port huron

“Doc” Emrick Headlines YMCA “Night of Champions”

The YMCA of the Blue Water Area is planning a “Night of Champions” featuring Hockey Hall of Fame announcer Mike “Doc” Emrick, along with some surprise guests.

The fundraiser will be held on Thursday, September 15th at 6:00 p.m. at McMorran Arena in downtown Port Huron. The event will be hockey-themed with pregame festivities, hockey activities, food from local establishments, and live and silent auctions.

YMCA of the Blue Water Area’s Foundation Chairman, Don Fletcher, said, “This Night of Champions event provides us with a wonderful opportunity to raise positive awareness for the many ways the YMCA of the Blue Water Area strengthens our community.”

Doc Emrick has a history with the Port Huron Flags, Olympic Hockey and Water Polo coverage, and with quietly supporting causes along with his wife, Joyce, according to Fletcher.

Tickets must be purchased in advance from the YMCA in downtown Port Huron. Tickets are $100 each or $1000 for a table. Sponsorships are available. All proceeds go toward supporting the mission of the YMCA of the Blue Water Area.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Selah Butterfield & Kara Kaercher Young Artists in Michigans Thumbcoast

Young Artists Making Their Mark wsg. Kara Kaercher & Selah Butterfield

 

How do young artists share their work and build community? Kara Kaercher and Selah Butterfield join us this week to talk about how they are building their businesses and sharing their art with the community.

Kara Kaercher, Kara’s Arts & Crafts, specializes in acrylic pour and painting along with teaching classes and creating jewelry. She shares how leading classes at Foundry and working on the public mural downtown Port Huron help her connect with her community.

Find Kara here: https://m.facebook.com/KarasArtandCrafts/?_rdr

As a digital artist, Selah Butterfield has built a 50,000+ person following on social media platforms where she shares and demonstrates her digital drawing skills.

Find Selah’s work here: https://selahsketches.carrd.co/

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Blue Water Sturgeon Festival Needs Volunteers to Help Inspire Sturgeon Protection

The Blue Water Sturgeon Festival is right around the corner, scheduled for June 4th at the Fort Gratiot Light Station in Pine Grove Park. Volunteers are needed to help at the event. Hours can be given for NHS and other service groups.

Why are Sturgeon such a big deal around here? Friends of the St. Clair River President, Sheri Faust, said, “There are fewer Lake sturgeon today than a century ago because they’re a threatened species in Michigan, but of the sturgeon still roaming the Great Lakes, most of them can be found in Port Huron. Over 10,000 Lake Sturgeon call underneath the Blue Water Bridges home, which makes it possible to see these gentle giants at our Blue Water Sturgeon Festival.”

Port Huron really is home to the mighty sturgeon. The stock here is helping to restock sturgeon elsewhere in places like Saginaw Bay, the Flint River, and the Toledo River.

Faust said that the point of the Festival is to inspire people to want to protect an animal that they can not see, the Sturgeon. “Sturgeon Squad” volunteer information can be found at the link below.

Email info@scriver.org to sign up. Event details can be found at www.SturgeonFestival.com.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

The Athletic Factory Recreational Survey Needs Community Response

The Athletic Factory, a Port Huron non-profit that assists student-athletes in preparing for college, is asking for the community to take a few minutes to complete an online survey.

The Athletic Factory’s Executive Director, Cliff Thomason, said that the organization provides summer youth recreational programs where they provide open gym runs for middle school and high school kids at the James R. Leonard Center. Thomason said that during a planning meeting, they were discussing what other activities they might want to provide this summer and the survey was created.

The Athletic Factory is working to find out what the community feels is needed for the youth in our community and to eventually fill the voids.

The survey asks what activities participants would be interested in, from sports to crafts to dance. It also asks about the need for a community center, and where it should be located, along with questions about social media use and availability for programming. The short survey takes just a few minutes to complete. A link to the survey can be found below.

The Athletic Factory Recreational Survey

Reporting for WGRT  – Jennie McClelland

June 4th River Run to Benefit VNA & Blue Water Hospice

If you have ever had an experience with hospice or home care, you know how important it is. There’s an easy and fun way to show your support for Visiting Nurse Association and Blue Water Hospice. The River Run is a 10K, 5K, 3-mile Walk, and 1-mile Fun Run that raises money to provide care for all patients, regardless of their ability to pay.

The River Run will be held on the morning of Saturday, June 4th at Marysville Park. Registration is open now, with reduced rates and a t-shirt included through May 22nd. Sponsorships are available and volunteers are needed to assist with the race. Packet pickup is June 3rd.

Angela DeLaere, president and CEO of VNA & Blue Water Hospice, said, “This is our largest annual fundraiser for VNA & Blue Water Hospice, and we rely on the support of our very generous community, and after a two-year pandemic break, we’re excited to be back.” 

For more information about supporting VNA and Blue Water Hospice with the River Run,  Sign up at www.vnabwh.org/river-run or call VNA at (810) 984-4131. 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

“Children’s Storytime” Theme of Port Huron Rotary International Day Parade July 13th

It’s time to start planning your entry if you are going to be part of the Port Huron Rotary International Day Parade. This year’s theme is “Children’s Storytime”. This is the 102nd year for the parade, which kicks off the Blue Water Festival, leading up to the Port Huron to Mackinac boat race.

Registration is now open for community organizations and businesses to get a place in line for Port Huron’s biggest community gathering.

The parade will be held on Wednesday, July 13th with a 6:30 p.m. start time. The parade route begins at Huron and Glenwood and continues south through the downtown Port Huron business district, turning east from Military Street onto Oak Street and ending at Desmond Landing.

Cash prizes up to $450 are awarded to the parade entries that best represent the theme of “Children’s Storytime”, show originality and craftsmanship, show best costuming, and show a high level of effort. There is an entry fee for parade entrants.

For more information, go to :

http://paradeday.net

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland