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The new school year is approaching and over in Harbor Springs K through four students will be coming back to a brand-new school. After two years of construction, Shay Elementary School is ready to open its doors this week. Teachers are already setting up classrooms in the new building, which is connected to the Harbor Springs Middle school. The building will be open for a community walk-through on Friday after a ribbon cutting ceremony at noon. Shay is part of a 41.8-million-dollar bond project that got underway with the old building’s demolition in the fall of 2022. School starts September 3rd. A recent study by the Great Lakes Microbial Water Quality Assessment has found that outdated testing methods are leaving some Great Lakes swimmers vulnerable to microbial and chemical threats. Traditional tests, which can take up to 24 hours to produce results, often miss the mark, providing a false sense of security. This means that water deemed safe yesterday could be hazardous today. The study, sponsored by the International Joint Commission, calls for the adoption of modern testing techniques that can deliver faster, more accurate results. These advanced methods could significantly reduce the number of illnesses linked to contaminated water, ensuring that beachgoers are better informed about the real-time conditions of the water they’re swimming in. However, funding for these new technologies is limited, making it difficult for local governments to implement them widely. Michigan is about to get a major boost in weather radar coverage, with a new radar set to be installed near Frankfort. Currently, the state has only four weather radars, leaving significant gaps in coverage, especially for detecting severe weather like tornadoes and lake-effect snow. A private company, Climavision, is addressing this by installing three new radar systems in Michigan as part of a network of 200 radar systems they operate across the United States. The new Frankfort radar will be crucial in tracking elusive lake-effect snow and severe storms in northwest Lower Michigan. It will join new systems near Midland and Toledo. The company says these new radars promise to improve forecasting accuracy and help keep Michiganders safer. Climavision radar system installed on top of a water tower. Photo from Climavision |
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Now, here’s a look at events happening on your Emerald Isle… First your meeting planner… A-A meets tonight, Thursday and Saturday at 6:00. Locations and details for meetings are in the calendar entries online. On the fun front today, Tuesday, at 9:00 it’s the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program in the Hangout. Pickleball is on from 9:00 to noon outdoors on the Peaine Township Park courts. Tuesday evening it’s time to get Quizzical. It’s trivia at the BIC Center. Sign your team up at tickets dot bic center dot org. Highlights for the rest of the week include… Wednesday, there’s Summer Restorative Yoga at 9:30 in the theater. Story Time at the library at 10:00. Also at 10:00, folks will gather at the Wellness Garden at the Health Center to take care of the garden. At noon, there’s the Historical Society’s Picnic on the Patio at the Print Shop. An interesting presentation on Island history paired with whatever lunch or snack you choose to bring along. At 3:00 the library book club meets to discuss the novel Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. At 4:00, the Whiskey Point Light will be open for tours. And at 7:00, it’s bingo, bingo, bingo don’t you know at the Gregg Fellowship Center. They open for fellowship at 6:15. Games start at 7:00. Thursday, the original Island Farmer’s market is at Paradise Bay Coffee Shop starting at 9:00. Also at 9:00, Pickleball on the Peaine Township Courts. Women’s Bible Study is at the Christian Church at 10:00. The Islander’s Volleyball squad has a double match on the island against Maplewood Baptist starting at 12:30 at school in the gym. Teen Café at the library at 1:00. It’s Burger and a beer night at the Shamrock. Historical Society presents a talk on the House of David encampment on High Island by historian Brian Carroll at 7:00. Also at 7:00, Irish Dance lesson are on again at the BIC Center. Friday, the day kicks off with Senior and Vets Coffee and Donuts at the BIC Center at 8:30. The Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program is on at 9:00 in the Hangout. Summer Yoga is in the Theater at 9:30. At 7:00 at the Print Shop there’s the second of two presentations on the House of David. On Saturday, there’s Pickleball outdoors at 9:00. The Artisan Market out at Whiskey Point at 10:00 with the lighthouse there open for tours from 10:00 to noon. Coding Club is on at the library at 1:00. At 4:00, there’s an artists reception at the Beaver Island Studio and Gallery. Come meet the artists whose work is on display at the gallery and enjoy some light snacks and beverages. Then at 6:30, head over to the BIC Center to enjoy a pairing dinner brought to you by Bodega Catering and Long Road Distillery. You’ll enjoy a four course Autumn Tastes dinner with a drink paired to each course. There will be paired non-alcohol drinks as well. Tickets are available at the BIC Center Front Desk or at tickets dot bic center dot org. On Sunday, there are services at the Episcopal Mission at 9:00 and at the Christian Church at 10:00. Whiskey Point Light open for tours from 10:00 to noon. Mass at Holy Cross is at 12:15. Looking ahead to next week… Monday Summer Flow Yoga is on at the BIC Center at 9:30 followed by Therapeutic Yoga at 11:00. Island Roots Gardening Club meets at 10:00. The B-I-C-S Islander soccer and volleyball squads head up to Munising to face off against Munising Baptist in games Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning. Kids Fun Month at the Movies continues Monday night with Unsung Hero. (Based on a remarkable true story of the Christian pop duo for King & Country, a mom’s faith stands against all odds and inspires her husband and children to hold on to theirs.) It’s rated PG. Showtime is 5:00 p.m. In the Island Dark Sky, Monday night is the last quarter moon. More info at dark sky island dot org. |
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NAME OF DAY: Today’s BIC Center Name of the Day is Eloise. If that’s your name come on into the BIC Center today to claim a free drink of your choice courtesy of your friends at the Beaver Island Community Center and W-V-B-I. BIRTHDAYS: Lisa Gillespie, Jeannie Gillespie, Ruth Gregg, Andrea Keehan, Kim Bousquet and Marlaina Cole are celebrating today. Happy Birthday to Marlaina, Kim, Ruth, Jeannie and Lisa, and if we missed you on our list, Happy Birthday to you, too, from all of us at W-V-B-I and your Beaver Island Community Center. |
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TRAFFIC: None, nada, zip for the most part. Still busy when the ferry comes in and at the public beach. Plus lots of bikers and hikers. So, let’s be careful out there. |
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On about this day in late August in 1619, the first enslaved Africans are brought to the colony of Jamestown. Taken by force from a Portuguese slave ship by English pirates, the 20 to 30 men and women will be sold to colonists for supplies. Their forced arrival will mark the beginning of slavery in what will become America and a tragic start to African American history. Illustration via Bing.com |
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Our Merriam Webster Word of the Day is propensity noun [pruh-PENN-suh-tee], which means a strong natural tendency to do something. If you’re partial to picking synonyms of propensity, perhaps peruse the letter “p,” which predominates for such words, in our pages. Proclivity, preference, penchant, and predilection all share with propensity the principal meaning of “a strong instinct or liking.” Propensity comes from Latin prōpensus a verb meaning “to incline” or “to hang down” (as pendulous things do). With that in mind, it’s perfectly plausible that leaning and inclination are as good synonyms of propensity as any of those “p”-words. |
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Now, to wrap up for this Beaver Island Tuesday… |
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Here’s a thought for the day from African American Abolitionist Harriet Tubman: “Every great dream begins with a dreamer.” On a lighter note: I’d make a pendulum joke but don’t know the reaction it will get. It could swing either way. |
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That’s the W-V-B-I Community Calendar for this Beaver Island Tuesday, August 20th, 2024. I’m Kevin Boyle reporting from W-V-B-I’s Langford Family Studios wishing you a great day and asking you: why not go ahead and make it the best day ever? And thanks for listening. |
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Today Sunny, with a high near 72. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Tonight Clear, with a low around 53. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight. Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 73. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon. Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 54. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Thursday Sunny, with a high near 77. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Thursday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 60. Friday Partly sunny, with a high near 77. Friday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 61. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 82. Sunday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 63. Monday Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. |
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Fire danger level on the island set at LOW… |
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Lake Forecast: Out on the big drink… |
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Today ENE wind 10 to 15 kt becoming NW in the afternoon. Sunny. Waves 1 to 2 ft. Wednesday Variable winds 5 kt or less. Sunny. Waves 1 ft or less. Thursday WSW wind 5 to 10 kt. Sunny. Waves 1 ft or less. |
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Water temps: 68 in Little Traverse Bay. 69 at the mid-lake buoy southwest of Gull Island. 64 in the Straits.
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