Traverse City Record-Eagle

Stephanie Beach: Northern Notes

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October 30, 2011

Northern Notes: Praise of East Bay 'gem'

By Stephanie Beach, sbeach@record-eagle.com ----

Tucked along busy

U.S. 31 in Acme is

a pocket of serenity

called Bayside Park.

Visitors and residents

alike are discovering this

gem along the East Grand

Traverse Bay shoreline.

“As visitors to your area

we enjoy so much the

tranquility and beauty of

your beaches and parks. We

travel 3½ hours north several

times a year, and one

of our favorite things to do

... is an outdoor picnic by

the water,” Anne Koryciak,

of Davison, wrote. “Our

special place is a spot in

Acme called Bayside Park.

My husband and I so much

enjoy the park and find

it so restful after coming

north from the hectic life

down here.”

Acme Township resident

Ann Stolsonburg also

enjoys the park, writing,

“The park is conveniently

located on East Bay allowing

visitors and residents

who live nearby a quiet

location ...”

The gardens at the park

are maintained by the

Sweetwater Evening Garden

Club and are an added to

bonus for park visitors.

“The flowers are always

just so beautiful and so

well maintained no matter

the time of the season,”

Koryciak wrote. “I would

like to say thank you to the

(Sweetwater Evening) Garden

Club for all the work

they do to make Bayside

Park so perfect in every

way.”

Stolsonburg agrees: “The

park’s flower garden is well

kept and adds to the beauty

that visitors seek. Bayside

Park is a wonderful place

to visit, relax and enjoy

East Bay.”

Lyn and Pat Salathiel, of

Williamsburg, also find the

park and its gardens a wonderful

addition to the East

Bay shoreline.

“Like most everyone in

the Grand Traverse area

we have a lot of summer

visitors, and one of the first

places we take them is Bayside

Park ... Acme’s pride

and joy,” the couple wrote.

The Salathiels added that

without fail someone asks

who planted and takes care

of the gardens.

“When I tell them that our

local volunteer garden club

does this and much more,

they’re simply amazed,”

the Salathiels wrote. “We

love the addition of the

new park bench, too. It’s

perfectly situated to showcase

not only the beautiful

flowers, but our spectacular

sunsets and the greatly

expanded Acme shoreline

as well. Thanks everyone.

Your hard work is greatly

appreciated.”

■

Frank Lahde, of Traverse

City, wrote with cheers to

all the local paddlers who

cleaned up the Boardman

River and many other

streams in the tri-county

area over the summer.

Volunteers from the

Traverse Area Paddle Club,

Kingsley Outdoor Adventure

Club, 4-H, U.S. Coast Guard,

as well as many other organizations,

participated in the

cleanup to help keep area

rivers pristine and clean.

“A special thanks to the

Great Lakes Commission, a

special Department of Natural

Resources, that provided

grants for the cleanup,”

Frank wrote. “Thanks also

to many of the area liveries

for providing canoes and

their staff to assist in the

cleanup endeavors. Most

of all, thanks to Norm Fred

who organized, coordinated

and led nine of the cleanup

exercises this summer.”

Stephanie Beach can be

reached at sbeach@recordeagle.

com.

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