Museum Week Art Show

The Museum Week Art Show was located at the Gregg Fellowship Center last week, Wednesday-Friday, July 23-July 25, 2014, from 12:00-5:00 pm each day.

Kay Masini

Bob Anderson's Lures

Cathy Jone's Quilts

Vince Beilman's Models Planes details

Doris Larson

Lois Stipp

Cindy Ricksgers

Betsy Borre

Judy Jones

Antique Show

Another one of the activities during Museum Week, last week, was the Antique Show. The following are pictures by Frank Solle of this gathering at the Beaver Island Community Center on Wednesday, July 23, 2014.

2014 Summer Men's Golf League Results

Beaver Island Christian Church Bake Sale

The Beaver Island Christian Church is having a Bake Sale on Saturday, August 9, 2014, from 9am until noon at the Gregg Fellowship Center.

Majority of Subscriptions Have Expired Prior to or in July

Several family and business subscriptions expired in June . This is a reminder to those that wish to renew online. If you do renew online using a credit or debit card, and the Paypal SUBSCRIBE button, BINN will automatically make a donation of $10 in your name to the Beaver Island Food Pantry. If you are not sure when your subscription expires, please email the editor at medic5740@gmail.com, and your subscription expiration will be included in a return email.

SUBSCRIBE or Renew

Write Something

"Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain…and most fools do."

~Benjamin Franklin 

When I started this writing practice, it was with specific intentions.

A string of deaths in my family, including two siblings, had caused me to think about my own life. Nothing, I tell you, causes a person to realize their own mortality more than the death of a sibling.

We learned that lesson young in my family, as my parents lost two babies in infancy, before their oldest child was sixteen. As brothers and sisters, we noted how those experiences changed us. We lost some of the carefree abandon of childhood. We became more aware of danger, protective of our parent’s feelings, fearful for our own babies. We all share a dark sense of humor.

We learned it again in middle age when my little brother David’s untimely death was followed less than fourteen months later by the sudden, unexpected death of my sister, Sheila.

In science, one is an anomaly...but two is a trend.

Just as I was, as a young girl, forced by circumstance to look at life differently, I found myself looking again at the years gone by...and the time I have left.

I realized that I was mostly wandering blindly through my life, letting forces beyond my control change my direction or alter my course. I noted how many years had passed when I wasn’t really noticing.

I started this writing practice as a means of changing that.

My intent was to pay closer attention, to be more aware of my surroundings and more mindful of each day. I had a few other rules: give credit; don’t be mean; use the practice to hone writing skills.

Looking over the one hundred and ninety plus posts I have published here, I have succeeded, for the most part, in my goals.

Lately, though, with distractions abounding, I’ve gotten a little lax.

The frequency of posting is not a problem: once a week, more or less, is fine with me.

I’ve noticed that, lately, much of my writing has degenerated to the level of the forty years of journal pages that preceded it: whining, self-pity, excuses and complaints.

That has got to change!

We create our world, by the way we look at it.

When something is written down, it is given even more credibility.

Some things are beyond our control, sure, but we can always control our response.

It’s time to start looking up, and to let my writing reflect that.

It’s going to get better!

"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” Ben Franklin

Folk Songs from "Michigan-i-o"

The program at the Beaver Island Community Center was funded by the Michigan Humanities Council and the Michigan State University Museum. The program was to celebrate the 75th anniversary of a visit to Michigan in 1938 by a young folk music collector named Alan Lomax. The program took place on Thursday, July 24, 2014, at 7:30 pm after the Beaver Island House Party fundraiser at the Beachcomber.

Video of this presentation of Musicology is HERE

Harbor Pictures on Thursday

Teri Bussey and the Archeology Presentation

This presentaation took place at the Community Center on Tuesday evening at 7:30 pm. Although Editor Joe Moore was unable to attend this presentation, it was videoed by Deb Bousquet, who also took a few pictures. Deb stated, "It was really interesting." You can be the judge by viewing the video of the program.

Well-attended.......Teri Bussey on stage........The Stone Circle

Teri explains...............Artifacts.................Interesting art

Video of the presentation HERE

Mackinaw Bridge Pipeline Leak Could Destroy Beaver Island Tourism

"A rupture in either of Enbridge’s two oil pipelines running under the Straits of Mackinac could result in an unprecedented environmental catastrophe to the waters and shorelines of northern Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Within twelve hours a spill could reach Mackinac and Round islands. In two days it could reach Bois Blanc Island with damage stretching to Rogers City within 10 days. Within sixteen days, a spill could reach Beaver Island in northern Lake Michigan."

When, in the past, Beaver Island had a rescue boat, it was included in a plan to be put to work containing a spill or a leak of this pipeline. The two townships raffled off the rescue boat captained originally by Alan Muma, the Charlevoix County Sheriff's Department Deputy on Beaver Island. The BI Fire Department took over control of the rescue boat after Alan Muma left, and, after some unfortunate mechanical problems, the boat was raffled off using the BIEMS raffle license.

There have been some reports of neglect related to the maintenance agreements by those running the oil through this pipeline.

Link to story 1

Link to story 2

Link to story 3

Here's a simulation of a contaminant release scenario from the Mackinac Straits area, based on current flow models, over a period of several days.

Frank Mays, Last Living Survivor of the SS CARL D BRADLEY

Mr.Frank Mays, the last living survivor of the SS CARL D BRADLEY, gave a presentation today, July 22, 2014, at the St. James Township Hall.  The hall was completely filled with people sitting on the floor, standing in the hallway and in the old office area, as well as filling every single available chair in the township board meeting area.  The presentation was filmed by two video cameras, one with a sound person holding a huge directional microphone, the other using only a small Canon HF500 high definition camera. BINN videoed the entire presentation including an equally long question and answer period.  The video will be available when processed

Historical Society member introduces Bud Martin, who then introduced Frank Mays

.
Frank Mays can't and won't ever forget. His memories remain vivid more than fifty-five years later. For nearly fifteen hours, he and another crewman from the 623-foot limestone cargo ship SS Bradley clung to life on a raft in Lake Michigan, tossed and turned by nearly 40-foot waves during a gale.
During the ordeal, the raft was flipped three times. Two of the four struggling aboard were lost, leaving only Mays, a deck watchman, and Elmer Flemming, a first mate. Desperate to stay alive with waves washing over, a sea anchor got tossed to stay afloat.
"The sea anchor created a drag, and kept us from tipping over," Mays recalls. "I kept saying to Elmer, 'If we make it till daylight, we'll be picked up.'"
The ship sank about 5:30 p.m. Nov. 18, 1958, about sixty-two miles northwest of Charlevoix, between the Gull and Beaver islands. The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Sundew rescued the pair at 8:25 a.m. the next day. Thirty-three crew members were lost when the Bradley sank into the 380-foot depths.

Video of the presentation HERE

Three sailors: Frank Mays, Joe McDonough, and Bud Martin

(picture thanks to KK Antkoviak)

Beaver Island Association Annual Meeting

The annual meeting of the Beaver Island Association took place at the Beaver Island Community Center on July 21, 2014, between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. Video of this meeting is available HERE.

Music on the Porch 2014

Chair of the BIHS Capital Campaign.....MC Kathy Speck...............

This music is always quite a variety and an opportunity to hear those who come and perform on Beaver Island just once a year. Music on the Porch is usually the kick-off event for Museum Week, but with the Blacksmiths last week and a presentation at St. James Hall on the Marold II and the Boyd earlier in the day, it was not the first event of Museum Week 2014. Many people come to Beaver Island just for the opportunity to perform for this event.

Chairs are set up in the street in front of the main museum, which is directly across the street from the Powers' Do It Best Hardward and the 'Pinky Harmon' residence. BINN always sets up a video camera and takes pictures from the bed of Pinky's pickup truck that she parks in just the right position. Thank you, Pinky! Father Jim, and his friend Doug, as well as Suzie and Willow were viewing the performances from the house, while BINN videoed the entire performances.

Back from previous years were Sheri Timsak, the Brazilian Blues guitarist, the Gerrish family, and several others.

Kevin Bousquet

Beaver Island Strings Program students with Sheri Richards

US Naval Sea Scouts on watch

..........Sing-a-long.....Brazilian blues guitar......Young lady dancing to the blues

Gerrish family sings Spanish and Cuban songs

Sheri Timsak singing "Crazy"

The Gerrishes perform

Multi-instrument Celtic Kilroy

Video of the performances HERE when available

Museum Week Day Presentation #1

Presentation by Alvin LaFreniere and Barry Pischner

Today's presentation (July 21, 2014) was about the Marold II and the Boyd and the sad loss of life and how the two vessels were connected in history. Both Alvin LaFreniere and Barry Pischner had also used information from Joe McDonough and Mike Weede in the presentation. This presentation was quite interesting related to how these two vessels were connected to the Beaver Islanders in the recent past.

J. Oswald Boyd..............Marold II

The entire presentation can be viewed HERE

Model of the Marold II

Alvin LaFreniere and Barry Pischner

Alvin and Barry doing their presentations

Barry performs and sings a personally unique composition.