bobinsky, and family. They both worked many summers on the Island, and have a deep appreciation of this beautiful place. They reside in Indianapolis, Indiana, where they're both currently employed. Aaron is the Wellness Director at the historical downtown YMCA and working towards his master's degree. Laura is teaching 6th grade English and is planning on attending law school in the near future. We wish this most deserving young couple the very best.

See you at the lilac parade Sunday, June 18.