event

This Year’s “One in Christ” MLK Day Event Goes Virtual

Port Huron, MI — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is approaching on the third Monday of January and plans are in the works to continue with the annual community event despite the inability to have an actual gathering.

This year’s “One in Christ” Community Service will be held via Facebook Live, following the lead of many other community traditions. The service will be livestreamed at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 17th from the Operation Transformation Facebook page.

The presentation is planned to feature music, scripture, and dance. There will also be a dramatic portion that features important figures in the civil rights struggle. The dramatization will highlight the “Mantle of Love, Freedom, Equity, and Justice”.

This is the fifteenth year that the community service has been held. It is traditionally a cooperative event led by Operation Transformation and Blue Water Area Churches. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day has been a national holiday since 1983.

A link to the Facebook Live event page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/432827714536937/

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Mainstreet Memories Car Show Moving to Waterfront

Port Huron, MI — Mainstreet Memories, an annual car show in Downtown Port Huron, has announced plans for expansion in 2021. The non-profit is rolling out its plans for a bigger and better show this summer.

The group has raised $65,000 to benefit the Council on Aging serving St. Clair County since they started the event. They have had exponential growth in the car show each year since starting in 2015.

Previously held on Huron Avenue, this year’s show will be held at the Acheson Ventures downtown waterfront area. The advantages of the new location are cost savings, greater area for cars to park, and no need to close streets. In a statement on their facebook page, President Ron Steward said, “In discussions with the DDA, both groups feel comfortable with this change, and feel it opens new opportunities to grow and expand the event into a weekend long experience, the opportunities are endless.”

This year’s Mainstreet Memories Car Show is scheduled for July 31, 2021 and will be sponsored by Moran Automotive. More information is at mainstreetmemoriesph.com.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Fort Gratiot Fire Department Hosts “Shop with a Hero”

Members of the Fort Gratiot Fire Department are used to doing what needs to be done in an emergency. When the emergency was local kids going without toys and essentials for Christmas, they stepped up to solve the problem.

This is the second year that Fort Gratiot Township received a grant from the Walmart Foundation to fund “Shop with a Hero”. This year’s effort helped 27 students who attend the township elementary schools: Keewahdin and Thomas Edison.

In a normal year, the students would have gathered with the firefighters at the Fort Gratiot Walmart and shopped alongside them, but this is not a normal year, and a group shopping trip was not an option. Instead, the department got wish lists from the kids’ parents and did the shopping for them.

Some parents picked up the gifts from the Fort Gratiot Township office while some were delivered by the department in a fire truck. Sharon Wilton, Community Development Director for Fort Gratiot, said that they are thankful to Walmart and the Fort Gratiot Fire Department for making a difference during this holiday season.

The Walmart Foundation gives over $1 billion in charitable contributions each year.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

International Symphony Orchestra Goes Online for Nexus Chamber Series

With the Blue Water Bridge closed to recreational international travel, crossing the bridge to support the International Symphony Orchestra is not an option, even there were in-person performances to attend. But there is still a way to enjoy the orchestral performances this season, online, from the comfort and safety of home.

The Nexus Chamber Series is being offered this year, with empty-hall chamber orchestra performances on both sides of the closed border. According to the ISO, Executive Director Anthony Wing was charged with “finding a way to reunite our musicians by remote while providing inventive programming in fresh locations in Canada and Michigan. The Nexus Chamber Series is also another step towards the diversification of the ISO as a reliable online content provider.”

The ISO plans to wow viewers with surprises, saying there will be surprising locations, programming, performers, and delivery, “to keep everyone entertained into the spring”, according to Wing.

The concert series consists of five episodes. The cost is $50 for all five or $12 per single episode. Tickets can be purchased at theiso.org.

Reporting for wGRT – Jennie McClelland

Port Huron Museums to Host Telethon on “Giving Tuesday”

Port Huron, MI — The Port Huron Museums need help. And they need it fast. This year has dealt one blow after another to this cornerstone of the educational and cultural foundation of the area. With a drastic decrease in admission fees collected, there is not enough cash flow.

To help raise funds, the museum is hosting a telethon on “Giving Tuesday”, December 1st, from noon to 8:00 p.m. The telethon will be held via Facebook Live. There are many presentations on the schedule throughout the telethon, from live music to art to cooking demonstrations.

The point of the telethon is to provide a little bit of entertainment and draw some attention, while asking for donations.  

While the Museums were closed, the museum staff found ways to reach out to the community through their Facebook live videos that featured Museum Community Outreach Director Andrew Kercher giving historical tours of the area. They have also held outdoor events and hosted private trolley tours, but they are still in need of help until they are able to get back to hosting field trips and filling up the sites with visitors.

A link to the Telethon event page as well as the Port Huron Museums donation page:

https://www.phmuseum.org/donate/ 

https://www.facebook.com/events/389243292446133

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Sperry’s Santa Spectacle Kicks Off Holiday Season

Port Huron, MI — There’s no Santa Parade this year, but that doesn’t mean kids won’t get a chance to see Santa and feel the magic of the holiday season. Port Huron Recreation Department will be organizing Sperry’s Drive-Thru Santa Spectacle on Friday, November 27th from 6 -8 p.m.

The Rec Department is not letting COVID take away the annual holiday kick-off. The drive-thru event is hoped to bring all of the lights and beauty of the season without the worries of maintaining social distance at a crowded public event.

Spectacle participants will be driving through Pine Grove Park, which will be donning the lights of the season. Typical parade attractions will be positioned along the route with Jolly old Saint Nick himself stationed at the end of the route.

The route starts at the south entrance of Pine Grove Park and ends at the north end of the park. Side streets will be closed. 

 To keep things running smoothly on the night of the drive-thru event, the Rec Department asks that you sign up for a time slot. The event is free to attend.

Light displays are sponsored by local businesses. The displays will be up from November 25th until January 2nd. 

https://rec.porthuron.org/ViewCourseActivityDetails.aspx… 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland