Melissa Fruge

Art Melissa Fruge Boyne Artists Build
a Dream With Art Auction

By Melissa Fruge’ 8/31/09

A vibrant arts community is growing along the shores of Lake Charlevoix, and though it may have happened by chance, all can agree it was destiny. You’ve never heard of the Boyne Arts Collective? Well pay attention, because you’re in for a pleasant surprise. What started as an informal gathering of local artists in the Boyne City area two years ago has exploded into a community-wide organization with more than 100 members.
Organizer and artist Martina Hahn has lived in the area for more than 15 years and says she had heard about all the fabulously talented local artists, but had yet to meet any. So in the fall of 2007 she began circulating a flyer asking anyone interested in the arts to attend a small informal gathering to discuss how to strengthen their presence in Boyne City. Hahn says about a dozen people showed up to the initial meeting and the numbers and organization have grown from there. However, providing artists an outlet to showcase and sell their work is not the main mission of the Boyne Arts Collective (B.A.C.) Their goal is to encourage local artists and promote art education and appreciation in the community.
“What’s great about the Boyne Art Collective is that not only do artists now have a place to display their work, but now we have a place to gather and can learn from each other and share resources,” says artist Jerry Douglas.
It’s also been a plus for the community. Jim Baumann, executive director of the Boyne City Chamber of Commerce, believes it gives the town a real sense of pride and hopes the arts and culture can become an economic contributor to the area.
“We’re not just some strip town on the highway, people have to want to come to Boyne City and I think this gives them an extra reason,” says Baumann.

Features Melissa Fruge The nights are dark and the days are often gray… welcome to winter in Northern Michigan. This year the snow arrived early and it seems to be sticking. Some of us can’t wait for Old Man Winter to arrive; we’ve been waiting since early spring to break out the skis and hit the slopes again… But if the thought of strapping two sticks on your feet and hurling yourself down an icy hill at breakneck speeds is less than appealing, fear not. There are other ways to while away the winter besides downhill skiing. Check out these offbeat ideas to add zest to the season:

Dining Melissa Fruge Don’t call it The Tannery, because if that’s what you are expecting, then you’re in for a big surprise at the all-new 220 Lake Street restaurant and nightclub in Boyne City.
Gone is the dark, smoke-filled watering hole with its U-shaped bar–in its place, a light-filled dining space with Northern Michigan’s largest Corian bar snaking its way along the right wall. The only thing Boyne City’s newest restaurant has in common with its predecessor is its address.
The building has been a fixture of the small community for at least 100 years. Built around the turn of the 1900s, it served as a hardware store for at least 50 years. It was also home to a second-hand antique store, with the upstairs portion used as apartments.
It’s hard to say when 220 Lake Street became a bar, but many locals agree it was by the ’70s, at the latest. Many credit Terry Toomey for naming it the Tannery Saloon in a nod to one of Boyne’s most enduring industries.
But now the restaurant on the corner of Lake and Main streets is owned by Chris Thiel, a downstate native who fell in love with Northern Michigan after vacationing here. Thiel chose Boyne City because of its year-round appeal to locals and tourists alike. He emphasized quality in the restaurant’s makeover. What was supposed to be a six month project turned into nearly a year and a half of renovations.