Choze Powell

If you feel like doing something nice for someone, here’s your chance. A local woman turned 100 years old this month, and the community is asked to help celebrate with well wishes and cards.  

Anne Culling of Visiting Nurse Association and Blue Water Hospice told us that Ms. Helen Lavley, one of their private nursing patients, turned 100 on September 6th. A party was held in her honor at Grace Episcopal Church, given by family and friends.

Helen’s neighbors in Vicksburg Hall in Marysville hosted a party as well. Helen has been blessed to maintain independent living as she enters her second century.

Although the internet couldn’t have been imagined when Ms. Lavley was born in 1921, it is useful for sending wishes in 2021. Community members can go on the VNA and Blue Water Hospice Facebook page to share their wishes or they can send an email to marketing@vnabwh.com.

If you prefer to send an old-fashioned card through the old-fashioned mail, go to WGRT.com to get the mailing address.

Happy Birthday 100th Birthday to Helen Lavley from WGRT!

Cards can be mailed to Helen c/o VNA and Blue Water Hospice at 3403 Lapeer, Suite B101, Port Huron, MI 48060.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Port Huron, MI — Co-owners Channon Mcfarlane & Ashlynn Vroman are celebrating the grand opening of their new salon, Black River Beauty Bar, on Friday night from 6-8 PM during Downtown Port Huron’s First Friday.

Channon and Ashlynn decided to branch out on their own and open a salon a few months ago. They moved into the space that was Carlos Hairport Salon and have redesigned it with a calm, bohemian aesthetic.

“It’s very calming and relaxing. The big windows and being by the water is really relaxing.” said Channon.

Ashlynn was behind the design of the interior and had a lot of fun decorating the space. “It’s nice to be part of the downtown community. The views, the area, it’s just so nice to be a part of this community,” she said.

Black River Beauty Bar is a full-service salon that has a licensed esthetician, Renee Schott, that does eyelash tinting and perming, micro-blading, 12 kinds of facials, lip blushing and more. She has been a skin therapist for 10 years.

The salons hours are 9 AM – 8 PM Monday – Friday and 9 AM – 5 PM on Saturdays.

For more information on their Grand Opening, visit Black River Beauty Bar’s Facebook page here:

https://www.facebook.com/blackriverbeautybar

To see more pictures from our visit to the salon, follow @wgrt_jessie on Instagram <HERE>.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Port Huron, MI–The new Discovery City Children’s Exhibit at the Port Huron Museum Carnegie Center opens on September 22, 2021, and a grant from the James C. Acheson Foundation will help low-income families enjoy all the museum has to offer for free.

Families with an EBT/Bridge card will be able to receive a free family day pass to the various Port Huron Museum sites. This includes the Carnegie Center with its brand new Discovery City for kids, the From Whence We Came: Black History in the Blue Water Area, and the James C. Acheson Marine Gallery. In addition, families can visit the Ft. Gratiot Lighthouse, the Huron Light Ship, and the Thomas Edison Depot Museum with their pass.

The Discovery City Children’s Exhibit was purchased used and refurbished by Natalie Green, a former YAC member with the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, and Lydia Sawdon, a Western Michigan University student, to represent kid-sized versions of some of the Blue Water Area’s favorite landmarks, destinations, and historical elements.  Kids can discover a miniature version of the Ft. Gratiot Lighthouse, McMorran Place, Edison’s Laboratory, and the St. Clair County Library.

Timed-entry tickets will be available for purchase next week, and prices will be $5 per child or $15 per family.

To learn more and buy admission tickets visit: www.phmuseum.org

 

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

If you’re looking for a job in Downtown Port Huron, several companies may have an opening perfect for you. The Downtown Development Authority is holding a job fair for downtown businesses on Saturday, September 25th from 11 AM – 2 PM.

If you attend the job fair, you’ll be able to meet with a variety of downtown business owners and learn about their opportunities. Employers will also be accepting resumes and applications at the job fair.

Companies that are currently hiring include Blue Water Transit, Chef Shell’s Restaurant & Catering, ResourceMFG, and CityFlats Hotel. There are also openings for those who enjoy working in the arts & entertainment sector at The Hallway Entertainment, Foundry, and Sperry’s Moviehouse.

Country Style Marketplace, a Fort Gratiot boutique grocery market, is also preparing to open its downtown location mid-October. They will be hiring almost 45 people including cashiers, stockpersons, deli and meat counter workers, and more.

September 25th is also Downtown Day, a day designated by Governor Whitmer to celebrate Michigan’s small towns.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

Do you feel like there are more yellowjackets than usual this year? Commonly referred to as “garbage bees” or “ground bees”, yellowjackets are at the peak of their activity right now, and they may be invading your summer picnics and disrupting your afternoon strolls.

Yellowjackets are attracted to sweets and proteins, so your summer BBQ menus is right up their alley. Even though the insects seem to be crazy about you, they are really only trying to get to your food. Yellowjackets don’t tend to be aggressive unless their nest is being threatened, but they can sting repeatedly if they are provoked.

Kristin Lyons, Stewardship Director for Friends of the St. Clair River, said while yellowjackets feel like a nuisance, they are also considered beneficial. “They can take out a lot of crop pests like caterpillars that might feed on some of our crops, and they’re also pollinators so they help pollinate our fruits and vegetables.”

To avoid being stung, Lyons recommends never wearing fragrances or perfumed lotions, soaps, cosmetics, or deodorants while exploring nature. If yellowjackets are bothering you, simply move out of their space and try to avoid aggravating them. If they do sting, they will release a pheromone that will attract other yellowjackets.

You should also stay on trails and notify the park management if you notice a ground nest of stinging insects.  Park rangers can remove the nests or at least make them more noticeable with cones or caution tape to alert park goers of their presence.

Yellowjackets will continue their frenzy for food until they die off in the fall, usually after about 5-7 days in a row at an outdoor temperature of 45 degrees or lower.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand