Local News

Local leaders and residents took to the waters on Monday for a legislative kayak on the Belle River and the St. Clair River.  Hosted by Michigan Trails and Greenways, the route took the kayakers south on the Belle River to the St. Clair River, then back north to the Marine City Beach.  It was the fourth time that the group has put on the event, but the first time for our area.  The Community Foundation of St. Clair County sponsored the cost of renting the Kayaks.  Lori Eschenburg of the St. Clair County Planning Commission and Blueways of St. Clair said the event was attended by local officials and departments such as the DNR.  She went on to say that State Senator Dan Lauwers presented Blueways of St. Clair with a proclamation making August 19th Michigan Water Trail Day.  Ms. Eschenburg noted that there is also a Legislative Bike Day, and Hike Day as well.  The aim of each day is to promote through lawmakers and officials the beauty of Michigan’s natural resources in different parts of the state.

Kevin Watkins, president of the Port Huron Chapter of the NAACP, is looking forward to kicking back at an outdoor movie on Saturday night, but he has a lot of work to do before that happens. The NAACP Field Day and Southside Music Fest is one of Port Huron’s favorite events, and it takes a lot of hands to get the work done. This year’s event starts with a parade at Knox Field that winds through southside neighborhoods and ends in Lincoln Park where volunteers, vendors, and community groups will be entertaining, feeding, and educating the community. A 5-on-5 basketball tournament run by The Athletic Factory will keep participants moving and award winners with prizes and, most importantly according to Kevin, “pride.”

This event combines the NAACP Field Day with the Southside Music Festival which used to be called the Southside Alliance Jazz Festival. The events have been combined for the last three years. This year’s featured bands will cover a wider variety of music including jazz, Motown, and pop. Bands will play from 2-8 p.m. with the backdrop of the beautiful Lincoln Park. The event is free to the community because of sponsors like The Community Foundation of St. Clair County, Industrial Park Party Store, Meijer Ft. Gratiot, Michigan Petroleum Technologies, McLaren Port Huron, and City Limits.

Click on the audio track below to hear Kevin on this edition of Locals in the Limelight with Jessie Wiegand.

The City of Marysville will be holding a candidate forum Thursday, August 22nd beginning at 5:30 p.m. for the upcoming November 5th election. On the fall ballot, residents will be asked to elect a new mayor and three council members as current Mayor Dan Damman and councilwoman Rita Hendricks will not be seeking re-election. Current councilmembers Kathy Hayman and Paul Wessel, who have served since 2015 and 2011 respectively, will be seeking reelection. Joining the bid for the three open council seats will be Jean Cramer, Mike Deising, and Shawn Winston. The only contender for the open mayor seat is Wayne Pyden. All candidates are expected to be present at the forum which will be moderated by Scott Shigley and take place at Marysville City Hall in the council chambers.

Labor Day is fast approaching and many families make plans to squeeze in one last, quick trip.  Many people head up to the Mackinac Bridge for the annual walk over the bridge. The bridge walk began in 1958 and took place in June with 68 people making the first crossing.  The next year it was changed to Labor Day and has remained that day ever since. It is estimated that the most people to ever walk the bridge came in 1992 with 85,000 people participating in the annual event. 

Here in the Blue Water region, a local crossing is looking forward to its 12th year. St. Clair County Parks and Recreation is hosting the Trek the Trestle Walk on the Wadhams to Avoca Trail. It is a five-mile walk that will begin at 9 a.m. on Labor Day at the Avoca Road trailhead in downtown Avoca.  Those making the trek will cross the 640 foot Mill Creek trestle which is the longest bridge of its kind in the state of Michigan.

Many believe the days of kids getting together in their neighborhood to play a game of baseball, basketball, football, or any other sport, are becoming a thing of the past.  However, the YMCA would like to see that change with a new sports equipment borrowing program. The YMCA SportPort program is now being offered by the recreation departments in both Port Huron and Marysville.  The YMCA is using vans to offer pop-up sports locations at schools and parks. They will be coming to a community near you with a van full of sports equipment hoping to get kids outdoors to play. 

Geof Kusch, chairman of the YMCA board, feels that “barely half of all children are participating in sports even once a year. The era of the sandlot or unstructured play, of kids making up games and playing with friends in the neighborhood, is largely gone.”  In Port Huron, gear is available from the McMorran Place Pro Shop, and in Marysville equipment can be borrowed at the Marysville Community Center on Huron. The SportPort program is funded through the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan.

This Friday, get ready with your board, scooter, or rollerblades.  Alpine Cycles and the City of Port Huron will be hosting the Ramp Rail Jam at McMorran Place on the east side of the building (near the fountains).  John Eppley, chairman of the event, says they hope to raise funds for a new skate park at Optimist Park in Port Huron. All funds raised for the park will be matched by the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation along with the Tony Hawk Foundation up to $250,000. 

Port Huron City Manager James Freed said the city has “received a $250,000 matching grant, but needs to raise the initial $250,000 of the $500,000 total project cost.” John Eppley also explained that they hope to construct a high-end facility that will attract professional and amateur users.  The fundraising event will run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday. Residents are welcome to stop by and try out the activities that are set up. There will be a special show at 7 p.m. focusing on helmet safety. There is no cost to attend the event throughout the day, but donations are welcome. The matching challenge ends on December 31st this year.