Category Archives: Elberta

The Betsie Valley Trail in Benzie County

June 30, 2008 – 11:07 am

The Betsie Valley Trail is a 22 mile long, hard surfaced trail. The asphalt portion is six miles long and goes from Frankfort, through Elberta, along Crystal Lake to Beulah - perfect for biking, rollerblading and walking. From Beulah to Thompsonville the trail cuts through woods and farms. This portion is 13 miles long and is a compacted aggregate surface that is great for mountain biking and all kinds of pedestrian uses (it's. Friends of the Betsie Valley Trail's great trail tour page (with photos) begins:

The Betsie Valley Trail is built on the bed of the former Ann Arbor Railroad, which carried freight and passengers from Toledo through Ann Arbor, Owosso, Cadillac, Thompsonville and Beulah to Frankfort and Elberta. From 1892 until 1982 the freight cars were carried across Lake Michigan on car ferries to Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Passenger service was discontinued in 1951 and freight service in 1985. The railroad was abandoned in 1994 and, in 1998, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) bought the rail corridor. Benzie County and the Friends of the Betsie Valley Trail have been working with the DNR since 1992 to build the Trail.

You can even ride the trail one way if you make reservations with the Benzie Bus service who will take you, your friends and bikes to any spot on the trail for $2 ($1 for seniors). For info and reservations call 231-325-3000 or visit BenzieBus.com. Here's the Betsie Valley Trail map and you can also check it out on the betsiebay.net map!

By betsiebay.net | Also posted in Beulah, Community, Frankfort, Media & Internet, Sports & Recreation, Thompsonville | Comments (0)
EVENT LISTING

Come to Vacationland … and the Elberta Summer Solstice Festival!

June 13, 2008 – 7:49 am

~Vacationland

The Elberta Summer Solstice Festival takes place next Saturday (June 21st, 2008) from 2 PM - Midnight at Elberta Waterfront Park

Activities start at 2pm and include local food vendors, kids games, pony rides, bull-train. The beer tent is open from 4pm-Midnight and features brews from Shorts Brewery of Bellaire and music by "Rusty Blaides".

You can check out Waterfront Park on our betsiebay.net map and listen to some music from Rusty Blaides at their MySpace.

About the photo: Joy took this photo titled "~Vacationland" at Elberta's Trick Dog Gallery.

By betsiebay.net | Also posted in Arts & Entertainment, Community, Events, Food & Dining, Lodging & Travel, Photo, Stories | Comments (0)

Pumpkin launching over Betsie Bay

October 15, 2007 – 8:52 am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7pLOJwJQZM

Video of the giant pumpkin drop and launching pumpkins with trebuchets (catapults) at the 2007 Frankfort Fall Festival. You can see a photo of what the pumpkin did to the car in the Benzie County group on Flickr!

The participants were Traverse City West Senior High, Glen Lake High School (whose videos somehow got corrupted - sorry), Manufacturer's Technical Academy of Traverse City and Grand Traverse Academy. They wanted to thank the MEEMIC Insurance Co for sponsorship.

Also a big thanks to Song of the Lakes for letting us use their song Haul Away Joe!

By betsiebay.net | Also posted in Arts & Entertainment, Community, Frankfort, Lodging & Travel, Stories, Video | Comments (3)

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, Benzonia, Beulah, Community, Food & Dining, Frankfort, Honor, Lodging & Travel, Sports & Recreation, Stories | Comments (1)

The Frankfort Iron Works in Elberta

September 21, 2007 – 6:01 pm

Elberta Iron Tower by voxphoto

The photo is Elberta Iron Tower by Voxphoto. The history page on the Village of Elberta web site says:

In 1867, the Frankfort Iron Works was established and a large blast furnace was constructed. During its existence, Frankfort Iron Works gave the Village of Elberta the notoriety of having the largest and most extensive manufacturing works in Benzie County. The original building contained a blast furnace where the iron was smelted; a boiler arid engine, stone and ore crusher and platform. The casting house, constructed of brick, is where die first iron was produced July 1, 1870…

The Frankfort Iron Works ceased operations in 1883. The Frankfort Iron Works property passed to the Toledo, Ann Arbor and Northern Michigan Railway, later renamed Ann Arbor Railroad Company in 1892. The furnace buildings were converted to a roundhouse arid machine shop located west of the subject site, parts of which are still standing. The grounds were used for the tracks and switches, and a depot. On the bluff, near the houses used by the officials, a large wooden water tower was constructed and used for filling the boilers of the steam engines.

By betsiebay.net | Also posted in Community, Frankfort, Stories | Comments (0)

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 Benzonia, Beulah, Community, 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, Benzonia, Beulah, Business, Community, Food & Dining, Frankfort, Homes & Real Estate, Honor, Lodging & Travel, Media & Internet, Shopping, Sports & Recreation, Stories | Comments (0)

Map of Frankfort / Benzie area photos

July 31, 2007 – 11:01 am

Frankfort LighthouseThe popular photo site Flickr lets you view photos on a map.

Click on Jim Sorbie's photo of the Frankfort Lighthouse to view a selection of photos from in and around the city of Frankfort, Michigan.

We'd also very much love it if you would join our betsiebay.net group on Flickr!

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

Sailplanes on the Frankfort Beach

July 27, 2007 – 2:07 pm

previously appeared on Michigan in Pictures
Sailplanes on the Frankfort Beach

This photo shows a sailplane being winch-launched from the beach near Frankfort in the 1930s. It is one of many photos that appears in Soaring and Gliding: The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Area by Jeffery P. Sandman and Peter R. Sandman. The 127 page, oversized softcover uses archival photographs from the 1920s to the present day along with brief text passages to tell the story of the rise of the Sleeping Bear Dunes area in northwest Michigan as a soaring and gliding mecca.

Reprinted with permission from Soaring and Gliding: The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Area by Jeffery P. Sandman and Peter R. Sandman. Available from the publisher online at www.arcadiapublishing.com or by calling 888-313-2665.

By betsiebay.net | Also posted in Arts & Entertainment, Frankfort, Media & Internet, Photo, Sports & Recreation, Stories | Comments (0)
EVENT LISTING

Elberta Farmers Market

July 26, 2007 – 12:26 pm

Every Thursday delicious fresh local produce can be found at the Elberta Farmers Market, at the Elberta Marina Pavilion Park, M-22 and M-168. Stock up on preserves, fresh veggies and fruit, locally made products, and much more. The Farmers Market is open from 7:30 a.m. until noon from August 2nd until August 30th. From September 6th to October 18th the market is open from 9 a.m. until noon.

By betsiebay.net | Also posted in Events, Food & Dining | Comments (0)