Choze Powell

Today marks the first full day of Blue Water Fest, and the streets, vendors, and local business owners are ready for visitors.

You can start the day by watching chalk artists get started on their creations at A Little Something’s Chalk the Street Fair on Huron Avenue, and don’t forget to visit the downtown shops and restaurants.

The Family Fun Tyme carnival starts at 3 PM in the east Blue Water Transit lot, and there are also food trucks and vendors around McMoran Place.

Operation Transformation’s Family Night starts at 5 PM and runs until 9, and there will be games, live music, and family-oriented activities throughout the evening. Everything is free thanks to many local businesses and nonprofit organizations.

Mannequins Making a Difference will be on the Sperry’s corner at 6 PM, and the mini-mannequins will be posing from 7:30 – 8.

Fireworks at Desmond Landing are at dusk, and there are many great places to view the show throughout the city.

Enjoy your Blue Water Fest, and have fun out there!

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

The Port Huron City Council met Monday, July 11, 2022 and a couple of decisions were made to benefit the community.

The council approved the purchase of a new delivery vehicle for the St. Clair County Council on Aging to deliver hot meals to senior citizens in the city of Port Huron. The vehicle will cost around $65,000, and help the Council on Aging reach city residents more efficiently with their meal service.

The other important decision made was a bid approval for $586,000 for armoring of the Black River Canal. Due to natural factors such as wind and weather, the canal has been filling up with sand and the shoreline has been eroding. This affects nearby structures on private property and access to the canal by the vehicles used to maintain it.

The city has ordered a permit to dredge the canal which will happen as soon as possible, but armoring the canal will be a more long term fix to address the problem.

“It’s probably a once in a life time fix. It’s not something that’s going to have to be repeated, so we are using some of our American Rescue Plan Funds to do that because it wasn’t something that we had planned,” said City of Port Huron Mayor Pauline Repp.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

 

A Blue Water Fest favorite will be in a new location this year. Mannequins Making a Difference, a live mannequin show, will take place Thursday, July 14th & Friday, July 15th from 6 – 10 PM on the Sperry’s corner at Grand River and Huron Avenue.

Mannequins Making a Difference is an opportunity for festival goers to experience the artistry of local cosmetologists, makeup artists, and creative salon staff as they transform models into works of art. The mannequins each represent a local nonprofit organization, and you can cast your vote for your favorite in the form of a donation.

There will be both mini-mannequins, represented by kids 7-11 years old, and the usual mix of teens and adults. Mini-mannequins will be posed from 7:30 – 8:00 PM each night of the event, and they will get to use the donations they raise to vote for their favorite regular mannequin.

Those who forget to donate during the event or can’t make it out cans still support their favorite mannequin or nonprofit by donating through Venmo at the business account @Mannequins-Making-A-Difference. Just make sure you add the number of the mannequin you’re voting for in the notes section.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

 

The Rotary International Parade is Wednesday night, and all St. Clair County buildings will be closing early tomorrow so staff can avoid road closures. The St. Clair County Administration Building, St. Clair County Court House, Public Defenders Office, and the Main Branch of the St. Clair County Library System will close at 2:30 PM on Wednesday.

Huron Avenue/Main/Military Street will be closed from Erie Street to Oak Street for the parade which travels south on that route beginning at 6:30 PM.

Thursday marks the beginning of Blue Water Fest which brings other road closures to the area.

Huron Ave./Main Street will be closed from Superior to the Military Street bridge and portions of McMorran Blvd., Grand River Avenue, and Quay Street will also be closed. There are short sections of Superior Street and Michigan that will be closed as well.

Construction is still going on in the Quay Street parking lot near the Zebra Bar, but it is available for parking during the festival. Free parking is also available in the lot between Quay and Grand River, which will only be accessible by entering on Quay. Parking will also be available in the north McMorran Lot and for a donation at St. Clair County Community College.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

UPDATED 10/7/2022: Seńor Tequila is open! Follow them on Facebook for hours and details:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085868157403

 

7/11/2022: Andres Perez had been doing Google searches of Michigan towns to find a location for a new restaurant when he waited on a large party one night at Jose’s Mexican Restaurant in Sault Ste. Marie.

He asked the group where they were from, and was stunned when they said Port Huron.

“I thought, that’s hilarious because a week before I was doing a search on Port Huron,” said Andres.

Andres decided to visit Port Huron with his brother, Juan Pablo, and they connected with a realtor who introduced them to local developer, Larry Jones.

“I told him my ideas, and what I want to bring to this town, and he was so excited. He said, ‘Let’s go see the building, and see if you like it!” said Andres.

Jones showed them his property at 321 Huron Avenue that has housed several restaurants, most recently Martina’s Grill. The building has also been home to Tio Gordos, The Cajun Gator, and the Huron Athletic Club (H.A.C.).

The Perez brothers loved the building with its unique design and expansive patio, and they decided to make it the home of their new restaurant, Seńor Tequila. Andres and his team are currently in town making some cosmetic adjustments to the interior. They are adding additional booths for seating and painting walls along with making improvements to the kitchen to better suit their food preparation systems.

Seńor Tequila will feature recipes handed down from Mexico in the Perez family, and they pride themselves on being daily-fresh; they make their chips, salsa, sauces, and guacamole fresh, in-house every day. Their menu will be similar to the offerings at Jose’s Mexican Restaurant in Saulte St. Marie where Perez has been working with his family.

Andres and Pablo hope to move their families to the area once the restaurant opens, and they are looking forward to being in the downtown community. They are also counting on the winters in Port Huron being somewhat milder that what they’ve been used to up north.

As the brothers work to get everything in place for the opening of Seńor Tequila, they are reluctant to give an exact opening date. They are still waiting on permits and their liquor license, and they don’t want to open until it’s in place.

In the meantime, Andres is looking forward to Blue Water Fest and all the activity happening around downtown this week.

“I love this town. I haven’t even been here for too long, and I feel like my heart has been on this town already,” said Andres.

He encourages people to try their food when Seńor Tequila’s opens and give him feedback on what they like. He will also take suggestions from customers on dishes they may like him to offer.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

 

 

 

Stay away from foam on the water when out on lakes, rivers, and streams in Michigan. Per- and poly- fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, could be lurking in the foam, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

If swimmers or boaters or beach walkers come in contact with suspected PFAS foam, it’s a good idea to rinse off to prevent any accidental swallowing of the foam. This is especially important for children, for whom negative health effects have been evaluated by MDHHS.

PFAS foam is generally bright white in color and lightweight. Natural foam is usually off-white or brown and has an earthy or fishy scent and is usually found in bays, eddies, or at river barriers such as dams.

PFAS substances are long-lasting “forever” chemicals often used in waterproofing and firefighting foam that have made their way to water sources throughout the state.

Suspected PFAS foam can be reported to MDHHS. A link can be found at WGRT.com.

https://www.michigan.gov/pfasresponse/investigations/lakes-and-streams/foam?utm_campaign=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland