Small Town America: Chassel, Michigan

By James and Joan, the American Vagabonds
Our last profile dealt with a vision and completion of a wonderful town project.
This edition is similar in vision and impressiveness, but of a completely different nature — a festival, and more specifically. a yearly Strawberry Festival.
Chassel, Michigan is a small town of 800 to 1000 inhabitants. It is not affluent, but it is solidly of the working class of people. While history is of the lumber industry, the economic engine that drives this small town is the employment of a University in the county’s capital of Houghton, about 13-15 miles north.
As a small town, it is impressive to the American Vagabonds what can be accomplished in bringing the community together, raising a substantial amount of money for a number of worthy projects in Chassel, and serving as a beacon of enjoyment for a weekend for people all around the state and beyond — including the two Vagabonds from a much larger small town in a much smaller state.
The residents’ claim, without objection, is that their Festival is the longest running in the State of Michigan. The 2012 edition was the 64th consecutive year for this event. It is replete with events and things to do, all impossible to accomplish without the support of the entire community.
The main sponsors are the Chassel Lions Club members, just like it is for many events in Harwinton. However, what separates Chassel and makes this event worthy of our interest to be profiled is the size and quality of the festival by such a very small community.
While it is impossible to list everything the Festival had to offer, it is paramount to mention the community dance at the local VFW on Friday night, which the Vagabonds attended. This was a dance with a healthy representation of the population having a rollicking great time — including us. We, the Vagabonds, found we were a bit overdressed but, after all, we are from New England.
The second event to mention was the Parade on Saturday. Although it was a very hot day, the population of Chassel swelled to 5 or even 10 times its size consisting of both spectators and marching participants.
The parade is open to anyone wanting to march as well as more formal units. It had the usual and customary units, but what we, the Vagabonds found most interesting was the true breadth and length of the parade.
As an example, though the schools are out for the summer, the parade consisted of the members of the high school marching band riding in a wagon and filling out their small numbers with alumni. Additionally, there was a middle school band with the band master tooting her trumpet right along with her charges in the parade.
In sum, this parade was most impressive, and could easily rival a parade in a much larger community.
One last free event to mention was the 45 minute boat rides into Lake Superior on the Research Vessel, “Agassiz.” Research is ongoing for the health of the Great Lakes and this trip was, like many other non-profits, to introduce what kinds of research the Michigan Technical University is undertaking.
There were the other non-profits and small vendors displaying their wares and showcasing their services. I know, based upon the two-day event all parties raised substantial monies and/or successfully educated the public.
For the Vagabonds, eating the signature Strawberry Shortcake was akin to tasting the sweet nectar indeed. Every Strawberry Shortcake we eat from now on will be held in comparison to the rich, smooth, sweet taste of the shortcake these Vagabonds had in a skating rink pavilion (built by the local Lions Club) at the Strawberry Festival in Chassel, Michigan.
Kudos to the people of Chassel, you did yourself proud!

Small Town America, Manisitque, Michigan, the “Boardwalk”

This is the first of a series of articles to profile some aspect of a small town in America principally under 10,000 in population. Topics covered for a small city or town will be diverse and broad. The emphasis will not be on individuals, but features that give the community some sense of uniqueness as perceived by the American Vagabonds.
As a preface, much of America’s largest cities are widely covered by the print and electronic media; yet, small towns and cities have interesting positive stories too and that is what the intent of American Vagabonds will attempt to convey in this series.
Our first town/city is Manistique, Michingan, located on the northern side of the great Lake Michigan. This is part of the unique region known as the Upper Peninsula in the great state of Michigan. This small village of approximately 3,000 inhabitants feels to us to be a much larger city because of its impresssive business district rivaling downtown Torrington, CT, a far larger populated city. Manistique, Michigan, in our opinion gives this impression primarily due to the tourist industry which this small city and the entire Upper Peninsula region is heavily dependent.
What the Vagabonds found most interesting to share in this premier edition of “Profiling...” is the nearly 2 mile long boardwalk in Manistique. It runs along the nothern shore of Lake Michigan from the city’s downtown, past the Marina then, past the picturesque East Breakwater Lighthouse and eastward for over a mile. As a side note, the lighthouse was built in 1919, stands at 35 feet, and was automated in 1969. Along the boardwalk, a walker can divert and walk the quarter mile jetty out to the lighthouse. The walk along the jetty is most enjoyable and scenic and worth the diversion.
The term boardwalk is a bit of a misnomer. There are, in fact, three separate and distinct surfaces-asphalt, cement and indeed boards. We speculate that what accounts for the asphalt and cement surface differences were more to funds available, and when the particular stretch of the boardwalk was built. As we were there over the 4th of July holiday, it was difficult to do a thorough research on this magnificent asset of this small Upper Peninsular Michigan city. However, we were able to discern that the project was completed in the early 90s and what captivated the Vagabonds’ interest was that this “boardwalk” project was spearheaded, not by government, but by local downtown business folks. It is certain that government was involved, such as helping to provide the “boot camp” labor in the construction of the boardwalk. This note was conveyed to us by a veteran and local citizen at the local VFW.
The entire boadwalk runs parallel to the main southern east-west artery in the UP, Rte 2. There are five free parking access points all with porta-potties and a number of structured restrooms. As a number of senior citizens both local and travelers walk this magnificent walkway, the Vagabonds recognize this most welcome contribution by the good townspeople of Manistique.
The entire boardwalk encompasses three zones of mother nature. There are the trees and shrubs, the swale zone (low flat areas beteen the beach and the trees and the strubs), and the beach flat zone. Each zone has its own vegetation providing food and shelter to a number of birds and insects including but not limited to the red-wing blackbird, the song sparrow, and the beautiful Monarch butterfly. It was indeed a sight to see Joan chasing a number of Monarchs frustrated with their, the Monachs, shyness to be photographed.
On the east side of the walk there is a parking lot with a shelter, and a well providing a welcome clean continuing stream of water. Anyone with a bucket or jug is welcome to take some water. There are also picnic tables at this rest area.
While I can see the potential economic benefit of the boardwalk to the downtown businesses, the more important benefit is to the townfolk and those who visit this wonderful small Michigan city. To walk this “boardwalk,” to gaze upon all of the wonderful vistas to be seen, and to hear all the wonderful sounds of mother nature to include a very great lake was a wonderful experience, and the Vagabonds think these are worth sharing.

American Vagabonds: More time in Michigan's Upper Peninsula

We left Marquette and continued our tour of the Upper Peninsula on the major East-West artery of Route 2. The small village of Christmas, north of Marquette, did not live up to its name. It was originally developed by a business man from Munising who opened a factory to produce Christmas gifts. The factory is gone and all that is left are a few delapidated motels, a new casino (not Mohegan or Foxwoods), and a huge Santa cut-out that was missing parts and needed to be painted.
Around lunchtime, we stopped at a roadside rest area. It was an attractive area, as are all the UP roadside rest areas with picnic tables, grills and trails. Michigan does a better job with rest areas than other states we have visited. At this rest stop, Tioga Creek, there was a trail marker that led to a water fall. We walked along the 1/10th mile trail single file most of the way, looking at the creek and the wild flowers along the banks. A mixture of Indian Paintbrush, Buttercups, Daisys, and Black-eyed Susans made for a pleasant and peaceful walk. We then went back to the VIEW to have lunch.
 A pick-up truck pulling a trailer with farming equipment on it was stopped across from us with a puddle of coolant under it. James checked to see if they needed help, but they had already called for assistance. This was a remote area, but a busy one. As we were about to leave, a woman came up to our RV looking worried, and I put the window down to see what she wanted.
She said she didn’t want us to leave because she was afraid that “those men” with the disabled pick-up truck were going to rob them! Her husband was in the restroom and she was uncomfortable by herself. We assured her that the men only wanted to fix their truck, and since the rest stop was busy with travelers, she didn’t have to worry. She thanked us, and anxiously went back to her car to wait for her husband.
We headed north after lunch and a rest, and as we were driving through the town of Chessel, there were crowds of people crossing the street, and we saw signs for a Strawberry Festival. And, across the street was a VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) sign advertising a dance. We pulled into the parking lot of the VFW and went in to inquire. After talking to the Commander, we had permission to park in the parking lot over night. We parked and went to the festival. We were so impressed with it, that it is featured in the Vagabonds Profiling Small Town America this week. There were activities planned for two days, with food, crafts, music, and raffles.
A fast-moving thunderstorm drove everyone from the park. The wind picked up and vendors were having difficulty putting their booths down, and signs were flying around the grounds. We went back to the VIEW to get ready for the dance.
The next morning there was a long parade. I took several pictures of the entries in the parade, but my favorites are of some little girls who were standing near us. One tiny girl in a sun bonnet and jumper would wait for a group playing music, and her little feet (in matching flip-flops) would march along in time. The other picture is of two sisters, dressed identically with their hair in long braids down their backs, stood in awe as the Strawberry Queen and her Court rode by, waving to the crowd. Perhaps the little girls were dreaming of the time when they might be the Queen!
 After the parade, we went back to the park. We each had a huge strawberry shortcake ($4), and danced a few times to the music of a local band before we left to pack up. Invariably, when there is music to be heard, the Vagabonds feet seem to move on their own.
Driving through the back roads of the UP, we frequently saw white painted strips approximately 10’ wide across the roads. These are “cross walks” for snowmobiles. There are trails all through the UP, and where ever they cross a road, the white paint lets drivers know snowmobiles are allowed to cross there, and gives the snowmobilers a legal right to cross the roadway. In some places, ATVs also use the trails that crisscross through the forest.
That night we stayed in the city park of Bruce Crossing. They have a campground that accomodates a dozen RVs, and even have electric and water hook-ups. The payment is on the honor system. $10.00 for the night and the dump station is free. Showers are $3. If you don’t want to stay but just use the dump station, the charge is $5.00. We picked our site and settled in. There was only one other RV there--it looked like it was a perminent resident! Thirty days at a cost of $300 is inexpensive rent anyway. By night there were about 6 campers in the park. All were 5th wheelers except us. James suspects the other overnight campers were local to Michigan and we were the only interstate residents for the evening. The cool evening was most enjoyable and we felt the frogs ‘peeping’ in the swampy area adjecent to the park were personally serenading a welcome to the Vagabonds.
We were almost into Wisconsin before we passed into Cental Time. As usual, we will keep our watches on Eastern Daylight time — and our schedule. It is easier on our systems that way, and if we want to call home, we check our watch — not our cell phones (cell phones switch time automatically) for the time.
We stopped at a Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest roadside area for lunch. When James went out to get water from a hand pump, he was attacked by vicious mosquitoes. It reminded me of a road trip my family took when I was a little girl and my grandmother was traveling with us.
We stopped at a beautiful picnic area for lunch. No one else was there and we wondered why. We were barely out of the car when a horde of black mosquitoes attacked us. We ran back to the car — and so did the mosquitoes! As my father drove off down the road, we were slapping and squashing mosquitoes that had gotten into the car with us!
We stopped for the night at Day Lake Campground in the National Forest. The park had over 50 empty campsites, so we had our pick. After a swim, and BBQ pork chops for supper, we watched a movie and went to bed.
The American Vagabonds are off tomorrow, still heading West, toward Minneapolis. Joan’s great-nephew is performing with the Blue Knights Drum Core there, and we have tickets!

American Vagabonds: Traveling through the Upper Peninsula

Heading toward the Mackinac Bridge, or the “MAC” as it is called in Michigan, we stopped for fuel in the town of Charlevoix. The most amazing sight greeted us - and other travelers. The route going through the town, US 31, was lined on both sides with beautiful, bright petunias, the full length of the town. It was so pretty, and what a way to beautify the town!
In Cheboygan we stopped to do laundry and grocery shopping. It was breezy and cool in the town, which had a river canal running right through the middle of town with boats-- yachts and fishing boats--tied up to docks or trolling along. We wondered if that was how some people traveled through the town, stopping at a dock to do their shopping! Another interesting aspect to Cheboygan, are the street signs for snowmobiles! Right along with the traffic lights and signs for ordinary traffic, are signs that direct the snowmobiles where to drive, turn, etc. You just know they have lots of snow during the winter months!
We are always looking at other vehicles used for traveling. Last year we saw the bus a young man had, outfitted to travel across the country, and heated with wood.
In the Cheboygan Walmart parking lot, we parked next to a Range Rover with a raised top, privacy curtains, and metal boxes attached to the top. During the day, they put some of their belongings outside the vehicle to give them more room. I can only imagine how crowded it must have been inside.
A green box on the roof says, “Around the world to help Huntington’s Disease Association” and on the side, a map of the world and the words, “One Life Live It.”
We, the Vagabonds, can embrace this motto.
The Mackinaw Bridge, which leads to the Upper Peninsula, has the reputation of being tough to cross. They even have designated drivers for those who are afraid to drive across themselves. We have driven over much higher, longer, windier, prettier, and more interesting bridges in our travels. The “Mac” did not intimidate James, and we crossed easily. How did it get this reputation?
We found an attitude in the Upper Peninsula (UP) that was quite funny. The residents of the UP are called “Yoopers” and the residents of lower Michigan are called “Trolls” (as in living under the bridge!) These two regions of the state of Michigan are as contrasting as New London County is from Fairfield County in our own state.
Traveling into the Upper Peninsula, we entered the Hiawatha National Forest - our planned destination for the next several days. The forest covers a million acres in two sections. The land had been heavily logged in the early 1900s and fires burned over much of what was left.
In 1909, President Theodore Roosevelt established the east section and it was named the Marquette National Forest. The western section was named the Hiawatha National Forest by President Herbert Hoover in 1931. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) replanted the forests, and established the campgrounds. The two sections were joined in 1962.
We stopped at the Ranger Headquarters to get information about the campgrounds. The Ranger was very helpful and told us which ones would have sites available for that night. Outside the building, there was a wildflower garden with milkweed. A dozen or so Monarch butterflies were flying all around, landing on the flowers, and then taking off again. I tried taking a picture of them, but they wouldn’t stay still long enough. But they were beautiful!
We found a site for the night at the Lake Michigan Campground, which has only 30 campsites stretched in a line along the lakeshore. By using our Senior Pass, it was only $9 for the night. The next morning, we followed Route 2 along the shore of Lake Michigan. The beaches along the roadside are all open to the public and we saw people enjoying the cool waves and sandy beaches everywhere.
We stopped in the town of Manistique, which claims to be the home of Paul Bunyan. It is a small tourist town, and we walked along a jetty to the East Breakwater Lighthouse. The Vagabonds were so taken by this walk it served as the stimulus for the first small town America profile. The town was celebrating “Pioneer Days,” and the Historical Society buildings were open. We stopped at some of the booths, and inspected the landmark brick water tower which was built in 1922, but is no longer used as a water source for the community.
We had a campsite reserved at Camp 7 Lake in the national forest for three nights, and continued on our way to find the campground. There are nineteen campgrounds in the Hiawatha National Forest. All are on lakes or rivers. From Manistique we drove 22 miles on Route 2, about 8.4 miles north off of RT 2 on Forest Highway 13, then 7.8 miles CR 442 (CR = County Road) to find the campground.
This was all through a heavily forested area with only a few homes. The campground itself is clean and well managed. The next day, we hiked the Van Winkle Trail to the pond of the same name, which is a refuge for wildlife, and caught sight of a family of swans, two adults and three babies, swimming among the lilypads. While the trail was well maintained, we saw no one else on the trail and the forest was quiet and peaceful. When we returned to the campsite, we changed into bathing suits and rode our tandem bike to the beach for a cooling swim. The sandy beaches stretch almost all around the entire lake, with plenty of places to swim or sunbathe. As we were leaving the beach, we were uninundated by ‘stable flies.’ They are much bigger than our local ‘horse flies’ and they have a big bite. I had blood running down my legs from the bites I got. For those who love Mother Nature as we the Vagabonds do, not all of her gifts are always a lot of fun.
Monday morning brought quiet to the campground. Most of the campers had left on Sunday afternoon, and new arrivals didn’t come in until later in the day. We enjoyed walking around the paths, and another swim in the lake.
While we were walking, we met a young boy, Noah, who was on his way to the lake to go fishing. Young Noah reminded us of “Opie” on the old Andy Griffin TV show. (The campground provides fishing poles to anyone who would like to go fishing and doesn’t have one. ) His family was camped a little way from us, and the children spent many hours riding bikes around the camp.
The next morning it was our turn to pack up and leave. We headed back to Manistique for some shopping, and a walk along the boardwalk. We discovered that they wouldn’t celebrate The Fourth of July until Saturday. These were very friendly towns, as we found everyone on the Upper Peninsula to be.
After searching for a town to celebrate July 4th, we decided to go north to Munising. It is located on Lake Superior, and they had a full day of activities planned with fireworks scheduled for 10:30 p.m. It seems to stay light longer the further north we go. The events were being held at Bay Shore Park, located right on Lake Superior and there were vendors and games set up in the park.
One interesting game they had for the youngsters was to shimmy out over the water on a greased pole. We watched as several determined boys made it to the end of the pole, and then jumped off into the water. It sure looked like a fun activity!

They have an excellent war memorial at the end of the park honoring all wars and services, and a bronze statue of a soldier.
We moved the Winnebago VIEW to the American Legion post to park for the night and watch the fireworks, which were to be fired over the lake. We were sitting out in our lawn chairs waiting for the show to begin when strong wind started blowing sand around us. One of the members of the Legion came out and told us the fireworks had been cancelled as a big storm was brewing.
We closed up the VIEW, and went to bed. No fireworks this night. UGH!
From the UP, James and Joan, the American Vagabonds.