Grand Rapids walk

The Grand Rapids, Michigan YRE has got to be one of the best walks in the country. You see the magnificent Caulder stabile, the glorious gardens of the Gerald Ford Library in a vibrant cityscape, view the Frank Lloyd Wright Meyer-May house in nineteenth century neighborhoods, and stroll the riverwalk where we saw this heron fishing in the Grand River spillway.

Waterfront Film Festival and Grand Rapids on Michigan's west coast

Historic Pathwalkers President Jean Woltjer invites you to walk Douglas/Saugatuck and Grand Rapids this weekend:


Plan now to come and walk in Douglas - Saugatuck MI this weekend.    Our AVA sanctioned seasonal walk goes through the historic villages of Douglas and Saugatuck where the 12th Annual Waterfront Film festival is being held this weekend.  Saugatuck is known for its art colony dating back to 1910 and the Film Festival has been named one of the top 5 film festivals.

For more info on the festival go to  http://www.waterfrontfilm.org/  and for more info on the walk go to 
http://www.ava.org/gen3/data/event_details.asp?eventid=85283


The Historic Pathwalkers invite you to a group walk of our Grand Rapids seasonal walk on Saturday, June 12.  We plan to start walking at 9:30 a.m. The trail takes you along the Grand River, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum and burial site, historic Heritage Hill with it's magnificent architecture as well the  downtown area.   There is something for everyone! The start point is the Big Boy Restaurant, 407 Pearl St.   More information can be found at http://www.ava.org/gen3/data/event_details.asp?eventid=85281
Come and join us for a great walk.


P.S. While you're in Grand Rapids, take a walk around the Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park to enjoy the Dale Chihuly outdoor glass installation.
Jean Woltjer, Pres
Historic Pathwalkers

Summer Newsletter 2010

Summer has arrived! We’re enjoying the great weather and all the activities that come along with it. Our group walks got off to a great start this season with the last one held in South Haven. After the walk we enjoyed lunch at Clementine’s and then some of us wandered over to Sherman’s for dessert!

The next walk will be held on Saturday, June 12 at 9:30 a.m. Note the earlier time. After the walk we plan on conducting our annual business meeting at the Big Boy Restaurant which is the start point for our walk. The address is 407 Pearl Street. The Grand Rapids walk is one of our most popular so if you haven’t walked it yet, be sure to join us and feel free to bring a friend or friends. The meeting will start at approximately 12:30. 

Among the agenda items to be considered are:

• Election of officers
• Treasurer’s report
• Scheduled walk for Sept/Oct
• Renewal of YRE and Seasonal walks for next year

Our July walk will be in Manistee on Saturday, July 31. The start point there is Wahr’s Hardware Store, 87 Division St. It’s located right behind the Christmas Store which is on US 31 or Cypress Street. The start time there will be 10:00 a.m.

We send our condolences to Mr. Gerard Perry on the death of his wife Rita recently.   Rita was a long time member of the club and an active participant who did much to promote club activities. Even in later years both she and Gerard were always  there to help in one way or another. She will be missed.

The Historic Pathwalkers held a group walk today in South Haven. We had a good turnout with several new walkers joining us. The weather was perfect. We all went to Clementine's for lunch afterwards and that was followed by ice cream at Sherman's. A great day all around!!

Saturday, May 22 the Historic Pathwalkers are planning a group walk in South Haven.
We plan to start at 10:00 a.m. from the Café Julia at 561 Huron St. Take exit 20 (Phoenix Rd) off I-196 to Broadway and turn left. Go to Huron and Café Julia is on the right. The rain should be done by then so come join us!

Michigan lakeshore walks

Historic Pathwalkers hosts seasonal or year 'round events in each of the festival hosts cities highlighted by HP President Jean Woltjer below. Get information about each walk in the Historic Pathwalkers 2010 Year 'round and Seasonal Walking Events brochure.

The tulips are blooming in Holland, Michigan just in time for the Tulip Time festival that runs from May 1 - 8.  Come and do our seasonal walk and enjoy the sounds and smells along with the beauty of thousands of tulips and spring flowers.  The walk has been revised to include the Heinz Waterfront Walkway as well as the historic district, Hope College campus and downtown business area.

On May 22 and 23 Grand Haven is hosting the Great Lakes Kite Festival.  The sky over Lake Michigan will be aflutter with kites of every size, shape and color. Plan to make this a part of your walk experience this spring.

Come and enjoy the Venetian Festival in St Joseph that runs from July 15 - 18.  Much of the walk here also includes the shoreline of Lake Michigan where you will find many of the festival activities including arts and crafts.

In August come to South Haven during the 47th National Blueberry Festival that takes place August 12 - 15.  A variety of blueberry related activities and products can be found at the Huron Street Pavilion and Riverfront Park, both of which are on the walk route.  Other festival activities include concerts and a parade.

Midwest Living magazine has named Ludington State Park the top state park in Michigan.  The HP volksmarch route there begins with a two-mile walk along the beach to the lighthouse at Big Sable Point.

Manistee is known as the Victorian Port City. It features a  river walk and many of the downtown buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places. The walk includes the Ramsdell Theater where actor James Earl Jones got his professional acting start and historic neighborhoods and churches.

All of these walks qualify for many of the AVA Special Programs.  For more information check  www.ava.org/clubs/pathwalkers/ or check our 2010 walk brochure.

Come enjoy Michigan this year!
Jean Woltjer, President Historic Pathwalkers, MI AVA affiliate

Just wanted to remind everyone of the Historic Pathwalkers group walk planned for Saturday, April 17 in Lansing MI. We plan on meeting at the Michigan Historical Musuem at 10:00 a.m. and hope to see you there. The address is 702 W Kalamazoo St.
The weather forecast sounds promising at this point so hopefully there will be no need for an umbrella!