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Local News

HollyDazzle Brings A Unique Holiday Experience To Michigan

With Thanksgiving behind us, the Christmas season is here! With so many Christmas-themed events popping up this year, make sure that you check out HollyDazzle located at the Michigan Renaissance Festival Village in Holly, MI. 

HollyDazzle is a three-quarter mile outdoor trail that features over 1 million twinkling lights for you and the family to enjoy. Sledding penguins, Santa, and Candy Land Castle are all waiting for you to check it out. Sit around the tree and listen to holiday stories while the kids sip on free hot cocoa, afterwards, you can visit Santa and receive a free gift. 

HollyDazzle is open from November 25 – December 31st, from 5:30PM – 10:00PM. Tickets are $21.95 for adults and $8.95 for children ages 5 – 12. You can also purchase the Elf Bundle that admits one child and one adult for $21.95. 

For more details and information visit them on Facebook at: Michigan Renaissance Festival

Reporting for WGRT – Choze Powell

Port Huron Schools To Abandon Current Mascots

The Port Huron Area School District has made the decision to do away with the mascots, and logos associated with some of their schools. The 2022 school year will be the last year that they will be used as they begin to look into alternative names and designs.

The Port Huron High “Big Reds,” Roosevelt Elementary “Little Reds,” and Michigamme Elementary “Little Chiefs” are deemed offensive or inconsiderate of the Indigenous and Native American people. There was a unanimous approval on the name change by Board members, which some may or may not agree with. 

The deadline for the changes to take place is March of 2023, so that the school can use grant funding to pay for the redesigning and changes needed.

Reporting for WGRT – Choze Powell

Participate In “Giving Tuesday” This November 29th

The holiday season tends to bring out the best in people, more smiles, more goodwill toward their fellow man, or woman, and just a general sense of being a little more kind. 

This Tuesday, November 29th, is “Giving Tuesday,” a day that encourages individuals to donate their time, and resources to nonprofits and charitable organizations. Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 as a joint project of New York City’s 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation. 

With many of us more focused on spending due to the Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday promotions, Giving Tuesday is a way to counterbalance those days, and cause us to reflect on those who are unable to purchase gifts or those who may have less. In 2021 Giving Tuesday saw donors give almost $3 billion, not to mention those who donated their time or resources. 

Reporting for WGRT – Choze Powell

Support Local Business This Year With Small Business Saturday

Everyone is pretty familiar with the after Thanksgiving sale “Black Friday,” where retail stores offer consumers reduced prices on their inventory. Black Friday is a win for both the consumers as well as the retail shops, as it allows individuals to purchase Christmas gifts at a slightly lower price and helps the stores with their bottom line during the slower winter season.

Your favorite local stores in the Blue Water Area are undoubtedly going to participate in Black Friday, but were you aware of Small Business Saturday? Small Business Saturday will be this Saturday November 26th from 11AM – 7PM, and continues each Saturday until December 17th.

Local shop owners will have sales and deals on their items just as they would on Black Friday, with the same goal, to boost income and sales during the slower winter months. Support your local business owners and entrepreneurs this season, as you may find better deals than your larger corporations, along with the service and familiarity that smaller businesses provide. 

Reporting for WGRT – Choze Powell

Don’t Waste Those Thanksgiving Leftovers, Tips You Can Use

If you’re anything like most Americans, Thanksgiving dinner is one of, if not the main highlight of the holiday. Visiting family and friends is great of course, but what would Thanksgiving be without all of our favorite foods laid out before us to feast upon? 

Statistics show that we waste approximately 40% of the food available to us, now why would we want to do that? Here are some tips and ideas to get the most out of Thanksgiving dinner this year.

  • Donate what you can’t eat to those in need.
  • Make to-go containers readily available to your guests and let them take food home.
  • You can make a delicious stock from your leftover turkey to use in other dishes.
  • Don’t let hot food sit out more than two hours.
  • You have up to four days to eat what’s leftover before you should consider throwing it out. 

Reporting for WGRT – Choze Powell

New Waterpark Expansion Coming To Frankenmuth

If you live in Michigan you are probably familiar with Frankenmuth, “Michigan’s Little Bavaria.” Frankenmuth is known for being a Bavarian-themed vacation destination and tourist attraction that features the world’s largest Christmas store, horse drawn carriage rides, and more. 

The Bavarian Inn Lodge in Frankenmuth will be breaking ground Dec. 13th for their $80 million indoor waterpark expansion. With plans to add an additional 140,000 square feet, it will be one of the largest indoor waterparks in Michigan. 

The improvements will bring a new family entertainment center that will feature 20-plus attractions such as an adult swim up bar, wave pool, and water slides. This will be the seventh major expansion since the lodge opened in 1888, with plans for the new waterpark to be opened to the public in 2024. In the meantime guests to the resort will still be able to enjoy the current Family Fun Center.

Reporting for WGRT – Choze Powell