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The Irish Feile kicked off yesterday with the arrival of the Arranmore Pipe Band on the ferry. The stepped off the loading ramp to a welcoming crowd of Islanders including students from B-I-C-S. After some afternoon cultural events, the day wrapped up with a dinner for those who made contributions to support the Feile as part of the Battle of the Clans. At the dinner, Feile organizers and members of the Pipe Band reflected on how moved they were by the fact that two small Island’s sharing a thin link across the Atlantic are so closely bound today by the history that they share and celebrate. Then, the Pipe Band made a presentation of a sculpture of a bird found on both islands…the cormorant. There’s a twin to it on Arranmore, though when the memorial was created, they weren’t ware that the bird is not so popular here. There, it is welcomed as a sign of good luck for fisherman because if the bird is there, so are fish. The gift was graciously accepted and no doubt will find a place of honor on the Island. #LocalEvents #IrishHeritage
The Arranmore Pipe Band steps off the Emerald Isle. Later, members made a presentation of a memorial sculpture for Beaver Island that matches one now in place on Arranmore. Photo by Taffy Raphael via Facebook
In other news, four Michigan tribes are asking state regulators to overturn a key permit for Enbridge’s Line 5 tunnel. In a filing made yesterday they say construction beneath the Straits would threaten cultural and environmental resources and their ways of life. The request seeks a formal hearing and follows Governor Whitmer’s call for EGLE to reconsider the permit after a state Supreme Court ruling. #Line5 #Environment
Republican gubernatorial nominee John James is pledging to repeal or sharply reduce Michigan’s new 24-percent wholesale marijuana tax, which helps fund roads. Bridge Michigan reports a cannabis-industry fundraiser for James raised nearly $90,000. James says the tax increases prices, benefits illegal sellers and is missing revenue targets. Democratic nominee Jocelyn Benson says she wants more data before taking a position. #Election2026
In other election news, MLive reports Michigan Libertarian lieutenant governor candidate Beau Parmenter is charged with felony larceny over an alleged $2,500 event-venue deposit. Parmenter pleaded not guilty Thursday, posted bond and, through his attorney, denies any role in the disputed transaction. #Election2026
In Fireworks News, the Traverse Ticker reports six international fireworks teams will compete today and Saturday at Turtle Creek Stadium in T-C. Teams from Canada, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, the United Kingdom and the U.S. will present music-synchronized displays, with judges crowning a champion Saturday. #RegionalEvents
Finally, a reminder about the September 11th remembrance events this afternoon. At 3:30, a memorial ceremony and celebrity currach (KUR-uck) races organized by the Currach Club will honor those lost and recognize emergency responders. That’ll be at Jewell Gillespie Beach. And, on the signage system around town, there’ll be displays at the times of all the September 11th events. The impacts of the airplanes and the collapse of each of the twin towers with simultaneous posts on WVBI’s and the BIC Center’s Facebook feeds. #IslandEvents
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Now here’s a look at upcoming events on your Emerald Isle…
First your meeting planner…
A-A meets tonight and Saturday at 6:00.
…and that is it for the week. Locations and more details are in the calendar entries online.
On the fun front today…
Friday, there’s Senior and Vets Coffee and Donuts from 8:30 to 10:30 in the Welcome Center at the BIC Center. At 9:00 A-M Pickleball Outdoors on the Peaine Township courts. Back at the BIC Center at 9:30, there’s Chair Strength Training up in the Hangout. The Feile main events get underway Friday with registration and info at their H-Q at Holy Cross Hall. At the BIC Center Friday, Feile events include a Singing Workshop with the Singers of the Celtic group Roane. That’s up in the hangout at 1:00. At 5;45, the Bastard Bearded Irishmen take to the BIC Center stage, playing until 7;15. Then, after a break, it’s Altan for Donegal in Ireland starting at 8:00. Music at other venues includes the Arranmore Pipe Band playing at the point at 10:30 to greet the early boat, Catriona Kennedy at the Wild Strawberry at 1:00, Danny & Friends on the Museum Patio at 2:00, the Kreellers unplugged at the Circle M at 3 and Roane unplugged at Whiskey Point Brewing. The Feile tent comes alive with music at 4:30 with Latency. The Kreellers play there at 9:30. The lineup at the Beachcomber starts at 7 with Danny and Friends, Roane at 9:00 and wraps up with a Music Session led by Catriona Kenndy and Roane at 11:00. The evening lineup at the Circle M kicks off at 8:00 with Catriona Kennedy and Enda Reilly and wraps with the Stay Happy Band starting at 10:00. Down at the Brewery, Enda Reilly plays at 5:00 and there’s a surprise Traditional Irish Music Session set for the Shamrock at 11:00. Lots of other Feile events around town, too, including a raffle for the Arranmore Life Boat with the Pipe Band at the Feile tent at 7:30. A Feile wristband is required for all events. There’s a full schedule in the calendar entry in the Community Calendar online. And, amidst all of that, Friday afternoon, the B-I-C-S soccer and volleyball squads head up to Hannahville for matches that evening and Saturday morning.
[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.]
Highlights for the rest of the week include…
Saturday, the Artisan’s Market is on at the Point starting at 10:00. At 10:30, Feile events get underway with Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the BIC Center, with the inductees lead in by the Arranmore Pipe Band. All are welcome for that event. Events at the BIC Center after that are: At 12:30, the Tides That Tie podcast will record live on the BIC Center stage with guests the band Altan and the Beaver Island Irish Dancers. At 2:30, Catroina Kennedy will be up in the Hangout for an Irish Language Workshop. At 5:00, the new band Latency plays in the BIC Center Theater. It’s made up of the Island’s Hillary Palmer and Shawn McDonough alongside artists from Arranmore. The day wraps up at the BIC Center with the Kreellers taking the stage at 9:00. A Feile wristband is required for entry to all events except the Hall of Fame induction. In addition to music at the BIC Center, there’s music all over the Island. At 12:00, the Stay Happy Band will serenade your lunch at the Wild Strawberry. At 2:00, Enda Reilly will have songs and Irish folklore stories on the Porch at the Print Shop Museum. At 3:00, Danny and Friends with the Pipe Band will be at the O’Donnell Farm and Roane is at the Circle M. The Bearded Bastard Irishmen will play unplugged at Whiskey Point Brewery at 5:00 followed by Catriona Kennedy and Enda Reilly at 6:30. At 7:00, the Pipe Band plays at the Hall and the Stay Happy Band with the Beaver Island Irish Dancers are at the ‘Comber. Altan takes the stage at 7:30 at the Feile Tent followed by the Bastard Bearded Irishmen at 9:30. Roan is at the Beachcomber at 9:00 followed by a music session there with them and Catroina Kennedy. Also at 11:00, a traditional session at the Shamrock led by a surprise guest. And, if you get hungry amidst all that activity, don’t forget about the dining options at the Feile Food Department at the Hall, plus Saturday nights are Prime Rib Night at the Shamrock, and the Circle M will be open for its last night of the season.
[On the radio, tune in for Country Classics at 5:00 Saturday evening with host Sheri Timsak. At 7:00, take a trip back to the best of the 80s and 90s with the Mix Tape show (that’s a 120-minute TDK cassette tape for those in the know) hosted by WVBI’s Adam Pettigrew. 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 at the Episcopal Mission at 9:00 and at the Christian Church at 10:00. Mass is at Holy Cross at 12:15. And the Amik Cultural Center is open 1 to 3 PM. And the Beaver Island Dark Sky Festival gets underway with a session on the Drake Equation at 5:00 out at the Beaver Island Retreat. All are welcome. What’s the Drake Equation? It’s a theory from 1961 on estimating the number of communicative extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy.
Looking ahead to highlights for next week…
Monday, COA has Cardio Drumming at 10:00 and Art Therapy at 11:00 at Peaine Township Hall. At 11:30, the Beaver Island Soccer and volleyball squads take on Ojibwe in away action. Dark Sky Festival events continue at 2:00 with a Solar Telescope viewing at the Retreat. At 5:00 at the retreat there’s a session o Light Pollution basics. Learn about the impact of unneeded light in our night skies. At 6:00, the Episcopal Mission has a book study on the book forgiveness. That’s at the Print Shop Museum. And evening Dark Sky events include a session at 7:00 on Green Laser Stargazing, and at 10:00 the scopes come up for an evening of telescope viewing…both of those activities at the retreat. And, don’t forget, Monday evenings are All You Can Eat Pizza and Salad night at the Beachcomber.
Tuesday, at 9:00 there is Pickleball on the Peaine Township Courts. At 9:30, there’s Chair Strength Training up in the Hangout at the BIC Center. C-O-A has COA Cardio Drumming at 10:00 and Art Therapy at 11:00 at Peaine Township Hall. Also, at 10:00, Babes & Toddlers mix it up at the library. At 2:00, the Dark Sky Festival has Solar Telescope viewing at the Retreat. Then there’s Astro Fun Facts at the library at 5:00, a session on Family Stargazing at the Retreat at 7:00, and then Star Themed Music to Stargaze By at 8:00, also at the Retreat.
Wednesday, there’s Summer Restorative Yoga at 9:00 and Summer Therapeutic Chair Yoga at 11:00, and at 1:00 there is Afternoon Bingo all of those at the BIC Center up in the Hangout. At 2:00, the Dark Sky Festival has Solar Telescope viewing at Whiskey Point Brewing Company. At 3:30, the Lego Club is on at the library. At 4:00 the Amik Cultural Preservation Center will be open. At 5:00, there’s a Dark Sky Festival Session on Telescope Basics at the Retreat followed by Family Stargazing at 7:00 and Milky Way Core Stargazing at 9:15. And evening Pickleball remains on the calendar. That starts at 7:00 on the outdoor courts at Peaine Township Park.
Thursday, there’s Pickleball at Peaine Township Park at 9:00. There’s COA Cardio Drumming at 10:00 and Art Therapy at 11:00, both at Peaine Township Hall. There’s Women’s Bible Study at 10:00 a.m. at the BI Christian Church and at 10:30, there’s Senior Tai Chi at the BIC Center. At 2:00 at the BIC Center there’ll be a solar telescope presentation and viewing opportunity as part of the Dark Sky Festival. The Weekly Bocce Ball roll is on at 4:00 on the courts at the Peaine Township Park. At 5:00, the festival has a presentation on protecting dark skies at the Retreat at 5:00. At 7:00 at the library, Michigan Poet Laureate Joyce Boyd will appear for a presentation. Out at the Retreat, there’ll be a presentation on Black Holes. What do they tell us and how are they observed. And then Stargazing with music at 9:00. |
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Those are the highlights. Find a full listing of events at calendar dot W-V-B-I dot net. |
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Today’s BIC Center Name of the Day is Sean. If that’s your name, come on down to the BIC Center today to pick out a free drink of your choice. |
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On our Birthday List: Judi Meister and Dustin Crandall are celebrating today. Happy Birthday to Judi and Dustin, and if we missed you on the list, Happy Birthday to you too from everyone at the BIC Center and WVBI. |
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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. And, the Feile Road Closure runs today and tomorrow from 11:00 to 11:00. Shut are all of Bonner and Main Street from the Hall down to the Print Shop. And, of course, lots of Feile folks all over downtown. So, let’s be careful out there.
Road closures are planned starting today. Let’s be careful out there. Graphic from Emerald Isle Irish Feile |
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On this date in 2001, —25 years ago today—America comes under attack. Terrorists hijack four passenger planes, striking the World Trade Center and Pentagon, while a fourth crashes near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew fight back. American flight 77 screamed over my son’s head as he got off the bus for preschool on a hill overlooking the Pentagon. His principal’s husband died in the Pentagon. The attacks kill 2,977 people, and the results of the attacks kill countless more including a friend and former colleague serving in the C-I-A in Afghanistan. September 11th is now observed as Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance. We remember the events of 9-11 and those lost at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, Shanksville, Pennsylvania and in the ensuing conflicts, and we recognize the first responders who served then and now. Image from U.S. Air Force created by David Paranteau |
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Our Merriam Webster Word of the Day is resilience (rih-ZIL-yuhns), a noun meaning the ability to recover or adapt after hardship, loss or change. A community shows resilience when it faces tragedy, supports those who are hurting and moves forward without forgetting what happened. On this September 11th, resilience reminds us that strength is not the absence of grief, but the determination to carry on together. |
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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 President George W. Bush: “Grief and tragedy and hatred are only for a time. Goodness, remembrance, and love have no end.” |
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And, that spirit of carrying on, on a lighter note… |
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That’s the W-V-B-I Community Calendar Report for this Beaver Island Friday, September 11th, 2026. I’m Kevin Boyle 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 |
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[Current Condition Report, then…] |
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Today Sunny, with a high near 74 at the shore, 77 inland. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Tonight Increasing clouds, with a low around 62. South wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Saturday A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 72/75. Breezy, with a south wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Saturday Night A 30 percent chance of showers before 8pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 60. Northwest wind around 15 mph. Sunday A 20 percent chance of showers before 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 65/69. Northwest wind around 15 mph. Sunday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. Monday A 50 percent chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 69/73. Monday Night A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8pm, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm between 8pm and 2am, then showers after 2am. Cloudy, with a low around 59. Breezy. Tuesday A chance of showers before 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70/72. Breezy. Tuesday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. Wednesday Partly sunny, with a high near 68/70. Wednesday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57. Thursday A chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 70/72. |
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Air Quality Index at 6:45 was 13. |
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Fire Danger: High |
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Out on the Big Drink…
Photo from the North Lake Michigan Buoy. Provided by the National Data Buoy Center |
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Today SW wind around 15 kt. Sunny. Waves 1 to 3 ft. Saturday S wind 15 to 20 kt becoming WSW in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 30 kt. A chance of showers, mainly after 2pm. Waves 3 to 4 ft. Sunday NW wind around 10 kt. Partly sunny. Waves around 1 ft. Monday ENE wind 5 to 10 kt becoming SE in the afternoon. A chance of showers after 1pm. Waves 1 ft or less. Monday Night SSE wind 15 to 20 kt becoming S 25 to 30 kt after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 40 kt. Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Waves 2 ft building to 7 ft. Tuesday W wind 15 to 25 kt, with gusts as high as 35 kt. A chance of showers. Waves 7 ft subsiding to 3 ft. |
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Water Temps: 70 at the mid-lake buoy southwest of Gull Island, 69 at Sleeping Bear, 70 in Little Traverse Bay and 68 in the Straits. |
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Photos from webcams at wvbi.net and mackinacbridge.org |
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Coming up in our Community Calendar Report…
A special gift links Beaver Island and Arranmore as the Irish Féile gets underway. Four tribes challenge a key Line 5 tunnel permit, John James targets Michigan’s marijuana tax, and a lieutenant governor candidate faces a felony charge. Plus, international fireworks and this afternoon’s September 11th remembrance.
Those stories along with more local news, a run down of local events including the Feile, birthdays, this date in history and more are up after this global and national news… [Time check.] |
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Today’s featured image: We remember the events of 9-11 and those lost at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, Shanksville, Pennsylvania and in the ensuing conflicts, and we recognize the first responders who served then and now. Image from U.S. Air Force created by David Paranteau |
