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PRESQUE ISLE -- The classic look and style of wooden boats will be on display at the Presque Isle Wooden Boat Show next week. The show will take place June 15-16.
"It's a good place for a family to spend the day with the beautiful beach at Presque Isle," organizer John Vogelheim said.
Events begin at 11 a.m. Friday with a lunch for boat participants at the Presque Isle Harbor Association Grand Lake Beach House. At 12 p.m. there will be a boat cruise from the Grand Lake Beach House.
"The vibrance these boats create on the water; we try to encourage our tour to do more and more, come closer to the shoreline so people can see them," he said.
At 6:30 p.m. there is a reception for boat participants at the Presque Isle Lodge.
"We talk about how we got into wooden boats and how often we use them; question each other on the maintenance on them," Vogelheim said.
The boat launch will open at 7 a.m. Saturday before the opening ceremony starts at 9:45 a.m.
There will be a blessing of the boats with St. Ignatius Catholic Parish Rev. Scott Landane and they will fire a cannon.
"This is a real community event. When this happens everybody is ready to help out," Vogelheim said. "The Presque Isle Yacht Club and the Presque Isle Men's Club are two community service organizations that really get out and make it a wonderful place to be around in northeast Michigan."
He said they don't charge anything for the show, but there are a couple of 50-50 raffles and those funds cover the show costs.
"We have a tent set up for models and freighters this year. The tent will consist of an election of Great Lakes ships that have operated off Alpena, Stoneport and the cement plant," he said.
The U.S. Coast Guard also will be in attendance to answer safety questions.
There will be a kids area set up with shows and activities for kids. Both lighthouses will be open for tours on Saturday and there also will be a car show where anyone can bring their car to show to people.
To round out the activities the award ceremony will take place at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Awards will be given to people's choice and captain's award.
For more information people can visit the website at www.presqueisleharborwoodenboatshow.com.
Jordan Spence can be reached via email at jspence@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5687.