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Mike Forrester's Blog Posts Tagged 'mackinac' (28)

Horses arriving on Mackinac Island

I shot this video as horses arrived on the island on June 1, 2010. It's a sight that is occurring regularly right now and will continue through early June.

Nearly all the hotels, B&B's, restaurants and shops are now open with the remaining businesses opening in the next week.

Added by Mike Forrester on May 5, 2013 at 11:00am — No Comments

Mackinac Island 2013 soon underway!

Happy 2013 and welcome to the new season of the Mackinac Island Blog. Hopefully you've stayed up-to-date over the winter with our Twitter feed (http://www.twitter.com/mackinac) and Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/mackinacislandblog). If you haven't visited them, please follow or like them as they have more frequent updates both in season and in the off-season.…

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Added by Mike Forrester on April 19, 2013 at 4:00pm — 1 Comment

2012 season wraps up, a winter visit offers new experiences

With the 17th Annual Mackinac Island Great Turtle Run on Saturday, the Somewhere In Time Weekend and the Close the Grand event, the 2012 season on Mackinac Island effectively comes to a close. Some businesses have already closed, but most are in shutdown mode this week, anticipating one last 'pop' of business during the sold-out race on Saturday.

By nearly all accounts, it was a good season on the island, which saw tourism numbers increase, a few new businesses open and others upgrade…

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Added by Mike Forrester on October 22, 2012 at 10:30am — 1 Comment

Take a ride across the Ice Bridge

(UPDATE 3/3/11: The ice bridge has disappeared due to a combination of high winds and warm temperatures in recent weeks. While possible, it's increasingly unlikely it will reform this year.)

Take a ride across the ice bridge. Using a GoPro camera mounted to his helmet, the driver gives you a great view of the trip. You can also view the return with the camera mounted to the windscreen here:…

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Added by Mike Forrester on February 8, 2011 at 10:30am — 2 Comments

Round Island Lighthouse preservation moves forward

If you are on Mackinac Island this Saturday, August 21st, make sure to visit Windermere Point at 10:30am for a special event. After years of work and the formation of the Round Island Lighthouse Preservation Society, the Society ,the US Forest Service and the Hiawatha National Forest will sign a Memorandum of Understanding. The MOU, as it is known, recognizes the Society as the cooperating preservation organization for the Round Island Lighthouse.

This is an important step in the… Continue

Added by Mike Forrester on August 19, 2010 at 8:30am — 2 Comments

Round Island Lighthouse Open House is July 10th

If you are on Mackinac Island on July 10th, be sure to make the trip to Round Island for a rare opportunity to visit the lighthouse. Free tours will be conducted by Freeland Boy Scout Troop 323 from 10:00am to 4:00pm, weather permitting. The cost for round-trip transportation to Round Island is $10 and the charters will be departing from the Arnold Coal Doc on Mackinac Island. Guests must be at least 8 years…

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Added by Mike Forrester on June 27, 2010 at 5:00pm — 10 Comments

A trip to the top of the Mackinac Bridge

On Thursday, June 17, 2010, my wife Jeanine and I had the rare opportunity to visit the top of the Mackinac Bridge. Each year, the Mackinac Bridge Authority awards a few non-profit organizations around the state with Tower Tour Certificates, which they use for fund-raising. Our certificate came from an auction that benefitted special programs in the Pinconning (MI) School District.

We initially chose June 15th as the day for the tour,…

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Added by Mike Forrester on June 18, 2010 at 10:30am — 4 Comments

Mackinac Island Blog/Grand Hotel Social Media Meet-Up is June 18th

If you are on Mackinac on Friday, June 18th, you're invited to the east front porch of Grand Hotel for a social media get-together from 5:00PM to 6:30PM. The hotel will provide light refreshments to all our blog, Twitter and Facebook friends. Evening attire not required! We do ask that you RSVP with your name so we can place your name on the guest list. Otherwise, you will have to pay the $10 entry fee. Please send me (mike@mackinacislandblog.com) a note with the name of all attendees and we'll… Continue

Added by Mike Forrester on June 8, 2010 at 8:00pm — 2 Comments

Horses arriving on Mackinac Island

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Added by Mike Forrester on June 1, 2010 at 12:07pm — 4 Comments

Grand Hotel readies for another season

Added by Mike Forrester on April 30, 2010 at 7:00am — 2 Comments

Friesians on Mackinac Island

Brenda Horton shared the link to this video/slideshow with me, and naturally I had to share it with you.… Continue

Added by Mike Forrester on April 11, 2010 at 7:30am — 1 Comment

'Ice Bridge' movie releases new widescreen trailer

If you haven't seen 'Ice Bridge' you really should. It's a look at Mackinac Island that the majority of visitors never see. The filmmakers have just posted a new trailer for the film which continues to gather accolades from film festivals and fans.

I purchased a copy of the film about 18 months ago and was fortunate enough to meet the filmmakers last summer during a visit to the island. They've produced a film that only someone who lives on the island could… Continue

Added by Mike Forrester on January 24, 2010 at 2:30pm — 3 Comments

Mackinac Island Winter Festival is February 6 & 7

Wanting to see Mackinac Island in a different wardrobe? Winter has wrapped itself around the island making for a very unique experience. In just a couple of weeks, the 34th annual Winter Festival will get underway with some winter events including snow golf, a snowmobile parade and snow volleyball.

The big event for me, however, is the chance to look through all the photographs being considered for the 2012 'Seasons of Mackinac' calendar during the Sunday events at the school… Continue

Added by Mike Forrester on January 20, 2010 at 5:00am — 7 Comments

Ice on the Straits of Mackinac

I came across this video posted two days ago on YouTube by a gentleman that lives in Mackinaw City. It gives you a good idea of how icy the Straits of Mackinac is becoming. He also posted some videos of the outhouse races last weekend during the Winterfest in Mackinaw… Continue

Added by Mike Forrester on January 19, 2010 at 1:30am — No Comments

Postcard of the week

While you may recognize this aerial view of Mission Point - it's not the resort in this picture. This postcard view is in 1985 and the property is known as Mackinac Hotel, which took over the former campus of Mackinac College. While much of the property exists today as it did in 1985, the most notable… Continue

Added by Mike Forrester on January 13, 2010 at 11:30pm — 4 Comments

Arnold Line ferry ends service for the season

The big news from the island this morning is that the Arnold Line ferry couldn't make it out of the St. Ignace harbor this morning, thus bringing an end to the 2009 season. Great Lakes Air is now the only connection to the mainland until the ice bridge forms.

Liz, an island resident and blog member has updated her blog, The Quilted Turtle, with some insight on what a shopping trip is… Continue

Added by Mike Forrester on January 8, 2010 at 12:30pm — No Comments

Your Mackinac photo could be in the next 'Seasons of Mackinac' calendar

Have you ever taken a picture on Mackinac Island and thought 'this should be in a calendar?' Well, here's your chance. Entries are being accepted for the next 'Seasons of Mackinac' calendar. Each year during the Winter Festival, scheduled this year for February 6 & 7, entries are judged and twelve lucky individuals are selected to have the pleasure of knowing that thousands of Mackinac Island fans will be enjoying their picture.

The 2010 calendar, pictured at left, is… Continue

Added by Mike Forrester on January 6, 2010 at 5:00am — No Comments

Postcard of the week

It's been a while since I've posted a 'Postcard of the week' but what better time than the first weekend of the new year? I chose this classic image of the Arnold Line ferries since it will likely not be much longer before ice puts an end to service for the season, which began back in March!

The postcard includes the following caption on the reverse: "The BIG THREE of the Arnold Line fleet of 10 steel ships. They are the largest and safest ships… Continue

Added by Mike Forrester on January 3, 2010 at 8:00pm — No Comments

Happy New Year, Mackinac Island Fans!

Wishing you a safe New Year's weekend and a prosperous 2010!

Added by Mike Forrester on December 31, 2009 at 2:00am — 1 Comment

Shepler's Ferry is busy this winter

Shepler's Ferry, one of the three boat companies that serve Mackinac Island, is keeping fans updated with their winter activities on their Facebook page including this recently loaded video shot in November. One of their boats, 'The Hope' is having 17 feet added to it's aft and Capt. Billy Shepler is sharing part of the process. This first video shows the boat being pulled from the water, loaded onto a flatbed trailer and… Continue

Added by Mike Forrester on December 30, 2009 at 8:37am — No Comments