News Update

Community Calendar for Wednesday, September 21st, 2022

 

This morning at 10:00 there’s an E-Tipp Information and Strategy meeting via Zoom with the island’s  National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) Advisor, Liz Weber.  The island was the winner of an E-Tipp grant and this meeting will kick off the process of working to plan for energy reliability, affordability and sustainability on the island. The group that organized the application for the grant, including folks from Tara’s Meadow, says it is important for a number of folks to attend the meeting this morning so that the grant funders see there is community commitment to the project. Information on how to connect to the Zoom conference is in the calendar entry and in today’s script online: https://islandinstitute.zoom.us/j/83679559676?from=addon  

 

New data out from the Michigan Department of Education shows that K-12 school attendance dropped below 89 percent for the last school year, that after hitting 93 percent for the last year before the pandemic.  Up north schools are doing better than that average, though. Students at Beaver Island Community School attended 92.5 percent of the time. But, a total of 27.6 percent of students were absent for more than 10 percent of the school year. Those students had an attendance rate of 86.4 percent. There’s more on the data in a story in today’s Charlevoix Courier that’s link in our script online: https://www.petoskeynews.com/story/news/education/2022/09/18/most-northern-michigan-school-attendance-rates-above-state-average/69498428007/

 

With forecast lows tonight in the mid-40s and the calendar handy on the wall, none of us needs a reminder that winter is coming.  But, here’s reminder from the M-Live weather team about the average first frost dates for our region. It’s September 22nd over in Gaylord and October 7th down in T-C, which is probably most relevant for us.  There’s already been some patchy frost in inland areas of the U-P and the fall color show is already underway in some places up there.  We typically see the peak of color on the island in the second or third week of October, but so far it has been a pretty warm fall, so our peak may be later this year.

Now, here’s a look at what’s happening on your island…

 

Here’s your meeting planner for the week: In addition to the ETIPP Zoom meeting at 10:00 this morning, the Wednesday meeting lineup includes the St. James Public Works Committee at 11:00. Tomorrow, the Joint Telecommunications Committee meets at 4:30. Meeting details and locations are in the calendar entries online.

 

On the fun front today, Wednesday, Senior Chair Yoga at the BIC Center at 9:30. And, BINGO at Gregg Fellowship Hall.  Doors open at 6:15 for Fellowship and the games start at 7:00. Only a few more Bingo nights left this year.

 

Thursday, Pickleball is from 10 to noon on the Peaine Township Park court.  At 1:00 at the library there’s Story Hour. Also, at 1:00, Games Galore in the Hangout at the BIC Center until 4:00. And Euchre returns this week.  Games this year are at the Whiskey Point Brewery. Cards hit the table at 7:00. And Thursday evening marks the Fall equinox—officially at 9:03 p.m. local time. The equinox is the moment when the Sun appears to cross the celestial equator, heading southward.

 

So Friday is the first official day of fall. Tennis starts at 10:00 and runs to noon over on the municipal tennis courts. The Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program starts up in the Hangout at 10:30…it’s new for fall time…and runs until 11:30.

 

Saturday, the Trails Association has a work day planned for the new Middle Perron Trail. Meet at the intersection of Camp 3 and Greenes Lake Trails. Pickleball is on at Peaine Township Park from 10 to noon. Story Hour is on at the library at 10:00. C-M-U Biological Station has its annual Community Appreciation dinner set for the evening.  Things get underway at 6:00.  There’ll be appetizers and drinks, and then dinner.  Come out mingle with your fellow islanders, celebrate C-N-U’s work this year and enjoy the last whiffs of summer on Big Sand Bay.  

 

Sunday there are services at Holy Cross, the Christian Church, the Episcopal Mission, and the Lighthouse fellowship.  Times and more details are in the calendar. Downtown Farmer’s Market is on from 11 to 3 behind Daddy Franks on King’s Highway. 

 

Looking ahead, on September 30th and October 1st, get set for the return of Beaver Tales to the BIC Center stage and, the weekend after that, movies roar back into the BIC Center Theater with a Double Gun showing of both Top Gun movies on October 8th…the original at 4:30 and Maverick at 7:00.

 

Monday, Senior Chair Yoga is back after a hiatus.  It starts at 9:30 in the Hangout at the BIC Center. Tennis is on over at the municipal courts from 10 to noon.

 

Tuesday, The Arthritis Foundation Exercise program is on at 10:30 in the Hangout. Pickleball is on at 10:00 over on the new Peaine Township Park courts.

BIRTHDAYS:  Laila Coffell is celebrating today.  Happy Birthday to Laila, and if we missed you on our list, Happy Birthday to you from all of us at W-V-B-I and your Beaver Island Community Center.

TRAFFIC:  None, nada, zip. But, let’s be careful out there—especially around the school.

ON THIS DAY in 1942, the B-29 Superfortress, one of history’s largest warplanes, makes its maiden flight from Seattle’s Boeing Field. Almost 4,000 of the bombers planes will be built, including the two that will drop the world’s first atomic weapons over Japan. Also on this date in 1970, Don Meredith, Keith Jackson, and Howard Cosell call the action as the Cleveland Browns meet the New York Jets in the debut broadcast of ‘Monday Night Football.’ The ABC network show will garner great ratings and become an institution in prime-time TV sports viewing.

MERRIAM-WEBSTER WORD OF THE DAY: Our word of the day is perspicacious (adjective) [per-spuh-KAY-shus] which means “possessing acute mental vision or discernment.” The word combines the Latin perspicac- (from perspicax meaning “clear-sighted,” which in turn comes from perspicere, “to see through”) with the common English adjective suffix -ious. The result is a somewhat uncommon word used to describe someone (such as a reader or observer) or something (such as an essay or analysis) displaying the perception and understanding of subtleties others tend to miss, such as the distinctions between the words perspicacious, shrewd, sagacious [sə-ˈgā-shəs], and astute—all words for another day.

Now, to wrap up for this for Beaver Island Wednesday

Here’s a thought for the day from ABC Monday Night Football co-anchor Howard Cosell: “What’s right isn’t always popular. What’s popular isn’t always right.”

 

On a lighter note: I asked Alexa for a joke about the Detroit Lions, you know, to go with the anniversary of Monday Night Football.  She said she only makes jokes about teams that make the playoffs.

That’s the W-V-B-I Community Calendar for this Beaver Island Wednesday, September 21st, 2022. 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. 

###

Today

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8am. Partly sunny, with a high near 70. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph.

Tonight

A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. Breezy, with a north wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.

Thursday

Partly sunny, with a high near 59. Breezy, with a north wind 20 to 25 mph.

Thursday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 41. North wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Friday

Sunny, with a high near 65. Light and variable wind becoming west 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Friday Night

A 30 percent chance of rain after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50.

Saturday

A 50 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67.

Saturday Night

A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52.

Sunday

Rain likely, mainly after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66.

Sunday Night

Rain likely, mainly before 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49.

Monday

A chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 63. Breezy.

Monday Night

A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46.

Tuesday

A chance of rain. Mostly sunny, with a high near 63.

Out on the Big Drink:

Today

WNW wind around 15 kt. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10am. Waves 2 to 3 ft.

Thursday

NNW wind 20 to 25 kt. A slight chance of showers before 4pm. A slight chance of waterspouts. Waves around 3 ft.

Friday

N wind 5 to 10 kt becoming WSW in the afternoon. Mostly sunny. Waves 1 ft or less.

Fire Danger Level: High

Water Temps: 69 in Little Traverse Bay, no report at White Shoal and 68 at the mid-lake buoy southwest of Gull Island.

Photos from Buoy Camera at station 45002

###