Port Huron High School - Student Yearbook (Port Huron, MI)

Page 8 text:

A Peerless Sight When the Peerless Cement Plant closed in 1973, the city of Port Huron acquired the property which caused the greatest city controversy of the decade. The use of the 42.5 acres of waterfront land became an issue of public debate between the city council and the city groups. In 1978, city officials proposed a multiple use plan which would include residen- tial, commercial and park areas of approximately equal value. The vot- ers said no. The Michigan Court of Appeals became involved in 1983, when in- terested parties were distraught that their park proposal was kept off the ballot. Because the area is the site of the former Fort St. Joseph, archeologists were concerned that cultural resources might be de- stroyed. Various tourist attractions like a miniature of the St. Lawrence Sea- way were also proposed and reject- ed for use in the area. It was Back To The Drawing Board again. Finally, in March of 1985, voters said yes to a proposal which includ- ed a public park, a Coast Guard Station, and deluxe hotel to be named the Thomas Edison Inn. The Peerless Site, as it was known, was finally to be developed. A few other problems caused the postponement of the original ground breaking date of May 1985 to November. Viewing the peaceful scene of vacant land, the Blue Water Bridge and the St. Clair River, it is hard to believe that this area had caused such community controversy. City officials drew up several plans before the Thomas Edison Inn proposal was accepted by the vot- ers. John Thayer 4 Community Division

Page 10 text:

Moving toward the St. Clair River and then on was also in the Chicago to Mackinac race the Going out in all America’s Glory is Leading to the starting line is Natural High. This vessel preceding week. Edge. The vessel was a smaller boat, starting late Saturday morning. Is it Me or Is it My Lake? The Question “Is it Me or My Lake” can be raised yearly as over two- hundred-fifty sailboats enter the annu- al Port Huron-to-Mackinac Sailboat Race. Every year. Port Huron plays host to sailors who come to town for the event which is held every year in July in conjunction with the Blue Wa- ter Festival. Residents open their homes to friends and relatives from all over the country while area motels are booked solid during raceweek. The race has been run in July since 1925. The race is sponsored by the Bayview Yacht Club of Detroit. Yacht Clubs in Port Huron and Sarnia are also instrumental in the planning and running of the race. This past summer, over two- hundred-ninety boats were entered. Most of the boats docked in the Black River in Port Huron while a few docked across the St. Clair River in Sarnia. Thursday night, considered “family night” in recent years, attract- ed approximately fifty-thousand peo- ple to view the impressive boats. Fri- day night, an estimated one-hundred thousand people descended on down- town Port Huron to roam around and party. The usual water balloon fights broke out, but most of the evening was calm. The race began after the boats left the river and reached the starting point even with Keewhadin Road. People crowded the banks of the Black River to watch the crews ready their boats and leave the river to trav- el to Mackinac Island. The small boats started first and ev- ery fifteen minutes, another group would start in sequence from smallest to largest. This year’s race was marred by bad weather in Lake Huron which caused a record ninety-three boats to drop out of the race and not finish. The eventual winner at Mackinac was a surprise to many. The favorite of the fleet, Sassy, was upset by Fujimo. Sassy was the favorite because of its size, it is a custom-built seventy-eight foot racing yacht. Owner Dutch Scmidt was as surprised as ev- eryone else when Jerry Schostak upset him even though Schmidt’s boat crossed the finish line first. The way the time handicaps work is by giving smaller boats a certain time more to finish the race than the larger boats in the fleet. Sassy, being the largest, has no handicap. The boat races are a success every year thanks to the people at the yacht clubs at Port Huron and Sarnia and the Bayview Yacht Club. Mackinac ’85