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You may have noticed supplies in the field just south of the four corners on Kings Highway and some equipment on the roadside on Donegal Bay Road. That’s the start of a project that will lay fiber to connect the under lake cable that Peninsula Fiber Network will build from the U-P to the L-P. While the under lake portion won’t be built until next summer and won’t begin operation until 2027, the fiber going in now will be used with community built microwave links to improve broadband at the school, library, health center and other key island locations. Meanwhile, over in Charlevoix, decades of pollution are finally being tackled in the most visible way yet. The EPA is demolishing several old dry cleaners and manufacturing sites after years of failed cleanups and even switching the city’s water source. Crews have already torn down a building on Garfield Avenue and will move to Antrim and Lincoln streets through September. The contaminated soil will be hauled away to hazardous waste sites. Officials urge residents to steer clear of fenced zones as the long effort to protect Charlevoix’s groundwater takes a big step forward. Back on the Island, the BIC Center’s Celebrate Good Times entertainment series continues on Saturday with Jennifer Westwood and the Handsome Devils featuring guitarist Dylan Dunbar. They play a unique honky-tonk style that blends Texas blues, Stax and Appalachia folk with Jennifers power voice. Showtime is 7:30. Then next Thursday, the BIC Center helps kick off the Beaver Island Music Festival with a special presentation of North Country Opera, the movie. It’s a filmed version of the classic play about life up north that includes performers you’ve seen at the festival including Kristi Davis. Producer Barbara Schmid was Steve Girbach’s guest on Beaver Island Perspectives yesterday and talked about the show. |
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Barabara Schmid (:38): It’s a musical. It’s a musical play. It was put up in 1982 and then resurrected many times after that toward the state a number of times, and its most recent tour was in 2022 with a number of new cast members and a great director and a fabulous musical director and a fabulous. And most of these people are Michiganders, and probably a lot of people who attend the music festival have heard their names, and that particular tour ended at the Ark and are where it was recorded in high gidelity audio and video. And that recording is what people will see at the Beaver Island Community Center on July 16. |
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You can hear her full interview on our podcasts page. The show is next Wednesday at 6:00. All proceeds go tot benefit the Beaver Island Music Festival and the BIC Center. Tickets for Jennifer Westwood as well as for the North Country Opera are at tickets dot biccenter dot org. Jennifer Westwood on stage with some handsome devils. Photo from jenniferwestwood.com |
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Now, here’s a look at events happening on your Emerald Isle… First your meeting planner. A-A meets Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 6:00 at the Christian Church. St. James Township Board meets Wednesday at 5:30. On the fun front today… Thursday, the Trails Association has a trail maintenance day planned. Meet at the BIC Center at 8:00 A-M with your tools, bug spray and gloves. At 9:00, there’s Pickleball on the Peaine Township Courts and 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. At 5:00 the BIC Center will host another National Security Seminar with Tom Ehrhard and John Manza. At 7:30, artist Paddy Aidan will have a presentation at the library. She works in oil, charcoal and graphite to create works related to weather, natural places and movement of air. She’ll talk about her approach and show some works she has created while on Beaver Island. It’s Burger and a Beer Night at the Shamrock. Highlights for the rest of the week include… Friday, 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. [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 Artisan’s Market is on out by the lighthouse at Whiskey Point. That starts at 10:00. At the BIC Center, the Celebrate Good Times season continues with Jennifer Westwood and the Handsome Devils including Dylan Dunbar. The music will range from Texas blues to Stax with sounds from Muscle Shoals-era artists all with ties to the sounds of Appalachia. Jennifer and Dylan along with a band of A-listers and underdogs from Detroit bars to the Grammy stage have built a family of fans from New York to Texas and soon here on the Island. Showtime is 7:30. Tickets are at tickets dot bic center dot org. [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. Looking ahead to highlights for next week… Monday, Summer Yoga is at the BIC Center at 9:30 in the Theater with a Basic Flow session. C-O-A has Cardio Drumming at 10:00 and a Crafter’s Social at 11:00, both out at Peaine Township Hall. Monday evening is all you can eat pizza night at the Beachcomber. Monday afternoon, there’s a workshop at the library on staying safe in today’s digital world. That’s at 1:00. At 4:00, the BIC Center will host a Community Forum on Marine Energy, energy from waves and how it might be possible to capture that in our waters all part of a collaboration between the University of Michigan, East Carolina University, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Virginia Tech’s VTechWorks. And Monday wraps up with the launch of Museum Week events. It’s Music on the Porch, always an Island favorite. Bring your chairs and maybe some refreshments. The show starts at 7:00. 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 11:00, there’s Plein Air watercolor painting at the Beaver Island Gallery. Meet there to get supplies and then head out. Afterwards, display your work at the library. Call the gallery to sign up. 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, there’s BINGO at the Gregg Fellowship Center. Doors open at 6:15 for fellowship. Wednesday evening the Beaver Island Music Festival kicks off with a presentation of North Country Opera at 6:00 in the BIC Center Theater. Brought to you in collaboration with the BIC Center, it’s the movie that captured a live performance of the beloved musical about life up north in Michigan. It stars performers you’ve seen on stage at the Festival and the BIC Center. And it will be presented with the BIC Center’s new projection system. All proceeds will go to benefit the Beaver Island Music Festival and the BIC Center. |
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NAME OF DAY: The BIC Center Name of the Day is George. If that’s your name, come on into the BIC Center today to pick out a free drink of your choice. BIRTHDAYS: Trevor Gorlewski is on our list today. Happy Birthday to Trevor 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 you might encounter delays tomorrow late morning as the dust suppression crews work on West Side Drive. And, the island is busy with hiker, bikers, runners everywhere and crowds at the public beach and in town, especially when the ferry arrives. So, let’s be careful out there. |
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On this day in 1887 that other island’s Grand Hotel opened for the first time. The Mackinac Island Hotel company that built it was formed by the Michigan Central Railroad, Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad, and Detroit and Cleveland Steamship Navigation Company. Construction was completed in just 93 days. Rates were three to five dollars per night. |
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Our Merriam Webster Word of the Day is boffo (adjective) [BAH-foh] which describes things that are extremely good or successful. Boffo made its print debut as a noun referring to something great: a solid joke or a good punch line. Within a few years, boffo began to be applied adjectivally to things that, like a good joke, were a big hit: performances, all-star casts, movies. To this day it is used mostly in the context of performing arts, spectator sports, and other entertainments. |
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Now, to wrap up for this Beaver Island Thursday… |
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Here’s a thought for the day from George Goodman: “How quick time goes by now, compared to when you were a kid. Summer used to last forever. Now it’s twelve weeks.” |
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On a lighter note… Why doesn’t the sun trust umbrellas? |
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That’s the W-V-B-I Community Calendar Report for this Beaver Island Thursday, July 10th, 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 Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 70/76. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon. Tonight Increasing clouds, with a low around 62. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming east after midnight. Friday A 20 percent chance of showers after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 74/82. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the morning. Friday Night A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, then a chance of showers between 11pm and 2am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 66. East wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Saturday A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 77/83. South wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Saturday Night Showers and thunderstorms likely before 11pm, then a chance of showers between 11pm and 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Sunday Mostly sunny, with a high near 77/84. Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 65/85. Monday Sunny, with a high near 78. Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 65. Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 78/86. Tuesday Night A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. Wednesday A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74/81. |
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Fire Danger Level on the Island set at Low. |
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Out on the Big Drink… |
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Today Variable winds 5 kt or less. Patchy fog before 7am. Waves 1 ft or less. Friday Variable winds 5 kt or less. A slight chance of showers. Waves 1 ft or less. Saturday S wind around 10 kt. A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Waves around 1 ft. |
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Water Temperature: It’s 66 in Little Traverse Bay. The North Lake Michigan buoy southwest of Gull is reporting 62 with two foot seas.
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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