The Mackinac Blog – Page 5 : The Mackinac Blog

Lilacs and Early Summer Flowers on Mackinac Island – June 5, 2014

The 2014 Mackinac Island Lilac Festival starts on Friday, June 6, and goes through June 15. Some early lilacs are blooming, but look for the majority to blossom starting next week. In the meantime, here’s a view of some of the early summer flowers adding their color and beauty to June on Mackinac Island.

Lilacs and Early Summer Flowers Photo Gallery (Click on photos for captions & slideshow view)

Visit Mackinac Island Lilac Festival Website >>>>

Walkway Garden at Hotel Iroquois – Photos

During your Fall Color Tour of Mackinac Island this year don’t forget to take in all of the still-blossoming Summer Color. The late summer and early fall flowers and gardens of Mackinac Island are still putting on a dazzling show. Here are a few photos of the walkway garden to the Carriage House at the Hotel Iroquois….

Walkway Garden at Hotel Iroquois – Photo Gallery (Click on photos for captions & slideshow view)

Enjoy the fall and summer colors on your trip to Mackinac Island this year. #fallcolorphotos #mackinac

Entrance to the garden and the Carriage House.

Don't miss the jack-o-lanterns hidden in the leaves.

Walkway garden to the Carriage House at the Hotel Iroquois.

Visit Walkway Garden at Hotel Iroquois- Photos on Facebook >>>

The Grand Garden Show – Photos

Announcing the 5^th Annual Grand Garden Show presented by Proven Winners, the world’s #1 plant brand. Join us for this special gardening weekend located at the world’s largest summer resort providing a spectacular and memorable setting. Celebrate the beauty of flowers while you surround yourself with the rich history of Mackinac Island and Grand Hotel. This will be a multi-day event with hands-on demonstrations and presentations from some of the nation’s foremost garden design experts. – Read More About The Grand Garden Show >>>

Grand Hotel added 20 new photos — at Grand Hotel.

Monday August 28th, 2017 - 11:19 am

The Annual Grand Garden Show featuring Proven Winners is the perfect event to welcome to Mackinac. With informative and entertaining speakers, award winning international landscape and award winning garden designer Jack Barnwell (Barnwell Landscape and Garden Services- A Mackinac Island Based Company), and many experts from Proven Winners. Guests have many opportunities to interact personally with all of the event experts. Mingle at cocktail receptions, have questions answered in many Q & A sessions, and getting up close and personal with island home garden tours.The Annual Grand Garden Show featuring Proven Winners is the perfect event to welcome to Mackinac. With informative and entertaining speakers, award winning international landscape and award winning garden designer Jack Barnwell (Barnwell Landscape and Garden Services- A Mackinac Island Based Company), and many experts from Proven Winners. Guests have many opportunities to interact personally with all of the event experts. Mingle at cocktail receptions, have questions answered in many Q & A sessions, and getting up close and personal with island home garden tours. ... See MoreSee Less

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Joann Filice I want to go to this next year:)

Hi Grand, Fall is just about here I hope you have a great one including the Somewhere In Time Weekend , one of my favorite films of all time were filmed here and love the weekends , please post more weekend here soon. Happy weekend.

Love the yellow and white striped dress. So Grand Hotely

So happy to meet the guy that I love to watch! Nice guy with a great sense of humor.

Oh I would have sooo loved this 😍🌹😍🌸

Fantastic show! I love P. Allen Smith, and now also a fan of Jack Barnwell.

P Allen Smith is always awesome and we so enjoyed his presentation, the private garden tour and the cocktail hour following!

The gardens were just beautiful. So suprising to see the beautiful colors so vibrant this late in the season. A great experience

Sorry I didn't get a chance to go. It looks like everyone had a nice time. Maybe next year.

Im sorry I missed it 🙁

What happens to all the plants after the show?

Love P. Allen Smith🌺

What a great time at the Grand Hotel, enjoyed every minute! A beautiful place, for a fun show.

Thanks for sharing the trip. I loved all the pictures, especially the private gardens. Wonderful.

Grand Garden Show – Photos From Instagram

Tag your Grand Garden Show instagram photos with #grandgardenshow and they will appear here in our Grand Garden Show Instagram Photo Stream.

Visit The Grand Garden Show Package at Grand Hotel >>>

Mackinac Island Fudge Festival – Photos

The Mackinac Island Fudge Festival is coming up THIS WEEKEND – August 18 – 20. – featuring all sorts of fudge fun including Pioneer Sugar Sack Relay Races, Fudge Making Demos, the Michigan Sugar queen and the Golden Ticket Giveaway. Here are a few of our favorite Mackinac Island Fudge photos to get everyone in the mood for a fabulous fudge weekend.

Mackinac Island Fudge Festival – Photo Gallery (Click on photos for captions & slideshow view)

Fudge, heated in a copper kettle is poured onto the marble slab and allowed to cool and thicken at Joann's Fudge of Mackinac Island.

Carnel uses a long paddle to stir and smooth the fudge as it cools on the marble slab at Original Murdick's Fudge.

Aaron works the mixture around the table with a large paddle at Joann's Fudge of Mackinac Island

Carnel shapes the fudge into a long loaf to the delight of mesmerized audience inside the shop and outside the window at Original Murdick's Fudge.

Another pour of a fresh batch of Mackinac Island Fudge at Original Murdick's Fudge.

Aaron heats the fudge in the large copper kettle at Joann's Fudge of Mackinac Island.

Fudge begins to cool at Joann's Fudge of Mackinac Island.

This a a batch of penuche pecan fudge that Aaron is slicing in front of a audience of onlookers at Joann's Fudge of Mackinac Island.

A sign displaying the variety of flavors of fudge at Joann's Fudge of Mackinac Island.

The loaf of fudge is cut into slices ready to place in the display window at Joann's Fudge of Mackinac Island.

A wide variety of slices of fudge at May's Candy Shop.

Slabs of fudge at Original Murdick's Fudge

Pouring a fresh batch of fudge at May's Candy Shop

Pink Pony Fudge Martini - Stop in the Pink Pony from 3-5pm Friday & Saturday for a specialty Pink Pony Fudge Martini! Serving this specialty beverage with Original Murdick's Fudge and Joann's Fudge of Mackinac Island in honor of the Mackinac Island Fudge Festival this weekend!

Visit Mackinac Island Fudge Festival – Photos on Facebook >>>

Mackinac Island Fudge – Photos From Instagram

Tag your Mackinac Island Fudge instagram photos with #mackinacfudge or #mackinacislandfudge and they will appear in our Mackinac Island Fudge Instagram Photo Stream.

The Gardens of Mackinac Island – Photos

During August (and into September) the gardens of Mackinac Island are at their peaks – their flowers blossoming with unsurpassed color and brilliance. Be sure to enjoy all the splendor around you on your trip to Mackinac Island. Here are a few of our favorite photos of some of the gardens of Mackinac Island.

The Gardens of Mackinac Island – Photo Gallery (Click on photos for captions & slideshow view)

The garden at the front entrance to Grand Hotel...

The front lawn garden at Metivier Inn: Bed & Breakfast on Mackinac Island, Michigan...

The gardens and lawn at Mission Point offer plenty of room to roam and relax on the shore of Lake Huron.

The walkway garden between the Carriage House and the Hotel Iroquois on the Beach.

The hillside entrance garden at Cloghaun Bed & Breakfast

The entrance garden at Cloghaun Bed & Breakfast

Front porch garden at The Cottage Inn of Mackinac

The garden at The Cottage Inn of Mackinac

Flower baskets hanging on the front porch of The Cottage Inn of Mackinac

Flowers at the entrance to Metivier Inn: Bed & Breakfast on Mackinac Island, Michigan

The lovely entrance to Metivier Inn: Bed & Breakfast on Mackinac Island, Michigan

The seclude backyard garden at Metivier Inn: Bed & Breakfast on Mackinac Island, Michigan

Flower baskets in full bloom at Main Street Inn and Suites...

Flowers at the entrance near Sadie's at Grand Hotel

The walkway garden at Hotel Iroquois on the Beach

Walkway garden at the Hotel Iroquois on the Beach

One of the beautiful gardens at Lakebluff Condos on Mackinac Island

Visit The Gardens of Mackinac Island Photos on Facebook >>>

Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race – Photos

The Bayview Mackinac Race – which will begin on Saturday, July 22, 2017 – is recognized as one of the most challenging freshwater boat races in the world. Join the excitement of the Port Huron to Mackinac Race as boat racers sail Michigan’s Great Lakes to reach their final destination, Mackinac Island. It’s all Pure Michigan from start to finish! – Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race – 2017 >>>

Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race – Photo Gallery (Click on photos for captions & slideshow view)

Thank you to our sponsors for the 2018 Bell's Beer Bayview Mackinac Race!

Bell's Brewery The Grand Hotel Mackinac Island Tito's Handmade Vodka Shepler's Mackinac Island Ferry North Sails Pentastar Aviation Gill North America Coral Reef Sailing Apparel Legal Copy Services, Inc. Aitken & Ormond Insurance, Inc. Frankenmuth Insurance Vortexx Pressure Washers Detroit Sports Media Marx Layne & Company Pink Pony

EYE ON THE PRIZE

PART 2...ON THE OTHER END OF THE SPECTRUM @sojournerracingteam

Some of the teens and young adults on Sojourner’s crew of Sea Scouts will be taking on the race for the very first time.

Sojourner, another boat signed up in the Shore Course division, is a 30’ Seidelmann 299 owned and raced by the Boy Scouts of America Sea Scout Ship 1148. Its crew is comprised of a mix of five boys and girls – Caleb and Caitlin Parton (Detroit), Billy Stimson (Riverview, Mich.), Rachael Washburn (Trenton), Sara Mazurek (Trenton) – ranging in ages from 16 to 20 and three adult leaders, Becky Washburn (Trenton), Bill Tilley (Grosse Ile) and the Sea Scout unit’s Founder Timothy Branson (Dearborn). They are all from the Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and Trenton areas of Michigan.

“This will be the boat’s first-ever Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race, and for two of the kids (Caitlin and Billy), it will be their first time, too,” said Branson, who sailed in the 2017 race for his first time as crew and will serve as skipper this year. “They are both excited and a bit nervous, but the others have a better idea of what’s involved, since they’ve raced on other people’s boats. And all of the kids have helped ferry boats back from Mackinac in the past, but this time it’s strictly a crew of Sea Scouts.”

In preparation for this adventure, Sojourner has raced weekly in local regattas and in a Tuesday night series. The crew gained some heavy-air experience sailing back from the Mills Regatta on Lake Erie in 35 knots. According to Branson, Billy will handle the foredeck and flying spinnaker, Caitlin is a grinder, and Sarah, Caleb and Rachael have all been designated as helmsmen. There will be four-hour shifts where every hour one crew rotates off and another crew rotates on, and an adult will be in the cockpit at all times.

“Basically, we’ve been preparing for three years,” said Branson. “The boat, built in 1979, was donated to us three years ago, and we’ve pretty much gone through breaking everything on the boat and replacing it. The Edison Boat Club of Detroit pretty much adopted us, so we’ve had an awesome place to sail out of, and we were able to outfit the boat with help from them and Bob Cowles of the Detroit Yacht Club’s Sailing Development Fund. He heard we were fundraising like crazy and sent us a big chunk of what we needed to make the boat extremely safe and more modern to train the kids. The Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race has a list of required and suggested safety gear; I figured if kids were going, we were going to bring it all on.”

As it stands now, there are 14 boats in Sojourner’s ORR Class O that are similarly rated. “We’re hoping for a better-than-average finish,” said Branson. “We’re shooting for the top five but will be happy with middle of the pack.”

When Sojourner gets delivered from Bayview to Port Huron before the race, it plans to have aboard some crew members affected by an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It is part of a program coordinated between the Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race and Set Sail for Autism. (The race also supports the Alliance for the Great Lakes.)

For the full release and captions go to http://www.bycmack.com/raceupdates.cfm?RaceNews=354

SET SAIL FOR AUTISM

Crunch time is here and we need your help! For years, Bayview has partnered with Set Sail for Autism to put young adults with a chaperone on boats for the return deliveries from Mackinac to Detroit or Chicago, and this has been a great success enjoyed by the participants and crews alike.

This year, in order to simplify logistics for everyone, we have modified the program to focus on pre-race deliveries from Detroit to Port Huron. We are in severe need of host boats. If you are interested in participating or have any questions, please email Ryan Farrell, Rear Commodore Bayview Yacht Club, at rjfarrell22@gmail.com.

To learn more about this great cause, visit setsailforautism.org, or come to BYC tonight to watch the them duke it out in the river in the 2nd Annual Set Sail for Autism J120 Thursday Night Challenge sponsored by Rest Assured Property Management.

Thank you for your support!

Proud to support Set Sail For Autism Official and the Judson Center!

Tickets for Sails, Sips and Sweets are now available! Please call the Bayview Yacht Club Front Desk at 313-822-1853 to purchase tickets! Tickets are limited and are only sold in advance. Ticket sales close at 5 p.m. on July 10th. Thank you to our sponsors Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort and Sharpe Travel Group!

A SEMINAR TO LIVE BY

Over April 21-22, Bayview Yacht Club, organizer of the ever-popular Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race, hosted (with help from Detroit Yacht Club) a US Sailing Safety at Sea Course that literally swept away its 130 participants with a loaded schedule of activities geared toward managing risk and avoiding danger during racing or any other time at sea.

“Where else do sailors ever really practice swimming in full gear, getting into a life raft in full gear, locating their gear when inflated, assigning roles in a life raft, using flares, and putting out fires,” said Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race Chair Gary Shoemaker, who credited members Rick Titsworth, Lynn Kotwicki and Bob Nutter with putting together the ambitious program of in-water and on-land drills that also included a helicopter rescue demonstration by the US Coast Guard. “I know that I had never done these things before this weekend, and I’ve been racing sailboats for 53 years.”

According to participant Randy Shelagowski: “The two days were long and a lot of information provided, but because of the club’s coordination and all speakers engaging with the audience, the time went surprisingly fast . . . . True enough it’s never too late to learn; clearly this event has me better prepared than ever for my 32nd Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race!”

So if you haven’t yet taken a Safety at Sea course, go do it! It could very well save your life or a crew member’s.

Assigning roles once everyone is in the life raft.

Getting into the life raft with all of your gear on.

Working together as a team to be more visible and supporting an injured individual.

Working together as a team to be more visible.

How buoyant are you in full gear with your life jacket fully inflated and swimming.

Get acquainted with your safety gear in the water.

More Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race Photos on Facebook >>>

Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race – 2017 >>>

Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race – Photos via Instagram

Here are the latest photos of Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race via instagram.

Chippewa Hotel – Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race – Photo Gallery (Click on photo for slideshow view)

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Chippewa Hotel Waterfront added 29 new photos.

Wednesday July 26th, 2017 - 1:09 pm

Photo highlights from the Bell's Beer Bayview Mackinac Race this week. This year's event was the 93rd annual sailboat race from Port Huron to Mackinac Island. Over 200 boats participated, and good winds enabled a quick finish. The island was busy with sailors and visitors. We had a full house, and of course Pink Pony was "yachts of fun!" Great to see everyone again! ... See MoreSee Less

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Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race – 2017 >>>