For the third year in a row, residents of the Sherman Woods Homeowners Association in Port Huron will be providing an assist to the St. Clair County Salvation Army in their annual Red Kettle campaign.  The neighborhood, which is recognized each year for its abundant and colorful Christmas displays and decorations, is capitalizing on the large number of visitors who travel to view the community’s Christmas spirit to give a boost to the Salvation Army’s fund raising campaign.  “Two years ago we looked at this as an opportunity to leverage the interest in our neighborhood’s Christmas displays to raise a few extra dollars for the Red Kettle campaign,” said Fred Kemp, Sherman Woods Homeowners Association president.  “Our homeowners are proud of their displays and have been generous with their time and money to give back to the community.  Christmas season visitors to our neighborhood have also been generous with their contributions. ”  Due to the success of the campaign in 2017, the solicitation has been extended to two weekends this year.  Last year in only two evenings the neighborhood bell ringing raised $2,972 to help with gifts and food for families served by the Salvation Army in St. Clair County. The Red Kettle, which will be located at the corner of Armour Street and LaSalle Boulevard, will be manned by Sherman Woods residents who will continue to be ringing the bell between 6:30 and 9:30 pm, on Friday and Saturday, December 14 and 15.

Post Offices nationwide will be closed on Christmas Day, Tuesday, Dec. 25 and New Year’s Day, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019. All Post Offices will be open and regular mail delivery will resume after the holidays on Dec. 26 and Jan. 2.  Some Post Offices may have extended hours leading up to the holidays, and limited hours on Christmas Eve, Monday, Dec. 24.  New Year’s Eve, Monday, Dec. 31, Post Offices will be open during regular business hours. Customers should always check with their local Post Offices for hours of operation.  Blue collection boxes with final collection times before 12 p.m. (noon) will not be affected by early closing on Dec. 24. If a box has a final collection time after 12 p.m., its mail may be picked up earlier. For mail pickup on Dec. 24, please put your mail into blue collection boxes by noon regardless of the final collection times posted on the box.

Blue Water Area Transit will unveil a sculpture on Friday, December 14, at 12:30 p.m. The sculpture celebrates the many milestones of local transit innovation and recognizes William Pitt Edison as the father of local public transit. The unveiling ceremony will take place at the Blue Water Transit Bus Center, 720 McMorran Blvd., in downtown Port Huron.     The powder-coated fabricated aluminum sculpture measures 16 by 7.5 feet. It was created by local artist Mino Duffy Kramer.  Her credentials include the prestigious Accademia de Belle Arte in Florence, Italy, and an apprenticeship with sculptor Ferenc Varga at his studios in Florida.    “We started out wanting a statue of William Pitt Edison, but Mino suggested focusing on our many innovative milestones,” said Jim Wilson, BWAT general manager. “The finished sculpture includes five panels seen through five streetcar windows. It not only honors William Pitt, but also highlights our local transit history.”   William Pitt Edison was born on November 5, 1831 in Vienna, Ontario. He moved with his family from Canada to Milan, Ohio.  After that, he lived in Port Huron until his death in 1891 at the age of 59.  William Pitt is the oldest brother of world-renowned inventor Thomas Alva Edison. Both brothers started out serving passengers on the Grand Trunk Railroad train to Detroit that opened in 1859.    Years before his name became synonymous with mass produced lightbulbs, Young Tom Edison worked as a candy butcher selling fruit and newspapers aboard the train. Meanwhile, his older brother saw an opportunity with the new train line to serve Port Huron residents with a horse-pulled trolley. William soon replaced the trolley with horse-pulled streetcars guided by rails along several local routes. He left the public transit industry in 1883, but his legacy of innovation continued.  BWAT stayed at the forefront of developing transit service. The agency was among the first to use electric streetcars in 1886 and motor coaches in 1927. BWAT supports the national effort to reduce our country’s dependence on oil. The agency started using and producing Compressed Natural Gas in 1996. It will soon add two zero-emission electric battery buses with $1.5 million from the Federal Transit Administration. BWAT ranks as Michigan’s top CNG producer and operates four public CNG stations. It operates the state’s largest fleet of buses powered by natural gas.  After an eight-year hiatus ended in 1976, the Blue Water Area Transportation Commission became Port Huron’s first publicly funded bus service. Since then, the agency has carried more than 31 million riders.   For additional information, see BWAT’s website at www.bwbus.com and blog at www.bwwave.com

Mackinaw Watercraft is a custom boat works dedicated to creating unique treasures that enhance the outdoor experience and inspire a closer relationship to nature.  Mackinaw Watercraft specializes in designing and producing custom wooden kayaks, canoes and paddles for use in both large and small waters.  The special design for the Friends of the Fort Gratiot Light Raffle features two beautiful wood inlays—one of the state of Michigan and the other for the Fort Gratiot Light Station. Raffle tickets will be $20 each and the raffle is limited to 500 tickets.  The raffle drawing will be on July 14, 2019.  Raffle proceeds will be used for restoration of the Fort Gratiot Light Station.  To be notified when raffle tickets for this one-of-a-kind kayak is available watch the Light Station’s website at fortgratiotlight.org.

A career spanning more than 28 years has come to a close, as Undersheriff Tom Buckley has retired from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office.  During his career, Buckley worked his way from the ground up.   He was hired as a dispatcher by former Sheriff Dan Lane in July of 1990.  He was promoted to road patrol deputy in April of 1993.  In 2003, Buckley was promoted to sergeant and in 2008 he achieved the rank of lieutenant.  His final promotion was his appointment as Undersheriff by Sheriff Tim Donnellon in January of 2009.   During his career, Buckley worked several stints in the Drug Task Force, both as a deputy and a sergeant.  He was also a member of the Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team as a deputy, sergeant and finally as commander of the unit as lieutenant. Tom also is a 2014 graduate of the prestigious FBI National Academy.  “I worked with Tom almost my entire career, so when I decided to appoint him Undersheriff, I knew the skill set he had,” said Sheriff Donnellon.  “With that said, he exceeded all expectations I had for him in handling one of, if not the most difficult jobs in our entire organization.  Tom is leaving our department in better shape than he found it.  He will be missed, not only by the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office, but by the entire first responder community throughout our area and the state.” Buckley has accepted a position with the Michigan State Gaming Commission.   Sheriff Donnellon has appointed Matthew Paulus as the new Undersheriff.  Paulus retired as a captain from the Sheriff’s Office in January of 2017.

A free community Christmas Day Dinner will be held at the Center of Port Huron at 723 Court Street.  The meal will be presented by the First Congregational Church.  Authorities say reservations are not needed for dine-in meals.  Use the Wall Street Entrance between 7th and 8th Street on Wall.  They will be serving from noon to 2 p.m. on Christmas Day.  The meal will consist of Roast Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, dressing, a vegetable, salad, cranberries, rolls and butter, dessert and beverages.