Local News

It’s that time of the year again for one of the longest yard sales in the Blue Water Area. Starting Friday the 12th and ending on Sunday the 14th, the M-29 to M-25 Antique Yard Sale Trail will bring over 150 miles of independently operated yard sales to our community. The sales will feature antiques and all of the other wonderful finds that come along with the yard sale experience. 

Stretching from New Baltimore and Algonac in the south, the Yard Sale Trail follows the beautiful St. Clair River up M-25/M-29. The yard sale passes through local communities such as Marine City, St. Clair, Port Huron, Lexington, Port Sanilac, Port Austin, and Harbor Beach just to name a few. 

While passing through these scenic locations, be sure to check out the local sites such as the museums, and unique shops. There are also plenty of restaurants and local diners to stop in for a bite to eat while enjoying all that the event has to offer. 

For more information on the event, contact sponsor Mary Teichow of Teichow’s Treasures at teichowtreasures@gmail.com

Reporting for WGRT – Choze Powell

The St. Clair County Farm Museum is preparing for its Fall Harvest Days on August 26th – 28th. This is the 38th annual celebration put on by the St. Clair County Farm Museum’s Board, and the weekend will be full of history, activities, and fun.

The St. Clair County Farm Museum is located at Goodells County Park, and they lease their buildings and farmland from the county. They rent the area for the Fall Harvest Days show, and the event is one of the ways they raise money to preserve the museum and its collection.

Fall Harvest Days kicks off on Friday, August 26th with threshing and sawmill demonstrations, and continues throughout the day with wagon rides, lumberjack shows, and food vendors.

Saturday, August 27th includes a Fiber Expo in the exhibit barns, a tractor pull, and a corn hole tournament. Saturday evening the band Blue Ridge will be playing in the beer tent from 6 -9 PM.

The fiber expo continues on Sunday, August 28th, and a special church service will be held in the historic church that sits in the tiny village of the county park. Visitors can also enjoy a pancake breakfast before or after the service.

The celebration concludes with a tractor parade, raffle, and awards ceremony around 4 PM on Sunday.

For more information visit: https://stclaircountyfarmmuseum.org/

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

St. Clair County Community Mental Health will provide a virtual summit focused on how substance use affects individuals, families, and the whole community. Registration is now open for the month-long summit made up of  hour-long virtual workshops taught by a variety of experts and professionals.

Workshops are free, and they are scheduled for a variety of weekdays and daytime hours from September 1st – 30th. Social workers, medical professionals, addiction professionals, and others can receive Continuing Education Credits for attending the webinars.

Debra Johnson, Chief Executive officer for St. Clair County CMH said, ““Recovery is most sustainable and successful when we uplift individuals and strengthen our community supports. Because of the accessible format of this series, we hope to include many professionals working in the health and human service fields as well as other interested community members.”

Speakers include Dr. Janis Romanik from Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Center, St. Clair County Sheriff Mat King, and Patrick Patterson from Blue Water Recovery and Outreach Center. There will also be presentations from medical doctors, university professors, and law professionals.

To learn more, and register for the Virtual Recovery Summit, visit scccmh.org. https://www.scccmh.org/events/recovery-summit/

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

If you keep up with local news sources like EBW.tv and The Keel Port Huron, you may know WGRT’s newest local news team member. Choze (Harold) Powell joined existing team members George James and me (Jessie Wiegand) this week, and you’ll be hearing his voice reporting on our airwaves soon.

Choze Powell is the Community Correspondent for The Keel, an online magazine focused on telling stories of talent and transformation in Port Huron and St. Clair County, and he’s the owner of Phantom Pen Media, a multimedia services company best known for its photography and video productions.

As an active member of the community, Choze volunteers for the YMCA of the Blue Water Area and Bridge Builders Counseling services, two key organizations that support youth and families.

Choze currently serves on the board of the Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce, and he received the Chamber Choice award at the 2022 Eddy Awards ceremony in May.

The WGRT Local News team seeks to inform listeners about issues affecting the local community, connect them to people, businesses, and organizations who provide community services, and share news and announcements from credible sources.

We’re excited to have Choze on our team!

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Protecting the lives and safety of students and staff at our educational facilities is extremely important. In 2021 the office of Community Policing Services or (COPS) approved an almost $28,000 grant under the 2021 COPS STOP School Violence: School Violence Prevention Program to the Port Huron Police Department. The funds are used to enhance school safety for Port Huron area schools and the community college. 

The grant provides funding for local departments to train for events in which the students or staff are met with a dangerous assailant. Training will provide first responders with information on how to respond, quickly engage the assailant, and stop the threat. It will also provide training in tactical first aid, coordinating with Fire and EMS, securing the scene, and more.

Training began on Tuesday, August 9th, and a larger event is planned for Thursday, August 11th at St Clair County Community College located at 323 Erie Street, in Port Huron. During the training event, there will be a large number of first responder vehicles and personnel on campus, so don’t be alarmed. 

Recent improvements such as the implementation of the School and College Resource Officer program and the police department’s Active Assailant Response Training (A.A.R.T.) initiative are examples of showing concern for, and making safety a priority for our local school district.

Reporting for WGRT – Choze Powell

This Saturday, you may see a variety of people dressed in wedding attire running through Pine Grove park and along the waterfront near the Blue Water Bridge. Why will they be running? To raise money for A Beautiful Me.

The Runaway Bride 5K run and 2 mile walk starts at 8 AM on Saturday, August 13, 2022, and includes a mini-reception with raffle prizes and awards for 5-K timed-winners of the race.

You can register for the run/walk and buy raffle tickets online at ABeautifulMe.com. The raffle is for a unique experience to board the Lakes Pilot boat and touch a freighter out on Lake Huron. Raffle tickets are $10 each, and the winner will be drawn after the run.

Karen Palka, Founder and Executive Director of A Beautiful Me said, “Our beloved mascot ‘Ruby the Runner’ has been seen around Michigan recruiting runners and walkers to say ‘I DO’ if they are willing to start the race. We are grateful for our many sponsors, including our lead sponsor, Beacon Wealth Group. ”

A Beautiful Me provides confidence-building programs and workshops for girls in 3rd – 12th grade, and all proceeds raised from The Runaway Bride will support their work in the community.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand