Category Archives: Benzonia

Tribute to Gwen Frostic

August 4, 2008 – 8:35 pm

A very well produced short film by Steve Palackdharry, narrated by Huel Perkins:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH23Sqb3Rvo

He writes:

A short tribute film on Gwen Frostic, the legendary Michigan artist who died on April 25, 2001 - the day before her 95th birthday. Frostic was owner and president of a multi-million publishing company in Benzonia, Michigan. As a child, she contracted polio and it affected her walk and her speech. But it never affected her ability to create intricate designs faithful to nature. She continued to work until days before died. The interview with Frostic that I did for this film was done six months before her death.

Visit Steve Palackdharry's website for more about his work and Gwen Frostic Prints for more about this Benzie legend and her work.

You can also see the presses in action in this video.

By betsiebay.net | Also posted in Arts & Entertainment, Media & Internet, Shopping, Stories, Video | Comments (0)

Benzie author Bruce W. Catton

January 28, 2008 – 7:05 pm

Michigan Author Bruce CattonThis article on celebrated area author Bruce W. Catton appears courtesy of Absolute Michigan, and they invite you to share your comments at the link above or in the comments below!

Bruce Catton (Oct 9, 1899 - Aug 28, 1978) was a journalist and a notable historian of the American Civil War. He won a Pulitzer Prize for history in 1954 for A Stillness at Appomattox, his study of the final campaign of the war in Virginia. He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 from Gerald R. Ford

Waiting for the Morning Train by Bruce CattonCatton was born in Petoskey, Michigan and raised in Benzonia. His experiences in this Northern Michigan village formed the basis for his book Waiting for the Morning Train (read online from Google Books). The back side of the Michigan Historical Marker to Bruce Catton in Benzonia begins:

Bruce Catton's fascination with the Civil War began in Benzonia, where he grew up with Civil War veterans, who "gave a color and a tone, not merely to our village life, but to the concept of life with which we grew up." He was impressed by their certainty, their values and their faith in bravery, patriotism, freedom and the progress of the human race. He wrote, "I think I was always subconsciously driven by an attempt to restate that faith and to show where it was properly grounded, how it grew out of what a great many young men on both sides felt and believed and were brave enough to do."

He attended Oberlin College but didn't finish his degree due to the outbreak of World War I, he served briefly in the Navy before becoming a reporter for various newspapers. In 1954, Catton was one of four founders of American Heritage magazine and in 1959 he was named senior editor, a post which he held for the rest of his life. Catton died at his summer home in Frankfort, Michigan in 1978.

Photo credit: National Park Service from Bruce Catton on Emancipation at the Antietam National Battlefield.

By betsiebay.net | Also posted in Arts & Entertainment, Community, Media & Internet, Stories | Comments (0)

Benzie & Frankfort Fall Festival

September 28, 2007 – 1:16 pm

The annual Fall Festival offers two weeks of fun in Frankfort, Beulah, Benzonia and the surrounding area. The Benzie County Visitor's Bureau has a page of information on the festival and you can get the poster from the Frankfort-Elberta Chamber.
Big breeze at Pt Betsie by Jim SorbieWeekend of October 6-7

Fall food takes center stage with the Fall Soup Contest on Saturday (Oct 6) in Beulah Park and the Honor Lions Club Hillbilly Breakfast from 8:30 - 12:30 on Sunday (Oct 7).

There's also a Sidewalk Art Contest and a Fall Market in Beulah on Saturday and the Crystal Lake Elementary FallFest Fundraiser in Benzonia on Saturday with a full lineup of fun for families including a produce & products market, cider press, carnival with prizes, food, refreshments, petting zoo and fire truck rides.

Crystal Mountain offers scenic chairlift rides to view the fall colors (4-6 PM both Saturday the 6th & 13th) and a haunted forest (6-9:30 PM) on Saturday and then hosts the Betsie Valley Run on Sunday with a 10K Run and Half Marathon Walk & Run. The photo above is Big breeze at Pt Betsie by Jim Sorbie at Point Betsie Lighthouse is open to visit both weekends!

Frankfort Fall Festival
Weekend of October 13-14

At 11 AM on Saturday, October 13 2007, the Fall Festival Parade and Mutt March will take place in downtown Frankfort (costume judging for the Mutts is at 10 AM). Extreme Pumpkin by John Clement HoweOther events following the parade include a Pumpkin luncheon at the Recreation Center, performances by the internationally acclaimed Scottville Clown Band and a ton of fall fun at the Open Space including:

  • Giant Pumpkin weigh-in (guess the weight and win a bike!)
  • Mutt Corral with awards and doggy fun
  • Giant Pumpkin Carving and Auction
  • A hay wagon ride through Frankfort with a storyteller
  • The Pumpkin Regatta
  • Activities for kids including games, pumpkin decorating, face painting, balloon man, straw maze, fortune teller, pumpkin bowling and pumpkin hillbilly golf!

A really cool looking feature is the Pumpkin Chuckin' Catapults at 2:30 PM and be sure to save room for the Frankfort City Fire Dept Fish Fry (3 - 6 PM).

Saturday night also features late night shopping at participating downtown businesses, a Mad Cap Puppet Show at Frankfort High School (6:30 PM) and at 7 PM Bayside Haunting at Old Coast Guard Station.

The photo to the right is Extreme Pumpkin by John Clement Howe (view a set of photos). You can learn more about noted pumpkin carver Ed Moody. That link goes to his web site where you'll find some photos of his amazing work.

By betsiebay.net | Also posted in Arts & Entertainment, Beulah, Community, Elberta, Food & Dining, Frankfort, Honor, Lodging & Travel, Sports & Recreation, Stories | Comments (1)

Frankfort Michigan Beach, 1938 … and a Postcard Collectors Event

August 14, 2007 – 7:21 am

Postcard of the beach at Frankfort, Michigan, from 1938.

In addition to showing the fashion of the day, this cool postcard of the Frankfort beach in 1938 features the photographer's aunt & mother (roughly dead center, click through to see where).

Postcard collector Don Harrison wants you to know about a very cool event for those who enjoy Benzie County or Northwest Michigan postcards and vintage images. Check below for more! (more…)

By betsiebay.net | Also posted in Beulah, Community, Elberta, Frankfort, Honor, Media & Internet, Photo, Sports & Recreation, Stories | Comments (0)

Benzie County Chamber of Commerce

August 7, 2007 – 7:19 am

One of Benzies Beautiful BeachesThe web site of the Benzie County Chamber of Commerce is absolutely packed with information on current community happenings & chamber events, a comprehensive member directory (with web links) along with lots and lots about the many things to see and do in Benzie County, which boasts…

…60 miles of Lake Michigan coastline, 57 inland lakes, and the southern portion of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. There are eight challenging golf courses, numerous biking and hiking trails, 135 miles of groomed snowmobile trails, and breathtaking fall color. The 80 to 100 inches of snow fall draws people to Crystal Mountain with its cross county ski trails and its 45 downhill slopes.

Check below for a map to the Chamber office in downtown Benzonia! (more…)

By betsiebay.net | Also posted in Arts & Entertainment, Beulah, Business, Community, Elberta, Food & Dining, Frankfort, Homes & Real Estate, Honor, Lodging & Travel, Media & Internet, Shopping, Sports & Recreation, Stories | Comments (0)

Welcome to betsiebay.net!

July 4, 2007 – 9:05 pm

Frankfort Harbor Entry by Ken Lakebetsiebay.net is designed to help you get more out of visiting or living in the area from Frankfort to Manistee to Empire to Traverse City - and maybe further.

We like things like music and art and books and food and the wide outdoors and all it offers in every time of year. We're interested in the growth in our area and work that's being done to channel it into a force that makes our lives better and preserves what we love about the area. We want to learn how folks are making their living, be it on the cutting edge or in the same trades as their grandparents.

In short, we're interesting in living in the place we love and making it better for those who come after us.

We're going to be posting items in every category - if there's nothing else here, there will be soon!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVuO4BERZ1w

By betsiebay.net | Also posted in About Us, Arts & Entertainment, Betsie Almanac, Beulah, Business, Community, Elberta, Food & Dining, Frankfort, Homes & Real Estate, Honor, Lodging & Travel, Media & Internet, Photo, Shopping, Sports & Recreation, Stories, Towns, Video | Comments (4)