Category: Open Season

  • February 18: Way Too Much Going On

    Once again, Shiver by the River Day is jam-packed with ways to amuse and abuse yourself. This year the day begins and ends in Elberta, with a 5K prize run starting at 9 am at the sunset lookout, and a chili cook-off and live music at the Shed that’ll burn…

  • Solstice Pre-Party to Heat up Shiver Saturday

    This Saturday starting at 4 pm, the Solstice Committee holds its first-ever fund-raiser, a chili cook-off with live music at the Cabbage Shed. There’s a five dollar suggested donation at the door, and five more dollars gets you into the back room to taste and vote on chili—all told that’s…

  • Park and Rec Xmas Tree Sale, on Now!

    Come one, come all, and get the best tree deal in the county. Save money on gas and know that what you do spend is going to support Elberta’s beautification and recreation initiatives. Park and Rec is selling Fraser firs and Scotch pine trees between the post office and Lane…

  • Beach Driving

    On November 2 a meeting was held among Village leaders, the sheriff’s department, three local property owners, and three conservation officers including Robin Schmitt from the DNR to discuss the problem of off-road driving on Elberta Beach. By federal and state law, it is illegal to operate a vehicle outside…

  • Join Park and Rec!

    By P&R secretary Jennifer Wilkins In keeping with the popular village subject of lawns and the looks of surrounding houses in town, I would like to invite any Village of Elberta or township of Gilmore resident to go to the Village office and hand in your written request to be…

  • Foghorn: Mayfair, Park and Rec, Beach

    The Mayfair Tavern will be closed for renovations until November 10. They’re tearing up some flooring, among other things. Come out for the Harvest Wine Dinner event on the 17th. This month’s Park and Rec meeting was canceled. The next meeting, under new P&R prez Art Melendez, will take place…

  • Proposed Lawn Maintenance Ordinance

    At the regular Village council meeting on Thursday, the Board of Trustees will consider the following wording for a lawn maintenance ordinance (see enclosed pdf). There will be opportunity for public comment at the meeting as the wording is reviewed. The ordinance would then come up for a vote as…

  • All Dogs Go to “Heaven”?

    By Liz Padalino ON LABOR DAY WEEKEND, area dog lovers and their canine counterparts were surprised by the notice that loomed at the entrance to the Frankfort Dog Park, located at the Frankfort–Elberta High School track. It read simply DOG PARK CLOSED. After 16 months of successful dog days, the…

  • September Council Meeting Report: Signs

    DIANE JENKS ASKED that audio recordings be made of all future council meetings. Linda Manville asked Village treasurer Laura Manville to find out the renewal date for the Village employees’ health care package and where we stand vis à vis the new state health care benefit bill for municipal employees,…

  • Phragmites Eradication to Begin

    The Village of Elberta and several area property owners have given permission for phragmites eradication on several sites in Frankfort and Elberta. The invasive “common reed” has been known to overtake wetlands and shorelines, destroying native habitat for fish and wildlife, and has been successfully fought off in Beaver Island,…

  • How to Catch a King

    By Westley Allen HELLO AGAIN, FELLOW readers. I do hope that my last article [“July Fishing Preview,” Elberta Alert no. 5, June] was helpful in your quest of catching fish. In this article I will be outlining the necessary tactics to catch the elusive King salmon. The majority of Frankfort’s…

  • Foghorn: Sell Your Stuff at E²: Eclectic Elberta

    E²: Eclectic Elberta! For the third year, Conundrum Café and Park and Rec are running a free market day on Labor Day Sunday (Sept. 4). Do you have something, anything, you want to sell? (Food, crafts, vintage items, et cetera…) Booths are free. Call 231-352-8150 to reserve a spot. Or…

  • Council Meeting Report: July 21, 2011

    This report is an amended version of the Issue 6 print version. Amendments are shown in brackets. MATT STAPLETON again proposed beginning the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance. “I’d just love to see us say the Pledge, since it’s a public meeting, a government meeting.” The matter will be…

  • Foghorn: Beach Driving RAP Line

    The Village Office has asked the Alert to announce that the following DNR RAP line is in place to receive reports of off-road and beach driving on Elberta Beach property and elsewhere along the shore and dunes. The fine for driving off the lot and gravel road that ends at…

  • Breathe Owl Breathe Swoop in to the Amphitheater Sunday

    Breathe Owl Breathe are back again this Sunday, July 24, at the Elberta Amphitheater, with a sliding-scale show tuned to all ages. Last year they played through a rather dramatic rainstorm, and this year’s show may be a reprise. Bring your slickers and take a moment to breathe in the…

  • Good Things Come out of Art’s Garage

    Art Melendez, a cartoonist, illustrator, graphic designer, educator, and relatively recent full-time Elbertian, has signed on to a lot of local activities: Parks and Rec, the Elberta Arts Council, the Solstice Committee, and the Elberta Alert editorial team. But his most recent standout project has been renovating the Elberta sign,…

  • One-Minute Reviews: The Frankfort Dog Park

    Frankfort’s fantastic off-leash dog park is the place to be with your dog Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings. Started by Jordan Bates, Aubrey Parker, and John Vinkemulder in May 2010, the place has become a hit with local dog owners. Recent head counts have registered up to forty dogs and…

  • A Garden for Young Girls in Flower

    Sue King’s husband, Bob King, bought the lot on the corner of Bigley and Glen about 15 years ago. He eventually decided, as a gift to Sue, to put in a spur off the water main and give her a section to grow a garden in. The other day when…

  • Chris Bedford Was Here

    The filmmaker Christopher Bedford, who passed away this week, made a visit to the Elberta Farmers Market on May 26. Amid a driving, chilly wind that blew stacks of morels and vases of lilacs off the picnic tables, Chris spoke about the possibilities for local food systems. Later that day…

  • Solstice Festival! A User’s Guide

    IT’S THE BIGGEST EVENT of  summer 2011: June 18, the Elberta Summer Solstice Festival. To get you ready for the longest day of the year, the Alert spoke with Josh Stoltz, who organizes the event along with Josh Herren, Bill Soper, Connie Manke, Jennifer Wilkins, Art Melendez, Adrian Hirsch, and…

  • A Tribute to Those Who Served

    For Memorial Day, the Alert reflects on the sacrifice of Elbertians living and dead who have dedicated themselves to our national security and fought to uphold our freedoms. Below is the only known image of the monument that once stood in Veterans’ Park. Parks and Rec is currently at work…

  • Foghorn: Garlic Mustard Pull Follow-up

    Liz Padalino led an intrepid group of six for a little over an hour’s worth of garlic mustard pulling this morning in the misty rain on Elberta Dunes Park (still in the hands of the Conservancy for a little bit longer). She said it was one of her most successful…

  • Garlic Mustard Pull in Elberta Tomorrow!

    Tomorrow, May 28, we will be pulling garlic mustard from South Elberta Dunes. This conservancy property is soon to be transferred to the village of Elberta, along with the task of pulling garlic mustard. The conservancy has been pulling garlic mustard at this site for several years now, and the…

  • Frankfort, Tree City, Celebrates Arbor Day

    The Alert spoke with Bonnie Warren of the Frankfort Tree Board and Jim Grabowski, tree wrangler extraordinaire, ahead of the 8th Annual Arbor Day event at 9:30 a.m. this Friday, April 29. With children, parents, and city officials looking on, a maple will be planted at Frankfort–Elberta Elementary School, where…

  • Foghorn: Sign of the Times

    Observant travelers near the junction of M-22 and M-168 may have noted that the Welcome to Elberta sign is missing. The Parks Committee of the Parks and Rec Commission removed it Saturday, April 9, for renovations. Jennifer Wilkins of the Parks Committee remarked that at least one of the several…

  • Foghorn: 37 Questions on Smart Growth

    Monday, March 28, at 1:30 pm at Frankfort City Hall, waterfront property owners have been invited to fill out a survey. This survey will be used by MSU Extension agents to evaluate our “readiness for smart growth.” Please spread the word to Elberta waterfront stakeholders you know. The meeting is…

  • The Busiest Weekend Ever

    March 17–20: Possibly the Busiest Four Days in Elberta–Frankfort History…for more details on the first annual Benzie County Water Festival, see the official site. THURSDAY, MARCH 17 4 pm–10 pm St. Patrick’s Day Party, Mayfair Tavern 7 pm Elberta Village Council Meeting, Village Community Building FRIDAY, MARCH 18 6 pm…

  • Vertical Thinking: Elbertian Proposes to Change Elberta’s Name

    During the initial public comment period at the Village Council meeting last night, Kelli Stapleton, Elberta resident and planning and zoning committee member, presented a proposal to change Elberta’s name to Heaven. Among Stapleton’s stated goals was the preservation of our local post office (no plans to close the office…

  • Frigid Dare: We Polar Plunged Lake Michigan

    In January, a video depicting two area women was leaked to Facebook. The video, which was recorded on New Year’s Day, shows the women stripping down to their sportswear and taking the wet route off Frankfort beach. Herewith, an Alert exclusive interview. Julia Dodd: It was New Year’s Day, 2011.…

  • Potluck Gardening Workshops Build Soil-Esteem

    Vegetable gardens are sprouting up all over the country in unexpected places, from the White House front lawn to city rooftops, in response to the economic crisis and concerns about nutrition and food safety. Some prominent Frankfort and Elberta residents are on the front lines of this trend, participating in…

  • Stop Whining and Start W“h”ining: After-Party Will Warm the Shiverers

    Diane “Jinx” Jenks, on the first annual wine festival in the Elberta terroir, Saturday, February 19, from 5 PM… The idea came from my personal winter sport, which is winter “whining.” I whine about the cold, stay in, drink wine, and read. I’m getting quite good at it, and it takes…

  • The Guns of November

    What’s that sound ringing out at the indecent hour of 8 am? You crack open an eye, curse the sun coming in through the curtain, and, there it goes again. For the past week or so, shots have been heard several times a day as hunters “sight mark”—test their sighting…

  • Parks and Rec Report: Ideas a-Poppin’

    The Elberta Parks and Recreation Committee held its regular meeting last night at the Village Community Building. In attendance were new member Arthur Melendez and prospective new member Jennifer Wilkins, along with chair Bill Soper, Connie Manke, Village president-elect Reg Manville, and Lisa Schrader-Confer. Trustee-elect Linda Manville came out of…