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.
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:
Justin Dalenberg grew up looking forward to his annual trip to McCallum’s Orchard and the process of turning the apples he picked into homemade pies. His love of food grew as he helped his mother in her work as a caterer and baker, and he refined his culinary skills at St. Clair TEC in the St. Clair Hospitality Academy program.
Justin was a student Port Huron Northern and worked at Tom Manis Restaurant, Crystal Gardens, and the River Crab while growing up in the Blue Water Area. After winning a cooking competition at St. Clair TEC, he earned a full-ride scholarship to Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, which is very well-known for its culinary arts program.
After college, Justin worked in various fine dining restaurants around the U.S. including the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, and Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor. As a consultant, he has opened 20-30 restaurants in the Metro Detroit and Ann Arbor area, and he is the owner of VERITAS in Jackson, MI; Grand River Brewery in Marshall, MI; and several Doll n’ Burgers restaurants in Jackson, Marshall, and Tecumseh, MI.
Justin Dalenberg’s newest food and dining adventure is the renovation and reimagining of the 17,000-square-foot Manchester Market which celebrates its grand opening on Saturday, October 16, 2021 at 455 W. Main Street in Manchester, Michigan. He is co-owner of the market with business partner, Ken Heers.
Manchester Market is a foodie’s dream featuring a full-service grocery store, a commercial butcher shop & bakery, and a gelato shop, along with a coffee shop and beer cave. The market is also the new home of the Acorn Farmer’s Market and Café, a non-profit farmer’s market.
“We have a bunch of different people with different skills and different passions all under one roof,” said Dalenberg.
Justin Dalenberg, Co-Owner Manchester Market
When asked what draws him to the food and hospitality industry, Dalenberg said, “I’m obsessed with it. I love making people happy. I love throwing parties, I love taking care of people, and I love great food.”
Dalenberg learned a great deal living on the East Coast, in the Carribean, and in the Aspen, Colorado area. He said, “Everything you did was top-notch, and I kind of bring that East Coast, cook-from-scratch, buy-better-ingredients-for-flavor idea. In Michigan, we have the best ingredients, but a lot of people just don’t use them.”
Dalenberg has plans to open several more Grand River Breweries and Doll n’ Burgers in the next few years along with a hotel and another market.
Water is a pretty big deal around here and Port Huron’s water filtration plant is a very big deal. A tour of the plant brought the inner workings of the massive plant, located near Pine Grove Park, to local officials and interested citizens.
The water filtration plant takes water right out of the St. Clair River and turns it into clean drinking water that goes to up to 60,000 customers, including homes, businesses, and industries. Right now, the plant treats around 8 million gallons of water per day, but it has the capacity to treat 30 million gallons if needed.
The plant, built in 1966, is in a constant state of maintenance and monitoring to continue to treat and pump fresh, clean water to Port Huron and the surrounding townships 24 hours a day. Steps have been taken recently to increase security at the plant.
The operators of the facility hold high-skill jobs and the City of Port Huron is actively recruiting to fill future vacancies at the plant. The jobs are high-paying and require extensive certification and training.
Port Huron City Council Member Anita Ashford remarked on the complexity of the water plant, saying, “We want the best with no shortcuts. We are stewards of the water for a lot of people.”
Union trades leaders are applauding the recent Prevailing Wage requirement announced by the State of Michigan. The ruling applies to state construction projects.
Tom Lutz, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights, said, “This decision protects Michigan’s investments in infrastructure because when prevailing wages are the expectation, contractors have to compete on a level playing field based on quality of their skilled work, not on the exploitation of their workers.”
Michigan’s prevailing wage rule was repealed in 2018. Prevailing wages differ geographically. The total costs of projects does increase with prevailing wage rulings, but is thought to increase standards.
Steve Claywell, President of the Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council said, “The restoring of prevailing wage provides a fair and equal bidding process allowing for highly trained men and women to be paid a good wage.”
Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the ruling, saying it was “offering Michigan a highly-trained workforce to rely on as we build up our roads and bridges, replace lead pipes, install high-speed internet, and more.”
St. Clair County Community College has opened registration for its Mission Lunar Quest at the Challenger Lunar Center. The center will launch in Spring of 2022, but students and educators, businesses and corporations, and community members can reserve a spot now.
Dr. Deborah Snyder, president of SC4, said “The Challenger Learning Center at SC4 will help support STEM education, exploration and innovation with experiences that go far beyond an everyday field trip, outing or corporate training session.”
Guests to the Challenger Learning Center can schedule half day or full day experiences that are geared toward 5th through 8th graders but can be adapted for older guests. The interactive experience simulates a trip to the moon and utilizes a variety of STEM-based roles.
Lance Bush, president and CEO of the Challenger Centers, said, “We’re hard at work building the Spacecraft and preparing Mission Control to welcome students and community members to fly our newest space missions that we developed in partnership with NASA.”
Galaxy Quest STEM Summer Camp is in the works for next summer. A link to more information can be found at WGRT.com.
