Tip-Up Town USA Featured in MML Magazine!

One of Roscommon County's major events receiving some nice publicity!

(Houghton Lake's Tip-Up Town USA was featured in the Janauary/February edition of the MML Review Magazine, Jennifer Eberbach wrote the article)

Houghton Lake’s winter festival Tip-Up Town USA is celebrating its 60th anniversary. For its diamond anniversary, a diamond studded entrance badge will be raffled off to one lucky attendee. Event planner George Geisenhaver of the Houghton Lake Chamber of Commerce, explains many badge collectors have held on to their personal experiences of the festival by holding on to these items—even passing them down from generation to generation. This attests to the impact the event has on individuals. Along with reoccurring events like “turkey bowling,” a polar bear dip, and a family-friendly carnival, this year’s installment of Tip-Up Town will feature a second-annual family skate night, which has been extended to both weekends, airboat rides for an extra fee, and illuminated torch parades at dusk around the lake.

Geisenhaver thinks the event has had a positive impact on tourism and the economic health of Houghton Lake’s business community. “This event really helps us through the month of January, which would typically be a slow month for people in other northern Michigan communities. The event draws in thousands of people. It’s pretty important for the businesses here,” he says.

(Jennifer Eberbach is a freelance journalist and professional copywriter. You may contact her at 734-929-2964 or jen@jenthewriter.info. Visit her online at
www.jenthewriter.info.)

Roscommon Business Expo

We are planning on having another Roscommon Business Expo this spring, which will be our 2nd Annual. The event is co-sponsored by the Higgins Lake-Roscommon Chamber of Commerce and the Village of Roscommon, with Connie Allen, Chamber Director, chairing the Expo committee. Many local business representatives are part of the committee, which will immensely help the event further succeed.

We have a meeting today at 2:00 p.m. at Village Hall..........The Expo is set for May 12th at the CRAF Center in downtown Roscommon.

More details to follow!


Tom Gromek
Village Manager

Green Team

Village forming ‘green team’

(Courtesy of the December 31, 2009 Houghton Lake Resorter)

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to be more “green” in 2010, the Roscommon Village Council has an opportunity for you.

Village Manager Tom Gromek said the village is looking for residents who would like to serve on a “green team” as the village participates in the Michigan Green Communities Challenge.

The village council recently voted to be part of the program, sponsored by the Michigan Municipal League and the Michigan Bureau of Energy Systems, for the next three years. The program is designed to reflect the village’s commitment to adopt energy efficiency and conservation policies and programs. It includes collecting and assessing data on the village’s energy, developing goals and activities to improve efficiency and measuring results. The program also encourages citizens and businesses to use conservation practices to benefit the community.

Gromek said village residents interested on serving on the “green team” may contact him at 275-5743 or tom@roscommonvillage.Com

The village also is participating with Gerrish and Higgins Townships in the Rebuild Michigan Program, which is designed to foster partnerships that promote increased energy efficiency within a community. Partners may include local governments, schools, universities, businesses, non-profit organizations and public housing authorities. It is designed to assist public schools, colleges, universities, local governments and public housing authorities with improving the energy efficiency of their buildings. This program offers technical assistance and attractive financing information for cost-effective projects. Eligible public institutions can install the recommended improvements with little or no up-front capital.

End of the Year

I hope everyone had a good 2009, and let's go for an even better 2010!

We are producing a (January-June) Village Newsletter, so look for that at Village Hall and on our website/my blog. The newsletter will no longer be produced quarterly. Instead, we will have 2 newsletters per year. The January newsletter, as stated above, will be available in print form at Village Hall and on our website/my blog shortly. The July newsletter will be mailed out with the Village taxes.

The change is due to the Roscommon County Herald News closing down production.

Full Schedule of Events for Christmas in the Village

Friday, December 4
7:00 p.m. Concert by area groups at the Roscommon High School

Saturday, December 5
8:30 – 11:30 a.m. Breakfast with Santa and a Santa’s Workshop - Roscommon High School, sponsored by the Roscommon Co-op Nursery

10:00 a.m. Cookie Walk & Greenery Sale – Good Shepherd United Methodist Church of the North, 149 West Robinson Lake Road

10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Christmas Open House – Gallimore Boarding House – Cookies and candies will be for sale, and free warm wassail will be served

Noon – 3:00 p.m. Special Postage Cancellation at the CRAF Center

Noon – 5:00 p.m. Kids Corner – Free Make & Take a craft. Sponsored by Don Nester Chevrolet Oldsmobile

Noon – 8:00 p.m.
CRAFT Show at the CRAF Center & CIV 4-Week raffle tickets
Model Train displays around the Village
Christmas Tree Silent Auction at the Richardson School House - Roscommon Elementary School Classes
Book Fair – at the CRAF Center, sponsored by the Roscommon County Literacy Council

1:00 p.m. Family Movie – sponsored by the Roscommon Cinema, admission=canned good

1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Chain Saw Carving Demonstration, 4:00 p.m. auction of carved items, 5th Street Market Parking Lot

2:00 – 5:00 p.m. Memorial Tree, inside Impact Office, sponsored by Hospice of Michigan

3:00 p.m. Family Movie – sponsored by the Roscommon Cinema, admission=canned good

Dusk Luminaries – Welcomes you down 5th and Lake Streets

4:00 – 8:00 p.m. Open House – Village Businesses
Streets are Closed, Free carriage rides starting at Chase Bank

4:00 - ? Lions Club Hot Dogs – Chase Bank, donation of a canned good or money

4:30 – 6:00 p.m. AuSable River Center – Visit the Center and enjoy refreshments and register for a door prize

5:00 p.m. Free cider and donuts in from of Impact Office. Sponsored by Nester Chevrolet.

6:30 p.m. ELECTRIC LIGHT PARADE

Village Tree Lighting, after the parade on the lawn of the CRAF Center. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be announcing the coloring contest winters. Children can visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Santa House in BC Pizza’s parking lot.

8:00 p.m. Teen Movie – sponsored by the Roscommon Cinema, admission=canned good.

Christmas in the Village

With the snow falling, it seems like a perfect time to discuss our Christmas in the Village Festival happening this weekend.

Some brief highlights:

Friday - December 4th (tonight)
7:00 p.m. - Concert by area groups - Roscommon High School Auditorium

Saturday - December 5th
(8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.) - Breakfast with Santa & Santa's Workshop - Roscommon High School
(Noon - 8:00 p.m.) - Craft Show - CRAF Center Gym
(6:30 p.m.) - Annual Electric Light Parade - Downtown Roscommon

Following the parade, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be at the Gazebo to announce Coloring Contest Winners and light the tree.

After tree lighting, kids can visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Santa House by BC Pizza. Bring your camera!

I invite everybody to come to the Village of Roscommon and enjoy yourself this holday season!

For more information, call Village Hall at 989-275-5743 or check out this past week's Houghton Lake Resorter article.

Trunk or Treat

A reminder of the Trunk or Treat Halloween Event taking place this Saturday, October 31st at the Au Sable River Center from 4:00 - 6:00 pm.


"Trunk or Treat is back! Bring your ‘vehicles’ and candy to the AuSable River Center on Halloween, Saturday, October 31st, from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Set-up will begin at 3:00 p.m. Call Connie at the Chamber to RSVP by October 29th, at 275-8760! If you can’t make it that afternoon, we will gladly accept donations to purchase candy for all the children. Please call the Chamber to reserve your ‘spot’ today!"

Fred's of Roscommon

Read about Fred's of Roscommon in Bowling Industry Magazine!

http://www.fredsofroscommon.com/pdf/mag_article.pdf

Roscommon Area Public Schools - School Closing

Due to illness and excessive absences, Roscommon Area Public Schools will be closed for the remainder of this week.

School will resume Monday, November 2, 2009.

MML Revenue Sharing Rally in Lansing

I will post more in the next day or two of my experience, but this website gives a great video summary and provides some great articles on what transpired last Thursday.


http://www.mml.org/advocacy/funding/capitolrally.html