Our Irish Féile returns in 2026, with plans to make it the best ever. Mark your calendar and save the date. September 11th and 12th
Why Beaver Island for a celebration of Irish-American culture? The Island has long been known as “America’s Emerald Isle”. It is the only Island in the United States where immigrants left an Island in Ireland and came to an Island in Lake Michigan. Many of those original people from Arranmore Island, County Donegal, Ireland have descendants who still live on Beaver Island. Back in the day, house parties were very popular on the Island. At the parties the unique Irish musical legacy was carried on. Pat Bonner who played the fiddle, Johnny Green, Dominick Gallagher and others who remembered the songs from Ireland. In later years, we had Jewell Gillespie, Barry Pischner and Edward Palmer along with Glen McDonough. The music continues on with Edward’s children, and Jewell’s son, Danny and daughter, Cindy Cushman have kept up the tradition of singing Irish music. The Island is long steeped in Irish History and music so join us in celebrating our unique Island and dance the weekend away.
Learn more at irishfeile.com. Get tickets at irishfeile.com/buy-tickets/.
This week ahead brings the Arranmore Pipe Band back to Beaver Island all the way from Ireland. Please join us in giving them a warm welcome on September 10th, 2026. They will be taking the 10:30 a.m. ferry departure from Charlevoix, arriving at approximately 12:30 p.m.”
Now, let’s see what’s coming up around our Emerald Isle…
First up, here’s your meeting planner…
A-A meets Saturday at 6:00. Beaver Island Christian Church
And that wraps up the meetings for this week. You’ll find locations and more details in the online calendar.
Now, let’s get to the fun stuff happening today…
Friday, Sep 4
8:30 a.m. Senior + Vets Coffee & Donuts @ Beaver Island Community Center
⚬ 9:30 AM – Chair Strength Training @ BIC Center
7:30pm | BIC Center Theater
Join Carl Acuff Jr. for an evening of timeless American music spanning country, gospel, classic rock, and beloved standards. Tickets are $30 store.biccenter.org
[On the radio, start your weekend with our Friday-night lineup! After the 6:00 news, Rich Appel spins top-forty favorites from the ’70s on “That Thing with Rich Appel.” At 9:00, “The Titus Jennings Experience” brings you music from across the genres. Then, at 11:00, unwind with Marilyn Rea Beyer and “The Midnight Special,” featuring music, farce comedy, and a late-night escape.]
Saturday, Sep 5
⚬ 10:00 AM – Artisan Market at the Point @ Whiskey Point Lighthouse
1:00 p.m. Join family and friends to celebrate the life of Jo Lynne Anderson at Graveside Service at Holy Cross Cemetery followed by a Memorial Gathering at the Eager Beaver Clean & Store Pole Barn at 2:00 p.m.
4:00 p.m. Mass @ Holy Cross Catholic Church
⚬ 5:00 PM – Prime Rib Night @ Shamrock Bar & Restaurant
⚬ 7:00 PM – Pickleball Outdoors @ Peaine Township Park
[On the radio Saturday, Sheri Timsak gets things rolling with “Country Classics” at 5:00. At 7:00, Adam Pettigrew takes you back to the best of the ’80s and ’90s with “The Mix Tape”—that’s a 120-minute TDK cassette for those in the know. Mark Beltaire comes aboard at 9:00 with “Rockin’ the Boat,” then keeps things going at 10:00 with “The Blues Cruise.” Cousin Dan rounds out the night with “The Too Good Radio Show” at 11:00.]
Sunday
⚬ 9:00 AM – St. James Episcopal Mission Sunday Worship @ St. James Episcopal Mission
⚬ 10:00 AM – Beaver Island Christian Church Worship @ Beaver Island Christian Church
⚬ 12:15 PM – Sunday Mass @ Holy Cross Catholic Church
1:00 p.m. The Amik Center and The Terri Bussey Exhibit Room will be open to the public with a member of the Amik Circle Society present for tours and discussions. Donations always welcome.
And looking ahead, here are a few highlights for next week…
Monday
10:00am COA Cardio Drumming
Peaine Township Hal
11:00am COA Art Therapy
Peaine Township Hal
5:00pm Peaine Township Planning Commission
Peaine Township Hal
7:00pm Pickleball Outdoors
Peaine Township Park
Emerald Isle Irish Féile
Sep 11-12
Those are the highlights. Find a full listing of events at calendar dot W-V-B-I dot net.
Today’s BIC Center Name of the Day is Kris and Saturday Thea. If that’s your name, come on down to the BIC Center today to pick out a free drink of your choice.
On our Birthday List: Today Marilyn Duda, Jenni Timsak, Jackie Remus, Alyeana Grogan and Tim Chadwick. Saturday Trace Butler, Paul Welke, Brendyn Oliver, Ryan Duffing, Christie Perdue, Brian Schild and Shelly Myers. Sunday Joe McDonough and Sienna Anderson.
and if we missed you on the list, Happy Birthday to you from everyone at the BIC Center and WVBI.
TRAFFIC: No delays inbound or outbound to the airports. The Island Beltway is running smoothly. There are no bridge delays. But, it is busy in town when the ferries arrive and there are lots of folks out hiking and biking. So, let’s be careful out there.
On this date in 1888 George Eastman patented the Kodak camera, revolutionizing photography with its ease of use and streamlined development process. The compact, lightweight camera, designed for novice photographers, featured a preloaded roll of film and a simple operation. Eastman’s innovation transformed photography from a specialized profession into a popular pastime.
Photo from Flickr
Our Word of the Day is the Apiary – Apiary refers to a place where bees are kept, and especially a collection of hives or colonies of bees kept for their honey.
// One of the best parts of having a beekeeper for a sister-in-law is getting fresh jars of local honey from the family apiary.
Now, to wrap up for this Bever Island Friday…
Here’s a thought for the day from George Eastman – Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography.
On a lighter note, Why are photographers so mean? First they frame you, then they shoot you, and then they hang you on the wall.
That’s the W-V-B-I Community Calendar Report for this Beaver Island Friday, September 4th, 2026. I’m Greg Doig reporting from W-V-B-I’s Langford Family Studios wishing you a great day and asking: why not go ahead and make it the best day ever? And thanks for listening.
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WEATHER
[Current Condition Report, then…]
Friday
A chance of rain before 8am, then a chance of showers between 8am and 11am. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 72. East wind 5 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Friday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 62. East wind around 10 mph.
Saturday
Sunny, with a high near 72. East wind around 10 mph.
Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 62. East wind around 5 mph.
Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 73.
Sunday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 63.
Labor Day
Mostly sunny, with a high near 73.
Monday Night
A chance of showers after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63.
Tuesday
A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72.
Tuesday Night
Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63.
Wednesday
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 73.
Wednesday Night
A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59.
Thursday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 69.
Air Quality Index at 7:44 was 31.
Fire Danger: High
Out on the Big Drink…
Photo from the North Lake Michigan Buoy. Provided by the National Data Buoy Center
Friday
E wind around 10 kt. A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10am, then a slight chance of showers between 10am and 11am. Waves 1 ft or less.
Friday Night
E wind 5 to 10 kt. A slight chance of showers between midnight and 2am. Waves 1 ft or less.
Saturday
E wind around 10 kt. Sunny. Waves 1 ft or less.
Saturday Night
Variable winds 5 kt or less. Mostly clear. Waves 1 ft or less.
Sunday
Variable winds 5 kt or less. Sunny. Waves 1 ft or less.
Sunday Night
Variable winds 5 kt or less. Partly cloudy. Waves 1 ft or less.
Labor Day
S wind 5 to 10 kt becoming WSW in the afternoon. Mostly sunny. Waves 1 ft or less.
Monday Night
ENE wind 5 to 10 kt becoming SSE after midnight. Mostly cloudy. Waves 1 ft or less.
Water Temps: 70 at the mid-lake buoy southwest of Gull Island. 70 at Sleeping Bear. 70 in Little Traverse Bay and in the Straits.
Photos from webcams at wvbi.net and mackinacbridge.org
Coming up in our Community Calendar Report…
Today’s featured image Protar’s Tomb photo by Greg Doig