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Making the Mackinac Island Page a site worth visiting

I've been fascinated with Mackinac Island since I first saw the location in the movie 'Somewhere In Time' back in 1980. I watched the credits and then contacted the Chamber of Commerce for more information. Of course back then, it took a while before I received the information and while great for visitors, it told me little about the island itself.

Over the years, my interest moved to other areas, but in 1998 I had a chance to visit a friend in Michigan who lived about 90 minutes from Mackinaw City. Naturally we visited - and I fell in love with the island. My first thought was 'this is what Walt Disney was trying to re-create in Disneyland.'

While perhaps Disney was thinking more of Marceline, MO, where he grew up, I bet he would respect the comparison. The island was authenic. It beckoned me to slow my pace, relax and enjoy the atmosphere.

Since 1998, I've made numerous trips to the island and have come to the point where I now am looking to find a way to share my enthusiasm for the island with others. If could be a documentary, it could be working on the island for a summer, it could be this web site.

In fact, making this web site a resource for information about the island is my current goal. Not just visitor information, but also historic and relevent information that anyone could find interesting.

If you have information, stories, history or suggestions to share, they are welcomed. There are many people much more knowledgeable about Mackinac Island than myself. I'm thrilled to have your input and interest.

Michael Forrester - site creator
mike(at)mackinacislandblog.com

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Comment by Mike Forrester on April 25, 2009 at 3:37pm: Lori, thanks for joining and sharing your stories. I've found so many people who have the same love for the island and thought this would be a great place to share them, plus be a source of information for those who have yet to discover it! I sure wish I had known about it before they filmed 'Somewhere in Time' as I would have somehow wiggled my way into being an extra! Have a great weekend. Mike.

Comment by Lori Kee on April 25, 2009 at 1:42pm: Mike, thanks so much for creating this site. You sure brought back memories when you mentioned Disney World. (I do stay away from Mouse World here though!)
I arrived on the island for the first time in May or June of 1977, one week after graduating from high school in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Neighbors in Ft. Lauderdale went up and opened a business on Main Street (anyone remember the Snack Shack) !! and I went up to work for them. Interesting arrival, flight into Pellston was very late, it was midnight, but somehow we rounded up someone with a "small' boat and off we headed to the island. Stepped out onto the Arnold Line boat dock and when I had my first glimpse of Main Street, I thought hey, this looks like Disney World! I was in trouble from them on as I continued to make the journey back for about 6-7 summers. My memory is not so good on some things, we do not need to go into why (isn't that right Tara ! ) but I sure have alot of memories and made some good lifelong friends like Tara May and Fran Koehler (Sheehan). I also remember the filming of Somewhere in Time and Christopher Reeve coming into the French Outpost (loved those Trapper burgers). I do not remember Jane Seymour coming in, I remember someone named Gayle that C.Reeve was involved with at the time.
Hey Tara, remember the "fudgie balls" at the Outpost? Is that what they were called? When we dressed up like our favorite "fudgie", our affectionate term for the tourists. Those were some fun times! ok, enough reminiscing for now, I could go on forever. I just know my June visit is going to reignite that desire again to stay on MI forever. Can't wait for some good May's Fudge, friends here are already making requests for some!
Lori

Comment by Tara Bush on April 24, 2009 at 7:36am: I was there during the filming of "Somewhere In Time." I remember Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour being at the Outpost. My sister was an extra in the movie....she is in a scene where she is riding a bike down the road. The filming of the movie was quite an event for the Island. Thank you for making this website Mike.