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Mike Forrester's Blog – December 2009 Archive (12)

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

Winter Videos from Mackinac Island

If you want to see what Christmas Day on Mackinac Island looked like, you'll enjoy visiting the YouTube site of this islander, gmacisleman.

Not only does he have videos from Christmas, but last year as well. It's a great chance to see what the island looks like in the middle of winter!…

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Added by Mike Forrester on December 28, 2009 at 5:54pm — No Comments

Happy Holidays!

Thank you for being a part of the Mackinac Island Blog! Happy Holidays to all the fans, visitors and residents of magical Mackinac Island.

Added by Mike Forrester on December 24, 2009 at 1:00am — No Comments

The Mackinac Island fiberglass turtle

In 2004, the Mackinac Island Community Foundation decided to do something special for it's 10th anniversary. They brought 21 large fiberglass turtles to the island, sponsored by businesses and painted by local artists. Turtles Around Town, as it was known, raised $60,000 for non-profit organizations on the island, according to the MICF website. You can still find many of these turtles located around the… Continue

Added by Mike Forrester on December 20, 2009 at 8:00am — 3 Comments

Enjoy Mackinac Island this winter

If you've ever wanted to experience Mackinac in the off-season, why not visit this winter? Lodging is available at several locations on the island. This year, The Cottage Inn joins the Pontiac Lodge, the Bogan Lane Inn and… Continue

Added by Mike Forrester on December 16, 2009 at 6:00am — 23 Comments

A Grand Approach

Here is one of the only pictures I have ever seen of the stone columns and gate that once stood at the east end of the Grand Hotel. The picture was said to be taken circa 1939. It appears the walkway was only wide enough for pedestrian traffic to pass through, leaving me to wonder what the small stone fence at the right edge of the picture connects with. Another columned entry for carriages?

The picture below, taken in September, 2009 shows the… Continue

Added by Mike Forrester on December 15, 2009 at 9:00am — No Comments

2010 Seasons of Mackinac Calendar

Each year Mackinac Island Recreational Development produces a calendar featuring photographs submitted by island residents and visitors. While the calendar comes out six months prior to the new year so visitors can buy them during their summer visits on the island, they are also available online through their webpage.

My calendars arrived a few weeks ago. Once again it's filled with… Continue

Added by Mike Forrester on December 14, 2009 at 8:30am — 3 Comments

Mackinac College and the missing library

In 1966, Mackinac College opened its doors in the former Moral Re-armament (MRA) campus on the east end of Mackinac Island. Today, that location is known as the Mission Point Resort.

While the College used the existing buildings and dormitories, the first (and perhaps only) building built specifically for the college was the Peter Howard Memorial Library.

The library was… Continue

Added by Mike Forrester on December 12, 2009 at 9:06pm — 12 Comments

Plowing during Sunday's snowstorm

Here's a video I found taken last Sunday, December 6th during the snowstorm on Mackinac Island. The video starts along the boardwalk near the school on the west side of the island. The winds are said to be about 25 knots from the SW and the storm dumped 12 inches of… Continue

Added by Mike Forrester on December 9, 2009 at 7:02am — No Comments

Winter Wonderland on Mackinac Island

Main Street Webcam, Courtesy of Horn's Bar

The season's first snowfall has arrived on Mackinac Island turning it into a winter wonderland. This weekend is the annual Christmas Bazaar at the Community Center, so I would imagine islanders will be in the holiday spirit with the new snow! A member of this blog, Liz, who…

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Added by Mike Forrester on December 5, 2009 at 8:30am — 4 Comments

Mackinac Island Christmas Tree Lighting is Friday, December 4th

Enjoy a little bit of Mackinac Island holiday tradition by watching the Christmas Tree Lighting via the www.mackinaclive.com webcam on Friday, December 4th at 5:00PM. Though the webcam doesn't include audio, you'll have a front row seat for the evening activities.…