Au Gres, MI

Residents of AuGres have a weekend of tree lighting ceremonies and holiday festivities to look forward to. The annual AuGres Chamber Tree Lighting and Parade of Lights will be held Saturday the 26th after a number of holiday festivities throughout the day.

At 3:00 pm, free carriage rides will be offered at the AuGres-Sims High School courtesy of the Royal Carriage Company. The rides are new this year and will last about 20 minutes, going along Michigan Avenue.

At 5:30 pm, caroling at the corner of US-23 and Michigan Avenue will begin, followed by the tree lighting ceremony at the same intersection.

Afterwards, the parade will move from the tree lighting to the city pavilion on North Main St, where AuGres city firefighters will be providing hot cocoa and H & H Bakery will offer donut holes.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will meet the crowd at the pavilion after a carriage takes them through the parade, drawings will be held to provide hams and nuts for adults and board games and video rentals for children.

The AuGres Chamber of Commerce is the sponsor for this year's event.
references: arenac county independent, kevin bunch, don horne

Federal funds available for landowners to create and improve grassland wildlife habitat in and around the AuGres MI area (saginaw bay). Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials remind landowners in the Saginaw Bay and River Raisin basins that federal funds are available to establish, improve and maintain quality grasslands for wildlife.

The $100,000.00 fund is available through matching grants. The timing of this couldn't be better as the DNR embarks on pheasant restoration initiative. This money is available in all 3 of the priority areas and should help landowners turn idle or degraded land into quality upland wildlife habitat.

Landowners who are interested in improving their grassland habitat should contact their local USDA Service Center.
references: iosco news, donsrealty

AuGres MI to host art and wine walk

Kinder Platz Park in AuGres is going to be hit with a little class when the 1st Art, Wine and a Park event is held August 12th and 13th. The event will bring a large number of people into the downtown AuGres area.

The Art, Wine and a Park is a 2 day event. Friday, August 12th will feature an art show from 4:00 until 9:30 and wine tasting from 7:00 until 9:30. Another art show will be held Saturday, August 13th from 10:00 until 4:00. Tickets for the wine tasting event will cost $20 per person.

The city is also encouraging anyone who wants to enter their art projects to come out. Tickets for the wine tasting can be purchased at AuGres City Hall, Chemical Bank in AuGres and the AuGres Community Library. references: arenac county independent, james kuch, donsrealty.net

The date for the 4th Annual Summer Slam Volleyball Tournament in AuGres has changed as the event looks to expand this year. The tournament, typically held on Labor Day weekend, will be held Aug. 6th this year, to allow more college students to participate.

The tournament has evolved over the past few years. The most notable change is that the funds raised will go toward a scholarship fund in memory of Ashley Irwin.

The volleyball tournament will feature 4-person teams divided into different categories. Ages 13 and older are eligible to compete in the event and the cost is $15 per person for the round robin tournament.

Another new twist to this year's Summer Slam is the addition of a horseshoe tournament. Horseshoe competitors can sign up in 2-person teams. $15 for people to sign up to compete in the horseshoe tournament, or both tournaments for $25.
references: james kuch, arenac county independent, donsrealty.net

Charity Island cruise held to help foster tourism ideas

A group of area business people set off from the East Tawas State Dock last Friday for Charity Island. The 17 mile trip, which featured a tour of the historic Charity Island Lighthouse and lunch, wasn't all pleasure though, important tourism networking was taking place.

The excursion was hosted by the Michigan Sea Grant and Michigan State University Extension and was created to explore Lake Huron ecotourism opportunities.

It was part of a continuing effort by area agencies to utilize Tawas Bay, Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron to boost tourism that is environmentally sound for the lake, according to Michigan Sea Grant.
references: jason ogden, iosco news, donsrealty.net