Munising, Michigan Journal

Our first snowfall

Da Yoop — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:36:14 +0000

Yesterday, the weather was quite interesting in the Munising area. We had our first day of actual measurable snowfall! Although it wasn’t much, it was still enough to get you in the mood and starting thinking about all the winter fun (or misery) we have around here. In town, it was mostly little ice pellets that piled up to a half-inch or so. A half mile to the south and few miles to the west, it was a different story. There was a good 2-3 inches of a snowy mix that collected on the ground and stayed overnight. Closer to Chatham, the trees and ground were really pretty with the snow sticking to everything. There were also a few car accidents in the area but everyone seems to be okay. The first snowfall is always interesting and a good reminder to slow down and brake early.

The colder weather is supposed to continue for the next few days before a warm-up over the weekend. They’re currently predicting temperatures reaching the 50-degree range. It sounds like it’s going to be a good weekend to rake those leaves and get set for Old Man Winter.

Happy (early) Halloween!

Da Yoop — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:26:58 +0000

We hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween. Munising’s trick-or-treat time is from 5pm to 7pm on Saturday, October 31st. Please drive carefully and the streets are pretty active with kids and parents.

Katrina, Barbie and Erin, of Stylistics, all dressed up for Halloween.

Tonight, head out to Foggy’s Steakhouse, in Christmas, for “Foggy’s B-Day Bash!” The fun begins at 10p.m. and will feature the band “Lost Cause.” It should be a good time!

New Local Artists category added

Da Yoop — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:57:06 +0000

With so many talented artists in the Munising area, we’ve added a new category, called Local Artists, to the ExploreMunising.com website. From painters to sculptures and furniture makers, the Munising area offers a variety of arts & crafts and we want to help get them some exposure. This section is brand new and we’re looking to add artists from the Munising and Alger County area. (Please contact us to get your info listed.) Within the local artists section we’re also having a Featured Artist page. This will give a more in-depth look at an artist’s work and where they draw inspiration from to create their masterpieces. The current featured artist is landscape painter, Gregg Bruff. Visit his featured artist page to see some of his oil paintings of Lake Superior, Pictured Rocks and other Upper Peninsula of Michigan scenery.

In other news, the weather has actually been pretty good the last few days with temperatures reaching the 50’s during the day. Today looks to be the last of the decent weather as the big storm in the Rockies reaches us. Unlike them, we won’t be seeing any of the big snowfall amounts. It looks like it’s going to be mostly rain, wind and few snowflakes in the air.

It’s also hard to believe that Sunday is November 1st. That also means it’s only a couple weeks from the traditional Yooper holiday, firearms deer hunting season!

Happy Halloween!

Fall colors and events

Da Yoop — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:28:08 +0000

The fall colors are definitely here and have transitioned to the more bronze colors. The hills that surround the city of Munising are also very pretty and peaking themselves. These are usually the last to change because of the close proximity to Lake Superior. The weather has been pretty seasonable with temperatures in the 40s during the day. Early last week we received our first taste of winter. It snowed for a couple of days but nothing really collected in town. In other parts of the Upper Peninsula, some spots had over 4 inches of snow on the ground! Our days of seeing grass and bare pavement are numbered.

This Saturday, there are quite a few events happening in the Munising area. Here’s a brief rundown of what’s going on:

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24th

A Christmas in October Dinner
Moose Lodge, Munising
5pm-7pm
Everyone is welcome to stop by the Moose Lodge on Superior St. for a traditional Christmas Dinner! It will feature turkey, ham and all the trimmings.

4th Annual “Celebration of Life” Luncheon & Silent Aucution
for the Eric R. Beverly Foundation
11am-2pm
American Legion, Munising
Stop by for this great cause and help those dealing with cancer. Visit their website for more info.

Annual Haunted Hayride
Wandering Wheels Campground, Wetmore
Dusk-????
FREE (accepting donations)
Bring the family to this annual haunted hayride that will get you in the Halloween mood. There is no cost but they are taking donations. This event is run by all volunteers and has become a Munising tradition.

Have some fall color photos of Munising? E-mail them to us and we’ll post them on the blog!

Corvette show this Saturday!

Da Yoop — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:39:58 +0000

Make sure to add downtown Munising to your schedule for this Saturday. The first ever Pictured Rocks “Cruisin on the Bay” Corvette Show will be taking place down at Bayshore Park. The event will feature car parade through downtown Munising to kickoff the event. In conjunction with the Corvette show, Fall Fest will be happening at the Bayshore Park pavilion. This family event will include music, food and activities for the kids. Below is a breakdown of the events.

PICTURED ROCKS “CRUISIN’ ON THE BAY” CORVETTE SHOW
Friday, Oct. 9th
Registration & Reception – 5pm-8pm at the Holiday Inn Express

Saturday, Oct. 10th
Corvette Parade – Noon-2pm. Begins at the Munising Community Credit Union and travels west on Superior Street to Elm Avenue. Then the parade will go north on Elm (across M-28) to Bayshore Park.
Corvette Show – 2pm-6pm. The Corvettes will then be on display at the Pictured Rocks Cruises parking lot. Come out and see some beautiful cars!

FALL FEST
Saturday, Oct. 10 – 1pm-6pm
Bayshore Park Pavilion, Munising
The festival will include food from a variety of vendors, live music by Key Players and activities for the whole family.

After our extremely warm weather in September, October is feeling more like a typical U.P. fall. The temperature has been in the 50’s and we’ve had quite a bit of rain in the recent days. (We’ve needed it.) As for the fall colors, it is looking really beautiful! The fall colors are predicted to peak this coming weekend, in the inland areas, and the following week for the areas along the lakeshore. There’s nothing like driving around the Munising area and seeing some beautiful scenery! Check out the Munising waterfalls section for some destination ideas.

Come celebrate Au Sable Day, tomorrow!

Da Yoop — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:38:03 +0000

Au Sable Light Station on the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

The weekend forecast is calling for some great, warm weather and it will be a perfect day for “Au Sable Day.” This family-friendly event will be held Saturday, September 19th from 11am-5pm. Hosted by the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore – National Park Service, come enjoy some music and learn the history of this beautiful lighthouse. The special activities include:

Guided tours of the keepers quarters and light tower
Lee Murdock maritime musician
Tours of the Au Sable photovoltaic power system

Since the lighthouse is in a secluded area, van transportation will be provided by ALTRAN. Just head to the Hurricane River Campground and they will drive you to the lighthouse. Make sure to bring a camera and enjoy the great weather at this beautiful Lake Superior lighthouse! For more information, call (906) 387-3700.

Au Sable Light Station info | View map

As for around here, the month of September has been our summer. Because June and July were really cool, we’ve had incredible weather this month and we’re still waiting for it to rain. This is actually the driest start of September on record! With the lack of rain, I think it’s given the trees a bit of a jump-start in turning color. Although the fall color peak is probably a few weeks away, it seems like a lot of the trees have a touch of color at the ends of their leaves. We’ll keep you posted on the progress of the fall colors; it’s always a good one!

Also, mark your calendars to visit Munising October 9th and 10th. A big Corvette car show, in Munising, is in the works and we’ll have more info soon!

“Tours da Woods” mountain bike race tomorrow!

Da Yoop — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:09:07 +0000

The second weekend of September is already here and that means it’s Tour da Woods time! This incredible mountain bike race is a great way to see the area as it travels from Chatham, through the Hiawatha National Forest, and finishes in downtown Munising. Registration is still open if you’d like to give it a try or just come out and cheer on the racers.

6th annual TOUR DA WOODS – Saturday, Sept. 12th
The Tour da Woods challenge features two separate races for all mountain biking enthusiasts.

Hiawatha’s Revenge: 30-mile course starts at the Alger County fairgrounds in Chatham and finishes at the Munising Mustang’s football stadium behind the Alger Arena, Varnum Street.
Packet pickup available at start from 7:00 – 9:00 am
Race start time: 9:30 am

Red Deer Run: 15-mile course that starts at the Valley Spur ski & mountain bike trail head, 5 miles south of Munising on M-94. This races finishes at the Munising Mustang’s football stadium behind the Alger Arena, Varnum Street.
Packet pickup available at start from 7:00 – 8:30 am
Race start time: 9:00 am

Packet Pick-up/Spaghetti Dinner
Sydney’s Restaurant, M-28, Munising
Tonight, Friday, Sept. 11th, 6:00 – 8:00pm
Everyone is welcome!

Awards
Bayshore Park Pavilion, Munising
Saturday, Sept. 12th, 3:30pm
This is a new venue for the awards and the Carberry sisters will be baking pizzas in newly constructed wood-fired bread oven. Unique awards are given for 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place male & female riders in both the 15- and 30-mile races. Medals are awarded by age and gender in all categories for both races.

Altran bus will provide transportation for racers following the race for vehicle pickup from both race start areas. Shower facilities and a secure bike corral will be available at the race finish.

TOUR DA VALLEY - Sunday, Sept. 13th
The 4th annual Tour da Valley youth mountain bike day is a family-fun event held at Valley Spur, a trail system only 5 miles south of Munising. This free event offers a variety of races from 50 feet to 5 miles for racers 16 years and younger. They recommend registering ahead of time but registration will also be starting at noon with the first event taking place at 1:30pm. There will be refreshments served at the lodge and awards will follow.

For complete information on this weekend’s big events visit www.tourdawoods.org and we hope to see you in town!

Labor Day weekend in Munising

Da Yoop — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:20:11 +0000

Wow, we’re already in to September! The weather in Munising has been great this week, probably the best of the whole summer. The temperature has been in the 70s with no clouds to speak of and the forecast looks great through Labor Day. This weekend there are some fun family events planned and everyone is invited. Here’s a run down of what’s happening:

SATURDAY, Sept. 5th
The Munising Moose Lodge (Superior St.) is hosting a picnic dinner that starts at 5 p.m. and finishing the night with an outdoor dance. Live music by the popular band Evergreen 7 will have everyone dancing into the hours of the night. The band will be performing from 9 p.m.-1 a.m.

SUNDAY, Sept. 6th
The annual Lions Club Rubber Ducky Race & Raffle will start at 2 p.m. at the Anna River fishing pier. There are many great prizes to be raffled including a cruise to Alaska or $3000 in cash! They will be selling tickets at the race site until 1pm. The Anna River fishing pier is located to the right of the Neenah Paper Mill off highway H-58. So come out and cheer on your rubber duck!

MONDAY, Sept. 7th
Starting at 2pm, bring the family to the Munising Moose Lodge for a pig and corn roast. There will be awesome food, free prizes, kids rides and kids games! There’s nothing like roasted pork or corn-on-the-cob!

So there you have it, some fun things to do this weekend while in the Munising area. I hope everyone has a great weekend and stay safe. Get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather! Reminder, next weekend is the annual Tour Da Woods mountain bike race!

New directory listing: Log Jam Bar & Grill

Da Yoop — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:57:57 +0000

We would like to welcome the Log Jam Bar & Grill to the Explore Munising website! They are a brand new listing in the Food section. The Log Jam is located in downtown Munising and is a great stop after a day of sightseeing or work. They serve delicious food and drinks 7 days a week and they’re always open till 2 a.m.! Their menu includes appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, fresh whitefish baskets and homemade pizza. They also have your favorite beer or mixed drink plus make sure to stop by for happy hour: Monday-Friday from 2 p.m.-6 p.m. Also, stop by to watch your favorite sporting event on their large-screen TV and NASCAR is always on the weekends!

To learn more about them and find their location, please visit their Explore Munising listing!

New directory listing: Hillcrest Motel & Cabins

Da Yoop — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:00:14 +0000

We would like to welcome Hillcrest Motel & Cabins to the Explore Munising website! They are a brand new listing on the Hotels & Motels webpage in the Lodging section. Under new ownership, Hillcrest Motel & Cabins just recently reopened for business and have some great ideas and renovations on the way. Located about 3.5 miles east of downtown Munising, the motel offers both traditional motel rooms and cozy cabins at reasonable rates. All of the traditional amenities are included plus free wireless Internet. The cabins are available for extended stays and there’s also ample room for parking. Hillcrest Motel & Cabins is also near the ATV/snowmobile trails and they will soon be featuring guided trips– available throughout the year! For those traveling up north for the fall colors or the hunting season, give them a call to book your room!

To learn more about them, please visit their Explore Munising listing!