Happy Thanksgiving and Safe Travels to those on the road.

This first week of October should be "Peak" time to see the colors in our area with great weather expected for the week.

A little color change so far, about 10-20% of trees have started to change. With cooler days and the little rain we are having, the colors should soon be "popping".

Two "frosty" mornings in a row should help to usher in the "leaf turning season.

Florence County Fair, "A Fair to Remember", Aug 26-28. http://ping.fm/JCU2l

Well, at least its snowing somewhere here, as they are making snow for the Pine Mt Ski Jumping Tournament!

Hang on to your hats today folks, its a windy one!

Congrats to Pine Mt.'s Chris Mazzoni on his hole in one at Timberstone! http://bit.ly/bNQgQU

This weekend, UP Hog Wild BBQ. Live Music, great food, variety of beverages. Also UP Antique Car Show on Saturday. www.uphogwild.com

6th annual Veteran Tribute Ride

6th annual Veteran Tribute Ride, this Saturday, May 29.

Registration is from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at Riverside Auto Sales on North U.S. 2 in Iron Mountain. Cost is $10 per bike rider, which includes lunch, dinner, drawings and dancing. Riders in active duty in uniform ride free. A blessing of the bikes at 9:50 a.m. The Veteran Tribute Ride departs at 10:05 a.m.

The ride will go through downtown Iron Mountain to the Oscar Johnson VA Facility riding through the circle drive. The ride will stop in Crandon, Wis. at the Crandon Veterans Park for a short ceremony then onto Hiles, Wis., for lunch and a ceremony before proceeding to Spread Eagle, Wis., to the Spread Eagle Club. Riders are expected to arrive there at 4 p.m. where a chicken and spaghetti dinner will be served at 5 p.m.

A $500 grand prize will be awarded at 7 p.m. Drawings and doors prizes will be awarded throughout the evening. Riders must be present to win drawings. Live music will top off the day from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Veterans Park on top of Pine Mountain and the Lest They Be Forgotten, Eric A. Palmisano Memorial.

Several hundred riders are expected to participate. If you need more information, visit the Veteran Tribute Ride website.

Good luck to all the Walleye fishermen and women for Michigan's Walleye opener tomorrow!

All you "rummagers" the Niagara City Wide Rummage Sales are this Saturday May 8.

The Kiwanis Ski Club is doing a radio-thon on Thursday, December 10th from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. to help raise funds for the 2010 Continental Ski Jumping Tournament. Tune in your radio to Frog Country 101.5 and/or Hot 106.7 CALLING 906-774-5731

About 12" of snow fell overnight and still snowing lightly. Will report all trail conditions as soon as I receive some info.

"The Nutcracker Ballet" at the Braumart Theatre December 3-5 7 pm, Sunday Dec 6 performance at 2pm.

Go Spartans

Good Luck Tonight to the MSU Spartans and Coach Tom Izzo (An Iron Mountain Native) as they play for the NCAA Men's Basketball Championships at Ford Field!

Congratulations Coach Izzo and MSU

Congratulations to Coach Tom Izzo and the MSU Spartans Men's Basketball team for beating overall No. 1 seed Louisville 64-52 to reach the Final Four Tournament at Ford Field. Coach Izzo is an Iron Mountain native and graduate of Iron Mountain High School. The town will be pulling for the Spartans as they play in their home state on Saturday night!

Good Luck Coach Izzo and the MSU Spartans!!

Pine Mountain Ski Jumping Tournament

The Pine Mountain Continental Cup Ski Jumping Championship ski jumping tournament will be held on Feb. 14-15 at Pine Mountain.

Ski buttons are now on sale, announced Kiwanis Ski Club officials.

The pre-tournament cost is $18 for adults and $15 for students. Prices at the gate will be $25 for adults and $20 for students. Children under 10 are free.

For those who have never seen a ski jumping tournament, you should really check this out. Ski jumping had to be the original "extreme sport", considering this is the 70th anniversary of this event. Olympic quality athletes from around the world 'fly' into Iron Mountain to compete in this Continental Cup tournament. Plus, one of the largest February tailgate parties in the Midwest completes the event. With warm food on the grills and friendly folks, this weekend is one of the best times of the year.

For more information on the jumps, www.kiwaniskiclub.com.

Some video from last year http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pj_iYaEOIs&feature=related

Chris

www.ironmountain.org

Timberstone Recieves 5 Stars

Golf Digest rates TimberStone as one of the top 24 golf courses in North America

TimberStone at Pine Mountain in Iron Mountain, Michigan, gateway to the Upper Peninsula and only 100 miles North of Green Bay, WI, has once again joined a very exclusive group and been given Golf Digest Magazine’s highest honor, a 5 STAR Rating. Quoting Jerry Tarde, Chairman and Editor-In-Chief of Golf Digest Magazine, “as one of our five-star courses, you should be proud to know that our readers have selected your course as offering ‘golf at it’s ultimate best. To assign 2008-9 star ratings to more than 6,000 courses in North America, Mexico and the Caribbean, we asked Golf Digest subscribers to rate those courses (on a scale of 1 to 5) in the categories of course condition, pace of play, service, value for the money and overall golf experience. Roughly 20,000 readers sent in their ratings by mail and on-line”.
This year, 24 courses received the highest rating of 5 stars that Golf Digest defines as “Golf at its absolute best. Pay any price at least once in your life.”
TimberStone in Iron Mountain, Michigan, joins some very exclusive company. Some notable others making the 5 star list for 2008-9 include Arcadia Bluffs Golf Club (Arcadia, MI); Teeth of the Dog Course, Dominican Republic; The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort (S.C.), Pebble Beach Golf Links (Cal.); Pinehurst (No. 2) (N.C.); Princeville Resort (Prince) (Hawaii); Shadow Creek Golf Course, (Las Vegas, NV); Spyglass Hill Golf Course (Pebble Beach, CA); Whistling Straits G.C. (Straits), (Sheboygan, Wis.), along with 14 others.
TimberStone is celebrating its second year as part of Pine Mountain Ski & Golf Resort, which includes the Lodge and Conference Center, the Cedar and Mountain Haus Condominiums and Pine Mountain Ski Hill, making Pine Mountain Resort truly a “Resort for all Seasons”.

To see more about TimberStone and Pine Mountain Resort visit www.pinemountainresort.com. Tee times are available by calling 906-776-0111

The UP North Experience

“THE UP NORTH EXPERIENCE”
A weekend of seeing, hearing, touching and experiencing nature

The first annual “UP North Experience” Weekend will be held August 8 & 9. This “mini” Event, with guided trips and ‘experiences’ will be the start of bigger events to come. This first year will include:

*BAT AND MINE ADVENTURE PROGRAM...Friday August 8, Iron Mountain Iron Mine in Vulcan. This event is first come first serve...Cost is $10/person, trips every hour from 4-8pm.

Underground tours of this iron mine will showcase the mining history of the Upper Peninsula. Special to this event will, Bats & Mines Specialist Bill Scullon from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources will guide underground walking tours featuring discussion species of bats that call this mine home. There will be exciting opportunity to see live bats in this critical habitat and learn more about these beneficial and very unique wildlife species that call the Upper Peninsula home. Come and learn more about these creatures of the night, experience the thrill of being underground and experience living history. Temperatures in the mine is about 50 degrees so appropriate dress is recommended.

*LaSalle Falls Hike Saturday August 9
Stu Boren, WI DNR forester and wild river historian, will lead this unforgettable hike into LaSalle Falls on the Pine River. As the river drops dramatically over a 22-foot chasm between rock outcroppings, you’ll be mesmerized by the power of the river. The 1-mile hike into the falls will cross Florence County Forest and the Pine-Popple Wild Rivers Property. Stu will talk about the history of the area and some of the forestry practices in the area. This hike will be from 8-12 on Saturday August 9. Hikers will meet at the Florence Natural Resource Center at 8 am.


*Skulls and Furs Florence Natural Resource Center, Saturday August 9, 1 to 2:30 PM.
At one point or another, everyone has found an animal skull while walking through a field or forest. Have you ever wondered what it was? Nathan Ruble, an avid skull collector, will show participants how to look for clues to determine what animal it came from. Nathan will have his skull collection on hand that includes some of the smallest (pygmy shrew) and largest mammals (bison and moose) in North America, and many in between. The Wisconsin DNR fur collection will be on hand for participants to see some of the local animal furs. This program is typically done for elementary school children, but people of all ages can enjoy it.

*Guided Nature Interpretive Paddle Northwoods Wilderness Outfitters. Saturday August 9. Meet at the Northwoods Wilderness Outfitter shop on US-2 (west of Iron Mountain) at 2 PM (CST) and leave for the launch site by 2:30 PM (CST). Plan to be on the water for 2 1/2 to 3 hours during the paddle tour. By reservation only!

Enjoy a guided trip on one of the real "wild" places in the local area - our favorite body of scenic and wild water bounded by woods and rock. Wildlife abounds.

$10 per watercraft if you bring your own kayak or canoe. $20 per watercraft if a rental is needed (a limited number of rental kayaks or canoes are available through Northwoods Wilderness Outfitters - reserve early) Limit to about 15 watercraft (kayaks or canoes only).
Some paddling experience is required. Age limit for paddlers is 14 years old. Age limit for passengers is 6 years old. All participants must wear PFD (life jackets). Bring water to drink and a light snack. Call Northwood Wilderness Outfitters for reservations: 1-800-530-8859


For More information: Dickinson Area Partnership 1-800-236-2447