NEWS ABOUT PEOPLE ON MACKINAC ISLAND
BY JEANNETTE DOUD

Summer is the season of affirmation, the time to appreciate all the wonderful gifts that Mother Nature has given to us to enjoy, the beautiful warm sunshine and azure blue of the sky. Each day, many tourists, eager to see our lovely Island, cross over on the ferries just to have a bicycle ride around the shore, where many wildflowers can be seen in full bloom the Queen Anne's lace, daisies, Indian paint brushes, and wild strawberries and raspberries. There are those who take a ride in a buggy with fringe on top to hear the driver give them the history of the Island. The weather has been ideal, helping to promote business and to share our Island in all of its natural beauty in summertime.

Great wonderful news! Monday afternoon, August 7, I received a call from my good friend, Matt Pizzadaz, from his home in Traverse City to alert friends and neighbors that the wonderful ore carrier, Edward L. Ryerson, which had been in indefinite lay-up, was going to be east bound through the Straits of Mackinac between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. This makes her the one and only U.S. straight decker working on freshwater. Virginia McIntyre Riordan, an avid boat watcher, kept her binoculars in hand, and around 9 p.m. she could see a light west of the Mackinac Bridge. Soon, a delegation of Islanders and Matt's mother, Chris Tuckett, of the Les Cheneaux Islands, joined the onlookers on the boardwalk. As the mighty ship grew closer, the group moved to Windermere Point and everyone waved to greet the Edward L. Ryerson. Just as she passed the new lighthouse under a full moon, the captain gave a hearty salute. It was a perfect Mackinac evening, with stars dancing in the sky. It was wonderful to be able to view the Edward L. Ryerson in full service once again. It's just one of the gifts of living on our historic and world-renowned Mackinac Island. Special thanks to Matt and to everyone who welcomed the mighty ship back to the Great Lakes.

Island summer resident Peggy Bynoe performed Sunday, August 6, at Ste. Anne's Church. She played piano selections from the Baroque through the contemporary era. Sunday's concert was the fifth of seven in the Summer Concert Series sponsored by the Mackinac Island Community Foundation.

Passing by the home of the late Agnes Shine on Market Street, I think how proud she would be to see a pretty flower garden in the front yard, planted by her great-nephew, Andrew McGreevy.

Town Crier intern Leslie Rott is celebrating her 21st birthday Friday, August 11, at a dinner with family and friends at Horn's Gaslight Bar. Best wishes from all your Island friends.

David, Jennifer, and Lucas Karhoff of Findlay, Ohio, arrived Monday afternoon for a twoweek stay at their cottage on Bourisaw Lane. They attended the dinner for Adam Kiracofe Monday evening and are excited to be on Mackinac for the horse show. Nice to have you back on the Island.

Happy 39th wedding anniversary August 11 to Bill and Lois Lenaghan. Bill is Chief of Police and Lois works part-time at Alford's Drug Store. Hope your day is special.

Monday evening, Urvana Morse organized a fundraising dinner for Adam Kiracofe, who is recovering from a recent surgery in Wisconsin. The Kiracofe family owns the Island Scrimshander shop in the Chippewa Hotel. The dinner was a wonderful success. Friends were meeting friends as they placed their bids on silent auction items, enjoyed a delicious spaghetti dinner with wonderful desserts, and waited for the 50/50 raffle to be announced. This event certainly showed the true Mackinac spirit.

Happy birthday to Lin Sheppard August 9. Have a great day.

Trooper Rich Bell and his wife and friends visited the Island Sunday. He was stationed on Mackinac for two years with the Michigan State Police.

Bob Hughey of St. Ignace was on Mackinac on Monday visiting his many friends. He was very impressed with the Veterans Memorial and the beauty of the Island. Bob and his family operated the famous Little Bob's Restaurant for many years, and many people on the Island miss his buffets. Nice to see you again.

Happy birthday to Pollyanna Smith August 15. I'm sure you will get something special. Enjoy your day.

Jack and Dorothy Dehring will be celebrating their wedding anniversary August 17. Jack just retired as superintendent of Mackinac Island Public School, and Dorothy is retired from the city treasurer's position. Their son, Jack, is a teacher in Evanston, Illinois, and daughter, Sarah, recently moved to Yuma, Arizona, where she will also have a teaching position. Have a great day.

Nice to see Lorraine and Bob O'Keefe of Oak Brook, Illinois, back on Mackinac enjoying their lovely cottage in Woodbluff.

Anna Mary and Gary Cusack brought Anna Mary's mother, Helga Doud, home on Friday and spent the weekend enjoying the wonderful cool weather on the Island.

While playing golf at Grand Hotel, you will see a magnificent blue heron. He seems to return each year to the same area. He is a beautiful bird.

Melinda Porter will celebrate her birthday August 15. Enjoy your day.

We send greetings to Marsha Kleber, who is recovering from major surgery at her lovely home in Woodbluff. Marsha, we look forward to seeing you out and about soon.

Jackie and Dennis Bradley have been entertaining their nine grandchildren. They all enjoyed a hayride and many other fun activities. The children come from New York, Kentucky, and Michigan. They all had a wonderful time. Happy birthday August 16 to Jackie's mother, Almeda Bodwin, of Manton.

It's nice to see that so many houses are displaying their house numbers. They look very nice.

Happy birthday to Lulabelle D'Arce August 21 and to her son, Bobby Green Jr., August 17. Have a great day.

Larry and Nancy Keogh are enjoying their lovely cottage, "Crosstrees," on the East Bluff. They will celebrate their wedding anniversary August 19. Island friends send best wishes.

The Guns and Hoses softball game pitting Mackinac Island Fire Department against Mackinac Island Police Department will be held Sunday evening, August 13, at 6 p.m. at Great Turtle Park. This event benefits the Mark Gallagher Scholarship Fund. Come and join in the fun.

Happy birthday to Geraldine Wellington August 19. Enjoy your day.

What a sight! Wednesday morning, I received a call from Dr. Bill Chambers informing me that Captain John Wellington was going to be passing through Round Island Passage aboard the freighter Roger Blough around 1 p.m. The Roger Blough, which was loaded with taconite, lost its rudder in the St. Marys River. Captain Wellington is very involved in this type of emergency. Since the Blough was loaded, they had to have the 1,000-footer, Edgar B. Speer, tie alongside of the Blough and tow her all the way to Gary, Indiana, where the Blough will unload. For boat watchers, it was absolutely fascinating when you saw these two huge freighters tied together, moving very slowly through the Straits, with the tug, Mary Page Hannah, following close behind. Joe and Rosemary Kompsi went out in their boat to watch this special operation. Captain John Wellington came out of the pilothouse and waved to them. Friends gathered on the shore and waved as the Blough and Speer passed by and the captains gave a hearty salute. After the Blough is unloaded in Gary, Indiana, she will return to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, for repairs.

Please mark your calendar for the Mackinac Island Medical Center auction Sunday, August 27, at Grand Hotel. Any donations would be greatly appreciated and may be dropped off at the medical center.

Guests of Virginia and Dan Riordan at their cottage on Market Street are Virginia's nephew and wife, Raymond and Terry Groseclose of Asheboro, North Carolina. They've come to take their son, Jordan, back to his college in Raleigh, North Carolina. Jordan has been on the Island since June, where he was employed by Star Line. Raymond is the son of Eileen McIntyre Groseclose and the late Dr. Jim Groseclose of Randleman, North Carolina.

Rick Marshall and his crew of St. Ignace are working at the Cable Cottage, doing repairs after the recent fire.

Emma Chambers hosted a 20th birthday party Tuesday, August 2, at the Chambers Gatehouse at Stonecliffe honoring her friend, Roxanne Pettit. Roxanne will be a junior at Grand Valley State University in the fall.

Happy 48th wedding anniversary to Annette and Bob Gillespie August 15. Have a great day.

We're very pleased that Carmen Golden of Monroe is back at the Island Scrimshander shop in the Chippewa Hotel. Carmen loves the Island, and we're happy to see her again.

It's nice to see Mimi and Pierce Cunningham back on Mackinac enjoying their cottage on Lakeshore Drive.

Marsha Orr will celebrate her birthday August 19. Hope your day is special.

We give a warm welcome to the new Mackinac Island Public School Superintendent Roger Schrock and his wife, Linda.

Congratulations to Dave and Joanna Armour on the birth of their son, Michael Stuart Armour, Saturday, June 10, at 11:10 a.m. Michael weighed six pounds, 13 ounces, and measured 19 inches in length at birth. He has two big brothers at home, Davey and Keith. Proud grandparents are Dr. Dave and Grace Armour. Best wishes from Island friends.

Sunday afternoon, August 6, the Mackinac Island Community Foundation Community Arts Committee presented a very beautiful concert at Ste. Anne's Church, featuring Peggy Bynoe, the youngest daughter of Judy Bynoe and the late Bob Bynoe. Peggy played a piano concert with selections from Chopin, Bach, Beethoven, and other leading composers. She ended her program with "Somewhere in Time," which was magnificent. At the end of the concert, Peggy was presented with yellow roses from her nieces and nephews, Katilyn, McKenna, Dawson, and Riley McKay. Peggy grew up on Mackinac, and she plays each Sunday at Ste. Anne's for the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. masses.

Island friends send best wishes to Dr. Chris LaTocha of Mackinaw City, who is a patient at the University of Chicago Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.

In last week's column, I mistakenly said that Katilyn McKay had a birthday August 8 with her aunt, Peggy Bynoe. It was McKenna McKay. Sorry for the mixup.

The Mackinac Island Bible Church had a cute puppet show on Windermere Point Monday, August 7, which was enjoyed by everyone. On Tuesday, the children were invited on a trip to the Sleeping Bear Dunes for camping and rafting.

Guests of Alice and Buck Sharrow over the weekend were their son, Ron, and daughter, McKayla, from Charlevoix. Rest assured that Grandma and Grandpa Sharrow had a great time, especially giving them a ride in the surrey with the fringe on top. Riding in the rumble seat of the carriage was Ron's black retriever, "Max." Thanks for the ride to church on Sunday.

A loaf of homemade cinnamon bread was found on our door Tuesday morning. Guess what! We just knew that Grace Armour and Dr. Dave were on Mackinac as this delicious bread is a specialty of Grace's. Welcome back to Mackinac.

I was pleasantly surprised last week to have a visit from Father Ted Brodeur, pastor of St. Mary's Pro Cathedral in Sault Ste. Marie, who was on Mackinac visiting his brother, Dennis. We reminisced about old times on the Island and stopped by The Gate House for lunch, where Father Ted was fascinated by the old photographs. Father Ted and Brother Jim Boynton played music in the Mustang Lounge each night, which drew

a large crowd. Father Ted and Dennis went to Detroit on Sunday to visit family and friends.

Congratulations to Phil and Megan Kromer on the birth of their new son, Derby Grey, Thursday, July 6. Derby weighed six pounds, 11 ounces, and measured 20.25 inches in length at birth. He is joined at home by his big brother, Gabe. We miss the Kromers on Mackinac and we send best wishes from Island friends.

Special thanks to the staff at the Mackinac Island Medical Center, the EMTs, Mackinac Island Fire Department, and the Mackinac Island Police Department, who respond to the many accidents.

Hope to see everyone at the Guns and Hoses Game Sunday afternoon.