Sault Tribal Chairman Heading to Washington

Sault Tribal Chairman, Joe McCoy, has been invited to the White House by President Obama. He will be attending a Tribal Nations Conference today. There are 564 Federally recognized tribes in our country and the Sault tribe is the largest tribe east of the Mississippi River.

That is amazing to think our Sault Tribe is that large and now the Chairman is bringing the concerns of the Tribe, which seem to be mainly financial, to the attention of the President.

The Tribe is one of the largest private employers in the area as well with over 1700 employees. I'd like to read more about the effect of the Tribe and its operations on the economy of the Eastern Upper Peninsula.

Salmon Fishing that Rivals Alaska

I read an article on-line this morning detailing the glory of salmon fishing in the St. Marys River. Pink-chinook salmon says that salmon fishing near the Sault rivals fishing in Alaska.

Here is a description of river fishing from a guide. Even describing a new hybrid species called the pinooks.

Happy fishing to all of you. I'd love to hear your best 'fish story'.

"When pinks first showed up 30 here years ago, they ran every other year, like they do out west," said John Giuliani, a St. Marys River guide. "Now they run every year. One year there are huge numbers of them. The next there aren't as many, but they're bigger. This is a year for the smaller run, but they're just pouring in right now, and we're seeing a lot that go 4 to 6 pounds."

In the past week, anglers also have caught several fish that look like pink salmon but weighed 8 to 12 pounds. Fish that size almost certainly are pinooks, the hybrid that looks like a pink on steroids.

"They're amazing," Giuliani said. "They get their size from the chinook side, but they look just like a pink. We're really doing well on them on flies right now, mostly caddis larvae, and there's hardly anybody on the river. We're out here today and there are, what, two other anglers?"

Gershwin Program

Last night I spend a wonderful evening enjoying the music of George Gershwin at the Soo Theater in the Sault. The program was performed at the theater which is being renovated by community activists who are restoring the building to its former glory. It was built in 1930 as a vaudeville and silent movie venue. You can read about the project and also the many events held there at Soo Theater Project.

The entire show was well-done with high quality performances by some local singers who were joined by some very strong voices with Soo connections. The program was written by Mike Dempsey who grew up here. His skill on the piano was the highlight of the evening for me.

Freighter's Restaurant

Yesterday we took our family which includes my parents and our son, his wife and four grandchildren, to Freighter's Restaurant which is on Portage Avenue right across from the Locks. It is in the Ojibway Motel which is also the Ramada.

The view from the restaurant is beautiful and we could see boats entering and leaving the Locks.

This summer Freighter's has breakfast specials. There was a choice of french toast, pancakes or 2 eggs with either eggs, bacon or sausage to accompany it. It also included some fresh fruit. It was plenty of food and a great bargain for only $2.99. I recommend it for a relaxing, delicious breakfast.






The dining room was not crowded and our waitress encouraged us to sit and relax as long as we wanted.

New Grocery Stores in Sault

This summer has seen the upgrades of two Sault stores that offer groceries. Walmart closed their one store to open a Super Walmart that is open 24/7. They have been so busy that I haven't wanted to shop there. I did once and found it overwhelming.

Another pleasant surprise was the upgraded Soo SuperValu located on the corner of Easterday and Ashmun. That site has a great tradition of grocery shopping. It is the location of the Soo A & P which dominated Soo shopping for decades.

We shopped SuperValu tonight and found it clean, well-laid out and with very helpful staff. They had many special deals including watermelon for $2.99. We are getting ready for an invasion of grandkids for the week and got stocked up. I definitely will be returning there for their weekly specials. You can click here for their Weekly Ad. I'll add specials as I find out about them.

What's your favorite place for groceries in the Sault?

New Walmart Opens Today

Sault Ste. Marie will host the ribbon cutting of a brand new Walmart Supercenter this morning. The store is located on the I-75 Business Loop and can also be entered off of 3 Mile Road. The new store is much larger than the previous store and will be open 24 hours a day.

I remember when the F. W. Woolworths opened their new store around 1964 in Sault Ste. Marie. I was one of the first customers after the ribbon cutting. My grandmother worked at the store as the cook and I was very excited about the new store. Several years later, I began working at the Woolworth's lunch counter as a waitress. I worked there for 2 summers. Never had a day as a waitress that I liked. But it did teach me that I had better pursue another career.

Dancing Crane Coffee House

I discovered a real jewel of a coffee house today while visiting Bay Mills which is west of the Soo. The Dancing Crane Coffee House is on Lakeshore Drive and is really worth the drive.

Dancing Crane has bagels, muffins and rolls as well as many games to encourage you to sit and enjoy. There are interesting articles for sale which makes it a comfortable spot to sit and sip.

There is a place for live music and some is scheduled in August. However, anyone is welcome to pick up an instrument and share their talents.

Cathy, whose husband cut the logs and build the coffee house, owns the Dancing Crane. She has a wide selection of fair trade and organic coffees and teas that she hand-picked for their taste. This means you will have a great cup of coffee no matter what flavor you order. And get this-a cup of brewed coffee is only $1.
The drive-up window offers convenience and even some good-natured kidding from the customers.
I'll definitely be returning to the Dancing Crane to try a latte and browse the assortment of things for sale.