Volunteering in the Firewise Garden

Fourteen students from the MSU Horticulture Club donated their time Oct. 1 to maintain the garden areas at Kettunen Center. The Saturday clean-up project included weeding, raking, pruning and transplanting to improve the gardens at Kettunen Center. Elaine Bush, Firewise Project Director for Greening Michigan Institute, Manistee County MSU Extension, worked right along with the students that day and will continue to manage the Firewise Garden, an educational garden demonstrating fire-resistant gardening and structure materials at Kettunen Center. Kettunen Center really appreciates the work done by the students and their future plans to help next spring.

Kettunen Center's 50th Anniversary Celebration

Come one, come all to Kett's 50th Celebration on August 13, 2011 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. I hope you can make it. We are merging our popular Family Fun day with the anniversary celebration to create a super family event that you will not want to miss. We have lots of fun activities planned:

8:30 a.m.: Pre-celebration event: 5K Fun Run Race.
10 a.m.: The 50th celebration begins.
11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.: Picnic Lunch: corn on the cob, salads, burgers, hotdogs, and 4-H Forever ice cream.
2 p.m.: 50th Celebration Program including the original 1961 time capsule and the burial of the 2011 time capsule.
4 p.m.: 50th Celebration comes to an end! Happy 50th to Kettunen Center!

Activities from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. will include:

• Waterfront activities: pontoon, kayaks, canoes, fishing clinic and contests, swimming, and water games.
• Disc golf (new 9 hole course)
• Kettunen Center GPS Treasure Hunt
• KC tour and nature hikes
• Petting zoo
• 4-H Project demonstrations and exhibits

The cost is $7/adult, $5/youth (5 years - 17 years), children 4 years & under are free, and a maximum of $25/immediate family rate.

This is definitely an event that you do not want to miss! Make sure you mark your calendars for August 13, 2011 and bring the whole family for a day of fun!

Kettunen Center's Road Scholar - Stalking the Elusive Morel

Kettunen Center’s Road Scholar program, Stalking the Elusive Morel and Other Natural Encounters, was held last week (May 1-4, 2011) with twenty-two participants from the Midwest states. The most successful morel mushroom foragers of the group were both from Michigan, Christal L. and Jim Marcoux took the prize! It was a great time for all to learn from experts and to get outside to enjoy spring wildflowers, nesting and migrating birds and finding the elusive morel. For information about Road Scholar visit www.roadscholar.org

Spring Family Fun Day

On Saturday, April 9, 2011, Kettunen Center will host the annual Spring Family Fun Day. This year’s event will include sessions on geocaching and how to use a handheld GPS unit, how to use a compass, ski walking (Nordic Walking), spring discovery hike, spring craft, turkey ecology from a local expert, and maple syrup making.

Since their inception several years ago, Family Fun Days have gained in popularity, and now are offered four times a year – two in the winter, one in early spring and one in fall. The objective of these programs is to take families outside and experience the seasons. Past fall programs have offered kayaking, canoeing, interpretative hikes and Monarch Butterfly migration. Winter programs largely center on winter recreational activities including ice fishing, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, and winter survival. One returning participant wrote that after attending a winter session in which she and family cross country skied, she bought skis for her daughter on the way home and they have been skiing together regularly since.

These programs are made possible through the generous support of donors, the Michigan 4-H Foundation, General Mills/Yoplait Company of Reed City, Pine River Audubon Chapter, the Pere Marquette Chapter of the Michigan Wild Turkey Hunters Association, and a National Parks and Recreation Take Me Fishing Grant. Please join us for the Spring Family Day, Sat., April 9! For registration information visit the Kettunen Center website events calendar.

Prime Rib Now Featured at Kettunen Center

The kitchen staff at Kettunen Center are excited to offer a new menu item to all adult groups that stay at Kettunen Center for two or more nights. Prime rib will now be part of the routine dinner menu. Our culinary experts will be carving the meat on the food line for you to enjoy!