The entrance structure in Washington Park received two interchangeable message boards last week so passersby can be informed of local events taking place. This was the last and final piece of installation for the renovations in Washington Park and it looks great!

This summer Washington Park received a facelift thanks to a grant from the State of Michigan and matching funds from the City of Cheboygan Downtown Development Authority to provide a grand entranceway to Washington Park, guiding pedestrians to the footbridge. Other elements of the renovations included an additional path of sidewalks installed at the center of Washington Park by the entrance structure to lead pedestrians to the footbridge, picnic tables, grills, benches, lighting, and a three-sided kiosk informational kiosk.

The new entrance structure at Washington Park, which mimics the footbridge, is a focal point that directs pedestrians to enter the park through the gazebo and to follow the path to the footbridge. Inside the gazebo, you will see two panels of historical pictures that feature Cheboygan from years ago. The images are pretty spectacular as they feature Main Street, the River and the Crib Lighthouse. There is a picture on display of the Post Office building and it is positioned within the sign so you are looking right at that vantage point; it’s really quite remarkable. I hope you all have a chance to come down to Washington Park and look at the historical pictures inside the entrance gazebo. This is a nice feature for visitors and residents alike.

The Cheboygan Area Chamber of Commerce (CACC) is coordinating the messages that will appear on the interchangeable message board. According to Matthew Friday, CACC Executive Director, the events posted on the board must be of a community-oriented nature. If you would like to get your message in the rotation, there is a form to be filled out at the Chamber office. Mr. Friday advises that preference will be granted for those announcements that are of the greatest benefit to the community. Please contact the Chamber if you have any questions – 627-7183.

What better place to celebrate the holidays than at the Opera House? We truly have a treasure in Cheboygan with the Opera House and this time of year especially tugs at my heart strings where the Opera House is concerned. The holiday decorations inside the building are absolutely gorgeous; it is a treat to watch a show any time at the Opera House but during this time of year, it’s just beautiful.

The Lowe Family Christmas Spectacular will be presented at The Opera House on Monday, December 19, at 7:30 pm. Have you purchased your tickets for this show? If not, get down to the Opera House Box Office for this sensational production. Versatile on many instruments, the nine Lowes’ offer a blend of show-stopping classical, Broadway, Irish, jazz, bluegrass, old-time favorites, spectacular dance, 6-part harmony, gospel, a stirring patriotic tribute, and more!

The Lowe Family has been entertaining around the world for over 25 years. All of the Lowe siblings began studying and performing the music of the masters from very young ages. Most recently, brother and sister, Doug and Kayliann won the CMT Nashville Songwriters Contest grand prize and listener’s choice awards for their original music. The Lowe Family performed with the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir and orchestra on their national TV and radio broadcast. They also have been featured as special guests during the Olympics and on China’s New Year’s celebration televised internationally.

Their website, www.thelowefamily.com, has videos of a collection of their performances which are pretty amazing. If you are interested, in seeing this show in person, check out their website because those videos will hook you! As their website boasts, they have over 250,000 hours of practicing, 10,000 music lessons, 50 instruments, and 25 years entertaining, the Lowe Family had earned the reputation as America’s Most Talented Family.

Tickets for the Lowe Family Christmas Spectacular are $30 for adults and $12.50 for students through high school. To purchase tickets, please contact the Cheboygan Opera House – (231) 627-5841 or www.theoperahouse.org.

This is a great time to get ready for the Christmas holiday by celebrating with your family at the Opera House. Make a night of it by going to dinner beforehand at a Downtown eatery. Downtown Cheboygan is the place to shop, dine & unwind!

Back by popular demand is the fabulous “Trick-or-Treat in Downtown Cheboygan” event! Children are invited to dress up in their best Halloween attire to Trick-or-Treat to the area businesses within the Downtown district.

This annual Downtown event will take place on Monday, October 31st from 3:00-5:00 p.m. Children will have their respective school parties on this day, so they will be dressed in their costumes and ready to partake in the Downtown Halloween fun immediately following their school celebrations.

Orange pumpkin signs will be on display in participating businesses. Businesses with signs displayed in their windows indicate that business is a participant in the Halloween promotion. This is a great time for businesses to distribute treats to the kiddies, as well as provide coupons or literature on their businesses to the adults. If you are a business and would like a pumpkin for your window or door, please contact my office – 627-9931.

Main Street will be closed during the activity. Closing Main Street gives kids and parents alike the peace of mind that they are able to safely maneuver through Downtown without worry of busy traffic passing by. This event brings thousands to the Downtown area and kids are very excited to participate; the street closure helps to ensure that the kids and parents have a fun and safe experience. This year Main Street will be closed from 2:00-5:00 p.m. from State Street to Court Street and traffic will be redirected down Huron and Water Streets. We want to make this a safe and enjoyable event for everyone!

Downtown Cheboygan truly becomes a “Halloween Town” on the day of Downtown Trick-or-Treating. Businesses transform their buildings into everything Halloween. Business owners and employees dress up for the occasion as well. It is fun checking out the kids’ costumes, but the adults really put in a lot of thought when it comes to their costumes of choice.

Make plans to celebrate Halloween on October 31st in Downtown Cheboygan… ghoul be glad you did!!!

The hanging flower baskets were gorgeous this summer in downtown Cheboygan. Seedums Garden Club, with monetary contributions from Citizens National Bank and BKC Insurance, provided the flower baskets that were affixed to the downtown lampposts. The City’s Parks and Recreation department  watered the flowers every day to help maintain the investment of the flowers and the T.L.C. provided to the flowers was obvious. The colorful petunia baskets brightened the downtown district this summer and it was fun to watch them grow throughout the season.

Soon you will notice the downtown district undergoing a transformation with businesses decorating for the fall seasons. Store windows will have pumpkins, ghords, and fall themes decorating their properties to get in the spirit of the fall season. You may even see some deals or specials appealing to the seasonal merchandise or food fare.  In the fall you might see a restaurant offering a pumpkin spiced goodie or in the winter you may see peppermint flavored. The neat thing about this is that it appeals to your senses and any emotions that you may have associated with that flavor just takes you back.

Even though we are saying goodbye to summer, it isn’t a sad time because we are saying hello to Fall! “Hello Fall weather, football and pumpkin spiced latte….it’s nice to see you!!!”

The City of Cheboygan Downtown Development Authority (DDA) installed a series of wayfinding signs last year which included a number of kiosks.  What exactly is a kiosk?
According to Wikipedia, “an information kiosk (or information booth) dispenses free information in the form of maps, brochures and other literature.”
There are four major kiosks installed in the City. These kiosks have three sides; one side has a large map of the downtown area and the other two sides are used for community postings for special events or activities. Determining where to install these kiosks was a bit of a challenge as we wanted to be sure that we provided the best locations. The kiosks are installed at Gordon Turner Park, in the grassy area between Cheboygan Bistro and Mulligans, in the Water Street Parking lot next to the comfort station, and along the North Central Trail off of Division Street. Soon you will see a kiosk installed in Washington Park. These particular locations were identified as high traffic locales, where visitors and residents congregate.
The minor kiosks are pedestal-type signs which display the downtown map. The kiosk maps are meant to familiarize the pedestrians with downtown Cheboygan by depicting on a map where the pedestrian is and where particular amenties are located. There are minor kiosks installed at the DNR dam, the county marina, the City parking lot on the corner of Huron and Division streets, and on the east side of the footbridge.
With both styles of kiosks, there is a brochure rack that has a business listing and map of the downtown area. The listing is separated into categories to assist the visitor with locating the type of businesses they are searching for. This business directory is updated quarterly.
Every Friday I update the kiosks with new posters, announcements, and make sure the business directories are filled in the brochure racks. If your community group or organization would like to post your non-profit community event or announcement, please contact me at City Hall – (231) 627-9931 or kguenther@cheboygan.org.
While you are downtown, make it a point to check out the information in the kiosks. It changes every week and it’s a great way to find out what is happening the Cheboygan area!