Fred Dohm in the Old Mission Coloring Book
Fred Dohm in the Old Mission Coloring Book
Feel free to share this post...

To view or leave comments on this story, click HERE.

Here’s a roundup of recent OMP news and photos…

Center Road gets a makeover. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will start a four-month resurfacing project of Center Road/M-37 in Peninsula Township on April 18. The resurfacing work will begin just north of the Peninsula Drive/Center Road intersection (known as “The Forks” to us locals) and continue to the tip of the OMP by Mission Point Lighthouse. During the project, there will be one lane with alternating traffic during weekday work hours. They expect to finish the project by August 19.

Old Mission Gazette is Reader Supported.
Click Here to Keep the Gazette Going.

And just to remind us that Spring is near, despite our current snowy weather, here’s a picture of Center Road at the Smokey Hollow Road intersection. Blossom time will be here before we know it.

Cherry Blossoms near the Hogsback on Center Road/M37 | Jane Boursaw Photo
Cherry Blossoms near the Hogsback on Center Road/M37 | Jane Boursaw Photo

Easter Breakfast Served. The Old Mission Peninsula United Methodist Church will serve breakfast on Easter Sunday, April 17, 2022. Breakfast will be served around 7:30 a.m., right after their Son-rise Service at 7 a.m. Rise and shine, people!

Legion Dinners Resume. The Old Mission American Legion is happy to report that they’ll begin serving dinners again on the first and third Tuesdays each month. The first dinner will take place on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. Dinner starts with appetizers at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $15 per person, and take-out dinners are also available. Menus are posted on their Facebook page as each dinner draws near.

The Legion Hall is located in the village of Old Mission at 4007 Swaney Road, on the left just before you round the corner to Haserot Beach. For more info, call Mary Shultz, (231) 223-7721.

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

Library Fundraiser Coming Up. Don’t forget to get your tickets for the annual “Books at the Boathouse” fundraiser to raise funds for Peninsula Community Library. This year, however, as with last year, the event is known as “Books WITH the Boathouse,” as dinners will be available to pick up at the library instead of dining at the Boathouse as in previous years.

The gourmet dinner-for-two will take place on April 12. Tickets are available at the library for $150, and include dinner, wine and dessert for two people. Here is a throwback photo when Tim Carroll held court (i.e. was the speaker) at the Boathouse in 2019. Library Director Vicki Shurly presents a birthday cake to Tim for his 80th birthday. Tim looks concerned, but is probably grateful there aren’t 80 candles on that cake.

Books at the Boathouse 2019 fundraiser for Peninsula Community Library on the Old Mission Peninsula
April 2, 2019: PCL Director Vicki Shurly (with help from husband Bob) presents a birthday cake to Tim Carroll at Books at the Boathouse Fundraiser for Peninsula Community Library | Jane Boursaw Photo

OMPS Co-Principals. I stopped up to Old Mission Peninsula School this week to get pics of Lani the Reading Dog (story forthcoming!), and while there, the co-principals of the school happily took a few minutes out of their busy schedule for a picture.

Here they are below, Renee Kolle on the left and Danielle Clayton on the right. And that is a great message: “Throw kindness like confetti.” They both taught at the school before becoming principals – read more about them here.

As always, I love seeing our OMPS thriving after nearly being shut down several years ago. Instead, a dedicated group of folks did the considerable amount of work to re-open it as a charter school in 2018.

Co-Principals at Old Mission Peninsula School, Renee Kolle, left, and Danielle Clayton, right | Jane Boursaw Photo
Co-Principals at Old Mission Peninsula School, Renee Kolle, left, and Danielle Clayton, right | Jane Boursaw Photo

Update on the Robotics Team. I posted recently that my sister-in-law, Carol Johnson (my brother Ward’s wife), and her robotics team are raising funds to compete at the World Championship in Dallas, Texas. They and other area teams dashed from the beach into the (cold and partially frozen) bay to not only fundraise, but also bring awareness to competitive robotics. They raised about $30,000, but hope to raise another $15,000. Donate on their website, winterwaterdash.com, or call (231) 999-BOTS (2687).

Here’s proof that they actually dashed into the freezing waters of West Bay. That’s Carol in the upper left photo with some of her team.

Northern Michigan Robotics Teams dash into West Bay to raise funds | Robotics Team Photos
Northern Michigan Robotics Teams dash into West Bay to raise funds | Robotics Team Photos

New Mascot at Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum. Ok, I know what you’re thinking. This lighthouse is in Leelanau County, Jane. Why are you including it in Old Mission news? That’s because there’s an Old Mission connection!

I recently posted that the OMP United Methodist Church has a new pastor, Andrea Johnson. Well, her daughter was up visiting with her kids this week, so they all took a tour out through Leelanau County and stopped at the lighthouse museum there. Andrea’s grandson, Owen, took one look at the stuffed Black Bear and raced over to give it a hug. So the staff decided to name the bear Owen!

They’ll be highlighting future good will missions of Owen – the bear – as he travels around Leelanau and gives everyone a chance to participate in the “Where is Owen Today” drawings for free merchandise. This is all in anticipation of the 170th birthday celebration of the Grand Traverse Lighthouse in September 2022. Follow the Lighthouse Museum Facebook page here and check out their website here. (And, of course, check out our own Mission Point Lighthouse website here and Facebook page here.)

Old Mission Peninsula United Methodist Church; Pastor Andrea Johnson's grandson, Owen, for whom the mascot at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum is named after | GT Lighthouse Photo
Old Mission Peninsula United Methodist Church; Pastor Andrea Johnson’s grandson, Owen, for whom the mascot at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum is named after | GT Lighthouse Photo

Kay and Fred Dohm’s Turn-Around gets noticed. If you’ve driven by their farm stand at 16625 Center Road, you might have noticed their fun sign asking drivers to pay 50 cents if they do a U-turn there. Well, Mark Frankhouse at WRKR FM in Kalamazoo noticed it too, wrote a little story about it on their website, then posted it on the Overheard in Traverse City Facebook page.

Kay commented that while the sign is a joke, they actually do get some change now and then, but mostly, “lots of laughs and waves.”

By the way, Freddy is one of only two people featured in the Old Mission Coloring Book that my friend Kris Hains and I put together (for the Christmas season, which, as you know, got a little sidelined for me). But I’ll start promoting it here and there when I get half a second, and you can find it on my OMP Store website here. Below is the coloring page of Freddy, based on a photo I took last year.

Fred Dohm in the Old Mission Coloring Book
Fred Dohm in the Old Mission Coloring Book

Bayshore Marathon and Festival of Races approved. At their meeting this week, the Township Board gave the go-ahead for two foot races coming up this summer. The Bayshore Marathon will take place on May 28, 2022, and the Festival of Races will take place on July 9, 2022.

No roads will be closed for the Festival of Races, which includes a 5K, 10K, 15K and Half Marathon. Only the 15K (see course here, Peninsula Drive, McKinley Road and East Shore Drive) and Half Marathon (see course here, mainly Peninsula Drive) venture onto the Old Mission Peninsula. For more info, check out their website here.

For the Bayshore, course details are still being worked out. Because of the road closure on the north end of Bluff Road, it’s likely that racers will turn around before the closure and the race will be extended a bit into the Traverse City area. As in previous years, Bluff Road will be closed during the race, as well as Center Road between McKinley and Island View. Below is the Bayshore course as it stands now. For more info, check out the Bayshore Marathon website.

The only other race scheduled for township roads this year is the Traverse City Triathlon on August 21, 2022. Course information will be available soon on their website, and I’ll keep you posted here on the Gazette.

Bayshore Marathon Course 2022
Bayshore Marathon Course 2022

SUPPORT YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL NEWSPAPER: 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 Old Mission Gazette is a "Reader Supported Newspaper" -- meaning it exists because of your financial support -- I hope you'll consider tossing a few bucks our 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. In a time when local news is becoming a thing of the past, supporting an independent community newspaper is more important now than ever. Thank you so much for your support! -Jane Boursaw, Editor/Publisher, Old Mission Gazette

To keep the Gazette going, click here to make a donation.

To view or leave comments on this story, click HERE.

Bay View Insurance of Traverse City Michigan

2 COMMENTS

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.