The Northern Michigan Hearse Cruise will be hosting their third annual car show and cruise. This two day event begins Friday May 27th From 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. in downtown Gaylord under the Pavilion. “The hearse come from across the country.” Said Jeff Morey, founder of the cruise. “We have had cars from New York, Ohio, Indiana and all over our great state in the last 2 years.”
Saturday May 28th features a car cruise, traveling from Gaylord to Alpena.
Stopping for 2 hours in the towns of Atlanta, Hillman, and Alpena. Starting at 9 a.m. and going until 5 p.m. Displaying the unique vehicles at no cost to the public. “It is a great time for the entire family” Jeff informed us, “Each car has its own display, showing the owners distinct personality and love for their coach.”
Barry Stutesman of Michigan Magazine & Forbidden Michigan TV sat with organizer Jeff Morey back in 2014 in preparation for the very first cruise. Enjoy the excitment and enthusiasm of the planning
Special addition to the cruise this year, They will be taking donations on behalf of the Huron Humane Society. "As we are having fun sharing our vehicles with the public. We have found an opportunity to do something good for a great organization" Jeff said excitedly "We are going to chose a charity every year that helps benefit our local community. This being our first time, what better charity than an animal shelter that serves Alpena county."
Find more information on the Northern Michigan Hearse Cruise on the web
Click HERE! or call Jeff at 989-390-1133.
Seems like only yesterday....the sky seemed bluer....the air smelled fresher....we had much more energy....and the world was ours with just a click of the dial...:-)
Those were the days my friend..they called it 1977...:-)
Everyone remembers the classic movie SOMEWHERE IN TIME....but few remember another wonderful romantic film shot on the island in 1947 called THIS TIME FOR KEEPS staring Esther Williams
It spotlighted winter and summer on the island when the only way to this vacation getaway was by "ship"....yes by ship!...Check it out!
This Time For Keep original 1947 theater trailer
If you love the "island"...I think you'll love to pick up one of these keepsakes.
Nothing can compare to the romance of Mackinac Island Michigan....Am I right?......Of course....
What a time period that was...the 1940s!
Here ,for your viewing pleasure, is a wonderful MovieTone presentation on the ISLE OF MACKINAC!
Of course another extremely popular motion picture filmed on the island was SOMEWHERE IN TIME....
I thought you'd enjoy this small glimpse of Somewhere in Time Weekend 2002 - When Jane Seymour Returned to Mackinac...
There are places on the island that are soooo tranquil....even on a busy day!
In 2015 my grandson and I traveled to the island for a day of hiking, biking and enjoying the summer sun!
The downtown area was packed with tourists BUT we ventured off the beaten path discovering many places of solitude..such as this shaded lane.
Here we sat on chilled marble benches listened and spoke to each other in whispered tones...It seemed so right....I think this is a "memory" made for generations....
This year I hope you can "Make it to the Island!
For much more on the cast, crew and filming of the movie THIS TIME FOR KEEPS...CLICK HERE!
Every once in a while one stumbles upon a story that touches one's soul.
For me this is such a tale...
I hope it is as much of a blessing to you and your family as it was to mine....
Merry Christmas...
The old man sat in his gas station on a cold Christmas Eve. He hadn't been anywhere in years since his wife had passed away. It was just another day to him. He didn't hate Christmas, just couldn't find a reason to celebrate. He was sitting there looking at the snow that had been falling for the last hour and wondering what it was all about when the door opened and a homeless man stepped through.
Instead of throwing the man out, Old George as he was known by his customers, told the man to come and sit by the heater and warm up. "Thank you, but I don't mean to intrude," said the stranger. "I see you're busy, I'll just go." "Not without something hot in your belly." George said.
He turned and opened a wide mouth Thermos and handed it to the stranger. "It ain't much, but it's hot and tasty. Stew ... Made it myself. When you're done, there's coffee and it's fresh."
Just at that moment he heard the "ding" of the driveway bell. "Excuse me, be right back," George said. There in the driveway was an old '53 Chevy. Steam was rolling out of the front. The driver was panicked. "Mister can you help me!" said the driver, with a deep Spanish accent. "My wife is with child and my car is broken." George opened the hood. It was bad. The block looked cracked from the cold, the car was dead. "You ain't going in this thing," George said as he turned away.
"But Mister, please help ..." The door of the office closed behind George as he went inside. He went to the office wall and got the keys to his old truck, and went back outside. He walked around the building, opened the garage, started the truck and drove it around to where the couple was waiting. "Here, take my truck," he said. "She ain't the best thing you ever looked at, but she runs real good."
George helped put the woman in the truck and watched as it sped off into the night. He turned and walked back inside the office. "Glad I gave 'em the truck, their tires were shot too. That 'ol truck has brand new ." George thought he was talking to the stranger, but the man had gone. The Thermos was on the desk, empty, with a used coffee cup beside it. "Well, at least he got something in his belly," George thought.
George went back outside to see if the old Chevy would start. It cranked slowly, but it started. He pulled it into the garage where the truck had been. He thought he would tinker with it for something to do. Christmas Eve meant no customers. He discovered the block hadn't cracked, it was just the bottom hose on the radiator. "Well, shoot, I can fix this," he said to
himself. So he put a new one on.
"Those tires ain't gonna get 'em through the winter either." He took the snow treads off of his wife's old Lincoln. They were like new and he wasn't going to drive the car anyway.
As he was working, he heard shots being fired. He ran outside and beside a police car an officer lay on the cold ground. Bleeding from the left shoulder, the officer moaned, "Please help me."
George helped the officer inside as he remembered the training he had received in the Army as a medic. He knew the wound needed attention. "Pressure to stop the bleeding," he thought. The uniform company had been there that morning and had left clean shop towels. He used those and duct tape to bind the wound. "Hey, they say duct tape can fix anythin'," he said, trying to make the policeman feel at ease.
"Something for pain," George thought. All he had was the pills he used for his back. "These ought to work." He put some water in a cup and gave the policeman the pills. "You hang in there, I'm going to get you an ambulance."
The phone was dead. "Maybe I can get one of your buddies on that there talk box out in your car." He went out only to find that a bullet had gone into the dashboard destroying the two way radio.
He went back in to find the policeman sitting up. "Thanks," said the officer. "You could have left me there. The guy that shot me is still in the area."
George sat down beside him, "I would never leave an injured man in the Army and I ain't gonna leave you." George pulled back the bandage to check for bleeding. "Looks worse than what it is. Bullet passed right through 'ya. Good thing it missed the important stuff though. I think with time your gonna be right as rain."
George got up and poured a cup of coffee. "How do you take it?" he asked. "None for me," said the officer. "Oh, yer gonna drink this. Best in the city. Too bad I ain't got no donuts." The officer laughed and winced at the same time.
The front door of the office flew open. In burst a young man with a gun. "Give me all your cash! Do it now!" the young man yelled. His hand was shaking and George could tell that he had never done anything like this before.
"That's the guy that shot me!" exclaimed the officer.
"Son, why are you doing this?" asked George, "You need to put the cannon away. Somebody else might get hurt."
The young man was confused. "Shut up old man, or I'll shoot you, too. Now give me the cash!"
The cop was reaching for his gun. "Put that thing away," George said to the cop, "we got one too many in here now."
He turned his attention to the young man. "Son, it's Christmas Eve. If you need money, well then, here. It ain't much but it's all I got. Now put that pea shooter away."
George pulled $150 out of his pocket and handed it to the young man, reaching for the barrel of the gun at the same time. The young man released his grip on the gun, fell to his knees and began to cry. "I'm not very good at this am I? All I wanted was to buy something for my wife and son," he went on. "I've lost my job, my rent is due, my car got repossessed last week."
George handed the gun to the cop. "Son, we all get in a bit of squeeze now and then. The road gets hard sometimes, but we make it through the best we can."
He got the young man to his feet, and sat him down on a chair across from the cop. "Sometimes we do stupid things." George handed the young man a cup of coffee. "Bein' stupid is one of the things that makes us human. Comin' in here with a gun ain't the answer. Now sit there and get warm and we'll sort this thing out."
The young man had stopped crying. He looked over to the cop. "Sorry I shot you. It just went off. I'm sorry officer." "Shut up and drink your coffee " the cop said. George could hear the sounds of sirens outside. A police car and an ambulance skidded to a halt. Two cops came through the door, guns drawn. "Chuck! You ok?" one of the cops asked the wounded officer.
"Not bad for a guy who took a bullet. How did you find me?"
"GPS locator in the car. Best thing since sliced bread. Who did this?" the other cop asked as he approached the young man.
Chuck answered him, "I don't know. The guy ran off into the dark. Just dropped his gun and ran."
George and the young man both looked puzzled at each other.
"That guy work here?" the wounded cop continued. "Yep," George said, "just hired him this morning. Boy lost his job."
The paramedics came in and loaded Chuck onto the stretcher. The young man leaned over the wounded cop and whispered, "Why?"
Chuck just said, "Merry Christmas boy ... and you too, George, and thanks for everything."
"Well, looks like you got one doozy of a break there. That ought to solve some of your problems."
George went into the back room and came out with a box. He pulled out a ring box. "Here you go, something for the little woman. I don't think Martha would mind. She said it would come in handy some day."
The young man looked inside to see the biggest diamond ring he ever saw. "I can't take this," said the young man. "It means something to you."
"And now it means something to you," replied George. "I got my memories. That's all I need."
George reached into the box again. An airplane, a car and a truck appeared next. They were toys that the oil company had left for him to sell. "Here's something for that little man of yours."
The young man began to cry again as he handed back the $150 that the old man had handed him earlier.
"And what are you supposed to buy Christmas dinner with? You keep that too," George said. "Now git home to your family."
The young man turned with tears streaming down his face. "I'll be here in the morning for work, if that job offer is still good."
"Nope. I'm closed Christmas day," George said. "See ya the day after."
George turned around to find that the stranger had returned. "Where'd you come from? I thought you left?"
"I have been here. I have always been here," said the stranger. "You say you don't celebrate Christmas. Why?"
"Well, after my wife passed away, I just couldn't see what all the bother was. Puttin' up a tree and all seemed a waste of a good pine tree. Bakin' cookies like I used to with Martha just wasn't the same by myself and besides I was gettin' a little chubby."
The stranger put his hand on George's shoulder. "But you do celebrate the holiday, George. You gave me food and drink and warmed me when I was cold and hungry. The woman with child will bear a son and he will become a great doctor.
The policeman you helped will go on to save 19 people from being killed by terrorists. The young man who tried to rob you will make you a rich man and not take any for himself. "That is the spirit of the season and you keep it as good as any man."
George was taken aback by all this stranger had said. "And how do you know all this?" asked the old man.
"Trust me, George. I have the inside track on this sort of thing. And when your days are done you will be with Martha again."
The stranger moved toward the door. "If you will excuse me, George, I have to go now. I have to go home where there is a big celebration planned."
George watched as the old leather jacket and the torn pants that the stranger was wearing turned into a white robe. A golden light began to fill the room.
"You see, George ... it's My birthday. Merry Christmas."
George fell to his knees and replied, "Happy Birthday, Lord Jesus"
Merry Christmas!!
This story is better than any greeting card.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND GOD BLESS!
Please Share and maybe by Christmas it will have been around the world a few times
★¨`*•♫.•Pass it on!! Give someone else a reason to smile. ♫ ..•* ★
FOLLOW ME or ADD ME as a friend! I am always posting awesome stuff on my timeline! You can find me at https://www.facebook.com/ckime2
Thank you ckime2....Merry Christmas to you also and may God bless the message.......:-)
They have been refered to as the "Castles of Rural Michigan"....The "Old" Michigan Barn.
They are filled with memories of hard work, a childs playground, close family bonds, along with hopes and dreams of a better tomorrow!
These books of Michigan Barns will hit a nostalgic nerve with many!
The old barns are fading away....but not before these authors took to the field to preserve them in picture and story.
You may recall these authors being spotlighted on our weekly TV show and how they had "a calling" to pursue and preserve these tremendous icons in amazing pictures and stories for future generations.
Now is your chance to obtain the memories for youself and your family.
These publications are classic and supplies seem to be very limited....
What a perfect gift as a family heirloom.
If you are a Michigan farmer or grew up in rural Michigan in the 20th century..you may recognize the families and thier stories..By golly, they may have been your neighbor!
The final recommendation we have for you is the last book listed "Michigan Shadow Towns" by Gene Scott
Gene was also a guest on our program many years ago when the book was first released....
What an amazing story he will relate to you about the former Michigan towns of "glory" now shadows of their former self....
