One local community is looking forward to kicking off an annual winter festival in the coming week. Onekama residents, businesses and the Manistee County CVB once again are come together to present the 2nd Annual Portage Lake Winter Festival, January 16 and 17, 2010.

Enthusiastic residents from the Onekama/Portage Lake community and surrounding area participated in last years Ice fishing Contests, Ice Hole Challenge and the Family Fishing Frenzy. In addition to many returning events and activities, an ice skating arena and refreshments will be added this year.

Two days of outdoor activities and events are planned, including two Ice Fishing Contests,  a 5K Fun Run, Longest Drive and Closest to the Pin Contests, Best Ice Shanty Contest, and a Snowman Contest. Ice skating, sledding, a cross country ski event, and free refreshments will also be featured.  Air boat rides will be available, as well.

The Ice Hole Challenge, Family Fishing Frenzy, the 5K Fun Run and Comedy Night at Shay’s Chop House will occur on Saturday January 16th, the Cross Country Ski Poker Run and Snowman contest occur on Sunday January 17th, and the rest of the events are planned for both days of the festival.

The Onekama Village Park and Portage Lake will be the landing area for most of the events as well as the Air Boat Rides. Sledding will be offered at the Onekama High School hill and groomed cross country ski and snowshoe trails at Douglas Valley Organic Vineyard on Schoedel Rd.

Pre-registration forms for most events are available at Andy’s Tackle Box, Sundance Interiors and Onekama Building Supply.

For additional information contact Doug Callaway at 231-510-0890 or Judy Ball at 231-690-1910, or visit  www.michiganwinterfest.com

A ceremonial Blessing of the Water will be held at the Great Lakes Maritime Academy on Saturday, January 9. The blessing will take place on the Academy’s pier, located near the Hagerty Center on West Grand Traverse Bay. The ceremony will be performed by Father Iakovos Olechnowicz of the Archangel Gabriel Greek Orthodox Church; Olechnowicz is enrolled as a non-degree student at the Academy.

The Blessing of the Water is an ancient religious ceremony celebrated in early January. It begins with a procession to a local body of water, and includes the singing of several liturgical poems followed by the immersion of the wood of a cross into the water three times.

For more information about the service, you can contact the parish office by calling 231-668-6583.

A local college will soon hold auditions for their latest play.

The West Shore Community College Performing Arts and the Manistee Civic Players will perform a musical titled “Gypsy” in March. As they prepare for the premiere, the groups are currently holding auditions for the performance.

Dr. Rick Plummer is director of the performing arts series at West Shore Community College, and will be directing “Gypsy.” Plummer says he’s looking for men, women, and youth to fill numerous roles.

Auditions will take place at the Ramsdell Theatre in Manistee on Monday, January 11, and Tuesday, January 12, at 7 p.m.

“Gypsy” is based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, a famous striptease artist. The play focuses on her mother, Rose, and follows her dreams and efforts to raise her two daughters to perform onstage. The play is billed as one that “casts an affectionate eye on the hardships of show business life.”

For additional information on auditions or the production of “Gypsy,” you can call Rick Plummer at 843-5928 or email him at rjplummer@westshore.edu.

Seven people have died in snowmobile accidents statewide in just the past couple weeks, highlighting the importance of safety and caution while driving. The Wexford County Sheriff’s Office is hoping to make a winter sport safer with an upcoming class.

The organization will hold a snowmobile safety class on Saturday, January 23, from 9am until 3pm. The class will take place at the Wexford County Sheriff’s Office at 820 S. Carmel St. in Cadillac. At the end of the class, a test will be issued; all participants passing the test will receive a snowmobile safety certificate.

Anyone between the ages of 12 and 17 is required to obtain a snowmobile safety certificate before operating a snowmobile in the state of Michigan.

There is no charge for the upcoming class, but pre-registration is required. If you’d like to register for the class, call 231-779-9206. Class space is limited, so if you’re interested in participating, you’re encouraged to call early.

A local museum will be kicking off a “community cinema series” this Thursday with a screening of “Garbage Dreams.”

On Thursday, January 7 at 7:00 pm, CMU Public Television will introduce the Community Cinema series at the Dennos Museum, located on the campus of Northwestern Michigan College, with the film “Garbage Dreams.” The cinema program is a community outreach project of CMU Public Television and the Dennos Museum Center.
 
Filmed over four years, Garbage Dreams follows three teenage boys born into the trash trade and growing up in the world’s largest garbage village, a ghetto located on the outskirts of Cairo.  It is a world folded onto itself, an impenetrable labyrinth of narrow roadways camouflaged by trash; it is the home to 60,000 “zaballeen,” Arabic for “garbage people.”  When their community is suddenly faced with the globalization of its trade, each of the teenage boys is forced to make choices that will affect his future and the survival of his community.
 
Garbage Dreams will air on WCMU TV as part of the PBS series Independent Lens on April 27, 2010.
 
This isn’t the only Independent Lens program that will be screened at the Dennos Museum over the coming months — free screenings of films format he series will be held the first Thursday of each month through June. For more information on the Independent Cinema series, including upcoming dates and films, visit WCMU.org/TV.

The Railroad Historical Society of Northwest Michigan will hold a meeting on January 5 at 7:00pm at the Grand Traverse Heritage Center, located on Sixth Street. The Pentrex DVD “Street Running” will be screened during the event.

Those at the Railroad Historical Society said that the program will focus on cities where the trains run down the “middle of main street,” and those with an interest in railroad history will enjoy the event.