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Local News

Blue Water SandFest 2019 Photo: Jessie Wiegand

SandFest This Weekend

Blue Water SandFest starts this Friday, August 5th and runs throughout the weekend. Daily hours are 10 AM – 8 PM Friday and Saturday, and 10 AM – 4 PM on Sunday.

Visitors to the event can enjoy free parking and a trolley ride from the SC4 Welcome Center and Holland Woods Middle School parking lots. Trolleys will loops around from the parking lots to SandFest from 9:45 AM to 9 PM on Friday and Saturday and 9:45 AM – 5 PM on Sunday.

Lighthouse park will be open on Wednesday and Thursday while master sand sculptors create the welcome sculpture at the park entrance in anticipation for opening day. Although the weather forecast looks good for the weekend, the festival happens rain or shine.

This year’s SandFest features demonstrations, live music, food and beverage areas, and hands-on lessons for kids. Tickets are $6 each per day or $15 for a 3-day pass. Kids 4 and under are free.

Visitors will be able to see the progress if they come more than once, and the awards ceremony is Sunday, August 7th at 3:30 PM.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

Rockin’ the Rivers Starts This Week with Air Margaritaville

There’s still quite a bit of summer left with several weeks of warm evenings that are perfect for outdoor music. This year’s Rockin’ the Rivers Thursday concert series in Port Huron’s Kiefer Park kicks off on Thursday.

The four-concert series starts off this Thursday, August 4th with Air Margaritaville as the headliner and Dave Frendt as the opener.

The Rockin’ the Rivers concerts are traditionally well attended by music lovers of all ages. You just need to bring a blanket or lawn chairs. Food trucks are on-site and there is a kids’ zone full of entertainment for children.

The location is right on the St. Clair River in Kiefer Park, next to the Port Huron Municipal Office Center. Parking is free.

Thursday, August 12th brings Your Generation in Concert, a tribute band that covers five generations of hits.

August 18th features Elton Rohn and The Fabulous Henhouse Boys and August 25th features The Gobies, a local favorite, along with Paul Shonk Music.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

SMR Pilot Program Bus Service to End September 9th

The partnership between the Blue Water Area Transportation Commission and SMR Automotive Systems of Marysville is winding down. The SMR Pilot Program, which has been providing reliable transportation to the Marysville factory six days per week since 2016, will end on September 9th.

The pilot program was provided by SMR Automotive Systems, which employs a large number of people in the Blue Water Area, and was intended to run for just 90 days and then be evaluated. It was so successful that it ran for six years.

According to the Blue Water Area Transportation Commission, SMR has determined that the service is no longer needed. It has been running since 2016.

Starting September 9th, the City of Marysville will provide service with Blue Water Area Transit route #20 from 6:30 a.m. to 5:05 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

The Blue Water Area Transportation Commission has expressed its thanks to SMR Automotive Systems for providing additional transportation service days and times over the past six years.

For the full bus schedule, visit http://bwbus.com/

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

No Suspicious Package Found at SC4

After an investigation at St. Clair County Community College (SC4) today, college spokesperson Kristin Copenhaver said, “a package was not found in FAB by local and state police. The call that reported seeing a suspicious package in the SC4 Fine Arts Building (FAB) was made directly to 911 earlier this afternoon at 1:21 p.m.”

The call stated that a suspicious package was in the college’s Fine Arts Building, and the college was evacuated as a precaution. Copenhaver notified WGRT that when they received information about the call, “staff, faculty, and students were released to go home for the balance of the day as a precaution. Housing residents are free to stay in College Housing as it is not on campus proper.”

The campus will remain closed for the rest of today, but it will open on Tuesday, August 2nd for normal business hours.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Local Entrepreneur Little Bubble Man Works on Making Better Bubbles

If you’ve ever played with bubbles, you know that there is one thing that often happens and ruins the experience: spilling that precious bubble soap. A local bubble enthusiast and his family have not only found a solution to the problem, but have made it into a thriving local business that gives back to the community.

A young Blue Water Area entrepreneur, who goes by “Little Bubble Man”, and his family have been making the rounds at local events, including last week’s Celebration of the Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act at Port Huron’s Pine Grove Park. The mass of bubbles blowing through the park was a highlight for many attendees.

Trying to stem those inevitable bubble soap spills, Kayla DeSnyder, the Little Bubble Man’s mom, said, “Dad started working on wand designs so they could make giant bubbles together. It took about 4 years of them mixing solutions and trying out wand designs.”

DeSnyder said, “We shared our bubbles with friends and they started asking if they could purchase them. Little Bubble Dad wanted to make sure that they were easy to transport, easy to store, hard to tip over and the wands were sturdy and rust proof.”

The Little Bubble Man has not only been selling bubbles as his own business but getting involved in the community, like at the ADA Celebration.

https://www.facebook.com/LittleBubbleMan

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

County Leadership Organizations Rally for Yes Vote on Library Millage

Tomorrow’s primary election has several ballot proposals up for approval, but few stir the passions of the community like the St. Clair County Library System’s request for 1.2 mills.

The Library is near and dear to many individuals and the community as a whole. Valued as an asset to the entire region, the library millage has received endorsements from several community leadership organizations.

The Executive Committee of the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, along with the Public Affairs Committee and Board of Directors of the Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce endorse the passing of the millage.

The Blue Meets Green Leadership Council of the Economic Development Alliance of St. Clair County and the Council 25 American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees PEOPLE Committee and Executive Board have given their endorsement of the approval.

The millage would provide over three-quarters of the library system’s revenue and would set the library on a course for funding stability and future growth to expand literacy in St. Clair County.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland