After three years’ absence, the Porcupine Mountains Music Festival returns to the winter sports complex for the 16th time at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Ontonagon County.

The Aug. 26-27 festival – known for its wide variety of musical styles ranging from Americana, bluegrass and folk to R&B, rock, blues, world music and more – is presented by the Friends of the Porkies, a non-profit organization that supports and promotes the state park. The Michigan Arts and Culture Council also supports the festival.

Organizers have been hard at work since the last festival, which was held in August 2019.

“The downtime was very challenging for us,” said Chery Sundberg, festival director. “The past three years gave us time to examine our own personal commitments to the festival, to envision its future, and to make the adjustments needed to help us return fresh and strong, with the demand for live music now greater than ever.”

The festival is staffed by a handful of year-round volunteers and more than 50 event volunteers.

Tickets cost $95 for a two-day pass. Daily passes are available at the gate for $50. Tickets for children ages 7-12 are $10 for either a two-day or single-day pass, and children under 6 are admitted free of charge when accompanied by a parent or guardian.

The festival will be held rain or shine. A Recreation Passport is required for entry to the state park. Park staffers will be selling passports near the festival entrance.

This year’s festival headliners’ schedule is:

Friday, Aug. 26: JigJam will do a special Q & A session inside the Chalet at 6 p.m. EDT and will hit the stage as the opening day headlining act at 8:30 p.m. Read more

In honor of National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 24, entry fees will be waived at national parks and other federal public lands, including national monuments, forests, recreation areas, seashores, wildlife refuges, historical sites, battlefields and grasslands.

National Public Lands Day is a great day for a visit, and it also is the nation’s largest single day of volunteering for parks and public lands, with 100,000 volunteers expected at federal sites as well as state and local parks. People can find hundreds of already-planned volunteer events and other cool activities in most states https://www.neefusa.org/npld-event-search with more added every day. Read more

A 142-foot-long bridge installed last fall over the Tahquamenon River just got an important addition: a name. Friends, family, Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials and other colleagues gathered Monday morning at the Lower Tahquamenon Falls to dedicate the Ronald A. Olson Island Bridge, honoring the man at the helm of the DNR Parks and Recreation Division as chief for 17 years.

The fabricated, all-aluminum pedestrian bridge at Tahquamenon Falls State Park, located in Paradise in the eastern Upper Peninsula, officially opened for use over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. The bridge itself is an apt symbol for Olson, who has built a career around bringing people together and encouraging them to aim for destinations they can’t yet see.

“When it comes to possibilities in parks and recreation, nobody is better at building bridges and getting people to the table than Ron Olson,” said DNR Director Dan Eichinger.

“Ron lives and breathes Michigan state parks, trails and waterways, and he will talk – and listen – to anyone, anywhere about ways to protect and improve these treasured resources so that every resident and visitor can enjoy them and be inspired to love them as much as he does,” Eichinger said. “I am proud to be here today and share in this much-deserved celebration of Ron’s remarkable contributions.”

The bridge’s installed naming plaque reads: “Ronald A. Olson Island Bridge. In honor of his dedication, hard work and accomplishments with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Parks and Recreation Division.” Read more

The fast-thinking actions of Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officer Nick Ingersoll and Monroe Charter Township Fire Department Capt. Dave Nadeau earlier this year are credited with saving the life of a 14-year-old boy who was stranded in cold water at the Dunbar Quarry.

The two men received Lifesaving Awards from the DNR Law Enforcement Division during Thursday’s meeting of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission, hosted at the DNR Outdoor Adventure Center in Detroit.

“On behalf of the department, I am proud to recognize CO Ingersoll and Capt. Nadeau for their quick assessment of the situation, which required them to risk their own safety to save another,” said Chief Dave Shaw, DNR Law Enforcement Division. “We are grateful for the teamwork with the Monroe Charter Township Fire Department, Michigan State Police and other responding agencies that turned this into a successful lifesaving effort.”

The rescue happened Thursday, May 19, after Ingersoll heard a dispatch call about a person who was yelling “Help!” at the Dunbar Quarry – the local name for a deep portion of Lake Monroe (a private lake), located near East Dunbar Road and Hull Road in Monroe County.

Within five minutes, Ingersoll met emergency responders from Monroe Charter Township Fire Department and Michigan State Police trooper Mitchell Lehman, who were already on scene. Capt. Nadeau attempted to toss a throw rope to the boy, who was clinging to a rock cliff and displaying early signs of hypothermia. Read more

Industry’s Most Durable and Reliable Vehicles Available at Yamaha Dealers Soon

MARIETTA, GA – Yamaha Motor Corp., USA, unveils its 2023 model year lineup of Proven Off-Road ATV and Side-by-Side (SxS) vehicles. Designed, tested, and built to maximize capability, comfort, and confidence for every off-road enthusiast, from heavy-duty ranch work to adventurous expeditions across extreme terrain, only Yamaha meets and exceeds the standards customers demand.

Every Yamaha SxS and full-size ATV is built with pride and assembled in the USA at Yamaha’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Newnan, Georgia, for worldwide distribution. The 2023 models include:

• • Recreational SxS Lineup: Wolverine RMAX2 1000, RMAX4 1000, X2, and X4
  • Pure Sport SxS Lineup: YXZ1000R SS and YXZ1000R
  • Utility SxS Lineup: Viking and Viking VI
  • Utility ATV Lineup: Grizzly, Kodiak 700, and Kodiak 450
  • Sport ATV Lineup: Raptor 700, Raptor 700R and YFZ450R
  • Youth ATV Lineup: Grizzly 90, Raptor 90, and YFZ50

Read more

(Bolivar, Ohio) Nilodor, manufacturer of the most exceptional quality odor control and pet care products in both the commercial and family pet markets is proud to offer a selection of products that provide a complete solution to keep your dogs healthy, happy, and thriving throughout the summer. Nilodor’s NATURAL TOUCH® Furshield™ Sun Spray, Nose and Paw Serum, and Electrolyte Replacement are exactly the products your dog needs to feel great during the warmest months of the year.

Nilodor, has built its reputation on providing its valued customers with the safest and most effective health and wellness products for over a decade, and they are continuously adding products to the strong line in order to sustain market dominance and fulfill customer requests. These products are a function of extensive market research and anticipating consumer needs.

Nilodor’s NATURAL TOUCH® Health & Wellness Furshield™ Sun Spray shields your dog whenever outdoors. This gentle, non-greasy formula that won’t leave residue was developed especially for dogs to protect and nourish the coat. With zero harmful chemicals and no zinc oxide, the sun spray is a great protectant for all dogs and cats. Read more

All 22 designated backcountry campsites within Craig Lake State Park will transition to reservation-only sites beginning with the 2023 camping season to help combat park natural resource degradation and make it easier to locate campers in emergency situations.

The 2023 backcountry camping season will run from May 20 through Nov. 1, 2023. Reservations are available six months in advance, which means camping reservations will become available beginning Nov. 20, 2022. Reservations can be made at midnrreservations.com or by calling 1-800-44PARKS.

Annual visitation for Craig Lake State Park has continued to climb the last few years seeing just shy of 69,000 visitors in 2021.

“These changes will help to alleviate some of the natural resource degradation issues that are tied closely to unauthorized, dispersed camping,” said Craig Lake State Park Supervisor Debra Gill. “By visitors being able to reserve the campsites in advance, they can plan their trips and see what sites are, or are not, available. We are hopeful that this will help eliminate the unauthorized dispersed camping we are seeing when campsites are full.” Read more

State law enforcement officers are seeking the extradition to Michigan of a Wisconsin man recovering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on several charges resulting from a July 22 incident in Dickinson County.

The 30-year-old Wausau man pointed a rifle at conservation officers during an attempt to flee on an all-terrain vehicle. His name is being withheld pending arraignment in Dickinson County District Court.

Charges authorized against the man include discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle, which is a 10-year felony; fleeing and eluding police, a 5-year felony; felonious assault, a 4-year felony and a 2-year felony firearms violation.

At 12:56 p.m. July 22, a conservation officer with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources was patrolling along U.S. Highway 2, when he saw an all-terrain vehicle operator traveling north on Upper Pine Creek Road with an expired off-road vehicle license.

The officer conducted a traffic stop to address the ORV license violation and the possession of an uncased firearm. The ATV had three long guns secured to the equipment rack. Two shotguns were contained in a case with a .22 cal. rifle partially covered by a blanket.

The ATV operator lacked proper identification and agreed to have the officer follow him back to a hunting camp, reported to belong to a family member. Before leaving the traffic stop, a second conservation officer arrived to assist.

While on the way to the reported family member’s camp, the ATV operator attempted to flee the officers. At one point during the pursuit, the ATV operator removed the rifle from the blanket and pointed it back towards the officers. Read more