George James

If you are not yet in the Christmas Spirit, East Shore Leadership Academy has an event that will get you there. Mark your calendars for tomorrow, Thursday, December 12 for their Neighborhood Winter Wonderland. The charter school, located at 1403 7th Street in the Olde Towne neighborhood of Port Huron, has been welcoming families and friends to enjoy the holiday season for six years now. 

East Shore is a charter school that is located in the old St. Joseph Catholic School building and is chartered by Northern Michigan University and operated by Bold Education Connections. The Kindergarten through 8th grade school hosts this event which includes carriage rides, kids’ activities, hot chocolate and treats, and even a visit from Santa himself. 

In addition to the seasonal festivities, some of our hometown athletes from the Port Huron Prowlers Hockey team will be there to mingle with the guests. They are also offering free gifts to the first two hundred people. The event is free and is a great way for families to slow down and spend some quality time together.

Reporting for WGRT, Kelsie Kaczperski.

On a list that includes places like Ethiopia and Brisbane, Australia, our very own Great Lakes appear. The list was published by Travel & Leisure magazine as top spots for travel in 2020 and the list of upscale travel destinations mentions cruising the Great Lakes as a must-do for adventurous travelers. 

There is currently a French luxury cruise that offers a Great Lakes cruise that leaves from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and ends in Toronto, Ontario. The eight-day cruise starts at $6360 per person and will be sailing in October of 2021, so there is still some time to save up. The ship has 92 staterooms and is described as “ethnic-chic ambiance with luxury service”. 

The cruise’s route goes south down the St. Clair River, as does a 16-day cruise offered by Blount Small Ship Adventures. Prices for this 16-day trip range from $5000 to $9000 per person for the 2020 season and cruisers travel between Chicago and New York. 

For now, there are a handful of smaller cruise ships offering these fresh water cruises. So far, they pass by the Blue Water Area with no scheduled stops.

Reporting for WGRT, Kelsie Kaczperski.

Thinking about what they want to do after high school is a big question for many high schoolers. As technology changes, career options change as well. The Blue Water College Access Network is offering an Information Technology Night on December 17 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the St. Clair County RESA building in Marysville. 

This is an event for high school students and their parents in the seven public school districts in St. Clair County. It will feature a career panel and will explore career opportunities in fields such as Computer Systems Analysis, Software Engineering, Web Development, and many others. The presentation is recommended for students who are interested in problem solving and have a mind open to the inevitable advances in technology. The best part is that a St. Clair County high school junior or senior in attendance is going to leave with a $500 scholarship. 

Registration is required to attend as seating is limited, but you can register at bwcan.org or call St. Clair County RESA.  The event is free to attend and is part of the Design4theFuture College and Career Initiative.

Reporting for WGRT, Kelsie Kaczperski.

The saga of the leaves continues. Last week, we reported that Emterra, the company contracted by several local municipalities to remove leaves and provide trash and recycling pickup, assured residents that all the leaves would be picked up promptly. A spokesperson from Emterra Environmental USA told us that the trucks were on their third pass through the city, but many city streets have yet to see any action. The leaves remain as fall winds down and winter approaches. 

The complaints from residents are piling up along with the leaves and the City of Port Huron issued a statement that we received on Friday, dated December 2, to address those concerns. “City Administration has shared with Emterra’s management team concerns on the bulk leaf pickup program in the City of Port Huron. Emterra will continue to complete the remainder of Zone 2 and has supplied additional trucks and personnel starting today to accomplish this. Any leaves placed in the boulevard after Emterra has passed through will not be picked up. We are aware of areas in Zone 1 that have been missed and will be included in this continuing effort.“ 

Zone 1 is the south side of the city while Zone 2 is the north side with the Black River as the dividing line. Regular yard waste pickup continues through the end of this week, so bagged leaves can be picked up as part of weekly trash, recycling, and yard waste pickup.

Reporting for WGRT, Kelsie Kaczperski.

If you were near the Black River in Port Huron on Sunday, you may have wondered if your eyes were playing tricks on you. You may have in fact seen Santa arriving by boat to the Port Huron Yacht Club in not just any boat, but a pontoon boat outfitted as a jungle cruiser. 

Jeni Hayward-Gehlman, long time Yacht Club Member and organizer of the event, told us that Santa’s visit is part of a party for Port Huron Yacht Club members and members’ kids and grandkids. Port Huron Yacht Club is a non-profit organization that promotes sailboat racing in the Blue Water Area.  Ms. Hayward-Gehlman said, “The Yacht Club’s Womens’ Auxiliary pays for the party, as a special thank you to our members for all they do.” The Club is run completely by volunteers and doesn’t have a paid staff. This makes them unique and unlike any other yacht club on the Great Lakes. 

Sunday’s party was a great way for the club to thank its members and reconnect during the off-season. The Port Huron Yacht Club’s motto is that they are “where members make it happen” and this year they made a great memory happen for their kids with the arrival of Santa by boat.

Reporting for WGRT, Kelsie Kaczperski.

The Blue Water Area always comes through for those in need. An effort is underway to provide shoes and coats for students in need at Marysville Middle School. Mike Deising, a local Real Estate Agent, told us that he had a conversation with a teacher who mentioned that some of the students are not dressed properly for the cold weather. He said, “It’s a bigger problem than people can imagine, especially in the Middle School.” Deising and a Marysville School Board member helped the teacher with buying some coats. Mr. Deising decided to try to recruit some help on social media with a post that has now been shared over 100 times by compassionate citizens. 

Middle School students come in all shapes and sizes, so there are a variety of coat and shoe sizes needed. Coats needed range from kids sizes 12/14 to adult medium, used coats in good condition are acceptable and new coats are appreciated as well. Shoes are needed in women’s sizes 5-9 and men’s sizes 7-10. Donations can be dropped off at Deising Real Estate at 1871 Gratiot Avenue in Marysville. Social media has been blamed for a lot of society’s ills, but this coat and shoe drive in Marysville proves that it can also be used for good as this simple call to action to take care of one’s own community has gone “viral”.

Reporting for WGRT, Kelsie Kaczperski.