event

Event Will Donate $10,000 to Local Nonprofits

Community members will have an opportunity to give $10,000 to selected nonprofit organizations at the Community Foundation of St. Clair County’s first Minority Philanthropy Initiative event.

The Minority Philanthropy Initiative Giving Circle is on Thursday, October 28th from 5 – 7 PM at the Blue Water Convention Center.

The event will celebrate the diverse cultures represented in the Blue Water area with a variety of cultural dancing and musical performances along with food tastings from around the world.

Attendees will pay $100 for their ticket which contributes to a pool of money that will be donated to three nonprofits that evening. The goal is to gather at least 100 people and give away $10,000.

Jessica Brown,  Minority Philanthropy Initiative committee member, said, “This is going to be a very important opportunity for us to gather together, to learn culturally, share our stories, network, eat together, dance together and enjoy each other’s company.”

All guests must register by 11:59 PM on Tuesday, Oct. 19th. Information about registration is available at stclairfoundation.org.

Or access the registration form here: https://commfoundation.wufoo.com/forms/z7cizff1crzbdk/

Matt Brooks Converts Port Huron Alley Into Social Club

Matt Brooks, Entrepreneur and owner of several local businesses, wanted to create a space for games and social activity on the south end of downtown Port Huron. His newest venture, Jackleg Games & Social Club will fill that desire.

Jackleg Games & Social Club is an outdoor venue located behind Foundry at 1219 Military Street. Its neighbors to the west are The Hatch, a co-working space owned by Brooks, and The Hallway Entertainment, owned by Carol Hall and home to several escape rooms and Kid City.

The space has been outfitted with custom seating, fire pits, string lights, and cozy landscaping to help visitors feel like they are stepping into a friend’s backyard. The definition of the word “jackleg” is unskilled or amateur, so Brooks hopes people keep that in mind while having fun at the new venue.

In the future, there will be a membership program where members can use the space and access the games such as giant Jenga, Connect Four, and corn hole, but, for now, those interested can check out the space while attending a couple of upcoming events.

The next event is a Blue Water Chamber of Commerce Business After Five on Thursday, October 14th from 5-7 PM. The event will take place at Jackleg Games & Social Club and includes music by Dave Liniarski.

On Saturday, October 16, 2021 Foundry is hosting a Halloween Party that includes raku pottery, an outdoor pottery firing experience. Visitors to that event will get to see Jackleg’s space as it connects to the alley behind Foundry.

When asked what he has in mind for the future of Jackleg Games & Social Club, Brooks said, “We look forward to hosting food trucks and playing wild and crazy games.” He also said the winter weather won’t stop them, and they plan to have leagues in the spring.

To learn more, follow Jackleg Games & Social Club on Facebook here:

https://www.facebook.com/jacklegporthuron

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Photo Cred: Jackleg Games & Social Club – Photo by Cecelia Schuler – Downtown Imaging Co.

Community Baby Shower Goes Virtual Starting October 11th

This year’s Community Baby Shower is adapting for the times. The event will be held online, using the Facebook Group platform. The Community Baby Shower is for St. Clair County’s expectant families and new parents with babies under three months old.

The Community Baby Shower is sponsored by St. Clair County RESA’s Early Childhood Department. The event starts on October 11th. Participants will earn chances for prizes with each presentation that they attend. The topics include growth and development, nutrition, preterm labor, safety, and the importance of play.

Participants will have until October 14th to watch the presentations and will be eligible for door prizes with each presentation.

The Community Baby Shower is an annual tradition in St. Clair County, where local businesses and agencies partner to shower families with the things they need to get their new babies off to a great start.

Interested families will need to fill out a registration form online. After registering, expectant and new parents will get an email link to the Community Baby Shower.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfsHfpNg-TC2xmYQmF3tYAENhiV2FW-0cjZYnjBsX7Vb4OWQA/viewform?fbclid=IwAR3VACyD9KRytPXKICSBV5q_uf0p9dte5YH1194yIpVDgAwwsKci2okok4Y

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Blue Water Safe Horizons Raising Awareness at Oct. 9 Event

Blue Water Safe Horizons is hosting the first ever Domestic Violence Awareness Resource Event for St. Clair County. It will be held at Pine Grove Park in Port Huron from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 9th. 

Blue Water Safe Horizons will have information available to help the community recognize the warning signs of domestic violence. There will also be activity tables where the community can earn SURVIVOR, ADVOCATE, or ALLY t-shirts. 

Elizabeth Sawielski, Blue Water Safe Horizons Executive Director, says, “The event is designed to increase awareness of intimate-partner domestic violence in our community and help others understand the resources that are available in St. Clair County. One in three women and one in four men in the U.S. have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner and the work that we do is so important to our community.” 

Blue Water Safe Horizons operates Carolyn’s Place, a 26-bed facility for time-limited emergency needs for women and children. Just last year, Blue Water Safe Horizons provided more than 5,000 nights of stay to victims, answered 500 crisis hotline calls, and served more than 500 women and children. 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

SC4 Continues Arts Rebirth with David Fisher Concert 

St. Clair County Community College is experiencing a rebirth of their community arts effort. One example is this week’s Noon Concert Series featuring SC4’s own David Fisher. 

Fisher is an adjunct faculty member in the music department at SC4 and will be sharing his piano talent at the concert. Fisher will be playing Schubert’s first set of Four Impromptus and music from four other composers. The concert is free to attend in-person at the SC4 Fine Arts Theatre or to watch through the live-streaming service. There are performances at both noon and 7:00 p.m.

Ethan J. Flick, Community Arts Director at SC4 said, “The Noon Concert Series epitomizes the inseparable link between the College and the surrounding community that sustains it. “

Flick said, “While the core mission of the College is, and always will be academic in nature, the broader purpose of SC4 is to enrich lives and expand opportunities. The Noon Concert Series plays an instrumental part toward that larger purpose by providing free community access to a variety of musical genres and performance groups. The ultimate goal of the series is to enrich, educate, and entertain.”

 A link to more information: https://sc4.edu/campus-life/arts/free-thursday-concert-series/

 Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

McMorran Ready to Rock with Styx November 4th 

The band Styx is coming to Port Huron. The rock band that got started in the 1970s will be rocking McMorran Arena on Thursday, November 4th at 8:00 p.m.

This is the actual band Styx, not a cover band. They are known for 1970s hits like “Come Sail Away” and “Babe” and 1983’s “Mr. Roboto”. Styx’s most popular song was 1978’s “Renegade”.

The members of Styx are mostly in their 60s and 70s, and they are still actively making music and touring the country.. The tour that is coming to Port Huron coincides with the release of their latest album, Crash of the Crown.

It’s been a while since McMorran has had a big show. They hosted some big shows like Third Eye Blind and Newsboys over the past fifteen years or so, but this is the first post-shutdown big show that is sure to draw a sell-out crowd.

Tickets go on sale October 1st through the McMorran Box Office. Prices start at $55. They can be bought online or at the box office with no additional fees.

McMorran has a full schedule of entertainment on the calendar for the rest of the year. Go to mcmorran.com for the details.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland