• In Memoriam: Lawrence W. Crane

    The man was one of the most important figures in the history of Elberta, and Andrew Bolander was unable to find an obit for him aside from a half paragraph in the Free Press and a mention of his passing in the Benzie Banner. So, on the anniversary of his death, Bolander thought it would be nice to give Lawrence W. Crane an obituary fitting his influence on the area.  Lawrence W. Crane died on the 18th of September, 1899. Mr. Crane was a strong and occasionally abrasive presence in the early development of Benzie County. He was an impressive lumberman who came from modest beginnings—a poor… More

  • Signs of the Times: July Council Meeting Report

    VILLAGE OF ELBERTA BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING July 16, 2015 • 7 PM ||| AUDIO ||| July 16, 2015 • 7 PM The Village of Elberta Board of Trustees held a regular meeting on Thursday, July 16, 2015, at the Community Building, 401 First Street, Elberta, Michigan. The meeting was called to order by Diane Jenks at 7:04 p.m. Recitation of Pledge of Allegiance Present:         Jenks, O’Dwyer, Soper, Holmes, Gatrell Absent:           None Public: Mary Link, Ron McPherson, Andrew Bolander, Gary Sauer, Ken Bonney, Emily Votruba Approval of Minutes Motion by O’Dwyer seconded by Gatrell to approve the June 18 meeting minutes… More

  • Burn After Reading: June Council Meeting

    VILLAGE OF ELBERTA BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING June 18, 2015 • 7 PM ||| AUDIO ||| The Village of Elberta Board of Trustees held a regular meeting on Thursday, June 18, 2015, at the Community Building, 401 First Street, Elberta, Michigan. The meeting was called to order by Diane Jenks at 7:02 p.m. Recitation of Pledge of Allegiance Present:         Joyce Gatrell, Ken Holmes, Diane Jenks, Holly O’Dwyer, Bill Soper Absent:          none Public: Gary Sauer (county commissioner), Ken Bonney (DPW), Rosemary Tanner, Lois Schram, Cathy Anderson, Emily Votruba, Dolores Schmitt, Art Melendez, Christine Walkons, Mac McClelland Approval of Minutes… More

  • Who Were Elberta’s First Settlers?

    By Andy Bolander A proposal has recently been presented to the Village Council to honor John and Caroline Greenwood’s contributions to the development of Elberta. The proposal includes the installation of a sign under each of the village limits signs stating: “First Settlers John and Caroline Greenwood 1855.” A second part of the proposal changes the name of Furnace Avenue to Greenwood Parkway. John and Caroline Greenwood contributed greatly to the development of Gilmore Township. John was a blacksmith and operated shops in both Frankfort and Elberta. He also carried the mail from Manistee to Frankfort when the trail was… More

  • Solstice Approved: May Council Meeting

    VILLAGE OF ELBERTA BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING —DRAFT Minutes— May 21, 2015 • 7 PM ||| AUDIO ||| The Village of Elberta Board of Trustees held a regular meeting on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at the Community Building, 401 First Street, Elberta, Michigan. The meeting was called to order by Diane Jenks at 7 p.m. Recitation of Pledge of Allegiance Present:         Joyce Gatrell, Ken Holmes, Diane Jenks, Holly O’Dwyer, Bill Soper Absent:           vacant seat, Jean Sikes Public: Gary Sauer (county commissioner), Ken Bonney (DPW), Rosemary Tanner, Frederik Stig-Nielsen, Joshua Herren, Kurt Luedtke, Emily Votruba Approval of Minutes Motion by Gatrell, seconded… More

  • A New Era for the Elberta Solstice Festival

    EDITORIAL By Emily Votruba In the space of a couple of weeks straddling April and May, Solstice Fest 2015 went from being on, to off, to back on again. On April 15, Bill Soper, chair of the Solstice Committee, and Diane Jenks, village council president, had a discussion, based on advice from State Treasury officials, that led to them canceling Solstice. I posted this to the Alert Facebook page that day: “BREAKING: According to chief Solstice organizer and Parks & Recreation Commission member (and council member) Bill Soper, Solstice Fest is canceled this year. Soper spoke with Diane Jenks, who spoke… More