July 4 landed on a Thursday and visitors to our area were able
to take Friday off so mini-vacations occurred. The Thumb bulged
with happy faces and they were rewarded with lots to do.
Good
planning of activities on days that did not conflict allowed
everyone to visit many of the areas communities and enjoy
their offerings. This year was the first time in many years
I participated
in Port Austin’s 4th of July parade. I drove my El Camino
with my wife Pat’s business advertised on it and two
of my beautiful granddaughters rode in the back.
One
of the girl’s fiancée rode shotgun in the
front with me. He had visited from Arizona a couple years
ago but it was not during our big holiday. He just kept
marveling at the number of people lining the streets. I had
forgotten
how popular our parade had become and was surprised by
the huge numbers of people of all ages.
The population of the little town of Port Hope swelled also.
A crowd of hundreds of happy faces lined the streets and enjoyed
their festival. People return there year after year for all
the fun.
Earlier in the day I visited the harbor at Port Austin and
was very happy to note all the dock slips were filled and the
boat trailer parking area was running over. This was the most
activity I had seen at the harbor in years. Work, including
dredging, new floating dockage and power installations plus
redesign of the entire parking facilities and updated restrooms,
was completed this spring.
Upgraded
harbor facilities in conjunction with Veterans Park and Memorial,
the village beach, kid’s playground and
picnic pavilion make Port Austin’s waterfront
one of the best in the state. If the fishing action
picks
up, it
should stay busy all summer and fall.
Harbor
Beach’s Maritime Festival this weekend and Ubly’s
Homecoming, followed by Pigeon’s Summerfest, Huron County’s
Fair, BayPort’s Fish Sandwich Days, Caseville’s
Cheeseburger in Paradise and Elkton’s Autumnfest at the
end of August, then Kinde’s Polka Festival
in September assure surrounding communities get
their share of visitors.
These are just some of the great events to enjoy
this
summer, a summer that may turn out to be one of
the best in many
years.
Summer residents and their guests need to check out some of
the new events to experience the tip of the Thumb.
I
had a daughter visit from Connecticut last weekend and she
made three separate trips to Port Austin’s
Farmers Market. One trip led to another as she
found something
she just had
to have each time.
Nearby
communities have joined in to offer Farmer’s
Markets. Check them out. You will find fresh
veggies, baked goods (yummy),
flowers, hand-made crafts of all types and
a large group of friendly people.
Local merchants worked hard to spruce up their buildings and
stock up on merchandise. I suggest local people look around
and note some of the new businesses our areas have welcomed.
Shops like sign-makers, laundry and espresso bars, thrift stores,
ice cream parlors (lots of them) plus kayak rentals along the
shoreline. They are all eager to provide their services.
As
I see it, we owe thanks to the weather gods who allowed most
of the past week’s
events to carry on without too much interference.