Weekly Update 03/01/2010

Hello from Georgia!  It’s been another cold week here, and another week with too little snow on Mackinac Island.  I think the islanders have about given up on the idea of any kind of ice bridge this year.  What a difference from last year, when the first day of crossing on the ice bridge was January 12, and the last day was March 24. 

After last week’s marathon update, I had trouble finding a lot to write about this week.  But here are a few items you may be interested in.

 Winter Activities on the Island

A variety of winter activities are offered to residents of the island by the Mackinac Island Recreation Department, and except for the pottery class, everything is free of charge!  Indoor walking is offered weekdays at the school gymnasium, and the gym is open each Sunday for childrens’ activities.  There is a dartball league on Sundays at the Community Hall.  Robin Dorman offers archery classes to adults and youth on Tuesday evenings at the school.  Each Wednesday morning, skiers meet at Skull Cave for a leisurely cross-country ski around the island.  Adult volleyball is played at the school gym every Wednesday evening, and Jay Barch teaches that pottery class on Thursday evenings in a classroom at the school.  No need for cabin fever with all these activities happening every week!

Tim Leeper Update

On Tuesday, March 2, Tim Leeper will log his 3,424th mile and place his front tire in the Atlantic Ocean at St. Augustine, FL.  He arrived in St. Augustine on Sunday, saying, “I can see the ocean!  I think it’s time to retire the $150 bike I bought from a friend.”  Tim will end his journey on Day 54, having raised over $9,000 for cancer research.  Several friends from the island will be on hand in Florida to witness the end of Tim’s trip including Diane Sprengel, Regina & Jeff, Tim’s mom, Dr. Vince and Molly Carroll (the minister and his wife from Little Stone Church), and possibly Chris Ann and Burton Nelson.  Tim will be back on the island in time for the St. Patrick’s Day dinner.  Congratulations, Tim!

Openings

The east wing of the Grand Hotel and the Gatehouse Restaurant will open Friday, April 23.  The Cottage Inn will reopen that same day, after closing February 21 to allow innkeepers Rich and Marge Lind a month’s vacation in Arizona.

The Census on Mackinac Island

Friend Joan Barch will be the census taker on Mackinac Island for the next two weeks.  Joan has been in training in St. Ignace and is now back on the island and ready to go to work.  Joan knows the island like the back of her hand and knows how to find the people she might not know.  She will do an amazing job!  Oh, her “means of transportation” is a little different from that of other census takers !

That’s all I have for today.  Eleven week to go – but who’s counting!

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