The Biggest Snack Competition in America is happening right here in the Blue Water Area. The August 1st deadline for registering to compete in the MI New Favorite Snack contest is coming up quickly, and the excitement is building.

The winner will be announced on September 17th at the Vantage Point Farmer’s Market by longtime Detroit area television broadcaster Chuck Gaidica. So far, 26 snack makers have registered. Entrepreneurs must be from Michigan.

Anyone can check out the current registrants by going to the @MINewFavoriteSnack page on Facebook. Some of the contestants tell their stories and introduce their products. There is a wide variety of snack foods already entered into the contest.

Thelma Castillo, CEO and President of the Blue Water Area Chamber, which is one of the hosting organizations for MI New Favorite Snack said, “We wanted to give these small business entrepreneurs some promotional opportunity to tell their unique stories. These individuals all have compelling products that are truly a passion for them. It’s been fun to ‘meet’ them virtually.”

There is $50,000 in prize money for the top snack makers and a distribution agreement with All-Star Services for the winner.

https://www.facebook.com/MINewFavoriteSnack

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

The Thumb Land Conservancy opted out of having their lands sprayed for spongy moths yet they had very few of the invasive species on their property this year. All of the credit seems to go to birds for keeping the spongy moth population under control this year. 

The nature conservation group had concerns about the effects that the natural bacterium BTK, used to kill spongy moth caterpillars, might have on other caterpillars of native moths and butterflies, so they chose not to be part of the county-wide spraying initiative. 

There were very few spongy moth caterpillars at the Thumb Land Conservancy property in Fort Gratiot, presumably because they were all being eaten by birds. 

The newsletter stated that a single pair of Black-capped Chickadees may forage several thousand caterpillars to raise a single brood of young. 

In their most recent newsletter, the Conservancy pointed out that having a healthy native bird population is a very effective way to control spongy moths. 

The Thumb Land Conservancy provides a wealth of information about maintaining healthy habitats in Michigan’s Thumb region. Contact information can be found at WGRT.com. 

Thumbland.org 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

The Blue Water Area Chamber’s mission is to support our business community through various means. One of those means is to advocate and support ballot millage/proposals that will have an impact on St. Clair County’s residents and businesses. On behalf of the Blue Water Area Chamber, its Board of Directors, has voted to fully support the following proposed millages:

• St. Clair County Senior Citizens millage
• St. Clair County Ambulance Services millage
• St. Clair County Library System millage
• St. Clair County Community College millage
• St. Clair County Parks and Recreation millage

We believe strongly that these millage proposals are critical to the success of our region and building strong, sustainable communities for our membership. We want to be known as the county that our residents and business community are proud to call home. The Chamber is asking the voters of St. Clair County to approve these millage requests.

“The chamber has had a significant role in business advocacy for St. Clair County since 1917, said Thelma Castillo, President & CEO of Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce has been supporting its members by fostering economic prosperity and promoting Blue Water area businesses through regional collaboration, advocacy, and member development since 1917.

Submitted by the Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce

The Michigan Task Force on Juvenile Justice has approved recommendations to transform the state’s juvenile justice system.

The task force recommendations include expanding diversion opportunities for youth who are not a public safety risk. They also plan to create a uniform statewide juvenile public defense system and increase funding for community-based programs.

The task force recommended relying on data-driven tools and best practices to guide the future of the system, and improving things like probation and residential programs for juveniles who are in the justice system.

There will also be a statewide advisory board of youth and families who have experience with the juvenile justice system.

Michigan Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Clement said, “We are providing local courts with more tools to guide diversion and disposition decisions, more resources to keep young people in their homes and communities and effectively meet their needs, and more training and technical assistance through the State Court Administrator’s Office to help local courts to implement new policies and programs effectively.” 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Mental health is taken seriously at St. Clair County Community College. The college is expanding its support network in response to the growing need for mental health services.

Students can access telehealth sessions 24 hours a day, seven days a week, through the BetterMynd service that provides licensed mental health counselors. The fifty-minute sessions are private and confidential and can be done on a laptop or smartphone. Students are eligible for at least five free sessions.

Director of Student Wellness David Goetze said, “We want to provide our students with the mental health and wellness resources they need to maintain a balanced and healthy lifestyle—and to succeed in an academic environment.

Goetze said, “The past few years have been very challenging for many of our students. BetterMynd will help enhance our offerings and provide students with even greater access and support.”

Services are also available with SC4 Student Wellness.

SC4 has also launched Skip’s Corner Pantry, to provide free food and personal items to students in need. The pantry is located on the first floor of the Welcome Center and is open during college business hours.  

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

ArtCrawl 2022 is looking for vendors to join them at this year’s event which will take place on August 6th from 10 AM – 5 PM from George to Davis on Christina Street.

ArtCrawl takes place as part of Sarnia’s First Friday and Weekend Walkabout sponsored by the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce. The Sarnia Chamber works with downtown business owners to have special events throughout the First Friday weekends in the summer months, and it includes vendors, live music, and Sunday car shows.

The theme for August’s weekend is Local Market and Art Walk, and ArtCrawl will be the main event on Saturday, August 6th. During the weekend, Christina Street will be closed to traffic to allow pedestrians to stroll around to local businesses and enjoy the vendors.

Those who want to join ArtCrawl as a vendor can contact info@theiso.org for an applications. Cost is $100 per booth.

For more information about Sarnia’s First Friday and Weekend Walkabout visit their website here:

Home

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand