Cory Holman's Pumpkin Patch on the Old Mission Peninsula | Jane Boursaw Photo
Cory Holman's Pumpkin Patch on the Old Mission Peninsula | Jane Boursaw Photo
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Here’s a roundup of recent OMP news and photos…

Peninsula Market is hiring. Store manager Jane Boursaw (my sister-in-law) says they are in need of both part-time and full-time employees in ALL departments, including cashiers, stockers and kitchen staff.

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In fact, both the Market and Heritage Station are currently closed on Sundays due to staffing issues, so if you take any of these jobs, you’re doing it for all of us. Apply on the store’s Facebook page or swing by and fill out an application, 14111 Center Road in Mapleton.

(By the way, if you’re new around here, our mother-in-law is also named Jane Boursaw. There’s three of us. It’s a story about men who only marry women named Jane.)

OMP News - Peninsula Market on the Old Mission Peninsula | Jane Boursaw Photo
Peninsula Market on the Old Mission Peninsula | Jane Boursaw Photo

Cory Holman’s Pumpkin Patch is open. Cory and Elise Holman are still cutting and hauling pumpkins in, but they opened up the patch this past weekend. They have lots of pumpkins, gourds, squash, hay bales, and other fall produce of every size and variety. Read more about the Holman’s long history on the Old Mission Peninsula here. The pumpkin patch is located at 12926 Center Road.

Cory Holman's Pumpkin Patch on the Old Mission Peninsula | Jane Boursaw Photo
Cory Holman’s Pumpkin Patch on the Old Mission Peninsula | Jane Boursaw Photo

Center Road Erosion Update. The crews from the Grand Traverse County Road Commission have been busy fixing the erosion in the 9500 block of Center Road that I mentioned a few weeks ago here. They even had a stoplight there, which is not something you see every day on the OMP (although it’s becoming more common for road fixes lately). A couple pics…

Road Work on Center Road Erosion | Jane Boursaw Photo
Road Work on Center Road Erosion | Jane Boursaw Photo
Road Work on Center Road Erosion | Jane Boursaw Photo
Stoplight for road work on Center Road Erosion | Jane Boursaw Photo

American Legion offering curbside pickup. The American Legion dinners continue into the fall, and they’re also offering curbside pickup. Call (231) 223-4433 on the afternoon of the dinner. This week’s dinner is today, Tuesday, Sept. 21. Doors open at 6 p.m.; dinner is served at 6:30 p.m.

The menu for tonight is BBQ chicken, baked beans, corn on the cob and kale salad, with a veggie tray for an appetizer and brownies for dessert. Cost is $15 per dinner. Check our Community Calendar for upcoming dinner dates.

Old Mission Legion Dinners | Jane Boursaw Photo
Old Mission Legion Dinners | Jane Boursaw Photo

Pelizzari Park gets new fencing. If you’re hiking at Pelizzari Natural Area, check out the new fencing installed yesterday around the parking lot. Parks Committee member Dave Murphy says about ten volunteers installed the fencing, saving the Township significant money in installation fees and brightening up the main parking area in the process. Thanks, All!

Pelizzari Natural Area gets new fencing around the parking lot | Jane Boursaw Photo
Pelizzari Natural Area gets new fencing around the parking lot | Jane Boursaw Photo

Township News. As mentioned in this opinion piece by Protect the Peninsula about the winery lawsuit, last week’s Township Board meeting was absolutely packed with people (see photo below). Also, the sound system wasn’t working great, and Streamspot – the online streaming system on the Township’s website – is not working either (they’re moving to a different platform).

Winery Lawsuit: Residents Pack Township Hall for Town Board Meeting | Jane Boursaw Photo
OMP Residents Pack Township Hall for Town Board Meeting on Sept. 14, 2021 | Jane Boursaw Photo

However, several things came out of the meeting, including:

  • Second Deputy hired. The Township Board approved the hiring of a second deputy to patrol the Old Mission Peninsula, in addition to our current deputy, Virnell France (read our interview with Virnell here). The second deputy will be hired at $86,000 per year, to be paid for out of the general fund, which currently has a balance of $300,000, according to the meeting minutes here. The contract is for two years for seven-days-a-week coverage and enforcement on the OMP.
  • Public Meeting on winery lawsuit. Many residents either sent in correspondence related to the winery lawsuit or attended the meeting to speak during the public comment time. Because of the situation with the sound system, the number of people at the meeting, and the importance of the topic, the Township will hold an informational meeting for the public at a bigger venue (the community room at St. Joseph Catholic Church). They do not have a meeting date, but at last night’s Planning Commission meeting, Township attorney Greg Miehn said it will be in the next couple of weeks. Look for updates here on the Gazette.
  • Resolution to re-open Bluff Road. The Township Board approved a resolution regarding the importance of re-opening the north end of Bluff Road, which has been closed due to erosion since last year. The resolution will now move forward to the Grand Traverse County Road Commission. It specifies, in part, that the “re-opening of Bluff Road to afford critical north-south access on the Old Mission Peninsula is in the best interests of the public,” and that the Road Commission should “fulfill its statutory duties to repair and reopen Bluff Road to restore the critical north-south access it provides to members of the public, of which the GTCRC serves.”

Read the full resolution in the meeting packet here , and read about the recent studies done on the road closure here.

Body washes ashore at lighthouse. The body of a local Indigenous woman washed ashore near Mission Point Lighthouse last week. Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s officials are investigating the death of 42-year-old Elaine Grace Silva, who was a resident of Peshawbestown in Leelanau County, and a member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.

Sheriff’s Captain Randy Fewless said there were no signs of physical wounds to Silva’s body. Results of an autopsy are pending. Read the full story by Sheri Mcwhirter on the Traverse City Record-Eagle here. If you have any information, contact the Sheriff’s Detective Bureau, (231) 995-5002.

Teenager hit by truck on Peninsula Drive. A 17-year-old Traverse City Area Public Schools student was hit by a truck while trying to cross Peninsula Drive to board a school bus on Thursday, Sept. 16.

According to the G.T. County Sheriff’s Office, the student was crossing near McKinley Road at 7 a.m. to board a southbound school bus when he was struck by a northbound pickup truck. The student was conscious at the scene, but taken to Munson Medical Center for treatment of his injuries. The accident occurred on a straight section of road in the 35 mph zone.

“According to the sheriff’s office, an investigation is open into the accident, but speed, alcohol, and drugs are not believed to be factors,” notes a story by Beth Milligan in the Traverse Ticker. Read the full story here.

Old Mission Post Office staff update. If you pick up or drop off mail at the Old Mission Post Office in the village of Old Mission, you’ve probably noticed that there’s no one working there. The job was posted by the postal service about a month ago. If you’re interested in applying, contact Roberta Easterwood, [email protected], (231) 946-1159. Note that the mail is still being picked up at the Post Office around 2 p.m. each day, Monday through Saturday.

Got Grammar? My brother-in-law, Stephen Lewis, is probably cringing at my subtitle for this news item. I should probably take his NMC Extended Ed. class called “Grammar Tips You Need to Know.” The in-person class meets two Wednesdays, Oct. 6 and Oct. 13, 6:30 – 8 p.m., University Center Room 207, $49.

Steve, whose latest novel is “Murder Undone” (the second in his “Murder on Old Mission” series), promises that this refresher course will help correct many of your grammar errors and take your skills up a notch, whether for the workplace, your writing endeavors, speaking engagements, or everyday activities. Sign up for the class here.

Below is a photo of Steve, right, with Bert Courson, at a book signing for “The Wolfkeeper” at Peninsula Grill in the Before Times (pre-pandemic). This book, a collection of essays written by my sister, Carolyn Lewis, was published by Steve after she passed away in 2019 from complications due to dementia. Here’s a piece of hers we published on the Gazette this summer.

Steve Lewis and Bert Courson at the launch for Carolyn Lewis' book The Wolfkeeper | Jane Boursaw Photo
Steve Lewis and Bert Courson at the launch for Carolyn Lewis’ book The Wolfkeeper | Jane Boursaw Photo

Last weekend for Bardon’s Wonder Freeze. The long-running ice cream stand on the corner of East Front Street and Garfield Avenue announced on their Facebook page that this coming weekend is their last for the season. Stop by and get your fix on Saturday, Sept. 25, and Sunday, Sept. 26, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. both days. This is not a drill!

Jane's favorite ice cream at Bardon's Wonder Freeze | Jane Boursaw Photo
Jane’s favorite ice cream at Bardon’s Wonder Freeze | Jane Boursaw Photo

A NOTE FROM JANE: I started Old Mission Gazette in 2015 because I felt a calling to provide the Old Mission Peninsula community with local news. After decades of writing for newspapers and magazines like the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Family Circle and Ladies' Home Journal, I really just wanted to write about my own community where I grew up on a cherry farm and raised my own family. So I started my own newspaper. Because the Gazette is mainly reader-supported, I hope you'll consider tossing a few bucks my way if I mention your event, your business, your organization or your news item, or if you simply love reading about what's happening on the OMP. Check out the donation page here. Thank you so much for your support. -jb

Bay View Insurance of Traverse City Michigan

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