Chamber Quarterly Newsletter

Chamber Quarterly Newsletter • October/November/December 2022

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Fall in the White Lake Area

Fall in the White Lake Area is special, and between the colors of a fall sky and the leaves changing, our area comes alive in a way that's different than in the summertime. A slower pace with still all the energy.

Our bike trails fill up with people eager to walk, run, or bike in an undisturbed and picturesque setting. White River, White Lake, Duck Lake, and Lake Michigan remain the perfect setting for canoe and kayak enthusiasts, not to mention great locations to see the changing colors. Thinking of giving it a bicycling or kayaking a try this year? WaterDog Outfitters is right between the White Lake Pathway and Hart-Montague Trail, where you can try, purchase, or rent a bicycle, e-bike, or kayak.

Much of our outdoor recreation remains open during the fall months--it just may look a little different! Places such as Clear Springs Nature Preserve in Montague and Duck Lake State Park in Whitehall have the same great trails, but a whole new look--click here for other great spots to walk or hike. Muskegon Luge Adventure Sports Park also has great trails to walk (Hike the Lights), along with other activities, before they transition into all of their winter adventures. And some of our "outdoor recreation" changes into "indoor recreation", such as Double JJ Resort. Fall also means new activities at Country Dairy, Lewis Adventure Farm and Zoo, and Weesies Bros.

All of our unique shops change as well--short sleeves transition into long, and summer décor becomes last season as pumpkins, corn stalks, and cornucopia's become fitting with the season. And if you're craving pumpkin or apple spiced anything, or comfort foods like soups, our restaurants can definitely help with that. If you're looking for a spiked version of those drinks, our pubs and breweries are happy to help, too.

We're excited to transition into another fall in the White Lake Area. See below for a wrap up of summer 2022, and what's happening during our fall and early winter months.

*Picture by Connor Rake at Connor Rake Productions.

Looking Back:

Quarter Three Highlights

July-September 2022

4th of July Parade

On Monday, July 4, we celebrated our annual 4th of July parade from Downtown Whitehall to Downtown Montague! We had over 75 businesses, organizations, and individuals participate on what was a perfect Michigan summer day, and were honored to have the parade led by the American Legion and VFW. Click here to view our Facebook album with more pictures, and if you missed it and want to relive a taste of summer, click here to view the livestream.

A huge thank you to our sponsors who helped make this parade possible: RE/MAX by the Water as our Event Sponsor, Wesco as our Livestream sponsor, and CatchMark Technologies for the great livestream!

White Lake History Cruises

On Sunday, July 31, we held our White Lake History Cruises for the first time since 2010! We had three sold out cruises, perfect weather, and a great script with the history of our area thanks to an amazing committee who made it possible. Click here to view our Facebook album with more pictures.

This special event would not have been possible without our sponsors. A huge thank you the following:

Gold sponsors--CatchMark Technologies, Manpower, Shelby State Bank, and VanDyk Mortgage.

Silver sponsors: City of Whitehall, HarborLight Credit Union, and the White Lake Association.

Bronze Sponsors: Homestead Restaurant & Bakery, McCormick Food & Gas, and Transnation Title Agency.

Special thanks to Billy Mann of CatchMark for emceeing our cruises!

39th Annual Chamber Golf Classic

Fore! On Wednesday, August 31, we held our annual Chamber Golf Classic at Old Channel Trail Golf Course in Montague. It was another beautiful day for all 100 golfers, complete with awesome giveaways and prizes, a 50/50 raffle, and a chance to win $500 during the ball drop. This event has been going strong for 39 outings because of a committee and group of volunteers who help make it run year after year. Click here to view our Facebook album with more pictures.

A huge thank you to our sponsors who help support this event:

Premier: Durga Insurance Group

Gold: Coldwell Banker Woodland-Schmidt

Silver: ATA National Title, Manpower, and Transnation Title Agency

Photo: Shelby State Bank

Mulligan: ServPro

Hole in One: Rypma Chevrolet Buick GMC

Labor Day Community Walk

On Monday, September 5, we held our 16th annual Labor Day Community Walk across the White River Bridge, starting in Montague and ending in Whitehall. For many, this walk has become an annual tradition, but we saw plenty of first timers this year as well! We love that this event is great for all ages, and a fun tradition that we can continue for years to come. Click here to view our Facebook album with more pictures.

Thank you to our Gold sponsor, Boardwell Mechanical Services, our Silver Sponsors, Scheid Plumbing, Heating & Cooling and VanDyk Mortgage, and our bronze sponsor, the Homestead Restaurant and Bakery.

Welcome Our Newest Members:

July 1-September 30, 2022

We'd like to give a special thank you and welcome to these new members who joined the White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce during quarter three (July, August, and September)! The mission of our Chamber is to serve and advance the business interests of members and to strengthen the economic climate of our area. We are always so thankful and appreciative when businesses trust us and allow us to partner together to fulfill that mission!