Friends of the St. Clair River is hosting the 6th annual Blue Water Sturgeon Festival on Saturday, June 1st from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse Station Park, 2800 Omar Street, Port Huron. This one-day event is centered on providing close encounters with Lake Sturgeon, Michigan’s Gentle Giant of the Great Lakes. Parking and admission are free.
The festival provides a live sturgeon touch tank, hands-on activities, workshops, adopt a sturgeon program and exclusive Huron Lady Sturgeon Cruises. Lake Sturgeon can grow to more than 6 feet long and weigh more than 100 pounds. St. Clair County has the largest Lake Sturgeon population in the Great Lakes, an estimated 30,000 adults in southern Lake Huron, the St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair. Biologists are recording the abundance, distribution, and growth of Lake Sturgeon to better understand their life cycle and movements. The festival draws thousands to get up close and personal with these giants, ask questions to those who study them, and learn about stewardship of the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem.  Huron Lady Sturgeon Cruise tickets are available at www.huronlady.com for cruises at 10:00a.m, 11:30
a.m., and 1:00 p.m. Tickets are $25/ person. During the 1-hour guests watch Lake Sturgeon swimming in the St. Clair River via live video by Gregory A.D. scuba divers.  Fifth-grade students in St. Clair County – 600 of them – will get a free Sturgeon Science Cruise May 30- 31 as part of the Sturgeon Festival. Students embark on the Huron Lady II where they interact with
biologists catching, tagging and releasing Lake Sturgeon and scientists studying invasive species, like sea lamprey. Friends of the St. Clair River hatched the Blue Water Sturgeon Festival in 2014 after a group of divers,  environmentalists and scientists wanted to highlight the fascinating story of this ancient fish – a mascot for the Great Lakes and their recovery. Lake Sturgeon are threatened in 7 of the 8 Great Lakes states.  Once on the brink of extinction, their populations are making a comeback and have become a spotlight species for the habitat restoration work completed in the St. Clair River. Funds raised from the Sturgeon Cruise support Friends of the St. Clair River’s conservation and stewardship programs. For more information, visit www.SturgeonFestival.com or contact Sheri Faust, President, Friends of the St. Clair River at (810) 730-5998 or info@scriver.org.

 

Saturday, June 1st, downtown Port Huron will be filled with visitors, and more than likely, many of those will actually be area residents, as “Be A Tourist In Your Own Town” and the “Taste Of Port Huron” takes over downtown.  The Knowlton Ice Museum of North America is participating in the day’s events, and according to manager, Vicki Smith, there are some new activities that attendees will be able to participate in, including a craft show and children’s activities.  Smith says this will give folks an opportunity to visit the museum at a cost of $2, Veteran’s and active service members are free.  The Knowlton Ice Museum is 10,000 square feet, featuring over 6,000 items relating to the history of ice distribution in the Blue Water Area.  Be A Tourist In Your Own Town runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, June 1st, with a host of activities, attractions and history that brands Port Huron the Maritime Capital of the Great Lakes.  It is a family day filled with fun and lots to do and see, and most attractions are free or discounted for the day.  This year is special as there will be free ticket passes to (normally) paid events.  Free Tickets are available at the Carnegie Museum or Knowlton Ice Museum.  There will also be a scavenger hunt.  Two (2) Ft Gratiot Light Houses are hidden throughout the venue.  Anyone that finds one is eligible for $75.00, redeemable at one of the venues.  You may keep the Lighthouse.

1. Blue Water Sturgeon Festival and Huron Lady Sturgeon Cruises – This year the event will be at at the historic Ft Gratiot.   Advance ticket purchase required for the Huron Lady Sturgeon tours. For more info on the Huron Lady II tour visit huronlady.com or call 810-984-1500

2. Vantage Point Maritime Center – Flower Market, Hike the Blue Water River Walk and Wetland County Park.

3. Bluewater Water Area Transit Depot—Tourist Bus Transfer to north and south attractions—audio history

5. YMCA of the Blue Water Area – Demonstrations.

6. The Grayfox Sea Cadet Training Ship – Tour a former Navy ship and watch Sea Cadet Boatswain demonstrations.

7. Art Studio 1219 – View art exhibits, pottery and special demonstrations.

8. Knowlton Ice Museum of North America – 317 Grand River Ave, History of ice harvesting, short film, kid’s crafts.

9. Huron Lightship – Tour the last lightship to operate on the Great Lakes $3/ person or family maximum (2 adults, up to 4 kids).

10. Thomas Edison Depot Museum – Visit the actual Depot where Thomas Edison worked $3/person Or family max (2 adults, up to 4 kids).

11. Port Huron Schools Robotics Demonstration – Watch the FRC Team 3667. The Mecanum Knights, demonstrate a variety of robotics technology, in front of the YMCA.

12. Fort Gratiot Light Station Tower Climb—See the real “View of the Blue” $5.00 per person. Closed shoes only, no flip flops sandals for your safety.

13.  Carnegie Museum  – Ship Model Collection.

This year, Be A Tourist will provide you some themes; Art Walk, Museum, Maritime, Sturgeon Festival, Taste of Port Huron.  Look for some maps of the different tours.

For example, If you like the Art and history tour, start at the historic NSCS Grayfox and head toward Art Studio 1219 (awesome).  Then head over to the Knowlton Ice Museum.  Try some of the food on Main Street. Finish off with a visit to the Vantage Point Maritime Center.  We expect you to find many venues where you will want to stop along the way and visit.

For more info on Be A Tourist call 248-467-1204

The Port Huron Police Department continues investigation into an early morning stabbing Wednesday, that sent one man to the hospital.   Authorities with the Police Department say they were called to the 1000 block of Chestnut Street near 10th around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday on reports of a disturbance.   Reports say that a bystander spoke with police, stating that  several men were fighting outside.  When Port Huron Police Department arrived, they found a 30 year old man lying in the street with multiple stab wounds. He was taken to an area hospital for treatment where he is reported to be in stable condition.  Officials say there are no suspects currently in custody and investigations continue.

Parents who have outstanding civil warrants on child support in St. Clair County are invited to take advantage of the Amnesty that will be granted on child support warrants issued in St. Clair County.   According to authorities, throughout the month of June during normal business hours payments of $500 can be made Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.   This is a chance for the mothers and fathers who pay child support to make a new start. Parents can discuss their case, set up a payment plan, learn about other programs and see if their case is eligible
for a child support review.  Payments are to be made in person or by phone at St. Clair County, Friend of Court, 201 McMorran Blvd., Room 1600, Port Huron.  During the month of June, Friend of the Court staff will work with parents who voluntarily participate in this program to help them better manage their obligations.  Any questions on this amnesty program may be directed to 810-985-2285.

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In a special meeting held Tuesday evening, the East China Board of Education decided unanimously to close Eddy Elementary at the end of the year.   An $800,000 budget deficit was the basis for the decision according to reports.  Discussion had been held in the past concerning closing the school, but the district had made the decision to keep the building open.  Following the rejection by voters of a $148.6 million bond proposal and consolidation plan this month, the district, when looking at cost-saving measures at a board meeting on May 20, looked again at closing the school.   Officials say the district has been seeing declining enrollment in recent years and  projections show this  likely to continue. In 2001, the district had just over 5,700 students; that number dropped to just under 4,100 in 2019 and is expected to continue to drop about nine percent between 2019 and 2023.

As of May 28, 2019 the City of Port Huron tornado and emergency siren network is operational at four of five fixed sites. The City of Port Huron is working with a third party vendor to effect
repairs at the 1500 block of Riverview Street site. At this time, adequate audible coverage exists
within the City Limits.  The City of Port Huron encourages residents to utilize the WINS notification network as their primary source for emergency information. Free enrollment can be found here: https://www.stclaircounty.org/Offices/emerg_mngmt/wins.aspx