Local News

St. Clair County wants to help residents avoid the excessive temperatures today, so there is a list available noting local cooling centers.  Most of the centers will be available until 5 p.m. Friday evening, but  Fort Gratiot Township Hall will stay open until 9:00 p.m., and Kimball Twp. Fire Station until midnight.  Most of the other cooling centers include branches of the St. Clair County Library System and will be available during the branch’s regular hours. A complete list can be found on the St. Clair County government Facebook page. Please observe safety measures by staying hydrated and avoiding over-exposure to heat and sun. Pets should not be left outside for long periods, and need extra hydration as well. This is also a good time to check in on your neighbors and relatives who don’t have central air conditioning. 

Saturday is race day in Port Huron as the 2019 Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Sailboat Race gets underway.  220 boats are registered to compete in the yearly event. This is the 95th year that the race has been held, and this year the race will feature one of the longest boats to ever compete, a 104 foot ketch style boat named Whitehawk. There is also excitement building for one sailor, Cameron Benedict, who is the youngest skipper in this year’s race. At 26, the Plymouth, MI, native says, “I am very excited for the opportunity to own the boat. It gives me the chance to continue to grow and build on my ability as a sailor.”

Cameron has already participated in 14 Bayview Mackinac races, and last year his father Chris Benedict, who owned the Santana 35 Shape together with Win Cooper (“Uncle Win” to Cameron), decided to pass the reigns on to him. “The Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race is a challenge unlike many others,” said Cameron. “It takes discipline, stamina, strategy, sailing ability, and a bit of good luck. You can put together a strategy that appears bulletproof after studying the weather for 7-10 days prior to the race, but if the weather comes early or late…or not at all, then you’re back to the drawing board.”

The first boats will begin at 11:30 a.m. Saturday with the last starting time at 1:50 p.m. Many of the larger boats take off last, but the 104 foot Whitehawk will actually be one of the first to set sail with class K at 11:40 a.m.  The start will be just north of the Blue Water Bridge. Also competing will be a boat called Warrior Sailing whose entire crew are military veterans. Several boats from our area are also slated to make the trip to Mackinac Island. For more information on anything about the race, including a great tracking app visit the Bayview Yacht Club’s website.

There are many recreational opportunities to enjoy around the Blue Water Area in the summer, and there’s usually more fun with a group! That’s why a couple of local residents banded together just a short time ago to assemble Slow Row Michigan and Slow Roll St. Clair. The group was brought together by their love of the outdoors, kayaking, and biking.

The St. Clair based group meets up just about every week for a new kayaking or biking trip. Throughout the summer, the group’s kayaking members have met at a different location every Tuesday. The slow rolls bike trips currently take place in a different location every Thursday evening. The cyclists will take off tonight at 6:30 on the Wadhams to Avoca Trail. A full list of dates can be found on their Facebook page. If you’d like to join in on kayaking, they are available for rent. Both options are a great way to get outdoors and see the beauty of the area with a fun group.

Reports confirm that a body was located near Russel Island Thursday morning which matches the description of Riley Gleason. Gleason was last seen Friday evening in the St. Clair River behind the St. Clair Inn. While the community awaits confirmation that Gleason has been recovered, they have been rallying around the family and the many organizations who have tirelessly assisted in the search. 

The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office & Dive Team Auxiliary and many volunteers have spent many hours attempting to recover the young man. In an effort to support the volunteers of the Dive Team, the Milkhouse Café will be hosting a fundraiser on Tuesday, July 30th from 3-10 p.m.  All Sales at the Milkhouse Cafe will be donated to the Dive Team Auxiliary in support of their life-saving mission to Educate, Respond and Recover for the St. Clair County Sheriff.

The St. Clair High School volleyball program was set to host a fundraiser for equipment needs, but is instead focusing their efforts on raising money for the Gleason family. The program is selling tickets for a St. Clair themed basket that will be raffled off Saturday, August 3rd. There has been a constant outpouring of support on social media, and the community has stepped up to provide meals for the family through the end of September. 

Volunteers in St. Clair have been working diligently to plan a redesign and build of the popular Imagination Station playground on Carney Drive. After several months of planning and fundraising, the group set dates for construction which will take place September 10-15.

The planning process involved community input, design days for kids, and several volunteer committee meetings. The original playground was built in 1994 and according to Committee Director Matt Alley, has been well-loved. He said the group of volunteers is “trying to take this entire Imagination Station process and put it into the scope of what needs to be done for the next generation of children in the area to take advantage of the Imagination Station for decades to come.”

The effort to redesign and rebuild the park is completely donation and volunteer based, and they’re still trying to fulfill the goal. There’s an opportunity to contribute while having fun this weekend when the group hosts a road rally fundraiser Sunday in St. Clair. If you are interested in being part of the project or want to take part in this weekend’s event, visit their Facebook page “Imagination Station Rebuild” for all the details.

In February, the Port Sanilac Lions Club took part in the Trex Community Challenge Recycling Program. The community challenge recycling program gives an organization six months to collect five hundred pounds of plastic film in return for a Trex bench for their community. The Lions Club accepted the challenge on April 1st, and the Sanilac County Historic Village and Museum was chosen to be the recipient of the first bench.

The response was truly overwhelming; by May 1st, the five hundred pounds had been collected. The bench was presented to board members of the Sanilac County Historical Society on July 6, during the “Old Fashioned 4th of July Celebration” held at the Museum.  The Sanilac County Historical Society wants to thank those who helped collect plastic. They are also grateful for the Lions Club and its partnership in acquiring the Trex bench, and the club’s dedicated president, Cathy Stewart. Both the Museum and the Lions Club will continue collecting plastic film and encourage the community to help them keep this program going in the Port Sanilac area.