George James

Earth Fair Comes to Goodells Park April 29-30

Covid will not be stopping the St. Clair County Earth Fair this year. The 20th annual Earth Fair is being planned for Friday, April 29th and Saturday, April 30th at Goodells County Park. The 2020 and 2021 events were canceled due to COVID concerns.

The Earth Fair is the largest event of its kind in Michigan. Many vendors will be on hand to interact with students and visitors about healthy, sustainable, and green living.

Past events have featured over 70 vendors and thousands of visitors. It’s time for vendors and volunteers to start applying and for school classrooms to plan their field trips. Teachers of 3rd through 5th grade can register for the free field trip that features interactive science lessons in a hands-on environment.

The Earth Fair is also the backdrop of the Green Guardian Award that recognizes environmental champions from the business world, schools and groups that have shown an initiative to enhance, preserve, and protect the Blue Water Area.

www.EarthDayFair.com. 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Blankets With Care Serves Those In Need in St. Clair and Macomb Counties

The Blankets With Care non-profit has been working to wrap the homeless, elderly, and veterans in warmth and love since January 2020. The organization is run by five local volunteers who want to reach out to those in need in St. Clair and Macomb counties.

The group got started in 2020 and has been busy collecting donations and taking those donations to those experiencing homelessness and to agencies that serve vulnerable people.

Blankets with Care has many volunteer opportunities including Blessing Bag packing events and direct service to the homeless with the distribution of hot meals. They also have a wish list of needed items for donations.

After several successful fundraisers with community partners in 2021, Blankets with Care is working with Coordinated Crafters Connection, LLC at the New Creative Market at the Meadows in Casco in the summer of 2022.

More information on how to get involved with helping the homeless, veterans, and the elderly with Blankets with Care can be found at the links below.

https://www.facebook.com/CreativeMarketattheMeadowsfeaturingBWC

https://www.facebook.com/BlanketswithCare

https://www.ccconnectionllc.com/blankets-with-care

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

New Program Can Help Pay for Household Internet

Working from home is commonplace for both students and employees in a variety of occupations. One thing they all have in common is the need to have reliable internet access.

A new program has been launched to help households pay for internet access. The Affordable Connectivity Program is being administered by the Federal Communications Commission.

The new program follows the Emergency Broadband Benefit that temporarily helped almost nine million people afford internet service during the pandemic.

The new program covers $30 of the monthly bill and gives a one time $100 credit toward a connecting device.

To qualify, families must meet income requirements of 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. For a family of four, the income threshold is $53,000. Receiving federal benefits like SNAP or Free and Reduced Lunch can also be factored in qualifying for the internet assistance.

Most Michigan internet access providers participate in the program. To get the full details and to sign up, go to the link below.

https://acpbenefit.org/

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Chilly Fest Brings Family Fun to Downtown Port Huron Saturday, January 29th

Chilly Fest is back. The annual celebration of chili and being chilly will be held on Saturday, January 29th in Downtown Port Huron.

The event coincides with a weekend of Silver Stick Hockey Tournament games and the PoHo Hot Cocoa Race.

The mostly outdoors event will have a s’more station and carriage rides on McMorran Boulevard, along with a Chilly Corn Hole Tournament to be held from 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Instead of sampling chili in a crowded tent, organizers have planned a “Chili Crawl” where score cards can be purchased for $5, giving participants access to chili samples at nine downtown businesses.

There will also be a Cocoa Crawl and Penguin Hunt going on all day, along with displays of ice carvings at many downtown businesses. There will be an outdoor Kid’s Zone in the Superior Mall Parking Lot from 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Chilly Fest is the result of a lot of collaboration between Downtown Port Huron, Port Huron Parks and Recreation, Blue Water Young Professionals, and corporate sponsors.

A link to the full schedule can be found below.

https://www.chillyfest.org/?fbclid=IwAR0_LZUET3LVqdFwwH2g4H0eU897a0PCIQ5nZL_B7qPUlHMykAy_dt4Pqxw

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

PHS Asks Community to Complete Federal Funding Survey

Stakeholders in the Port Huron Area School District are asked to complete a survey to gauge the public’s priorities as the district makes plans to spend federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, or ESSER III, funding.

The survey asks students, parents, staff, and community members to give their feedback on what is important to them.

The survey lists a variety of spending options and asks respondents to rate them as essential, high, medium, and low priority, and not a priority. The survey ends on January 31st.

The short survey asks about implementing instruction in both face-to-face and remote learning formats, interventions for struggling students, instructional materials, and summer learning opportunities. The survey also asks about opinions on after-school tutoring and extra instructional days. There is an opportunity to rate the importance of family engagement and social-emotional programming, as well as technology, facilities, and COVID-19 mitigation investments.

A link to the Survey.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Wild Green Winter Game Nights Coming to Downtown Port Huron

The Friends of the St. Clair River are hosting a unique series of Game Nights with a twist. The Wild Green Winter Game Nights will be held at Border Keep Games in Downtown Port Huron and will feature games highlighting nature.

The Friends of the St. Clair River work to be good stewards of the St. Clair River and to provide educational opportunities to the community about the important ecosystem. Staff from Friends of the St. Clair River will be on hand to help with the games.

The tabletop games will simulate hiking, building food webs, and adapting to the ecosystems. Game players will also explore birding and other outdoor pursuits while staying warm and cozy during the coldest time of the year.

The game nights will be held on January 28th, February 25th, and March 25th at 7:00 p.m.  A $5 per person donation to Friends of the St. Clair River is suggested. A donation includes a beverage voucher. Refreshments will be available from Border Keep Games.

Border Keep Games is located at 942 Military Street in Downtown Port Huron.

Registration information can be found at the following link.

https://www.facebook.com/events/901116207262410/

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland