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The 55-foot sailboat Red Herring sank in Lake Michigan late Wednesday during a squall while en route from Mackinac Island to Chicago for this weekend’s Race to Mackinac. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued all five crew members near Kewaunee, Wisconsin. The boat’s rudder broke, causing it to take on water. The Canadian-based vessel had just placed second in the Bayview Mackinac Race. The Coast Guard says all rescued sailors showed signs of hypothermia and seasickness but are recovering. Red Herring in 2024. Photo by Mike Wolfs from Phoebe Wall Howard’s Substack On our sister Island, the Arranmore Royal National Lifeboat Association or R-N-L-I had one of its busiest weeks this year, responding to five emergency calls — including medical evacuations and helping people in trouble on the water. The station also welcomed a new recruit, Dan Mac A’Bhaird, a student from Letterkenny with deep family ties to the crew. His uncle John Sailor says he’s proud to see the tradition continue, calling R-N-L-I training a strong foundation for any future career.
Arranmore RLNI photo On our Island, the old Beaver Head Light info sign is gone—removed due to rot and wear. Mark Howie, Dave DeRosia and Keith Brothers did the work. A new display with updated info is coming soon.
Last stand of the info sign at the Beaver Head Light. Photo by Keith Brothers Down in T-C yesterday, a dump truck hit the U.S. 31 footbridge that connects Traverse City State Park to the beach. The impact caused debris to strike a car, but no one was hurt. The D-N-R wants to remove the bridge as part of a park update, but generations of campers who have used the bridge are pushing for it to stay. MDOT is inspecting the bridge to ensure that it remains safe. And, over on the Leelanau Peninsula, the old Sugar Loaf Resort, perhaps Michigan’s most famous abandoned ski resort, is getting a second life. The Leelanau Conservancy plans to transform the site into an outdoor recreation area with hiking, biking, sledding, and even backcountry skiing. Just $2 million remains in their $8 million fundraising goal. MORE: https://www.mlive.com/news/2025/07/beloved-up-north-ski-resort-closed-for-decades-to-be-reborn-as-gorgeous-outdoor-recreation-area.html and https://leelanauconservancy.org/sugarloaf/
Sugarloaf redevelopment plan. Image from Leelanau Conservancy |
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Now, here’s a look at events happening on your Emerald Isle… First your meeting planner. A-A meets Saturday at 6:00 at the Christian Church. Next week, B-I-C-S students who want to play sports can get physicals on Wednesday. And, there’s a community blood donation meeting Friday at Gregg Fellowship Center. There’s sign up info in the calendar entry. On the fun front today… Friday, kicks with Senior + Vets Coffee + Donuts is on at the BIC Center from 8:30 to 11:30. At 9:00, there’s Chair Strength Training in the Hangout at the BIC Center and Pickleball on the Peaine Township Courts. Summer Yoga is at 9:30 with a basic flow session in the theater at the BIC Center. C-O-A has a Walkersize session at 10:30, a walk from Heritage Park to the St. James Campground and back. The Museum Week Art show opens up at Gregg Felloship Center for its last day at 11:00. Drop by to shop and brwose until 4:00. And, speaking of shopping and browsing, the Resale Shop is open from noon to 4:00 today. At noon there’s another mini concert in the Hangout at the BIC Center with Smilo & the Ghost. That’ll be broadcast live on WVBI. AT 1:00 Nathan Walton plays live at the Print Shop Museum. AT 2:00, Audrey Dupris will be at Whiskey Point. And the Festival Stage comes alive at 5:00 with Dave and Krisit and non-stop music until 1:00 A-M, with Nathan Walton & the Remedy coming on stage at midnight. [On the radio, Kick off your weekend with our fantastic Friday lineup! After the 6:00pm news, enjoy “That Thing with Rich Appel” featuring top forty hits from the 70s. At 9:00pm, tune into “The Titus Jennings Experience” offering music from all genres, followed by “The Midnight Special” with Marilyn Rea Beyer at 11:00pm for music, farce comedy, and late-night escape.] Saturday, there’s Pickleball outdoors at 9:00. The Music Festival grounds will have Dave & Kristi for the Breakfast Club and a musical start to the day. The Artisan’s Market is on out by the lighthouse at Whiskey Point. That starts at 10:00. At noon, Heat Above plays on the porch at the Wild Strawberry. At 1:00, there’s a mini concert in the Hangout at the BIC Center with Jonathan Plevyak. That’ll be broadcast live on WVBI. At 2:00, Chris Michaels plays at Daddy Franks. The Festival Stage comes alive at 3:00 with an Open Mic session and Audrey Dupris takes to the stage at 3:30. At 4:00 on the festival grounds there’ll be kids time with jugglers, games, crafts, screen printing and prizes. The music continues through the evening wrapping up with the Distant Stars taking the stage at 12:30. [On the radio, tune in for Country Classics at 5:00 Saturday evening with host Sheri Timsak. At 7:00, Jackson Smith and Steve Girbach are in with Songs from the Trail. Mark Beltaire takes over at 9:00 with Rockin’ the Boat and continues at 10:00 with the Blues Cruise. Cousin Dan wraps up the evening with the Too Good Radio Show starting at 11:00.] Sunday, there are services and Episcopal Mission at 9:00 and the Christian Church at 10:00, and Mass at Holy Cross at 12:15. There’ll be some Music Festival afterglow with Dave & Kristi playing at Whiskey Point at 6:00 and Paul Lamb playing at the Beachcomber at 9:00. Looking ahead to highlights for next week… Monday is the first day of Kids Camps at the Historical Society. Summer Yoga is at the BIC Center at 9:30 in the Theater with a Basic Flow session followed by a Therapeutic Chair session at 11:00 . C-O-A has Cardio Drumming at 10:00 and a Crafter’s Social at 11:00, both out at Peaine Township Hall. Also at 11:00, Anne Pritchett will be at the library to talk about her book crazy French girl. And Monday wraps up with a magic show at the BIC Center. Trino’s Magic House Party will be in the theater with great fun fro the whole family. There’s no charge for admission, but you do need to reserve a seat at tickets dot bic center dot org. And, for a meal after, remember that Monday evening is all you can eat pizza night at the Beachcomber. Tuesday, there’s Chair Strength Training at the BIC Center at 9:00. Pickleball is outside on the township courts at 9:00. Babes and Toddlers mix it up at the library at 10:00. At 10:30, there’s C-O-A Walkersize with a walk from Heritage Park out to the St. James Campground and back. At 1:00, drop by the BIC Center Hangout to play Mah Jongg [mah jawng]. Then stay up late to see Saturn right next to the Moon at about 3:00 A-M Wednesday morning. Wednesday, Summer Yoga is on at the BIC Center at 9:30 with a restorative session. At the library, there’s Kids Storytime, Crafts and Art for three years and up at 10:00 and then for 10 years and up at 11:00. At the BIC Center, there’s Bingo at 1:00 in the Hangout. At 3:00 C-O-A has Fun & Gamers out at Peaine Township Hall. At 7:00, the library hosts retired C-M-U professor and former Biological Station Directo Jim Gillingham for an author event. He’ll discuss and sign his new book about the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Beaver Archipelago. Also at 7:00, there’s BINGO at the Gregg Fellowship Center. Doors open at 6:15 for fellowship. Thursday, the Trails Association has another Trail Maintenance Day planned. Meet at the BIC Center to get assignments and head out at 8:30 after signing DNR waivers. Bring tools, gear and P-P-E. At 9:00, there’s Pickleball on the Peaine Township Courts. At 10:00 a trifecta of activities: Tai Chi in the Hangout at the BIC Center, C-O-A Cardio Drumming out at the Peaine Township Hall and Women’s Bible Study at the Christian Church. Again, all those events starting at 10:00. At 11:00, the COA has a Crafter’s Social at the Peaine Township Hall. The library has a teen art night set for 7:00 that will be led by library mural creator Keith Grassmick along with Marika Grassmick. And don’t forget Thursdays are Burger and a Beer Night at the Shamrock. At 7:30 Baroque on Beaver events kick off with a Festival Introduction session at the Print Shop. Robert Nordling will provide an overview while you enjoy drinks, desert and discussion. |
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NAME OF DAY: The BIC Center Name of the Day is Marty. If that’s your name, come on into the BIC Center today to pick out a free drink of your choice. BIRTHDAYS: Vicki Fingeroot is on our list today. Happy Birthday to Vicky and, if we missed you on the list, Happy Birthday to you too from everyone at WVBI and your Beaver Island Community Center! |
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TRAFFIC: No delays inbound or outbound to the airports. The island beltway is running smoothly with no bridge delays. But it is very busy in town when the ferry arrives, and the warm weather means lots of folks at the public beach plus hikers and bikers everywhere. Plus, baby turtles are busy crossing. So, let’s be careful out there. |
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On this day in 1927 Detroit Tigers great Ty Cobb gets his 4,000th hit for a double off of his old Tigers teammate, pitcher Sam Gibson. |
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Our Merriam Webster Word of the Day is meritorious (adjective) [mair-uh-TOR-ee-us] an adjective used to describe something that is deserving of honor, praise, or esteem. Meritorious has its roots in the Latin verb merēre [meh-rare-eh], which means “to earn.” (Merēre is also the source of the English noun and verb merit.) Nowadays, the rewards earned for meritorious acts are likely to be of an immaterial nature—gratitude, admiration, and praise—but that wasn’t always so. The history of meritorious recalls a reward more concrete in nature: cold, hard cash. In Latin, meritorious literally means “bringing in money.” |
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Now, to wrap up for this Beaver Island Friday… |
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Here’s a thought for the day from Detroit Tigers star Ty Cobb: “The most important part of a player’s body is above his shoulders.” |
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On a lighter note… Why does a pitcher raise one leg when he throws the ball? If he raised them both, he’d fall down. |
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That’s the W-V-B-I Community Calendar Report for this Beaver Island Friday, July 18th, 2025. 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 at the beach and 74 inland. Light and variable wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Tonight A 40 percent chance of showers after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph after midnight. Saturday Showers likely before 11am, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 11am and 2pm, then a slight chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 69. South wind around 5 mph becoming east in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Saturday Night Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 58. North wind around 10 mph. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 77/82. North wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 60. Monday Mostly sunny, with a high near 76/84. Monday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 64. Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 78.84. Tuesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. Wednesday A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 80/86. Wednesday Night A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. Thursday A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 78/84. |
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Fire Danger Level on the Island set at High. |
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Out on the Big Drink… |
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Today Variable winds less than 5 kt becoming SW 5 to 10 kt in the morning. Sunny. Waves 1 ft or less. Saturday S wind 5 to 10 kt becoming NNW in the afternoon. A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 4pm, then a slight chance of showers. Waves 1 ft or less. Sunday N wind 5 to 10 kt becoming W in the afternoon. Sunny. Waves 1 ft or less. Monday Variable winds 5 kt or less. Mostly sunny. Waves 1 ft or less. Tuesday SSE wind around 10 kt. Mostly sunny. Waves 1 ft or less. |
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Water Temperature: It’s 67 in Little Traverse Bay. The North Lake Michigan buoy southwest of Gull is reporting 64 with seas less than a foot.
Mid Lake Michigan photo at time shown. Provided by NWS |
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Photos from webcams at wvbi.net and mackinacbridge.org |
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🚨 A dramatic rescue on Lake Michigan: The 55-foot Red Herring sank during a squall en route to Chicago. Thankfully, all five crew members were rescued by the Coast Guard near Kewaunee, Wisconsin. 🌊 Over on our sister island, Arranmore RNLI had a busy week with five emergency calls and welcomed a new crew member continuing a proud family tradition. 🌄 Big changes at some local landmarks: Beaver Head Light’s old info sign is gone, Traverse City’s U.S. 31 footbridge took a hit from a dump truck, and Leelanau’s long-abandoned Sugar Loaf ski resort is getting a fresh start as a community rec area. |
